Got the smoggies biting today!

All day project review meeting today, 20 people in attendance, most of whom had been working full time on the project. Introduction to the review process then the chairman asks everyone to introduce themselves and their role on the project before we start the review. Goes round the room and gets the standard replies, "Paul Haines, Akerkvaerner, Construction manager", etc, etc. As it comes round to me I had a flash of inspiration - "Brian Mitton - SUNDERLAND SUPPORTER". Uproar in the room with all the smoggies chuntering on about how we were lucky etc. Took a while to settle down and then continued at tea breaks. It must be said that the smogs are biting like good uns so I'll keep it going as long as I can.

Boro Match Report

Late yet again but I have just recovered.....

Due to Darren Feasey bottling the “derby-day” experience, Pete Carr joined the three amigos; Chris, Ash and myself on a mini adventure to Middlesbrough to see if we could finally get an eagerly awaited Premiership win under Mick McCarthy. Collected from Castle Kenny at 12.30pm by the legend that is Alan “I’m a Geordie steward at the Boro” Neasham, we were (yet again) told to bring 3 points back. We can’t promise them any more, its not like we’re going to Crewe or Burnley anymore. We hit the A177 in high spirits, although Chris and I were feeling very rough from a previous nights drinking in Durham. Ash was fresh from 45 minutes of Sunday League football and Carr was eager to get a Stella down his neck. Neasham put his Elvis CD on which was threatening to dampen morale but we soon arrived at the Fighting Cocks in Middleton St George where 3 Stella’s and a John Smiths were subsequently demolished. Couple of pints, a bit of bait and a short trip down the A66 later we were in Smog Territory, a pub that’s in the town (can’t remember the name) but we had a couple more and got a taxi to drop us off within walking distance to the stadium…walking distance? Yeah right, it would have been a good idea to bring the dog, as it’s a decent walk from Redcar... Due to the intoxication (of Stella, not the area for once) we are fancying an away win – not for the first time this season either but drinking stella doesn’t half give you Red n White eyes. We’re in the “stadium” for 3.40pm, kick-off is 20 minutes time. We see Clive, get another pint in and Chris puts a fiver on the Lads to win @ 5/1. As soon as we take our seat we are straight back up on our feet rejoicing as Tommy Miller has lashed home on 83 seconds. All I saw was the ball bouncing off the post and nestling nicely in the Boro net. Get in there!! 1-0, can we hang on for the next 89 minutes?? I’m heading every ball with Breeny and Caldwell as they stood resolute at the back, the Boro lads weren’t up for the fight and they have a player called Rochemback who wouldn’t get a game for Kelloe Club. Second half, and after another pint and some derisory chants at the Boro fans about paedophilia we were soon awarded a free-kick 20 yards out. Our seats are directly behind the goal, 14 rows back (excellent seats), Chris tells me I should video this free kick on my mobile. I disagree "as we never score free-kicks”, 5 seconds later we are jumping for joy as Julio Arca has quite exquisitely bent the ball over the wall into the top corner. “Easy, easy, easy, easy!!” is the cry – never sang that for ages – we’re beating the Smoggies 2-0, 30 minutes to hang on… George Boateng is doing his best to injure one of the Lads but they smile at him, Maccarone has a go at Justin Hoyte – he too just laughs at him. But, the overall hilarity of the day was in stoppage-time where Julio teases Maccarone, like a Matador teasing a raging bull – there’s only one winner as the raging bull is plonked on to his Italian arse. The Prince of Argentina has excelled himself today, so too has Kelvin Davis in goal who made a couple of outstanding first half saves. The game finishes, the Boro “crowd” are already long gone and we leave the ground. The coppers tell us it isn’t a good idea for us to go back to the town and theres some angry Smogs wating, so after a brief chat with TV star Clive we jump on the Sedgefield bus. A few abusive text messages later we are outside the Crosshills pub for 6.55pm. We agree to go for “a couple” with Clive to celebrate before we head back to Durham. The place is bouncing, Karaoke/Disco is the future, the Stella is into the double figures, dancing the night away with Clive and the lads, happy days indeed – we give Durham a big miss and just stay there in Sedgefield. Home for Match of the Day 2, and I celebrate each goal like I was there again. I somehow make my bait for work the next day, and retire for the night knowing I am going to have the hangover from hell but I know it’s gonna be worth it. I knew our day would come, West Brom knocked us down but we got straight back up and we twatted the Boro where it hurts. Good on you Mick McCarthy, thanks for making what is always a good day into an absolutely superb day. Bring on the magpies!!!

Pics from the Boro game

As promised, some pics from the game on Sunday. Top to bottom

1. On the way to the game
2. Safety notice on the way into the ground
3. A lighter version for the ladies
4. Two chinese girls forget their masks
5. Our supporters grab a breath of fresh air between goals

Glad I remembered to take my camera after all!

Match reports

Problems getting onto the blogger website but here it is, my report of the weekend’s football.

It’s been a busy weekend for football in the Billy household with 3 games attended. Here’s what happened at each one.

The first game was Man Utd vs Blackburn. Alex and I set off at 10:45 and after a good journey across the M62 were parked in the Lowry Centre car park just after 1 o’clock. It was a beautiful sunny day and we walked to the ground in anticipation of a good game. We had something to eat at one of the many takeaway stalls surrounding Old Trafford then visited the club shop (full of Chinese!) before going into the ground. We had seats in the end behind the goal, opposite the Stretford End in row 39, one row off the very back. The view was excellent for seeing the play develop and I much prefer being at a height than at pitch level so we were quite pleased. The game started with Mickey Gray playing at left back for Blackburn starting line up - more about him later! Anyway, Man Utd were soon on the attack and had some half chances but it was Blackburn who came closest to scoring and were denied several times by good goalkeeping from van der Sar but eventually did score from a speculative free kick from the right which evaded the Man Utd defence and went in. The crowd were not pleased with Man Utd who had Rooney on the bench and before half time they were chanting for 4-4-2! The second half started with the same line-up but soon Rooney was brought on and Man Utd went ahead. At that stage you’d have thought they would go on to win the game but it was not to be as Scholes made an uncharacteristic mistake and gave the ball away to Michael Gray who slipped the ball to Pedersen, who fired his and Blackburn's second past van der Sar into the top left corner. Man Utd pushed forward but couldn’t score and the game ended in defeat. Man Utd left the field to a chorus of boo’s from their fickle fans. It was disappointing for Alex to go all that way to see a rare home defeat but he took it well and on the way home we discussed the game and what might happen in the big game the next day - Ferryhill U12’s vs Darlington TSC.

