For our second Boro ‘Who are You?’ – or would it be more accurate to say the second and third? – we turn to a great stalwart of amateur football, John Atkinson*, president of Shildon FC and a former player in the area, and his pal Eddie Airey**, Shildon to the core, both of whom also share a passion for Middlesbrough FC. John – who has great personal memories of the Clough family – sees a replica of last season in the FA Cup, Eddie is less sure …
Middlesbrough
SAFC v Middlesbrough ‘Who are You?’: (1) hailing Cloughie, Juninho, Julio
What’s this? Another Monsieur Salut relative supporting the wrong North-eastern team? Well, the region is like that for a lot of families. Pete Chapman, one of my sister’s lads, was born and grew up in Middlesbrough so could hardly be blamed for his choice of club or, as he puts it himself, their choice of him. This is the first of two Who are You? features ahead of tomorrow’s league cup clash at the SoL. Pete tells Uncle Col he sees Julio Arca’s playing career ending but, maybe, another on the horizon …
Salut! Sunderland’s Week: Stoke, Middlesbrough and a star Arsenal ‘Who are You?’
Another attempt to capture the flavour of Salut! Sunderland‘s week in one Saturday morning posting …
The Boro Soapbox: Sess sees off the Smoggies
“Disaster is around the corner, it is,” says Martin O’Neill, tongue in cheek maybe (or maybe not). “It’s lurking. But that’s probably why I’m a Sunderland fan, absolutely, I couldn’t have chosen a more appropriate club.” At the Riverside, we delayed the nasty change in fortunes, setting up a second home game with Arsenal, dangerous but beatable. Pete Sixsmith looks at the 2-1 win at Boro and praises lively opponents as well as our own quietly effective team …
Martin’s Musings on winning at Boro: ‘no tap-in goals around here’
Martin O’Neill‘s post-match email from the Riverside describes a game we always seemed likely to win but in which we struggled to assert ourselves. And two classy finishes (three if we’re fair to Lukas Jutkiewicz, assisted as he was by crazy defending) …
Sixer’s Sevens: Middlesbrough 1 SAFC 2
This is where Pete Sixsmith captures the glory and shame, hope and despair, excitement and ennui of the Sunderland matchday experience. When, rarely, Pete is absent or delayed, a supersub does it for him and the seven-word verdict is preceded by an asterisk. Pete’s full analysis of the game will usually appear within a day or two.
Beat Middlesbrough, overhaul Newcastle but cling to regional common ground
If you grow up in the North East, there is a very good chance that your family will be spread around the region so that aunties, uncles, siblings, cousins and the rest end up supporting different football teams.
Boro v SAFC Who are You?: ‘a rivalry so strong’
What a relief to move on from Robert Huth, Tony Pulis and the Britannia’s frozen wastes. Can the O’Neill factor work its wonders even in banana skin territory? We will know tomorrow night when we attempt to amend for a tepid display in the first game against Middlesbrough. Enter Iain Lazenby*, great name for a Boro fan, conqueror of Kilimanjaro (took his dad’s scarf to the summit) and once chairman of Middlesbrough Supporters South. He loved our previous interviews with Harry Pearson and Alan Comfort** and was happy to do the honours for the replay …
Salut! Sunderland’s Week: Boro, Norwich and Stoke in seven days
… in which another week is reviewed for the reader who is too engrossed in work, study or play, or too forgetful, to visit Salut! Sunderland every single day …
Soapbox on Middlesbrough: bouncing back from our ‘had-to-happen’ moment
All bubbles burst. Our didn’t quite evaporate but the 1-1 draw against Boro not only sets up a tricky replay but reminds us that even Martin O’Neill’s powers have their limits. Over to Pete Sixsmith …