Now I am confused by some of the statements on here. Particularly the ones where over one thousand of our fans will turn up at the station together when there are free buses from the SoL. If it is accurate then it sounds pre-planned to the extent that it is meant to antagonise and organised to attract the locals - so what is the point other than to be seen as provoking unnecessary mayhem? Something the club is not known for, or is it a few people got a lot of kids together. Either way not good for the club's image or the intellect of the organisers. If it does happen our image will be severely damaged but the numpties will have had a good time I suppose.
If you have ever been on the free buses then you would know that they are a pain in the arse..You have to be on them many hours before the game and you end up being stuck in the ground about 2 hours before kick off. The metro is far more convenient for a lot of people..
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That's because you're taking a simplistic view of a complicated situation. Your post refers to one side simply as 'the locals' whereas the other side are antagonistic, club-damaging numpties. The 'locals' don't need 'attracting' or 'antagonising' do they, they're capable of smashing up their own town even when they lose away from home. There wasn't a Sunderland supporter in sight when they were setting fires, attacking police & punching a horse. Every time Sunderland are in town the streets are lined with Newcastle supporters and assorted scumbags looking for trouble. I've done the march regularly from CS to SJP and there are thousands of them, not just the 'handful of idiots' that's always claimed. The free buses are time consuming and leave only from the SOL. Many people, like myself, live many miles from there. Some will be travelling from the south etc and using public transport.2 lads I know are arriving by train from Carlisle. Some people may well have enough time off work, or other commitments, to be able to go to the game but not enough to spend hours on buses and hours in the ground before and after the game. Many Sunderland supporters live in Gateshead, South Shields etc, should they have to make their way to Sunderland before the game and home afterwards? I'll be driving 150 miles, on the Sunday morning, and straight back for a Kate Rusby concert, in Nottingham, at 7pm. Is my presence provocative, do the police not have a duty to care for us, should my intellect be questioned by you? If the police appear unwilling to provide a reasonable level of 'protection' then it's inevitable that people will stick together isn't it? While I'm on I'll just answer another question that has been posed on here. Various mentions have been made of why people have moaned about the police escort and are now moaning that there isn't one. It's simply because the away following isn't one entity with exactly the same opinions, needs & expectations. Some believe they don't need an escort because they think 'only those who attract trouble will get it'. I suspect they'll find that isn't the case if they have no police protection and no significant Sunderland presence. Any group of 20 or 30 totally innocent Sunderland supporters will be a target for the pissed up, drugged up Newcastle charvers, they don't discriminate. They were throwing bricks & bottles as the convoy, last year, totally ignoring the old people & kids who were very scared. Other people, like myself, have found the escort to be ineffective and risky, sometimes a case of the police allowing the left hand side to be totally exposed to attack. During the march to the ground, for the 5-1 as an example, we were attacked half a dozen times. The police allowed the Sunderland lads to chase them off ........ surprise, surprise, that's where the police video cameras were. I took the precaution of speaking to a sergeant and filming each attack in case I had to become involved and subsequently arrested. Whatever the case, your mention of over 1000 arriving at CS is based on a few internet posts. In reality none of us know what will happen but I'm sure that the police, monitoring forums like this, will realise that this 'friendly banter due to the MH17 situation', is nothing more than a utopian fantasy. Northumbria Police chief superintendent Steve Neil is doing a 'Steve Bruce' and employing risky tactics, playing people out of position' & keeping his fingers crossed. One of the biggest riots in the history of football occurred in Newcastle when Sunderland came to town. Police were attacked, one of the stands severely damaged and set on fire, the fighting went on until midnight. The game was abandoned. That was in 1901 and the rivalry started even before football began. It would be a wonderful world if all the rivalry & hatred could be wiped away by a bit of fundraising & a banner. But anyone who believes that's the case is either living away from the area, in confinement or on a little fluffy cloud. There will be trouble whether there's a convoy, no convoy, whether the Mags win or lose and whether the Sunderland people are provocative or not ....... they just can't help themselves.
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My points were simple, the arrival of our fans to congregate at the central station could have been organised, presumably over facebook or other sites which to me is disturbing. I am well aware of the topography of the city and the route to the ground and had I been going I would have taken my chosen route. My original post also contained the statement that we would be travelling from elsewhere other than the SoL so I am neither naive or uninformed. I just hope it is not a bunch of kids who are being encouraged by older people who should know better, thus leading to something that neither the club nor decent supporters need.
Away Allocation is up to 15%. You've been to the Etihad and the Emirates. Might want to wait till everyone has been everywhere before you gloat marra Got nowt to do with getting behind your team either. So in theory the team who sells out going to Old Trafford and doesn't even get behind their team could still top that list with a big penalty appeal or reaction to a dirty foul. Enjoy your little victory there though Somb. Even if it is extremely insignificant.
I have to disagree..For me the Man U away support is far too orchestrated and the singing is predominantly in a parrot fashion monotone...
Tickets for that game are only available to dedicated supporters with a good attendance record. Bunches of kids, numpties & anyone unconcerned about the club's image are unlikely to get their hands on any are they?
Do you have any evidence whatsoever that anyone from Sunderland will travel to Newcastle without tickets to cause trouble? The answer is no. Will there be Newcastle people there simply to cause trouble? The answer is yes, as has been admitted by Newcastle supporters many times and was evident last season. Yet you seem intent on condemning Sunderland people before anything has actually happened. Who is this bunch of kids you're so concerned about and what evidence do you have for their existence?
i happen to know of a squad that is going through without tickets unfortunately, hell bent on having a bit frisk, i was invited, along with my mates last home game and happily declined, again its a bunch of late teens with a few olders who just cant let go, wannabee bexies
