I have been castigated many times by the same 3 or 4 Sunderland posters on this board for my opinions on the age old debate of black and whites at Sunderland, either players or managers. Now, I'm not about to change my opinion anytime soon despite the abusive nature of the reaction at times and have indeed hardened my thoughts on this matter in recent months rather than softened them. I am oblivious to the abuse fellas so try and be constructive with replies and as for the bellend craas that will not doubt respond to their masters voice, your opinions are dog **** anyway so fire away.
The debate is simple and can be opened up to every single football fan in the world from every club. Would they accept a die hard supporter of your biggest local rivals as a manager or player and would they offer 100% support if that person struggled or erred badly during derby games? Of course we all love success and it breeds success as the saying goes but what about failure? How would that be perceived?
For example, how would Celtic fans take to Ally McCoist being their manager and losing all the local games with Rangers? Liverpool fans with Kevin Ratcliffe as manager being beaten 5-1 at Goodison. Man City or Liverpool fans towards Gary Neville being their manager and losing 5-1 at Old Trafford?
More to the point, how would Mags take to Gary Rowell managing them to a humiliating 5-1 defeat at Roker or the SOL? I'll tell you, they would chase him round the streets and lynch him from the Tyne Bridge. Compare that to the support Bruce STILL received after that hideous result but then ask why was Bruce then later that day spotted drinking with his b&w mates in Ponteland having a right old laugh. At us.
The scenarios are everywhere but we did have that in reality? Bruce was a self confessed mag who came to us and it has to be said was welcomed with open arms and lost all but one derby game and gave us the biggest post war defeat in a derby to boot. This after the team were bombing before and then went on an incredible run right after? When he was sacked he immediately raised the issue of him being a mag as sunderland manager being a factor, not his miserable 12 months results. Coincidence?
Lee Clarke came with a lifetime association with his boyhood heroes and yet again we welcomed him with open arms. He repaid that by getting pissed at Wembley watching his true heroes in a cup final, whilst playing for their biggest local rivals (how insensitive and crass was that by the way on its own) and then happily wore a derogatory t-shirt for photos with his geordie mates, against the very fans that had so openly welcomed him. Coincidence?
Going back even further, what about Lawrie McMenemy? Came to us as the number one manager in the country with a glowing reputation and the most expensive salary in British football at the time. A self confessed Jackie Milburn fanatic and b&w supporter, he was still given an incredible welcome and euphoric support from SAFC fans and yet inside 2 years we were 3rd division bound. Coincidence?
Michael Chopra, the boy who was a fanatic b&w and Alan Shearer worshipper, rejected by his home town club came to us and was AGAIN welcomed open armed by our fans but when push came to shove, in a derby game, he bottled as easy a chance as was possible? Coincidence?
These are not coincidences. They are evidential fact that once a mag always a mag. Once a blue never a red. Once a Green hoop never a bluenose. Just as Ally McCoist could NEVER go 100% in a derby game for Celtic against Rangers and Gary Neville could NEVER give it full on for a win against Man Utd, then none of the mags I mention could ever give us 100% in derby games or for our general success. A leopard can never change its spots and a football fan can never change his allegiances.
There is a big difference between just playing for a club and then being a boyhood fan. Professionals play for a club for money and without the baggage of support. Sure they become attached to a club over time but they can move to a rival without the baggage involved with actual heartfelt support. For instance, Gianfranco Zola could manager any London club without any baggage. I'd have taken Kevin Keegan as manager after the mags because he was never a fan just a manager and actually ran the GNR in a half red & white and half black & white top before he went to the craas as a player. That's fine.
You will have gathered by now that I care very little for the abuse this post will probably receive from some quarters and I wont be altering my stance on this thought one millimetre that mag loving supporters should never again be allowed near our club as players OR managers, as they simply don't work and actually end up having a hugely negative effect imo.
