It wasn't a relegation scrap last season . Could Steve Cuggy be the first manager in history to relegate a Blyth Spartans side?
I don't think that the SAFC NUFC rivalry is any different to any other places where two clubs in close proximity reside. Merseyside, Glasgow, Spurs/Arsenal, Southampton/Portsmouth, Sheffield U/W, Millwall/West Ham, Man C/U, Brum/Villa and the list goes on... I'm sure in their own way they feel exactly the same about their clubs as we do ours, which just goes to show we arn't so different afterall!
Dave, I haven't been able to get too many games last year but I've always checked out their results and signings each week, not looking promising! Still better than Sunderland though.
Couldn't see them pallying up together in Glasgow marra. It's a lot more than football that divides them!!!
Sorry but I didnt ruin anything - Ive put some other points regarding my old man and friends. I cant help it if your bretheren couldnt do likewise pal.
Oh so quick and so clever again. I can see I am so outclassed with this kind of cutting banter. ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ!!!!
It's very different up here for a few reasons. 1). Northerners are simply more friendly than Southerners. It's just a fact, and everyone who comes up here from down South admits it. 2). With such close proximity, rival supporters are intertwined within friends and family. How could a mackem truly, truly hate mags if their brother or sister was one? 3). Both clubs get a hard time from the media/other team fans and both clubs have been through some hard times. Despite the rivalries, there are things which unify us. For example, Newcastle can't exactly laugh at Sunderland for getting biased media coverage because we get it too, and it pisses both sets of fans off. 4). Our location unifies us slightly. We're representing major North East football up here all alone, whilst everyone else is cramped around places like Manchester and London. We can both be proud of big stadiums, big attendances and big passion. I think Newcastle fans respect the passion for football which Sunderland fans have and vise versa. 5). We ultimately enjoy the rivalry and enjoy the football. I've seen many Sunderland fans wishing that we would come back up to the EPL when we were relegated just so the derby existed again. The rivalry is one of the most intense around on its day, but ultimately that's down to footballing passion instead of anything malicious.
If SAFC went bust I would probably turn my back on the premier league because I think it is riddled with corruption. I remember when Keane was our manager, we didn't get a penalty for over a year and some of the shouts were absolute stone wall penalties, yet on the very first game that Sbragia took over the ref awarded us one of the softest penalties I've ever seen. It was as if the ref was under instruction to rub salt into the wound of Keane's departure in return for all of Keane's outspoken remarks about the Irish and English FA. I now recall the penalty awarded to Liverpool last season at the SOL where the offence was a good two yards outside of the box. It was a close game at a point in the season where if we won we were still in the shout for 6th or heaven forbid even higher... but if we lost Liverpool were moving clear. It was as if the ref was under instruction to repay SAFC for Bents beachball goal (a game where we battered the scousers anyhow and deserved the win). I now recall the Stoke game where we played the fcukers off the park and lost 3-2... Every goal they scored had a foul before the goal went in... Once again, that was exactly at a point in the season when we had a chance of 6th place. I'm not saying every decision went against SAFC but there was a definate tilt to the opposition from what I seen (only whilst we were flying high, once we flirted with relegation I thought the decisions started to go in our favour again) and I'm not looking at it through rose tilted glasses either. The Bent beachball incident is one of only 3 decisions that I thought SAFC were lucky with all season, but even that is dubious. I mean where does it end? If the ball deflects off a big lump of turf is that ok? The shot could have been on target and deflected out for a goal kick, but that would have been ok? I'd probably just move around and watch Hartlepool, Gateshead and lower league stuff but i would watch the toon and Man U on TV etc.
5). We ultimately enjoy the rivalry and enjoy the football. I've seen many Sunderland fans wishing that we would come back up to the EPL when we were relegated just so the derby existed again I now bugger off will you please ha ha ha I can remember we played Burnley towards the end of the season your lot were in the Fizzy pop league, the atmosphere was flat, we were comfortably in the lead, already safe and I thought it'd be so much better if we could play Newcastle. No man has been as wrong as that since the days of Neville Chamberlain...
It removes an aim imo. One of the biggest aims: to finish above the rival team. Without that, it's just an aim of finishing as high up as possible, but if your team isn't up to knocking on the door of the top 4, then it's just a case of finishing as high up in mid-table obscurity as possible. Kind of boring at times.
I agree with you up to a point. Not sure if we are any more friendly than anyone else mind. As I said earlier I always enjoy a chat with the away fans & never met any proper bell ends for some time now. I spend some time in Glasgow & although the scots are known for their dislike of the English not once have I ever encountered anything but pure hospitality. The Glagow people seem to be fine with us north easterners like.
Not a snowball's chance in hell could I even consider supporting the Mags. If anything happened to my club...I reckon my golf handicap would come down as I doubt I wouldn't be arsed to watch football any more.
You ever been down South much? This piece from Jason Manford sums it all up perfectly: [video=youtube;NzNDM2ekSio]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NzNDM2ekSio[/video]
Aye marra, knackas like wrinkled prunes. I need a rest like. Well by then you might be my wheelchair helper so at least you would get in for nowt.
