Sunderland - SAFC Blog

Sixer’s Sevens: Sunderland 1 Leeds United 0. A feeble echo of ’73

January 4, 2015January 4, 2015 by Colin Randall

If Pete Sixmsith, present on May 5 1973 and present on Jan 4 2015, doubted he would experience the same level of excitement, his pessimism was well-founded. Roles are reversed these days; it is not that Sunderland are as mighty as Leeds undoubtedly were back then, but we are almost a full division ahead. And yet the only side that looked liked scoring in the second half was Leeds. Just as well Patrick van Aanholt had returned from injury with a fine first-half attacking display rewarded with the excellent strike that won the game (on 33 minutes, two later than it took Ian Porterfield in 1973). Sixer’s considered report can be expect to dwell at length on the failings shown subsequently, with Leeds unlucky not to gain at least a replay ..

Jan 4 2015 FA Cup 3rd Round: SAFC (1) 1 Leeds United (0) 0 Scraped through after a shocking second half

Jake: 'through, but only just' — Jake: ‘through, but only just’

Keir’s Sunderland Player Ratings: ‘Rodwell my star at Manchester City’

January 5, 2015January 3, 2015 by Colin Randall

Jake: 'at least we gave them a fight' — Jake: ‘at least we gave them a fight’

Almost too late to be publishable, Keir Bradwell comes up with his man-by-man SAFC assessment of the New Year’s Day defeat at the Etihad. His intention was to combine that game and the Leeds FA Cup tie in a double header. But he was not at the cup match and there were no streams or TV coverage, hence what he terms ‘some phenomenally late ratings for Manchester City 3 – 2 Sunderland’ …

Sunderland vs Leeds: 41 years have flown by

January 3, 2015 by Colin Randall

As the FA Cup 3rd round looms, and just for the memories, here are some jottings that have cropped up here in the eight years since Salut! Sunderland was created …

Forty-one years on from our great triumph at Wembley, 77 years after we had last done it and a shorter time, though still too long, since the FA Cup seemed to stop mattering to most, a 3rd round tie would not merit undue attention.

The FA Cup Who are You?: (2) ‘proud of that dirty Leeds tag’

January 2, 2015January 2, 2015 by Colin Randall

Julian Young is a good friend. The cross he bears is that of being a Leeds United supporter. Not surprisingly, as his club went into steep decline, he put some distance between him and them. For some years, he has been in Paris. It works; as M Salut remembers from his own time there, it can be tough trying to catch live football outside the Premier. But he still cares, and readily agreed to offer his thoughts ahead of the Sunderland vs Leeds cup tie …

SAFC vs Leeds United Guess the Score: 1973 revisited, a few rounds early

January 4, 2015January 2, 2015 by Colin Randall

Jake: 'a repeat of '73 might do, Lads' — Jake: ‘a repeat of ’73 might do, Lads’

No one correctly guessed 3-2 as the score from the Etihad so the latest edition of Guess the Score is a rollover, with two mugs as the prize. READ ON …

Over the years, and perhaps with relatively little else to shout about, Salut! Sunderland has published plenty about the great day in history – social history, too, not just footballing detail – that was May 5 1973.

Many readers are old enough and were lucky enough to be there. Others, Monsiuer Salut among them, have hard-luck stories of broken promises or disappointment in the hunt for tickets. But however we ended up watching the momentous events of that afternoon in north-west London, it was an occasion to be remembered forever.

FA Cup ‘Who are You?’: (1) part of Sunderland Family, supporting Leeds

January 2, 2015January 2, 2015 by Colin Randall

For the first of two Sunderland vs Leeds United ‘Who are You?’ interviews,, we turn to Susan Gutteridge*, who has …

Hutch’s Patch: Alvarez run tops the one-word ratings from Manchester City

January 1, 2015 by Colin Randall

Jake: Rob's a man of few words — Jake: Rob’s a man of few words

Rob Hutchison says: No disgrace, and took the game to Citeh when we had to, but not enough in the tank ultimately. Never going to make or break our season.

Sixer’s Sevens: Manchester City 3 SAFC 2. Good effort, not quite enough

January 1, 2015 by Colin Randall

This is where Pete Sixsmith (when present, as he was at the Etihad) sums up Sunderland games in seven words, prior to his inimitable reasoned matchday reports. Today, he saw SAFC soak up pressure with relative ease until Yaya Toure’s magical strike on 56 minutes. That we came back to 2-2 after conceding another speaks volumes for the resilience of Gus Poyet’s team. That we gave away a winner 90 seconds or so later was bitterly disappointing …

Jake: 'at least we made them work for it' — Jake: ‘at least we made them work for it’

Jan 1 2015 Manchester City (0) 3 SAFC (0) 2 Opened up too easily for the winner

Wrinkly Pete: TV’s raw deal for travelling foootball fans

January 1, 2015January 1, 2015 by Colin Randall

Peter Lynn: getting closer to modern music with Oasis

A Happy New Year to all our readers. To kick off 2015, even before the action starts for us at the Ethihad, Peter Lynn looks at the way TV contracts and especially late changes to the fixtures list cause disruption and cost to football fans …

In keeping with the New Year Resolutions theme from other contributors, here is mine. “So I start a revolution from my bed” … please can we have our game back?

(with apologies to those of you who feel aggrieved that I have chosen an Oasis lyric two hours ahead of our kick off against Man Citeh)

Sixer’s New Year resolutions: no laughing at Jozy, mocking Middlesbrough, expecting trophies

January 1, 2015December 31, 2014 by Colin Randall

Pete Sixsmith: 'what will 2015 bring?' — Pete Sixsmith: ‘what will 2015 bring?’

The ink is barely dry on Pete Sixsmith‘s heartfelt adieu to Alan Pardew – https://safc.blog/2014/12/by-god-the-butlers-scarpered-fond-farewell-newcastles-monsieur-par-dieu/ – and now he comes along with some New Year’s resolutions. Almost simultaneously, Rob Hutchison – master of the one-word player ratings – offered with his succinct verdict on Sunderland’s 2014″ ‘Eventful,’ adding a few more words: ‘Can’t really remember a year like 2014 following the lads.’But now for Sixer’s will and won’t do pledges