Who Are You?

Leicester vs SAFC Who are You?: (2) ‘never-ending love affair’

by
Jake: 'maybe this will draw them in, M Salut'
Jake: ‘maybe this will draw them in, M Salut’

Who’d run a football website? Just as we’d settled into some really good readership results, along comes the dreaded passion killer known as the internationals. Suddenly, the readers disappear, the Facebook group goes quite silent, the Twitter account may as well shut down. Then, with the scent of resumed normality in the nostrils, we present Guess the Score and another good Who are You? interview ahead of Leicester vs SAFC. Interest, I have to admit, has barely recovered from the Euro 2016-induced slump.

Tantrum over, let’s welcome back Sunil Armar* and Chris Moore**, our pair of bright and bushy-tailed Foxes who nobly volunteered to speak for their club. The first part of the double interview can be seen at https://safc.blog/2014/11/leicester-city-v-safc-who-are-you-1-on-superkev-racism-and-survival/. I was going to say it’s very good for those who missed it but there’s no need as nearly everyone missed it (a desultory few hundred hits all day whereas we had previously and regularly been in four figures and would be still if we just filled the space with tosh lifted from sports agencies and websites). Let’s see if we can capture anyone’s attention with their thoughts on Sunderland, star Leicester players (and duds) past and present and how Saturday will go …

Read more

Leicester City v SAFC Who are You?: (1) on SuperKev, racism and survival

by
Jake has ways of making them talk
Jake has ways of making them talk

Finding a Who are You? candidate is not always easy. With Leicester City it was a cinch. Not one but two possible interviewees replied in quick succession with offers to leap into the hot seat. It seemed wrong to turn either Sunil Parmar* or Chris Moore** away so here is the first part of Salut! Sunderland’s first WAY double-header of the season … the second instalment will appear tomorrow

Read more

Crystal Palace vs SAFC ‘Who are You?’: on recovering from Liverpool’s nine

by
Jake has ways of making them talk
Jake has ways of making them talk

The Eagles Beak* is a fine Crystal Palace fan site, not infallible on apostrophes as you can see but a place accommodating enough to allow Pete Sixsmith to ramble on about why he dislikes Palace. It was created and is edited by Jay Crame*, who joins us now for the latest edition of ‘Who are You?’. He tries to make us feel better about that mauling at St Mary’s..

Jake: 'this time, Lads?'
Jake: ‘this time, Lads?’

Read more

Arsenal ‘Who are You?’: out with Wenger, fond of SAFC, don’t care about Spurs

by
Jake has ways of making them talk
Jake has ways of making them talk

Quaking in their boots in expectation of a heroic bounceback from 8-0 – or breezily confident, after coming from behind to beat Anderlecht on Arsène Wenger’s 65th birthday, of adding to our woes? We’ll soon enough find out which Sunderland and which Arsenal turns out. Nigel Payne*, our Arsenal ‘Who are You?’ interviewee, is a sports marketing consultant and well-known figure in horse racing (co-owner of the 1998 Grand National winner Earth Summit, chairman of the Professional Jockeys Association and a former communications chief at Aintree). Expect strident views on Wenger, warm thoughts on Sunderland and Poyet … and an eccentric score prediction …

Read more

Southampton vs Sunderland Who are You?: ‘cheat, cheat, cheat. It’s OK’

by
Jake looks for a big result (for us)
Jake looks for a big result (for us)

This feels like a first. A few other ‘Who are You?’ interviewees have said too much is made of diving. Some of our own readers think I should stop rattling on about it. But I am not sure anyone has ever previously said it’s just part of the game and, more or less, OK. But then our Southampton fan in this week’s hot heat, Alistair Iveson*, a journalism student, doesn’t care much about his club’s stripes or colours, thinks people from the North East have silly accents and believes a Saints hero, Matt Le Tissier, has become an ‘egotistical wash-up’, Against that he’s hardly a fair weather fan – ‘I’ve always enjoyed going to watch Southampton, even when we were flailing at the bottom of the Championship’ – and Salut! Sunderland is happy to reproduce his strident views on most matters in football …

Jake has ways of making them talk
Jake has ways of making them talk

Read more

SAFC vs Stoke ‘Who are You?’: Kenwyne’s waste, Fuller’s brilliance, Newcastle’s dream world

by
Jake has ways of making them talk
Jake has ways of making them talk

South West Stokies can talk for England. Before the league cup game, we had Mike Alderson, the branch chairman, with some fascinating thoughts on all matters Stoke City that brought him a mixed response on a Potters’ message board (see below). The lines will be buzzing again when they see that our volunteer for the Premier game, Dave Shenton*, the branch travel officer, largely shares Mike’s views on Tony Pulis’s reign. Maybe one of the Oatcake critics will offer to chip in for the return league game (last time I tried to find a candidate there, I was invited to eff off). But let’s hear from Dave. Prepare for another great read with passing digs at Joey Barton, the Mags and Jack Wilshere …

Read more

SAFC v Stoke City Who are You?: beyond Pulis’s ‘hoofball’ (listening, Pelligrini?)

by
Jake has ways of making them talk
Jake has ways of making them talk

Mike Alderson* was the second Stoke City fan, and the second official of City’s South West supporters’ club branch, to respond to our request for volunteers for the two forthcoming games at the Stadium of Light. We will hear from his pal ahead of the league game a week on Saturday. Mike sees Tuesday night’s league cup tie as just the sort of match our two clubs should take seriously, since league honours are perhaps beyond both. One obvious question we would ask with hindsight: would he be as ready to tip Man City for the title, in honour of their more modest, proper-club recent past, now that Manuel Pellegrini has decided the worst insult he can aim at Chelsea is to say they played like Stoke to grab a draw at the Etihad? ….

Read more

Burnley Who are You? Can ‘one-footed Fletcher’ torment old man Duff

by
Jake has ways of making them talk
Jake has ways of making them talk

“The town is the club the club is the town” – that is Aaron Wright*‘s grand description of Burnley. Yet he’s from the other side of the Pennines and is the first in his family to support the club. All the same, he is passionate, knowledgeable, opinionated and just 17. Wasn’t too keen on Steven Fletcher and was unimpressed by Ryan Noble but hails Gus Poyet as a miracle worker …

Read more

Tottenham ‘Who are You?’: on Glenda, Bale, Danny Rose and Chris Turner

by
Jake has ways of making them talk
Jake has ways of making them talk

Mark Solomons*, a recovering tabloid journalist and lifelong Spurs supporter, reckons his lot will romp to a 3-1 victory on Saturday though he’d settle for the usual own goal. In a lively exchange, with touches of self-deprecation, humour and classic Norf London superiority, he damns Danny Rose with faint praise, affects to believe former Spurs hero Gareth Bale doesn’t dive, heaps acclaim on own former goalkeeping star Chris Turner and, as a non-practising Jew, defends the “anti-anti-Semitic” Yid chants …

Read more