Branding and marketing have played a significant part in Sunderland’s return to football’s top table.
‘Til the end’ has proven to be more than just a slogan, it has lived out its true meaning on several occasions, twice in the play-offs and then in both of our home games in the Premier League, with late goals leading to scenes of unbridled joy.
Luke O’Nien referred to it in a recent club video, so it shows that players and fans alike can believe in jointly held beliefs, words and statements.
During
my recent stadium tour, I noticed other motivational words and phrases in the tunnel area. These included ‘Ready to Go’ next to an open mouthed and predatory looking black cat.
It made me realise that not only has Ready to Go, the 1996 hit by Republica, been restored as a staple of matchdays at the SoL, it is being used as part of the club’s new identity.
The song has actually experienced a remarkable comeback at Sunderland. It was initially axed back in 2006 when Niall Quinn, who had just appointed himself as caretaker manager, was desperately seeking ways of motivating his troops before Roy Keane was installed as manager.
From Elevation by U2, to the Futureheads’ Beginning of the Twist and others, it is fair to say that Ready to Go has not been short of competition as the Lads’ run / walk out music over the years. It did make a comeback during the Ellis short era, but looked to have gone for good when Charlie Methvan recklessly ditched both Republica and Prokofiev for the Prodigy and presumably, his own former student club playlist.
But it has returned under the current regime and has been embraced, not only by the players and fans, but by Kyril Louis-Dreyfus and his attentive staff, who are only too aware of the connection the song has between Sunderland and its people.
It’s a timeless, banger of a tune. Those who are old enough will remember it first being used when the SoL first opened back in 1997. For younger supporters, they can either remember times when it was played, or it has been passed down a generation, while it’s always there in footage of old games.
The version used as the teams walk out now is slightly different to how the song was originally deployed. Instead of bursting out into the build up to the chorus, we hear Ready to Go from its opening chords until the end of the first chorus. By design, this encourages the crowd to sing along.
Ready to Go is not just back at Sunderland. It is probably bigger now than it ever has been at the stadium. You hear it in pubs and bars, people have it on their playlists again, and it truly has a motivational role to play.
Well done to Sunderland AFC for bringing it back, for seeing the connection of a song which is a modern club anthem, and for aligning it with the identity and branding of our exciting new era.
I still like to hear the Futureheads and a few other familiar tunes in the build-up to kick off, but Prokofiev and Republica have become as synonymous at the SoL as the theme from Z-Cars was at Roker Park.
Listen to Ready to Go before you set off the game on Sunday and bring the roar as we prepare to take on Aston Villa.
