If Salut! Sunderland aspires to be one of the more literate of football’s independent one-club sites, the Blackcats forum is already home to some of the game’s most intelligent, sharp-witted discussion. Among the messages posted by regulars, you will find incisive match analysis, bags of reminiscences and – between each game – a steady flow of general banter about Sunderland, the North East and more.
Lately it has been positively buzzing. Step forward Jeremy Robson*, whose return to the fold (albeit from the snowy wastes of Canada) has brought a torrent of new topics and lively debate. Here, he addresses the question in the headline with a classic mixture of wit, wisdom and bluster…

They say we live in an ever shrinking world. Distances contract, physically, or at least in the sense that it takes us less time to travel greater distances, or virtually by making distant parts of the world seem much closer than they really are due to advances in telecommunications technology.

When I was a youngster growing up in Murton, one of many colliery villages scattered across County Durham, the city and the inhabitants of Newcastle seemed a long way away.

Sure, we used to go there sometimes, but not that often. The quayside market on a Sunday morning was a common destination. Black and white stripes and Newcastle United was another matter. You didn’t go there, and never thought about going there, well at least I didn’t. St James’ Park seemed a long way away, but was brought into our homes courtesy of Tyne Tees Television, and the familiar tones of George Taylor, the erstwhile presenter of Shoot.

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A trip to the comfortable environs of Finsbury Park has Pete Sixsmith all nostalgic for the proletarian terraces of Boundary Park and real football. His mood is not helped by Wenger’s usual churlish comments about Sunderland, but he takes heart from a disciplined and effective performance.

Twelve games left, 31 points on the board and we are inching towards safety and mid table respectability. Not the most exciting words ever written about football, but as we gathered another precious point, it sums up what we are all about at the moment.

Unfortunately for Professor Wenger and the bourgeois fans who inhabit the comfy seats at Ashburton Grove, we are not playing football the right way, by refusing to roll over and allow Arsenal to show off their silky attacking skills to the gathered aficionados sat there with their ciabatta rolls and their personalised shirts.

Instead, we are condemned by a man who, in the immortal words of Phil Cool, “Looks like someone who has just put his finger through the toilet paper”, as Arsenal failed to break down our resolute and determined defence.

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Fatima al Shamsi got so carried away with her essay on Arsenal worship that we thought it might be better to split her preview of Saturday’s game at the Emirates into two. Here are her answers to our questions and apologies in advance for failing to indoctrinate her sufficiently to get a prediction of a shock Sunderland victory…

Barcelona, Brazil, Arsenal…….why, in each case, and how important are Arsenal in relation to the others?

The Brazilian national team was my first real exposure to football. This is because my earliest childhood as well as my earliest football memories are from Brazil. Without really remember much of the 94 World Cup I still remember the passion that ran throughout the country my last summer there. Just like the rest of the world I had bought into the fact that Brazil were the best team in the world. Of course since then I have a strong love-hate relationship with the team. Whereas individual players play beautifully in their respective leagues, it’s been a while since the Brazilian squad has actually played at convincingly.
I was eight when I made my first steps into the world of club football. I remember sitting with my dad during one of his ritual weekend matches and for the first time ever I took a genuine interest in following what was happening on the big screen. While I watched my dad angrily yell at Manchester United, I instinctively took it that the opposing team were the ‘good guys’ and that was my first introduction to Arsenal. And ever since then I’ve been hooked (thank God the opposing team weren’t Blackburn, the Spurs or Chelsea …eugh). I just remember watching Bergkamp and Anelka and thinking they were absolutely amazing.
Since my dad used the weekends to unwind and watch loads of football then I was also exposed to the Italian and Spanish leagues. Although I still occasionally watch a Series A game I only truly follow La Liga and the Premiership. And as far as my love of Barcelona, it was simple, the household was split between Real Madrid fans (my mum and brother) and Barcelona (my dad and another brother)…I chose wisely. Ever since then its been quite a ride with the Catalans- this season being absolutely sensational.
Normally I can keep my Arsenal/Barca support separate but when they met for the Champions League finals (which I had predicted and was repeatedly dismissed for) in 06, I was clad in my maroon Thierry Henry jersey.
I am first and foremost a Gooner and will always be.

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It is an excuse for not doing your homework that has never been tried, so no one yet knows if it will work. “Just couldn’t get round to that geology project, sir; Salut! Sunderland were breathing down my neck demanding a piece about this Saturday’s game at the Emirates.”
My professional role in Fatima al Shamsi‘s life was to guide her earliest steps in journalism at The National, the new national newspaper of her country, the UAE. My solemn personal duty was to turn her into, if not quite a Mackem, a sneaking regarder of all things Sunderland – and not just Arsenal, Barcelona and Brazil. Did I succeed? We’ll see. Fatima*, pictured above (right), is the first correspondent to take part in Who Are They? from New York, where she is studying; our thanks to her for her thoughtful, emphatically (for the most part) non-girlie answers – and to the geology prof for his understanding….

