WOR GAMES
Ahead of the long-awaited Wear-Tyne derby, Sunderland supporters were feeling optimistic about their chances of eliminating bitter rivals Newcastle United from the FA Cup. Despite playing in a higher division, Newcastle’s performance in the competition has been consistently poor over the past twenty years and has not improved under new ownership. Despite their success in the Premier League under Saudi ownership, Newcastle has struggled in the FA Cup and even with Eddie Howe as manager, they have suffered two humiliating defeats in the third round to lower league teams. With a history of early exits and poor away form, it is likely that this trend will continue on Saturday when Sunderland hosts Newcastle at the Stadium of Light.
The welcome promised to be warm and hospitable. It was unprecedented and even if Sunderland were to win their match against their opponents, the temporary embarrassment of Newcastle would be insignificant compared to the humiliation experienced by long-suffering Sunderland fans at the hands of their club’s hierarchy. Fans who have watched the Sunderland Til I Die documentary series are aware of the club’s history of poor decisions made by the board, but it was believed that this would change after a recent takeover two years ago. However, this has not been the case and whoever approved the ridiculous idea to decorate a corporate bar and dining area at one end of the Stadium of Light with Newcastle colors and slogans deserves their own lucrative Netflix comedy special.
On Thursday, it was officially announced that Sunderland would be showing deference to their neighboring team, after weeks of unsubstantiated rumors circulating online. This news has caused much amusement among the fans of the rival team, with ecstatic supporters celebrating this unexpected gift from their wealthy new owners. Despite their laughter, the 6,000 fans making their way to the derby will have to compose themselves once they arrive at the stadium. However, after recent events, they can likely expect a warm welcome and a complimentary bottle of Brown Ale to enjoy while watching their team take the field to the iconic tune of the Blaydon Races.
In stark contrast, fans of Sunderland have responded with intense anger to this embarrassing mistake, causing their young billionaire owner, Kyril Louis-Dreyfus, to quickly abandon plans to turn their stadium into a theme park for their rival team, Newcastle. He also issued a weak apology, stating “I was appalled and hurt by the images circulating online of the inappropriate signs that were taken down.” This apology also hinted at a search for someone to blame for the incident. Regardless of who is ultimately held responsible, it is clear that Louis-Dreyfus shoulders the most responsibility for this blunder. If he was truly unaware of the plans to advertise a certain brand at the Stadium of Light that left local fanzine A Love Supreme “speechless”, it reflects poorly on his management of the club. It is concerning that none of his local employees felt comfortable enough to speak up about what a foolish idea it was.
Joanne Youngson, a member of the Sunderland supporters liaison council committee, expressed her frustration by saying “Crazy.” She stated that while it was understandable for the club to remove anything red and white to prevent damage, decorating the stadium for their opponents seems unnecessary. She also pointed out that the opposing team’s fans would likely enjoy the decoration, and questioned whether Kyril, the owner, truly understands the significance of their club to the fans and the region. When asked about the situation, manager Howe responded calmly on Friday, stating that it is Sunderland’s decision what they do with their stadium and it has nothing to do with his team. Despite being less successful and wealthy than their rivals, Sunderland has lost the moral high ground due to this incident.
LIVE ON BIG WEBSITE
At 7:15pm GMT, tune in to Rob Smyth’s coverage of the FA Cup matches between Brentford and Wolves, Fulham and Rotherham, and Tottenham and Burnley. The prediction rules for Friday night may cause some surprises.
“Success is not final, failure is not fatal: It is the courage to continue that counts.”
Here is the daily quote:
“Success is not permanent, failure is not deadly; what matters is having the bravery to keep going.”
“I deeply regret that he is not here with us to witness this moment. Before he passed away, he told me, ‘Make sure you take a chance.’ I promised, ‘I will, Dad, when the time is right.’ I believe he would have been proud and I can only hope he is watching from above now.” – Stephen recalls memories of the legendary Ray Clemence with Ben Fisher as he prepares his Gillingham team for the arrival of Sheffield United.
FOOTBALL DAILY LETTERS
Credit where it’s due to Sean Dyche. Having made his opposition to the winter break clear, he’s now avoided one by having an FA Cup replay in the middle of it. I reckon that makes him an innovator, roughly speaking” – Phil Russell.
Regarding the Undertones and Subbuteo (yesterday’s Football Daily letters), last year, McTear’s, an auction house in Glasgow, held an auction for a significant collection of football memorabilia from the family of the late and legendary Bertie Auld. This included several signed shirts from both Celtic and their opponents, which Auld had collected. One particularly desirable item was the shirt worn by one of Auld’s opponents in the second leg of the 1967 European Cup semi-final at Celtic Park. It was a genuine Dukla Prague away kit and unfortunately, despite my request to Santa, it was not gifted to me for Christmas. Disheartened half-man – Ken Muir.
Similar to Jürgen Klopp and approximately 1,057 others, I too have misplaced my wedding ring (as mentioned in yesterday’s letters). I unintentionally offered it to Njord, the Norse deity of water, in exchange for a safe journey down a hazardous river (although, let’s be honest, “it slipped off while white water rafting in Iceland” sounds more captivating, doesn’t it?) – James Vortkamp-Tong.
Please email your correspondence to [email protected]. The recipient of today’s letter of the day award is Phil Russell.
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Source: theguardian.com
