When we got promoted in 1990

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I remember everyone shouting at the Swindon fans that they wouldn't be going up any way after the final whistle. I think quite a few knew they were right in the shit,
 


Was there, in back row opposite Royal Box, couldnt see a thing so we were all sat in the aisles further down. Awful game, delerium when we found out.

The following season, despite getting relegated was tremendous, favourite season ever going away. Thousands and thousands away at every game, fantastic support, non-stop singing by virtually everyone. And you didnt have to plan your trip 3 months in advance and like a military operation. It was often a case of someone volunteering to drive the night before, or being told there was a spare place on a bus the night before. Great days.
 
It must have been a Saturday it was announced, because big Des Lynam telted me by words of breaking news on BBC sport. Me & me mates were on the local climbing frame making bellends of ourselves within minutes :) Fantastic day, at the time as a 15 year old, it was probably the best day of my life.

it was definitely midweek because i was in glasgow sorting out some problems they'd been having in a nightclub. i remember the time very well.
i thought a wednesday but somebody mentioned thursday. they could well be right.
 
That may well of been me, I was 15 and rat-arsed, they served us at the Tesco's at the bottom of Great Central Way, Strongbow 1080, about 12 bottles of it. I could barely find the coach after the match.

Nearly got yersel lynched in the tescos asking for bags i heard
We had some cracking aways the following year as 14 n 16 year olds seeing us at places we had only seen on tv with elton welsby
Never once to this day seen the play off final. Was gutted as we came out of st james n you said kid ya cannit gan to wembley cos ya in jormany playing footy but things turned out great in the end
 
All started when, under Lou Macari's management, it was found that he'd bet on his side to lose at Newcastle in an FA Cup tie, which they duly lost 5-0. He claimed it was to cover travelling costs for the weekend, although FA rules stipulate that is always covered by the home team.

The Sunday People reporter Bill Bradshaw, ironically a Sunderland supporter, investigated this and other irregularities, and found things such as Phil Cornwell's wedding and reception being paid by a supporters club donation, as well as other illegal payments relating to tax and national insurance. This had gone on since their 4th Division days.

The Football League had obviously hoped that Swindon wouldn't win the play-offs as they had fudged the issue as it was ongoing. The club duly won the play-offs whilst also admitting guilt to a number of irregular and illegal payments - and asked for another 155 to be taken into consideration.

The Football League decided that the only team that had been directly cost a place in the First Division by Swindon's off-the-field cheating was Sunderland.

Newcastle and Blackburn, who had finished above Sunderland, lost in the play-off semi-finals. The team in seventh place would still have had the play-offs to negotiate.

Sheffield Wednesday felt they should have stayed up, having finished 3rd bottom of the First Division. The rules were clear though. Three down from the First Division.

That left Sunderland as the only choice to replace Swindon in the top flight.

I thought Swindon were lucky not to have been drummed out of the Football League altogether. Lou Macari summed it up when he heard the verdict. "I'm shocked but I'm not surprised."

(By the way, this is all from memory. Feel free to google and correct me where it's my memory playing tricks on me).

