Stephane Sessegnon

Sessegnon stays. Knighthood for Martin O’Neill?

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Jake's prayers are answered

This is the news so many of us have been waiting for. But how many dreaded the next announcement about Stéphane Sessegnon would be altogether different?

Whatever it took, from pay rises and cuddles to first-class Eurostar tickets, Martin O’Neill has persuaded Sess to stay. A contract extension keeps him at the club, or massively enhances his already high market value, until 2015.

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Salut!’s Sunderland Players of the Season: three winners so far

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Jakes has him celebrating already

Salut! Sunderland’s collective votes in the London and SE branch of the SAFC Supporters’ Association poll have been counted and duly cast: Stéphane Sessegnon emerged from your votes as our player of the season, with overwhelming support, while Jack Colback won a close contest with James McClean as Young Player of the Season.

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French Fancies update: Lyon lead Marseille in Olympique race. But not tonight

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There hasn’t been a French Fancies for a while. But it has been a lively spell. There has been the stunning collapse of Olympique de Marseille, champions the season before last and creditable competitors in the Champions League even as their league and Coupe de France form has sunk to rare depths, with only this weekend’s league cup final against Lyon to offer hope from the season (Stop Press: and they won it; with the only goal of a grim game, dominated by lots of falling over, abundant feigning of injury, cards galore and precious little movement).

Beaten 3-1 at home by the Ligue 1 leaders Montpellier last night, they have now stretched their winless run to 12 games. Sessegnon’s rumoured next club, Paris Saint-Germain again, were meant to run away with the league thanks to all that Qatari money but it simply won’t – yet at any rate – run to script. And now Olympique Lyonnais are looking towards the Gulf for heavy investment. Or are they? The signals are contradictory. But even without desert gold, Lyon are gradually returning to something like the form that brought seven successive titles. If Montpellier get in PSG’s way this season, what price Lyon – a great city, by the way – doing the same next season? Assuming Francois Hollande’s bash-the-rich plans don’t drive all the top players out of France in any case …

Here’s a piece I wrote about the business of French football for today’s edition of The National*, published in Abu Dhabi, which the Lyon owner sees as a possible source of a big cash injection …

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Salut!’s Week: Newcastle build-up, SAFC’s international parade and Jake’s genius

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Jake (hoping for no red kryptonite tomorrow)

On Facebook yesterday, I wrote: “Forget the hysteria of Leveson and the Scotland Yard ‘burglars/muggers/killers’ delight’ investigation of reporters having pints or lunch with coppers. The Tyne-Wear derby, Newcastle v Sunderland, is on Sunday at noon. Elegant, witty, informative and impeccably fair tribalism is to be found at https://safc.blog/

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