Image: Addick-tedKevin

Let us be quite clear: whoever was responsible for the story that Steed Malbranque had retired from football because his young son had cancer – when, in fact, no such son and therefore no such illness-related decision exist – was either spectacularly misinformed, or downright nasty, or both.

This is what Steed’s London-based solicitors Thomas Cooper have said, reportedly on the instructions of his agent, Sebastien Boisseau:

“Steed has read with concern the recent stories currently circulating about him and his family. He would like to reassure all of his friends in England and throughout world football that these stories are wholly without foundation. Steed does not have a son and his immediate family are all in good health.

“Steed does not know the origin of these stories but would like to stress that they are without merit. He trusts that they will now cease immediately.”

From a number of sources, among them such footballers as Louis Saha, Joey Barton and Rio Ferdinand, had come expressions of sympathy and solidarity with Steed when the reported reason for his retirement from the game surfaced so soon after his transfer from SAFC to the Ligue 1 side Saint-Etienne. In a comment posted here, but which I have now removed, I endorsed the view of one St Etienne supporter who had said: “Family before everything.”

Ferdinand, who had used Twitter to voice his feelings, now says whoever started the false rumour is a “scumbag” and it is difficult to quarrel with that, unless it was the result of some innocent misunderstanding.

But where did the story start?

The website of Le Figaro loftily reports today that the report originated in Britain before being repeated in France.

It is true that some UK publications stated that Steed had given up football to care for this mythical sick son. An easy search this morning turned it up at a Manchester United fan site, in the Daily Mail and the Shields Gazette, the latter even adding the detail that the “son” was four years old.

But that makes it sound like something new, a baseless story from the last two or three days with no provenance in France. Think again.

My own first sightings of the cancer story were at a St Etienne fan site, envertetcontretous.fr (in green and against all) and other French football sites. And that was on the morning of August 30, ie last Tuesday, before any such reference had appeared in a British newspaper or online source.

I had already seen and reported on the comments attributed to the team coach, Christophe Galtier, after his meeting with Steed three days earlier, ie the eve of a match at Sochaux.

This is how that, ahead of the erroneous explanation, appeared at Salut! Sunderland:

He said he would not be making the journey with the squad. Galtier says Steed did not specifically say he was abandoning the game – “it wasn’t exactly what he told me but he is leaning towards it; it’s not impossible but you have to ask him the question. In any case I noticed a troubled young man and I am worried for him.”

Overnight from Aug 29 to Aug 30, a fellow subscriber to the Blackcats list said during a discussion of Steed’s surprising decision that he understood “it’s a serious health problem with one of his sons”. Soon afterwards I saw the French supporters’ references on their fan sites. Did the rumour therefore start in France and spread, or did it appear first on a British fan site before making it across the Channel?

Update: my electronic correspondent at Blackcats, who is French-speaking, now says he also saw it on a St Etienne fan site. We probably read the same message. Did a French journalist do the same – and quickly put out the story without verifying it, as if a supporter’s comment could be taken to be the absolute truth? And if so, was the story then picked up by agencies and other websites and eventually find its way across the Channel?

In any event, by the end of last week, the story had appeared in French newspapers and on general football sites including 10 Sport, foot01 and a football blog of Le Parisien.

Whatever the true story behind Steed’s decision I am delighted to hear no immediate member of his family has been stricken with serious ill-health. And like all Sunderland supporters, I imagine, I wish him well whatever he now does in life.

It is perhaps a salutary lesson on the need for a little openness: a simple, factual statement would have avoided all of this. Yes, even footballers have a right to privacy, but the unusual nature of what Galtier was reporting about his new star recruit cried out for a proper explanation, whereas the words he used merely stoked speculation.

And here, just in, is what the club itself has said today: “St Etienne and the player wish to strongly deny all the rumours, sometimes fantasy, sometimes hurtful, referring to the health of Steed Malbranque or his children that have accompanied his decision. The choice is his alone and ASSE (St-Etienne) fully respects the wishes of Steed. The management of AS Saint-Etienne would like to wish the best in his choices and his future life.”

Monsieur Salut

Image: Addick-tedKevin

What a shame that Steed Malbranque has let it be know he is on the point of giving up football.