Ever since destiny made me an Arsenal supporter I had pestered my father to take me to Highbury. This request didn’t seem too preposterous to me when I lived in Paris.

After all, people had swum the English Channel; surely I could get there one weekend for a match. But despite my whining I had to be content with two World Cup games during the France 98, and few treks to the Parc des Princes to watch PSG perform forgettably.

Then the unthinkable happened, Sunday May 7 2006, from my apartment in New York City, I watched as Arsenal played their last game at Highbury. I hadn’t made it there, and never would. I decided to take matters into my own hands; if I was ever to see Arsenal play. I would somehow have to get myself to London.

Weeks before my 18th birthday, I started saving up. In a year, I had enough set aside. All I now needed to do was convince my parents that a long weekend in the UK for the sake of football mid-semester was reasonable and that I hadn’t lost my mind.

Surprisingly, this was a lot easier than I had expected. “It’s your money.” my father laughed. No arguing, no justification, no warning about going to a foreign country that I had never been to, there was no need for my well thought out speech. My mother didn’t object although she seemed slightly more sceptical. But I couldn’t blame her since I had spent the previous two years declaring that I was going to marry Fabregas and that it was simply a matter of meeting him.

My roommates at university thought I was insane. But I was only going for a few days. I didn’t understand the big deal. Did no one understand the huge significance? This was going to be my first ARSENAL game!

I got my visa. Bought my plane tickets. Got my match tickets. It so happened to be a game against Manchester United. It was fate, I thought; my first live game would be a parallel of the first ever Arsenal game I had watched on TV.

I arrived in London on a Friday morning overflowing with anticipation and was greeted by my best friend from the UAE, who studies in Kingston. She comes from a household of Liverpool supporters but absolutely abhors anything to do with football.

“I don’t believe you are dragging me to a match,” she yelled all of Friday and Saturday. “I hate football and you’ve become just as bad as those crazy hooligans!”

Squashed between thousands of supporters clad in red and white, we made the Tube journey to the Emirates. It was absolutely glorious, glimmering in the early afternoon sun.

There was something surreal about moving with a huge crowd, all heading in one direction. The energy was electric. I bolted in and when I came out to face the field it was like magic; after all those years my soul was finally at peace. I had made it.

The game was a sensational 2-2 draw with goals by Fabregas, Rooney, Ronaldo and a last minute equaliser by Gallas that had the whole stadium on its feet.

To make matters even better my best friend admitted to having a great time, despite the wonderfully foul-mouthed hooligans seated right in front of us. And I got the extreme pleasure and satisfaction of knowing that despite a life of subjugation to crazy Liverpool fans, it took an Arsenal experience to make her appreciate football!

While my ludicrous travels ended abruptly as I boarded a plane that Monday to try and make it in time for an exam the following day – setting my wedding plans with a certain Spaniard back a little – my experience confirmed to me that there is absolutely nothing like watching a game in a stadium.

A year later, as I found myself with this same friend in Abu Dhabi watching the first Sunderland game of the season (facing a giant You’ll Never Walk Alone flag that drapes over the television in the living room). After a summer of working as an intern at The National and learning about Sunderland, being transported into the world of SAFC supporters via ALS’s More 24 hour SAFC People and reading (and being told by a certain senior editor) much about the alleged spirit of the Stadium of Light, I turned to her and suggested: “So how about it then, this year when I come visit you, we trek up north for a game?”

Although my life was threatened, I’m sure she’d be up for the adventure.

Salut! Sunderland‘s questions will be answered in the next instalment….

* Fatima al Shamsi is studying environmental science and human rights at Columbia University, New York. She also finds time to write a weekly column for The National and has featured in both Salut! Sunderland and A Love Supreme because, despite her best attempts above, she developed a soft spot for SAFC while working at the paper as an intern last summer. See also: “Last vestiges of a man’s world”, and
“Coming soon: the red and white striped abaya”: part one and part two

CJ, also known as Perry Groves’s Lovechild*, writes for the Arsenalinsider website and established cordial relations with Salut! Sunderland earlier in the season (just before the 1-1 home draw that we really ought to have turned into a rare victory over one of the leading sides). We answered his questions then; ahead of a tough game for us at the Emirates, he returns the favour with some great answers – and a touch of indignation at those who feel the Big Four are Brands not clubs (for the record, I think that much, much less of Arsenal than of two of the other three) …

It’s impossible for me to think about your chairman without thinking about the 1987 Littlewoods Cup Final. Our 2-1 Victory over Liverpool was our first trophy under George Graham. The 1986-87 season was Quinn’s best season as a Gunner but then Alan Smith arrived and that was the end for him at our club…

If, for the big four, the expectation is of victory in every game , how have you coped with relative under-achievement this season?

