Funny things they are and its funny how one leads to another at totally different tangents. My poor old 85 year old mum had to go into a care home over Christmas following a long and increasingly futile battle with dementia. Today I have a visit to her house to sort the heating out then off to visit her with trepidation; I never know who I will get. Mrs Calm, Mrs Teenage Girl or Mrs Angry. Anyhow, sitting here with the second of my morning coffees my mind wondered back to days gone by and my youth then that tangent, outside of Roker Park with my boy. He would be around 15 and in those days the players parked under the stand and you could stand and watch them come in. Like today you waited with that cool look, leaning against the wall, one leg bent under you against the wall and one hand in your pocket, like the young hero in an American gangster film. As the player walked past you would say, in that cool laid back style,ââ¬ÂAlright Craigââ¬Â if it was say Craig Gordon. Immediately looking round with a smile to see who heard you and thinking to yourself, how cool am I, Iââ¬â¢m on first name terms with Gordon. Well in those Roker Park days, the one in my memory, I was standing with my boy and our keepers in those days were Tony Norman and Alec Chamberlin, my boy had never said hello, always lost his nerve. His was to be his day, Alec Chamberlain approached with what looked like his dad, he walked by within touching distance and my boy took a sharp intake of air then did it,ââ¬ÂALRIGHT TONYââ¬Â he shouted, Alec looked with a grin, his dad looked bemused, I said its Chamberlin not Norman, my boy blushed and looked for a hole to crawl into. Funny how the mind wanders when you drink your coffee.
