Colin Randall

It is not often that a football supporter, even one who writes for a living, is given the best part of a page in a national newspaper to rattle on about his team. But I was convinced such an article would be of interest to people in Ireland, so sent off e-mails to the Irish Examiner (which is always associated with Roy Keane’s home territory of Cork), Irish Times and – because of the handy coincidence of a Sunday game to decide the championship – the Irish Mail on Sunday.

If no one had responded from any of those papers, I would have kept trying until I was down to the smallest, most parochial weekly rag in the land. That’s on top of approaches to radio stations, which led to a brief appearance on BBC Radio Ulster, where I naturally took care to mention Jonny Evans.

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From THIS

Coca-Cola Football League Championship

Aug 28 2006
Team P W D L F A GD PTS
23 Sunderland 5 1 0 4 6 9 -3 3
24 Hull City (21) 5 0 1 4 3 8 -5 1

To THIS

May 6 2007

Team P W D L F A W D L F A GD PTS
1 Sunderland 46 15 4 4 38 18 12 3 8 38 29 29 88
2 Birmingham 46 15 5 3 37 18 11 3 9 30 24 25 86
——————————————————————————–
3 Derby 46 13 6 4 33 19 12 3 8 29 27 16 84
4 West Brom 46 14 4 5 51 24 8 6 9 30 31 26 76
5 Wolverhampton 46 12 5 6 33 28 10 5 8 26 28 3 76
6 Southampton 46 13 6 4 36 20 8 6 9 41 33 24 75
——————————————————————————–
7 Preston 46 15 4 4 38 17 7 4 12 26 36 11 74 *

Immediately preceded (August 27) by this thoughtful article about Roy Keane’s slim chances of success:
KEANE MIGHT NOT HAVE WHAT IT TAKES

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Eighty yards out? A hundred. Back somewhere on the banks of the Wear? You be the judge.

And while reflecting on the differing talents of Carlos Edwards and Simon Crabtree, consider also what a rare thing it is for us Sunderland fans, a nothing to lose last weekend of the season

Of course the championship is still to play for. It’s not in our hands so we must just go out and do the required job against Luton, a side already relegated.

If we do that and Birmingham falter, then we go up with the title, and that would be great.

Just forgive me for not thinking that to be promoted as champions has always been a such a fantastic thing for us. Provided we play well tomorrow, and give the travelling fans the party they deserve, I’ll be perfectly relaxed about finishing second.

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By Martin Emmerson of BBC Radio Newcastle*

Here are our promotions in full – given that we had never needed one before our first relegation from the top flight in 1958

1963-64 Promoted under Alan Brown who then left that summer to join Sheffield Wednesday.

1975-76 Went up under Bob Stokoe as champions after six seasons down.

1979-80 Up under Ken Knighton. Unbeaten in last 14 games.

1987-88 Up from Third Division under Denis Smith after one year down – as champions.

1989-90 Went up under Smith again after losing play-off final to Swindon, who were denied promotion for financial irregularities.

1995-96 Up under Peter Reid for the first time – as champions!

1998-99 Reidy again – as champions – with a record 105 points – two seasons after relegation.

2004-05 Up under Mick McCarthy as champions two season after relegation.

2006-07 Up already, and can they finish as champions yet again? All to be decided on Sunday: Sunderland away to relegated Luton, Birmingham at Preston, who need a win for the play-offs.

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There has always been a place in my heart for Liverpool. Even when Gary McAllister stole that penalty, by launching himself into a dive from what seemed closer to the halfway line than to our penalty box, my affection for his then club survived.

Do not misunderstand me. There is no room for a second club in my life. Despite living in France, where such things are supposed to happen, I would never take a mistress; supporting anyone other than Sunderland, however slightly, would seem similarly disloyal.

So it’s a liking, not proper support.

I could say it was a reflection of my failure as a father – my younger daughter, Nathalie, herself a highly useful player, has been a Liverpool fan since she fell in love with John Barnes – but that wouldn’t be true; I have felt as I do since boyhood.

In any game that does not involve or affect us, I am happy to see Liverpool win. I like the city, I enjoy the company of the fans, I love their song.

Last night, I had French TV on my side. TF1’s commentary from Anfield was fair enough, but you had no doubt which team they wanted to win. L’Equipe this morning headlined one of its match reports “Red Magic” and enthused about the “exceptional atmosphere” in which Liverpool battled against Chelsea and won.

And there’s the other reason I was so pleased when José-Manuel Reina made his penalty shoot-out saves. The Reds were playing Chelsea.

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There has been an interesting “Do we like Sunderland or is it just because of Keano?” debate running at the Irish football site eleven-a-side.com which some of you will have seen.

derry.che keano.2006.jpg
Originally uploaded by jimfitzpix.

A quick scroll down the comments field left me with the impression that the present, growing level of Irish support is not destined to last.

There are plenty of people with soft spots, a smattering of SAFC fans weighing in but also a good deal of candid admission that once Roy Keane moves on “to a bigger club”, “allegiance” to the Lads will instantly be dropped.

Let’s leave aside the phrase “bigger club”. I think they mean Man Utd, though most of us would naturally question either the adjective or the noun (bigger brand would work fine and raise no eyebrows here).

But we are all pretty realistic about Keane’s commitment. He’ll cut his managerial teeth with us – has done – and try to make something of our return to the Premiership. And eventually, the heart and size of the job will probably lure him back to Old Trafford. I have more respect for him to believe it will be any worse than that, but have no idea when it will happen

That doesn’t mean we should resent the fair weather Irish folk who support us now……..

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Salut! Sunderland is en fecirc;te – and the celebrations started with a feast of goals, excitement and nerves, culminating in this……

That was followed – at long last, as has been mentioned here and elsewhere – by some good coming out of Selhurst Park.

Many of us remember with gritted teeth that awful day a year after the first promotion under Peter Reid when a gutsy but desperately limited performance – against Wimbledon, then sharing the ground – saw us relegated once more.

It was a dreadful disappointment, at the end of a dreadful season when utter lack of ambition had it logical consequences. Fast forward to 2004 and the slightly unlucky 3-2 defeat in the playoffs – to be followed by elimination at the Stadium of Light in the second leg, thanks to an appalling refereeing decision that took the tie to penalties.

Yesterday, luck was on our side when Palace scored what seems to have been a comfortable 2-0 win over Derby, removing the need for us to win at Luton next Sunday.

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