Sunderland

Soapbox: one league where Chelsea and Arsenal are bottom

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For he is an Englishman – unless he plays for Arsenal and Chelsea, writes Pete Sixsmith, borrowing from Gilbert and Sullivan (though didn’t Sullivan have a spoonful or two of Italian blood?). Ah, but Pete’s not on about light opera. He’s just been studying the Premier League squad lists, where “homegrown” assumes an elastic definition and Englishmen form an ethnic minority …

Lots of interesting things in the papers today:

* Derbyshire’s improbable win at Gloucestershire after being skittled out for 44 in the first innings

* Real Madrid having the audacity to suggest that Harry Redknapp was being economical with the truth over the Van der Vart transfer by denying that Bayern Munich had ever made a bid for him

* William Hague making it clear that there was nothing untoward in his relationship with his special adviser, even though they did share a hotel room during the election campaign.

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Take a bow, Darren Bent

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Image: addick-tedKevin

Belated congratulations to Darren Bent on forcing his way back into Fabio Capello’s thinking, winning a place in the England squad to play the Euro 2012 qualifier (correcting earlier error – see comment) against Bulgaria on Friday. Let us hope he gets a meaningful slice of the action.

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Soapbox: reserves rumbled by Newcastle

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School still out for what remains of summer. A good afternoon at the cricket. Heartening news – in the nick of time – on the transfer front. Sounds like a perfect day. What then possessed Pete Sixsmith to go and ruin it by watching the Reserves soundly spanked by the Mags? …

After a long, languid day spent in good company, watching good cricket at the EICGAD it was off to the Stadium with a spring in my step as I caught the news of Asamoah Gyan’s signing, courtesy of Simon Pride and Marco Gabbiadini on BBC Radio Newcastle.

It was a late one, but all good things come to those who wait and I assume that Gyan and Bruce were ironing out a few minor snags in the lead up to the closing of the window.

He looks a very good player, though not a prolific goalscorer. If Bruce has been tracking him, he may well see him as a Heskey type in that he will take the weight off the major scorer (Bent) and enable the midfielders to pick up lay offs and crack a few in. In theory……..

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Make Leicester buzz, Martyn

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Pete Sixsmith’s doleful report from the Wear/Tyne derby game is on its way, but first things first. We’ve welcomed Asamoah Gyan. And as we look forward to potentially exciting times, let us now wish our departing Shields lad Martyn Waghorn every success at Leicester – maybe he’ll come back as a record £14m signing after banging in 30 goals for them – …

The Mackem diaspora is split into two camps this morning, one much bigger than the other.

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The done deal: but only Sunderland …

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… could have kept us all on tenterhooks until a quarter of an hour before deadline. But it’s done: Sunderland AFC finally confirmed the signing of Asamoah Gyan from Rennes. Talk about cutting things fine …

Yes, we could have done with a much earlier announcement to put us all at ease.

But supporting Sunderland has always been something of a nerve-jangling experience and there must have seemed no reason to mess with that tradition. And, doubtless, every reason for the delay.

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SAFC sees the light

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In which we praise the efforts of Sunderland AFC, through its official website, edited by Stu Vose, to engage with fans in a non-official way …

It is a sad fact of life that professional football clubs treat fans, or rather those fans with little platforms (eg, in Sunderland’s case, from ALS to Salut! Sunderland) with a mixture of suspicion and disdain.

SAFC are no worse than the rest, perhaps in some ways better.

In our own experience, Celtic (and Martin O’Neill, then manager) simply didn’t have the courtesy to reply to written requests for a quick interview for 5573 (now Wear Down South), the magazine of the London and SE branch of the SAFC Supporters’ Association. When SuperKev was at Birmingham City, the club pompously made it clear that under no circumstances would players be permitted to speak to a jumped-up fanzine, even to the extent of answering a short list of questions.

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Asamoah Gyan: a cautious welcome

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Transfer deadline day and the excitement mounts. Unless things go horribly wrong – medical, gazumping etc – Asamoah Gyan should be a Sunderland player by tonight. The French daily Ouest-France, having got it wrong yesterday (saying Gyan was staying) now quotes the Rennes manager Frédéric Antonetti as confirming, after today’s training session, his departure in our direction. Let’s hope the goalscoring celebration dance in this clip will be repeated many times in our colours. Are other deals, in or out of the Stadium of Light, in the offing too?…

Of course we could just wait until 6pm, by which time there has to be a decision and therefore, presumably, an announcement.

But it wouldn’t be as much fun.

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Soapbox: how we subdued Man City’s £85 zillion superstars

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Despite the undoubted luck we enjoyed when Carlos Tevez decided to make tappy-in seem like brain surgery, we played well enough in the second half to merit our win. For once the “if onlys” are on the lips of others, leaving Pete Sixsmith to salute a notable team performance …

Buzz, buzz, buzz. I usually write these pieces a day after the game, so I can take a more detached, less emotional view of the game. But not this time.

This was the reason why I, and 30,000 others, cough up for a season ticket and sit through the occasional stinker. I am still buzzing and I almost wish I was back at work tomorrow in order to share the buzz with all and sundry – that’s how satisfying this was.

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How cold business realities may be guiding Quinn and Bruce

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“Keeping Jones was not the answer,” Jeremy Robson wrote at the Blackcats list, amplifying points he has made here. “But it would have been a whole lot better than the mess we are in right now. Quinn needs to stop being everybody’s friend and playing the genial gent and get his finger out.” Well put, and it produced this superb analysis from Chris Russell, a new voice here but very welcome …

I actually believe this is little to do with Quinn right now, but more to do with Ellis Short.

From a business perspective you look at our squad and even being conservative – McCartney, Bardsley, Ferdinand, Kilgallon, Healy must equate to somewhere near £120k/week. If Ellis has taken a look at the squad, its quite logical for him to look at Quinn and ask some pointed questions on the sanctioning of those signings/level of contracts.

Yes, they kept us up and so on, but we’re talking pure business, rather than fan and the associated level of sentimentality that comes with that.

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