Monsieur Salut writes: an excellent point, might have been three. My own man of the match was Vito Mannone but no one played badly. Now over to the manager, David Moyes, for his customary post-match email ….
Monsieur Salut writes: what a transformation! Here was a performance unrecognisable from the dross seen at Turf Moor. Most of us would have taken a point before the game; against title contenders, we might easily have won had Anthony Taylor, who had curiously patchy curate’s egg of a game (ie good in parts), given us not two but three penalties, the disallowed one no less a stonewall spot kick than the two he awarded. A good game and Pete Sixsmith‘s instant seven-word verdict reveals a happier man than we heard from at Burnley …
Just a quick update ahead of our two games over the New Year period, away to Burnley tomorrow and at home to Liverpool 48 hours later.
It seemed sensible to bring together Guess the Score into one joint competition, though structured to allow for single entries too.
With great respect to Vito Mannone, who has had fine moments in goal for Sunderland and is quite capable of stepping back successfully into first team action, the loss of Jordan Pickford for up to two months can be seen only as a cruel and massive setback.
“We’re looking at 6-8 weeks, it’s a major disappointment for him and for us because he’s been saving us points.”
— Sunderland AFC (@SunderlandAFC) December 29, 2016
Crikey. You pushed away the turkey and Christmas pud, took off your funny paper hat and interrupted the Queen’s Speech, Frozen or Paul O’Grady (what, no Morecambe and Wise?) to step inside the pages of Salut! Sunderland.
Monsieur Salut spoke with forked tongue.
The Watford game was not, after all, the last of 2016 to be marked by a prize edition of Guess the Score. I have decided that even if it means the cat goes without food this Christmas, I will stump up for a mug for whoever is first to predict the correct score for Manchester United vs Sunderland on Boxing Day.
That’s my modest Christmas present – and anyone except me can enter. That means all who help keep Salut! Sunderland afloat are eligible for the life-changing prize – a mug with the winner’s choice of name as No 12.
Tonight, assuming nothing has changed, five-year-old Bradley Lowery will lead Sunderland out for the match against Chelsea at the Stadium of Light..
Lots of small children grow up cherishing lifelong memories of the day or evening they were mascots for their favourite teams. Unless there is to be a miracle, poor Bradley has only weeks to enjoy the warm glow of such a recollection.
As Salut! Sunderland‘s deputy editor, Malcolm Dawson, put it in a comment on these pages late last night, the end of Sunderland’s hopes of bringing back Yann M’Vila – from Russia with the love of so many of our supporters – represents the loss of a player of known quality.
Martin Bain, SAFC chief executive, explains: “I was contacted this week by M’Vila’s representatives, who advised that the player no longer wishes to join Sunderland.
“There was a three-and-a-half-year agreement in place, however after discussions with the manager we have decided not to enforce the contract. Any player that we bring to Sunderland Football Club must be wholly committed.
“Yann M’Vila will therefore not be joining us in January and we wish him well for the future.”
Saturday brings another game of huge importance, a chance for Sunderland to continue the encouraging recent revival but against opponents as desperate as us for points. Ian James is a Swansea City supporter and also the sort of football enthusiast the game needs: ‘profoundly deaf’, as he put it in our e-mail exchanges, he was the co-founder of the club’s Disabled Supporters’ Association, from which he is about to step down as chairman. Ian gives some straight-to- the-point responses to our questions ..
Roll up for another prize (see below) Guess the Score, Swansea City versus Sunderland …
Had we lost at Bournemouth, drawn against Hull and failed to beat Leicester, the visit to Swansea would have had “must win” written all over it.
But we didn’t. We won all three and there was even a smidgeon of honour in defeat at Anfield.