Sunderland

Sixer’s Sevens: Hull City 0-2 SAFC. Hollow victory, pride restored

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Jake: ‘well knock me down with a feather’

Pete Sixsmith decided after all to go to the Hull game and you’ll see his seven-word verdict below. I imagine thousands of Sunderland supporters not even bothering how it went. At half-time, Sixer’s verdict was that we looked better organised (not a huge leap) in a poor game. Then, all of a sudden, Billy Jones came good with a great diving header. To be followed by a deserved 15th goal for Defoe, albeit offside, to produce the sort of win we could have done with a lot more often. Honeyman was good, so were Anchibe and O’Shea but Pickford had to be outstanding – and was …

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Remembering when Liverpool and Leyton Orient were forces in the division below

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Mick Goulding and son

Monsieur Salut writes: Pete Sixsmith won’t mind Michael Goulding, a more occasional contributor, intruding on his new series about Sunderland’s 10 relegations. After Sixer’s priceless if detached reminiscences of the time our club lost its proud record of having played only in the top flight, Mick posted this as a comment. It cried out to be elevated to a proper part of the series even though he, like Sixer, has no direct memories of that first experience of dropping a division.In fact, Mick’s story is about supporting the club rather than seeing it suffer the humiliation of relegation …

 

 

Sixer’s was a good piece full of engaging memories (even if they aren’t all mine). I was too young, aged five, to remember that first relegation.

Five-year-olds then were very different from five-year-olds now. We lived in blissful ignorance. Nothing was on the telly, which was just as well cos we didn’t have one, and the only other media outlet that I engaged with was in comic form (Dandy, Beano, Topper etc).

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What’s next for SAFC? Anyone for Garry Monk or Slaviša Jokanovic if Moyes goes?

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David Moyes: by Jason Gulledge from Dallas, TX, USA – David Moyes, CC BY 2.0, Link

We will know soon whether David Moyes is to stay on for the massive job of reviving Sunderland after his wretched season in charge. If he goes, we would need swift, decisive action on a replacement to avoid the problems caused last summer by the FA’s dithering over Big Sam and England. Here, a guest writer weighs up the options …

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Hull vs SAFC Guess the Score: down with pride, or self-pity?

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Art of Football commemorates a happier day for Sunderland supporters

 

Before we reach this week’s business of guessing the score at Hull City on Saturday, Salut! Sunderland is delighted to be able to say that our friends at Art of Football are the first confirmed sponsors of this season’s farewell-to-the-Premier-League edition of the HAWAY (highly articulate Who are You?) awards.

These, as most readers will know, are made each season to the best interviewees among opposing fans. Monsieur Salut is roping in the usual suspects to serve as judges but if you like the series and want to have a say, drop me a line at mailto:salutsunderland@gmail.com.

Next year brings the 45th anniversary of May 5 1973, a day of which we as Sunderland supporters were – if we were already alive then – delirious as opposed to despondent. We had, of course, won the FA Cup, beating much-fancied but dirty old Leeds.

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Wrinkly Pete’s Crystal Ball: the glass has finally shattered

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Peter Lynn, aka Wrinkly Pete

Monsieur Salut writes: in public comments and – seen by me – private ones, Niall Quinn has been eloquent and even moving about the end of a dream he was such a magnificent part of creating for and onwards from the 2006-2007 season, having of course been a wonderful player for us, too. Our resident Wrinkly, Peter Lynn, had held out some sort of hope to the bitter end. He accepted the inevitable after the tame defeat at Boro and saw his worst fears finally confirmed on Saturday … this is the updated and closing edition of his once-optimistic peering into the future. The crystal ball lied to him … you can see a full version, which laso includes some updates on the original, of how he once (wishfully) saw it at this link

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Sixer’s Sevens: SAFC 0-1 Bournemouth. Dead and buried. That’s official

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Jake: ‘after a lengthy flirtation and courtship, the relationship is finally consummated.’

Pete Sixsmith today witnessed his ninth relegation. He and Monsieur Salut were both around for the one before that, Sunderland’s first, but just too young to have formed their lifelong allegiance, one that – promotions and an FA Cup win apart – has been a largely unrequited love. Come back for more – Sixer’s immediate verdict appears below but will write more fully and, as most readers know, is eloquent win, lose or draw. As for the game, we created a lot of chances but never really looked like taking them while Bournemouth were more composed throughout …

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‘Game plan, you’re assuming David Moyes has one?’: Sixer to Bournemouth fansite

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Steve Menary, a Bournemouth ‘Who are You?’ interviewee last season, asked if we could reciprocate by answering a few questions for his Tales from the South End site. Pete Sixsmith was pressganged into service …

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Wrinkly Pete’s Crystal Ball: Middlesbrough suddenly make the screen look clearer

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Peter Lynn, aka Wrinkly Pete

So has our Wrinkly one, who also answers to Peter Lynn, finally seen the light staring back at him from his imaginary crystal ball?. We regret to say he has. Scroll down for the updated predictions and his thoughts on a grand evening out to Middlesbrough. Well, the company was good, not to mention fish and chips at Wetherby and slices of Mrs Wrinkly Pete’s cake …

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