Sunderland-Newcastle competition: not a prize to change winner’s life


Tonight’s friendly on the pre-season German tour is Hannover v Sunderland and comment will be posted here, probably tomorrow.

In the meantime, two bits of Salut! Sunderland housekeeping: a winner in the trifling competition that went with the posting headlined Sunderland, Newcastle and things we have in common, and an update on the Ithics Files.

I said the writer of the Wear-Tyne comment judged (by me) to be the warmest, wittiest or most wise would collect the back copes of the Sunderland AFC Supporters’ Association London & SE branch magazine, Wear Down South and its predecessor 5573.

It was a close-run thing, but in the end my choice means no ceremonial bonfire will be necessary as the decision goes to a Sunderland supporter. A Newcastle United fan – see later – got within a whisker of being offered the same prize and is probably counting his lucky stars to have come only second.

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The Ithics Files: (3) when Everton rained on our parade

Football just isn’t what it was, lad.

Back in days gone by, you could stand with a supporter of the other team, bonded by mutual love of the people’s game, in the sure knowledge you were safe from harm.

If you were old enough to get in, you’d be in their pubs rubbing shoulders, taking turns to buy rounds and swapping jolly stories and jokes.

And if you think you just saw a pig in mid-flight outside the bedroom window, you’d be about right.

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