Only 31, and just 26 minutes into his new career at St Etienne, the former Sunderland midfielder has personal problems and appeared a troubled figure when he spoke to the Ligue 1 club’s manager Christophe Galtier on the eve of yesterday’s game at Sochaux.

He said he would not be making the journey with the squad. Galtier says Steed did not specifically say he was abandoning the game – “it wasn’t exactly what he told me but he is leaning towards it; it’s not impossible but you have to ask him the question. In any case I noticed a troubled young man and I am worried for him.”

Steed was ineligible for St Etienne’s first game but was sent on as a substitute in the draw at Marseille, where he was largely anonymous in 26 minutes on the field.

However, in the slower, more thoughtful (and much less exciting) French top tier, he could have made a mark as a mature, skillful player, for two or three more seasons.

The French football site Foot Mercato, describing Steed’s decision as “incredible”, says: “His ability to beat a player, his acceleration and his linkplay were all qualities the Chaudron (Cauldron, home to St Etienne) was impatient to see. It won’t see them. He has decided to end his career.”

The move from Sunderland seemed a good one pre-season, probably right for player and SAFC, even if we could have done with his creativity in the opening games.

Whatever his problems now (my local paper, Var-Matin, describes them as serious and they are not football-related), and whatever decision he makes concerning his footballing career if it is not already made, Salut! Sunderland wishes him bon courage.

Monsieur Salut

Image: Addick-tedKevin

The Mag hordes have departed, taking with them the smug smiles we can but wish we had been wearing since 2pm on Saturday. On my own reckoning, there must have been 15,000 visits over the weekend from Newcastle supporters eager to gloat. And they didn’t even buy a mug between them! As for Sunderland, we now face an important week on the road, with effective performances a must at Brighton and Swansea. But first of all, let’s have another look at football across the Channel…

Three games into the French season, Steed Malbranque has finally had his first taste of Ligue 1 football since the move from Sunderland to St Etienne (might a touch of his creativity made a difference on Saturday?).

Steed came on in the 64th minute as a sub in Les Verts’ creditable 0-0 draw at Marseille. A win would have taken them top; the point means they are in third place.

For Steed, it was important just to get back in top-flight action. He was ineligible for St Etienne’s opening game a few days after his move and then went down with a bout of gastro-enteritis to wreck his chances of a home debut against Nancy.

He had been expected by some to start but had to make do with a place on the bench. His team played an ultra-defensive game in fron the surprisingly low Vélodrome crowd of just under 41,500 – it sounds a classically dull French affair – and reportedly had a fairly anonymous role when he did get on to the pitch.

The game was symbolically kicked off by Joseph-Antoine Bell, a Cameroonian former goalkeeper for both clubs, who is remembered for his great contribution to a pocket book of quotes about Marseille: “When we score, blacks, Jews, Arabs and everyone else rises to their feet at the same time.”

Had St Etienne won, they would have gone joint top with Montpellier, with much more chance of staying that high.

Other points of interest: PSG, bursting with dosh from Qatar, finally managed a victory (albeit a narrow on, 2-1, against lowly Valenciennes), Bordeaux cheered us up a little by remaining winless and our old friend Eric Roy finds himself propping up the table after his Nice team surrendered a late equaliser to second-placed Toulouse.

My city-in-law and Sess’s old club Le Mans won for the first time, in the second division.

But performance of the weekend involved another Sunderland connection: Patrice Carteron’s newly promoted Dijon grabbed a first win, 2-0 at home Lorient.

And I bet Patrice took more than a passing interest in events at the Stadium of Light, the setting for his only goal for us and, mais oui, it was in a Wear-Tyne derby.

Oh, and you can now add an engraved Salut! Sunderland pen to your shopping list.

Following the launch of our first merchandise, coffee/tea mugs which I thought were quite smart but one Mag mocked at a Newcastle site as “looking like me 3 year old attacked it with a paint brush”, you can get the pen for £6.50 by following the link to this Salut! Sunderland Shop page.

