Peter Emmerson

I have been passionate about football since I was a lad in the 1950s.  This engagement with football as both player and spectator has been a mostly disappointing experience: I never became the professional I dreamed of being; I am from County Durham and like so many of my ilk have a tribal allegiance to Sunderland football club.  When I was a boy Sunderland were the Bank of England club, bigger than anyone else.  The decline since then has been heart-breaking as a series of incompetent Chairmen have betrayed the loyalty of the enormous reservoir of people like myself.  As a result we have one moment of glory to energize our spirits, the defeat of Leeds in the 1973 Cup Final, courtesy of the greatest save ever made by the mangnificent Jim Montgomery!  Other than this one event the post-war history of Sunderland football club has been a littany of treachery and mediocrity: what halfwit turned out Clough? what idiot sold off the best players after the victory at Wembley? 

However, from the USA may have come a saviour who has the ambition, common sense and insight to respond at long last to the needs of the fans who are as usual complaining about spending their hard earned money to watch the turgid kick and rush served up by the all too brittle Steve Bruce and his regime.  Now we have a manager in Martin O’Neill who has the ability to produce a team that can play the sort of football which we long suffering fans deserve – thank you Martin for taking the risk – thank you Ellis for making it happen – you may both become human angels of the north!