Bob Chapman is always a great stand-in for Pete Sixsmith, a home and away stalwart who lives so far south that even a home game means a trek. Wolbverhampton wasn’t next door but neither was it anything like as far. And Bob was rewarded by a display of outstanding commitment (and a decent day out with pals) …
Monsieur Salut writes: Lucas Ball* was the ideal Millwall fan to invite into the ‘Who are You?’ interview suite, aka …
Malcolm Dawson writes……….the games are coming thick and fast. Today the Who are You? series reaches Sunderland v Forest ahead …
Malcolm Dawson writes…….there were several reasons why I decided not to renew my season card over the summer. 1) The …
For his first contribution to a series he devised in a quiet moment between delivering papers, visiting obscure football grounds and losing weight, Pete Sixsmith very nearly won the Freedom of Derby, so contented were the Rams fans who strayed here long enough to see it.
Second instalment: back where we won 5-2 to clinch promotion yonks ago, and where more recently we went two goals down before snatching victory in the first of our pre-season friendlies.
This was a great idea for a series. Let’s hope Sixer’s lighter shape can withstand the demands it will place on him for all the instalments to come …
A new season beckons and we’re raring to go, full of optimism and excitement, our confidence nourished by the knowledge that Sunderland AFC are in the safest of hands.
No pre-season calamities, no breaking of ranks or signs of dressing room dissent, no one facing disciplinary action before the league programme even starts. And everything points to Simon Grayson holding on to the few remaining players of real quality.
That’s the fantasy out of the way. Can we now settle down to a start to the season that at least makes us look capable of competing at Championship level?
M Salut writes: at a chilly Victoria Park last night, Pete Sixsmith took a good look at the 17 players used by Simon Grayson as he assessed our chances of mounting a serious challenge for promotion. Sunderland won 2-1, but impressed few of those who have had their say already about what seems to have been a ponderous, uncreative performance.
The bookies say the Championship is regarded by many as more exciting than the Premier League, given the golden prize of promotion. Those who feel we stand a chance will see plenty of opportunities, as the season develops, at dailyenhanced.co.uk to back their belief with a flutter.
Meanwhile, let Sixer apply his forensic touch to events at Hartlepool 1-2 Sunderland …
Twelve months ago, we pitched up at Victoria Park with a team that included Vito Mannone, Younes Kaboul, Patrick van Aanholt, Fabio Borini and Jermain Defoe. We cruised into a 3-0 lead, took the nucleus of the Great Escape Vol 4 off at half time and looked like a team heading for the upper echelons of the Premier League.
Just before the start of the 2012-2013 season, Dom Raynor, then editor of ESPN FC, invited me to contribute regular articles on Sunderland to the club-by-club section of the site. These days, I am so used to being asked to work for nothing that I was surprised to discover they proposed to pay for these services. It wasn’t much, but there was demand for sufficient items each month to make it seem like gainful employment.
When I have been absent, Pete Sixsmith has stepped in, as admirably as you’d expect from him, and I owe him one last payment for his excellent report from a game we actually won, at Hull City.
The ESPN FC’s interest in English football is naturally concentrated on the Premier League. When teams go down, so do the writers of blog reports on those clubs’ pages. Seats may or may not be kept warm, but the gig necessarily comes to an end.
After five seasons, and with grateful thanks to Dom’s totally professional successor Alexander Shaw, it feels like a a bit of a wrench though Mme Salut will be pleased to reclaim weekends (little does she know I intend to attend every home and away match, all Under 23 games and the entire SAFC Ladies programme while still finding time for non-Sunderland football on all other days). She always said I promised to rattle off pieces in half an hour; they may sometimes look that way, but always take a little longer.
Here is my preview of the final game of the season, and therefore my final preview for ESPN FC at least for now. My brief report and marks out of 10 will appear as soon as possible after the Chelsea game on Sunday, there will then be a bit of mopping up, end-of-season assessment sort of stuff and then that will be that …
Monsieur Salut writes: I have offered the view of Sunderland AFC as I understand it at this link. Here is Pete Sixmsith with a wonderful tribute to Rob Mason, reluctantly departing editor of the award-winning SAFC matchday programme …
One of the consequences of relegation is that there are changes behind the scenes. Players move on to better things if they are lucky but those who work in hospitality, ticketing and admin find that their services are no longer required as there is less demand for pre-match entertainment when the visitors are Cardiff rather than Chelsea.
One of those leaving is Rob Mason who has edited the club programme for many years. He is a supporter who has always attended games, coming back from university at Sheffield to watch the lads in the early 70s. The programme he has produced has been consistently excellent, rarely reflecting the action on the pitch in that it was interesting, well put together and was most certainly value for money.
We all know Monsieur Salut’s football-playing younger daughter Nathalie is not a Sunderland fan. OK, she quite likes us, maybe we’re her second team. She’s been dragged to see us a few times in her life. But her allegiance is Liverpool mainly because as a kid, she fancied John Barnes. So, what now for Jordan Pickford? We’ve all seen the crazy prices – crazily low as well as high – but what would you be happy to pay for him if your club was not Sunderland? ….