…and don’t forget the new film studios that will be getting built on the Riverside. I can see Sunderland really taking off in the next 5-10 years and it would be fantastic to see the club progressing alongside that! Who knows, we may have some Hollywood A listers investing in our beloved club in n the not too distant future!
I'm not from Sunderland and only really have the team to take me there ... ... but I've grown to love the place despite it's faults. Sunderland was battered into a shape by the harbour, pit, shipyards and other industry. When the rich had all they needed they just walked away, like travellers, and left the locals with a big mess to clean up. It's taken a while for it to recover but it's miles better than many equivalent towns and cities. I think that has a lot to do with the spirit, humour and durability of the people personally ... ... they deserve better, and better seems to be coming.
Not having a go at you mate as I've seen a lot of people say the same thing about we needed to get more for Clarke due to the sell-on. I just don't understand it, personally. A player is worth £x amount to the buying club, how that cash gets divvied up is irrelevant to them. Teams aren't gonna pay us £25m for a £20m player just because we owe Spurs some money. I find it really baffling that some people expected that to be the case
This. It's funny how we fall on opposite sides when talking about how the fanbase should take our recent form, but agree on things like this. For me, I see the fanbase as something almost impossible to influence, it is by its nature unruly, quick to fly off the handle and lives permanent in a binary of agony or ecstasy. I feel that you, wish that they would remake themselves, be better, become able to enjoy the fruits without overreacting when the inevitable comes.
Not really that to be honest. I think the vast majority of supporters are quite reasonable and take the rough with the smooth. There's a small, but very noisy and relentless, minority who seem to become hysterical when things aren't done as they wish. Even the most positive supporters, who want to look on the bright side, don't go to the same level of extremes. Whatever the case it's the negative supporters who reflect badly on the club in my opinion.
The problem is the noisy lot make all the noise, if you're a supporter that is generally content you have nothing specific to shout about, so that void is almost always filled by the terminally negative. Even when things are going great, as they are right now, the noise is limited because people are just enjoying it, if we hit a bad patch you know the moaners will all come out again.
There the odd one at games that love a moan, I've mentioned the lad that sits near me and if everyone isn't a mix of Ronaldo, Messi, Maldini, Pele and best he will moan loudly. Misplaced passes are his particular favourite or not hitting 80 diagonal balls to feet
Me and my dad had STs back in the day and the bloke sat behind me absolutely hated Jordan Henderson, like really hated him, criticised him all game every game, some really foul stuff. One game Hendo had a stormer, scored two, think it was Wigan but I might be wrong, he sat cross armed all game and said nowt. What a massive twat. Why do that to yourself?
I have to be honest I have a particular way of looking at things. I'm often not generally content but I've learned that shouting about where the club are failing, in my opinion, doesn't generally help. The Mags tried everything they could, for a decade under Ashley, and he did exactly what he wanted, spent what he wanted and sold the club when he wanted. Perhaps naïvely I believe we all have a duty to those around us so went to Portsmouth in good cheer, sang my head off and was good company for the lads I met up with. They were the same. I'm sure everyone has their own personal worries, I certainly do, but the match is the match and a time to forget your troubles, not exaggerate them.
Interesting. I think fundamentally I'm a realist, I understand that if you roll the dice you can roll a 1 or a 6 (or anything in between), and having that repeat in your mind during all circumstances, enables you to remain grounded even when the team is flying.
It makes you wonder, this lad has no off switch, the only player I haven't heard him moan about was Pritchard, he could do no wrong
The way folk were about Pritch got right on my tits. The Sunderland fans ‘Barry Bannan’. One good game in 5 and you’d think he was the reincarnation of Pele. Same people slated Kenwyne, Sess and Richardson. Players who were actual players.
Agree mate, if Pritchard had stood in the centre circle with his cock out and helicoptered the crowd this bloke would have stood and applauded
Had a similar thing with a lad who refused to celebrate Maja scoring. Had a thing for loving players who ran around like headless chickens because they were 'trying'.
Don't think I've ever booed one of our lads, I'd rather shut up when those sorts of things happen, my dad is the same, only time I ever saw him lose his head at a match was when I was a bairn, in the last season at Roker Park, some match towards the end of the season, late in the game, Gareth Hall tried to play a ball up the line and it glided out for a throw-in, my dad couldn't take it, must have been the 10th time he done it that game.
I remember Lee Johnson talking about how some players were overawed by playing for Sunderland and the scrutiny involved, he never gave a name but I'm fairly sure he was referring to former Alfreton and Guiseley defender, Callum McFadzean, who refused to renew his contract in the summer of 2021, even though he was offered improved terms.
To be fair, that would have been the most entertaining thing that happened last season, so I might have cheered it as well...