Engraving to read: Salut! Sunderland - written with passion

Monsieur Salut

Some Salut! Sunderland readers gave encouragement to the idea of maintaining our occasional look at French football. And there’s enough Sunderland interest in Ligue 1 this season to make it worthwhile …

STOP PRESS: ST ETIENNE, without Steed who was not eligible and played for the reserves instead, beat Bordeaux 2-1 away tonight – a great start and the defeat couldn’t have happened to more deserving opposition. Steed impressed in his run-out, showing plenty of verve and enthusiasm according to the official club site, though he ended up on the losing side (2-1). And is it going to an Arles-Avignon sort of season for Patrice Carteron’s Dijon? Walloped 5-1 at home by Gyan’s old club Rennes!

The headline in Saturday morning’s Le Figaro had the whole of French football trying to play catch-up with the Man City-style flash boys of Paris Saint-Germain. PSG flaunted their new Qatari-sourced wealth by spending the ludicrous sum of €43m for Palermo’s Argentinian attacking midfielder Javier Pastore just too late to start the season last night.

Still, with Momo Sissoko, Milan Bisevac, Jeremy Menez, Blaise Matuidi, Salvatore Sirigu, Kevin Gameiro and Nicolas Douchez already in the squad, PSG had every reason to expect the watching Pastore see his new club off to a winning start against the modest Breton side, Lorient.

Everyone else should therefore rejoice that Lorient, having surprised many with the best-ever Ligue 1 finish of seventh top last season, forgot their part of the script, ignored the home advantage enjoyed by PSG and won 1-0.

The Paris Saint-Germain coach Antoine Kombouaré has said he should be judged on his first five games, not his first.

Is it too much to hope that good, honest footballing endeavour may continue to triumph over all those pots of money? It would be as good for football as our own last-gasp winner against Man City a year ago, and Salut! Sunderland will accordingly be shouting for the next four up: Rennes, Valenciennes, Toulouse and Brest.

Sunderland’s interest in Ligue 1 focuses on three other clubs: Nice, managed by Eric Roy, Steed Malbranque’s new club Saint-Etienne and the newly promoted Dijon of Patrice Carteron.

Nice look like having another tough season, losing their opening game 3-1, though their opponents Lyon – who won the title seven times on the trot before decline set in a couple of seasons ago – are in resurgent mood and may present as strong a challenge as Marseille to PSG’s lofty ambitions.

I was hoping Steed would see some action away against our old pantomime villains, Bordeaux, tonight (8pm kickoff British time). That would have given two reasons for wanting an away win but I have just learnt that his first-team debut has been delayed; he plays instead for St Etienne reserves at Andrézieux*. Allez Stee..eed quand même!

Meanwhile Carteron’s Dijon, who inevitably start the season among the relegation favourites having just sneaked up from Ligue 2, have Brest at home four hours earlier.

M Salut will also be keeping an eye on the fortunes of little Arles-Avignon, who plummeted straight back down last season with just 20 points from their first shot at top flight football. They won their first Ligue 2 game and play at Metz tomorrow night. My city-in-law, Le Mans, having narrowly missed out on promotion, have started in a sulk, losing their first two games, the second against Tours who joined Sedan, Reims and Bastia on six points at the top.

And for those who missed it, Raymond Domenech’s reward, announced the other day, for his part in the debacle of France’s disgraceful antics in the 2010 World Cup was a €975,000 (£850,000) pay-off for his sacking as manager of Les Bleus for serious misconduct. He had asked for three times as much.

* Steed Malbranque’s first game for a St Etienne team, the reserves, takes him to ASF Andrézieux, who play at Andrézieu-Bouthéon in Rhône-Alpes in the fourth tier of French football, the Championnat de France amateur Group B. A full house – Stade Roger Baudras holds all of 2,500 – may be unlikely.

Monsieur Salut

Pete Sixsmith was indeed at both Hartlepool and Darlington – I can barely bring myself to write The Northern Echo Darlington Arena, even if I did work for that august journal in what I fondly imagine to have been its heyday – but was defeated by technology at Darlo (he’d left his phone at home). This, then, is his full account of two comfortable wins …

One game to go before the season opener at Anfield and at Sixsmith Towers there is a growing feeling of optimism for season 2011-12. The Easter Road workout will surely give the final pointers to the line up Steve Bruce will go for on August 13.

The two games this week will have given him much to think about and also much to be pleased with. Of the two, the Hartlepool one was of far more use than the trip to Darlington, with it being against a higher ranking club and with a more competitive edge.