I have to declare an interest here...I was personally involved in the Sunday People investigation so you don't have to be Holmes to work out my identity.... it took 10 months of solo slog on a fairly routine tip-off before we ran the first story. And then it snowballed....
I was helped by two very brave (and concerned) Swindon employees who were horrified by what was going on inside their own club. They wanted the truth to come out but it took a lot of ferreting and cajoling to turn their tip and assistance into hard evidence.
Never in a million years did I believe the work I was doing would eventually result in Sunderland (yes, my team, I'm a County Durham boy) winning promotion by default!
The first story, as already correctly indicated, involved Lou Macari betting against his own side in the FA Cup (against Newcastle) - he and the chairman picked up five grand when they lost 5-0...an interesting scoreline as Swindon were riding high and Newcastle were struggling in the same (second) division.
That was dramatic and emotive but what really did for them was the second part of my investigation which involved irregular (and illegal) inducements for players to sign for Swindon OUTSIDE the official contracts lodged with the Football League.
What made this especially dodgy was the fact that Swindon would often use the then tribunal system which used the players' wages as a key part of the "multiplyer" equation to settle on fees when the buying and selling clubs could not agree terms.
So Swindon would agree a contract back then with Player "X" for £500 a week but agree a secret side agreement (not seen by the League or taxman) for an additional £250 a week. Result: the player is valued at, say, £200,000 instead of £350,000 so Swindon can build a team in this way on the cheap, gaining an unfair advantage on all others in the league. Oh, and the taxman is defrauded as well! They signed and paid many players this way.
Ultimate result? Swindon are relegated two divisions after their Wembley promotion - commuted to just one division on appeal - and Sunderland are promoted instead; their chairman, Brian Hillier, is jailed and Lou Macari, who had left Swindon by this point, is sacked by his new club West Ham.
I was delighted, professionally, by the campaign we ran and, personally, I was down the White Hart pub in Fleet Street's New Fetter Lane raising a glass and a secret smile to the Lads.
Happy Days? I'll say.
 
I have to declare an interest here...I was personally involved in the Sunday People investigation so you don't have to be Holmes to work out my identity.... it took 10 months of solo slog on a fairly routine tip-off before we ran the first story. And then it snowballed....
I was helped by two very brave (and concerned) Swindon employees who were horrified by what was going on inside their own club. They wanted the truth to come out but it took a lot of ferreting and cajoling to turn their tip and assistance into hard evidence.
Never in a million years did I believe the work I was doing would eventually result in Sunderland (yes, my team, I'm a County Durham boy) winning promotion by default!
The first story, as already correctly indicated, involved Lou Macari betting against his own side in the FA Cup (against Newcastle) - he and the chairman picked up five grand when they lost 5-0...an interesting scoreline as Swindon were riding high and Newcastle were struggling in the same (second) division.
That was dramatic and emotive but what really did for them was the second part of my investigation which involved irregular (and illegal) inducements for players to sign for Swindon OUTSIDE the official contracts lodged with the Football League.
What made this especially dodgy was the fact that Swindon would often use the then tribunal system which used the players' wages as a key part of the "multiplyer" equation to settle on fees when the buying and selling clubs could not agree terms.
So Swindon would agree a contract back then with Player "X" for £500 a week but agree a secret side agreement (not seen by the League or taxman) for an additional £250 a week. Result: the player is valued at, say, £200,000 instead of £350,000 so Swindon can build a team in this way on the cheap, gaining an unfair advantage on all others in the league. Oh, and the taxman is defrauded as well! They signed and paid many players this way.
Ultimate result? Swindon are relegated two divisions after their Wembley promotion - commuted to just one division on appeal - and Sunderland are promoted instead; their chairman, Brian Hillier, is jailed and Lou Macari, who had left Swindon by this point, is sacked by his new club West Ham.
I was delighted, professionally, by the campaign we ran and, personally, I was down the White Hart pub in Fleet Street's New Fetter Lane raising a glass and a secret smile to the Lads.
Happy Days? I'll say.

