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Mags fanzone in Durham

I've never bought into that nonsense like. The only people losing a generation of fans are failed fathers.

I was young and at my most impressionable at the height of the Keegan, McDermott and Hall (Fuck them all!) era. There was not a fuckin chance I'd have been owt but a Sunderland supporter. Same goes for a lot of mates and lads of my generation. Our dad's took us to Roker, and we wound up filling the SoL.

My mate's two little lads are growing up in deepest, darkest Wallsend (their lass wanted to move back home). He had his eldest at his first match dressed top to bottom in red and white on New Year's Day.
At castle view there were a few new nufc 'fans' in the mid 90s because of how well they were doing, the same is happening now absolutely no doubt,kids don't really know they just go with what is best at the time. You are right about dad's like, if they are Sunderland born and bred the kids should be the same. I mean my kids weren't allowed anything but safc and England kits until I was absolutely sure they weren't arseholes
 

I haven't yet seen his book. I agree with Murray regarding Reid's transfer activity. But Murray was too loyal to him. Murray had problems of boardroom politics, an ageing ground that required a fortune spending on it and inheriting a team related to the Third Division.
The 15 point season was the trade-off for the club not going into administration. We had won promotion witb an Other clubs would have conveniently thrown the towel in and have their debts written off. Murray, who had put a million into the club with the share rights issue, had too much of his skin in the game to allow this to happen. Even with McCarthy's frugal make do and mend mentality and subsequent promotion season the debts had not been reduced much, merely the situation prevented from getting worse. Compare our situation with Newcastle. Freddie Shepherd recklessly built up a huge debt at Newcastle, took a fortune out of the club in dividends ( Murray did not ) then sold on to Ashley and by doing so took more money out. In comparison, our chairman and major shareholder built up a fantastic charitable organisation and left the club in the hands of Quinn and a group of Irishmen and John Hays.
Murray didn’t want the stadium where it is, he wanted a a stadium as part of a Wearside MetroCentre at Washington but was amazingly oblivious to Nissan’s JIT needs. Alistair Balls of the Tyne and Wear Development Corporation offered the ex Wearmouth Colliery site to him and the rest is history.

Murray floated the club and many ordinary fans bought shares to be part of things but ultimately the club de listed and people lost money although he didn’t.

The one thing SAFC could do in the current era is promote themselves as the NE club as opposed to one owned by a foreign state. Our marketing has been abysmsal, being able to buy a Sunderland shirt in our own city centre is not possible and our lack of presence in Washington , Durham and Ponteland International is absolutely pathetic. We should have players going into schools throughout the NE promoting the club, giving out tickets and merchandise. Of course the ultimate way to build your support is via a winning team and promotion to the Premier League.
 
Murray didn’t want the stadium where it is, he wanted a a stadium as part of a Wearside MetroCentre at Washington but was amazingly oblivious to Nissan’s JIT needs. Alistair Balls of the Tyne and Wear Development Corporation offered the ex Wearmouth Colliery site to him and the rest is history.

Murray floated the club and many ordinary fans bought shares to be part of things but ultimately the club de listed and people lost money although he didn’t.

The one thing SAFC could do in the current era is promote themselves as the NE club as opposed to one owned by a foreign state. Our marketing has been abysmsal, being able to buy a Sunderland shirt in our own city centre is not possible and our lack of presence in Washington , Durham and Ponteland International is absolutely pathetic. We should have players going into schools throughout the NE promoting the club, giving out tickets and merchandise. Of course the ultimate way to build your support is via a winning team and promotion to the Premier League.
I agree with your comment about our marketing. We can definitely claim the moral high ground and use the Saudi situation to our advantage.
 
Not a problem for me. I can't even find my way in! I spent two nights there in unquestionably the worst B&B/hotel I have ever stayed in (and I have stayed in a lot in the 6 years I have been with my lass) and I couldn't find my way there from the Chester-le-Street turn-off. I was certainly turned off that day! 🤣


So are it's inhabitants. They look like zombies because there is so little there to do.
Take it you've never been to Blackpool marra?
 
I live in Durham and I'll be at the match. Not many seem to live around me but I live in quite a nice area.

My son says Sunderland fans outnumber mags in his school. I don't think they're in a majority although the numbers certainly increased since 1992.

The further North/West you go in County Durham, the more mags you get.
Says a lot that ! Sunderland fans live in the nice areas of Durham scruffs don't
 
Murray didn’t want the stadium where it is, he wanted a a stadium as part of a Wearside MetroCentre at Washington but was amazingly oblivious to Nissan’s JIT needs. Alistair Balls of the Tyne and Wear Development Corporation offered the ex Wearmouth Colliery site to him and the rest is history.

