... for better or worse. We've all met loads but very few stand out in my experience. I was catching up with an old mate last night who I travelled with for years. We were laughing about some of the Sunderland characters we've met like Sammy the Chin, Frankie, etc and a few opposition supporters cropped up. One of them was an Exeter fella who walked into our pub, down there, before the League Cup game we drew 2-2. We had good support, despite it being a night match far far away including the PLO in the seats to our left. Anyway we were in a pub near the ground and this middle aged bloke strolls in. He looked like Bomber from AWP and was very polite with a booming voice and country bumpkin accent, "I've heard some of you Sunderland boys think you're hard nuts, would anyone care to step outside for a fight?" He was an absolute monster so everyone just laughed and carried on with their conversations He just walked off in the huff, presumably to the next pub to carry on his mad quest.
Met a charlton supporter outside the new derby 1978 Went for a drink Him and his wife came north stayed at our house for the match We went down to Crayford in Kent for the match There have been to ours a few times and us there’s Met for the Wembley appearances and still keep in touch Lovely couple retired with a grower up family and still go to the home matches
My mate told me a funny story......... Him and 2 of his mates (Millwall fans), travelled early to a game against Stoke one Saturday to avoid any traffic. They got there about 1030am, and decided to go and find a quiet pub somewhere to have a few games of Pool and a quiet drink before the game. They found one away from the City centre. When they went in, the place was totally empty apart from a lad sat at the bar on his own. After a few games the lad approached them and asked if they minded if he joined in a game of Pool with them. After a few hours of playing Pool, and buying eachother rounds of drinks the lad said he had to go, because he had things to do. As he was leaving he asked them which way were they planning to walk to the stadium. My mate told him, and he said "I wouldnt go that way mate, you could get jumped by some of the locals". He then told them a quicker and safer way to get to the stadium and set off on his buisness. My mate and his mates set off shortly after that lad left on the route he advised them to go on. They noticed it was really quiet and there was no sign of any other fans anywhere. They turned a corner and all of a sudden the lad who theyd played Pool with, bought drinks and laughed with for about 2 hours jumped out with about 5 of his mates and kicked sh!t out the 3 of them ..
Pompey stand out as good fans, though it pains me to say it. I remember Everton being bellends after the game at the buses a few years back. I think we won and effectively ended their top 4 hopes and they didn't take it well.
Everton fans have always been scumbags whenever ive seen them. The League cup Semi final at the Sol stands out in my memories of them the most
I'm sure I've mentioned this before but it has to be a rather large Sheff Wed fan being escorted out the away end by the plod. The south west corner was chanting 'You fat batstard, you fat bastard' at him so he lifted up his top and gave his belly a good shake and everyone started laughing and giving him a round of applause instead.
The only League Cup semi-final played at the SoL so far was against Leicester. You must mean the FA Cup quarter final replay against Everton in 2012. There was plenty of bother after that game, as there was before and after the Leicester semi.
Everybody says this, but I was once surrounded by Everton supporters in the middle of the Roker End in the McColl era, and they soon picked me out, to my surprise they were great and started supporting Sunderland and calling their own team as a form of entertainment, even after we scored an embarrassing own goal they berated the ref, it was hilarious and I was very lucky I imagine.
Everton away one year we got near Goodison and were trying to find a place to park and were weighing up whether to risk parking in a resident permit only street. A woman came out of a nearby house and asked if we were going to the match and told us we would definitely get fined if we parked where we were She told us to follow her in her car and we could park at her house which she said wasn't far away. We got to her house and she insisted we parked on her drive and she parked down the street. A couple of young uns still said they would be keep an eye on our car but she told them to clear off. Pleased to say our car was fine when we got back, we stuck a fiver though the letterbox before leaving. A fantastic bit of hospitality by her.
Away game in the Midlands can't remember where late 70s probably Used to go with my older cousins in two or three cars. Stopped off as usual in Pontefract (God knows why but that's where we always stopped) Went in first bar completely empty apart from a local dressed as a cowboy at the end of the bar Full gear hat waistcoat and two guns the lot. But a right miserable bugger This was just before Christmas and Next thing a bus load of our lads turn up loads in fancy dress The barmaid shouts hey Jim your mates have arrived Youd have thought all his birthdays came at once he latched on to these lads we saw him about 3 pubs later literally dancing on a table with a lad dressed as the pink panther (surreal) We knew a couple of lads off the bus and it Turns out he got on the bus with them and wouldn't get off They ended up taking him Home in the bus and dropping him at his front door God I loved away games those days
Pontefract How did all these ridiculous stop offs develop ffs? We used to go to Adwick-le-Street on our way back to Mansfield, from Roker, and always had a great time. For a reason we can't remember, probably gropage of a local lass, it all kicked off and got so out of control 4 police cars turned up and we never went back. We then stopped off at Worksop until we had a run in with the local Sheff Utd lot. Darrington after that for a while I reckon.
