This was brilliant, they took it so seriouslyThese 2 can't stop messing about at times
You must log in or register to see media
Off the field operations
- Thread starter Oliver's Army
- Start date
-
Please bear with us on the new site integration and fixing any known bugs over the coming days. If you can not log in please try resetting your password and check your spam box. If you have tried these steps and are still struggling email [email protected] with your username/registered email address
-
You must log in or register to see media
For Tom Perez and his daughter, that connection is not only about football, but about love, loss, and honouring the memory of someone who would have wanted them to live life to the fullest, Tom’s sister, Liz, whose spirit was felt in every step of their journey to the Stadium of Light.
There are football clubs you choose, and then there are the ones that choose you.
For Tom Perez, his journey with Sunderland began thousands of miles away in the United States, sparked by something as simple, and as powerful, as a child’s gift.
“When my daughter was in kindergarten,” Tom recalls, “one of the coaches worked for Ellis Short and brought Sunderland kits back for all the girls.”
It was a small gesture, but it lit a spark. Tom didn’t yet have a team. His family loved football, his daughter played the game, and Sunderland unexpectedly became their club.
Through every chapter, from the Premier League to League One, he stayed loyal. He listened to commentary subscriptions, followed every match he could, and built a bond with a club he had never physically seen.
His daughter, meanwhile, grew up alongside that journey.
“I think I was five when I got the shirt,” she says. “Now I’m 22, almost 23.”
At first, it was just a kit. But as weekends filled with matches and her own football developed, Sunderland became something more.
“I was a defender, so I loved watching that side of the game, the hard work, the players behind the scenes. It just stuck.”
For 15 years, the idea of visiting Wearside lived in Tom’s imagination, walking into the Stadium of Light, hearing the roar, and being part of it all.
This year, that dream finally became reality.
It's not long since a Sunderland manager preferred to choose Stoke City over staying here ...
... where are Stoke and that fella now
I remember at the time when the rumours first circulated online even Stoke fans were saying got to be lies as why would he leave just after promotion!
Only thing that was said at the time is he wanted full control over transfers etc... any idea if he was any good at it?
At the time bet there was plenty who would have allowed him to do that here to keep him aswell!
There were, and they lashed out blaming Speakman for him leaving.
Speakman should stop picking the team and let him sign his own players!
On the Speakman picks the team stuff, always found Tony Mowbray said some odd stuff near the end about being told.to play certain players.
Neil - Stoke are more ambishous
stoke will get to the PL before SAFC,
stoke will get to the PL before SAFC,
It always narks me that we never got to beat snake after he left. We only played Stole twice when he was in charge and they won both games and he was sacked before we next played them. But at least we beat Millwall last year when he was in charge.
Surprised they have chosen that font mind, can't really read it
They did. I probably did myself!
But in hindsight he wasn't cut out for the job set out. Bringing young players through at the same time as building a team to get up.
That's a tall order, and for a bloke who signed a 36 year old midfielder in January, a job he wouldn't have managed.
Overall, it just shows you that fans should never have any say!
One of quite a few lows in the last 9 or 10 years.
It has been character building being a Sunderland fan, but boy was the renaissance worth waiting for.
I know. I was there. I really thought we'd give them a hiding that day, I never expected that to happen.
Well done to the club
You must log in or register to see media
You must log in or register to see media
You must log in or register to see media
You must log in or register to see media
While the Edward Thompson building's there when you walk across the footbridge all you're able to see is "Welcome to Su".
Is someone in our hierarchy in the middle of a divorce or something?
Great news....BUT
We first need to get it right on the ticketing front, its not rocket science, stop pissing people off with ridiculous decisions that only someone incredibly thick or had zero experience in customer service would do & make sure we (the club) stay loyal to the supporters who have given the same back during our darkest days.....& That is NOT rewarding loyalty, its minimum respect to those who have stood strong through thick & thin