In the early hours of Tuesday morning, the news broke that after fifty years of innovation, all-time great live performances and the development of a catalogue of classics that would put most bands to shame, Iron Maiden — for years apparently seen as a poor fit and shamefully overlooked — are to be inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame.
It was an honour that was long overdue and with which few could seriously argue; an example of an iconic institution finally getting its due, and closer to
home, as Sunderland saw off Tottenham to give their European credentials another boost, it was our turn to look to the past as the recipients of placings on the club’s newly- created Legends’ Way were announced at half time during Sunday’s Premier League clash.
Now, before I go any further, I must say that I genuinely believe this is one of the best initiatives the club has pressed forward with for some time.
Perhaps taking our cues from American sports teams that generally commemorate their former players in the grandest manner, it’s a major statement of intent as we continue to establish ourselves in the top flight — and a superb way of remembering those on whose hard work and sacrifices the club was ultimately built.
Once it’s all in place, complete with new signage, fan-created stones and a statue of Jimmy Montgomery, there’s no doubt it’ll look superb and will make for an experience to be enjoyed by both home and away fans during their trips to the Stadium of Light, but in the meantime, I think there’s cause to look more closely at the former club figures who made this particular cut, as well as those that didn’t.
Ostensibly the result of a public vote after a heavily-hyped PR campaign, some of the names announced at half time on Sunday were rightly beyond criticism.
From the mid-twentieth century, title-winning skipper Raich Carter, ‘The Clown Prince of Soccer’ Len Shackleton and Irish powerhouse Charlie Hurley were absolute musts.
From more recent times, Gary Rowell, Kevin Phillips, Kevin Ball and Niall Quinn felt like natural fits too. Hugely influential figures, terrace heroes and players about whom stories, timeless moments and ‘I was there’ anecdotes will be shared for years to come.
However, as well-intentioned as this idea may be and for whatever reasons the votes were cast, I found the inclusions of Bob Murray, Jermain Defoe and Jill Scott in particular utterly baffling, and the absence of the likes of Bobby Gurney, Dave Halliday and Charlie Buchan — among others — equally perplexing.
Of course, the word ‘legend’ (a word which, strictly speaking, should be used to define something or someone whose existence has neither been confirmed nor debunked — the Lambton Worm, Jayden Danns’ spell as a Sunderland player, and so on) has always been hazardous when used in this context.
Its usage is a guaranteed way of stirring up debate or of getting people’s backs up if you suggest that a certain figure should be classed as one, but this really does feel more cut and dried, particularly when you consider that this monument will sit outside our stadium for all time and will play a key role in a love of Sunderland enduring throughout the generations.
To my mind, it feels as though they’ve played fast and loose with the criteria for inclusion when in reality, the list of figures associated with Sunderland AFC that truly belong in that category is very, very short — perhaps twenty or twenty five in either a playing or non-playing capacity.
Was Murray — no doubt a hugely influential figure in our history and someone whose impact at the club should rightly be acknowledged — not honoured to a sufficient degree when the Murray Gates were unveiled back in 1999?
Furthermore, if you stress-test this theory, does Defoe truly fit into the ‘legendary’ category when placed alongside his fellow nominees or those that missed out, and does Scott’s legacy in football encompass her career beyond Wearside to a greater degree than it does in a red and white shirt? Questions worth asking, in my view.
To put it bluntly, Sunderland’s Legends’ Way can never boast total and utter credibility while such iconic figures are overlooked, and I think this would apply to any football club, anywhere in the world.
Like any hall of fame or similar concept, there needs to be a number of figures in place for whom a counter-argument to their inclusion can’t really be made. That’s how you show that it’s a very, very serious idea and something that’ll be expanded upon and treasured instead of a flash-in-the-pan idea designed to keep people happy for a while.
I’m not entirely convinced that’s the case here, particularly when our three all-time leading scorers didn’t make the cut and someone who made less than fifty appearances for Sunderland did. That’s not right. Sorry, but it just isn’t.
On the other hand, perhaps this is just the start. Maybe one day, the club will run another poll in order to give more Sunderland greats a chance to be added to this roll of honour and we’ll see figures of appropriate status, including supposed forgotten greats like Jimmy Thorpe, George Holley, Stan Anderson and Ned Doig given their laurels.
I really hope it happens. For various reasons, it needs to.
