16th Branch Dinner last night at the SOL and a very good one again. Top table - Paul Bracewell; Darren Williams, Benno and Simon Pryde (BBC host of the nightly phone in show talk sport) Main Speaker - Kevin Ball Comedian - Ged Stone Bally did a question and answer session and talked about the 92 Cup Final, the play off Final and his time at Sunderland and why he loved his time at the club and stayed. He simply said because 'you were my kind of people'. He was funny and informative and swears like a tourettes sufferer but everyone enjoyed the speech. I had Bobby Saxton on my table and had a canny bit crack with him. Bally said he was the best coach he had ever worked with and attributes everything to his time with him and Reidy. Didn't know whether Sess would stay or who was likely to come in. He did say he had ambitions to move up the ranks hopefully here at SAFC but would only consider a move to manage another club if they had some ambition. Wouldn't be drawn on Bruce's comments recently but I got the distinct impression there was no love lost there and also said he loved working with the kids. On his playing days, he said no one would ever get showered next to Benno for fear of looking 'small' in comparison. Benno was pissing himself. Also told the tale of the derby match crossbar incident and was very funny. Said he had meant to level Ferguson the first chance he got but when he did he hadn't got a clue where the ball had gone until he heard Alex Rae shouting over to him "**** it, its in.....**** it, its in". As he then 0looked round he said everything went in slow motion until it hit the crossbar and came out. They cleared their ranks and then Chis Makin shouted over to him and was pissing himself, saying it was the funniest thing he had ever seen. When they got back into the dressing room, everyone was taking the piss then Tommy Sorenson piped up and said "don't worry Bally, I had it covered", to which the dressing room fell apart. Also told the one about the match he marked McManaman out of that game at Liverpool. He said Saxton had told him to go wherever McManaman went regardless. He said at one point, McManaman went out to the far touchline and just stood there. Bally said he went over and stood beside him as the game went on and he had said to a very pissed off McManaman "sorry but if I don't follow you everywhere today, Bobby Saxton is going to murder me after the game" to which McManaman just looked bewildered. McManaman never got a touch and Bally was MotM that game. Told a canny tale about Alex Rae, who he really rated as a player as well, being able to do amazing things in training but only when the stories of what substances he wa staking came out did he realise how he was doing them. Hard men - said Mick Harford was hard a ****ing nails. Told of a game he played against him and thought he would show him whom was boss. Went into a corner challenge and had elbowed him full in the face, with Mick Harford going down like a sack of ****. Bally walked off thinking hard man my arse. He said the trainer then came on and started to flick water in his face and MH started to come round. Bally said that he had thought to himself, "**** me if he get s back up from that I'm in deep ****e" to which of course he duly did and then gave Bally the Harford glare. Bally said he hid from him all game after that. Different era and a different game. All in all a good night and plenty of red wine consumed and stories exchanged. Set the weekend up nicely to be honest.
But why was it a Chester le Street thing......have i missed something again? But it sounds a good night.
cest my brother in law was sitting at the same table as these lads (he's the chairman of the cls branch and he's called peter, do you know him?), our lass was also there with her sister, she reckons the 3 course meal and the comedian were canny like
you ****ers,wrighting the story, knowing i could not get there, im as jealous as **** now, one reason i wish i was back home.
Brilliant read. I can almost picture the scene with Tommy's 'had it covered'. Smashing piece Cest, cheers for sharing
Each supporters group has a flag in the north stand at the front of the north stand upper, there's a fair few.
