Match Day Thread Sunderland AFC v Sheffield United – Championship Play-off Final - Saturday 24th May 2025 - KO 15:00

I believe they tried to take full advantage when we were down to 10 men.

 

People could've seen Sunderland fans crying on the telly again ...

... loads, around me at full time, just couldn't hold it back

 

What a great shout

 

Hamer going off definitely changed the game, no way of knowing to what extent. It's a weird thing for them to speculate about, though. The fact is he wasn't on the pitch because he wasn't fit enough. Did they forget we lost our club captain in the 1st minute?! Reckon that might have had a slightly bigger impact on the game!

 

Yep,one of my mates.....hard as nails....we're jumping around at the end of the match...he peels away from the group and I see him wiping underneath his eyes with his sleeve. He composes himself,comes back into the group and joins in the general euphoric mayhem.
That's what this club can do.....as we all know!

 

They could still produce something in conjunction with the people who own the tv rights. Ass a finish to the series it is an absolute Hollywood fairytale ending.

 

I get the impression you've had quite an enjoyable few days

 

I was bawling mate, and I’m not an overly emotional lad.

I didn’t even realise how much I wanted it until the moment. I’ve been close to going again many times full of pride watching hours and hours of videos.

 

Quite right mate.

They may have lost his influence but, after half time, he was contributing very little imo ...

... he confirmed that I can't see him playing at a higher level.

He's very effective but currently a big fat fish in a little pond and playing as well as he ever will.

He simply doesn't have the room to grow that Jobe does.

Hamer is 28 years old and not done a lot in his career to be honest, he's never had a look in for Holland and never will ...

... just because Wilder paid £15m doesn't mean he's worth £15m.

 

Not that you could see it in the video you did for me, thanks again btw, but there were one or two tears starting to form in my eyes. Then I thought, grow up yer daft get, you’re from Sunderland, hard as nails so stop yer bletherin!

 

Posted on here previously, the wife and daughter were on the tube back to the hotel with the wife watching the end of the game on sky go on her phone, there was Sheffield Utd fans on then. Bus loads were dropped off at Stanmore on the morning

 

I hadn’t even referenced it in the run up but I just found myself holding my pals face screaming ‘8 ****ing years lad’

Must have buried it. It was beautiful though standing there looking a right fanny, breaking character if you like, feeling light as a feather, free as a bird.

The emotions of Ballard were pure release and energy, Saturday was like having a part of me I didn’t know was broken fixed in an instant.

I will never forget it. It made me feel brand ****ing new. I don’t need tell any single one of you how it felt singing ‘Wise Men Say’ after, Elvis himself would have been emotional in heaven.

An almost out of body, almost carnal experience and it was just everything.

I’ve spent first 3 days of my holidays on this forum just enjoying every post and the feel of a bunch of lads I don’t know but I feel like I do loving every minute.

We Are Sunderland.

 

There was a moment during the celebrations on the pitch that Ballard was patting Watson on the chest and looking at the crowd - saying something to the fans like 'he is alright, this lad'. Kind of saying to everyone that the players were all behind Watson and the supporters should be too.

 

Would have been truly incredible and probably talked about around the world if on Netflix. Like you say, the series as a whole ending that way, you just could script it if it was a made up sport.

Would say though, I hope that is the end of the documentary stuff for us, was a tough watch but interesting too see even though it was our worst period. But I like that its there now and we can look back on what we have went on to achieve and how that period has come to an end. Time for us to start a new era.

 

It’s strange, I’m 67 years old, live thousands of miles away… and even today I’m trawling through YouTube for clips, discussions about what happened on Saturday… and… I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve watched the goals… Current Mrs F just shakes her head… doesn’t understand why

 

Just **** **** support when you cannot get behind that.

What the **** do you want!?

 

On a totally different subject can I just say how much I hate the PR people at Wembley with their tedious playlist before, during and after the game,..

35,000 Sunderland supporters don't need music blasting out to make an atmosphere or telling what do sing ...

... nor do we need some bellend thanking us for our 'wonderful support'.

They try to make every Wembley game follow the same dreary pattern no matter who's playing.

Watching the game back I laughed when Dan Neil had the cup in his hands in the royal box.

The Wembley 'cheerleader' started into his blurb but Neil just ignored him, lifted the cup and the roar drowned everything out

 

Easier said than done,marra!

 

forgot to say,

both times we scored my mum came into the room

me dad has said she will now have to come with us to each game or watch

 

It's something that's been in the back of my mind but what if it was fated for us to go up this season?

It's probably a pile of crap but I'll share it anyways. We set off like a train at the start of the season, that was never going to last for 46 games but it gave us that advantage in the back end of the season. We matched the top 3 until Leeds and then the backroom decided that it wasn't going to be automatic promotion and we took our foot off the gas to save energy for the playoffs. Coventry gifted us that pass for Mayenda to score in the first leg, Ballard got that last minute goal in the second, VAR ruled out the offside goal which would've stood in all the other games during the season and then Moore passes the ball to Watson to take us up.

Fated I tells ya