You could look at the line up at Victoria Park and make a good case for that 11 starting against Liverpool. Certainties are Brown, Bardsley, Cattermole, Sessegnon and Gyan, with Richardson and Larsson not far behind. Ferdinand and Colback did well, while Elmohamady and Mignolet turned in decent performances.

It was just the kind of game we needed after the waste of time at Burnley on the Saturday. There was a good crowd in and the home team were determined to make sure that Ritchie Humphreys had a night to be proud of. When an ageing Peruvian juvenile, Norberto Solano, put them ahead, there was a feeling that this might go wrong, but the players, ably led by Captain Cattermole, shook themselves and began to turn on the style.

None more so than Stephane Sessegnon, who was brilliant. He had quick feet, a quick mind and the beginnings of what could be a very fruitful partnership with Asamoah Gyan. They both appeared to have been working on diagonal runs across the box, and there was one exquisite run by Gyan, which took him away from every Pool defender to almost latch onto what would have been a great ball by his Beninese chum.

Larsson was the other player who caught my eye, working hard and making a series of intelligent passes aimed at the front runners. He looked a shoo-in to me, either on the left or the right.

The goals were well taken (although Gyan might have been offside for his) and it was good to see Colback getting forward in the second half. He wants a place in the team and did nothing to harm his chances on Tuesday.

Interesting to note that we used no subs in this game as the players got an excellent work out here, so much better than training.

Twenty four hours later, we were on our way to Reynolds Folly on the edge of Darlington. This had originally been pencilled in as a reserve friendly and I had expected to see the likes of Roarie Deacon, James Armstrong and Craig Lynch turning out.

Instead, the Brucester decided to split his first team squad in order to give them a run out and also to ensure that the perennially cash strapped Quakers would make a few quid from the game.

It was an easy win against the Conference promotion hopefuls and goals from Jordan Cook (a well worked move), Craig Gardner ( a well hit free kick) and Ji Dong-won (a well diverted shot by a defender) saw us home comfortably, without the merest hint of a pitch invasion.

The passing was good and Eric Black (the man in charge – Bruce away looking for a left winger, perhaps), commented very favourably on it. David Vaughan was the fulcrum of many of the moves and he may well be the fourth midfield man at Anfield. He rarely wasted a ball and looked as if he could be a real asset as the season progresses.

The performance that really caught the eye though, was that of Ji Dong-won. He moved well, took up some excellent positions and showed that he could lay the ball off to team mates. He could be a real find and he seems to be enjoying his football. Bench at Anfield? I would think so.

Alas, no Steed Malbranque. He was away finalising his move to Saint Etienne, so we didn’t have the chance to say goodbye to him.

He has been a model professional in his three years at Sunderland and has become a popular figure with the supporters because of his actions on the field. No prison sentences, no stand up rows with the manager, no red cards and no tweets to bore us all to death. A good, honest pro who will always be welcome back at Sunderland – maybe as part of a Europa League game against us in 2012-13. I would imagine there will be many on Wearside looking for Les Verts’ results on a Saturday night. Au revoir, mon ami …

Image: Addick-tedKevin

Out of the Light, into the Cauldron … Salut! Sunderland offers thanks and best wishes to Steed Malbranque …

M Salut and M Malbranque can talk freely over a good bottle of sturdy Côtes du Rhône without fear of complaint from me if he happens to be chainsmoking Gauloises throughout.

We’d be able to agree that this football business can be, not to mince words, merdique. You win a place in the hearts of most of the fans of your club only to be sold on during some restructuring programme that leaves you “not featuring in the boss’s future plans”.

So Steed is off to Saint-Etienne. It may sound these days like a small-time French club with small-time ambitions and a small ground (Le Chaudron Vert or Green Cauldron holds only 35,600 spectators).

But it is one of the most successful clubs in Ligue 1 history – 10 league titles, the last in 1981, and six times winners of the Coupe de France – and past players have included Michel Platini, Laurent Blanc, Aimé Jacquet, Gérard Janvion and Jacques Santini. The Wikipedia list of notables, as opposed to its full list, inexplicably omitted Dominique Rocheteau, who was a highly effective striker at St Etienne with 51 goals in 153 appearances before joining PSG.

