What a relief. Escaping relegation was good enough. Not having to worry about Guess the Score, Who are You? and other items of Salut! Sunderland stock-in-trade has allowed Monsieur Salut to approach in relaxed spirits the part of his work that actually pays. The end-of-season reviews have naturally been time-consuming but in reality needed little or no editing and – notwithstanding the predominantly downbeat tone – have been a pleasure to deal with. Apologies to those who intended to submit reviews but didn’t get round to it in time; nine lives is all the series gets and they’ve all been used up. As is customary, Pete Sixsmith brings the exercise to its climax (a notion more exciting than much we saw during the season). His Soapboxes and Sevens, travelogues, rants and reminiscences are what, more than anything, give this site its identity. I just hope, and every reader of Salut! Sunderland should hope, he gets to more games next season than he currently thinks is likely …
Martin O’Neill
Salut Podcast: Sunderland’s season review! O’Neill, Di Canio, where now?
And so another season draws to a close. It’s fair to say the contrast in the campaign’s two managers …
Salut! Sunderland’s end-of-season reviews: (8) four highs but six lows
John McCormick writes: As my brother-in-law Ed and I walked from Goodison into the well-worn district of Tuebrook, to await a bus that never arrived, it started to rain. During the long cold winter which followed it felt like there would be no more buses and precious little sunshine coming. And so it proved until Wigan lost at Arsenal, and even then it was someone else’s bus.
Salut! Sunderland’s end-of-season reviews: (7) slower than my 9-year-olds
Stephen Goldsmith is not just a budding broadcast sports journalist, podcast wizard and Salut! Sunderland assistant editor. He also coaches children. In the latest of our end-of-season reviews – the series will end soon with Pete Sixsmith‘s calculations of how well spent his season ticket money was – Goldy says his young charges show more movement and pace than our midfield managed at times …
Salut! Sunderland’s end-of-season reviews: (5) stuck at the bottom with bucketloads of shame
Ian Todd,* co-founder of the London and Southern England branch of the Sunderland AFC Supporters’ Association, probably gets to as many games as anyone. Once or twice in the past season, he wondered whether he’d have been better off going to watch the inspirational Sunderland women’s team instead. Ian’s comprehensive review of the season identifies the heroes – unsung Jack Colback notable among them – and the villains …
Sunderland’s season Observed: from bright hopes to barely hanging on
Pete Sixsmith has been more selective in the season that ends today, especially with London away games and ripoff ticket prices. He still got to most matches – including White Hart Lane this afternoon – and, as often happens, The Observer came calling for his appraisal of what he had witnessed, asking him to award marks out of 10 and nominate the season’s best this and that. All before today’s game, of course. Pete wil be back to round off our own series of end-of-season reviews …
Salut! Sunderland’s end-of-season reviews: (2) agony, ecstasy, service as normal
The end-of-season reviews are beginning to trickle in. In principle, the series will continue until the flow halts or threatens to turn into a flood. Pete Sixsmith will as usual close the series. Now let’s hear from Mick Goulding, whose occasional contributions are always welcome. He pinpoints MoN’s decline, offers a bleak assessment of a squad PDC may be unable to change as much he’d like and urges Ellis Short to back his gamble with cash …
Salut! Sunderland’s end-of-season reviews: (1) a tale of two managers
Jeremy Robson is not built in the mould of the docile, acquiescent sort of supporter who takes whatever muck is thrown at him and just rolls over to be tickled now and again. Years spent standing in the Clock Stand Paddock illustrated his passion but made him a critical fan. Here, he kicks off our traditional series of season end assessments …
The Lars Word: and the winner is … Paolo Di Canio
Lars Knutsen and Monsieur Salut disagree on one matter – whether Sunderland AFC’s handling of the Paolo Di Canio appointment was exemplary or poor – but that is an honest disagreement which will be familiar to many other supporters. Where we can probably all agree is that the appointment itself has so far, on purely footballing grounds, been thoroughly vindicated. PDC has given the club a spark just when it desperately needed it …
Transformation since Man Utd debacle reveals more to Paolo than ‘passion’
Gareth Barker imagines what an onlooker from his own parallel universe might have made of the dismal display against Manchester United that was quickly followed by MoN’s exit, looks back on Paolo Di Canio’s mostly winning start and gets reacquainted with enjoying life …