KO was at Dean Bank at 11:00 so I was able to go to this game before going to Smogland. Darlington TSC where an unknown quantity as Ferryhill had never played them before but they turned out to be an excellent side. They were well organised and gave us a very good game. They held their shape very well, unlike Ferryhill who have won recent games by landslides and were sloppy. Ferryhill took the lead in the first half through a free kick but Darlington pulled one back just after half time. It was nip and tuck all through the second half with Darlington playing the better football but in the very last minute Ferryhill scored to win the game. An undeserved victory, a draw would have been a fairer result, but a very welcome 3 points and hopefully a lesson learnt by Ferryhill. They need to remember that football is a team game and get back to basics and play the passing and positional game rather than running round like headless chickens on solo runs all trying to score individual goals.

A quick dash home to get changed into suit and tie then I was picked up at 1:30 and off to the Boro. We got there and as we approached the main entrance there were loads of people, mainly women, stood outside smoking. The Riverside is now a non-smoking stadium and all the people were having a last drag before going inside. We entered the ground and passed Jimmy Monty, Bobby Kerr and Mick Horswill in the foyer and were shown to the box where we met up with the host and the other guests. There were 12 of us in the box, 5 Sunderland and 7 Boro. I knew a few of them and all of us were very polite but obviously wanting our team to win. We had a nice meal and a few drinks then awaited for the game to start. Our position was just outside the 18 yard line, near to the Sunderland end, and as I looked across I spotted the Sedgefield contingent in the front row. I couldn’t see Clive but I couldn’t miss David Dent who was gesticulating in a very rude manner to the Boro supporters and giving them plenty ‘jip’!

I won’t give a full match report but this is the email I sent to the smoggies this morning.

Hurricane report
There were floods of tears from the Boro faithful on Sunday as Hurricane Hoolio and the Black Cats battered the woeful Smoggies to a historic defeat. The Boro team battled valiantly but the defences could not with withstand the storm as the Black Cats strikers spread havoc with every attack. A number of the Smogs were seen to evacuate the vicinity with great haste in an attempt to seek shelter in local pubs from the natural disaster which was happening in their own backyard. All predictions of an easy ride were quickly confounded as the game progressed and the Black Cats pummelled and overwhelmed the Boro defences with wave upon wave of attacks. By the end of the game some of them looked like they would be faced with devastation when they went to work on Monday where they were certain to be ridiculed by the Mackems for such an inept rescue performance.

Strangely they’ve all been very quiet at work today with no email replies and no one passing my office door for a chat!

Overall a great performance by Sunderland and we looked a lot better than in recent games. In many ways I wish I'd been in with our supporters as it was great to see the fabulous support given to the lads - it really was tremendous and made me proud. The noise totally swamped that made by Boro and must have given the lads on the pitch a big lift. Oh yes, and hearing all the Smogs around us whingeing on was good too. There were 5 Sunderland supporters in the box and out of deference to our hosts (and not wanting to get filled in by all the smoggies around us) we kept our celebrations muted during the game but had a right good celebration afterwards whilst the not-so-smug smoggies looked on. It was great to see a chirpy Mick McCarthy in the post match interviews compared with a sour faced McLaren - Mick deserves his moment of glory following some tough times. All in all it was a special day (after a few recently that have not been so good).

A funny touch was our supporters sing “Fresh air, we only want fresh air” to the tune of “2-1”, although the smoggies weren’t laughing much and started their own chant of “McLaren for England”!

Now we need to repeat the performance and result against West Ham on Saturday and we’ll be ‘on our way’.

Back across to Manchester tomorrow night to see Man Utd vs Benfica, let’s hope we see a Man Utd victory for Alex’s (Mitton not Ferguson) sake.

SAFC v West Ham

Just another reminder that the game kicks off at 5.15 and the coach will pick up at Kelloe Greyhound 2.50pm / Coxhoe Londis Shop at 2.55pm and West Cornforth at 3.00pm.
Please remind anyone that does not view this blog site and who you know travels on the coach.
I will send emails later this week.

Jim Gilling
FTM

Grin like a Cheshire cat

Bet the reason for Billy's match report is that he still can't stop grinning like a Cheshire cat as he went into work in Teeside this morning. Ha'way Billy give us your match reports and photos if you had your camera. How did the hospitality go?

Jim Gilling
FTM

Message from Mick

Dear Coxhoe Branch,

It feels a lot better than coming in explaining that we've played well and been beaten. Yes, it's a nice feeling.
It was a good performance. I think we'd already learned how to play in this league and now we've won to prove it. That will help self-belief and confidence and help us kick on.
It's a good result away from home and now we've got West Ham at home. We've got to do it all again next Saturday.
There was no doom and gloom in the place. There has been self-belief and the players learned to win today.
We got used to it last year but this year we've had to suffer me coming in and trying to talk things up.
Today is reward for sticking togather and working hard. It was a great start to the game.
One of the reasons I signed him [Tommy Miller] was his goals ratio. I reckoned it was about time he got on the end of one and he's done it, it dropped for him today.
[On Kelvin Davis' criticism]
There will be a few hands down throats getting the words out and I'll be delighted to help if anyone who wants. It was a terrific performance by him.
"Anyone who was doubting Kelvin has seen a good keeper today live on telly.
"I've got the utmost belief in him, I said it last week after people were pointing the finger. I said he would pull a few out of the fire when they've made mistakes. Well, he did it today.
It was Julio's best performance by a mile in this league and he has a good partnership with Justin [Hoyte].
We've been fortunate that Arsenal have got a clutter of full-backs. He's here for the season and he'll go back a better player.
I had to nick Tim Carter's [Sunderland's goalkeeper coach] line. He said it wasn't a monkey on my back, it was the Planet of the Apes!
It's important psychologically. It was unfair to blame that record on this team, though. We'd gone six games and have won the seventh - that's our record. We had to keep believing that.
It's important to look at the table and see we're not bottom.
I believe results come in clutches. We've had a lousy start and now we've had three good results. It's a lovely three points.
The crowd have been terrific and they have stood by me and the players at a time when it would have been easy to turn.
The away support is always terrific. It's us that has got to get them [the crowd] back. We can't ask supporters to come and pay and watch us get beat.
We've got to win, which we've done today, and let's hope it gives us and them a bit of belief.

