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Dear Roker Report,
If ever I needed reminding of why I have always disliked all things NUFC, Anthony Gordon has done just that.
The arrogance of the man is breathtaking. Who the hell does he think he is? Some sort of superstar?
So after beating his team home and away and going above them in the league, Sunderland are “not a good team who Newcastle should be beating easily”. Gordon joins a long list of NUFC preening peacocks who think it is their divine right to be successful. Malcolm MacDonald, Craig Bellamy, Shearer,
the truly awful Guimarães are among others who think they can walk on water.
They all have one thing in common with Gordon: they think they are better than they actually are.
Gerald Kearney
Ed’s Note [Gav]: Where does their arrogance come from?
Honestly, if this was a club who had spent the last thirty years at the very top of the tree I’d understand it, but their success has been one cup win and a handful of Champions League qualifications. Yes, that’s commendable, but it’s no different to what many other clubs have achieved over the same period, yet not many of those other clubs are as arrogant as the mags are.
Maybe if they were more honest with themselves about who and what they are they’d stand a better chance of actually beating Sunderland. They don’t see us as their equals and that is incredibly foolish.
Dear Roker Report,
Wow, has it ever felt better? Okay, we rode our luck in the first half, but we fully deserved the points overall.
The manager is a tactical genius. He stands back and studies everything without allowing the obvious emotions to take over. Could he seriously be the best we have ever had? Just look at his achievements! He is huge on “connection/connected” and he has moulded a team that will fight and go until the last second of a match, and all the while, he is dignified, in control and so patient.
We had great teams under Reidy, but those teams were built mainly on physicality. We certainly have some of that with big Dan and Trai, but we also move the ball about sweetly and Xhaka threads through balls into areas where immense damage can be done.
I believe we are gearing up into something special. You hear RLB talk, and he indicates this is only the start. This genuinely could be the time we truly wake up and become an integral part of the Premier League.
RLB is no mug. He will know our playing style will be sussed for next season and he will look at forging new dimensions into our play. The greatest ever manager is a huge accolade, but his achievements in such a short space of time have been remarkable.
The important thing is that just like Xhaka, he “gets us.” He knows what we are about, and he is fully aware that any player who leaves his blood and sweat on that pitch will be adored by us. This guy could be our Wenger.
I don’t even think the lure of so-called “big teams” will rattle him. After all, let’s be honest, if this place actually begins to deliver silverware, we will absolutely be among the top clubs in the league. They will have to expand the SoL without a doubt.
Don’t wake me up. I am loving this dream.
Peter Milton
Ed’s Note [Gav]: I’m glad that Le Bris is getting credit, given it was only a few weeks ago that people were saying some pretty ridiculous stuff about the team’s direction under him. He’s an absolute genius, and he always seems to get it right in big games. Yesterday was no different. His counterpart in the other dugout, however, ran out of ideas and whilst I rate Howe, he’s not on the same level tactically as Reggie.
Dear Roker Report,
Just wanted to start off by saying I never ever thought we’d ever win a derby again, so to do the double is extremely special, especially with the injuries yesterday and the start we made, but something that makes it more enjoyable for me, on top of everything else, is just how gutted the north-east journalists that cover both clubs were. Mark Douglas, Luke Edwards, Keith Downie hardly mentioned us at all this week in articles, in tweets, even yesterday, it was all how Newcastle did this, Newcastle did that, Eddie Howe this, Eddie Howe that. Craig Hope never talks about us, but tweets a story and an article the night before about us potentially losing one of our bright youngsters. Their pathetic love-in for Newcastle and their lack of coverage for us just adds a bit more sweetness to it all.
Adam Rossiter
Ed’s Note [Gav]: I can’t say that I sought out the views of all the guys mentioned above before the game so I can’t comment on that, but I know from speaking to Mark Douglas and Keith Downie this season on the Podcast that they’re very fair about Sunderland, but until recently all of the national media have focused more on Newcastle because that’s what they’re told to do. It’ll probably take a few more years for the media to get properly caught up on Sunderland, and it would be nice to have more writers and TV presenters who mainly focus on us, but I don’t mind if all the attention goes on Newcastle, really! Let them have it.