Class that like, what a great story it must have been to be involved in
 
I have to declare an interest here...I was personally involved in the Sunday People investigation so you don't have to be Holmes to work out my identity.... it took 10 months of solo slog on a fairly routine tip-off before we ran the first story. And then it snowballed....
I was helped by two very brave (and concerned) Swindon employees who were horrified by what was going on inside their own club. They wanted the truth to come out but it took a lot of ferreting and cajoling to turn their tip and assistance into hard evidence.
Never in a million years did I believe the work I was doing would eventually result in Sunderland (yes, my team, I'm a County Durham boy) winning promotion by default!
The first story, as already correctly indicated, involved Lou Macari betting against his own side in the FA Cup (against Newcastle) - he and the chairman picked up five grand when they lost 5-0...an interesting scoreline as Swindon were riding high and Newcastle were struggling in the same (second) division.
That was dramatic and emotive but what really did for them was the second part of my investigation which involved irregular (and illegal) inducements for players to sign for Swindon OUTSIDE the official contracts lodged with the Football League.
What made this especially dodgy was the fact that Swindon would often use the then tribunal system which used the players' wages as a key part of the "multiplyer" equation to settle on fees when the buying and selling clubs could not agree terms.
So Swindon would agree a contract back then with Player "X" for £500 a week but agree a secret side agreement (not seen by the League or taxman) for an additional £250 a week. Result: the player is valued at, say, £200,000 instead of £350,000 so Swindon can build a team in this way on the cheap, gaining an unfair advantage on all others in the league. Oh, and the taxman is defrauded as well! They signed and paid many players this way.
Ultimate result? Swindon are relegated two divisions after their Wembley promotion - commuted to just one division on appeal - and Sunderland are promoted instead; their chairman, Brian Hillier, is jailed and Lou Macari, who had left Swindon by this point, is sacked by his new club West Ham.
I was delighted, professionally, by the campaign we ran and, personally, I was down the White Hart pub in Fleet Street's New Fetter Lane raising a glass and a secret smile to the Lads.
Happy Days? I'll say.

well done bill fella, that is a good story.:)
must've been a great feeling for you the night it was announced. can't be many fans who've single handedly won their team promotion. happy happy days.:lol:
 
I have to declare an interest here...I was personally involved in the Sunday People investigation so you don't have to be Holmes to work out my identity.... it took 10 months of solo slog on a fairly routine tip-off before we ran the first story. And then it snowballed....
I was helped by two very brave (and concerned) Swindon employees who were horrified by what was going on inside their own club. They wanted the truth to come out but it took a lot of ferreting and cajoling to turn their tip and assistance into hard evidence.
Never in a million years did I believe the work I was doing would eventually result in Sunderland (yes, my team, I'm a County Durham boy) winning promotion by default!
The first story, as already correctly indicated, involved Lou Macari betting against his own side in the FA Cup (against Newcastle) - he and the chairman picked up five grand when they lost 5-0...an interesting scoreline as Swindon were riding high and Newcastle were struggling in the same (second) division.
That was dramatic and emotive but what really did for them was the second part of my investigation which involved irregular (and illegal) inducements for players to sign for Swindon OUTSIDE the official contracts lodged with the Football League.
What made this especially dodgy was the fact that Swindon would often use the then tribunal system which used the players' wages as a key part of the "multiplyer" equation to settle on fees when the buying and selling clubs could not agree terms.
So Swindon would agree a contract back then with Player "X" for £500 a week but agree a secret side agreement (not seen by the League or taxman) for an additional £250 a week. Result: the player is valued at, say, £200,000 instead of £350,000 so Swindon can build a team in this way on the cheap, gaining an unfair advantage on all others in the league. Oh, and the taxman is defrauded as well! They signed and paid many players this way.
Ultimate result? Swindon are relegated two divisions after their Wembley promotion - commuted to just one division on appeal - and Sunderland are promoted instead; their chairman, Brian Hillier, is jailed and Lou Macari, who had left Swindon by this point, is sacked by his new club West Ham.
I was delighted, professionally, by the campaign we ran and, personally, I was down the White Hart pub in Fleet Street's New Fetter Lane raising a glass and a secret smile to the Lads.
Happy Days? I'll say.

Absolutely excellent mate, giving journalism a good name.
 
