Martin’s Musings

Martin’s Musings on SAFC Wigan:

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'About time too!' screams Jake

It could all have been so much different. After three minutes and then again after fifteen, Simon Mignolet won this game for Sunderland. He did what he is paid to do but these early, crucial saves meant that Stephen Fletcher’s fifth goal in four games got the Lads their first league win of the season. Whether McClean’s cross was intentional or whether it was meant as an attempt on goal only he knows for sure, but there was no doubt about the clinical way the chance was put away.

Martin O’Neill delivers his post-match e-mail after today’s first League victory of the season.

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Martin’s Musings from Arsenal: ‘fantastic, terrific, brilliant’. OK, ‘under pressure’ too

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Welcome to the new season and another series of the Martin O’Neill post-match e-mail – sent exclusively to Salut! Sunderland (and a few thousand others). Football purists are wittering on tonight about us parking the bus. They said nothing when Chelsea won the CL, also by defending deep and relying on breaks. MON considered it a tremendous effort and elsewhere promised new signings soon (Adam Johnson was today’s rumour)..

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Martin’s Musings from Everton: not good enough at Goodison

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Martin O’Neill is not one to make excuses and in his post match missive this is as close as he has come. But where other men’s explanations come across as whingeing, this manager’s are reflective and realistic leading as they do to the obvious. We were beaten again, by a team who performed much, much better on the day.

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Martin’s Musings on Tottenham Hotspur: making a point, taking a point

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With M Salut still suffering IT problems it falls to me pass on MON’s comment’s after yesterday’s hard fought draw. How many of you who could only watch the game on TV, I wonder, shared Alan Hansen’s view, sarcastically expressed, that this was hardly a classic? From my seat in the stand I thought this was as entertaining as 0-0 draws with little to threaten the keepers, gets. The teams were evenly matched, both produced some fine moves and both gave the ball away from time to time. Sixer’s view will follow shortly but for now, here is the manager once again in positive mindset. MD

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Martin’s Musings on Man City: better side is singing the blues

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After Tuesday’s disappointment, today’s response against a side that hadn’t dropped a home point all season, has Martin O’Neill singing the praises of his team. Whilst ultimately this may be viewed as two points dropped, rather than one won, once again we have seen the manager’s ability to use the available players to achieve a positive result. To the rest of the world who expected the lads in red and white to be on the wrong end of a battering today, the manager’s words reflect his aspirations and send out a message to the rest of the Premier League.

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Martin’s Musings from Blackburn: from high intensity to weary underachievement

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Jake imagines the snailmail version

Martin O’Neill could have said we were unlucky, he could have said we were tired after Goodison without making adding the obvious qualification that this is not really an excuse. He did not; the post-match e-mail – and sorry, Martin, there was no appetite to wait up for it last night – accepts we were beaten because we played, for the most part, badly …

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