Sunderland - SAFC Blog

Bolton Wanderers vs SAFC: their turn to ask the questions

February 20, 2018February 20, 2018 by Colin Randall

You can get this book, co-written by Tom Purcell and our Bolton ‘Who are You?’ interviewee Michael Gething at the Salut! Sunderland Amazon link here. Copies are offered for anything between 1p and a somewhat ambitious £180.69

Scroll down for a Bolton Q+A session – Gabe John from the Burnden Aces fan site seeking answers from Monsieur Salut – ahead of tonight’s game. But first a little history about our long-running feature in which opposing supporters talk about forthcoming games against Sunderland and anything else that takes their fancy …

Salut! Sunderland‘s “Who are You? series drew its first breath 10 years ago.

The site was a year old and constantly on the look-out for new features. Interviewing fans of Sunderland’s next opponents ahead of each game was hardly an original idea but we did come up with one refinement: they were invited to write pieces of their own, with questions following.

The first Who are You? – we called it “Who are They?” back then, in January 2008 – was from a Spurs fan ( a pal of mine, David Sapsted) – and the series instantly became a regular, in time changing to a purely Q+A format though interviewees who want to write articles are welcome to do so.

Bolton Wanderers Who are You?: ‘overpaid players who won’t fight for club’

February 20, 2018February 19, 2018 by Colin Randall

Michael Gething is the chairman of London Whites, the London branch of the Bolton Wanderers supporters’ club. He knows people involved with the SAFCSA equivalent, is friendly through work in the music business with our one-word ratings man Rob Hutchison and fondly remembers better times for train travel when the two branches could pool resources and get their members to different games.

He’s as down-to-earth as you might expect, a true fan of his club who appreciates the company of true fans of other clubs. He has a good idea of one of the reasons we’re in such a pickle just now (see headline, scroll down for his response to the ‘did you see Sunderland’s catastrophe coming?’ question) and, sadly for us, he expects a Bolton win on Tuesday …

A View from the Avenue: have the miracles run out?

February 18, 2018 by Colin Randall

Paul Summerside doesn’t mince his words. He calls himself a ‘lapsed SAFC fan’ but is one of 20,000+ longing to resume active support. Ellis Short and Martin Bain may throw up their arms in proclaimed innocence, but what can either of them actually offer those who can take no more? As ever, the pages of Salut Sunderland are open to the owner and/or chief executive. As ever, don’t hold your breath …

At church this morning, the crew of Fulwell 73 (oh the irony) were filming for a forthcoming documentary on this season at SAFC, called Keep the Faith.

Bolton Wanderers vs Sunderland Guess the Score: more misery or modest redemption?

February 20, 2018February 18, 2018 by Colin Randall

Roll up masochists and dreamers. It’s competition time again

We went early with the latest of Pete Sixsmith’s chronicles of doom from the Stadium of Light. He’s off to watch Rugby League today so sent his piece just as Channel Five’s Championship programme prepared to delight Brentford fans and horrify Sunderland supporters with what are laughingly called the highlights of another calamitous afternoon.

Now, we turn our attentions to Bolton Wanderers and Tuesday night. About the only saving graces on Saturday were that they lost, Birmingham lost, Burton failed to beat Nottingham Forest (which would have dumped us back in bottom place) and neither Barnsley nor Hull had games.

Sixer’s Brentford Soapbox: warmth from sunshine, warmth for Liam Miller, otherwise chilly

February 19, 2018February 17, 2018 by Colin Randall

Pete Sixsmith will be on his way tomorrow to watch his beloved rugby league. It rarely fails to put a smile on his face. We have seen, on a handful of occasions this season, how a good Sunderland performance can have the same effect. At most games, however, he witnesses a shambles of a team that would turn the man who is depressive into one who is suicidal. Brentford fans turned out in force and rightly enjoyed their day out (and how they must have loved Sixer’s Bees edition of his fabulous series The First Time Ever I Saw Your Team

Where on earth we, Sunderland, go from here should be anyone’s guess but isn’t – we’re bound for another taste of third division football unless something happens and quickly ….

The heart of old Sunderland remembered

February 18, 2018February 17, 2018 by Colin Randall

Mike Dennison, well known to subscribers to the Black Cats e-mail loop, alerts us to a fascinating book of Sunderland reminiscences from the prolific Ian Mole …

Many Sunderland fans will be familiar with Ian Mole’s writing from the informative and amusing Lines From London Reports he has contributed to the website of the fanzine A Love Supreme.

Crowing About: why Coleman’s words are cutting the mustard

February 15, 2018 by Colin Randall

Jake: ‘click my image to join the **Salut! Sunderland** Facebook group’

For his second contribution to the pages of Salut! Sunderland, Martin Crow compares and contrasts – favourably – the Chris Coleman way with words, when talking publicly about Sunderland AFC, with the mix of gibberish, gallows humour, boorishness, beyond-the-pale philosophy and heavy gloom that has gone before …

Sunderland vs Brentford Who are You?: ‘I hope you stay up’

February 14, 2018 by Colin Randall

Jon Restall, on the left, celebrates promotion with a pal

Monsieur Salut writes: if I cannot actually see Griffin Park from where I write, I could walk it in 15-20 minutes. I have lived in this part of west London for 30+ years. My younger daughter’s first senior game as a player was a 5-5 draw in the red and white stripes of Brentford (she scored though with a scoreline like that, so did a lot of girls). Our Who are You? interviewee Jon Restall* – part of the highly active Brentford fans’ network Beesotted will miss the little old stadium when the club moves to a new home. Jon is a Bees fanatic and gets to loads of games.

He’ll be present in spirit this weekend for the visit of his team to the Stadium of Light – it’s his wife’s birthday and she apparently saw no great attraction in a romantic weekend on Wearside. We hope he misses a defeat for his club – he naturally fancies Brentford to be the latest of this season’s happy visitors to Sunderland …

Sunderland vs Brentford prize Guess the Score: a win for a win?

February 16, 2018February 13, 2018 by Colin Randall

We have similar stripes. Only ours will be on show on Saturday. Will they prevail?

Wrinkly Pete has given up on his 3-3 predictions and 4-3 didn’t quite happen. Some guessed a Bristol City romp but no one had us down for a 3-3 draw, so no Guess the Score winner last Saturday.

We now turn our attentions to Brentford at home. And wouldn’t it be nice to award a prize to someone predicting a Sunderland win?

The Lars Word from Bristol City 3-3 SAFC. From disgust to euphoria

February 12, 2018 by Colin Randall

Lars Knutsen: ‘still mired in a relegation dogfight but at last showing signs of gelling’

Lars Knutsen knows how to choose them. Back from his USA exile (correcting the earlier reference, he still travels there a lot but family needs prompted him to relocate), he made it to the Bristol City game. Pete Sixsmith has already woven his familiar magic; here is an outstanding account from Lars of his own extraordinary afternoon …