Message from Roy as we are safe for one more season at least!!

Dear Coxhoe Branch,
It's great - better than last weekend, let me tell you.
The game summed up our season. We started badly, gave a bad goal away, recovered, scored a couple of good goals and then the late goal from Daryl.
It was a rollercoaster game and it's been a rollercoaster season.
The players deserve real credit, they have been brilliant. In terms of desire and attitude, I think we'll be top of the league.
I've said that I felt this season was one of the biggest in the club's history - because of its yo-yo history, we needed the stability and we need to build.
Hopefully this will give us a chance to move on, strengthen in the summer and take it from there.
I'm glad we did it at home today. Last year when we got promoted we were not playing. This is nice because we were all together at the Stadium of Light. The fans have shared it, it's been a very good day.
We've scored in injury time again today and I don't know how many points those late goals have been worth this season.
We've had an unbelievable amount of injuries and hopefully we'll have a sronger squad to deal with it next season.
The next challenge is to improve the squad and finish higher in the Premier League. We want to be bigger, better and stronger next season.
We've got two games to go and we're still confident we can get a few more points on the board and finish as high as possible.
It's been a proper rollercoaster. I've been on some at Alton Towers and it doesn't touch this job.
I was disappointed with the reaction of certain people after the Newcastle game and hopefully we have answered them today.
It was a cracking game and credit to Middlesbrough - hopefully they wil get enough points to stay up, I'm sure they will.
The atmosphere was cracking today and credit to both teams and both sets of supporters for that.
We had great spirit here, a good dressing room. If we hadn't, we would have been knackered. That kept us going, a good dressing room.
We'll still go to Bolton looking to get a result, we've got to be fair to the other teams in the league, we're certainly not downing tools.
Promotion last year was great, staying here this year is progress and that's what we wanted. This year was a massive learning curve for everyone.

Thanks for your support,

Roy Keane
Sunderland 3 Middlesbrough 2
Next match:Bolton v Sunderland, Saturday May 3 (3pm).
Next home match:Sunderland v Arsenal, Sunday May 11 (3pm).

Message from Roy as we get beaten against the Scum

Dear Coxhoe Branch,

I'm disappointed with the way we started and disappointed we couldn't get to half-time just 1-0 down.

At this level you can't afford to give the goals away that we gave away.
We made it very hard for ourselves, particularly with the second goal just before half-time. What we need to do is stop gifting teams goals.
Newcastle will look at their first goal as a good goal but from our point of view it was poor, we have ourselves to blame.
My players understood how important the game was. I'm not going to question my team's desire, we just gave away bad goals.
In the second half, it would have been nice if we had scored one to make it interesting but it wasn't to be.
We've got a lot of hard work ahead and that hasn't changed. It makes next weekend that more important.
The injuries didn't help. We lost three players in the last two days but you can't make excuses. We gave the ball away cheaply for both goals and you get punished.
I know they'll [the fans] be disappointed but we have to bounce back. We've had a major set-back today and we have to get back at it next weekend.
Michael's [Owen] record speaks for itself. He's got more goals at international level than all my players put together but if you give away one or two chances you are going to get punished.
I thought Kenwyne did OK, but OK is not good enough. We got some decent support up to him.

Thanks for your support,

Roy Keane

Newcastle 2 Sunderland 0Click here to visit the safc.com Match Centre.

Next match:Sunderland v Middlesbrough, Saturday April 26 (3pm). Ticket news

SAFC V ARSENAL

Dear Members,

The committee have agreed that the coach will be free to existing members who have been regular fare paying passengers to the SOL. Other non members must have travelled at least 5 times to qualify for the free coach fare. There will be a free raffle for juniors and adults for prizes appropriate for each age group. This goodwill gesture has been made possible by the members who have purchased football teams on the football card.

Thank you for your continued support.

Question from Brian as he warms up for Mags game - with answer from me Click on this title for a link to the RTG forum page and replies to Brian

Guys

This is a proper away game so I'll still need to pack some bait. There are several factors to consider

Normal "bait to beer" ratio is 2 buns and a litre per pint, 1 scotch egg per 2 pints and a pork pie for every 4 pints. Plus crisps and pop ('ad hoc' - no official ratio)
We'll be drinking early which can affect the metabolism
No chance of fish and chips on the way to the ground
No food to be eaten in the ground, the dirty Mag bastards serving on might have hockled on it
There's a lot of stairs, need to be well fortified for the climb and to combat altitude sickness
Might get chased so need to strike a happy medium between energy levels and not being overloaded (!)
Standing all game consumes energy plus no chance for a nap
A long journey home with high energy levels needed to celebrate victory
What do you reckon? I value you opinion in these matters.

The big match build up is well underway. Haway the Lads!

