Roger Titford* is a market research specialist, writer and prominent follower of Reading FC, having served as chairman of the supporters’ club. In the first home ‘Who are You?’ of the season, he talks up Berkshire’s potential appeal to the stars, remembers a rare bad decision by Charlie Hurley and makes the case for muckier football …
No, not another piece drawing attention to Sunderland’s slight problem with that annoying but persistent need to score goals if football matches are to be won. All will doubtless fall into place once the transfer window closes and Martin O’Neill has assembled his desired squad. Indeed, we may even seen the Lads score a hatful against Reading on Saturday with or without new faces in the team.
But this is a plaintive plea to supporters of Swansea City to descend from that euphoric place in the clouds, to which they were transported by a sensational five-goal start to the season at Loftus Road, and come to the aid of Salut! Sunderland.
Welcome to another season of Who are You?, the feature that gets opposing supporters talking about their clubs and ours. Pat McLaughlin*, who owns the site justarsenal.com. We first encountered Pat when he was living in West Yorkshire. Now he is a role model for all football site editors, clocking up millions of visitors (has the edge on our tens of readers!) and soaking up the sun in Spain. Tongue in cheek or not, he sees a title-winning season ahead for the Gunners …
In June last year, Salut! Sunderland put out a little appeal for knowledgeable supporters of QPR, Norwich City and Swansea to offer their services as interviewees in our Who are You? series.
Last words on the 2011-2012 Salut! Sunderland ”Who are You?” awards …
Season’s over. Why bother with another edition of Salut! Sunderland’s Week? Because it must be right to run, once more, our winning ‘Who are You?’ interview? Stuart Jinks – Jinksy – won handsomely and now has $200 to spend with soccerpro.com/ – co-sponsors, with When Saturday Comes – of the annual awards. This, then is how Jinksy saw things just before the match at Villa Park and some weeks before Alex McLeish was shown the door. A great read despite his views on MON and, apart from saying it would be 0-0 in that game, his useless predictions …
With renewed gratitude to our sponsors – http://www.soccerpro.com/ and When Saturday Comes, we can announce the winners in our annual ‘Who are You?’ awards …
Here it is, the moment at least some of you have been waiting for. Thanks to all who took part in the feature during the 2011-2012 season, the judges who chose the best of themm and the readers who made it, in numerical terms, a highly popular feature.
Part one of our report on the judges’ decision in our annual ”Who are You?” awards, in which Salut! Sunderland rewards supporters of opposing sides who offered the best entertainment, insight or wisdom in their responses to the pre-match questionnaire, ended with the leaders lining up like this:
Stuart Jinks (aka Jinksy, Aston Villa fan) 10pts; Michael Hudson (Newcastle) and Jim White (Swansea) five; Richard Hulme (Stoke City) and Clemency Burton-Hill (Arsenal) three and Andy and Jo Nicholls (Wolves) and Keith Conneely (Liverpool) two. See part one by clicking here
Week in week out, supporters from the teams Sunderland are next due to play rise to the occasion and take part in our ”Who are You?” series.
And once a year, we return the favour and come up with awards for the best sets of replies.
Wouldn’t it be great to think of second top, with the trophy cabinet already overflowing, as gross underachievement? That’s the lot of the Manchester United fan going into the final game and with only the most slender chance of finishing top. John Lichfield, a veteran United supporter and giant of proper journalism, takes the philosophical view. He’d probably agree with Salut! Sunderland that more important than the result is that Old Time SAFC, the Sunderland supporter who fears terminal illness will make it his last game, is made to feel special …