TheBrownBottle

Exactly. He’s balanced the bewks, too.

The ‘Black Cats’ vote was on Soccer AM. The ‘SOS’ decision was announced to a bemused Mackem public without their say-so - and provoked unhappy responses captured for posterity on ‘Premier Pashuns’. Which they’ll deny now, of course - they always love the ‘SOS’ name, marra

Sky Sports Gold wasn’t worth watching most of the time - but the first ever programme on it was Bobby Charlton’s Football Scrapbook (?) [memory might have programme name wrong] where he watched an old game with a former player. First one was Charlton and Beckenbauer watching the 1966 WC Final. It was like a director’s commentary in a studio. Not sure if it ever made its way to YouTube - I had it on VHS which would have been in a dump somewhere in Northumberland for a couple of decades

RIP Der Kaiser Deschamps must be bricking it atm

Yep, it just doesn’t have any worldwide traction to make it a goer I would think. NZ is the only country where it’s the national sport - and it has a tiny population. Most of the countries that play it have it as a minority sport - here in Australia it barely registers at all; no bugger is interested.

Fucks sake

In that case do the right and proper thing - and try to make Northumberland into a first class cricket county …

Yeah, that was my experience of Sunderland away during that period. I knew lads who didn’t go on the official expedition, but I didn’t fancy joining them. Just couldn’t be arsed with the risk, especially as I would’ve just been getting the Metro back to Newcastle around the same time

I would draw the line in the sand for Jordan Pickford mind. As in I’d have to do it for him, given the poor cunt couldn’t touch his own toes.

And he’s not at a PIF club - so weirdly, our ownership wouldn’t have owt to do with it. Ahem.

Howey’s injury problems are forgotten, unlike Woodgate’s. Howey wins 25 England caps without the fitness issues between 93-97, for me.

I don’t either - though again, an ageing Paul Bracewell came in and did an excellent job for us. There’s scores of Mackems who’ve played well in B&W.

100%. I’d much rather see Phillips in B&W first game in February.

Boyhood fan. I don’t think the same venom existed in the 1930s though. Makes sense for a pit yakker to be a Sunderland fan in the ‘30s rather than Newcastle in all fairness

Yeah, fair enough. It’s more than likely a load of shite tbf

It’s fair enough if you don’t think he’s got owt to offer football-wise. I think we need reinforcements in midfield and if Howe wanted to bring him in I’m ok with that tbh.

Agreed - I’m happy he’s signed on for another year, he’s an excellent player - but a young RCB would be a priority for me. I’d have liked to have seen one last summer tbh.

Have to say, Henderson being a boyhood Sunderland fan hardly disqualifies him from playing for us. The biggest stand at SJP is named after a Sunderland fan who played in B&W. Then there’s Venison, Waddle, Howey, Robson, etc etc. I wouldn’t be adverse to him coming in for six months.

Loved Howey me

Yep, he’s on a par with Rob Lee for me on that

A fully fit Botman gets game time at any club in the PL for me. Schar wouldn’t.

Yep. I am.

A new RCB is what we need in the summer if we hope to progress. Someone with pace, hopefully - we’ve got a particularly slow back line. Schar should be a squad player next year.

Woodgate, Albert, Howey, etc etc just in my time. Schar isn’t even our best centre half at the moment, let alone our best defender

Yeah, this is it like. Getting out of the second division is hardly impossible for a club like Sunderland. The automatics look beyond them this year, but the POs are a lottery, ultimately.