Everton v Sunderland ‘Who are You?’: a Middlesbrough connection adds spice

Sam Myers with Master Myers
Sam Myers with young Oscar, already orderd to support Everton. Can SAFC make Oscar wild on Sunday?

Last season, Hannah Myers was one of Salut! Sunderland‘s Everton ‘Who are You?’ interviewees and came second in the annual HAWAY (Highly Articulate Who are You) awards. So we’ve been back to the Myers household and pressganged her old man, Sam Myers*, into the hot seat. Doubtless in years to come, young Oscar will be answering questions to some whippernsapper successor to Monsieur Salut. Sam likes SAFC, believes Big Sam can save us with time to spare but expects Sunday to go to script.

But footballing allegiance in the extended Myers family gets complicated. Life on Merseyside may have made Hannah’s dad, Alan, call Everton ‘us’ and he is doubtless predicting ‘we’ will beat Sunderland. But he’s a Redcar – or more precisely North Skelton – lad and his first footballing love was Boro. He was there for last night’s penalty shootout win at Old Trafford. But who will he be shouting for when Boro (‘us’ last night) host Everton (‘us’ the rest of the time) in the quarterfinals? Sam has passed on his father-in-law’s emphatic response below ..

boro2

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Dodgy-ng relegation

John McCormick:
John McCormick: History. Is it all bunk?

This post is about relegation, something never far from our minds, and who this season’s three might be. Over the summer I looked over a little bit of history and generated some numbers in order to bring you more of my dodgy predictions. Enjoy them or argue with them as you will. Just don’t nick the family allowance and run off to the bookies.

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Sixer says: boosting Bally, beating Middlesbrough, betting on PDC’s successor

Sixer says:'make me want to keep the faith'
Sixer says:’make me want to keep the faith’

Despite the entertainment value of a five-goal match involving Kevin Ball’s young squad, talk turned inevitably to Matters at the Top. Read on for Pete Sixsmith‘s match report – and a tongue-in-cheek look at runners and riders for the nead coach job …

No rebellions at Hetton as the development squad turned out for Kevin Ball and probably had mayonnaise on their chips at lunchtime, now that the sauce salesman has been allowed to call again.

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Salut! Sunderland’s two million hits party: even Newcastle and Middlesbrough are invited

Jake offers his own Olé!
Jake offers his own Olé!

Stop Press: Enter the great Salut! Sunderland Two Million hits competition. Read about the first prize – £200 towards a holiday from Sunderland-based Hays Travel at https://safc.blog/2013/06/attention-safc-newcastle-middlesbrough-even-scarborough-supporters-2m-hits-competition-prize-announced/ BUT POST YOUR ENTRY HERE IN THE COMMENTS SECTION BELOW

It took four years to reach the first million but only two more to double the tally.

Cast your eyes down to the very bottom of the home page – https://safc.blog – and, in the right-hand corner and up a bit, you should see a figure recording Salut! Sunderland‘s hits, that is the number of page views since the site was launched in January 2007.

When I checked a minute or two before posting this item, the total stood at 1,977,812. That left 22,188 to go. During the season, you could bet that would take no time at all. The fickle nature of readers when nothing much is happening means it could take for ever.

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Sixer’s Soapbox: Middlesbrough inflict capital (one) punishment

Malcolm Dawson writes: There were other things to do on Tuesday night. As storms lashed the Jersey shore, M Salut, celebrating a wedding anniversary, walked like a man to see The Jersey Boys. Reading v Arsenal’s 12-goal thriller was on the telly in The Kings Arms, Deptford where the pre match Timothy Taylors was in fine fettle and West Auckland beat Birtley Town 5-4 in a penalty shootout at Darlington Road, after sharing six goals. Pete Sixsmith did what he usually does and pitched up at the Stadium of Light. He left thinking his £15 might have been better spent elsewhere …

I'd rather be having colonic irrigation

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Martin’s Musings on an excruciating defeat: Middlesbrough’s ‘free spirit’ leaves SAFC ‘disappointed’

Jake's imagination

Disapppointed, it is fair to say, was a word heard often on Steve Bruce’s lips. It annoyed many supporters no end. And it somehow seems entirely the wrong response to this latest setback in the fortunes of Sunderland AFC, implying as it does that we would have progressed further in this uncommonly winnable of competitions if only all our flair, sense of adventure and endeavour had paid off. As opposed to the reason for the exit being, as Pete Sixsmith called, is ‘the most inept performance since the last most inept performance, clueless and brainless’. Let us hear what the boss had to say in the knowledge that sterner analysis is in the minds of others …

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Sixer’s Sevens: SAFC 0 Middlesbrough 1 – when will someone score?

Jake gives Sixer star billing

With M Salut having other duties and his deputy being at the game I (John Mac, that is) was left in charge of the shop. Radio 5 made only fleeting visits to Sunderland, Radio Newcastle doesn’t stream games on the net and the SAFC website was very reluctant to refresh. Fortunately, Pete Sixsmith has the technology we need. Within seconds of the final whistle his text was winging its way across the Pennines with a seven word summary that tells us all we need to know. And that’s as good as it got…


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Wise words on Sunderland’s brand of football PLUS Middlesbrough ‘Guess the Score’

Jake's got his. Now you can join the Buy One, Win One rush

Let us mix fun, competition and a sense or proportion. First, treat this as a Guess the Score posting: usual rules, as recently modified – if you are the first to predict the correct SAFC v Boro score at the end of normal plus any extra time, that is before a penalty shoot-out, you qualify for a free Martin O’Neill mug provided you buy one too*. Now for the sense of proportion …

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