All the best,

Mick McCarthy

Where's Billy?

I'd have thought by now you'd have posted a match report.

Much as it pains me to say it and much as I dislike televised football I had to "force" myself to watch it on SKY this afternoon, and like thousands of others found myself enjoying our display and putting the 22 men of the Boro in their place.

A crowd of under 30,000 for a so called "derby" game was very poor.

Good to see the Sunderland support out in numbers and in very fine voice. Also good to see Clive Dent live on SKY with a very, very big grin on his face.

It's still early days but I'd love to think this gives the side greater confidence and with WHU on Saturday things could improve significantly.

Everything crossed.

BILLY, WHERE ARE YOU?

Well, Well, Well

who'd have believed it?

Just back from Ireland

Well me and PJ are back from our short break in Ireland, I was going to say sunny Ireland but the weather was not that good.
Really enjoyed the break and toured about starting at a place called Cahir close to PJ's friend who decided to move out there about 2 years ago. First night we stayed in the local jail - yes it was an old jail that has been converted into a B&B and at £20.00 per night including a full breakfast it was a great place to stay even though the yank in the next room snored all through the night I thought it was just a tape recording as it never stopped. When we booked in the owner showed us to our room and as it looked like a castle from the outside I enquired about the history and she said it was the old jail house in the 19th century through to 1919 when her family bought it to live there then it was converted in 1978 to B&B by the present family. We said we didn't mind staying in a jail for the night as we were used to it she looked us up and down after that remark!
So we hit the small town and had a great steak in a bar that we stayed in all night - well until 11.30pm as we were a bit knackerd from the flight and the drive to Cahir which is close to Tipperary. Guiness was good and the beer was fresher than back home. Guiness was 3.40€ so was a bit more expensive than Coxa club but had a differnet taste than what they serve here in England.
Next morning we said our goodbyes to the jail keeper and PJ's mate and we headed towards Killkenny taking in some small towns and seeing some old castles on the way. At Killkenny which is a large town we thought about staying but as we had planned not to stay in large towns perferring to stay in small villages where the craig would be good in the boozers we decided to move on after another guiness. Just before we moved on we saw that the IRA are still a threat even though they are supposed to be handing over their arms. A securicor van was doing the rounds collecting money at the banks in Killkenny and had two police cars and three armed military vehicles also keeping guard. Armed soldiers were all over the street outside the bank, the landlady informed us that it has been a regular thing since 1980 and is to stop the IRA from robbing the van while picking up the money. She also said she warns yank tourists not to take pictures while this is going on as the soldiers are armed with live ammo and don't take too kindly to being interupted while on the look-out. When we left the pub we walked through the soldiers and as I stated to PJ there was one mean looking soldier amongst them eyes close together with his eyebrows touching- never trust this type of person 666 comes to mind. This sight was to be repeated several times in different towns and villages that we passed through.
So we set off again and headed for Waterford, Wexford and finally staying in a small town called Enniscorthy for the night this time not in a jail but a good local B&B near to a village green with plenty of pubs close by. After another good meal we hit one pub on the corner and stayed there until 1:00am. It was good craig with the local lads and even had a couple from Consett walk in for a drink, unfortunately he and his missus were Mags and decided to come back in later in the evening just to inform me of our misserable score against Cheltenham. I already knew as I had phoned CliveD earlier. The Mag couple were also touring and staying at the same B&B so they also stayed until the earlier hours. One Irish guy even insisted that I was not going bald and had a skin problem in my head that could be cured by a cream from the doctors. After agreeing that I would seek medical help as soon as I was back home the guy then started on his party tricks some good some not so good but all a good laugh. As time went on and the guiness was tasting better by the pint we did not realise that it was getting on abit and when we asked for another round at 1:00am the landlady said she would have liked to but as she had just been up in court for stoppy backs she had to call it a day. Aparantly she was knicked for having four drinkers still in the pub at 10:00am last bank holiday!
Next morning we travelled up towards Dublin but kept out of the city as we had not planned to visit Dublin, this will be done some other visit with or without the wives. We checked out two places just north of Dublin that had been recommended by two bishops that had been drinking in the pub with us until the early hours. One place called Howth was like Whitby the other Malhide was like millionaires paradise. We decided to skip these two places for a place called Swords that was only 10 minutes drive to the airport. We checked into a good B&B paying the usual £20 per night. The place had some good pubs we chose the Fighting Cock for our night out - a good choice as the bar was very lively plenty of talent to view and dream about plus Donny were beating Man City on several plasma screens on the walls. We stayed in here until midnight and then passed the local nite-club on our way to bed as we needed to be up at 6:30 am for our early morning flight back to Durham Tees Valley Airport.
To summarise the few days break - great countryside, great people, great beer, great food, weather okay, SAFC won, no trouble, great B&B's and great company. Would recommened it to anyone.

Jim Gilling
FTM

The old gaol in Cahir

Our first nights B&B was in the local old jail in Cahir and was only �20.00 per person. Great place to stay!

Last Night v Cheltenham

Whilst I had no intention of attending last night ( Spent 2 days in hospital, but thats another story) did anyone go and more to the point did anyone have difficulty getting in via a cash paying turnstile?

It would appear that SAFC have once again shot themselves in the foot and caused a furore that may well come back and bite them.

Fans turned away from the SW Corner because there were'nt enough tickets!!!!

INCREDIBLE, EMBARRASSING AND STUPID.

Check out readytogo smb and look for a thread entitled "SAFC Hang your heads in shame" posted by Streaker.

Couldnt have been better guys!!!

Velez won again but it was a dream-like game for us!!

1- Velez won one-nil thanks to an offside-goal by Claudio Enria that meant the winner in the end...
2- River had a not allowed "genuine" goal plus a not allowed penalty. Instead, the referee said play on!! hehehehe.. Once one in our favour..

