The Sunderland-Ipswich project

On Sunday the 24th of November, a Sunderland supporter recorded the thoughts of Ipswich and Sunderland fans pre-and post match. A few months later the transcript was found in the back pocket of my jeans.

After an initial study of my pockets contents, select pieces of the transcript are recorded here on ready to go. There are several unusual events on the tape but nothing conclusive about what happened that day. The strange events of Sunday the 24th are strange ‘eldritch’ and bizarre and at first the commentary on the recording is unclear, it appears that, while none of the participants in the interview remember recording them, it is also apparent that I spent some time in the bathroom urinating and singing to myself.

(Originally it was intended to be an indepth interview with Ipswich fans, but since a lot of footage was either corrupted or lost. For Legal reasons I cannot guarantee all of it was accurately written down after listening to the tape that same day.)

In order not to disappoint the fans on both sides recorded that day I have hereby published some select parts of the transcript (a lot is unclear from the recording), as I believe that there is a chance someone out there can shed some light on the mysertious events that happened that day. What fiendish curse or evil force befell us that day is not clear and may never be known but I also believe it is a useful insight into life in America.

(Static, sound of glass being moved, the voices are shaky and unclear but two voices can at first be identified)

Yankee mackem: “…No, it’ Ha’way, Ha’ there’s a Ha at the beginning.”
Unknown American SAFC supporter: “Away the lads!”
Yankee: “No, its Ha! Look its not rocket science.”
SAFC supporter: “Aweee the lads!”
(Sounds of more glass being moved, a new Scottish voice enters the conversation)“You sound like a retarded Scotsman, or maybe Irish.”
SAFC supporter: “A-weeeeeee the lads A-weee!”
Yankee: “No, no no! You’ve got it all wrong.”
Shiny Row voice: “alright lads, what’s up.”
“Ha’way great result.”
SAFC Supporter: “A-weee the lads!”
(moment of silence, followed sound of footsteps, walking away)
Yankee “Look, one last time, It’s Ha’… Ha’, Ha’, Ha’.”
SAFC supporter: “How-way the lads!”
Yankee “How come you can say that, and not, Ha?” (suspicious now) “Anyway, Where’ve you heard it said like that before.”
New Voice*: “You know in the Boro they say Ha’wee the lads.”
Yankee “Do they bollox.”
New voice* “No they do.”
(sounds of more glass)
Yankee* “Shut the hell up, your talking out of… oh yeah I’ll have another one, cheers.”
(more glass, heathy breathing)
SAFC supporter: “I really hope we go up this year. Ha’way!”
Yankee” That’s it you got it!”
SAFC supporter: “Got what?”
Yankee: “Never mind… oh cheers for that.”
SAFC supporter: “I’m going to talk to the Ipswich fans, one of them looks like a metrostars fan. A-wee the lads!”
Yankee “Oh for f***s sake.”
(Background singing, with Scottish accent and foot stamping): “Mic Mcarthy’s red and white army…. we…… hate…. magpies!”
New voice: “I’m going out for a fag, this new smoking law is….”
Another voice: “I used to be Sampson the cat! I once threw things at Boro fans.”
Mic Mcarthy: “I think you need to dance on the bar. You’re a great dancer Adam.”
Yankee: “Another pint of stella please Jack”
Sandra bullock : “Sing Niall Quins disco pants again, it doesn’t matter he hasn’t plaid for a few years, the Irish bartenders love that one!”
Yankee: (foot stomping) “Nial Quins disco pants are the best… (etc)”

There is more footage with intermittent sounds of peeing and singing. More follows about how after our performance that day the Ipswich fans think we’ll win the league and they’ll go second. It’s not that interesting from that point onwards.

*This is definitely Grayham, the local head of the independent arsenal supporters group, he was born in the Boro is a full on Londoner with the dick van-dyke school of poppins accent. His mother is from South Shields and he’s a good lad even if he did deliberately put us beneath the black and whites on the Nevada smiths website.

If you think you can explain what happened that day or you'd like to join the new jork red and whites drop me a line on the messageboard, I'm the yankee mackem.

Sunderland 1-0 Coventry

One of the overriding features of this season’s campaign that clearly separates the performances from that of last season has been Sunderland’s ability to convert average displays into solid wins. The Lads have done it on many occasions this season, home and away, undoubtedly an important factor in their rise to the top of the league.

However, it hasn’t happened in many games of the recent 5 match winning run, in which the Lads, particularly at home, have ploughed through the opposition. With this in mind, McCarthy named a similar side, with only one, necessary, change being made. Whitehead, failing to recover from his hamstring injury, was replaced by Lawrence.

Although this was a very similar side to that which took on Plymouth on Tuesday, the performance, in the first half at least was very, very different. In a fairly lackluster start to the match, both sides looked tired and weary and, as a result of this, failed to create any real chances. Coventry, looking the more dangerous of two poor first-half sides came close with a couple of long range efforts that troubled Mhyre whilst Sunderland could only muster up a few penalty shouts in a dire first half an hour. On that half hour mark, Arca created the best chance of the first period when he combined with Elliott to create some space down the left but his effort, after cutting in from the left, was well saved by the City ‘keeper. After, it was much the same standard of football displayed by both sides at the start of the half as nothing more was created before half time.

This barren spell continued for the first some ten minutes or so of the second half until some inspired substitutions by McCarthy finally injected some pace and life into the game. He swapped Whitley and Lawrence, who contrary to recent form were both very poor, for Thornton and Brown respectively. Their effect was felt almost immediately when Wright latched onto a Thornton corner but could only find the post and Brown did the same just minutes later when he came one on one with the ‘keeper. Their effect was the increased when, after suffering from another injury, Arca was replaced by Welsh which just helped to increase Sunderland’s attacking threat. With the crowd now getting well behind the lads and the team, seemingly, feeding on this, a goal was becoming increasingly likely. Thornton saw his shot go just wide and Stewart saw his saved before a breakthrough was eventually made. Wright, having received the ball on the edge of the area from Robinson was able to lay the ball off to Brown who fired the ball into the bottom corner for a hugely deserved goal. After this Sunderland took up the now customary sit back and relax position, inviting Coventry to heap on the pressure. Just as news was filtering through of an equaliser against Wigan, fans found it hard to celebrate this news as City began to look dangerous. However, after a couple of blocked shots and a poor, last minute header from Stern John, the points were Sunderland’s and with draws for both Wigan and Ipswich this meant the Lads climbed to the top of the table for the first time since the Burnley game and just at the right time to launch a final push for promotion.

Man of the Match: Steven Caldwell

Matthew Woolston