I have to declare an interest here...I was personally involved in the Sunday People investigation so you don't have to be Holmes to work out my identity.... it took 10 months of solo slog on a fairly routine tip-off before we ran the first story. And then it snowballed....
I was helped by two very brave (and concerned) Swindon employees who were horrified by what was going on inside their own club. They wanted the truth to come out but it took a lot of ferreting and cajoling to turn their tip and assistance into hard evidence.
Never in a million years did I believe the work I was doing would eventually result in Sunderland (yes, my team, I'm a County Durham boy) winning promotion by default!
The first story, as already correctly indicated, involved Lou Macari betting against his own side in the FA Cup (against Newcastle) - he and the chairman picked up five grand when they lost 5-0...an interesting scoreline as Swindon were riding high and Newcastle were struggling in the same (second) division.
That was dramatic and emotive but what really did for them was the second part of my investigation which involved irregular (and illegal) inducements for players to sign for Swindon OUTSIDE the official contracts lodged with the Football League.
What made this especially dodgy was the fact that Swindon would often use the then tribunal system which used the players' wages as a key part of the "multiplyer" equation to settle on fees when the buying and selling clubs could not agree terms.
So Swindon would agree a contract back then with Player "X" for £500 a week but agree a secret side agreement (not seen by the League or taxman) for an additional £250 a week. Result: the player is valued at, say, £200,000 instead of £350,000 so Swindon can build a team in this way on the cheap, gaining an unfair advantage on all others in the league. Oh, and the taxman is defrauded as well! They signed and paid many players this way.
Ultimate result? Swindon are relegated two divisions after their Wembley promotion - commuted to just one division on appeal - and Sunderland are promoted instead; their chairman, Brian Hillier, is jailed and Lou Macari, who had left Swindon by this point, is sacked by his new club West Ham.
I was delighted, professionally, by the campaign we ran and, personally, I was down the White Hart pub in Fleet Street's New Fetter Lane raising a glass and a secret smile to the Lads.
Happy Days? I'll say.

So, in theory, that whole season, although it ended in heart break at Main Road, was down to you and your colleagues. Top, top work Mr Bradshaw :)

It was a Thursday evening when it was announced i was working in Scotland and the son of my landlady came up and told me to put BBC2 on,they were live outside Roker Park and when it was official i went fkn mental,got changed went out and got fkn ratted.



I was at that one,we could have lost in the end,did Dean Saunders get a hat trick in that one?

That's the one fella. We played them twice that year at The Baseball Ground, the 3-3 and the 0-6 in the Rumbelows Cup. Not a great hunting ground for SAFC that season
 
i have to declare an interest here...i was personally involved in the sunday people investigation so you don't have to be holmes to work out my identity.... It took 10 months of solo slog on a fairly routine tip-off before we ran the first story. And then it snowballed....
I was helped by two very brave (and concerned) swindon employees who were horrified by what was going on inside their own club. They wanted the truth to come out but it took a lot of ferreting and cajoling to turn their tip and assistance into hard evidence.
Never in a million years did i believe the work i was doing would eventually result in sunderland (yes, my team, i'm a county durham boy) winning promotion by default!
The first story, as already correctly indicated, involved lou macari betting against his own side in the fa cup (against newcastle) - he and the chairman picked up five grand when they lost 5-0...an interesting scoreline as swindon were riding high and newcastle were struggling in the same (second) division.
That was dramatic and emotive but what really did for them was the second part of my investigation which involved irregular (and illegal) inducements for players to sign for swindon outside the official contracts lodged with the football league.
What made this especially dodgy was the fact that swindon would often use the then tribunal system which used the players' wages as a key part of the "multiplyer" equation to settle on fees when the buying and selling clubs could not agree terms.
So swindon would agree a contract back then with player "x" for £500 a week but agree a secret side agreement (not seen by the league or taxman) for an additional £250 a week. Result: The player is valued at, say, £200,000 instead of £350,000 so swindon can build a team in this way on the cheap, gaining an unfair advantage on all others in the league. Oh, and the taxman is defrauded as well! They signed and paid many players this way.
Ultimate result? Swindon are relegated two divisions after their wembley promotion - commuted to just one division on appeal - and sunderland are promoted instead; their chairman, brian hillier, is jailed and lou macari, who had left swindon by this point, is sacked by his new club west ham.
I was delighted, professionally, by the campaign we ran and, personally, i was down the white hart pub in fleet street's new fetter lane raising a glass and a secret smile to the lads.
Happy days? I'll say.

