Rob Hutchison says: Decent result not to lose but absolutely sterile in the final third. A goalscorer a goalscorer, my kingdom for a goalscorer. Here are his one-word ratings …
Pete Sixsmith recognised this was a game that could have gone either way, with decent half-chances at either end and both SAFC and West Ham enjoying periods in control. His seven-word verdict reflects that view of a game that vindicated Gus Poyet’s complaint last week that Sunderland lack cutting edge up front. Jozy Atidore’s comical slip from Seb Larsson’s great pull back, in the last act of the first half, will be remembered by many but he was not alone in failing to look much like scoring in open play …
Dec 13 SAFC (1) 1 West Ham United (1) 1 One point better than none. Tight game
Dec 6 Liverpool (0) 0 SAFC (0) 0 Ho ho ho: a well deserved point
Dec 3 SAFC (1) 1 Manchester City (2) 4 City’s hoodoo ended, aided by poor defending
Even observers beyond the red and white segment of the North East can see that Newcastle United, “Geordie Nation” and “everyone’s second team” nonsense aside, are not an especially likeable football club.
The self-promotion can verge on the absurd. The babyish bans imposed on locally based reporters bring Mike Ashley into disrepute and make the job of honest communications staff a nightmare (even if, on a winning run, some Mags are at last willing to support the Stasi-like assault on free expression).
Graeme Howlett* edits Knees Up Mother Brown, and is not the first representative of that esteemed West Ham fan site to grace the hallowed turf of Salut! Sunderland. He rated Big Sam even before it became OK to do so, worships Trevor Brooking and thinks a 6-0 drubbing at Roker Park (1977) made up for our deep sense of injustice over the first Geoff Hurst goal nine years earlier in one of the 8-0 defeats against us that wasn’t at St Mary’s. Oddly enough, we went down in 1977 but not in 1968. Graeme expects fewer goals on Saturday, a draw or a single goal win either way, so plumps for Hammers 2-1
In his winning stab at 0-0 for Liverpool vs Sunderland, Paul Devine – soon to be the owner of two splendid mugs – said: “One pointer could well be Liverpool’s date with Basel, where winning could mean El Dorado.”
Fat lot of good that did Brendan Rodgers, then, if they really did have an eye on last night’s game as opposed to just being not very good.
You’d be forgiven for thinking our esteemed illustrator, Jake, and our resident chronicler of doom, Pete Sixsmith, were pretending for April Fool’s sake to be on strike. In fact, Jake is in hospital in Spain (here’s hoping they sort you out, pal) and Sixer had a full day’s work at the chalkface. Needless to say, both are in gloomy spirits. I felt for Jake, having to recover my score texts, but maybe he’s grateful the hospital, didn’t have us on live. And here, not for the squeamish is Sixer’s appraisal of yet another 90 minutes of rank disappointment …
That’s Pete Sixsmith‘s appalling pun in the headline – Monsieur Salut is quite capable of coming up with his own – and it’ll be Big Pete’s presence that is felt on BBC 1’s Late Kickoff on Monday night. In what spirits will Tuesday morning find us? Pete discusses the stakes …