Been to Manchester today and regardless of the weather (it was ****ing boiling and sunny). What a beautiful, busy, attractive and positive city. Too much development going on. For a new tramway. However.... Great "different" shops/ eateries / entertainments going on everywhere. Do you know they have a Jazz festival outside the gothic town hall and it has been going on for two weeks now? Jazz isn't my cup of tea but at 3pm it was buzzing. Food and drink concessions, multi-cultural visitors, everything. Now Leeds. Harvey Nich's, Selfridges, etc, etc - same shops and vibrancy as Manchester. Smaller perhaps (actually, smaller yes), but still kind of different. Old buildings utilised and fused with new uses and developments. What we got here? Leeds makes the Toon look like the Boro. We have, I believe, Europe's biggest Primani. There are 4 - yes FOUR Gregg's in the Bridges. No wonder at the players we attract. x
Was in Manchester and Liverpool a couple of months back with my family -I do agree what you say Manchester (and Liverpool) are energetic and vibrant there's always something going on- shame Sunderland (and tbf a lesser extent Newcastle) cannot mirror these cities and become more than what they currently are.
Brother lives there' nephew is being raised there. Cracking place. Personally the only other place in England I could base myself, though it would be a push, aside from London. Vibrant, buzzing place, full of character.
"What a beautiful, busy, attractive and positive city." Yeah Sunderland could do with a few black only drug dominated ghettos, a regular smattering of drive by shootings & 50 murders a year
Criminal underinvestment by the government and local council. Newcastle got all the money from wedtminster to be re-developed.
I lived in the city centre for quite a while and although it was cool for a while eventually I got sick of it. There are a good smattering of unique bars and clubs but they get less unique after the tenth time. As Smug says though, out of the city there's a lot of gang stuff going on. For example a lad I used to play 5 a side with got gunned down at a funeral for another lad that got gunned down.
I had a night out down Manchester last year and I thought the pubs in the city centre were utter ****e, where even the locals were saying that the only lively area was the gay quarter, and I was never going to venture down there..Liverpool on the other hand I found to be a cracking place for a night out. As for shopping, I couldn't give two hoots to be honest and I have always found Sunderland very adequate for my needs..
Sunderland is class/ream/bosh/mint moved away and came back Its got the lot Sea front without a ride???????
When Keane was manager, he'd be talking to potential signings, and when that player asked about what it meant for their partners, shopping wise, he immediately knew 2 things, he wouldn't get their signature, because their partner had a say in the signing, and secondly, they wouldn't be signing, purely for the reason that, whilst they'd want to be professional, they wouldn't necessarily have the best interest in the club they were signing for, and he would see that in them. That's the reality of an unglamorous football club. And we are as unglamorous as it gets. And that's the reality that Gus and Congerton has to deal with. How to get good players to an unglamorous club. Teams like WBA and Stoke seem to manage it, so what do we need to do to compete with them?
I'm going to stick up for Sunderland here. I'm from County Durham but Sunderland has always been the main town I would go to or Durham. Now I HATE a night out in Newcastle it's too far to go, the beers too expensive and the pubs always, always play ****e music. Thinks it's too cool for school. Anyway back to Sunderland. There is a lot of development going on at the moment, now they may get it wrong but at least finally we are seeing some cash spent. I've worked in Sunderland city centre for the past 8 years and it is a pretty drab city centre to be fair. However they are developing, magistrates square in an attempt to make the city centre more appealing, the university seems vibrant, They are in the middle of building a new hotel, only a travel lodge but still a hotel plus it's a listed building so should be quite a stylish building. They have pulled down some truly awful buildings. The theatre in Sunderland goes from strength to strength. Gillbridge police station will be going which is a god awful building hopefully to be replaced with something more attractive. The stadium of light is putting on top gigs and the new hotel should benefit from that and the theatre. It is slow progress but at least we are starting to see a change. Sunderland has gone way back for a night out though. Hardly anyone turns out anymore. Not the packed town centre it used to be. Some promising pubs springing up. The Isis is canny, cracking pint. It's not all negatives but certainly the bridges takes any character out of Sunderland. God wish I was a towen planner I'd make Sunderland fantastic. No ****er would have any money like as your council tax would be through the roof!
Don't put the north east down, there is the coast, countryside, history and community that other parts of the country seriously lack. Don't put Sunderland down, I know it's no Jarrow but it does have its charm and some seriously good pies. Leeds May have Harvey nicks but seriously? Manchester is a dive outside of the centre, same as Liverpool. I've lived in London, Manchester and Derby and I'd much rather live in the north east. If players are shallow enough to make a decision on where to live based on the quality of the shops for their missus then do we really want them?
It's all about what people want. I'm 38 and have lived in Durham for 30 of those years. 2 of the other 6 were in Chester le street in the first 2 years of my life. The other 6 were in Trimdon Village in the late 90's and early 2000's. Durham is one of the most beautiful cities I've ever been to and it's my home. If a player wants shopping, then they can travel. They're not exactly short on cash are they? It's only because the government and all of the rich folk big up Lindon, Manchester etc that players end up going there. A foreigner comes to this country and wants to play premier league football, they're going to listen to the hype and not look at things. I love my home city (although am moving back to Chester le street next month!) and I couldn't swap it for anywhere in the world
I had a similar buzz last year when I visited Birmingham Ciy center for the first time, and am going shortly to Manchester for a few days, The shear size of these places and the level of prosperity stands out compered to the North East. But this may be purely superficial as some have pointed out. The strong feeling of identity up here is our strength and always will be.
I never thought I'd see the day when lads would be discussing various shopping opportunities on here ......... black armband day for me "Tell you what mate, the strings on these carrier bags are really cutting into my fingers ...... ........ let's grab a pavement table and have a skinny latté with a slice of Lemon Drizzle Loaf." "Now yer talking pal!" FFS ........
Didn't crouch turn us down for the old shopping reason? I wouldn't care but he ended up going to stoke ffs! I honestly think that if I was being offered a job that paid 40k a week I'd tell our lass to stick the shopping. I'd therefore rather not have spineless, hen pecked tosses at the club. Maybe this is one of borinis problems about the switch?
It takes what 3 hours on the train to get to the bright lights of London, less to Manchester and Leeds. The wags have cash to burn. Its hardly Vladivostok to St. Petersburg.
