… it sort of reminded me of a catchy little political chant from the 1980s. It started with “Maggie” and ended with “out”.
But just in case some poor soul strayed here tonight expecting Sixer’s Sevens and Poyetry in Motion, the game is off. “My garden shed” comes to mind when thinking about a bit of wind but the decision was also influenced by conditions around the Etihad and travelling to it.
This was the photo that made me ask our friend Paul “Sobs” Dobson whether Facebook might usefully introduce an “Envy” button.
For the dress rehearsal at the Etihad, it’s back to reward-in-heaven mode. Have a go, but just for fun. Anyone who is waiting for a mug won or promised in the recent past is asked to be patient; they’ll be on the way soon.
Peter Reid is 57, Niall Quinn 47. Perhaps too late to return to Man City as midfield dynamo and target man. But both would receive huge warm welcomes if they could find time to get along to one of the functions run by the City Disabled Supporters’ Association. The invitation is extended via Salut! Sunderland by the association’s secretary, our ‘Who are You?’ interviewee, Mark Barber*. How about three unlikely points for ‘predictably unpredictable’ SAFC, as Jake called us the other day, in return for an evening with Reidy and Niall? I bet they’re rooting for us, not City, in both forthcoming games …
Colin Randall writes: as I was saying at ESPN – http://espnfc.com/blog/_/name/sunderland/id/2811?cc=5739 – the day started and ended well. The only problem was the bit in between, as bad as Newcastle had been good. Hull’s dominance of possession was so overwhelming at times that it was frankly embarrassing. Being down to 10 offers part of the reason but if, as Eric Bowers has put it elsewhere on these pages, Gary Bennett thought Hull would have won even with 11 vs 11, I fear he may have been right. Let Pete Sixsmith, my excellent host for part of the weekend, take up the sorry story …
Salut! Sunderland welcomes a new contributor, Grant Tunkel*, an American journalist drawn to SAFC by the signing of Jozy Altidore. Altidore gets a lot of stick. Some of this, M Salut, feels, is unfair given the thankless role he often plays and the pitiful service he receives. What is difficult to overlook, however, is that he is a striker who doesn’t score and that, to put it mildly, is a serious defect. For his first piece, Grant reflects on the big man’s form and offers some encouragement. California Dreaming is a first thought as generic title for his offerings and, as is our custom with practitioners of other forms of English, the Americanisms remain. NB: ‘behoove’, a verb seen here for the first time, has impeccable Old English origins . …
Lars Knutsen returns to these pages after a brief absence with his own thoughts on a run of form that given us assured glory, come what may on Match 3, and real hope …
We have ever-presents at this site, either every home game or virtually every game home and away. Sixer gets to development squad games, too, and would doubtless turn out even if the Under 7s were playing away to Rhyl.
Not all of us can claim similar goodliness. Some live so far away that the North East of England, and the towns and cities Sunderland visit, are a world apart. Others are prevented by a variety of work, domestic and health factors from attending games.
Gary Clark‘s* answers to the Salut! Sunderland questionnaire are long by any standards and it seemed like a good idea to split the interview into two rather than expect people to plough through 2,500 words or more in one go. Read Part One here – https://safc.blog/2014/02/sunderland-vs-hull-city-who-are-you-is-allam-becoming-mike-ashley/– and now sit back to enjoy the rest of the Q+A, including an amusing reference to the respective goalkeeping qualities of Tony Norman and Ian Hesford – and why Raich Carter, son not ghost, will be in the away end on Saturday …
Despite the battering it got at Ready to Go’s SMB forum last week – people taking against what I thought was a fine Newcastle United ‘Who are You?’ – this series is something I am proud of; I am deeply grateful to all those who give their time to participate.
And I trust my Hull City friends will excuse this week’s provocative headline. In fact, it reflects one of the questions put to Gary Clark*, City fan extraordinaire and author of two books charting his club’s historic seasons, From Boothferry to Wembley and This Is The Best Trip…. . He’s been this way before but, ahead of an important match for both clubs, is mightily welcome back, even at the great length he has chosen for his answers (so much so that I have decided to split it up and run Part Two tomorrow). Only thing is, we must all hope he’s a bit down in the dumps on the road back to Humberside …