Sunderland - SAFC Blog

Everton ‘Who are You?’: Moyes, Martinez, Rooney, Rodwell and Sunderland’s survival bid

May 7, 2015May 7, 2015 by Colin Randall

Jake: 'any win will do' — Jake: ‘any win will do’

Hannah Myers* is one of those gems occasionally nicked from Merseyside jewellers by our own John McCormick. She’s a straight-talking, Blues-through-and-through fan – blue not blueish, so Everton this time, not Tranmere Rovers – with views in all the right places. I think this interview is a worthy contender for the end-of-season ‘Who are You?’ awards, which reminds me to get the judges cranked up (if you like the series enough fancy a go at choosing the winners, let me know). Now, over to Hannah …

Sunderland 1-0 Everton: just the Under 21s but can this victory be an omen?

May 5, 2015 by Colin Randall

Pete Sixsmith: 'is this our future?' — Pete Sixsmith: ‘is this our future?’

Hull were comfortably beaten at home by Arsenal, making it four out of six results from the weekend games, our own included, to go our way. That’s five out of six if Newcastle, their flimsy challenge tossed aside at Leicester, are sucked deeper into the danger zone. Pete Sixsmith decided the Under 21s game last night offered a good way of testing the water ahead of our most vital game since, well, the last most vital game …

Was it an omen? Did the Oracle at Delphi speak? Is Nostradamus on our side?

Congratulations Chelsea. But eyes down for the drama (Burnley, QPR, us, Leicester, Hull, Newcastle,Villa)

May 4, 2015 by Colin Randall

Seb: flashback to our own Stamford Bridge glory

Let’s see if the Sunderland ‘will we survive?’ poll can perk up a little more from our viewpoint. The Yes and Maybe votes, though still lagging well behind, are higher than at any time since poll was launched but always bear there have been many No camp followers among fans of other drop zone clubs) …

[polldaddy poll=8818549]

And now for a quick expansion of the poll to find out who Salut! Sunderland readers (who, don’t forget, may well again include supporters of the other six clubs) think will go down.

Sixer’s Sevens: Sunderland 2 Southampton 1. ‘Massive’ Gomez double to worry Newcastle

May 2, 2015 by Colin Randall

Monsieur Salut writes: What a difference two key decisions going in Sunderland’s favour can make. After a season of desperately bad calls against us, we were awarded two penalties – the first ‘soft’, according to Pete Sixsmith; the second ‘harsh’, said the BBC – and Jordi Gomez stepped forward to convert both with aplomb to win the game. It was the only result possible to keep Sunderland hopes alive and is one that has John Carver’s wretched Newcastle looking over their shoulders. And bravo Pantilimon: after gifting the equaliser, he pulled off the vital save in the last seconds that kept our survival bid on course. Come back in due course for Sixer’s full account; below you find his seven-word verdict …

Jake hails Gomez from his native land" 'Jordi is Señor Cool' — Jake hails Gomez from his native land” ‘Jordi is Señor Cool’

Ahead of Southampton, figures that add up so badly for Sunderland

May 1, 2015May 1, 2015 by Colin Randall

At least Monsieur Salut wavered between no points and one from the Emirates

My guesswork is uncomplimentary to Sunderland and our chances of avoiding relegation. Why not carry out the same exercise yourselves and see how you place us and our relegation co-strugglers. I hope – the hope we cannot stand – to be proved alarmist and plain wrong. Here are extracts from my preview of SAFC vs Saints at ESPN (see full article at http://www.espnfc.com/club/sunderland/366/blog/post/2426131/sunderland-premier-league-options-running-out …

SAFC vs Southampton Who are You?: ‘it was always an 8-0 game’

May 1, 2015April 30, 2015 by Colin Randall

You’d expect any Southampton supporter to be pretty cocky going into this weekend’s game at the Stadium of Light, with only woefully misfiring relegation fodder standing in the way of another good result for slick southerners. Southampton’s season has defied all logic, after the turmoil of last summer, and shocked the supposed Premier League elite. So perhaps we should respect Paul Stewart*, a Saints nut and pal from Paris days and emphatically not the Paul Stewart who missed a sitter for SAFC when we had to win at Wimbledon on the last game of the 1996-97 season, for exercising a degree of restraint in his short and to-the-point ‘Who are You?’ interview. But for once, I was relieved not to see a scoreline prediction …

Leicester lose but Shildon fall short in title dream

April 30, 2015April 29, 2015 by Colin Randall

So the champagne went flat for Shildon. A 1-1 draw at Bedlington Terriers was not enough to end the 75-year wait for a sixth Northern League title.

One last shoutout for Shildon, a club well within Sunderland’s catchment area

April 29, 2015 by Colin Randall

Ha'way both sets of Lads — Ha’way both sets of Lads

Permit Monsieur Salut one last cry of encouragement to Shildon AFC as they seek to end a 75-year wait and lift the Northern League championship trophy tonight.

The Sunderland vs Southampton Guess the Score after Hull pile on pressure

May 2, 2015April 29, 2015 by Colin Randall

Jake's caption says it all — Jake’s caption says it all

Who approached Tuesday night thinking “we can rely on old Brucie to mess it up and do us a favour?”,Elmo will have the sort of stinker he played for us and Jordan Henderson will lead Liverpool to victory for our sake as well as theirs?

I thought my phone screen was frozen when it kept saying 1-0 every time I looked. Bruce had got his result, Elmo providing the cross from which Dawson scored the winner, and Hendo could do no more than huff and puff with the rest of a misfiring Liverpool side.

So the night ended with Hull a lot closer to safety than us. Heaven knows what Leicester will do to Chelsea tonight to make us even glummer.

Before Sunderland there was Shildon. Tonight, at Bedlington Terriers, there’s Shildon again

April 29, 2015April 28, 2015 by Colin Randall

Ernie and Sadie Randall on holiday in the Isle of Man (Sadie's sister, Jean, to dad's right. My sister Sandra to her left) — M Salut’s parents, Ernie and Sadie Randall, on holiday in Scarborough. Sadie’s sister, Jean, to Dad’s right. My sister, Sandra, to their left

Rather fancifully, I had hoped to interest my old newspaper, The Northern Echo, in this slice of nostalgia brought bang up to date by Shildon’s night of potential glory. A win at Bedlington Terriers tomorrow evening (Wednesday) is all that stands between them and a first championship since 1940 in the Northern League, 126 years old and the world’s longest surviving league after the Football League.

The Echo declined, alternatively offering a little space for a retrospective that I fear I may have no time to provide. So I must keep my Echoes of the past, at greater length than I would have sent to the newspaper, for Salut! Sunderland (and Salut! readers at a couple of other places: francesalut.com and salutnorth.com ) …