Sam Allardyce

Sixer’s Bolton Soapbox: Gardner and Brighton conspire to beat our Supersub’s blues

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Still in it, says Jake
Still in it, says Jake

With Pete Sixsmith otherwise engaged on family matters, once again Supersub Robert Chapman steps up to the plate with his thoughts on the game at Bolton. It’s fair to say that he wouldn’t have been the only Sunderland fan in a good mood as kick off loomed, as the not unexpected news from Brighton got the afternoon off to a fine start. Certainly the BBC Newcastle team were in upbeat mood about the Black Cats’ cahances as the teams were announced but as Nick Barnes warned, potential banana skins await the overconfident.

And so it proved, as once again the Sunderland team put its supporters through the gamut of emotions with relief and renewed expectation of a 40th anniversary FA Cup run as the final whistle blew. Mind you had we known in advance the identity of our potential 4th round opponents there may have been a little less confidence. Still bogey teams are there to be beaten but first there’s still a tricky replay to negotiate.

It's Bob Chapman on this week's soapbox but Pete's smiling anyway
It’s Bob Chapman on this week’s soapbox but Pete’s smiling anyway

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Blackburn lunacy sums up new breed of owners

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Salut! Sunderland writers are rallying to a sick man’s cause. Bill Taylor has contributed the first of what is intended to be a series of mid or middish term reviews, and will get the ball rolling tomorrow. First, our mysterious Birflatt Boy emerges once more from the shadows to offer a rant on growing managerial instability …

It’s the festive season for most of us, but the start of the silly season which was heralded by Chris Hughton’s dismissal last week has arguably been trumped by the news that Sam Allardyce has been dismissed from his job at Blackburn Rovers.

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Big Sam, the pickled poor and Salut: all sick as parrots

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This is what the Wikipedia entry for norovirus says:

The disease is usually self-limiting, and characterised by nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and abdominal pain; and in some cases, loss of taste. General lethargy, weakness, muscle aches, headache, and low-grade fever may occur.

It sounds as if that’s what I’ve had since not too long after the Fulham boredraw. It’s been nicknamed the skiver’s complaint and no virus, but a measure of its impact on this self-proclaimed sufferer is that he has not only avoided a drop of alcohol for 72 hours but has never felt less like taking one.

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So how is Herita Ilunga’s face? (2)

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And another thing. Shouldn’t a player – any player, West Ham or Sunderland or whoever – be subject to an automatic substitution if he writhes in agony, Illunga-style, on the ground?

It just doesn’t seem safe for them to get up and resume play, once the penalty/card has been duly awarded, as if nothing had happened. Who knows what damage they are storing up for themselves in later life?

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