As Sunderland fans, we’ve been almost institutionalised over the years into thinking negative thoughts about the club’s and team’s future, or its ability to maintain any semblance of long-term satisfaction – let alone happiness.
I’ve written in these pages before about “doing a Sunderland”. Many other clubs (if not all) can claim to have similar depressing thoughts and feelings. For goodness’ sake, even Arsenal fans were bemoaning that they might never win the Premier League again. Poor them!
But the
huge divergence in emotions that Lads fans have had to endure over the decades would be hard for supporters of other clubs to match or argue against.
There are some things in life, and in sport, that you start to think just won’t happen. Some things are simply not meant to be. These thoughts might not be backed up by statistics or facts – some greater power just seems to be in control – and they just won’t happen. Because some things just aren’t. That’s how life is.
For example:
- Arsenal will never, ever be relegated. Nor will, quite possibly, any of the so-called “top six”.
- You’re never going to win the lottery.
- We will never win the Eurovision Song Contest again.
- Referees will never stamp down on foul throws, or learn exactly how long a yard stride is.
- Preston North End will never get promoted.
- No matter where you move your seat in the football stadium, there will always be some loud-mouthed idiot in your vicinity.
- France will never let us keep the Bayeux Tapestry.
- Greece will never get back the Elgin Marbles.
- Rugby fans will always view footballers as wimps.
- Other people in your family will always squeeze the toothpaste tube from the top.
- Mags fans will always look down on us, even if (just like in Monty Python and the Holy Grail‘s Black Knight scene) they have only their head left lying on the ground, they’ll still be shouting: “You coward! Get back here and I’ll bite your ankle off!”
- Shirt-pulling will never be eradicated from the game.
- 20mph will never not seem like a ridiculously slow speed.
- She will never sleep with you.
- You’ll never publish a novel.
- Your kids will never hang the towel up.
- Youngsters will know the brilliant theatrics of early Genesis or The Sensational Alex Harvey Band.
- There will always be people who think driving in the middle lane of the motorway is careful driving.
- You won’t get to see the Grand Canyon.
- I’ll never get back to a 28-inch waist.
- Children will never again know life without being attached to their mobile phones.
- HS2 will never be finished.
- America will never revoke its gun laws.
- Politicians will never answer a direct question.
- Doctor Who will never be a straight white man again.
- The offside law will never again be straightforward and obvious to everyone.
- South Shields will never get into the top four tiers of the Football League again.
- Unlike Blyth Spartans, who never will. Ever.
- Commentators on TV will never stop shouting, or leave gaps in their talking so we can enjoy passages of play without them stating the bleeding obvious.
But here’s the thing… here’s where humanity fights back against unseen powers, against accepting fate or karma.
- Sunderland won’t get out of League One. WRONG!
- Sunderland will be in the Championship for some time, and certainly will have no chance of winning the play-off final after losing the last five games of the season. WRONG!
- Sunderland will be relegated from the Premier League in their first season back. WRONG!
- The visitors will probably get six points off us. WRONG!
- I’ll never see Sunderland in Europe in my lifetime. WRONG!
- We’ll never get into the Champions League. TO BE REVISED.
- We could never win the Premier League. TO BE REVISED.
“Doing a Sunderland” – if it was ever a thing – is being erased from my vocabulary.
For the first time in decades, I have hope. We have hope that anything is possible with this club – with this group of directors, owners and coaches.
We’ve all heard the phrase, “It’s the hope that’ll kill you.”
Well, maybe now there’s a more positive environment around Wearside. Hope is in the air – and it won’t kill you.
There have been great teams in the past. There have been superb moments in the past. But there has never been the off-field organisation, planning and long-term strategy that seems to be in place now.
We should all enjoy and savour these times.
Because if the foundations are as solid as I think they are – this could be quite a long ride.
Strap yourselves in.
These things can happen.
