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Pete Sixsmith offers a sincere if qualified and somewhat whimsical joyeux anniversaire to Arsène Wenger – to whom Monsieur Salut does warm, much more wholeheartedly – without forgetting that another, younger manager recently celebrated his own birthday …
Malcolm Dawson writes…..I went to Esh Winning today where I saw Julio Arca score a peach of a free kick …
It is pointless to say this is the Big One. Every game Sunderland play, probably for the rest of the season, threatens to be a big one unless we find ourselves in an irredeemable position – or, and now I am dreaming, safe in midtable after an extraordinary winning run – early in the new year.
Let’s just say WBA away is or could be a defining moment in the reign of Sam Allardyce. SAFC are in a mess and there is only so much time left to extricate us from it if relegation is not to become the foregone conclusion most pundits – and increasingly our Who are You? interviewees – think it is.
Back when he was a rookie teacher learning how to negotiate safe passage through what was those days called the blackboard jungle, Pete Sixsmith watched our FA Cup Final heroes of 1973 doing battle with Vasas Budapest and Sporting Lisbon in the European Cup Winners’ Cup, winning both home legs and then again in Hungary before going out on aggregate in the second round in Portugal. The Premier International Cup is not the Champions League or even the Europa League, but the Stadium of Light offered a grander stage than the Under 21s’ Hetton stamping ground and Sixer savoured Sunderland’s return to competitive continental football …
Someone had to win and the rest of us had to lose. The competition to find a name for Sam Allardyce’s post-match thoughts, or those sent out by the press office with his signature, has run its course.
Sam Allardyce’s e-mail after each win, defeat and draw will assume the title SA’s Essay – or maybe it should be SA’s Essays – with many thanks to Joan Dawson, whose declared yearning for a Salut! Sunderland mug drove her to offer several options.
Malcolm Dawson writes……with a weekend of back to back football and World Cup Rugby on the telly there are doubtless …
Every so often, Salut! Sunderland digs into its own pockets and forks out for a prize-winning mug. You will receive the your personalised version (ie your name at No 12) of the above, from our Guess the Score sponsors Personalised Football Gifts, but at Monsieur Salut’s expense, if you come up with a great name for the slot we will devote, as with all managers, to that post-match e-mail from the boss (or his ghost writer).
We’ve had Bruce’s Banter, Martin’s Musings, Paolo’s Pow-wow (then Le Parole di Paolo), Pure Poyetry/Poyetry in Motion and the brilliant Advochaat, coined by our illustrator Jake.
What shall we call the thought of Big Sam after each win, defeat or draw? Nothing I have so far seen, of thought up myself, comes close to seeming right. Play It Again Sam might work for defeats, Telegram Sam was another suggestion and there’s always a plan Sam Speaks. Over to you, remembering the only two rules: M Salut’s decision is final and the winner must have a UK delivery address.
Sam Allardyce is our new manager. He therefore starts with Salut! Sunderland‘s complete support. Welcome back, Sam, the runaway favourite among the touted names
when we ran our little poll asking who should be Dick Advocaat’s successor.
For the bookies and the media pundits, Sam Allardyce is now pretty much the only show in town.
In other words, if you have voted in the Salut! Sunderland poll for Michael Laudrup, Nigel Pearson, Frank De Boer or “others”, not listed above but including Brendan Rodgers and David Moyes, you will have to accept that Big Sam is Ellis Short’s clear first choice and the pair are already talking terms or about to start.
Malcolm Dawson writes…regular visitors to Salut! Sunderland will be aware that we have had no end of problems with the …