Pete Sixmsith once again steps down from the Soapbox to make way for Bob Chapman, whose pre-match pint was taken with a man who’d willingly forked out £30 for Stoke versus Sunderland after baulking at nearly six times more for a Barcelona game a few days earlier. Bob considered it a decent point even if results at Palace and Burnley dumped us in the bottom three …
There seems consensus that Sunderland showed vast improvement at West Ham – they could hardly have been worse than a week before – but that the crowd saw two fairly poor teams, neither truly deserving to lose or, for that matter, win. Bob Chapman‘s ascent of Sixer’s Soapbox was a little more painful than usual – read on for medical news – as was his hobbling tour of east London landmarks beforehand. But he left the Boleyn head intact and predisposition to optimism unshaken …
Colin Randall writes: I’m never sure whether to elevate Bob Chapman to Robert for these post-match essays in Sixer’s place. I always greet him as Bob at matches, but maybe it should be different for Chapman Reports. Robert or Bob, he once again steps boldly into Mr Sixsmith’s shoes to tell us how it really was at Old Trafford, as viewed from the noisy away end. Arrogant Man Utd fans, notably of the faraway-across-the-world variety, reacted with typical contempt to my own report at ESPN (Sunderland=garbage, Poyet’s tactics=very negative) and it was hard to quarrel. Bob sees things in rather less damning terms; for his commendable loyalty and stamina alone, this home-and-away regular really has a strong case for asking SAFC to reimburse his speeding fines …
Once again, the ever-present Robert Chapman, snapped up in a Salut! Sunderland editorial swoop on the White Horse in Parsons Green, steps up to cover for Peter Sixsmith, who missed out on the bargain train fares and gave Fulham away a miss. He did see Shildon beat Consett 2-0 and doubtless was kept in touch with events at Craven Cottage by more comprehensive means than Monsieur Salut’s mistyped texts. Robert, who also supplied the seven-word verdict immediately after the game, reports on a marvellous afternoon to be a Sunderland supporter …
When Pete Sixsmith misses a game, or at any rate a Sunderland game (he was at Shildon versus Durham suffering news from Swansea by text and Benno/Barnes on BBC Radio Newcastle), the stand-in is often Bob Chapman. Needless to say the poor chap, a home-and-away regular probably since time began, found this one an agonising exercise …