Murray floated the club and many ordinary fans bought shares to be part of things but ultimately the club de listed and people lost money although he didn’t.

The one thing SAFC could do in the current era is promote themselves as the NE club as opposed to one owned by a foreign state. Our marketing has been abysmsal, being able to buy a Sunderland shirt in our own city centre is not possible and our lack of presence in Washington , Durham and Ponteland International is absolutely pathetic. We should have players going into schools throughout the NE promoting the club, giving out tickets and merchandise. Of course the ultimate way to build your support is via a winning team and promotion to the Premier League.
The last part you mentioned is spot on. Couple of cheap ticket offers a season got me and a few others I know on board with Safc when we were kids. There was a real presence in the primary schools at the time, with a signed ball raffled every so often. I've gone for years now and so will my kids (if they like football and want to). This is going back to about 98 iirc.
 
At castle view there were a few new nufc 'fans' in the mid 90s because of how well they were doing, the same is happening now absolutely no doubt,kids don't really know they just go with what is best at the time. You are right about dad's like, if they are Sunderland born and bred the kids should be the same. I mean my kids weren't allowed anything but safc and England kits until I was absolutely sure they weren't arseholes
Those “castle view mags”

We’re originally from Gateshead like guessing your 37-38 and il know the same mags.
 
Murray didn’t want the stadium where it is, he wanted a a stadium as part of a Wearside MetroCentre at Washington but was amazingly oblivious to Nissan’s JIT needs. Alistair Balls of the Tyne and Wear Development Corporation offered the ex Wearmouth Colliery site to him and the rest is history.

Murray floated the club and many ordinary fans bought shares to be part of things but ultimately the club de listed and people lost money although he didn’t.

The one thing SAFC could do in the current era is promote themselves as the NE club as opposed to one owned by a foreign state. Our marketing has been abysmsal, being able to buy a Sunderland shirt in our own city centre is not possible and our lack of presence in Washington , Durham and Ponteland International is absolutely pathetic. We should have players going into schools throughout the NE promoting the club, giving out tickets and merchandise. Of course the ultimate way to build your support is via a winning team and promotion to the Premier League.
They should reopen the mini club shop that used to be in the galleries
 
At castle view there were a few new nufc 'fans' in the mid 90s because of how well they were doing, the same is happening now absolutely no doubt,kids don't really know they just go with what is best at the time. You are right about dad's like, if they are Sunderland born and bred the kids should be the same. I mean my kids weren't allowed anything but safc and England kits until I was absolutely sure they weren't arseholes
There were only 2 Mags in my year group at Thornhill (94-99). One was from Newcastle and moved here because his Mam married someone from Sunderland. One who decided to be a Mag because he played for Newcastle school of excellence. He didn’t live with his Dad. I say he’s a Mag, I’ve been to SJP more times than him.
 
You're well acquainted with the football allegiances of Durham are you, down there in Leeds?

Lived there for 6 months. It's quite accurate to say there's slightly more sunderland fans in Durham, probably a 65 / 35 percent, or 60 /40 split these days in sunderlands favour, in my experience.
 
There are a lot of mags in Durham these days. I don't know the percentage split but there are a lot.
Honestly this is gonna sound a tad little Englander which is t me in the slightest but Durham seems even more transient of a population than most given the university etc, I've not heard so many different lingos spoken in and around the Riverwalk than when I've been in London. They're bound too attract support from that temporary resident given all the hype and bullshit around then now. They probably don't even know where Sunderland is.
 
I've never bought into that nonsense like. The only people losing a generation of fans are failed fathers.

I was young and at my most impressionable at the height of the Keegan, McDermott and Hall (Fuck them all!) era. There was not a fuckin chance I'd have been owt but a Sunderland supporter. Same goes for a lot of mates and lads of my generation. Our dad's took us to Roker, and we wound up filling the SoL.

My mate's two little lads are growing up in deepest, darkest Wallsend (their lass wanted to move back home). He had his eldest at his first match dressed top to bottom in red and white on New Year's Day.
You’ll notice there are virtually no mags in Durham whose fathers were mad keen on football. All their dads either didnt like Football or had a passing interest in random clubs like Liverpool or Mufc etc.

Mine afflicted me with the SAFC curse and i’ve done the same. But the mags are picking up a generation of fairweather blacksheeps that should have really been ours.
 
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