Who Are You?

SAFC v Notts County: Roker Roar gave Magpie hero headache

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We’ll have plenty to say about the other Mags, but they can wait until next week. For now, the only Magpies that matter are Notts County. In the first of two memorable editions of our Who are You? series – see Alex Rae’s interview by clicking here – Salut! Sunderland is honoured to welcome Les Bradd*, a great figure from the history of professional football’s oldest club. He agreed like a shot to answer our questions ahead of the FA Cup Third Round tie on Saturday and recalls a career in which he became County’s record scorer – one of the goals a cup winner against Sunderland – and suffered an odd side effect of playing at Roker Park …

You are the top scorer in County’s history: 125 goals in 398 appearance in a career spanning 11 years. Tell us what the club means to you.

I made the move to Notts County from Rotherham United in 1967 at the age of 19 and was one of a young group of players that manager Billy Gray was getting together to achieve promotion. Billy did not stay at the Club long enough and was replaced in 1969 by Jimmy Sirrel who went on to take the club from the 4th to the 2nd division in four years. The 1970s were a special time in my football career at Notts County with the success that we achieved not only in the League but also against teams of higher status than ourselves in various cup runs that we had. Many of those team mates remain great friends to this day and regularly meet and remember the good times that we had when attending Former Players Functions.

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Pauline McLynn: Father Ted’s char cheering shamelessly for Aston Villa

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Pauline McLynnDLR Library

An actress’s life can bring varied demands. After being made up to look a lot older for the part of Father Ted’s housekeeper Mrs Doyle, Pauline McLynn* was required to appear nude as Libby in Shameless. But never mind that: she’s here because she is a keen Aston Villa fan. As a lass back in Ireland, she’d flirted with Liverpool and Steve Heighway before being converted by Paul McGrath. Salut! Sunderland gallantly chose a discreet image …

Salut! Sunderland: Things may change before we meet next week you but it has been looking a little ominous at Villa Park with some pundits even mentioning the dreaded R word. Surely not relegation, even after the 4-0 drubbing at Man City.

The only R that I agree with is Resurrection, and I think the game against Chelsea proved we can still take a game to the opposition. Villa are notorious for going downhill a bit at this time of year but I feel we on the rise again now so look out Sunderland.

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Villa ‘Who are You?’: when Ashley Young has us groaning

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We went to Chelsea to improve on a 7-2 drubbing and beat them 3-0. Aston Villa had fared even worse last time at the Bridge – 7-1 – and Sunday’s six-goal draw will have done wonders for morale. Isn’t that downright typical, just before they play us? Dominic Wren*, a Villa fan teaching PE in the United States (that’s him with a middle school pupil) regrets the crisis created by Martin O’Neill’s departure but reminds the squad that their job involves being paid for something 40,000 fans would gladly do for nothing …

See also: Pauline McLynn, Villa-supporting actress from Father Ted and Shameless

Salut! Sunderland: Things may change before we meet you but it has been looking a little ominous at Villa Park with some pundits even mentioning the dreaded R word. Surely not!

Dominic (speaking before the Chelsea game): On paper, no chance, but we all know the game is not played on paper. The effort, passion, pride, intensity, what I refer to as the intangibles, the only things the individual player can control are definitely not present at the moment. Which as any fan will tell you, is the least they expect when they pull on the beloved jersey.

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SAFC v Blackburn: Rovers fan with attitude pulls no punches

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When Sunderland and Blackburn Rovers play, you know that if Vinjay* previews the game you get no name but the certainty of some forthright views. Too forthright, he suggests, for some fellow Rovers fans. Read on for a not-so-fond farewell to Big Sam, relief that the new boss is Steve Kean and not Roy Keane, sideswipes at Alan Shearer and Shay Given and concern that video technology may ruin the game’s talking points …

Salut! Sunderland: You have often bemoaned lack of ambition at Blackburn. Will the new broom sweep away that failure and lead Backburn back to top club status?

As you will recall from my previous Q and As I was not exactly a fan of the previous owners. I’m certainly glad that they have been removed at last. They have been nothing less than an absolute disgrace to Jack Walker and they never got the abuse they deserved. As you may have noticed our new owners have been abused by some of our more ignorant fans. They fully intend to spend more than 5 million despite false reports and will bring new global marketing ideas to the club improving an area that has been neglected and regional minded. Our more parochial fans won’t like the sound of that. Getting rid of the previous owners will always have my gratitude. Looking forward to actually seeing some ambition in January for once.

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The Blackpool ‘Who are You?’: more plaudits for Jimmy Armfield

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Just a few words on how yesterday’s interview with Jimmy Armfield ahead of today’s big game at the Stadium of Light got people talking about Blackpool’s exemplary man of football …

It is not often that we get 3,500 visitors in a day. Newcastle going down (us gloating) and the 5-1 drubbing at St James’ Park (much of it them gloating) did it, and so did our famous victory at Stamford Bridge.

