Message #1556

[Rankin]

I fell in love with Newcastle

And I thought we were friends....

I'm on the complete other spectrum to Hammy, I'm a Sunderland fan born and bred. Always have been and always will love my hometown club. I had a season ticket at the Stadium of Light for 3 seasons afew years back (2 in the Championship and 1 in the Premiership) but didn't renew after I was 16 because I couldn't get the cheap Under-16 season ticket and thus couldn't afford an adult one.

Things are looking up for us, at the end of the season we were taken over by an American Multi-Billionare, Ellis Short. So we are now in the best financial health we have ever been in and we have a new manager (Steve Bruce) who is capable of getting big signings for us and forming a team that could push for European football. Fans here are really optimistic around here right now because for the first time ever we have an ambitious manager & a Chairman (Niall Quinn) who is even more so due to his history playing for us.

We are the only North-East team still in the Premiership due to Newcastle & Middlesborough being relegated. Now I will admit I was happy to see it happen but I will definately miss the Tyne-Wear derbys. People outside of the North-East don't realise how much football means up here, and you always here "Spurs/Arsenal or Man Utd/Man City is the biggest derby in the country" but I honestly don't buy that for one second. Unless you have been to a Tyne-Wear derby you just can't imagine how truely amazing and emotional each match can be for not only the fans but also the players, its like a cup-final to us. Its a shame that afew fans of both teams try to ruin it with violence, but that is how emotional some get about it.

I believe personally that no one else is to blame for the demise of Newcastle than Newcastle themselves. Firstly, the control of a club should never be allowed to go to a fan who has no experience in football whatsoever. Secondly, alot of Newcastle fans got SO far ahead of themselves to the point they actually believed they we're among the elite clubs in Europe (Trust me, I go to Newcastle College) and that they would never get relegated (which is why I think it will actually help them by giving them a reality check).

And Middlesborough, well they are perhaps the most lifeless/dull team to exist...If you've ever been there you know what I mean. Just nothing is interesting about them, they never really showed any ambition hell their manager said half way into the season that they would probably get relegated. Alot of Leeds fans have said that playing us was a better derby than Middlesborough (who is one of the closest teams to them).

Anyway, we have high (but realistic) hopes for this season, we're very much optimists heres.