I wondered what Sir Bob Murray thought of it all? His beloved Sunderland getting a crowd of just over 40,000 for their return to the Championship after four long years in the third tier of English football.
A crowd that was 6,000 less than neighbours Newcastle United got a day earlier for a friendly, which was our second game in 24 hours at St James’ Park.
Sir Bob said back in the day that there would always be one more seat at the ridiculously named Stadium of Light, than at St James’ Park, but why we will never know. For most of the last 130 years Newcastle United have averaged far higher crowds than the mackems.
After a failure to win their opener after surrendering considerable possession to Mark Robins’ Coventry City, the crowds are now set to dwindle once again on Wearside as reality kicks in about where this mediocre club actually are.
The so-called Sunderland takeover that never really occurred, by a lad still in his short pants, now looks as hollow as Michael Dell’s associates giving the poor beggars a £10Million loan to keep Stewart Donald and suntan Charlie afloat in 2020.
Oh yes, that same Charles ‘Charlie’ Charles who declared that “no-one had heard of Newcastle United darn South” to curry favour with Sunderland’s gullible fanbase back in 2018, when Madrox purchased the club with it’s own money.
No wonder that the mackems spew whenever they reflect on Newcastle’s successful takeover by the mega-rich Saudi PIF.
I popped down into Tynemouth for a couple of pints yesterday but couldn’t be bothered going into the old ‘Stuffed Dog’ (Turks Head).
The manager has been putting the odd mackems games on for about a season now, to appease about five or six long suffering ‘Lads-fans’.
The bar is actually one of my favourites during the week but I had to give it a miss and go to Tynemouth Club instead. I was sitting with the committee when the club secretary Ken asked me at about 2′ o clock how the “germ-carriers” were getting on. After checking Flashscores I replied “Same as usual” …They’re not.”
I know a lot of people wonder why I detest mackems so much. It probably started when I began to serve my apprenticeship in South Shields in the early 1980s and realised how different the Wearsiders in the fab-shop were to the folk that I had been brought up with in North Tyneside.
I made no apologies then and I’m not going to start now. I also know more than any, how much a successful Newcastle United will cripple and destroy every myth that every sad mackem has ever been told about the “Geordies” since the day they were born.
Life is looking up at last for Newcastle United and all the former micky-takers from Wapping to Wearside, have now become Human rights and Amnesty International champions of the highest hypocritical order.
It’s all they have left.
Newcastle United have always been the best supported club in the region.