Rival fans/players/managers can never successfully be associated with a rival and the mags have NEVER done it and NEVER would. We have several times in the last 30 yearsand EVERY time have been kicked in the testicles. The one exception is STokoe and before the usual hoss ****e is trolled out, that was nearly 40 years ago and in a completely different era and Bob Stokoe was clever enough not to wear derogatory t-shirts, be seen drinking with his mag mates after a humiliating derby defeat and above all had the dignity and grace to appreciate his position.
The debate is simple and can be opened up to every single football fan in the world from every club. Would they accept a die hard supporter of your biggest local rivals as a manager or player and would they offer 100% support if that person struggled or erred badly during derby games? Of course we all love success and it breeds success as the saying goes but what about failure? How would that be perceived?
For example, how would Celtic fans take to Ally McCoist being their manager and losing all the local games with Rangers? Liverpool fans with Kevin Ratcliffe as manager being beaten 5-1 at Goodison. Man City or Liverpool fans towards Gary Neville being their manager and losing 5-1 at Old Trafford?
More to the point, how would Mags take to Gary Rowell managing them to a humiliating 5-1 defeat at Roker or the SOL? I'll tell you, they would chase him round the streets and lynch him from the Tyne Bridge. Compare that to the support Bruce STILL received after that hideous result but then ask why was Bruce then later that day spotted drinking with his b&w mates in Ponteland having a right old laugh. At us.
The scenarios are everywhere but we did have that in reality? Bruce was a self confessed mag who came to us and it has to be said was welcomed with open arms and lost all but one derby game and gave us the biggest post war defeat in a derby to boot. This after the team were bombing before and then went on an incredible run right after? When he was sacked he immediately raised the issue of him being a mag as sunderland manager being a factor, not his miserable 12 months results. Coincidence?
Lee Clarke came with a lifetime association with his boyhood heroes and yet again we welcomed him with open arms. He repaid that by getting pissed at Wembley watching his true heroes in a cup final, whilst playing for their biggest local rivals (how insensitive and crass was that by the way on its own) and then happily wore a derogatory t-shirt for photos with his geordie mates, against the very fans that had so openly welcomed him. Coincidence?
Going back even further, what about Lawrie McMenemy? Came to us as the number one manager in the country with a glowing reputation and the most expensive salary in British football at the time. A self confessed Jackie Milburn fanatic and b&w supporter, he was still given an incredible welcome and euphoric support from SAFC fans and yet inside 2 years we were 3rd division bound. Coincidence?
Michael Chopra, the boy who was a fanatic b&w and Alan Shearer worshipper, rejected by his home town club came to us and was AGAIN welcomed open armed by our fans but when push came to shove, in a derby game, he bottled as easy a chance as was possible? Coincidence?
These are not coincidences. They are evidential fact that once a mag always a mag. Once a blue never a red. Once a Green hoop never a bluenose. Just as Ally McCoist could NEVER go 100% in a derby game for Celtic against Rangers and Gary Neville could NEVER give it full on for a win against Man Utd, then none of the mags I mention could ever give us 100% in derby games or for our general success. A leopard can never change its spots and a football fan can never change his allegiances.
There is a big difference between just playing for a club and then being a boyhood fan. Professionals play for a club for money and without the baggage of support. Sure they become attached to a club over time but they can move to a rival without the baggage involved with actual heartfelt support. For instance, Gianfranco Zola could manager any London club without any baggage. I'd have taken Kevin Keegan as manager after the mags because he was never a fan just a manager and actually ran the GNR in a half red & white and half black & white top before he went to the craas as a player. That's fine.
You will have gathered by now that I care very little for the abuse this post will probably receive from some quarters and I wont be altering my stance on this thought one millimetre that mag loving supporters should never again be allowed near our club as players OR managers, as they simply don't work and actually end up having a hugely negative effect imo.
Rival fans/players/managers can never successfully be associated with a rival and the mags have NEVER done it and NEVER would. We have several times in the last 30 yearsand EVERY time have been kicked in the testicles. The one exception is STokoe and before the usual hoss ****e is trolled out, that was nearly 40 years ago and in a completely different era and Bob Stokoe was clever enough not to wear derogatory t-shirts, be seen drinking with his mag mates after a humiliating derby defeat and above all had the dignity and grace to appreciate his position.
