Honestly, I am not saying this just because he writes to me after every match, and sometimes between games, but Steve Bruce has every right to be furious with The Sun for its ridiculous treatment of Marcos Angeleri’s ‘ee no like me because I no Eeenglish quotes.

He, or the club on his behalf, has banned the paper from press conferences and the press box at the Stadium of Light. Bruce is considering suing for libel, or so I learn from the Sunderland Echo.

Again, all within his/their rights.

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Image: Eidoloon

When Paul Roberts added his reminiscences to the thick volume of life stories in the Blackcats Mackem Diaspora series, the question was no so much how far the net could be cast, but how near. My mind was made up by the creator of the series, Jeremy Robson, who ruled that Paul’s memoirs counted because he’d moved to Mag country. If you still aren’t convinced, Brian Kirby’s more pronounced exile, though still in the UK, gets us back on track …

Any Salut! Sunderland reader who is new to this series may wish to add his or her own, or explore the stories we’ve reproduced here from other Sunderland supporters spread around the world.

There is also the Blackcats Google map, which has now been seen by 5,800 people:

The map, created by Neil Chandler, can be found by clicking here

The Mackem Disapora series:

* 1: From Murton to Llanfairpwllgwyngyll

* 2: Born in Newcastle, supporting Sunderland

* 3 Ladies’ stockings, REM and other exotica

* 4: Home and away

5: A global Mackem’s first game – an 8-0 defeat

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While others watched England, Pete Sixsmith – at least until late in the international friendly – was at Hetton, where his willingness to brave chilly weather was rewarded by a welcome return from injury by Fraizer Campbell …

It was cold enough at Hetton/Eppleton last night for soup. After last week’s balmy 18C, we were back to the kind of single figures associated with the average marks awarded to a Sunderland defender after a game against Stoke City.

However, those of us who braved the early Spring chill, were warmed up by a goal form Frazier Campbell and a really enjoyable and entertaining game between two young sides, chock full of players making their way in the game.

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… in which we praise the Sunderland men who graced the Wembley turf last night and introduce you to a new team strip to end arguments over our own …

Before anything else, Salut! Sunderland salutes all the SAFC players who represented their countries in the England v Ghana friendly last night. In particular, bravo Asamoah Gyan for an equaliser to cap what was, by all accounts, an excellent game and Danny Welbeck for making his first England appearance.

At this distance – M Salut is in France – you have to rely on the reports of others.

One Sunderland supporter with Wembley tickets wondered what the England fans in the family enclosure made of his celebration of Gyan’s goal. Another sent a celebratory e-mail: “Gerrin … more of that on Saturday please.”

A third, thinking also of a certain Mr Carroll, added: “Can’t say I’ve enjoyed an England goal less and cheered the opposition scoring more than tonight. Can we have that every week please Gyan!”

While all this was going on, our own Pete Sixsmith sent a text telling me Fraizer Campbell had also scored – on his return from injury in a 1-1 draw for the Reserves v WBA. There’ll be more on that, I imagine, from Pete himself a little later, but Campbell’s recovery and confidence-boosting goal can only be good for the club.

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Tickets can now be bought for the last two away games – but be prepared to pass by the mortgage broker on your way to paying for the West Ham United match on Sunday May 22.

The appalling rip-off merchants who have charge of West Ham have decided that Sunderland supporters should be mugged for £46 apiece for the dubious honour of a seat at Upton Park/Boleyn/pre-Olympic Plaza.

By contrast, the ticket part of the trip to Bolton on May 7 would knock you back only £20 or £28.

Instead of merely fulminating to no great effect about Sullivan and Gold, or Sullivan’s Gold, some SAFC supporters are already talking of voting their feet, that is by putting their feet nowhere near West Ham on what should otherwise be – for us – a carefree final day of an eventful but unmenacing season.

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A Sunderland supporter has commented elsewhere today on his unease at having three first-team players in action for Ghana tonight, with an important Premier game coming up, against a seriously below strength England.

“Is it just me, or should we be worried that we have three of our lads playing against a bunch of England B players hoping to make a name for
themselves and actually trying?” was his question, and I knew exactly what he meant.

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Salut! Sunderland congratulates the Sunderland Women’s team for putting up what seems to have been another excellent display, this time against Arsenal, before a late winner put the Gunners through to the FA Women’s Cup semi-finals.

Sad to relate, the game was not shown on French TV and I knew better than to go to the official SAFC site for news of it. So thanks are due to the Shields Gazette and Arsenal Ladies’ website for keeping us informed.

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A long weekend of international football, starting with France’s disgraced World Cup flops – or some of them – being welcomed back by Laurent Blanc and continuing with perfunctory success for England, holds no joy for Pete Sixsmith. So off he went on the sort of mission he regards as heavenly, others might consider grounds for having him certified …

It’s 7.15 on a Friday night. After a busy week at work and a bout of unpleasantness with rumbling gall stones, I am parking the car next to a small football ground in a South Yorkshire village called Kinsley.

Situated between the liquorice fields of Pontefract and the (former) coalfields of Barnsley, this is not the most prepossessing of places. It’s only a spit and a throw away from Grimethorpe, immortalised as Grimley in Brassed Off and, like many similar towns, it seems to be made up of boarded up pubs, kebab shops and places selling anything and everything for 99p.

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The jury is out on the Sunderland home shirt for next season.

For the lads at Tombola, the kit sponsors, it’s just the job with a “snazzy new black V-neck”. Others, whose views have been voiced at the usual places, have been less complimentary, from “yep it’s a dog” to the stern, fatherly: “I think it’s overfussy and, well, awful quite frankly. I got my son the current one. No chance with this. Looks dated already.”

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Time for another quick look back at the week.

A full stadium, a great build-up and then the damp squib that was, for Sunderland supporters, SAFC v Liverpool.

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