Oh, and don’t forget our own Patrice Carteron, who managed only eight games for Sunderland but famously scored against Newcastle United in one of them. The habit formed, he went back to St Etienne for a second stint but this time notched 15 goals in 100 games, having failed to hit the net once in the 20 games before he came to Wearside.

As rumours grew on Tuesday that Steed was about to leave, my Twitter follower/followed Andy, aka @easygoingmaloy, sent a tweet saying he’d be gutted if it proved true. I replied that we’d miss the skills but, sadly, not the goals (one if 102 games for SAFC), prompting this from Andy: “In his seven seasons in England before he came here, he scored 55 goals. His current tally is 57, I’m still gutted.”

Andy’s maths may be faulty – the record suggests fewer goals before and after he arrived at the SoL – but the sentiment is shared.

Steed is a generously gifted footballer. I was shot down in flames for suggesting that in our 7-2 hammering by Chelsea two seasons ago, he was the only Sunderland player who showed flashes of Premier skill (others questioned his backtracking and said failings in that department had cost us dearly). But I stuck to my guns. The sight of him skipping out of a melee, beating two or three players in one go, is something that will stay in my memory forever, as will the telling, defence-splitting passes of which he was always capable.

Steve Bruce said of the transfer (another of those ludicrous undisclosed fees, though one entirely unofficial stab put it at £1.5m): “Steed has been a good servant to Sunderland and he goes with our best wishes. His new club is very near to where his family is based and I’m sure after a number of years in England he will enjoy returning to his roots.”

It remains to be seen whether the midfield will be stronger without him. I am certainly unconvinced for the simple reason that he brought a natural ability to the role that no other Sunderland player has seemed to match for years.

That said, we do need goals from midfield and Steed simply doesn’t provide them. The time is right for him to find a new challenge and he could do very well in the more sedate setting of the French top flight, where technique is valued more highly than blistering pace or box-to-box endeavour.

M Salut now has four teams to look out for in France: St Etienne for Steed, Nice for Eric Roy and newly promoted Dijon for Patrice Carteron. The fourth? Bordeaux, as in still not forgiven so looking for another grim season for them.

Steed carries our fondest best wishes in the new phase of his career, That word – merde – has many more applications than describing human waste. So it is entirely right to offer him an old French greeting: merde à la puissance de treize (s*** 13 times squared). He’ll know it means good luck.

Monsieur Salut

The news from down the A19 was that Sunderland won comfortably, 3-1 with goals from Gyan, Colback and Larsson.

Better still, Pete Sixsmith reports from the game, we took it seriously and the match produced “some good pointers”. Ian Porter, at Blackcats, was also encouraged by what he saw (see footnote*).

Pete will have more to say later. But it is also worth recording that the rumour mill has been turning since this afternoon with suggestions that Steed Malbranque is about to sign for the French Ligue 1 side St Etienne.

M Salut’s gut response is that his skillful ball play will be sorely missed. We have not been so rich in natural footballing gifts in recent times to make that a trivial quality, and Steed possessed it in spades. That said, it may well be right for us and for him that he moves on. We need goals from midfield and he will never provide them, at least not for us. We also have a number of options in that area of the field.

But perhaps others will disagree. Over to you … and if he does go, we’ll have more to say about that, too.

* This was Ian Porter’s summing-up from Hartlepool: “It was a decent run out played at a decent pace for the most. Without doubt, MOM was Sess. Must be a good bet for scoring first goal next season. He was a constant threat, regularly turning players in the box. Many decent performances and goals from Gyan, Colback and Larson after going a goal down. Brown played well, in the flesh he’s a huge imposing figure. Rico was decent, Bardo seemed less effective on the right than he was on the left last season. Ferdinand, was probably our worst player. Showing the same indecision and risk taking in & around the box again. Cattermole did fine for me, I think I have more patience with him than most. Colback was sound as usual, keeping possession, passing accurately and hard running. This lad can go far if he gets the chances. Larsson was wide left, did OK, but regularly drifted right leaving no one on the left. Gyan was Ok, but did have a sky shot from 6 yards before Larsson put the ball away! Elmo, it’s hard to be positive when I don’t rate him, but he was probably no worse than anyone else.

