Nov 9 2010 Tottenham Hotspur (0) 1 SAFC (0) 1 * Classy equaliser, gutsy defending bring just reward

Nov 6 2010 SAFC (1) 2 Stoke City (0) 0 New boys beat old boys – but wobbly

Oct 31 2010 Newcastle United (3) 5 SAFC (0) 1 A complete embarrassment from beginning to end

Oct 23 2010 SAFC (1) 1 Aston Villa (0) 0 Just enough to hang on, but shaky

To see Sixer’s Sevens in full, click here. If an asterisk precedes the comment, the words that follow are the work of someone else because Pete is for once absent from the game or his verdict has been delayed …

“Personally I would never go on other fans websites. We are Wolves to hell with the rest.”

With those words at the Molineux Mix Wolves fan site, Burton Wolf set out his store as one of football’s more insular characters.

Each to his own. But thank heavens Andy Nicholls, a moderator at the site, takes a more open approach.

His answers to our questions ahead of today’s game – click here for a look if you missed it – have been seen by thousands of fans, of Sunderland and Wolves.

And for the second time at Salut! Sunderland, Andy is a winner – and not because he once worked in Sunderland and is married to a Wearside girl. His responses win our equivalent of the manager-of-the-month award and a copy of the Mackem/Geordies book will be heading his way soon.

This adds to the modest prize he won in last season’s end-of-term awards for best opposing fans’ contributions. His “Who are You?” was a clear winner for November; Stoke and Spurs fans were also excellent, but also professional writers which disqualified them from consideration, and ChelseaD was, well, ChelseaD and we can hardly have anonymous winners.

If that sounds as if Andy – pictured with his family – therefore won a competition in which he was the only candidate, I can add that I would have chosen him even if the others had been eligible.

If you aren’t Andy but fancy the book anyway, it’s dirt cheap – sorry, that seems a terrible indictment of our prizes policy – at this Amazon link.

* Last season’s award-winning entry from Andy, with some Jody Craddock artwork, can be seen at this link.

Monsieur Salut

Do not enter

If you want to know why this piece is necessary, click here to see an account of how a grand day out for fans of both Wolves and Sunderland was marred by petty-minded officialdom of the sort that gives petty-minded officialdom a bad name …

After the last game of last season. I wrote a sour little description, under the heading “Mighty club, petty-minded city”, of the wooden-topped approach of police, local authorities and, unless they are acting under duress, publicans towards ordinary, decent visiting supporters. It was an appalling example of attitudes that were understandable 25 years ago but now bring shame on the city.
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If you had the misfortune to be anywhere near Molineux as an away fan for our last game of the 2009-2010 season, you could be forgiven for hoping a blast of snow will force the postponement of Saturday’s match. Not only were we rubbish on the field; West Midlands police combined with the city’s licensed trade to make it a snarling, unwelcoming experience for anyone in red and white or sounding as if they might be shouting for Sunderland. The Wolves fans are different, though, and many sympathised (as well as suggesting the few pubs we could head for). We extend an unsnarling welcome back to Andy Nicholls*, from the Molineuxmix fan site. Andy, an award-winner in last season’s Who Are You? series, is a man with serious Mackem connections …

Salut! Sunderland: Too close to the bottom for comfort, I imagine. A long way to go but how disappointed are you with the start

In a word – very. However, I am a Wolves fan and nothing surprises me any more! Money was spent before the season started- most fans would have agreed that at the time all buys seemed like good ones but for what ever reason not all of them have worked out. Now be that MM panic buying or not and then not liking what he sees – I’m not sure but something has gone wrong and it’s time to put it right – I still believe that we can but it needs to be some sooner rather than later.

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Here is a chance for Salut! Sunderland readers to get themselves, or younger relatives/acquaintances, involved in an project that could see them coaching kids, running teams for youngsters with learning disabilities … and maybe getting free Premier tickets from a prize draw. The Sky Sports commentators Chris Kamara – seen in the clip – Martin Taylor and Andy Gray, along with football figures such as Kieran Gibbs, Stuart Pearce and David Seaman, have given their blessing to the idea. Read on …

Almost every week, Salut! Sunderland is asked to plug something. The list ranges from football-related social networking sites to betting organisations.

If there is clear mutual benefit, which often there is not, no objection is raised here.

And when charities and other good causes – the Billingham SAFC fans’ sponsored walks are a great example – come calling, we’re pretty much an open door provided there is some relevance to what this site is about.
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What was that much-missed SAFC fanzine? It’s The Hope I Can’t Stand. Well, we’ve hope again and our mysterious Birflatt Boy isn’t sure he wants it either. Can’t we, he asks, just return to the familiar, downtrodden days of yore …

Well we are certainly on a canny run, aren’t we?
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