Dear Roker Report,
Driving back from Brentford had a feeling of mixed emotions.
I thought Sunderland played really well in the first half and were unlucky not to go in at half-time a couple of goals to the good.
Once they scored, changes had to be made by RLB and it was good to see two strikers on the pitch causing them problems.
In truth, we should have won, but it was good to see Enzo put last season behind him and bury the penalty.
Selection for Arsenal now is interesting. Brian Brobbey gave Gabriel and co a torrid
time at the Stadium of Light last season.
Wilson Isidor has proved more than enough to deserve a start.
Dare we go two up front from the start? I don’t think we will, but food for thought.
Haway the lads,
Mark
Ed’s note [Martin]: Thanks for the email, Mark. Yep, agree we should have had the game sewn up by half time – we need get better at taking those chances when they come along, but that first 45 was excellent, and if we can keep that standard of performance up we’ll have a great season. Isidor and Brobbey did really well together, and I would like to see that happen more often – I don’t think we’ll start like that on Saturday as it might leave us a bit exposed in midfield, but it’s certainly an option now and we’ll likely see it more from the bench too.
Hi guys,
Entered the ballot as a Black Cat member for the first Europa League game and we’re supposed to hear about it today (Friday). Not had any email from them at all. Is hearing nothing mean I wasn’t successful?
Surely we should get an email to say you’re not successful if that’s the case?
Thanks,
Nath
Ed’s note [Martin]: Thanks for getting in touch, Nath. Who knows is the honest answer. For everything good on the football side of things, the off field stuff is more often than not pretty shambolic. I know people who’ve applied for the away ballots for the first two away games – for the Ipswich game they got an email saying they’d been unsuccessful, for the Brentford game they heard nothing. I know some of this is new for the club, but that’s no excuse – it’s simple stuff. What’s being sent out regarding tickets, memberships etc is vague, inconsistent and unreliable (as the next letter illustrates, too!). I’d be surprised if the first Europa League game is oversubscribed, but unfortunately your guess is as good as mine.
Dear Roker Report,
What exactly is happening with the live radio commentary?
Is it free? Do you have to buy a membership thing? Does it even exist?
Before the start of the season, I contacted SAFC asking if I needed to join a membership scheme to listen to Barnes and Benno via the website (I do not live in the area, so BBC coverage is not available). The response suggested that you did not need to join a scheme and the radio would be free. It would appear this is not the case.
I would be happy to pay to listen, as this was the case when we played in the lower leagues.
How to access the commentary via the site is not at all clear. There is a button that says BUY, but this just sends you into an endless loop.
I imagine I am not alone in finding communication with the club on such matters tricky. Please can you tell me the exact procedure involved in accessing the commentary?
Thanks,
Mel Oyston
Ed’s note [Martin]: Thanks for the email, Mel. As with Nath’s correspondence, the communication with the club’s appalling a lot of the time. As far as I am aware, audio commentary is a benefit of membership – it’s listed as such so if it’s freely accessible the memberships are being mis-sold. It does caveat it with ‘where available’ so it may just be within the UK, but again, at present supporters are being left to figure things out themselves as the communcations from the club are certainly lacking.