All this help us to win three very important points to be on the top again and fight for the championship AGAIN!! Ah, don't forget we are also in good position for the second leg of the South American Cup tie v. Brazilian Cruzeiro(We won the first 2-0 the last week).

The atmosphere?? Outstanding... 7.000 followed Velez , with a colourful tier, with blue and white balloons, white smoke bombs!!! Smashing!! And the lads rewarded us with the three points..

The Pics?? I think i'll be hopefully uploading many of them tomorrow or so and also show u one with a ver ver sweet blonde!!

Go VELEZ AND SUNDERLAND FOREVER!!!
Walter, the ARGENTINIAN MACKEM

River Plate 0 - Velez 1

Looks like Velez's season is getting going now with a one-nil away win at River Plate. This takes them into 5th place in the League, only two points behind the leaders. Looking forward to Walters report and hopefully some pics to help cheer us up a bit as we're all very depressed following Saturday.

Kevin Kyle

Much maligned by a large section of SAFC supporters, who view him has little more than a battering ram.

I would appreciate views of Big Kev now that you've all seen the second rate players brought into fill the gap he's left.

Would you swap the "silky" non existent skills of Stead who learned his trade in Divisions 1 and 2, or Gray who has stature but no skill, for a man, blighted by a career threatening injury, who learned his trade as a Premiership player, now that you have seen them.

Can you appreciate why McCarthy saw Kyle has a vital part of his plans?

A fit Kyle is invaluable. You know he is going to work hard. You know he is going to unsettle defenders with his aggression and in your face style, You know he will weigh in with goals and you know he will give 110% for the cause.

Kyle appreciates where he came from, knows he has limited ability, but makes up for that with effort and committment.

The sooner he's bac the better.

Sunderland yesterday

A real 'low' yesterday after looking comfortable against a poor WBA side for 92 minutes then conceding a last minute goal which cost us 2 precious points and all the positives that would have brought with it. This result ranks alongside the Crystal Palace play off game for disappointment and negative impact. After 5 straight defeats supporters can't take much more of this and the writing is on the wall for the rest of the season.

What's going wrong? Well one thing that's obvious is that we haven't got a settled side. If you look at yesterdays starting line, up only 4 of the players were in our Championship winning side - Breen, Arca, Whitehead and Elliott. The players MMc signed in the summer to 'strengthen' the side are just not good enough or have yet to settle (exception being Stubbs who is tremendous). The 'late signings' (Bassilla and Hoyte) look very promising but the 'main signings' (Stead, Gray, Miller and Davis) have all looked dreadful so far and ALL OF THEM ARE CURRENTLY PLAYING WORSE THAN THE PLAYERS WE HAD IN THE SAME POSITIONS LAST SEASON. I don't have a magic answer and neither, I suspect, does Mick McCarthy but yesterday Miller and Gray were truly awful and he needs to do something about it i.e. drop them until they can regain some form!

The only consolation from yesterday is that WBA are poor and will definitely be in the relegation shake-up with us at the end of the season but with West Ham and Wigan going OK we've a lot of catching up to do. Arca is in the paper saying that we need 12/13 wins, on the showing so far we'll be lucky to get any - welcome to the reality of the Premiership!

Can someone explain...

Was it burglary, the backdoor left open or were they invited in?

Today's the day, I'm sure

That we'll get our first win of the season. That's if Mick plays the team posted in the Northern Echo.

Davis
Nosworthy
Breen
Stubbs
Hoyte
Whitehead
Bassila
Miller
Arca
Stead
Elliott

If he plays this team in 4-4-2 then I think we'll do well. Hoyte at full back releases Arca into his better position, left midfield, and Bassila by all accounts was very strong in centre midfiled last week which should help Miller get his game going. Give Elliott a chance up front and there you have it - a balanced team with players in their correct positions. Now all we need is for Davis to have a good game and no silly mistakes from anyone and we're in with a chance. If we don't get something out of this game it just doesn't bear thinking about.
Haway the lads.

Chelsea v SAFC - flashback version

It almost reads the same as Jim's account of the day but this is the way I saw it

Its almost inevitable that a Sunderland team travelling to Stamford Bridge is in for a pointless day, its also undeniable that Sunderland’s fans must be up there with the most loyal in the land when they go to see their heroes, 20 straight Premiership defeats and £48 for a ticket. Me and the lads had an honorary member of the gang for the day, Coxhoe Branch’s Jimmy Gilling. I was picked up at 6.45am in a state of distress following a “couple of pints” in Coxhoe on the Friday afternoon, it was a couple of pints with Shaun that turned into well over a gallon of John Smith’s finest. I am filling the back of Mr John Gilling’s Learner Driver Nissan Micra and I am feeling terrible already, hope Jim doesn’t touch those duel controls cos I aint got my seatbelt on! There are 4 cans of Stella in a Co-op bag that need to be drank on the train to save face though. Enter Durham train station, the platform is a sea of red and white (everyone with an abundance of alcohol), still I am out of sorts but the sight of boyhood hero Gary Bennett raises morale and just a couple of words with him made my day already – and its only ten past seven. We meet up with top Mackems Ash, Chrissy and Davey - Ashy armed with his super badge "Fuck Newcastle, We Are Makems". Coach C on the train is entered and we pleasantly ask some lads to vacate our table seats and theres a cheeky arsed young'un who stinks of egg sarnies. 1st can open as we cross the Durham viaduct – first sip was awful but it was nice by the time I finished it. No bingo this time, but 4 cans later, 6 for Davey, Jim enjoying his Tesco Sushi and me launching Davey’s breakfast bars to the back of the train, we arrive in London in the mood to enjoy the day.

Tube to Earls Court for a changeover, there’s a great sight to behold: a young Mackem in a Sunderland shirt with a can of Stella in his right hand amongst a group of Japanese tourists. A couple of tube stops later and a couple of renditions of the Jeff Whitley song, we arrive at Parsons Green, a swift 150-yard walk and we’re at The White Horse. First ones in, the selection of ales is bordering on ‘absolutely fucking shite’ and I make do with Carling, Jim is on the Strongbow (earlier he informed me it is stronger than Stella) while Ash and the big fella try a couple of cask ales. We took our place in the beer garden with an excellent vantage point to assess the passing beaver brigade, we met a girl from Washington (DC) who seemed friendly enough, the beer garden is filling up with a nice mix of Chelsea and Sunderland fans. I am on pint 8, feeling pissed and feeling good. Then heavens opened and it was a good job there was a huge canopy covering 90% of the garden – the unfortunate thing being we were part of the other 10% - we cower under the canvas while Ashy makes friends with General Custer and his umbrella. We decide that after 6 pints (£15.90 a round) we should make our way to Billionaires Row. Once inside the stadium it was a pleasant surprise to find we are in the upper tier of the Shed End so the view was a good one (but still, £48??)

