Noon on Saturday 20th August and the Stadium of Light, home to Sunderland AFC, will be packed to the rafters. In the South Stand will be gathered a few thousand Newcastle fans, not sure how many but all in black and white, loud, noisy and passionate. In the east, west and north stands will be thousands of Sunderland fans, all in red and white and just as loud, noisy and passionate. In the posh seats and boxes you will find men in ill fitting suits, shirts outside trousers and ties that donât quite reach their waist. Woman in short skirts and high heels they bought at the metro centre trying their best to look like WAGS. All there for a free meal, a few beers and some even to see the football. Just before noon 22 men will enter this cauldron of noise and colour, 11 from Newcastle and 11 from Sunderland, well for as long as their contracts last they will be, the hopes and dreams of thousands rest on their shoulders. The fans in the South Stand, in black and white, will pray for a repeat of last season, will they do it without Nolan and Carroll, will the French players adapt or do a Sunderland and freeze? The Sunderland fans will hope that their premier players will stand firmer than last terms boys, will fight and win but inside stomachs will be churning and the noise and baiting is only an attempt to show bravado and hide that nervous tension. At the end of the game thousands will be heartbroken, tears of sorrow could flow, MOTD, no chance. Thousands of wives will be relieved to know that sex is off the agenda on Saturday night, money will be saved on Sunday papers but work on Monday, best say nowt. For thousands more the tears will be tears of joy and relief, MOTD will be recorded on Saturday then watched again on Sunday. Wives can relax, still no sex but its alcohol to blame this time and work on Monday, many will be there early. Win lose or draw the world will be watching and its the North East they will judge, many will expect seats to be thrown, goalkeepers to be attacked, pitch invasions and fists flying, lets show them we are better than that. When the dust has settled and the next game comes we need to remember itâs only a game of football, important yes but worth a ban, night in hospital or a few days in a cell, not really, is it?
Stop attempting to hide the fact that there will be 37,000 gutted Mackems and 2,700 roaring Geordies after we embarrass you once again.
You're beginning to sound half human you cold hearted old bugger! Best be careful or you'll lose your reputation!
I'm getting the train over, sick of those buses. It should be a cracking atmosphere, and whilst we will outsing you again, it will still be loud. Wish we were at home, wish it was later in the season but there we go. It's here, I hate it! Can't you ****ers just get relegated again?
Believe the police are insisting on a bigger space between supporters to lessen the chance of any altercation.
Sold out only to those with SAFC buying record - Think again, and this is a proper football stadium - The SOL not the Sports Direct Bargain Warehouse
As a Sunderland fan learning from last season, it's probably best not to go down that road.. Self-assured predictions can either end well, or (like us last Halloween) end very very very badly! A fairly even game from two good teams, and a 2-1 home win Ah bugger it. Ha'way the lads, 3-0 home win and a total destruction of NUFC!!
Yeah you see them most weeks at Sports Direct - What was your attendance v Arsenal 50k plus? Don't think so 46k I think That's 6000 empty seats there to be going on with.
