salut! sunderland

Sixer's Sevens (2008/2009)

Each matchday, Pete Sixsmith - Sixer to friends - delivers his seven-word verdict. It has not always made a pretty sight, but it IS always to the point and fair. His seven words* at around 6pm today are some of the most important he will ever have written - which is saying a lot for a bloke who has passed exams, taught Stan Cummins's sister (isn't that right Pete?) and filled in his own tax forms ... roll on salvation

May 24 2009 Sunderland 2 (0) Chelsea 3 (0) Better performance but Villa are the heroes
May 18 2009 Portsmouth (0) 3 Sunderland (0) 1 Another defensive horror show threatens another relegation
May 9 2009 Bolton (0) O Sunderland (0) O Effort and commitment but still need point
May 3 2009 Sunderland (0) 0 Everton (0) 2 Another defensive shambles, another nail in coffin
April 25 2009 West Bromwich Albion (1) 3 Sunderland (0) 0 A performance so bad it defies description
April 18 2009 Sunderland (1) 1 v Hull City (0) 0 Vital win in a truly awful game
April 11 2009 Sunderland (0) 1 v Man United (1) 2 Better performance than result gives some hope
April 04 2009 West Ham United 2 (1) v Sunderland (0) 0 Dreadful result and performance enhances relegation credentials

Sixer's Sevens delayed

Novel protest
Picture: Pixel y Dixel

Salut! Sunderland has gone bullfighting in Nimes. There may be a delay until Sunday night or Monday in getting Pete Sixsmith's verdict up here.

Feel free to comment on the game anyway.

Oh, and after lots of struggles between conflicting emotions - love of tradition and hatred of cruelty - I am almost sure I oppose bullfighting but want to see it once more for myself before reaching a definitive conclusion.

Sixer's Sevens: the warm-ups begin

Bound for Europe
The Salut! Sunderland service does not run to instant reports on pre-season friendlies. Or at least it didn't.

Summer breaks - and yes, for those who got drenched in and around Darlington last night, it is officially still summer - were never going to get in the way of Pete Sixsmith. Big Pete, pictured left on a city inspection in case Paris is chosen again (and in time for us) for a Champions League final, had a spot of pre-Premiership match practice of his own to put in.

The two succinct messages, both enhancing my enjoyment of the rather balmier climes of the south of France, read: "1-0 half time. Wallace" and then "2-0. Stokes". His fuller thoughts, fresh in, appear on the continuation page - well worth a read.

From here, I will just say this. These games are interesting rather than instructive. When we win, and 2-0 away, even at Darlo, is a respectable enough start (our 5,500 travelling-not-that-far support was also respectable), you hope it's a foretaste of what's to come.

And when you lose, you look for that reassuring managerspeak line about these games being "all about fitness not the result".

There is more about the detail of the game here, and also here. Read on to see what Pete, who would turn out to watch the Lads if they were playing table football in a Redcar amusement arcade, made of it.

Sixer's Sevens

May 6, 2007: - Sixer - Luton 0 Sunderland 5 What a way to leave the Championship!!!!

May 6, 2007: - Salut! Sunderland - Luton 0 Sunderland 5 HOW TO WIN THE CHAMPIONSHIP IN STYLE!

April 27, 2007: SAFC 3 Burnley 2 Carlos fantastic as our frayed nerves hold

April 27, 2007: SAFC 3 Burnley 2 YES! Sixer awaited, but a golden moment

April 21, 2007: Colchester 3 SAFC 1 Really worrying. Shocking defending and little created

April 14, 2007: SAFC 2 QPR 1 Easy win made hard, but nearly there*

April 9, 2007: Southampton 1 SAFC 2 Hardest game for ages but class tells

April 7, 2007: SAFC 2 Wolverhampton Wanderers 1 Deserved win, other results great, perfect day

March 31, 2007: Cardiff 0 SAFC 1 Great win against tenacious but limited opposition

March 17, 2007: SAFC 2 Hull City 0 Thanks Evans for Jonny; three priceless points

March 13, 2007: SAFC 2 v Stoke City 2 Good point against tough, disciplined opponents

March 10, 2007: Barnsley 0 v SAFC 2 Comfortable win that shows strength in depth

March 3, 2007: West Bromwich Albion 1 SAFC 2 No bounce in the Baggies after this

Feb 24, 2007: SAFC 2 Derby County 1 Pulsating game, great result. Promotion now on

Feb 20, 2007: Birmingham City 1 SAFC 1 Many positives; disappointing to drop two points

Feb 17, 2007: SAFC 4 Southend 0 Silky Sunderland swamp second-best Shrimpers

Feb 10, 2007: Plymouth 0 SAFC 2 Massive result with great Irish one two

Feb 3, 2007: SAFC 2 Coventry City 0 Yorke outstanding in deserved, hard fought win

Jan 30, 2007: SAFC 0 Crystal Palace 0 Stifled by strong defence but lacked imagination

Jan 20, 2007: Sheff Wed 2 SAFC 4 Easy win; looked hard for 10 mins

Jan 13 2007: SAFC 1 Ipswich 0 Spoiled by wind. New boys all impressed * WELL WELL WELL......Salut! Sunderland, on a flying visit to England, managed to fit in the QPR game on its way back to France. Oddly enough, this meant there was a short delay in posting the Sixer's Sevens verdict on the match. But it's not Mr Sixsmith's verdict, it's mine...

Presenting Sixer's Sevens

Just to show Salut! Sunderland can also be brief: Sixer's Sevens will be one-line match verdicts from my great friend and Sunderland supporter par excellence Pete Sixsmith.

Each will stretch to seven words or fewer. My technical adviser - a Man City fan who studied in Sunderland - will improve the presentation once he gets a chance to look under the bonnet, as he likes to describe it. We'll even get round to finding a better mugshot of Pete.

One of his better if more depressing summaries from recent history condensed Sunderland vs Everton last season to this: "0-1. Cahill. 92 mins."

I quoted it in a piece I wrote for The Daily Telegraph sports pages when we later played Chelsea.

His first for Salut! Sunderland: SAFC 1 Ipswich 0, Jan 13 2007: Spoiled by wind. New boys all impressed.

Look out for the new posting.