The game starts, Jimmy has trouble applying his glasses to his head but already we can see we are going to have a new cult hero in Christian “you’re not getting past me you little shit” Bassilla (after 5 minutes he is nicknamed The Terminator) and at half time I think we have held our own against Britain’s top team. We have two celebratory pints of £3 Budweiser to toast the Terminator and quickly tell Park Hill’s Steven Rutherford to jog on as he is boring the shit out of us. Second half quickly under way, losing Stubbs was a shame and Chelsea’s first goal was nothing short of calamitous. Keeper throws ball to winger, winger lets ball bounce off heel, ball falls to Chelsea right-back with an amazing likeness to that of a malteser, malteser head blasts hopeful low shot, low shot goes straight through keeper. 1-0. Here we go again. 8 minutes from time signalled our exit as Drogba gets above Arca to put a splendid header into the bottom corner. 2-0. Time to go. We leave the stadium, and with there being 8 minutes left the tube station isn’t half chocka block with Chelsea fans. We make the executive decision to go to one of the pubs we were earlier told not to go in to. We’re well outnumbered, AND we’re shouting for Arsenal to beat the Boro but we’re having a good laugh with Michael Proctor and Frank Lampard’s long lost twins. Proctor has a quiet word in my ear, and told me ‘not to say anything’ but your mate ‘looks like Declan Donnelly’, never heard that one before mate. The pint count is up to 17 now and its 6.45pm. We need to be at Kings Cross for 7.30pm – think we’d better move on. Once on the tube train, Ashy’s 17 pints get the better of him and reacts to comments from Chelsea fans and in turn puts them back in their place. Arrive Kings Cross 7.20pm and Chrissy and me make an Olympic style dash to Pa’tings Off-Licence as we don’t want to be paying £2.60 a can on the train. In the shop, in true David James fashion, I drop a couple of Stellas on the floor and they subsequently burst open – which I had to pay for. Arms full of John Smiths, Stella and Strongbow and £26 lighter we sprint for our lives towards the platform and we catch the train just in the nick of time. GNER made the big mistake of leaving the buffet trolley on its own, we help ourselves to some Tuna & Cucumber sarnies and make our way to our carriage, we see “Mr Emmerdale” as Ashy recalls, but yes there is Rodney Blackstock posing for photos on my cameraphone as “my mam is his biggest fan”…… oh dear, its enough to make you stop drinking….

There are lads in our seats again, but since we are fuelled with Stella it’s a different kind of request to ‘vacate our seats’ – but they soon wimpered and moved all the same….By this point I am past speaking, I can only sing….we’re on our last warning with the transport police, and Jim is on his last warning from his good wife…..guy with buffet trolley comes up “Sandwiches? Drinks?” No thanks mate we’ve already eaten them…..

A dead throat from the Ten German Bombers song and its 10.25pm, “next stop Durham”, we have well and truly smashed the 20 pint barrier – we’re not proud of it but we didn’t half enjoy it – that’s what away days are all about, capturing the moment, letting people know who you are, drinking the town dry and most of all making sure you enjoy it whether we win, lose or draw. Apparantly I go to the Avenue for a couple more, Ash and Dave go to the Belmont Club, Chrissy goes to Subway

1am. I get home, the front door gets bounced off the radiator and I collapse onto the settee reflecting on what has been one of the best days out in recent memory. I salute the other 1800 fans who paid all of that money to go to the game. As for Sunderland, our day will come, I am sure of that….just hope it comes sooner rather than later......

Billy's getting distracted

Recent comments from Billy appear to indicate that he is getting distracted from posting messages as he keeps scrolling down and viewing my picture from Toronto.

So I have posted a new picture of two of my nieces from my 50th birthday bash. This picture might now stop Billy scrolling down the page and start to post messages instead.

Has this latest picture cured you Billy?




Two lovely nieces from my 50th Birthday bash photo album

REPORT FROM ARGENTINA: Velez wins in the Southamerican Cup

Velez keep on winning !! In spite of being the last Argentinian Champs in the league, now they want to win the South American Cup.

Last Night, we beat Brazilian Cruzeiro for 2-0 in a rainy and cold afternoon. The atmosphere seemed to be a poor one in such a bad weather but 11.000 turned up. Go Velez!!

Now, next Sunday at 16.10 (argentina time) we are playing at River for the 7th roudn of the Argentina League.. Of course i'll be there. A coach sets off Moreno at 12.30at midday.I'll take my camera to take a few pics to show all of u.

Coudn't believe my eyes..

Guys,

I was flabbergasted when i read a mail of a friend of mine sent me. The was a mail sent by my friend Leo, a fu***g mag about a new movie they are launching. Visit www.goalthemovie.com for more and then you tell me

More pics from Canada

Just to let Huyton know he is not the only one to have been to Canada and while I was there I took this amazing picture of the CN Tower in Toronto. What do you think bloggers am I a better cameraman than the famous one from Coxhoe??



Picture of the CN tower in Toronto, Canada

A nice Pacific Sunset over the Gulf Islands
The Coxhoe Cameraman

Free Willy
The Coxhoe Cameraman

Inukshuk on the shores of Vancouvers Stanley Park. Built by the Indians to guide travellers and keep them safe from the spirits.
The Coxhoe Cameraman

Capilano Suspension Bridge. Its a bit wobbly and a long way down
The Coxhoe Cameraman

More totem poles and a long house and mortuary house in the background. These were the homes and burial places of the Haida Kwai Indians and the Kwakwak'awak nations.
The Coxhoe Cameraman

First Nations Totem Pole
The Coxhoe Cameraman

Canadian adventure.

Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

The City of Glass and described as the most laid back city on Earth.

