Whatever pre Christmas spirit there was in Sixsmith Towers on Saturday morning had evaporated like the fumes of flaming brandy …
John McCormick writes: Even before today’s match I wasn’t looking forward to Thursday. Not only are Everton playing well, there’s hardly any public transport running and it’s bound to rain as I make the long walk back to wherever I can pick up a taxi. So when Gus said in his post-match e-mail that he was disappointed I thought “Join the club, Mate”. Anyway, enough of the joys of living down south, here’s Gus telling M Salut what else he thought:
A draw is, of course, better than a defeat. Unfortunately, in in Sunderland’s predicament, it is not enough. With possession galore, especially in the second half, there ought to have been two goals difference by the end. Instead, there was distinct lack of finishing strength and Wes Brown was harshly sent off by our friend Martin Atkinson in the final minute. His tackle looked a yellow card offence but handed Norwich a chance they did not merit to steal the points – and deprives SAFC of a key player. The task looks as great as ever and Pete Sixsmith, with his usual seven-word instant verdict, was unimpressed ..
After the draw that should have been a win at Upton Park, I said that much as I hoped for a win against Chelsea, I was more concerned about the league game at home to Norwich City. It is a tired old cliché (as is “tired old cliché”), but this had much more of a cup final feel to it than Wednesday’s league cup game.
We tried for Stephen Fry, thought of Delia Smith, decided it was too soon to return to Norwich City’s presence …
So new research says football fans are a menace behind the wheel when there’s a match on the radio and our teams are playing. So perhaps it’s a good idea to head on over to cheapautoinsurance.co if you need car insurance before heading out on the roads on match day.
And guess who is up there among the worst culprits. Us in second place, behind West Brom but ahead of Norwich supporters in terms of how stressed we become while listening to games on the car radio and trying to drive at the same time.
John McCormick would doubtless cast a sceptical eye on the methodology – where are the comparisons with non-football fans and their accident rates, for example? – but I shall pass on the details for you to decide whether they could have some validity.
The Salut! Sunderland jury has spoken.
And the verdict in our 2012-2013 “Who are You?” awards – the honours presented each season for the best interviews with opposing supporters before their teams play ours – ended up, by pure coincidence, as a final between Wigan Athletic and Manchester City.
With the same outcome …
Seven full internationals started the game for Martin O’Neill. Pete Sixsmith could be forgiven for wondering whether it was San Marino they had all played for until the manager decided they weren’t quite up to it. This is not the place to come on a wintry Monday morning if your spirits need lifting. It is, however, as incisive an analysis of what is wrong at Sunderland as you’ll find and we are not saying that just because it’s Pete’s birthday …
Malcolm Dawson writes…..
with the club urging supporters to renew their season cards before April 4th, the team is doing little to persuade us that will be a wise move – unless of course you see the extra games that Championship football brings as added value – because make no mistake there was little on show today to convince the faithful that relegation is anything other than a distinct possibility. With no real goal threat from open play, even with a man advantage for a full hour, and a poor decision from the ref who denied The Canaries a clear penalty we were fortunate to come away with a point. At this stage of the season it is probably not a good time to consider replacing the manager, but in his post match e-mail to M Salut Mr O’Neil admits that defending set pieces and creating chances are things that the team should be doing better. So whose responsibility is that then? We had the better of the officials’ decisions this afternoon and I’d be surprised if the manager doesn’t agree once he’s seen the replays. Anyway, this is what he has to say.
Well despite the apparent gremlins in the studio, the second podcast is up and running, get on it by clicking …