Who Are You? - SAFC Blog

The West Bromwich Abion Who are You?: thumbs down Pulis, and Sunderland

October 15, 2015 by Colin Randall

Salut! Sunderland feels as if it is tracking the developing career of our young WBA interviewee Nathan Carr, owner of the popular @BaggiesGalore fan site. In his visits to these shores, he has risen from ‘aspiring sports journalist’ to ‘aspiring sports journalist with a growing media presence’. See the imprssive list of people he writes for below*. Nathan is always welcome here, even when he comes laden with gloomy thoughts about Sunderland, ahead of Saturday’s game at the Hawthorns, albeit expressed before Big Sam’s appointment …

SAFC vs Manchester City ‘Who are You?’: a saviour appears

September 22, 2015 by Colin Randall

Soon after Salut! Sunderland published its tale of woe, bemoaning the failure of our Man City “Who are You?” interviewee to come up with his promised answers, along came an old friend, Martin Haworth, a City fan based in the North east.

Look him up in the site’s search facility. Martin is a past WAY award-winner. He is very welcome back on these pages.

Here are his quick responses the small selection of questions we did publish:

Bournemouth ‘Who are You?’: from a podgy Best to Howe the genius

September 17, 2015 by Colin Randall

Jake: 'here's hoping the southern sea air suits the lads' — Jake: ‘here’s hoping the southern sea air suits the lads’

Steve Menary* is a Bournemouth supporter who also writes about the game – among other things – for a living. He is cautiously optimistic that the club’s first Premier League season will not be the last. But he feels both teams may have to settle for a draw on Saturday …

Tottenham Hotspur ‘Who are You?’ with Littlejohn: West Ham’s loss, Spurs’ gain

October 8, 2015September 10, 2015 by Colin Randall

Jake: Charlie Fleming and Danny Blanchflower (we think) scrap for the ball — Jake: Charlie Fleming and Danny Blanchflower scrap for the ball

Salut! Sunderland’s ‘Who are You?’ series, in which we interview supporters of SAFC opponents, has had some notable catches, including actors, writers, broadcasters, footballers and managers as well as a great procession of ‘ordinary’ fans, often extraordinary people who follow their teams with passion and commitment. As a broad church, we’ve had senior clerics, too.

But we return to journalism for the first of this season’s Tottenham Hotspur editions of ‘Who are You?’ and hear from the tub-thumping columnist and broadcaster Richard Littlejohn*, who rebelled against his family’s West Ham-supporting tradition when the double-winning Spurs side of 1961 captivated him as a boy of seven. Littlejohn, scourge of the politically correct and anyone who says ‘hey Little John, so where’s Robin Hood, then?’, will be relieved to hear the interview has been approved by ‘elf ‘n’ safety’ …

Aston Villa vs Sunderland Who are You?: ‘a tenner on finishing 10th’

August 27, 2015 by Colin Randall

Welcome back, Stuart Jinks*. Jinksy, as some will remember, is a past winner – first prize no less – of what we now call the HAWAYs – Highly Articulate Who Are You? awards. That was back in 2012 and we thought it would be a good idea to invite him to have another bash. Sharp memories will also recall that despite the chummy picture you see below of Jinksy with Martin O’Neill, he had serious misgiving about MON’s managerial abilities. Oh, and the headline gives his Villa prediction; we’ll be a lot lower but stay up, says Jinksy. Now let the man behind the Villa Boy YouTube channel speak for himself …

SAFC vs Exeter City ‘Who are You?’: red stripes, SJP, playing Brazil

August 24, 2015August 24, 2015 by Colin Randall

Jake: 'back on the Wembley trial?' — Jake: ‘back on the Wembley trial?’

Exeter City and York City drew in their League Two game on Saturday as did Sunderland and Swansea, the Premier teams some might expect to waltz past them in the League Cup. Whatever happens in Swansea-York, however, we know better than to count chickens, though it’s a fair bet the travelling Exeter fans will be counting empty home seats at the SoL. We found two fans of the Grecians willing to contribute to the Who are You! series – Paul Sussex*, who runs the Exeweb site (@exemsg at Twitter) and Neil Le Milliere** – and promised to use both sets of replies. Both will be at the game and here they give refreshing accounts of life beyond the Premier …

Sunderland vs Swansea Who are You?: ‘I knew you’d love Ki’

August 20, 2015August 20, 2015 by Colin Randall

Jake: 'fingers crossed' — Jake: ‘fingers crossed’

As a Swansea supporter studying at Durham University, Bobby Gardiner* could not have been much better placed for making it to Saturday’s game. But the agreeable life of a student means he still has plenty of holiday left and cannot get up to the North East. But he’s more than satisfied with the Swans’ start to the season (draw at Chelsea, home win vs the Mags), predicts an away win against Sunderland but is the first WAY interviewee of the new season not to predict relegation for us

SAFC v Norwich City ‘Who are You?’: a Canary sent from Coventry

August 12, 2015 by Colin Randall

Jake: check out the Who are You? series at https://safc.blog/category/who-are-you-2015-2016/

This has happened before, but only once I think. Paddy Davitt* sees Norwich City week in, week out. He feels the emotion when they win, was thrilled by the Wembley playoff win and ‘cares a great deal about Norwich’s fortunes’. But he is not a fan. Paddy is the chief Norwich City writer for the Archant media group that includes the Eastern Daily Press. But he supports that infamous bête noire for Sunderland supporters, Coventry City. I think we had a WBA ‘Who are You? interviewee who was in a similar position (reporting on Albion, not being a supporter), though he didn’t declare his true allegiance. See what Paddy made of our questions (posed before we knew of his footballing preference) ahead of a match he predicts the Canaries will win, leaving us pointless and – he believes – doomed along with Watford and Bournemouth …

Leicester City Who are You?: ‘I like Catts but you’re doomed with Norwich and Bournemouth’

August 5, 2015August 5, 2015 by Colin Randall

Sometimes, Who are You? interviewees bend over backwards to please, offering upbeat predictions for Sunderland’s season that even we wouldn’t share. Not Ben Jacobs*, another of Monsieur Salut’s ESPN FC colleagues but also a busy sports broadcaster and journalist in the Middle East. A passionate Leicester supporter, and first in the WAY hot seat for the new Premier season, he makes due apology, but forecasts an end to our top-flight stay. What’s worrying is that he comes across – with fascinating views on football cheats, Qatar as 2022 World Cup hosts and Foxes management issues – as knowledgeable!…

Nothing changes: Watford, Norwich, Bournemouth plus guess who – already relegation favourites

June 10, 2015June 10, 2015 by Colin Randall

Jake: 'Emirates heroics leave bookies unmoved' — Jake: ‘Emirates heroics leave bookies unmoved’

Andrew Pink, from the Square in the Air sports marketing firm, was trying to make me feel better.

He’d sent something about Betway cutting the odds on West Ham finishing in the top six from 18/1 to 14/1 after the appointment of Slaven Bilic as team boss. So where, I wondered, did Dick Advocaat’s return leave us? I told him I’d almost bet on them having us down for the drop anyway, on the basis that betting analysts would reckon we cannot keep getting away with it.

“It’s not all bad news,” came Andrew’s response once he’d lowered his eyes to the prognosis for that far down the table. “Sunderland are 4th favourites to go down….”