Saturday, 8 August 2009

Is Sunderland the Scotland of England, so to speak?

I went out for a quiet Saturday lunchtime beverage today only to find the local packed with football fans wearing red and white tops. They were Sunderland supporters up here for a friendly against Hearts. I doubt that I've ever heard such loud and continuous singing from any group of fans before. What was fascinating was that every song seemed to be about local rival Newcastle and not about Sunderland itself. I raised this point with one of the visitors and he confirmed that the destruction of the Geordie team was at least as important as any success for the Wearsiders. Just like how many Scots think about England I suggested. The smaller team agonizes about the bigger one (historically in the case of Newcastle!) who, most annoyingly, doesn't reciprocate.
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1 comment:

  1. David Farrer9:04 am, September 30, 2012

    Comments made on previous template:

    David Farrer
    Jeff, 
     
    The singing was quite amusing but the hating of the other side is indeed tiresome.

    17 August 2009, 19:16:07 GMT+01:00
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    Jeff
    Does that make Middlesborough Wales? 
     
    And yeah, it's the same all over the world I'm sure. Still pretty tiresome though, which I'm assuming is the underlying thrust of your post?

    17 August 2009, 18:36:28 GMT+01:00
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    james higham
    Ah yes, that is a bit of a rivalry I discovered when I was living in the area.

    9 August 2009, 13:28:49 GMT+01:00
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    Rab C. Nesbitt
    I've been to a few games. At a Scotland game the atmosphere is electric. Fantastic stuff. 
     
    On the flip side, the last game I attended was Rangers v Hibs. The atmosphere was pure hate. Not nice.

    9 August 2009, 10:24:47 GMT+01:00
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    sm753
    Once, for my sins, I ended up watching Dundee play Hibs in some cup-tie. (It was at Tynecastle, which annoyed the Jambos. I think at their next game they all brought disinfectant so they could clean their seats.) 
     
    Anyway, all the Dundee songs are about Dundee United. 
     
    They weren't in the same division, hadn't been for years, and of course still aren't. 
     
    Same thing.

    9 August 2009, 09:51:45 GMT+01:00
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    Simon Jester
    "Is Sunderland the Scotland of England, so to speak?" 
     
    Wouldn't it be the Scotland of Newcastle, so to speak? 
     
    Also, I hink the Geordies tend to reciprocate, somewhat.

    9 August 2009, 03:10:11 GMT+01:00
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    john b
    For a million bravery points, apply the above to Northern Ireland (advantage 1: depending on your perception of the relative power of the British state vs the Catholic church, you can pick either analysis; advantage 2: the songs definitely support either interpretation...)

    9 August 2009, 01:13:27 GMT+01:00

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