If only to reassure everyone we are still here, why not reproduce something posted over at the original, non-football Salut! site?
It has SAFC connections, albeit more detached as the story proceeds. Monsieur Salut saw the play in Paris but cannot properly remember at which point the male lead – you see him pictured, in one of our tops – slagging off Newcastle (in French of course). It happened, though.
Sunderland, as you shall soon realise if you didn’t read it here the first time, has become Saint-Etienne in the film version: our links include coalmining, Steeeeeed (all of one appearance for them) and Patrice Carteron (120 – and while with us, he scored against the Mags; he’s now head coach of the Congolese club TP Mazembe).
As for the film, pretty good reviews here and there though I did see a tweet saying it had opened to empty houses in Lyon …
Saint-Etienne
Steed Malbranque’s non-existent ill son: who started the rumours?
Let us be quite clear: whoever was responsible for the story that Steed Malbranque had retired from football because his young son had cancer – when, in fact, no such son and therefore no such illness-related decision exist – was either spectacularly misinformed, or downright nasty, or both.
Steed: the last farewell?
What a shame that Steed Malbranque has let it be know he is on the point of giving up football.
Only 31, and just 26 minutes into his new career at St Etienne, the former Sunderland midfielder has personal problems and appeared a troubled figure when he spoke to the Ligue 1 club’s manager Christophe Galtier on the eve of yesterday’s game at Sochaux.
French Fancies: Stee…eeeeed’s near the top of the world
The Mag hordes have departed, taking with them the smug smiles we can but wish we had been wearing since 2pm on Saturday. On my own reckoning, there must have been 15,000 visits over the weekend from Newcastle supporters eager to gloat. And they didn’t even buy a mug between them! As for Sunderland, we now face an important week on the road, with effective performances a must at Brighton and Swansea. But first of all, let’s have another look at football across the Channel…
Three games into the French season, Steed Malbranque has finally had his first taste of Ligue 1 football since the move from Sunderland to St Etienne (might a touch of his creativity made a difference on Saturday?).
French Fancies: PSG flop good for football, allez Stee…eed
Some Salut! Sunderland readers gave encouragement to the idea of maintaining our occasional look at French football. And there’s enough Sunderland interest in Ligue 1 this season to make it worthwhile …
STOP PRESS: ST ETIENNE, without Steed who was not eligible and played for the reserves instead, beat Bordeaux 2-1 away tonight – a great start and the defeat couldn’t have happened to more deserving opposition. Steed impressed in his run-out, showing plenty of verve and enthusiasm according to the official club site, though he ended up on the losing side (2-1). And is it going to an Arles-Avignon sort of season for Patrice Carteron’s Dijon? Walloped 5-1 at home by Gyan’s old club Rennes!
The headline in Saturday morning’s Le Figaro had the whole of French football trying to play catch-up with the Man City-style flash boys of Paris Saint-Germain. PSG flaunted their new Qatari-sourced wealth by spending the ludicrous sum of €43m for Palermo’s Argentinian attacking midfielder Javier Pastore just too late to start the season last night.
God speed Steed. Bonne chance à Saint-Etienne. Tu nous manqueras
Out of the Light, into the Cauldron … Salut! Sunderland offers thanks and best wishes to Steed Malbranque …
M Salut and M Malbranque can talk freely over a good bottle of sturdy Côtes du Rhône without fear of complaint from me if he happens to be chainsmoking Gauloises throughout.
We’d be able to agree that this football business can be, not to mince words, merdique. You win a place in the hearts of most of the fans of your club only to be sold on during some restructuring programme that leaves you “not featuring in the boss’s future plans”.