Having just returned from a two week holiday I think I can confirm both of the above points. Being my first ever trip to the continent of North America everything, from the long haul flight to looking over my left shoulder at traffic lights was totally new to me and took a little getting used to.

Flying economy class on an Airbus A330 was cramped but bearable and it�s a small price to pay for the rewards at the destination. Trying to relieve the boredom was the hardest part of all and I can�t sleep in any form of transport. By the time we arrived in Vancouver airport at 2:10 pm Pacific Standard time we�d been up for close on 26 hours. ( not forgetting the 8 hours time difference to the minus). Immediately on disembarking you could feel the difference in attitude. People who are courteous and well mannered and where nothing seems to be a problem.

The place we had rented was only a 15 minute walk downtown and we�d made the decision to use public transport from the outset rather than rent a car and disengage from North American life. Best decision we made. I�d surely have been killed our killed someone if I�d been let loose on the right hand side of the road and with an automatic gearbox.

The first thing that strikes you about downtown Vancouver is the glass. Every high rise building seems to be constructed from it. Second is the people. Every nationality on Earth must live in this city. Chinese, Japanese, Vietnamese, Philipinoes, Koreans, Germans, Dutch, Italians, Mexicans, French and of course Brits. The varying races are reflected in the restaurants and in the first week we�d sampled, Chinese, Japanese, Italian, Greek and English food. A good example of the food issue was illustrated on West Broadway, 3 blocks from where we stayed which had 4 restaurants next to each other which served Afghan, Russian, Mongolian and Italian cuisine. Of course we stuck with what we knew best though I do admit to have a liking for Beef Teryaki from the Japanese joints.

One or two who had visited Vancouver suggested there wasn�t enough in town to keep us entertained for 2 weeks. My answer having been there is � You�ve only passed through on the Rocky Mountain Railtours. In two weeks we found time to leave town only twice. Once to visit Vancouver Island to watch Killer Whales off the San Juan Islands ( and we flew by float plane to save time and make a day of it) and to visit Bowen Island to take in its scenery. There is plenty to see and do in Vancouver should you want to visit. Take the cable car that carries 100 people to Grouse Mountain and take in the views over the city and into Washington State in the USA. Pick a sunny and clear day though. Have a look at the Capilano Suspension bridge and experience the 300 ft walk over a 150 ft drop on a rope bridge. Take the ride to the top of the Harbour Centre Tower and view the city day and night ( the ticket is valid all day). Visit the Musueum of Anthroplogy which charts the history of the First Nations People ( That�s redskins to you and I) They have some great totem poles and the exhibits are fantastic. Hire a bike from Spokes and cycle around the Stanley Park sea wall, Great fun and a good way to see the park. Best of all, walk the streets, see how laid back the people really are. No one hurries in Vancouver.

One thing that was pretty surreal was taking in a rock concert. Oasis started their North American tour in Vancouver and we bought tickets at face value on the day of the concert. No sell out. It was held in the General Motors Place, the home of the Vancouver Canucks Ice Hockey team. It�s an impressive arena, but everyone is whooping and hollering from the first support act, Kasabian ( who were shite) coming on. Jet were up next and they played a lively set that really had the crowd warmed up ( Whoo, Whoo, Whoo, Yeah, Yeah, Yeah man) We were sat next to four First nations Indians from Victoria on Vancouver Island, who were hammering the Bacardi and cokes by the Large McDonalds size down there necks. There was also a sweet aroma wafting around in a no smoking stadium when one next to Linda said ( Do you want a bit of this? As he passed her a joint) Naturally she declined, but thanked him anyway.

Oasis went through songs from their latest album along with some of the old favourites and Liam had his usual attitude. I was however left a little cold by them. Just don�t think North Americans really get what they are about, and putting seats on the floor was a big mistake. This is Oasis FFS not Niel Diamond. Bumped into a lad from Newcastle who�d lost his way on the way out. In typical North east fashion, his mates had pissed off and left him. No doubt in pursuit of the nearest watering hole. Exchanged pleasantries with him and sent him in the right direction. He�d been to Seattle and had come over especially to see Oasis !!!!

On the subject of scum, saw three black and white shirts whilst over there, one worn by a Mexican who couldn�t speak a word of English and knew even less about Mackems.

Petrol prices seem to be causing a bit of a stir over there. When we left on Sunday it had risen to $1.119 which works out at about 53 p a litre. They should be so f***ing lucky as I spot 96.9p at the Jet garage at Bowburn on the way back yesterday. Everyone is whinging about petrol. Well get out of you GMC and Ford four tracks. Put the Porsche and Ferrari in the garage.

Perhaps the best way to see Vancouver and the surrounding area is by public transport and they have it sewn up. It�s integrated, it�s clean, it�s on time, there�s loads of it and above all it�s cheap, From the electric trams to the sea bus you pay a maximum of $4:25cents (�2.01) to travel across 3 zones for upto 90 minutes. The cheapest fare is $2.25 for 90 minutes travel (�1.00) but for $8.00 ( �3.79) you can travel all day across all zones. It costs me �2.40 one way to work on the X1.

So there you have it, Vancouver. The trip home was torture on that Airbus that felt more cramped than before, the train trip from Manchester to Durham cost �74 for 2 single fares ( More than my entire public transport costs in two weeks in Canada). I�m I pleased I went? Yes. Would I go back? Probably not. I�ve seen it, done most of it and have loads of memories. It�s only one place in a huge country, and there�s an awful lot to see in this world.

Thanks for reading.

The Coxhoe Cameraman

Well Lads I'm back....

From laid back heaven, where no one gives a toss, and Levis are �17 a pair.
Full report to follow once I get me sleep out.

