So the HAWAYS are over for another season. Our judging panel has had its say and, heaven forbid, a Mag has emerged in first place with Everton and Stoke City supporters – the latter our former manager Denis Smith – in joint second. A Burnley fan collects the editor’s special award, having come fourth.
Who Are You?
Salut! Sunderland’s HAWAY awards: Newcastle’s trophy means Mike Ashley can sell
And amid much gnashing of teeth and general anguish, the judges – Sunderland fans one and all – have resoundingly plumped for an entry from Newcastle United, OK an entry from a NUFC supporter.
HAWAY awards: shortlist cut to Aston Villa, Burnley, Everton, Newcastle and Stoke
Salut! Sunderland is very close to announcing the 2015 winners of our annual Haway awards – in other words, fans of other clubs who contributed Highly Articulate Who are You? interviews to our regular pre-match feature.
The shortlist supplied to our judges – see it here – has been whittled down from 13 to five. From Aston Villa, Burnley, Everton, Newcastle and Stoke – listed alphabetically – will come our top three.
HAWAY awards update, Hull and Newcastle slug it out, Chelsea demand appreciation
We’ll look at tomorrow’s match at Chelsea – plus the relegation dogfight – but first, an update on the HAWAY awards …
The prizes are sorted for Salut! Sunderland‘s annual Haways – awards for Highly Articulate Who are You? interviews – so step forward our Guess the Score sponsors, Personalised football Gifts, and old friends from Campo Retro and When Saturday Comes.
There are 13 shortlisted interviews, to which you could easily add either of the two – Arsenal and, though there is dissent about this, Chelsea -to have appeared since the judging process began.
The Chelsea ‘Who are You?’: what Mourinho could do for a Sunderland
The pulsating sounds of Caribbean steel band music, childhood memories from south London, a decades-long affection for Chelsea… where else could Brian Wise* have ended up than Middlesbrough? An old colleague and pal of Pete Sixsmith’s, Brian has left his London roots only in geographical terms and passionately follows the entirely unassuming Mourinho and his team. As a schoolboy goalkeeper, he imagined himself to be Peter Bonetti. Didn’t we all, when not thinking we were Monty? But now sit back and enjoy Wise’s Words of Wisdom in the last Who are You? of the 2014-20-15 season, our own safety secured and nothing but pride riding on the game …
Arsenal vs SAFC ‘WAY’: a French Gooner on Henry, Advocaat and Newcastle
Monsieur Salut writes: I decided against tempting fate by headlining one brilliant response from our French Gooner, Francis Peyrat*, because – as you shall see – it refers disparagingly to our charming, horse-whispering neighbours. So Qui est Francis? He’s lived in Arsenal territory for 20 years, loves his local club as much as any norf London Gooner but keeps an eye out for Rennes (and Bournemouth! Does that make him a glory seeker?). Francis is also president – the French are keen on that, but really it just means chairman – of Arsenal France, a stalwart band of French Gooners, naturally inspired by Arsenal’s French connections of recent times. Several of them get to games. Francis says it’s up to us to prove we are worthy of a point or more. What he thinks about the Mags should not intrude unduly on this focused but nervy edition of Who are You? …
HAWAY awards: (2) Manchester United, Liverpool, Swansea, Burnley, Birmingham, West Ham shortlisted
We didn’t want supporters of any of the shortlisted clubs to feel left out. They were omitted from the heading of today’s earlier announcement of the start of the process for Salut! Sunderland‘s annual HAWAY awards for the opposing fans who gave us the best interviews this season. This second bite at the cherry completes the shortlist: 13 interviews, 12 clubs (there are two Man Utd nominees).
And we have our first prize sponsor lined up: our pals at the half-decent football magazine When Saturday Comes are putting up a year’s subscription, for which we are very grateful as will be its recipient. With just two more ‘Who are You?’ interviews to be published, the final results should be available soon after the season ends – with SAFC, we hope, still in the Premier League…
HAWAY awards: Everton, Newcastle, Stoke, Crystal Palace, Aston Villa, Leeds on shortlist
Salut! Sunderland announces the annual HAWAY awards for the opposing fans who gave us the best interviews this season. Only two to publish, so results should be available soon after the season ends. The first sponsorship comes from our old friends at the half-decent football magazine When Saturday Comes – a year’s subscription – for which we are very grateful …
It’s the bit that makes all the effort involved tracking down Who are You? interviewees worthwhile.
The Haway awards – made each season for the best of our Highly Articulate Who are You? features – are back.
Leicester Who are You?: ‘Foxes are good, SAFC dull as Hull’
So we reach what Jake, our illustrator, rightly calls The Biggie. Win and we’re safe unless Hull win both their games, starting at Spurs on Saturday, and we lose both the remaining ones next Wednesday and on May 24. Lose and we must rely on others – or our own ability to produce a magical result from the Emirates or Stamford Bridge. Anything can happen. James Bennett*, another of Monsieur Salut’s former Abu Dhabi colleagues, is a diehard Leicester fan, somewhat uncomplimentary about the way Sunderland play as opposed to how we support them (so are we from time to time) and yearning for a chance for his club to build on their achievements this season. Since answering our questions, James – who at least admits Leicester were poor in the first game – has accused us of being lucky in both the Southampton and Everton games …
Everton ‘Who are You?’: Moyes, Martinez, Rooney, Rodwell and Sunderland’s survival bid
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 …