promotion

Ten Years After: when Carlos Edwards and Keano warmed Sunderland hearts

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Monsieur Salut writes: it seems an awful long time ago. Then, BBC Radio Newcastle’s brilliantly excitable Simon Crabtree had produced the Mother of all Goal Commentaries with his description of Carlos Edwards’s scintillating winner against Burnley to push us closer to promotion (achieved as champions with the 5-0 away win at Luton in the final game). It’s in the superb YouTube clip you see above.

But Ten Years After – OK, a little more than 10, since the Burnley  match was on April 27 and the Luton game on May 6 – we all need to have our spirits lifted. Then, we were in the hands of the Drumaville consortium, a group of Irish businessmen led by Niall Quinn as chairman and Seaham-born John Hays as vice chairman. I have seen the message Niall sent Drumaville’s surviving veterans after our relegation was confirmed this season; it was a model of dignity and pride.

Can the memory of that astonishing bottom-to-top transformation inspire whoever, ultimately, accepts the job of managing Sunderland and whoever is subsequently the club’s owner(s). We shall see. But here is how we reported on promotion 10 years ago …

 

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And our best manager is ….. : an analytical review of SAFC bosses

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John McCormick: master of dodgy numbers.
Jake says – John McCormick: master of dodgy numbers.

John McCormick writes: In a response to one of my posts Sobs wondered if it might be possible to use substitutions and tactical changes to rate our managers. No chance, I thought, as I headed off to Spain. But, one baking hot day, when I was idly contemplating the frothy, chilled bottles calling my name from the fridge and wondering if it was too early, Sobs’s comment came back to me out of the blue. I began to wonder how we might compare managers. What stats would be needed, what would someone look for?

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Hull City FC: it used to be Hell and High Water, now it’s KC stadium and the sunshine band

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Sam Campbell
Sam Campbell, the second Hull University student to write for M. Salut

John McCormick writes: Monsieur Salut has still not returned so I’m continuing my sojourn as assistant editor, which once again allows me to introduce a guest writer. Those of you who followed the account of my journey to Hillsborough in ’73 will know that I was at  Hull University at the time. In those days Hull City were a nondescript  team playing in nondescript  Boothferry Park, which I last visited in 1973 or 4, when they beat an equally nondescript (but cupholding) Sunderland 2-0.

How things have changed. We’re an established  top-league team with a  top class stadium and Hull, with an even newer stadium, have now returned to the Premiership to join us

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SuperKev: will the next generation have a chance to see his skills?

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Ross Crawford, Palace fan
Ross Crawford, left slightly unbalanced by SuperKev’s goal

John McCormick writes:

Salut Sunderland has always welcomed good writing, from supporters of any team. This post continues that fine tradition  and, as our leader is away, gives me the honour of introducing a contributor from one of  next season’s new arrivals. You’ll already have no doubt read that Sixer was not too bothered by the playoff final result and I’ll be adding my own view in a week or so.

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The Robson Report: killing football in ‘one foul swoop’

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Every decent football supporter was outraged by the Liverpool chief executive Ian Ayre’s repugnant call for changes to TV rights that would divert more and more money to a handful of “big” clubs. Jeremy Robson is surprised more attention was not given to another corporate threat to the national game, this time from Suits of the imported variety …

Ten of the 20 current Premier League clubs are foreign owned. This would have been unthinkable even a decade ago.

Of the current crop it was Fulham who were the first to be taken over by a foreign investor (Mohammed al Fayed), in 1997, when they were in the third tier. Much has changed in a short period (and that’s no pun or reference to our owner and chairman).

Why is this significant? What difference does it make where the money comes from?

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Sunderland 2 West Ham 0: now as then would be nice

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Some of us can remember it as if it happened yesterday and we still played at Roker Park.

But it didn’t, and we don’t. Just as Hammers of a certain vintage hark back to a certain date in October 1968, we think of May 12 1980.

There was a difference in the scorelines – 8-0 against 2-0 – but our win was over newly honoured FA Cup winners and, though they started strongly and might easily have gone ahead, our victory secured promotion.

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