It’s been a difficult year. In the last few seasons we have always sought comfort in the fact that we played great football, but I’m not sure you could say that this year. A lot of fans we’re worried when we didn’t replace Flamini and it appears that the worries were well founded. I don’t think we can compete in the transfer market with the other clubs in the so called big four so we’ve got to be patient and let the manager bring through the younger players. Hopefully we can have a strong run in with Cesc, Eduardo and Theo coming back and of course our new Russian signing, Andrey Arshavin.

Leaving aside his selective recall of incidents, I am a great admirer of Arsene, his eloquence and his knowledge. Do most Gooner retqain faith in him. or is time for change?

On our website we have a group of writers who stand by Wenger and we all believe we’ve got the best manager for our club but there are more dissenting voices starting to appear. The glamour and success Wenger has brought to the club, and the move to the Emirates, has brought in a different type of fan who seem to think we should spend every penny we have and win everything every year. They are not the type of fans I can tolerate. I think we’ll bring in one or two experienced players during the summer and next season we will hopefully be more consistent.

What did you honestly think about your prospects at the start of the season? And now?

I thought Europe would be our best chance of a trophy at the start of the season. Our squad isn’t strong enough to win the Premiership and we new that at the start of the season. Our big aim now is simply to get back into the top four.

And how did you think we’d fare? Did Keane’s departure surprise you? Looking at things now, do you think we’ll survive?

I expected Keane help you to consolidate your place in the Prem. It was a shock to see him quit but looking at it, he didn’t seem to be getting the best out of some of your players and I think he knew it. It looks like any one from twelve could get relegated this year but I think your squad is a lot stronger than some of the others so I think you’ll be fine.

Tell me your honest view of Sunderland, and of Newcastle and their fans, stadiums if you’ve been

Fans in the North East have a great passion for the game that I really admire.

Is it a good thing that Villa are so far proving successful in penetrating the Big Four, and what of the money-driven potential of Man City?

It shows how important a manager is. I’m not sure Hughes has got the right spirit in his side where as O’Neill’s Villa look like they would walk through fire for each other. I’m not convinced Hughes will be there next season. They have spent a lot of money and still look average even though the did spank us!

Be as blunt as you want about Spurs. Is it as you imagine or know SAFC/NUFC to be, different or worse?

Ahhhh the Spuds. I just laugh at them these days. Every year they keep saying they will break into the top four and they throw a heap of money at it… then it all goes tits up. Danile Levy is the producer of the best comedy series since the Fast Show.

Your appraisal of Niall Quinn, as player, chairman, public figure

Quinn seems to be doing a good job for you and is certainly good with the press and PR side of football. I met him once on a flight and he was happy to chat about his days at the Arsenal so I can’t really say anything bad about him. Himself and Kevin Phillips made a pretty deadly combo!!

Tell me honestly who you think will be champions, and who you think will go down.

I think United will win the league by a country mile. As for relegation, I’ll stick my neck out and say West Brom, Stoke and TOTTENHAM!

Arsenal, less than Man Utd but much more than the Sunderlands of football, attract a lot of glory-seeking fans, many who have never even been to the UK let alone Highbury or the Emirates. Do such fans – and the allegation that this makes you more Brand than Club – bug you, or are all Gooners welcome?

The heart and soul of Arsenal football club is the local fan base despite what the external view may be but we are a London club and that means we’ve always been more cosmopolitan than clubs from elsewhere in the country. Yes we have global support but the EPL is a global product. As I said earlier, yes a new type of fan has come to the club now but that comes with success. It doesn’t bother me, or any other Gooner I know, in the slightest. Why would it? To be honest you’re the first person I’ve ever heard make such an accusation (NB: I’m not making the accusation, but putting to you something many outside the the Big Four feel – editor).

Who are your key players? Who would you love to see in an Arsenal shirt, and who should be shown the door?

Right now Robin Van Persie is our main attacking threat and has set up or scored all of our goals this year. Gallas seems to have returned to form over the last few games and was excellent in the North London Derby but we are all hoping Arshavin will come in and hit the ground running.

Club v country. Who wins for you, and why?

This is a no brainer. I could not care less about International Football. I have one team in my heart and one team only.

