Sunderland

The Eduardo survey, without apology to Arsenal

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One last pop at Eduardo for that extraordinary dive against Celtic and then all will be forgiven. The unfinished business is that we have one more prize to award, for the winner of our Pretend Fair Play league. The prize itself falls below Euromillions levels …

All season long, since Mr Eduardo’s bid for Olympic glory, but in a sport other than football, against Celtic in the Champions’ League, Salut! Sunderland has posed the same question to virtually every fan of a rival club who has taken part in our Who Are You? series.

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The report card: (5) Pete Sixsmith measures the progress

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soapbox

The team has been ordered to Mr Sixsmith’s study. They fear the worst after that dire mid-season run, the unfulfilled promise, the indiscipline and the damp squib of a season’s ending. But no, Sir is in a good mood. He sees really encouraging signs. Here, in our final review of the season, those signs are assessed by a man who has provided exemplary analysis of Sunderland AFC week after week …

We would all agree, I think, that the season just gone has been an improvement on the last two. I think that we would all agree the dip in mid season was worrying. I think we would all agree that the disciplinary record has been poor and needs to improve.

So, let’s try to put a different slant on 2009-10. Let’s look at where we were four years ago and let’s look at where we are now in the overall context of the Premier League.

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How the Salut! Sunderland jury voted

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Honourable mentions, too, are due to our other shortlisted candidates – read the full list by clicking here – but here are the citations from our judges for their Top Three choices in the annual Salut! Sunderland awards …

So the shortlist for the Who Are You? competition stretched to 10 entries, chosen by me from the dozens published at Salut! Sunderland – more than the number of teams we played since there were often two or more contributors – during the 2009-2010 season.

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Those Man City, Hull and Wolves victories: coincidence or conspiracy?

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sawkah


Lord Triesman’s capacity for suspecting foul play has spread. Was our competition result fixed to ensure some reflected Mackem glory? Where’s Melissa Jacobs, and the transcript of her text messages, when you need her? Writs may follow …

The first stone has been thrown.

From one Dewsburywolf, at the Molineux Mix site, comes the first challenge to the integrity of the four wise men who judged Salut! Sunderland’s glittering Who Are You? competition and, on an aggregate of their votes, awarded the prizes to 1) Manchester City 2) Hull City and 3) Wolverhampton Wanderers.

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Soapbox: who cares who won the cup?

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soapbox


It’s called the escape committee and it meets once a year on the day of the FA Cup Final. Salut! Sunderland did its duty and paid respectful attention to the Wembley event, but our own Pete Sixsmith and like-minded souls, true to form, were tunnelling their way out of England in search of grass roots football and tons of ale …

So I found out that Chelsea had done the once unelusive double when I saw the score on the screen in the corner of the Guildford Arms, Edinburgh. It wasn’t until I crawled out of bed on Sunday morning that I realised that penalties had been missed and that it had actually been a decent game.

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Chelsea 1 Portsmouth 0: paying the penalty

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chelski1Sorry, Lads. I really wanted to record a stunning victory, reminiscent of 1973, for the underdogs. There was, in the event, to be no FA Cup Final fairytale. Chelsea 1 (won) Portsmouth 0 (didn’t, despite having a great but squandered chance to go ahead with a first-half penalty).

So the score was the same as Sunderland v Leeds 37 years ago, but in the wrong order, Drogba’s goal winning it for Chelsea.

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The report card: (4) shameful league toppers

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luke


Our series of reports on the season just ended is nearly complete. Luke Harvey, who famously brings down the average age of Salut! Sunderland contributors, edges us towards the climax (Pete Sixsmith’s magisterial pronouncements, due any day soon). Luke ponders the league we did win – for the team with the top flight’s most shocking disciplinary record …

Sunderland beat off competition from Hull City on the final day of the season to secure the most red cards in the season, having already secured the Worst Disciplinary Trophy sometime ago. Going into the last day, Sunderland had accumulated seven red cards to Hull’s six – making for a tense final day.

They came late, but came nonetheless, Michael Turner and Jack Colback – the latter on his debut – were both ordered off to ensure Sunderland were head and shoulders above the rest as the most unruly team in the entire league.

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Chelsea advice to Portsmouth: be plucky losers

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sid

Salut! Sunderland had no doubt Chelsea deserved the Premier title more than Manchester United, and said so in the posting found here. For tomorrow’s FA Cup Final, poor Portsmouth get our sympathy vote, and we’d love to see them win. Having invited Peter Allen to share his Pompey dreams and nightmares yesterday, we were duty bound to hear from a Chelsea fan, too. Step forward David Millward*, an occasional visitor to these shores, who passionately wants the richer shade of blue to prevail. But he does have kind words for Pompey and Avram Grant – and bemoans the Stamford Bridge moaners …

Once upon a time a Chelsea v Pompey clash was less to do with football than making a fashion statement.

Some time after the skinhead years, the two clubs rivalled each other in the designer wear which their crews wore. If it wasn’t Tacchini, it was Lacoste. If it wasn’t Lacoste, it was Slazenger.

READ ON: but also see our Pompey fan’s wistful thoughts on tomorrow by clicking here

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