Sunderland

Chelsea prize Guess the Score: ‘it’s our party, we’ll cry if we want to’

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Jake wills us to win, just for the fun of it

With apologies to the late Lesley Gore and the writers of her pop classic – it took no fewer than four of them: Walter Gold John Gluck Jr, Herb Weiner Seymour Gottlieb, and their song of teenage betrayal was elevated to new heights in the 1981 version of the non-Eurythmics, non-Sunderland Dave Stewart and Barbar Gaskin – Sunday afternoon is party time. Chelsea fans will be en fete, ours will make the most of their day, too, before taking their leave of the Premier League.

To adapt the song’s best couplet: Everybody knows where my Sunderland have gone/ But Judy (David Moyes?) left the same time

And here’s is a special prize edition of Guess the Score …

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Wrinkly Pete: Sunderland’s glass in smithereens but mine’s still half full after Swansea

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Peter Lynn, aka Wrinkly Pete

Peter Lynn is as disappointed and cross as anyone, but finds reason to look back with affection on at least one aspect of Saturday’s last Premier League SAFC home game for a season or more …


Well, my SOS – as in Save our Sunderland – never arrived but as Monsieur Salut has pointed out in recent weeks, the crystal ball predicting survival has rather let me down and finally shattered.

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Moyes on the Boys after Swansea cruise to victory: ‘SAFC deserved nothing’

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Moyes on the underperforming Boys

There really is little more to say. The best moments of the afternoon were 1) Rob Mason’s interview with Nick Barnes about being ‘let go’ by the club from his exemplary editing of the club programme (another rotten SAFC decision, but what a noble interview without a trace of bittneress) and 2) the sight of Bradley Lowery being carried on to the pitch beforehand by Jermain Defoe. For the rest, David Moyes got it right a couple of days ago – he and the players should have been hanging their heads in shame. Here are his usual post-match thoughts, …

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Sixer’s Sevens: SAFC 0-2 Swansea City. Bravo Rob Mason, shame on Sunderland

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Jake: ‘was that a whimper I heard? No it was nothing’

Monsieur Salut writes: Pete Sixsmith wondered at half time, Sunderland two down and looking like little boys lost, whether it was worth staying. He did. And continued to see a team devoid of leadership, character, flair or even – in many cases – passion. Embarrassing, Sixer said later. As bad as, if not worse than, anything he had seen in 53 years supporting our club. His seven-word verdict below is unchanged from half time, after which we had a clear penalty denied and a good chance spurned by Billy Jones but never truly seemed able to save the game …

Having led us to this sorry moment, our esteemed owner Ellis Short and his chief executive Martin Bain were watching from the stands. They, like the manager and players, should have been hanging their heads in shame – and not least because of their thoroughly rotten decision to get rid of the SAFC programme editor Rob Mason, a wonderful club historian and servant who deserved better than this shabby end (his pre-match interview with Nick Barnes oozed class, dignity and total lack of rancour) …

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Forget Oscars: the HAWAY awards are what matters to fans of Everton, Stoke, Chelsea … and Shrewsbury

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Jake: ‘with thanks to all opposing fans who participate’

Salut! Sunderland gets big hits for “Who are You?” interviews, the Q and A sessions with opposing fans that we publish before every game, writes Monsieur Salut.

And at the end of each season, we present the Haways – Highly Articulate Who Are You? awards – to those our judges deem to have been the best.

It is entirely subjective but a spot of fun. If any reader who follows the series wishes to have a say, please just leave a comment (using your correct e-mail address, which is not shown but I can see) and you will be contacted.

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Relishing victory at Hull and time to Guess the Score vs Swansea

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Peter Lynn, aka Wrinkly Pete

Monsieur Salut writes: talk about killing two birds with one stone. Peter Lynn has put away – probably smashed – the crystal ball that kept telling him we’d stay up. But he hasn’t lost the faith in an broader sense. He was at Hull and will, I imagine be at the Stadium of Light on Saturday.

So read on, enjoy Wrinkly Pete’s reflections – and then guess the score in SAFC vs Swansea. Anyone can enter and the first reader to predict the correct result will eventually get a prize. Usual prizes – a suitable mug or the Nick Barnes Matchbook mini-version, either producing a small donation to the Bradley Lowery appeal fund – – and usual rules …

Ah but there is a great prize and it aids the Bradley Lowery campaign

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Premier title looks sorted but Sunderland can now affect Hull and Swansea’s fate

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… through the Championship, we’re on our way

After a season devoid of impact or excitement, Sunderland are in the relatively unusual position of having a major say in who else goes down – and a glance at the odds at 10bet homepage suggests the bookies don’t expect us to stand in Swansea’s way on Saturday.

Our rare win at the weekend, with goals from Billy Jones and Jermain Defoe to beat Hull, did the Swans a power of good. But they were also doing what we used to do when we took survival battles more seriously: they won an important game of their own.

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How will Sunderland get on in the Championship: a poll and a prize

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[polldaddy poll=9742072][polldaddy poll=9742072][polldaddy poll=9742072][polldaddy poll=9742072]

NB: the fourth and fifth answers were added by readers. I cannot cast the vote those readers gave themselves so they – plus others if in agreement – should tick the relevant box now

We’re down and demoralised. Yes, we beat Hull. We may even win another game to salvage more pride, but probably not a place higher than 20th.

Some will put a gloss on relegation – “at least we’ll see some wins and some goals” – but we all know where we’d rather be next season.

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Moyes on the Boys after Hull: ‘glad supporters could see us win’

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Moyes on the boys


Monsieur Salut writes: hard for us, hard for him to make too much of a song and dance out of a win that carries no meaning beyond some hope of not finishing bottom. But here, all the same, is what David Moyes had to say after we beat Hull City 2-0, a deserved victory though it took a great display by Jordan Pickford to keep a clean sheet …

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