I laughed at my old man when he told me almost 40 years ago, as I started my Sunderland supporting career off aged 9, that we would never amount to anything but at that age you believe in miracles and I thought (remember it was the season after the 73 Cup win) that years of the good times were on there way.
Even the next 10/15 years didn't dent my belief we would come and I just loved going to games but good as my carefree teenage years were, they gave way to much more cynical 20's and I started to come to realise we were in fact pretty ****ing ****e. It hurt to admit it but deep down I knew it was true. That said, I travelled the length and breadth of the UK following the team I love and despite the odd relegation here and there and promotions (even to the 3rd tier of English football, which was particularly painful but strangely not the lowest point of my SAFC years) I soldiered on manfully. I still wanted to believe even though I was beginning to realise my old man was wise beyind his years. You see, he had been going to watch us since the early 50's and although we had some great players during his time, we still never amounted to **** all really and he was 40 and knew what I know now.
However, in my 30's, I saw the best football I have ever seen under Reid for those 3 seasons but sadly it was very short lived and we soon failed to build on them and then had the worst period of our time with 19 and 15 point relegations. That 15 points season was without doubt the lowest point in my life following the lads. The pain and humiliation were etched on my face and still hurt now tbh. If it were not for Quinny taking over the club I would have walked away at that point but he sold us a new vision and a new dream so I got back on the magic carpet and gave it my all.
Now we have had 6 consecutive seasons in the top flight and the longest run in my lifetime. However, on at least 4 of them we have skirted with relegation and only twice have we done it more comfortably. Of course its an achievement for us to go 6 years without a relegation (hardly a fanfare needed mind) so I have to be slightly happy?
Now we have at long last employed a real giant in the game. A manager with one of the most enviable track records outside the big 4 or 5 clubs and a history of making silk purses out of pigs ears AND a Sunderland fan as well.
We are still ****e and on Saturday were well beaten by a load of ****e who will still be relegated despite that win. We have spent more on players, invested more in wages for them, even built a top class stadium and facilities for them but to no avail. We are still ****e.
I don't have the answers lads and lasses and desperately don't want Mon to go but clearly things must improve for him to stay. Why do we always come to this point at SAFC?
You know I have a theory. I reckon we could be bought by Multi-Zillionaire oil barons; sign Ronaldo, Messi, van Persie and £500m worth of other players as well; have the special one as manager and still be a pile of ****e in 6 months.
Will we ever get out of the circle of failure? Will we ever amount to anything other than piles of rancid cow **** every year? If we can't do any better than Saturday with Short, MoN and the best paid and most heavily invested in team in our history, **** knows if we ever will tbh.
I'm pig sick of decades of failure. Sick of having the piss ripped out of me every week and trying to defend the indefensible and mostly just sick of knowing it will never change.
Even the next 10/15 years didn't dent my belief we would come and I just loved going to games but good as my carefree teenage years were, they gave way to much more cynical 20's and I started to come to realise we were in fact pretty ****ing ****e. It hurt to admit it but deep down I knew it was true. That said, I travelled the length and breadth of the UK following the team I love and despite the odd relegation here and there and promotions (even to the 3rd tier of English football, which was particularly painful but strangely not the lowest point of my SAFC years) I soldiered on manfully. I still wanted to believe even though I was beginning to realise my old man was wise beyind his years. You see, he had been going to watch us since the early 50's and although we had some great players during his time, we still never amounted to **** all really and he was 40 and knew what I know now.
However, in my 30's, I saw the best football I have ever seen under Reid for those 3 seasons but sadly it was very short lived and we soon failed to build on them and then had the worst period of our time with 19 and 15 point relegations. That 15 points season was without doubt the lowest point in my life following the lads. The pain and humiliation were etched on my face and still hurt now tbh. If it were not for Quinny taking over the club I would have walked away at that point but he sold us a new vision and a new dream so I got back on the magic carpet and gave it my all.
Now we have had 6 consecutive seasons in the top flight and the longest run in my lifetime. However, on at least 4 of them we have skirted with relegation and only twice have we done it more comfortably. Of course its an achievement for us to go 6 years without a relegation (hardly a fanfare needed mind) so I have to be slightly happy?
Now we have at long last employed a real giant in the game. A manager with one of the most enviable track records outside the big 4 or 5 clubs and a history of making silk purses out of pigs ears AND a Sunderland fan as well.
We are still ****e and on Saturday were well beaten by a load of ****e who will still be relegated despite that win. We have spent more on players, invested more in wages for them, even built a top class stadium and facilities for them but to no avail. We are still ****e.
I don't have the answers lads and lasses and desperately don't want Mon to go but clearly things must improve for him to stay. Why do we always come to this point at SAFC?
You know I have a theory. I reckon we could be bought by Multi-Zillionaire oil barons; sign Ronaldo, Messi, van Persie and £500m worth of other players as well; have the special one as manager and still be a pile of ****e in 6 months.
Will we ever get out of the circle of failure? Will we ever amount to anything other than piles of rancid cow **** every year? If we can't do any better than Saturday with Short, MoN and the best paid and most heavily invested in team in our history, **** knows if we ever will tbh.
I'm pig sick of decades of failure. Sick of having the piss ripped out of me every week and trying to defend the indefensible and mostly just sick of knowing it will never change.
