Who Are You? - SAFC Blog

The SAFC v Arsenal Who are You?: ‘Arsène must go’

February 13, 2012February 9, 2012 by Colin Randall

Who is she? The toughest part of introducing our Arsenal volunteer, Clemency Burton-Hill, is deciding where to start. Musician, actress, political writer, novelist, television (BBC2’s The Culture Show, for instance) and radio presenter. I think we will just let Clemency* speak for herself* on an impossibly packed professional life that requires – allows? – her to live in New York, work just about anywhere and spend free moments reflecting sadly on the end of two eras: Highbury and M Wenger. And this weekend, she must work out how, finding herself in Venezuela, she will keep tabs on the first of the coming Sunderland v Arsenal games …

Boro v SAFC Who are You?: ‘a rivalry so strong’

February 7, 2012February 7, 2012 by Colin Randall

What a relief to move on from Robert Huth, Tony Pulis and the Britannia’s frozen wastes. Can the O’Neill factor work its wonders even in banana skin territory? We will know tomorrow night when we attempt to amend for a tepid display in the first game against Middlesbrough. Enter Iain Lazenby*, great name for a Boro fan, conqueror of Kilimanjaro (took his dad’s scarf to the summit) and once chairman of Middlesbrough Supporters South. He loved our previous interviews with Harry Pearson and Alan Comfort** and was happy to do the honours for the replay …

Stoke v SAFC Who are You?: Deano’s ‘our low-skill, non-scoring star’

February 3, 2012February 3, 2012 by Colin Randall

Chris Jones*, an administrator on three Stoke City fan sites, is Welsh and could talk for Wales on All Things City. Having kindly agreed to step into the “Who are You?” hot seat, he did so, spilling beans by the lorryload on Stoke’s Sunderland old boys – a mixed report, but check out his amazing view of Dean Whitehead – and Tony Pulis, also offering an unfashionably chilly view of Martin O’Neill and news of a Welsh-speaking Mackem …

The Norwich Who are You?: ‘my soft spot for Sunderland’

January 31, 2012 by Colin Randall

Norwich, like Swansea, have impressed most neutrals with their progress so far in the Premier. Indeed, they did better than us in the FA Cup at the weekend. Robin Sainty*, chairman of the Independent Norwich City Supporters’ Club, would have settled for just staying up. Here, ahead of tomorrow’s Sunderland v City game, is his look at Bruce and O’Neill, both closely associated with both clubs, our own poor display at Carrow Road this season and that cup final …

Middlesbrough ‘Who are You?’: Alan Comfort’s broken career and fond Boro memories

January 25, 2012 by Colin Randall

The relatively few Boro fans who have seen Alan Comfort’s excellent – I would say, but there it is – interview with Salut! Sunderland have given it mixed reviews.

Sunderland v Boro: the star’s wife who cried on seeing Middlesbrough

January 25, 2012January 25, 2012 by Colin Randall

Boro on Sunday in the FA Cup 4th round and Salut! Sunderland‘s build-up starts here. For a man who was able to play so few games because injury cruelly cut his career short, Alan Comfort – now, of course, the Rev Alan Comfort – made an impact, him on the North East and the region on him. He remains deeply fond of Boro to this day – and yes, his wife grew to appreciate the Dales – wonders what might have been and says he would happily have seen out a player’s normal-length careeer there …

SAFC v Swansea ‘Who are You?’: loving every ‘awesome’ minute of it

January 19, 2012January 19, 2012 by Colin Randall

Football fans don’t get much more involved than Jim White*, who’ll be in the away end for Sunderland v Swansea. Jim is vice-chairman of the Swans Trust (the supporters’ group that owns 20 per cent of the club, a unique phenomenon in the Premier), runs the fan site SCFC2.co.uk and gets to loads of games. Even before the fine win against Arsenal, he was enjoying the Swans’ Premier experience …

The Chelsea v SAFC Who are you?: Blues from across the sea

January 16, 2012January 12, 2012 by Colin Randall

Written off prior to this fixture last season, we stunned the footballing world by romping to a 3-0 victory so comprehensively deserved it had Chelsea fans drooling about the best away performance witnessed at Stamford Bridge since time began.

What will happen this time, with our club brimming with confidence after Martin O’Neill’s P7 W5 D1 L1 F13 A6 start? In an interview that should really have been conducted over mussels and chips, washed down with strong ale, Tom Van Watermeulen*, chairman of the Belgian branch of the Chelsea supporters’ club, sees one team scoring three this time, too. Sadly, that team comes first in the scoreline and we get only one goal if his prediction proves right …

The Peterborough Who are You?: ‘beat Sunderland, Liverpool next please’

January 6, 2012 by Colin Randall

Sunderland’s involvement in the early stages of the FA Cup or Carling Cup far too often sees us massively underperform. …

The Wigan v Sunderland ‘Who are You?’: the Premier’s Chumbawamba team

January 2, 2012January 2, 2012 by Colin Randall

After the excitement and exhilaration of beating the title favourites, a different kind of game altogether awaits Sunderland tomorrow night. Wigan away comes close on the heels of Wigan at home, which finally did for Steve Bruce in the sense that whatever was in the Sunderland owner’s mind by then, he could hardly have fired him if he’d led us to a 5-0 victory.

Rob Speakman*, a moderator at the Latics site This Northern Soul and a man with a Reg Vardy Sunderland top, is one of those unforgiving Wigan supporters who take pleasure in Bruce’s downfall …