This was more about playing 90 mins, but after about an hour we were totally dominant for long periods. All in all, I was satisfied with the performance considering it was pre-season, and I’m not sure how much you can ever read into pre-season results.”

A Fulham supporter whose photos have graced these pages was all lined up, then went AWOL. Just when we thought we’d have to run the spoof Lily Allen interview all over again, Sean Collins popped up – courtesy of the Fulhamfc site, to which huge thanks for indulging a Mackem in despair – with these instant, and therefore all the more appreciated, responses. We could, however, have done without his score forecast …

Salut! Sunderland: You drew against one relegation struggler at the weekend, we finally won against another struggler and you had a great result last night. A good time or bad time for us to have you up at the Stadium of Light?

A bad time in my opinion for Sunderland, due to a mixture of your unfortunate injuries and our players that have come back from injury looking sharper, the likes of Zamora, and especially Simon Davies who was exceptional last night.

What, then, is the legacy of Roy Hodgson, the Fulham view of him now and the verdict on Mark Hughes so far?

The legacy of Roy will always stay as it was, a stand-out period in the club’s history and done with honest hard work and genuine team spirit. Mark Hughes took a while to grow into the job, a task made harder by injuries to key players, but he now seems to be stamping his own authority on the side and a top 10 finish would be respectable.

What were your minimum and maximum expectations when the season began and how do you feel about the way things have gone, with the season just a few games away from being over?

The expectation was obviously raised after last season’s brilliant achievements and it was a bitter pill to swallow when Roy decided to jump ship, so some of the expectations were mixed but a top 10 finish and a cup run were, as in any season really, the expectations, and after beating Spurs 4-0 it looked possible but we never seemed to kick on from that result. So in the end staying up was the priority and re-grouping for next season.

What is your assessment of the money, commitment and impact of Mohamed al Fayed? And what did you make of the Michael Jackson tribute and the challenge thrown down to any supporters who might disapprove?

The commitment of AL Fayed is second to none and the man is a legend at the Cottage and always will be. We the fans are forever indebted to him and the challenge thrown down should be taken tongue in cheek; a few fans have voiced their discontent but I stress a few – and I dare say the statue may grow on the fans and also bring along new fans.

Sunderland/Fulham links abound: Lee Clark, Paul Bracewell, Steed Malbranque, Andy Melville … the brain is tired but I know there are plenty I’ve overlooked. Any special memories of, or thoughts on, any of them?

Lee Clark and Steed both influential midfielders in their time at the club, Clarky the first goal in our famous 3-1 at Old Trafford, and Steed was a fans’ favourite for numerous moments, just a shame he never really fulfilled his potential since leaving. Melville or Mellvino as he was affectionately known was a solid Championship player who made a decent transition to Premier defender for our first few years in the top flight. Bracewell was a better player than manager is what I will say on him.

And what about past SAFC v Fulham encounters, home or away. Do any stick especially in the mind and were you there for the game abandoned in the snow?

I was not there for the abandoned game. Game that sticks in the mind is the April 08 game at the cottage which we lost 3-1 – I thought that dampened the great escape but it gave the players the kick in the butt they needed!

What was the European cup competition experience like for you and how much of it were you able to follow?

I went to Juventus away, Hamburg away and all the homes games from group and final stages. All I will say is: amazing experience and the final was the best day in my life and was so proud of the team and the fantastic support we gave and the Lemon Chello shots in Juventus made it!

Lily in Hamburg image: 7msport.com

Other highs are breaking several records in winning the championship highlight being Sean Davis goal against then 2nd placed Blackburn, in 4th minute of injury time especially as Souness had created a bit of needle between the two clubs, so extra satisfaction there. The lows there has been a few… but has to be losing at home to Scunthorpe 2-1 and being 91st in the football league, but sometimes you have to hit rock bottom to come back up!

Who are the best players you’ve seen in Fulham colours and who should have been allowed nowhere near them?

Best Players I have seen are- Louis Saha, Chris Coleman, Brian Mcbride and Edwin Van der sar. Players that should not have been allowed near the team- Hameur Bouazza, and Dejan Stefanovic.

Is there anyone in the Sunderland squad you’d like at Craven Cottage?

Gyan.

