Sunderland v Manchester United: MUFC fan says we (and they) deserve better

With our regular Boro-supporting visitor Smoggie in mind, this is essentially a repeat of the SAFC v MUFC ‘Who are You?’ (see our exchange at https://safc.blog/2016/02/manchester-united-who-are-you-maybe-newcastle-not-safc-for-the-drop/). If you have already read it, feel free to move on. But Smoggie noticed that while Monsieur Salut had conscientiously chopped away at assorted references to ‘s**t’ and ‘p***’, he had overlooked a stray ‘f***ing’. That meant, as it does in the slightly odd world of the web, that prudishness on the part of A N Other stopped the otherwise excellent Q+A reaching much of an audience.

Which would have been shame as we received a great set of replies from Chas Banks*, a committee man with MUDSA, the Manchester United Disabled Supporters’ Association. He’s Old Trafford born, not remotely a Glazers man and even followed the breakaway FC United of Manchester for a year until he found the just couldn’t give up MUFC. His disability is a result of ‘a weird thing called Transverse Myelitis’ which he contracted in 1996 and is tricky to diagnose. In those days, waiting lists to see a neurologist were running at around 22 months. A ‘natural organiser’ with a history of pop music management – see the Teenage Fanclub above and the Pixies below – Chas has plenty to say, most of it spot-on (we’d part company on the cheating question).

Chas had us down for relegation in his initial response but changed his mind a little after watching Newcastle at Everton on the TV.

So here we are again with Chas Banks, and – promoted to greater prominence – the bands he’s been involved with …

Read more

Sixer’s Travels: FC United of Manchester found, Corby Town downed, Corbyn crowned

The slogan
‘I don’t have to sell my soul’ says their banner slogan

Pete Sixsmith is not dewy-eyed about Jeremy Corbyn, whose victory in the Labour leadership poll was announced as he (Sixer) was gawping at Michael Foot memorabilia at the National People’s Museum. He just cannot get that song by a Sunderland-supporting folk singer, Bob Fox, out of his head. Labour’s post-war victory, so it went, would mean jobs and holidays in the sun for all and the Lads to win the cup. Package hols were the easy part, the jobs bit never happened and it took 28 years for the cup prediction to come true. We’ll leave Sixer to muse over how long it will take Corbyn to get the Lads back to a winning Wembley visit. Here’s what else he did on Saturday …

 

Read more

Letter from Liverpool: colour blind in Hull, Cardiff and Sunderland

John McCormick:
John McCormick:
Once too young to drink. Now too old to stand

It’s not just M Salut and Mr Sixsmith, not to mention MOTD, who are celebrating 50 years of supporting, as you can see from my photo. It really was a different era then, and not just because televised football consisted of an hour of black and white on a Saturday night. The Land of the Prince Bishops was the land of heavy industry and a predominantly male workforce, measured in the tens of thousands, many of whose jobs continued until 12 on Saturdays.

Read more