What will the score be on Feb 21. Will you be there?

2-0 to the Arsenal. Of course.

* Perry Groves’s Lovechild on himself:
Been watching the Arsenal for 30 years. I write for http://www.arsenalinsider.co.uk/ and try to get to as many games as possible home and away each season. Being a Gooner is a privilege that my brother beat into me from a young age and I’m bloody glad he did!

The English always announce the arrival of winter snow in astounded tones, yet every year it snows. So sang Sandy Denny. Pete made the most of what was left of Saturday’s cup-restricted, weather-ravaged football, and caught a thriller. Thawing out, he muses on the declining allure of Premier football and wanders whether we might even be able to snatch something at Arsenal…..

A week without that rising tension in the pit of the stomach as you begin to think about Saturday’s game.

A week free from looking to see which black shirted buffoon will spoil the game on Saturday.

A Saturday away from trying to forecast the best combination of results that will enable us to entertain another glorious attempt to scale the foothills of the Premier League. A day where you can look at copious non league fixtures and choose the most esoteric available.

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Sunderland mosaic
Originally uploaded by JonHall

Put this posting down to la treve. That’s how French football deals with the depths of winter: a break in the season when bad weather might be expected (or so my late father-in-law used to claim; I always thought it had more to do with players wanting to eat, drink and be merry).

Sunderland’s own February treve, an unintended two-week gap between games resulting from our cheap exit from the FA Cup, allowed a few Mag-baiting imaginations to run riot at Blackcats forum. Salut! Sunderland nearly allowed its own thoughts to go the same way before deciding instead on a nice, safe, feelgood set of photographs from the recent SAFC v Fulham game.

Walking to the ground
Originally uploaded by JonHall

Jeremy Robson had started it over at the Blackcats forum, dreaming from his Canadian wilderness of misspent days in the Clock Stand Paddock. What, he asked, is there to hate about Newcastle? Quite a lot, it seems. It is fair to say the list of answers Jeremy initiated has since grown like Topsy as other supporters have chipped in..

File it under Mostly Good Fun, alongside Ian Black’s have-it-both-ways book Mackems vs Geordies/Geordies vs Mackems….

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With time on our hands – no football of the sort that matters to us until a week on Saturday – Salut! Sunderland‘s thoughts started to stray.

So it seemed a good time to introduce you to a fellow supporter with a dress sense all of his own.

Chris Butler collects football shirts. Not just any, but – for the most part – Sunderland shirts. And not just any SAFC tops (we all have those, and they’re replicas), but ones that have actually been worn by our players.

So he has the shirt worn by Gary Rowell for the home game against the Mags on April 8 1977 (a 2-2 draw), and Nicky Summerbee’s from our hapless promotion play-off final against Charlton in 1998..

In all, Chris – Sunderland born but living down south since he was a young lad – has about 100 shirts, of which the overwhelming majority, 85 or so, are Sunderland match-worn players’ shirts. He also has a signed replicas from the 1973 FA Cup-winning year.

Read on for Chris’s own story – and visit his website: www.sunderlandshirts.com

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So amid all the baiting of Rob Styles, I came across Jeff Winter’s website, The Ref Fights Back, by accident and then remembered that his book – Who’s The B*****d In The Black?: Confessions of a Premiership Referee – has been sitting on my desk at work for months.

As a lad, Jeff was – let’s not mince words – a Lad. In the book, he attempts to draw a neat distinction between being a hooligan and just standing up for yourself. But when he talks of trying to “take the Fulwell End” before eventually coming to the conclusion that he should distance himself from such antics, the distinction seems to blur a little.

But unlike lots of Sunderland fans, I liked him as a ref. He may be a Smoggie, and may have reffed with chest puffed put quite a long way, but I thought he was a good, strong official and they are the ones I tend to admire.

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Salut! Sunderland is fair-minded. We’ve had our go at Rob Styles – how could we have avoided it? – and it’s time to move on. We could praise the much-maligned Dean Whitehead for his outstanding game on Saturday. Pete Sixsmith sticks up in turn for Cisse and Collins. He is also beginning to sense safety despite tough games to come (or at least he would if only it got warm enough to restore the use of his senses)…

A friend of mine said a couple of weeks ago that he would be happy with seven points out of the Fulham, Mags and Stoke games. He would have been a happy man on Saturday night as we clambered up the league table to the giddy heights of 11th – almost on to that elusive first page of Ceefax.

To say that Saturday’s win was workmanlike would be a little uncharitable to those who profess to be workmen. The word brings connotations of people going about their jobs in a steady and efficient manner, doing what they were told to do and making sure the task was completed on time.

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