Dear Reader,
I come to you in peace.
You’ll find zero negative vibes here today — and I have little interest in sparking any kind of intra-fanbase beef or even a mild-mannered debate for that matter.
There’ll be no fingers being pointed, blame apportioned, guilt being tripped and absolutely no pontificating whatsoever. My soap box is well and truly collecting dust in the garage, where it shall remain.
To paraphrase Julia Roberts in the otherwise underwhelming romantic comedy Notting Hill…
I am just a man, standing
in front of a fanbase, asking them to buy a ticket for tonight’s Carabao Cup game against Hull City. How will I present my case? In the form of a list, of course. Everybody loves a list, don’t they?
Sunderland are really f***ing good
You’d have to be extraordinarily old or outrageously bold to argue that this current Sunderland team aren’t the best we’ve ever had in terms of quality, and what tonight represents — first and foremost — is an extra opportunity to see them go about their business.
What a treat. It’s absurd to think we’re only guaranteed nineteen occasions a season to enjoy these lads at home so any possibility beyond that should be grabbed with both hands.
Anybody that’s watched a Régis Le Bris press conference will know how fond he is of “connections” and the importance these hold on the pitch. The same is true off the pitch. Supporters never know what’ll spark a lifelong love affair with a particular footballer.
It could be a stonking tackle, a new signing scoring a wonder goal or even something as simple as a nutmeg (I’ll always love you, Patrick Roberts), so get yourself along and let love in.
A chance to witness the start of something
Ok, I admit that talk in the previous section of this being the greatest Sunderland team ever was a tad disingenuous given the strong likelihood of a heavily rotated starting line-up against Hull. But if we might not get to see those lads go about their business, we’ll get to see some other lovely lads go about their business.
We’ve all just spent the last two months watching YouTube compilations and arguing whether we need seventeen left-sided forwards. Tuesday night means we can all stop wondering where and when the new lads will play and actually watch them run out in that incredible home kit for the first time.
It isn’t just about new arrivals. There’s also the possibility of some of the younger lads getting minutes, fringe players with something to prove (I find it difficult to love you, Alan Browne) and somebody perhaps completely unexpectedly making a case to start more important games.
This is your chance to get in on the ground floor, to buy when their stock is low. For anybody who has seen Wolf Of Wall Street, that’s the best time to buy.
The magic of the cup
As Sunderland fans, we’ve certainly been no strangers when it comes to visits to Wembley (or “Stadium of Light South”, to give its full name) over the years.
What each and every one of those runs to Wembley has in common is that they all started from the humblest, most boring (and wettest) of beginnings. From great acorns and all that. It’s very likely you’ll come away from Tuesday evening thinking it was nothing more than a Tuesday evening, but what if we look back one day and it was the start of the greatest Sunderland cup run of them all?
And you could be there.
Yes. Fine…you’ll get a loyalty point!
I’d like to think nobody is still reading here as you’ve all been inspired to negotiate Sunderland’s highly effective and not at all frustrating ticketing platform to buy tickets for yourselves and all your loved ones.
For those who still require a little more convincing, however, I’ve saved an absolute doozy for last.
The club are awarding a loyalty point for those in attendance. Fresh off the back of a seventh-place finish and with a European odyssey ahead of us, the fanbase is naturally bouncing. That means tickets for away games, domestic and abroad, are like gold dust. Buying a ticket for Tuesday night could take you one step closer to FC Schooner away in next year’s Champions League. It would be foolish to miss that chance.
Besides, what else are you going to do on a wet Tuesday night? Watch the National Television Awards? If seeing a bunch of overpaid, over-pampered people lifting trophies is what you’re after then I’ll see you down Legends’ Way on Tuesday night for the start of our journey.
