I always travel alone and sit alone at Sunderland games because of convenience for travelling and having a season ticket, which my son does not. I do, however, meet up with my son and, at the last game, I also met up with my 7 year old grandson, who was looking forward to but ultimately did not enjoy his first derby. Oh well, he is back again for the next match - just like the rest of us. Tomorrow I have a gang accompanying me to the match. My son and grandson will be joined by a 7 year old Man U supporter attending his first ever game. I am confident that he will return home and burn his Man U shirt to make way for his new Sunderland shirt. He will have been bitten by the Sunderland bug. My son and I are doing our bit for future attendance figures by dragging along a potential new recruit, so will the boys in red and white (stripes) do their bit on the day and dazzle young Kieran into becoming a lifelong season ticket holder? I know, an unfortunate name. If Richardson plays, will our Kieran leave in tears after 90 minutes of hearing thousands of people calling him a useless ****. Is he too young to understand? His parents have spent 7 years telling him he is the only Kieran and now I have to explain there are at least two, and they are getting a fair bit of verbal. With Asamoah Gyan out will Bruce do the unthinkable and move the other Kieran up field to either left-wing or to support Nicklas Bendtner and let Stephane Sessegnon go on the left-wing? Will young Kieran return home to tell his mum: âIt was great mam, everyone was shouting that their is only one of me.â Am I in denial?
Is Gyan definitely out because i havn't seen anything official? Syd, I'm confident that your party will leave very happy tomorrow after our famous victory..
...I'm disappointed with this news, and I hope that Bruce doesn't make it an excuse to go all defensive.
When I was a young fresh faced kid back in the mid 70's, football was it. Other than playing it in the park, streets (yes it did happen) and at school, the only other mode of entertainment was your bike. There were NO computers at all (ZX Spectrum's were still some 5 or 6 years away in 1974/5 although I did eventually got into playing guitars and thinking I was going to be the next Paul Weller in my early teens but by then, the SAFC bug had got hold of me totally and I have been an addict ever since. Despite my frustration and sometimes irate anger at what is happening at the club, I always will be hooked. However, in 2011, there are literally hundreds of alternate activities and entertainments for kids to spread themselves over. PCs are even old hat and 21st Century gaming is king. Would your 7 year old grandson put up with the utter ****e we had to for the last 40 years Syd? I very much doubt it. The next generation of SAFC fans, or any football fans, will be far more demanding and unforgiving IMO. The club will always attract fans but loyal, die hard go to the game even when you know it will be ****e and you will get beat? Absolutely no chance. A very good friend of mine has a young son (well he is 18 in November) and he has been going to the match since he was 6. He has only enjoyed the SOL as a venue and to be fair, he went through the SKP era when we actually were quite good. However, he has also grown up in the technical age where he plays Play Station games with people form all over the world (its a bizarre scenario ) and he has just relinquished his season ticket for the first time in his life this season. He has so many other options to entertain him now and the thought of going to the match is now second or even 3rd priority. He still loves SAFC and will defend them to his last breath but spend money on going to games he says are boring as hell isn't what he wants. Us old farts do keep going and probably always will but there wont be a constant stream of willing punters from the younger element, prepared to pay hard earned dosh for a sub standard product, beyond our years. I hope your grandson enjoys today Syd but even if he does, there is no guarantee he will want to keep going when the other wonderful attractions he will be open to present themselves as he gets older.
TBH Cest his young mate is going with him because he was bored at the derby and wanted to take someone to talk to or his DS, sad times.