As I write Ihave now been awake for 26h hours (I think).
The Coxhoe Cameraman

Chelsea v SAFC

Picked up at 6.30am by my older brother in his driving school car fully blazoned with the L signs, when we picked Miller up I was thinking if his neighbours were up at that time of the morning they would be thinking "bit early for a driving lesson"
Anyway met up with the Miller men - aka Ash, Chris and Dave and we headed down to the smoke on the 7.12am train having first of all had a brief discussion with a SAFC legend Gary Bennett - man did he look cool or what! First cans were open before we passed Tursdale - plenty of loyal supporters on the train all in good humour and plenty of cans - the kid in front of me should have kept off the egg sarnies though!
Arrived in the smoke on time feeling pretty refreshed after 4 cans of cider Miller had 6 of stella so we were in the mood to have a good day. We followed Millers instructions and headed for Parsons Green underground station never even thought of any terrorists that may have been loose in the underground just goes to show you that 4 cans can do.
We found the White Horse pub next to Parsons Green just as it was opening some of the beer was questionable but I stayed on the Strongbow. There was a good mixture of SAFC and Chelsea in the boozer and outside in the beer garden so the crack was good with plenty of banter. Dave even managed to soak Ash and his newly found boyfriend who were both keeping out of a downpour under an umbrella - no match for a flood of water from the canopy over the other tables that Dave decided needed release of water. So after another 5 pints of cider and other beers it was off to the ground that was only about 10 minutes walk away. Miller and yours truly did a usual pitstop on the way for the now customary piss in the street. The ground outside looked magnificent hotel, shops etc all surrounding the main stadium. Inside our view was good being on the second tier and nothing in front to hinder the view - okay we may have been seeing 44 men on the pitch due to the drink but we were hoping to enjoy the game.
First half was okay we played okay but still lack the service and quality up front, Elliott is wasted on the right should be playing in the centre just off Stead or someone else. The two debutants Hoyte and Bassila played very well and I am sure that within a few games they will be great assets to the side. Second half and still doing okay but an injury to Stubbs meant a re-shuffle and this was not good as Stubbs had been a rock in the first half. Anyway as you may have read and seen over the weekend a mistake meant Chelsea went one up and you can't give them a goal like we did and expect to come back with no quality or attempts up front. Okay the keeper should have saved the shot but did Chelsea deserve to go one up - what did you think bloggers. Then the final goal came with a cross from Duff and putting up Drogba against Julio for a header - take your bets to who was going to win - a great header down to the left of the keeper 2:0 game over.
On leaving the ground at the end we could not get on the underground for the queues so we headed again for the nearest boozer this time we were abit out numbered but no problems and some more good banter - even had a Chelsea fan who was a Michael Proctor look alike - can't remember how many we had in this boozer but we needed to get out as it was approaching 6.30pm and we needed to get to Kings X for the train at 7.30pm, a few comments from late Chelsea fans to Ash like watch it mate you are in our manor now seemed to go over our heads as we just made it to Kings X. Miller and Chris did a detour to an off license to pick up some more re-freshments while Ash and me helped ourselves to a free buffet from GNER and picked sandwiches etc - nice touch of GNER but still think leaving the trolley full of sanwiches etc unmanned and in the aisle between carriages was a bit too inviting!
Anyway had a few more ciders lost count of the amount of Stella Miller had bought - warned off by the Transport police at least once - one even spoke to Mrs Gilligan on my mobile and informed her that he was the policeman that was going to arrest her husband. They eventually got off at York without any arrests - must have been the singing of 10 German bombers that calmed them down. Arrived at Durham 10.25pm said our goodbyes and dropped Miller off at the Avenue pub at Shincliffe - how he does it I don't know. As for me - well I went straight home, took the dogs out and fell asleep until Mrs Gilligan came in from Coxa club looking tanned from her hols but not amused that I did not make it for a drink - I was full to the brim of drink and had a canny day out. Thank you very much Miller men it was smashing!
Sorry no photos as I forgot my camera. Miller how many cans / pints did we finally end up having?

Jim Gilling
Coxhoe Mackems on Tour 2005
FTM

Chelsea v SAFC

Well bloggers what a miserable day today what with the rain and the Aussies fighting back in the Ashes things do look glummy.
It's off to the smoke tomorrow to see the Lads at Chelsea and heres hoping that the misery does not continue. Looking forward to the game and hope we do not get stuffed - if we can pressurise them and keep them out for the first 30 minutes then we may be in with a chance. When you look at the two teams on paper we are in a different league but as I said before look what happened in Belfast.
So with Miller and his gang for company we are off on the 7.15am train with plenty of drink at hand - keeping sober before the match as I will be switching on my "muslim with napsack" detector on, especially when we are down in the underground. Taking the camera again so hope for some good photos and hope for a great day out.
On the down side Mrs Gilligan comes back tomorrow morning from her hols in Majorca and I have told her I will see her in Coxa club on the night - didn't tell her it will be more like 10.30pm when I get there!

Jim Gilling
FTM

SAFC allocation at Chelsea sold out

Very surprised that we had 3000 fans who would stump up £48 but I am excited about the day now. I was thinking we'd have 4 seats to ourselves. And after seeing Northern Ireland pull off the shock of the season so far there is no reason why we cant go to Stamford Bridge and kick the Chelsea lads off the park - or at least keep it down to 3-0!!

And Wrighty should be back for the Man Utd game according to reports so the future isn't so bleak after all.

Roll on 7.15am Saturday, it'll be stella artois number one in my hand - the first of many......

Set of Prima Donnas with no Heart or Passion

Well having watched the shambles in Belfast I am pleased my Englandfans+ membership number did not come out of the hat for a ticket to the match.

What an absolute load of garbage served up by overpaid, heartless and supposedly skillful footballers who should have been proud to wear the three lions on their chests.

Can you tell me that the formation again chosen was the right one, did the players know what they were doing, what the fuck is Rooney on, is Michael Owen worth £16m, are Hargreaves, Defoe, Young, Joe Cole world class, why was Shaun Wright Phillips taken off, can Lampard and Gerrard play together, can Lampard and Gerard get involved with Beckhams new role, is Sven the right man to lead us to Germany?? All questions and probably more that need answering and answering fast.

One thing on the positive side was Northern Irelands bunch of lowly paid, with not much premiership experience outplaying England in the second half with what is supposed to be our best squad.

Mick McCarthy has been criticised for not buying quality and players with premiership experience. The performance tonight by Northern Ireland just goes to show that football is a funny old game and with team spirit, work rate and belief then things are possible. We should take heart at SAFC that once the new players, and there has been more than a full team of new comers recruited start to gel and the team ethos and spirit is there like last year we can put on a show against the so called prima donnas in the premiership and okay we may get thrashed abit but there is hope and the NI game plan, passion and work rate tonight should go along way to give our players hope against a struggle all season - but premiership status at the end of the season.

