Chris Jones*, an administrator on three Stoke City fan sites, is Welsh and could talk for Wales on All Things City. Having kindly agreed to step into the “Who are You?” hot seat, he did so, spilling beans by the lorryload on Stoke’s Sunderland old boys – a mixed report, but check out his amazing view of Dean Whitehead – and Tony Pulis, also offering an unfashionably chilly view of Martin O’Neill and news of a Welsh-speaking Mackem …
Pete Sixsmith is a happy man. It is not always like this after football, but he saw so much to warm the soul last night that he even feels optimistic about facing up to the (alleged) Britannia Bruisers …
A pretty picture, but who are the Beauties and who are the Beasts in English football? Trust a Londoner to put Sunderland in the second category …
The long break between games made it a quietish week, but there is still plenty to look back on if you missed a daily dose of Salut! Sunderland …
It was good to have an upbeat Bruce’s Banter, the e-mail Steve Bruce sends out after each game. Click here to see what he had to say about the 4-0 win against Stoke City. He mentioned some big individual performances but stopped short of naming names.
Pete Sixsmith lives for days like yesterday. He heard the tune he’d been waiting some time to boom jauntily out of the Stadium of Light PA system once again, musical confirmation that he had just witnessed a winning display …
As we drove past the seemingly permanent dereliction of the Vaux site on Sunday, we looked over to the Stadium and, seeing dark clouds hovering over it, feared for the worst.
After a soaking – and a decent lunch at the Glass Centre – we were blessed. The sun came out and proceeded to shine all over the 32,000 Sunderland fans inside the previously doom laden SoL. We all came out with smiles on our faces, a spring in the step and an opinion as to why we had gone from crisis to confidence in 90 minutes.
It has not been a happy time for Steve Bruce. Today, his team showed us at last what they are capable of. Let him milk it for all it’s worth …
Dear Colin,
It was a terrific performance considering the opposition. I know some would argue and say we have the advantage with Stoke being away from home, of course we do, but our performance and the way we set about the game was terrific.
There were some big performances from individuals and we’ve now seen glimpses of what the team is about.
This is where Pete Sixsmith captures the glory and shame, hope and despair, excitement and ennui of the Sunderland matchday …
It was only half time and we all knew anything could happen. But we were three up and then, instead of trying to sit on even so comfortable a lead, we went quickly back on to the offensive and scored a fourth.
Suddenly it was as if there had never been any serious reason to fret. A win of any kind would have made us feel good, so the most neutral of onlookers would need no prize for guessing our response to a thumping victory.
For almost as long as we can remember, the Sunderland supporters’ jury has been out on Steve Bruce.
Anyone with experience of the courts will be familiar with the intense atmosphere felt when the whispers start: “They’re coming back.”
Well, we certainly hope we’re ready for Stoke. Last season, they came to the Stadium of Light after the mauling at Newcastle left Steve Bruce in need of a quick bounceback. He got one, courtesy of two Cashamoah £yan goals and the ref’s poor eyesight. How much more urgent is the need for a win tomorrow? Salut! Sunderland summarises a busy, unhappy (for us) week with plenty, too, to interest Chelsea and Stoke supporters …
The ink had hardly dried on last week’s review of the week before the inkwell was well and truly knocked over. Hours before the kickoff of Sunderland v Chelsea, we were hit with news of the loan deal taking Asamoah Gyan to the United Arab Emirates.
Somehow this turned a match in which I feared we’d struggle into an away banker, even though Gyan would not have played in any case because of injury. It was something to do with what the news told me about the spirit within the camp and, perhaps, the club’s own view of the big picture.