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SAFC v Blackpool – Jimmy Armfield talks to Salut! Sunderland

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Jimmy Armfield*. Placed together in that order, they are two of my favourite words in the English language. There have been better footballers and managers, though he wasn’t bad himself, acclaimed during the 1962 World Cup in Chile as “the best right-back in the world” and later doing good work in charge of Bolton and Leeds. There have been better sports commentators. But he has a depth of knowledge and utterly dependable expressive qualities that most of them must envy. We desperately hope the result from the Stadium of Light tomorrow comes as a bitter disappointment to him – a robust comeback after the also-ran display at Old Trafford is a must – but we salute Jimmy Armfield all the same and offer our warmest best wishes to a wonderful voice of the game who played his entire Football League career for one club: tomorrow’s opponents Blackpool …

Salut! Sunderland: What a fabulous time for Blackpool!

Well, the fabulous time really was Wembley. We thought last season was case of trying to stay in the Championship and then suddenly we had this run at the end of the season and ended up in the playoffs and thought “Blimey! they’ve got there. How did we manage that?” And then won it: how did we ever do that that?

Then we thought “OK it will probably turn round” and we all prayed about the first game at Wigan – and ended up winning 4-0.

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Manchester United v SAFC: ‘not arrogant, just better’

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Whenever Sunderland play Manchester United, Salut! Sunderland expects to hear from a Scotsman in Italy. David Schiavone, a United-supporting writer who runs the MUFC podcast site redcafe.net to which we are asked to give pre-match interviews (hear the latest one 30 mintes into this podcast), also has a passion for Serie A. But United are his first love – he cheerfully accepts the “glory seeker” tag – and we thought it was time he answered our questions too. The phrase in the headline leapt effortlessly from his responses …

See also: who would have to top up with cash in a Welbeck/Henderson swap?

Salut! Sunderland: What do you make of the speculation that Qatar may bid for United, making future Manchester derbies as much Gulf as Premier encounters?

I think most people would be glad to see the back of the Glazers and if the Qatar royal family want to bid for United and write off the debt then plough some money into the club then by all means. But if they are too come into the club then they must respect the traditions and for me the manager. He built the club and it is because of him United are where they are today.

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Manchester United v SAFC: who adds cash in a Welbeck/Henderson swap?

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The United TrinityBernt Rostad

So what if Sir Alex comes knocking on Steve Bruce’s door to request and require the signature of Jordan Henderson? Our United friend Andrew* may be a shrinking violet – no photo/no surname though he does run the Stretford End Arising site, with which Salut! Sunderland has excellenrt relations – suspects we could hold out for Welbeck plus cash, though he would really rather have him back. Ditto Andrew: we’d sooner keep both at the Stadium of Light.

Plenty of other interesting thoughts – avert your eyes, Darron Gibson, and Newcastle fans, too (“above their station”) – ahead of our big Old Trafford clash …

Salut! Sunderland: Top of the Premier, doing OK in the Champions League but it doesn’t somehow seem a vintage United year. Fair point or nonsense?

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SAFC v Bolton, with ominous news for Aston Villa

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Next up among the Bolton fans who answered our “Who are You?” Mayday message: not my old camarade Ian Jones, royal photographer of note (Monsieur Salut, naturellement, has republican tendencies but we always worked together well), but the next best thing, his brother-in-law Peter Stott*. Interesting thoughts, not least on a certain “comedy club” and a surprise relegation candidate ...

Salut! Sunderland: What a great start for Bolton. – you must be getting nosebleeds? Is it purely down to Owen Coyle?

Absolutely. Owen Coyle has only made a couple of additions to the squad that he inherited from Gary Megson but he has totally transformed the style of football we play. The mustn’t lose style has gone and has been replaced by attractive passing and attacking football. There have been several games this season where the team on the field had none of Coyle’s signings but played in the Coyle style. Tat in itself demonstrates that its down to Coyle because we never saw anything attractive when Megson was in charge.

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SAFC v Bolton: a woman with Megson in her sights

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What were saying about Bolton fans being like London buses? Wait half an hour, then three come along together. No sooner had we thought of throwing in the towel on finding a Wanderers supporter than replies started flooding in. Well trickling. The policy is straightforward: if people are good enough to respond, the responses will be used even if we end up with an excess of riches. Natasha Whittam*, a fiery character well known to those who haunt Bolton fan sites, wanted to do this a season or two ago but then disappeared from our radar. Now she’s back just when we most needed her, happy with her rejuvenated team but offering some forthright views on Gary Megson, old grounds v new, Newcastle United and Fifa …

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