Regards Brian

My reply was:-

Dear Brian,

Suggest your day will probably run like this:-

8.00 Breakfast of eggs, bacon, sausage and 2 slices of bread (fired bread if fat is still hot) plus a cup of tea to make sure all the fat does not congeal in your gut.
9.00 Set off for Fishburn-by-the Coke works, Mrs M at the wheel packet of crisps and a bottle of water just to buy sometime while being chauffeured to the Beehive
9.10 start with a pint of beer and craic with Clive and his mob. Lights flash on and off trumpets sound as Kenny and Butch enter; Kenny assesses if there is any available talent looking for a bit of Kella sausage al a blue tablet.
10.00 after 4 pints and a bacon buttie free from the landlord everyone gets on the Griersons Luxury Coach for the journey to the SOL.
10.35 arrive at the SOL. Chrissie, Millers and Dec look-a-like brings plenty of beer to drink while waiting at the SOL. You decide to have another can to buy sometime while you queue at the burger bar to buy a steak sandwich with plenty of mustard; if you buy a hotdog as well will you get discount???
10.55 last piss at the SOL
11.00 Set off for Scumland.
12.30 Arrive at Scumpark after having another bottle of water and one of Mrs M’s packed luncheon meat sandwiches, you let out a belch and a fart as you get off the coach.
12.40 to kick off shouts of who ate all the pies are heard and you look over your shoulder to see who everyone is singing about you select one person wearing a black and white scarf that is bigger around the midriff and once you have your breath back from all those stairs you continue the singing – “WHO ATE ALL MY PIES”
13.30 kick off and you want a pee, so go down the 39 steps (or so) and get to the pee hoose and relieve yourself but cannot pass the pie shop and ask for a steak and spit pie with brown sauce.
13.40 while you are scaling the steps back to your seat the mags have a goal disallowed apparently due to the Mackem pie eater not being around and Owen was in front of him in the queue for the pies.
13.50 you put your hands in your pocket and surprisingly find a packet of cheesy quavers and devour them before anyone can ask for one.
14.15 All square at half time you ask Stevie to bring you a pie back.
14.45 the lads score – Kenwyne heads home from a cross by Reid everyone goes ballistic you celebrate by opening a packet of mints.
15.10 the scum get a penalty as Collins brings down Martins, Martins actually has tripped over a blade of grass left after the last penalty against the Lads. Owen scores after a rebound.
15.15 It’s all over 1: 1 and you finish off your last mint of the day and get pushes all the way down the stairs.
15.35 Back on the coach after going through a gauntlet of abuse you breathe in incase that mag you were singing who ate all my pies to sees you and returns the compliment.
15.40 coach pulls away and you get one of Mrs M last luncheon meat sarnie out of the packet, not bad this Aldi stuff you think to yourself while downing another bottle of water.
16.30 Mrs M waiting for you at the crossroads and as you get in the Mitton mansion you are very disappointed not at the result but that Mrs M has not bothered to have fish and chips waiting on the table for your return, disgusted you go for a lie down but cannot get to sleep. You lie for a while then decide to try the old method of dropping off to sleep – counting the pies coming out of the hot oven 1, 2 , 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 – snoring your head off by now
19.45 Where’s me bloody fish and chips woman!

A LOVE SUPREME

This month our branch is covered in the ALS a two page spread be buggered. It is a good read and the ALS is always a great bargain at £2 so please buy a copy and read the edited version. The black pearl can be found in the archives of this blog including pictures!

Message from Roy with only 4 games to go

Dear Coxhoe Branch,
It was a poor afternoon. The game wasn't great and we gave some bad goals away. At 1-1, I would have taken the point.
At the time I wasn't sure if it was a penalty, but having seen it again it clearly wasn't. There was no contact.
All the players should be disappointed, we have got to do better. It was possibly coming after three wins.
If I've said it once, I've said it a million times - we've got hard work ahead. Maybe people took their eye off the ball because they have plugged into people saying we're safe and let's look at next season.
We might have slackened of four or five per cent and you can't do it. We started badly, we keep making it hard for ourselves. I could have almost predicted what was going to happen.
People need to start listening to me, not looking ahead to next season. We're in for some tough games.
City have some good players but we gave them a helping hand. I substituted Kieran [Richardson] and he was the unlucky one because I could have taken seven or eight off.
We all need to do better, it's as simple as that. We'll learn from it. I didn't enjoy watching it and I'm sure the supporters didn't. We've got hard work ahead.
Thanks for your support,
Roy Keane

Sunderland 1 Manchester City 2 Click here to visit the safc.com Match Centre

Next match:Newcastle v Sunderland, Sunday April 20 (1.30pm)
Next home match:Sunderland v Middlesbrough, Saturday April 26 (3pm) Ticket news