Roy Keane

The Lars Word: from Keano to Advocaat – and then Big Sam?

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Lars Knutsen
Lars Knutsen

Lars Knutsen has had about as much ‘excitement’ as a Sunderland supporter can take. He wants the S word – stability – along with enhanced Premier status. Here, he looks back with some admiration on Roy Keane’s time at the club and ponders Dick Advocaat and succession. His choice for the Dutchman’s successor, assuming his stay is limited to one season, will divide fans …

Well we have had yet another “exciting” end to the campaign, and obviously all Sunderland fans are delighted that we stayed up, after what has become our usual late run.

Dick Advocaat did well for us, and won the hearts of the fans. Those tears at the Emirates told us that the club had got under his skin. With the right signings and his more attacking tactics we can do a lot better in 2015-16.

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Roy Keane: skip the Manchester United bits for a fine Sunderland read

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Roy Keane: a snip at the price
Roy Keane: a snip at the price for Sixer, see below* for an even better one

We’ve seen the headlines and, if we chose to do so, read the reports. Fergie and other Man Utd spats will grip others. We may all retain a healthy feeling of distaste at his lack of remorse for the appalling assault on Alf-Inge Haaland whatever the latter had done to displease him. The bits that we’ll find interesting concern us. Pete Sixsmith has read them. He makes no inference to that other headline, that Keano was pleased Clive Clarke had a heart attack, and with good reason: it might have been better put but he was just relieved that something he could not be blamed for would divert attention from a dreadful result. Here is Pete’s verdict on the chapters he didn’t skip …

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The art of managing Sunderland: Quinn to PDC minus one

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So who’s next? Will Ellis Short stick with Bally or go for one of the candidates we’ve seen mentioned – for example Gus Poyet, Rene Meulensteen, Gianfranco Zola and Stuart Pearce – or someone else entirely? Whoever it is, we should expect it to mean work for the Sunderland-born, Sunderland-supporting artist Owen Lennox, who now describes his labour of love …

In the 83/84 season when Alan Durban was the manager, Sunderland made an important signing, Chris Stevens. Rarely had Roker Park seen such artisty. Not since the board had commissioned the Hemy painting that now hangs majestically in reception at SoL had the club invested in so much money in art. Chris Stevens was appointed as artist in residence on a year’s contract valued at £7,000.

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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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The Lars Word: Arsenal’s wastefulness with captains, how Wags view Sunderland’s shops

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Lars Knutsen: our own Nordic Mackem

One last look at a game the mighty Untold Arsenal website* called Arsenal v Sunderbus, though you can also see what Monsieur Salut made of it at the new FC Network feature on the ESPN site A recently recruited addition to the Salut! Sunderland team, Lars Knutsen, exiled in the USA, takes encouragement from the draw, wonders whether Wenger has lost it and appeals to footballers’ wives – while somehow keeping an entirely straight face – to give the Bridges centre a chance …

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Bid for unique piece of Sunderland memorabilia. Or expect Mick McCarthy round to ask why not

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The famous top: bid for glory

This is not a competition as such but an auction. I thought we had a Sunderland top signed by the players then assembled under the command of Roy Keane but it turns out that it dates from the Mick McCarthy era (see the fascinating story of how it originated in the fifth comment below). Whether or not my use of “unique” is strictly correct, please bid generously …

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SAFC v Republic of Ireland: an unforgettable night with Niall, minus Keane

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In the latest edition of Gambles’ Rambles, our regular contributor Ken Gambles pondered the worthy title ‘a reflective narrative on the role of altruism in a capitalist hegemony’ before deciding: ‘Nah, just a memory of Quinny’s testimonial.’ Monsieur Salut remembers it, too, as the game for which he bought a ticket knowing he had no hope of being there (remember those non-attendance tickets that boosted the proceeds?). He missed a great occasion, which special connections made greater still for Ken …

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SAFC v West Brom: Quinn’s players’ revolt, Keano revolted by players

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Back in 2006, Sunderland ended a dreadful losing run by beating West Brom (then Championship leaders) 2-0 at home. Just the sort of result that we could all do with tomorrow after, er, another dreadful run. By all accounts, though, we were lucky to get a team out that day …

A quick postscript to the Niall Quinn interview in which he admits that he faced an instant players’ revolt after taking over, briefly, as manager of Sunderland in 2006, when we had just been relegated – with a record low, which Derby County later beat, of 15 points.

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