And do you have any thoughts on SAFC, the club, the fans, the city, the region?

A good well run club and an established Premier team with a great chairman who is a football man. The city is a fun place and a pleasure to visit for an away day.

Is Chelsea as fierce a rivalry for you as Newcastle is for us?

For us Fulham fans every bit.

Name this season’s top four in order and also the bottom three. Where will Fulham and Sunderland finish?

Manchester United, Chelski, Man City, Arsenal.

Wolves, Blackburn, Wigan.

Fulham 9th , Sunderland 12th.

It was the Eduardo question, is now the Walcott question. What did you make of Theo’s admission and apology about diving in hope of winning a penalty: brave or foolish? And has cheating of all kinds – diving, feigning injury, sly tugs, trying to get opponents booked or sent off – become so prevalent that we should simply accept it as apart of the modern game?

Unfortunately it is part of the game and we can only hope the referees are given all the help and extra vision available to mediate this in our game.

How disappointed were you with the Fifa decision on the 2018 World Cup venue?

It was a big shame as it was us, the current fans and our younger generation a chance to experience the unique vibrants that the tournament brings and the passion so many fans can offer from the greatest league in the world.

Will you be at our game? If not how will you keep tabs, and what will be the score?

I hope to be at the game and think that Fulham will win 2-0. Davies and Gudjohnsen.

* Sean Collins – also pictured in Hamburg – on Sean Collins:

Fulham supporter of 20 years and to give you an insight into what to expect, my dad took me to my first game against Brentford and told me not expect goals galore… Fulham being Fulham conceded after 30 secs, I was hooked somehow!! Hamburg will always live in the memory as was the journey, a life experience also!!

Interview: Colin Randall

More graphic design wizardry from addick-tedKevin, but also a few words of appreciation for the efforts so far from two of our players – plus unqualified admiration for Darren Bent’s outstanding response to a worthy honour…

First of all, on the eve of Sunderland v Arsenal, let us hear it for two stars of our (slowly) improving season.

Steed Malbranque’s performances have oozed class, and even a level of stamina we didn’t know he possessed.

And Kieran Richardson, not always as convincing a member of our first team squad as discerning SAFC fans would like, has surely confounded critics with a string of excellent displays in a left-back position he was asked to fill in the first place because there was no one else good enough.

There are other instances, already this season, of Sunderland players who have raised their game: Anton Ferdinand springs straight to mind. And Simon Mignolet has been a revelation in goal after his nervous start, while Titus Bramble has already given plenty of evidence to vindicate those Wigan pals of this site who urged us to back him.

Both Kieran and Steed are illustrated courtesy of the latest creations of our Charlton-supporting friend addick-tedKevin, who apologises for the absence so far of a Lee Cattermole image (“I am sure I could do one one at some point, but there probably aren’t many photos of him seeing as he is always suspended”).

Thanks Kevin – your work is consistently original and entertaining. But sometimes, it seems right to forget about trying to fill the pages of Salut! Sunderland with features, views, memories or interviews you won’t find in other places.

For what does seem fresh here, I have my little band of contributors to thank. Not to mention the willing procession of “Who are You?” candidates who broaden our scope so much that the readership figures shoot through the roof when a really interesting or thought-provoking piece appears (or I have the gall to come up with a headline like Arsenal: go on, would you rather watch us, or Stoke?. If you missed that one, click the link and see the fuss it stirred, mainly among Stoke fans.

Every so often, however, it is sufficient simply to put on record our appreciation of something someone has said or done that concerns Sunderland AFC, even if it has appeared widely elsewhere.

And I thought Darren Bent’s response to winning the 2010 North East Football Writers’ Association player of the year fitted the bill to perfection:

“I worked really hard last season to get back to where I wanted to be and this feels like a big reward.

My dad is always saying to me ‘you only get out of life what you put in’ and I’ve worked night and day over the last year and more to try and get myself back up there again.

I’d like to thank Sunderland – the supporters, the players and all the staff – for that, for making sure that I wasn’t forgotten about, for helping me get back into the England squad.

I promise them that I won’t stop working.

There have been some brilliant players and top strikers who have won this in the past and to be in the same company as the likes of Kevin Phillips, Niall Quinn and Alan Shearer is very humbling.

