Same love as I had all those years ago,it never leaves you. What boils me is clubs that have came into the premiership since we came up ten years ago and have mostly settled (yes a few went straight back down) but the likes of Stoke,WBA,Leicester,Palace,West Ham and FFS even Bournemouth and Watford, are leaving us behind.We should at least be competing with these clubs (no disrespect to them but we are much bigger club than any of those mentioned). I tend to agree with you on Short.I liken us to Villa and Randy Learner .We appear to be going in their direction
I can't really explain it. My dad was a mag but fortunately, never pushed his opinions on us. I just chose & that was that.
My dad took me to Roker Park about 2 weeks after my eldest Brother who is a mag took me to Newcastle to watch Malcolm McDonalds debut (he scored a hatrick) But Roker Park won out..thank god
Simply for me the first game of football I ever watched was the 1992 cup final and I decided to support sunderland for that game and i guess I just never changed my mind. Brought up in the heart of enemy territory all my mates are mags so I had numerous opportunities to jump ship but being a stubborn little git I never did. Most of my family maintain there is something wrong with me and there probably is. Anyway that's my story and I've had a life of up and downs. More downs than ups to be fair. My dad a mag used to take me to a cpl of games a season but I could tell it pained him so as soon as I had my driving licence I've just been going myself. Got my first season ticket 3 years back and don't intend on giving it up any time soon.
It would have been about 1950 when my Mam got a job in the canteen on the top tier. She took me along with her and the Stewards would find me an empty seat after about ten minutes. Not many kids in Hendon got to watch the games from the posh seats every match. So I got to watch them when they were The Bank of England Team, (thanks to Bill Ditchburn). Later when I had joined The RAF I was stationed in Gloucester. One Season I got to 35 games all by hitch hiking, and this included midweek Games. (I gave these up when for one effort, I arrived at Roker Park just as the crowd were leaving and I had to turn round to hitch 320 miles back). If I was coming back on leave I too would go to Sid James to watch a game. Good friendly banter. On one occasion when I was due a leave from Aden I managed to fiddle a slightly earlier flight home so that I would catch a Game. This was just before Xmas. It meant a long detour but it would be worth it. After 18 hours we landed and it was off to Swindon Station for Kings Cross. Off at N/C then to Sunderland Station where my cousin was waiting for me, wearing a stupid grin. He just pointed at the Echo board. GAME OFF. Now I take my Grandson to games. When I reflect on the ups and downs of being a Sunderland Fan, YES we do have some ups, I do wonder if I have done him any favours but like me at his age he just loves it all.
My old man took me to all the matches from being tiny 4 or 5 even the reserve matches all I remember from then was playing with the ladybirds in the cracks in the concrete in the Roker end now I look back I often think if I was hit by one of them wide shots while I was standing on my little board with my rattle i would of ended up in the empire.
Mine started with a Christmas present in Chester-le-Street. At the end of WW2 me and my brother who was about fifteen month younger than me got a brown paper parcel between us (there was a war on or just finished) and it contained two pair of those yellow pig skin football boots with the leather toe caps and studs. Both the same size but the key was that one contained a pair of red and white and the other black and white socks and I took the red and white 'cos I was bigger and flashier. There was a size two football that had been "restored" to go with it and for months we did nowt but run up and down kicking a ball about with loads of other kids. The huge household was a football one but allegiances were about equally divided and Saturday just meant that they went off to the match at whoever was at home. Me and brother more or less did the same later until hooliganism and hatred took over. Worth mentioning is that if you wanted to see the famous England players you had to go the game on the one occasions they at Roker or StJames'.
My dad used to talk a lot about all sports but in particular Sunderland I was about 9 We had very little money and was unable to go to the matches until Around 1963 My mam got the money from somewhere The 1966 World Cup matches were played at roker park I couldn't aford to go From that season onwards I went to most home matches Until I got a season ticket in the clock stand 1974-1987 That was my greatest days home and away and missed very few. Work held me back a little and never got a season ticket again until The Sol was opened. I've had quite a few season tickets over the years but don't attend as much As I would like.
Me Ma'. Red and white through and through. The more I think about it, it makes me smile to think how much of an avid fan she was - and where my own madness stems from. Listening to the radio in the kitchen, playing Crystal Palace away on a ****ty Tuesday November night. Smoking ***s and chomping on polo mints like there was no tomorrow. I'm looking forward to taking my boy to his first big match. Might be a year or two yet though.
I was born in Hetton and first went to Roker Park in the glorious year of 73, I used to go to matches with my brother and a group of mates, never went with my dad as we was not really into football. I left the area in the 80's but still went to as many away games as I could while at Uni. I've been working down South ever since and went to most games in London and the South-East . I spent a few years in S.America and still managed to follow the lads via the BBC world service and 3 week old Football Echo's - kids today have no idea what it used to be like to follow your team. My brother defected to the dark side when KK was in toon and he still goes to watch them but the last few Christmas's have been great for extracting the urine and this year will be extra special. My lad is now a Sunderland fan even though his school friends all follow Chelsea, Arsenal, Liverpool etc. Then again we have always been in the Premier League since he started going so he's not seen that many lows so far. His first away game was at QPR last month and we won so I'll have to take him to a few more.
I support Sunderland because my dad found it easier to park near Roker so used to take us there instead of Newcastle. As I was born in Beacon Lough East Gateshead all my friends and neighbours were Newcastle fans which was a bit of a problem.
Born into a family full of Sunderland fans. Had a season ticket since I was about 7/8 ish and never given it up. Some of these ****ers nowadays don't deserve the good fans among us. Not those ****ers who walk out on 85 mins when our team need us the most.
I had a close escape. I was born in Sedgefield, but my dad was originally from Wallsend, and my mam from Thornaby. Neither were particular football fans, but my dad would claim to support Newcastle, and my mam would say Middlesbrough. Fortunately with neither of them going to any matches, I ended up being taken to some games with a mate, whose family were Sunderland fans.
went to the beach with me mam, she gave me money to buy ice cream, joined the que by **** it was a lang one , next thing i naar im inside of a gladiator ring an every ****s asking for the death penalty, they were the same colour as my favorite candy rock,met some new mates and ended up gaarn for more punishment every home match.
I got took to a game by some older lads in my street when I was about 7 or 8 at Roker Park and I was hooked.
My family on my dad's side are from South Shields and were always Sunderland as far as I know. My dad never pushed me into supporting them and in fact I remember liking Sheffield Wednesday as a kid when I had a great time at a birthday party in Hillsborough. Not sure why I went for Sunderland ultimately but despite the lack of joy currently I wouldn't have it any other way. I won't be extending the same courtesy of choice to my daughter and any more kids I may have, she'll support them if it's the last thing I do. My wife's family are all Newcastle and they've joked about sending shirts etc, I hope they know they're going in the bin if they do.
Dads a Mag, total ringer we are a Hylton Castle/Hendon family he's one of 13 and the rest and the grandparents are all huge SAFC fans. He took me to a Mags game the Tuesday and Sunderland the Wednesday, Mags won 3-0 we lost 4-2. I chose this life....
Born in Sunderland and grew up in the surrounding area. Whole family were supporters. There never was a reason or option to support any other team. Saw a few games late 60's and early 70's, then started going more in 1973!
