It seems like a lot more than a week since last we met. That week has been full of all sorts of good things, perhaps because the whole red and white cause has been positively reported in the news (as they call it). Even though we’re still looking down rather than up, the world seems to be on our side. Which is nice.

Having managed somehow to get back from Fulham in one piece whilst celebrating was no mean achievement. Look, it hasn’t happened that often for that long, I’m entitled to lose a shirt. It was only on Sunday night after the comedy club at the Gala that Pauline in the Half Moon revealed that I’d had my colours on when I entered on Saturday night, but then put them in my pocket. So where is my shirt now?

Aw shit, I’ve got plenty of shirts. It’s probably gone to a good cause. And probably a good idea, as there lots of folks out here without Sunderland shirts. I was going to stay in on Friday, but I was ticed out to the Karaoke at the Tut. The sight of my two lads pretending to be the Proclaimers was bad enough, but they couldn’t quite work out which words to sing. Enter the expert, and Fatha saved the day. There have been finer moments, but not many. You simply don’t lose that sort of talent. Wait for the pictures.

The world seems to wince every time a Man Utd defender snags a fingernail, expecting a swift recall for young Jonny, but it seems to be heading towards a permanent move for the lad. Like Keano thinks, better to be a new hero at Sunderland than an old one at Old Trafford. We’ll see.

The last three games have left us in what is quite a healthy position, and, whatever today’s result, we could be mathematically safe come tea time. A win would be even better, and who would bet against us, to be honest, We’re on the up, City have been off-form for three months or so. Perhaps there’s a lot to be said for having a bunch of players who can understand what their marras are talking about. Nineteen nationalities at the City of Manchester stadium, so the Tut’s resident Blue tells me, and who am I to argue. As a measure of how well we’re doing, there are no less than seven players from Sunderland in the Irish squad – even lads who haven’t had a game in a couple of months. While we shouldn’t really be looking any further ahead than today, next Sunday is not far away, and neither is Arsenal at home. If we and the stinkys continue the current form, it should be a cracker at the Landfill, and if Arsenal play like they did in the first half hour at Anfield, we’ll be up against it.

Anyway, today’s today. Will the Bitterman was over from Minnesota for the weekend and dad Billy’s significant birthday, but when we came out of the Salty there was a policeman putting a ticket on the car. Naturally, we tried to talk our way out of it, but he wouldn’t compromise, so I called him a rude name. Not to be outdone, he wrote out a second ticket, only to be met with a torrent of further abuse. So he wrote out a third ticket. Three tickets? That must be a hundred quid at least, so it’s a good job we were on the bus and it wasn’t our car.

Football – unchanged after our impressive, if less than dead pretty, win at Fulham, which didn’t get the credit it deserved. Football pundits the world over constantly tell you that you have to win “ugly” to get anywhere, but when you do, they’re less than complimentary about your performance. Last week might not have been pretty, but it was what we needed and a bit more. The way we hit straight back after their goal showed real character and class, and that makes me very happy. No new injuries to speak of, so all of Roy’s options remain open.

The usual bus got us into town at about the usual time, and there was a quick shufty down to the Salty to meet up with Will the Yank (ex Brandon) and Stubber’s Yorkshire massive. Respect.Until the bar fell to bits, the landlord threw my first pint at me, so we went to the King’s, the a swifty at the Shamrock. The left knee just about made it to the ground, the reminder of one of last week’s goals making it look like the sort of knee that would retire a Northern League centre half.

So we lined up no surprises….

Gordon
Bardsley Collins Noz Evans
Reid Chopra Whitehead Richardson
Murphy Jones

Chops moved immediately to the right, leaving Jones and Murphy up front. After only a minute or so, Richo fired well over the top after non-stop SAFC possession, then we got our Noz moment out of the way (or so we thought) as he sliced a clearance back to Gordon. Jones nearly found himself in the clear, but the keeper clattered in and the chance was gone. After five minutes or so City got back into the game, largely through Petrov down the left, and it took some good blocking by our defence to keep them away. Reid found Murphy, who saw his cross cleared. Bardsley and Collins produced some good tackling, but don’t think that it was all City attacking. We might have allowed them the lion’s share of the midfield, and a lot of play down the left, but precious little actually got into our box. Whitehead lost the ball on halfway and was rightly booked for hauling down Petrov, but when Bardsley was lunged at, Riley started. Booking for Phil, Blue shirt for the referee.

Noz and Benjani were having a proper battle, like you used to have in real football matches before referees like Riley decided that he’d blow his whistle for any old thing that took his fancy. Jones found Chops, but his shot was charged down, Gordon was covering his box well, and when we fund our way past their midfield, we looked like we might actually do something. Hart pretended to be hurt, preventing a quick throw (well spotted Ref, you dimwit) and City continued to frustrate us at the back. Jones won a header, but the knock down was volleyed over, then Murphy saw his low cross taken well by the keeper, miraculously fit again. We won a free in the inside right position, which was hit against a defender’s arse, then fired just over by Bardsley’s left foot. In the added time, City shot over, but scoreless at the break was about right.

After the Tony Towers half time draw, it was no surprise to see Leadbitter on for Richardson, who’d had another poor half. Reid crossed from the left, Jones knocked the ball to Murphy, and it was a replay of his miss last time at home. Bugger. Chopra robbed the left back near the flag and ran into the box, but was tackled at the last minute, and form the corner, Collins was nearly there.

Nearly. Story of the day.

Murphy nearly managed something in the box, but was always looking for his left foot, the Ireland left the field (granny died for the third time) to be replaced by Sturridge. A Reid corner from the left was headed wide of the front post by Jones, then Carlos replaced Murphy. For two minutes he looked like he might win the game on his own, then we stopped giving him the ball, but we still had the majority of the possession. Doing something deadly with it was another thing. We huffed and puffed but didn’t really give the keeper much of a hard time. When the ball did break loose in our box, Bardsley was there again, but he could do nothing when Noz was turned, and there was a penalty. Not having seen it again, I can only assume it was for a pull, as their lad had flown in with a really high challenge immediately afterwards.

0-1

Chopra was fouled as he jinked towards the box, but Leadbitter’s effort was easy for the keeper. Reid constantly found space ahead of himself down the left, but Jones seemed reluctant to fill it. Having said that, he always looked a danger through the middle. When Reid found the time and space to cut back a left wing cross, Deano arrived to sidefoot in a lovely volley, and it was game on again. Another comeback win?

No chance. Leadbitter lost the ball thirty yards from our own goal, the ball went to Vassell, who scuffed a shot that looked like it was bouncing wide, but bobbled in.Gordon produced a good save from a free kick, but the extra four minutes were of no use to us this week.

Did City deserve to win? Well, they scored two to our one, so yes, but on the balance of play, despite Petrov (short sleeves and gloves, what an arse) down he left, no they didn’t. They didn’t so much win the game as we lost it – gave them two goals, in fact. What with the other results going the way they did, it’s still not cut and dried. Bugger

Man of the Match? Chopra – all over the place like a mad thing.

Keep the Faith

Sobs' Book click here...