I got approached by Simon asking if we could answer some questions, as you know, we are fond of these articles. We said yes as long as he answers ours!
You will find my answers to his questions here.
So Simon, here is your starter for 10!
Tell us a bit about yourself
Well, I’m Simon Walsh (obvs) and I started Roker Report in December as a place to ramble about Sunderland and their woes. Plus there wasn’t a decent SAFC blog to be found. So I decided to take up the challenge.
Since then it’s been more successful than I could ever have imagined, adding a team of writers, praise from several national journalists (Sean Ingle of the Guardian & Gabriele Marcotti as notables)
We’re pretty much THE place to come if you want a bit of Sunderland news, information or banter.
We’ve also started our own Podcast recently (also addressing that gap in the market) which the other week was in the Top 20 on iTunes Sports Podcasts Chart.
Very proud of the success of the site, and inspired to take things even further next season.
We can be found on Twitter – @RokerReport as well as on Facebook.com/RokerReport and also of course the site itself RokerReport.com and the Podcast is out every Thursday.
What has happened in the 2nd part of the season for Sunderland? You started off well, but the wheels appear to if not coming off, certainly getting very wobbly!
The wheels appear to be hanging on by a thread! It’s easy to find excuses, and that’s exactly what I’m going to do… Darren Bent left, we had no replacement, we had injuries as well as a tough run of fixtures over the last eight games.
That said, the players need to take a look at themselves. The fight appears to be gone, and as soon as we concede the heads drop.
The defence is leaky too. Injuries have meant it’s a case of who’s fit – plays, and we haven’t had a settled back five for weeks on end.
On MOTD I heard Sunderland fans calling for Bruce to be sacked. Is it just the results, or is it more. (I think I know the answer!)
Oh God, this one’s a real annoyance of mine! Almost everyone is calling for his head at the moment because we’ve only gained one point from the last 8 games. Coupled with the 14 game win less streak last season, some have prepared a noose for Bruce.
However, I’m a defender of Bruce, and I think he can turn it around. Everyone is trying desperately to find Stats saying “Oh he’s only won 29% of his games”… “60% of his signings have been failures”… “Worst manager ever”… etc. I can’t remember these stats being rolled out in February when we were sat sixth, but of course now every says they said it from the beginning.
Our fans need to realise that Bruce has actually had very little net spend, and has managed us to a very high level. If we don’t finish in Europe, so what. 9th or 10th would be our highest league position since 2002 I think. Not bad for a team who have only finished in the top 13 of English football 3 times in 50 years.
What is the general relationship with the Toon Army? Our relationship with the Villa can be hostile, is it the same with you?
Oh it’s very much the same. Everyone will claim their derby is the biggest, but I genuinely believe ours is up there in the top 3 or 4. We’ve had many clashes over the years, and it was only recently away fans were allowed at the fixture.
There’s also certainly a breed of Sunderland fan who takes more pleasure in their downfall than our own successes.
Where do Sunderland fans think their side SHOULD be this season?
After the early season success, everyone thinks we should be in Europe. We’re never going to get there now. However I think many have short memories, and before the start of the season we’d have been very pleased with a Top 10 place, which is still very possible in this tight league.
What is your take on our season, especially the final win over Arsenal?
I watched the game, and was very pleased for you guys. It’s always good when a ‘small’ side (not to belittle your lot) beats a ‘big’ team (in the words of Sky Sports).
If you stay up as well, if I was a Birmingham fan, I’d call the season a successful one. I’d love to avoid relegation and win a cup. A great achievement for your lot, deserved too.
Are their any players in the Blues side you would want playing for you? If so why?
Bruce has made calls saying he wants a ‘big man’ to partner Asamoah Gyan in attack, so he’d probably want Nikola Zigic. I on the other hand wouldn’t mind someone like Roger Johnson at our club. Our defence is all over the place, and Johnson is a top quality defender who’d provide stability.
Do you have any memories of our previous meetings?
Most notably was probably in 1999. We’d secured promotion, beat you 2-1 having fallen a goal behind, and indeed partied like it was 1999.
Do you think we’ll go down?
Nope, not at all. You’ll have enough points on the board, with easy (you’d think) remaining fixtures.
What will the score be this weekend?
Head say’s we’ll continue the slump and lose 2-0, heart will take a draw. Although, law of averages says we’ve got to beat someone one day…
Thank you very much Simon, we’ll have a chat after the game!
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