A clumsy fall harshly punished, or an attempt to cheat his old mates? What do Salut! Sunderland readers think about the moment Phil Bardsley went down in the penalty box? …
Over at the Republik of Mancunia site, with which we had good relations in the build-up to Sunday’s game, a lot of people have been having a go at Phil Bardsley.
Thirty hours ago,Pete Sixsmith were discussing whether we had a clear shared viewpoint on Steve Bruce. Should we, without actually seeking his dismissal, withdraw the support we’ve given him so far? Should there be a good cop/bad cop debate between us on these pages? One home win against Bolton and life seems altogether different, as Pete declares before pausing for more rational thought …
The gloom has lifted. The light shines brightly. The route to European qualification is ahead and I can see clearly now the rain has gone.
Steve Bennett, not Salut! Sunderland‘s favourite referee by a long shot (even when we get his name right – see comments), so comprehensively annoys opposing sets of fans that he probably feels he must be getting something right. While Gooners bleat that he allowed our ruffians to hack away at their cultured elite, Sunderland supporters point to his failure to dismiss Fabregas for as clear a second yellow offence as could be imagined.Pete Sixsmith intensifies the war of words …
That’s the weekend games over, and incredibly, we have only dropped one place in the Race To Get Out Of The Premier League And Into the Championship Table. This is clearly not good enough, and Bruce must ensure that we lose the next four games so that we can join the Doncasters, Bristol Citys and Watfords of the footballing world.
If the world were turned upside down, that would be a distinct possibility. There appears to be a lemming like rush to get out of the top league as all the bottom eight teams bar one, lost – and that was West Ham, who beat Hull City, a fellow struggler.