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Could we lose a generation of supporters to the Mags?

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Jack Blue said:
What if your parents don’t like football that much but you do? This is a fairly small % of population but even if it’s 10% to lose 10% is a lot. Eg my mate Mark in Shiney Row whose parents weren’t arsed in the least but he went with Sunderland cos it was closest. In the future the Marks of this world will be Newcastle.
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Then you support your local side
 

Breamish Valley said:
Then you support your local side
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Not what happens is it? I mean not many of us support Ryhope, Chester le Street, Washington or Bishop Auckland do we? It’s an equation of quality of team x proximity to home x family pressure. One part of that equation is collapsing. Utterly. To think this isn’t an existential threat to Sunderland as a big club moving forward is head in the sand stuff. We will lose fans.
 
To some degree, this thread is a clear overreaction and a kneejerk, but saying that the fears expressed in it are very real.

In some ways we are still suffering the generational long impact of the Keegan era. Plastic mags in Durham, the encroachment of some mag fans around Sunderland's own periphery: Houghton, Shiney Row, Washington, etc

It does not bare thinking about. I never thought I'd be directly experiencing the worst ever ebb in this club's whole history. The past four years have been like a bad dream for me, and it is so painful each time to hope it ends only to be suffocated with it more.

But I cannot remove this club from who I am, and nee son of mine is ever going to be a f***ing mag.
 
Yes course we will. We will always retain a solid core support because we are Sunderland but it's inevitable that kids in mixed areas and even kids in mostly Sunderland areas are going to be swayed across to the dark side. It'll be like 1992 again but on a much bigger scale. I still remember what it was like back then. I'd never seen a Mag top on our estate and within 4 years they were everywhere.

Said before that was always my main concern about their takeover, the massive erosion it would have on our fanbase and us being marooned in this League only makes things worse. In saying that even if we were in the Championship, young kids would be looking up the road at the players they are going to bring in and it's only natural that it's going to turn their heads. The fact that you can't turn on the TV without them being mentioned doesn't help either.
 
Paxton said:
The next 5 years will be a huge period of transformation for both clubs.

As things stand:

1) Newcastle are a club that appear to be on the rise. If they manage to stay up this season (which is now looking likely) they will be a spent force, throwing endless amounts of money at the hope of silverware. They will sadly become a big player in English football if the barbaric Saudis have their way. I can't see how this plays out badly for them; they have an endless pot of cash.

2) Sunderland are a club on the decline. We are breaking new records for all the wrong reasons, and reaching new 'lows' as the weeks go by. It looks like we will spend another season in the third tier, with most of our better players surely departing for pastures of new. Right now we find ourselves in a pretty precarious situation, and I don't see where it ends. The worst could be yet to come!

The sad and disconcerting point to consider is this - over the next 5 years or so do we risk losing a generation of younger fans to the Mags? Unfortunately I would say this is a real possibility.
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yes. 90's all over again. gonna be a rough few years unless the club pull their finger out.
 
There are two kids in the bairns class who came to school with Newcastle hats on. Never interested in football before.

Only a matter of time before they start approaching all the schools surrounding Sunderland with ticket offers imo. They could probably fill a 70,000+ seat stadium with ease if they picked up under the Saud and if they did they will probably try and raise a whole new generation of supporters.

Worst case scenario is in 2-3 years time kids crying to their parents to go and watch world class players in a shiny new stadium with their mates, while their parents say “no son, we are off to watch Lynden Gooch and Dan Neil against Scunthorpe for £35 each under the Tory mafia and spotty Frenchman. Promotion this season ya knar”
 
It’s a hard question because in my heart I’d say there’s no chance my future child will be allowed to support anyone other than Sunderland, but let’s be honest why would you force a kid into watching us as we are? I myself feel f***ing gutted watching my club get the piss took out of us every week.
 
Fez2 said:
I live in Newcastle and it’s really tough to keep my 7 year old on the straight and narrow. He is showing real interest and comes t9 the matches, but all his mates are Newcastle fans and they are cock a hoop at the moment.
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I wouldn't force my kids to suffer embarrassment, misery, and humiliation while their mate were doing the opposite . Let him go with his mates . '
 
Pete the Pirate said:
To some degree, this thread is a clear overreaction and a kneejerk, but saying that the fears expressed in it are very real.

In some ways we are still suffering the generational long impact of the Keegan era. Plastic mags in Durham, the encroachment of some mag fans around Sunderland's own periphery: Houghton, Shiney Row, Washington, etc

It does not bare thinking about. I never thought I'd be directly experiencing the worst ever ebb in this club's whole history. The past four years have been like a bad dream for me, and it is so painful each time to hope it ends only to be suffocated with it more.

But I cannot remove this club from who I am, and nee son of mine is ever going to be a f***ing mag.
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Agree, this club once it get's into your blood is worse than long covid.No cure ,just a longing for things to improve.
 
I look at my son and he knows how much his dad hates Sunderland and its forever tolerance of mediocrity. Why he would then want to follow me is beyond my logic and the only kids who will follow the club, are those unfortunate children who are dragged along.

The bright lights and box office up the road will attract every young lad who does NOT have a mentally unhinged parent.
 
rey mysterio said:
There are two kids in the bairns class who came to school with Newcastle hats on. Never interested in football before.

Only a matter of time before they start approaching all the schools surrounding Sunderland with ticket offers imo. They could probably fill a 70,000+ seat stadium with ease if they picked up under the Saud and if they did they will probably try and raise a whole new generation of supporters.

Worst case scenario is in 2-3 years time kids crying to their parents to go and watch world class players in a shiny new stadium with their mates, while their parents say “no son, we are off to watch Lynden Gooch and Dan Neil against Scunthorpe for £35 each under the Tory mafia and spotty Frenchman. Promotion this season ya knar”
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Guess your glass is less than half full ?
 
Not to the mags, unless they become a top 6 club. More likely we lose a generation to the likes of Man City and Liverpool or even non-football activities.
 
ToneSAFC73 said:
Lets be honest if you are a young kid from this region who has no family input on who you support there's only going to be one choice.
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True. Some people get into the game because he game rather than their parents. My dad watches the odd international game but football is far from his favourite sport. I enjoyed playing and started following the club game *because* I liked playing. This is one of the reasons I can really enjoy a game as a neutral, its not about family for me, its the game itself.

So there is more than one gateway.
 
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