When I first moved to the North East, it wasn’t about wanting to win personal awards or anything like that. It was far more basic. It was about getting my career back on track, playing regularly and scoring goals, but I know just how much the people up here love their goalscorers and to feel like I’m part of that fine tradition is brilliant.

I may not be a local, but I feel like one now, to be honest. I’ve always known about the passion of the area and that was one of the main reasons why I wanted to come up here so badly. I can relate to it and I’ve fed off it.

It’s been a fantastic experience. Whichever of the clubs they support, the people love their football with a passion, the area’s really nice, and I hope I’ve shown that I’ve completely embraced it.

Hopefully, I’ll be doing that for many more years to come.”

Those are utterly invigorating words and I suspect every Sunderland fan in the world – we’re everywhere – will agree. I think they’ve been published in all the North-eastern papers, but the version quoted was from the Sunderland Echo.

Good luck, Darren, in our colours and England’s: you’re a star.

Colin Randall

Thirty hours ago, Pete Sixsmith were discussing whether we had a clear shared viewpoint on Steve Bruce. Should we, without actually seeking his dismissal, withdraw the support we’ve given him so far? Should there be a good cop/bad cop debate between us on these pages? One home win against Bolton and life seems altogether different, as Pete declares before pausing for more rational thought …

The gloom has lifted. The light shines brightly. The route to European qualification is ahead and I can see clearly now the rain has gone.

Well, not quite. It was a very important result, a much improved performance and a huge relief, but let’s not carried away.

We beat a side whose defending at times was woeful, who were incapable of having a shot on target and who could not keep 11 players on the field, despite Steve Bennett’s best efforts to emasculate our skipper.

We still showed hesitancy at the back, the midfield was better but still not firing on all four cylinders and the forwards did miss some chances, but, as they almost say at the end of Some Like It Hot, nothing’s perfect. To say that this was a vast improvement on the rubbish served up recently is like comparing Clement Attlee’s Labour Government with the rag bag administration we have now.

Steve Bruce will have gone into his meeting with Ellis Short knowing that the players can be motivated, can perform well and do want to achieve at Sunderland.

The outpouring of joy and relief as Bent’s penalty put the result beyond doubt showed that the crowd want success and also want to see decent football – and last night we got both.

We have one centre forward who is a genuine goalscorer and another who is a natural provider. Both played very well. Bent’s ability was shown by his first and third goals where he took delivery of excellent passes from Cattermole and Campbell to take a step away from his defender and fire home shots that beat the keeper low down. Quality!!

Kenwyne had an equally good game, winning numerous balls in the air, both up front and when defending corners. If he does move on in the summer, our team will be all the poorer without him.

For the first time since David Cameron had a comfortable lead in the opinion polls, our midfield actually created something. That we did was due to our Gauloise-inhaling, curfew-breaking Franco/Belgian midfielder, Steed, who overcame his spat with the Brucester to turn in a tremendous performance on the left. He weaved and burrowed his way through the Wanderers defence on numerous occasions and gave us what we have been missing for weeks – creativity and imagination. Great stuff.

Cana also looked much more settled, despite a harsh booking from Steve Bennett, who was reaching for his pocket even before Lorik had completed his tackle. That triggers a two-game ban and he will be missed and, although we may be able to get Reid into the centre of midfield on Sunday. I would implore Bruce leave Steed where he is!!

Defensively, we looked sound. Mensah is a pleasure to watch and Turner is effective. Big Bad Bully Boy Davies got no change out of them, while Elmander did as passable impersonation of Rada Prica as you are likely to see. Swedish centre forwards (other than Henrik Larsson) should be avoided at all costs. Remember Thomas Brolin …

I did like Lee and Wilshere – either would be an asset in our team, although you could tell Wilshere was from Arsène’s Academy as he just refused to shoot when he had the chance: one excellent run across the goal should have brought much more than it did.

It was a lovely feeling to micturate merrily in the Gents’ post-game. There was a hum of contentment as we walked down to the car, mixed with realism. The vast majority of us (like most fans) are realists and we know that this is not the beginning of a push for the Europa League. We may well crash and burn on Sunday, but at least we know that we can be top of the Relegation League – and that’s a league that isn’t sponsored by Coca Cola.