Who Are You? - SAFC Blog

Hull City Who are You?: ‘who could blame Bruce for walking out?’

November 17, 2016November 16, 2016 by Colin Randall

Mark Bradley at the Wembley playoff final

Monsieur Salut writes: At 15 Mark Bradley* is the youngest ‘Who are You?’ interviewee in the history of Salut! Sunderland. Although we take pride in the quality of this feature, it would not be hard to identify a few examples that showed considerably less maturity and vision than is evident from Mark’s replies.

Like us, he is under no illusion about the significance of Saturday’s game to both clubs and sets of supporters. Concentrating on SAFC, the season does not end if we lose; we are not safe if we win. But the need for three points is pressing, a second successive win that would make climbing out of danger seem less daunting a challenge. We should be grateful to have another struggling side as opponents after finally breaking our duck but, as we so often say, this is Sunderland and we shall see. We thank Mark for his willingness to take part in the discussion …

Bournemouth Who are You?: ‘doomed SAFC, know-nothing Lord Sugar, Cherries delight’

November 3, 2016November 3, 2016 by Colin Randall

Tom Latchem with Howe — Tom Latchem with manager Eddie Howe after the 2013 promotion to the Championship

Monsieur Salut writes: by the time we’d counted to three the Bournemouth fans we might approach for this week’s Who are You?, and then added ones we interviewed last season, we probably had the entire home support covered.

But what the Cherries lack in numbers, their team makes up for with football that sometimes ‘sparkles’ and produces results, according to Tom Latchem*, presenter of talkSPORT’s Extra Time, our man in the hot seat. Tom describes himself at Twitter as a ‘journo, republican, electoral reformist and old school raver’ and sounds a bloke you’d enjoy a pint with. A long read that I thoroughly enjoyed …

The Arsenal Who are You?: ‘SAFC doomed with Hull and (please) Stoke’

May 11, 2017October 27, 2016 by Colin Randall

Tony Merakli, on the far left, with like-minded pals

Hats off to Tony Merakli, editor of the Arsenal fan site Gunnersphere, for stepping in gamely at the last minute when we were let down by his counterpart at another Gooners’ blog. Tony fears, as do most ‘Who are You?’ interviewees these days, that we’ll drop but believes we are a massive club whose fans deserve so much better. He also has a liking for ‘that Watmore kid’ but thinks we are in for a heavy defeat against his side on Saturday …

Southampton Who are You?: ‘PVA, Watmore impress but SAFC lack mental strength’

October 24, 2016October 24, 2016 by Colin Randall

Fresh from much-praised exploits at the San Siro (despite a defeat) and in the draw at the Etihad, Southampton naturally fancy their chances against Sunderland in the EFL Cup 4th round on Wednesday. A hearty welcome to Aidan Small*, a budding sports journalist who owns www.freshsaints.com even if he does think we’re doomed to relegation without the consolation of further interest in the League Cup after the visit to St Mary’s …

West Ham Who are You?: ‘SAFC doomed, Hammers must solve stadium issues’

October 19, 2016 by Colin Randall

David Blackmore: ‘sorry but SAFC will be bottom until May’

West Ham have been in disarray, hardly on our scale but bad enough with a poor start to the season and lots of unhappiness about the London Stadium. Who better to ask about all this than David Blackmore*, editor of Blowing Bubbles (Twitter: https://twitter.com/WestHamMagazine. He thinks the club will eventually get it right on both counts – but fears for our Premier League;’s tenure …

Stoke City ‘Who are You?’: SAFC ‘doomed with Swansea and Hull’

October 13, 2016October 12, 2016 by Colin Randall

Malcom — Malcolm Clarke: ‘sorry lads, your time has come’

Malcolm Clarke* is the latest in a long line of amiable, forthcoming Stoke City supporters to grace these pages. He is realistic enough a supporter, as well as being a passionate representative of fans generally as chairman of the Football Supporters’ Federation, to recognise the the odds are probably against his beloved Stoke winning the Premier League title any time soon. But he does believe they’ll survive this season, and – perhaps no surprise here – that Sunderland won’t. He also tells us about his association with Neil Baldwin, Stoke’s ‘marvellous’ (read on) but most implausible media star …

West Bromwich Albion ‘Who are You?’: once-reviled Pulis’s ‘searing honesty’

September 29, 2016September 29, 2016 by Colin Randall

USA-based Andrew Caulton:’Astle Gates – a reverential place for any Baggies fan. I go to at least one game a season and have seen us score twice in the last five years’

Monsieur Salut writes: Every few months, a satellite US radio station Sirius XM, asks me onto a late show (late for me) to talk about the latest woes afflicting Sunderland. That is where Andrew Caulton*, an Englishman in New Hampshire with fingers in lots of football pies, heard me (twice). We met again at Twitter, where he revealed his lifelong West Brom allegiance and readily agreed to sit in the ‘Who are You?’ hot seat. His recollections of the 1973 cup run and of coaching Calum Davenport, who played for us on loan, are priceless.

It is another long read but Andrew seems the sort of bloke you could happily natter with for hours in the pub …

Crystal Palace ‘Who are You?’: ‘garish’ SAFC shirts, Ab Fab owners, Pardew

September 22, 2016September 22, 2016 by Colin Randall

Keith plus A N Other — Keith plus Charlotte, a product of Marriage

Colin Randall writes: Our Crystal Palace interviewee, my badminton-playing friend Keith Marriage*, ‘got it in the neck’ from Mrs M for spending too long on replies to our questions and not doing the washing up. But there appears no risk of the Marriages consciously uncoupling (how could they with that name?) and Keith reckons it was a ‘fun exercise’.

As afterthoughts, he wondered whether David Moyes is still shell-shocked after his Old Trafford experience and has ‘lost his managerial mojo’ and declared that Sunderland way outshone Spurs, ‘sadly just in the garish kit stakes’. It’s a long read but includes some fascinating insights …

Tottenham Hotspur v SAFC ‘Who are You?’: still fuming about The Shelf

September 22, 2016September 15, 2016 by Colin Randall

Martin Cloake* is a Spurs fan and an author, notably of the People’s History of Tottenham Hotspur. Here, he previews our game, looks at what’s going on at both clubs and avoids any predictions. I must admit that while not all Spurs WAYs have endeared the interviewees to us lot, and Martin has a ‘without wanting to insult SAFC’ moment, I loved his response to who should never have been allowed inside their cosy little ground …

Everton Who are You?’: ‘teaching my daughter the cleaner Goodison songs’

September 22, 2016September 9, 2016 by Colin Randall

Football, marathon running, academia and cheese … that’s the heady mix that sums up Lydia Bleasdale-Hill*, our Everton Who are …