time to nut up and move on

i come from an odd family where we are divided into supporting two teams. Newcastle and Sunderland. I, ofcourse support the latter where as my daft brother supports Newcastle. The reason behind this mini rivalry stems from my grandparents who were Newcastle and Sunderland season ticket holders respectively. My brother and I often go back and forth with insults and football banter but I must admit at the end of the day it's all in good fun.

However he said something to me that really struck home a couple of days back and I thought I would share it with the boys. He, like me, is an avid Not606 reader and he said he came on to the Sunderland board not too long ago and was shocked at negativity and general pessimism. He said, 'you know, sunderland fans just have to accept the situation, which isn't that bad to begin with, and get behind their team. It's as simple as that, the players feed off of the fans and the fans have to be the catalyst that gets the team back in good form.'

I sat back and thought about it for a sec and couldn't help but agree with him. To be honest I have been quite sick of the Bib's and Bob's debate, it seems to be all we talk about nowadays. We have to keep in mind that as important as the manager is, the players on the pitch, all eleven of them are just important. And we as fans are meant to be that 12th man edging the boys on, instead of making the stadium as tense as a pressure cooker. We have a good board, good players and a great fan base. lets make the most of each of those things and hope for the best when the weekend comes along instead of going just assuming we're going to cock it up.

after our conversation he also left me with a photo, which i found funny. you have to take it with a pinch of salt but....

titus bramble, i'm sorry but 1 MAYBE 2 sexual assault charges can be coincidence or just pure bad luck but the boy has been charged one too many times. he's as innocent as lee cattermole on the pitch i reckon...

i leave you boys with this, let us know if you think i'm just a daft prick as well or that you agree with me. can't wait for arsenal, always have a sneaky feeling against 'big teams'.

 

Well if you read these boards as you say, then you will know that we sing from the same hymn book...It's one thing arguing among ourselves on sites such as this, but come match days we should be united in our support for the full 90 minutes of play.

 

I know what you mean about all of that but MrRAW is spot on, I'm a BiB and Sunderpit is a Bob but every game starts with us shaking hands and cheering the boys on, we simply become Sunderland fans, until full time.

 

Complete load of twoddle...

Man United don't win the league every other year because of their fans, they win the league because they have a brilliant manager who is capable of blending around 5 new signings every season year in year out, building upon a constant core framework of very high quality players.

The 3 teams that are relegated each and every season are not relegated due to their fans, they are relegated because the club (owner/s, manager, coaching and playing staff) have been unable to create a team capable of competing at the level required to survive.

7,000-8,000 fans of SAFC have already voted with thier feet and the season is only 20% complete. The fans have decided that they have seen enough of the product that SAFC are providing and have chose to walk away until such time the decision makers at the club do something to address the situation with which the fans are no longer prepaired to pay money to see. The utter garbage that has been churned out since January has finally began to take its inevitable toll upon demand.

 

That I'm afraid is a sad reflection on Sunderland fans..

 

I'd say it is a sad reflection upon the clubs determination to provide the fans with a product that they are willing to embrace in todays economic climate where many of the stakeholders have to make very basic choices about where to invest thier minimum wage.

Unfortunately Steve Bruce isn't providing the level of inspiration that is needed to encourage those hard working class supporters to visit the stadium...

We can all sit in denial and its a very easy game to accuse the supporters of not being 'true supporters'... Perhaps its those 'untrue supporters' who have had enough who will be the catalyst for a positive change which could bring about the conditions we would all prefer to embrace?

 

I have absolutly no doubt about your support, opinion or hopes but what gets backs up are the highlighted words and the fact that you decide I am in denial and know what I want.

Because I chose to continue attending games does not make me in denial and I would prefer better esults and performances but I have been embracing Sunderland through good and bad, maily bad for years.

I honsely think we are in the best place we have been for years with Short coming in to the chairmans role and Quinn still on board and every home game I will continue to support them. Bruce will be down to Short not me.

 

On the contrary, I think Short will be influenced by the fans if they no longer turn up to watch the drivel that is being served and has been since January. Not to mention the worst result against Newcastle in generations, another defeat on home soil to our neighbours this season, yet another 3rd round exit from the cup at the hands of club from a team in a division below, granted not at the hands of a club 2 divisions below this season so I guess that can be considered as progress I suppose.

I'm not accusing you of being in denial. I'm stating that the general mindset of the fans who merely tow the party line because Sir Niall has spoken, those fans who know in thier heart of hearts that Bruce provides little or no inspiration whatsoever who often have a tendancy to talk down (not yourself) or accuse those of us who refuse to be molly-coddled into accepting a death march towards relegation, because that is precisley what is occuring at the club.

Cestria's recent post upon another thread describing his experiences of having seen and felt the vibrations of previous relegations perfectly summarised the events that are currently unfolding, once again.

We shall see, as ever.

A perfectly happy individual and an utterly demoralised fan of SAFC.

 

With the new financial rules coming into play stayaway fans are costing the club more than ever. If there's 10,000 fans missing each home game the club is never going to get to the level they want it to be so staying away is counter productive. If it can be afforded when we are winning it can be afforded otherwise. Love for the club itself is unconditional and if you want the club to move forward you have to support it by going to games if you can.

 

seems I am not the only one then with a brother who is a mag.

 

I keep turning up but fully understand why others dont, maybe its apaphy, routine, a good fan or just plain daft.