Comments from you bloggers out there please!

Embarrassing - too right it was!

Jim Gilling
England on Tour
World Cup 2006

Wales v England

Sorry for the delay in sending a report on the game bloggers but things have been a bit hectic since I came back especially with Mrs G in Majorca sunning herself.

Left the hotel early morning as I wanted to get to the same parking area as I did when we were at the Hartlepool play-off final. It is called Rolls Street and only about 10 minutes walk from the ground no parking meters or permit holders only, so it is a good place to park if we get to any of the finals this year and Wembley is still not finished (only dreaming bloggers!)

Went to the stadium area and sat outside the Holiday Inn with a crowd of England supporters - it is great to have a discussion on football with fans from around England i.e. Chelsea, Man U and Nottingham Forest without any trouble. I then decided to look up the England village in the castle grounds - as it was early (10.45am) there were only about 1,000 in the village but the queue for the bar was about 500 yards long, but everyone was queuing without any hassle as it was bright sunshine. There was a DJ playing England songs and plenty of amusements for every age group. I stood around admiring all the flags from loads of different areas of England - there was even a Glasgow Rangers Branch flag!

I then looked up an off license for two cans of Strongbow and again sat outside the Holiday Inn watching the world go by. Atmosphere was great - better than England home games. Two guys near me, Hull City fans, had no tickets and were busy calling on the mobile and were being offered tickets in the Wales end for £150 each - they got fixed up later at a good price of £100 for two.

Then I had the usual walk around to see what was happening - took a walk into Wetherspoons on Westgate Street only one thing on my mind was where was the loo as the two cans of cider had now made their way to my bladder. While I was in the loo two bouncers came in to escort me off the premises!!! (Were they from Leicester???) They explained that it was for my safety and nothing else as it was a home fans only pub. On coming down the stairs I realised what I had walked through when looking for the loos and the greetings I got on leaving were not too friendly I can tell you - kindest comment was "leave him in we are all British aren't we" - to - "Fucking English bastard should be ashamed to wear that fucking shirt." Oh well at least I know not to enter that Wetherspoons again!

So back to the Holiday Inn and more banter with some more fans and then back to the village to see if things had started to liven up. It certainly had in the village, drink was taking hold and everyone was in a party mood with Vindaloo belting from the speakers. Again I thought what a terrific atmosphere and made me decide definitely to go to Germany next year with or without tickets.

Went into the stadium just when the players were coming out to warm up - we were in the corner of the stadium opposite the players tunnel. My seat was on the bottom tier so I could not see the fans above only when I peeked a view when I was allowed down to the front. Just before the kick off and next to me, as I was on the end of the England area only separated from the Welsh by empty rows and netting, came in a handful of well picked heavies from a firm called concert and event security - these guys looked like ex-boxers and not to be messed with - probably on the door at Cardiffs nite spots!

The game was okay - we had a professional approach but the 4-5-1 system looked rubbish especially when it looked like the 5 were a more defensive midfield rather than attacking. A Plymouth fan next to me put it in perspective when he shouted " fucking hell man you are up against 1st and 2 nd Division players and you still can't break them down". Joe Cole scored the winner albeit a deflection and probably the only good thing he did all game. Comments:- Beckham looked cool and in control although I did not like where he was positioned, goalkeeper looks okay, Defoe is not world class, Wright Phillips should take a defender on more, Rooney should not be tackling at the right back position, Gerard looked fucked all through the second half, the worst game I have seen Lampard have in an England shirt, Rio looked well in control at the back, Jamie Carragher struggled at first but then settled down, bring on Michael Owen for the Northern Ireland match. Which leaves me to add I am pleased I am not going to Belfast as there seems to be plenty going without tickets and the anti IRA songs being sung in Cardiff leads me to believe there will be plenty of trouble over there.

So the game ended 1:0 to England job done, not a brilliant game but another three points - it is nice to come away enjoy the day and see your team win for a change - hope for the same on Saturday against Chelsea!!!

I set off at 5.10pm in the Gilligan limo and by not keeping to the speed limits I was home by 9.15pm and in the Greyhound with PeterJ at 9.45pm and supped until 1.00am. Great day out!
Made me realise what a long journey back by Griersons it had been from the recent Liverpool game when I got back later than I did from Cardiff - and Steph Walton did not complain about being back late after that game!


Jim Gilling
England on Tour
World Cup 2006

Okay Bloggers I should not take pictures while driving but could not resist this one ...... the only good sign to be seen on the road out of WALES! 

The second and third tiers at Cadiff Millennium Stadium 

The players warming up before the Wales game 

England Mackems at the Wales v England game 

Billy Gilligan in Wales

Well fellow bloggers just arrived in Cardiff and settling down in the hotel. Looks like a good hotel with a Toby Carvery. Seems as though there are some England fans staying as well going by the flags in the cars. I wouldn't leave any England flag in my car ..... suppose the Sunderland Black CatsTop Dogs car scarf will be okay probably no one will go near it incase the SAFC team performance is contagious!
So tomorrow off to the Millennium Stadium for the Wales v England game and looking forward to the game and expect that we will win by a clear two goals - Gerrard and Rooney are my predictions. Got me camera so I will take plenty of pics for the site. There is a special England village assembled close to the entrance gate this they hope will be where all the England fans will head for to have a drink and something to eat in the many marquees that have been put up. Otherwise if England fans drink else where I anticipate there may be a bit of bother .... I will head for the village so look out for me bloggers I will easily be recognized I will have my England top on!
Seat is 26 rows from the front. Wish I had a St. George Flag with SAFC Coxhoe Branch anyone know any ladies who can accommodate my wish for the remaining England games??

Jim Gilling
England on Tour
World Cup 2006

SAFC v Cheltenham - Carling Cup

Please note that at last nights branch meeting it was agreed NOT to have a coach to the Carling Cup fixture versus Cheltenham on Tuesday 20th September 2005 kick off 7.45pm. Branch members are advised to make alternative arrangements if they wish to attend this fixture. Tickets have been reduced by SAFC £10 adults and £5 under 16 and OAP's.
We hope branch members will understand the reasons not to have a coach to this fixture.

Jim Gilling
Secretary
FTM

Michael Owen - what a player!

Never kicked a ball and joint top scorer already - legend!