I enjoy my match days but TBH dont enjoy them like I used to, my problem is I feel the cold more, dont drink because I drive, find the sitting around before the game is becoming harder and getting home a pain in the arse. Its all of these that will affect my long term attendance not the quality of the product because the product, to me, is far more that the game, its the full SAFC experience.

 

Product? Jesus, that is a word that I have never associated with being a Sunderland supporter...It is my team, and I support them unconditionally..Bloody product..What is happening to our society...

 

Another good thread and sensible debate.
I'm 65 and have been a Sunderland supporter for 59 of those. Unable to get to games due to cost, practicalities, and geography, but when I am in UK I always try to get to the SOL.
I've had very mixed fortunes recently, usually a defeat or draw, with the odd win. If we get beat, and didn't play well - depression, beat but played really well - frustration. when we win, it is elation. I always feel the pain of a defeat whether I am there or not. but will always support and will always go to the match where possible.
The OP was very correct, the lads that can get to the match and support the team, are the 12th man, encouraging the team on. I know it's not easy, but if it was easy you wanted you should have supported manure or chelski.

 

I suggest a more accurate question would be; "What is happening to our club"

Steve Bruce has made me view the club as a 'product' because he has stripped 95% of the passion I've had for the last 30 years right out from within my matchday heart.

The list of reasons is very long...

Bruce chose to sack a professional who highlighted the reason why we were having so many injuries and the injuries continued. (I have no association with that person and it must also be noted that injuries have followed Bruces squads throughout his managerial career).

We have been eliminated from cup competions without so much of a wimper by clubs who reside in lower divisions, for which we didn't even make an attempt to play a striker this season. Bruce signed two stikers for £10 million and wouldn't even play them... (Players for the future we keep being told... erm what about now? What about relegation?)

The patronising post match comments that Bruce endeavors to bestow upon fans of SAFC, comments that are actually directed towards the fans.

His tactics are non-existent.

His man management skills are clearly non-existent either (in the mould of Peter Reids final days) You only have to look at why players like Bent, Gyan, Mensah and Zenden have all thrown their dummy out at some point... Perhaps all of them are the problem? Perhaps they can see something that Bruce cannot see? Cattermole throwing his armband on the floor, Sessegnon coming to the touchline to tell Bruce the tactics wern't working. Malbranque going to print stating that he no longer enjoyed his football under Bruce after he left.

Perhaps the most baffling insight into the 'skills' of Bruce was his persistant attempt to sign Peter Crouch... The same Peter Crouch who turned the club down on a previous attempt to recruit his services and a player who made it abundantly clear that he DIDN'T wish to sign for SAFC... If Bruce is unable to see that a player with heart and passion aswell as ability is what is required and he is prepaired to chase a 'professional' irrespective of that persons willingness to embrace the ethos of SAFC, how the hell can you or the club expect the fans to remain passionate about a team that is built upon players who lack passion themselves... Bruce, if he had his own way, would have spent £10 million on bringing a player to the club who DIDN'T even want to come...

I could continue, but... I have better things to do today for which I'm sure you are only to pleased.

 

Clockstand, you come across as the quintessential fair weather fan. Encouraging fellow supporters that taking a stance against the regime and specifically the manager, is going to help, is ludicrous.

You don't want to pay to watch your team play shoddy-football and pick up yet another demoralising defeat, fair enough but don't bandy your opinions around as if you have a tried and tested method of solving the issue. Avoiding match days is generally going to be detrimental to your football club, no matter who you support, and let me elaborate:

Do you think if the Anfield faithful had left at half time back in 2005 that Liverpool would have went on to come back against the odds and with the ECL trophy? Let's assume you're going to answer that one "No", so why would avoiding match days convince Ellis Short to sack Bruce and if he did sack him and let's say replaced him with the inevitable Martin O'Neill, how long would it take to get The SoL packed to the rafters again? Would the attendances increase as a direct result of how many points O'Neill picked up? No, bullshit. Sunderland were 5th, 6th, 7th last season and you didn't pull in one single capacity attendance aside from the Derby.

Blackpool got relegated by my team on the last day of the season, and they nearly pulled off the result they needed at Old Trafford to stay up. Do you believe those players and manager could have done all that they did last season without the supporters on their side? They'd have nosedived out of the 'ship like Newcastle 2008.

Maybe you should take a minute to realise that if you, and people like you generated an extra 4-5,000 in the stadium on a match day, it would give your boys a lift that no manager, no staff member, no chairman, no player in the world can do on his own, and maybe there's a chance the belief will filter on to that pitch.

 

Bollox.

Come and watch a side managed by Steve Bruce and then you will understand why our crowd is down by 8,000 fans this season.

 

But here in lies the problem mate, these are your views and respected views but not everyones. We all see things in different ways and I dont understand what is so hard in just accepting that.

I see a passionate committed man in Bruce who does have the support and respect of the players, is he up to the job, maybe not but I have no doubt he puts his all into the job.

The point however is we could, and have, argued and debated this none stop but Short will decide, until he says Bruce is no longer our manager I willsupport him, I do however respect your right not to.

 

I feel that you are just one of those supporters who will always look for what is wrong rather than what is and could be right..
I'm certainly not blind to the fact that Bruce has made mistakes. However, I also feel that has made some excellent signings, and it is just a case of getting the selection, tactics and performance right. The fans can't influence the first two of these, but they sure can help with the third one...For me, you describing SAFC as a product is something which I find totally alien to how I feel about my club..

 

Why do i sense a BiB v BoB thread,

 

Perhaps it may be due to the fact that Bruce is still the manager? Just a thought, like.