:cool:
 
I have to declare an interest here...I was personally involved in the Sunday People investigation so you don't have to be Holmes to work out my identity.... it took 10 months of solo slog on a fairly routine tip-off before we ran the first story. And then it snowballed....
I was helped by two very brave (and concerned) Swindon employees who were horrified by what was going on inside their own club. They wanted the truth to come out but it took a lot of ferreting and cajoling to turn their tip and assistance into hard evidence.
Never in a million years did I believe the work I was doing would eventually result in Sunderland (yes, my team, I'm a County Durham boy) winning promotion by default!
The first story, as already correctly indicated, involved Lou Macari betting against his own side in the FA Cup (against Newcastle) - he and the chairman picked up five grand when they lost 5-0...an interesting scoreline as Swindon were riding high and Newcastle were struggling in the same (second) division.
That was dramatic and emotive but what really did for them was the second part of my investigation which involved irregular (and illegal) inducements for players to sign for Swindon OUTSIDE the official contracts lodged with the Football League.
What made this especially dodgy was the fact that Swindon would often use the then tribunal system which used the players' wages as a key part of the "multiplyer" equation to settle on fees when the buying and selling clubs could not agree terms.
So Swindon would agree a contract back then with Player "X" for £500 a week but agree a secret side agreement (not seen by the League or taxman) for an additional £250 a week. Result: the player is valued at, say, £200,000 instead of £350,000 so Swindon can build a team in this way on the cheap, gaining an unfair advantage on all others in the league. Oh, and the taxman is defrauded as well! They signed and paid many players this way.
Ultimate result? Swindon are relegated two divisions after their Wembley promotion - commuted to just one division on appeal - and Sunderland are promoted instead; their chairman, Brian Hillier, is jailed and Lou Macari, who had left Swindon by this point, is sacked by his new club West Ham.
I was delighted, professionally, by the campaign we ran and, personally, I was down the White Hart pub in Fleet Street's New Fetter Lane raising a glass and a secret smile to the Lads.
Happy Days? I'll say.

Quality read, well done sir.
 
I have to declare an interest here...I was personally involved in the Sunday People investigation so you don't have to be Holmes to work out my identity.... it took 10 months of solo slog on a fairly routine tip-off before we ran the first story. And then it snowballed....
I was helped by two very brave (and concerned) Swindon employees who were horrified by what was going on inside their own club...

Good read Bill.

I remember meeting up with a few mates in Ikenham who'd traveled down for the match.

We went through to Wembley on the tube with loads of Swindon supporters. They told us before the game that irrespective of the score, we were up.
 
That may well of been me, I was 15 and rat-arsed, they served us at the Tesco's at the bottom of Great Central Way, Strongbow 1080, about 12 bottles of it. I could barely find the coach after the match.

Fair play fessing up to that.

I do think they had a lot more one-off fans than us. If tickets were split 50:50 that would explain it. And yes, the pubs around Wembley were heaving with SAFC, before and after. A credit to the town, the team weren't.

I have to declare an interest here...I was personally involved in the Sunday People investigation so you don't have to be Holmes to work out my identity.... it took 10 months of solo slog on a fairly routine tip-off before we ran the first story. And then it snowballed....
I was helped by two very brave (and concerned) Swindon employees who were horrified by what was going on inside their own club. They wanted the truth to come out but it took a lot of ferreting and cajoling to turn their tip and assistance into hard evidence.
Never in a million years did I believe the work I was doing would eventually result in Sunderland (yes, my team, I'm a County Durham boy) winning promotion by default!
The first story, as already correctly indicated, involved Lou Macari betting against his own side in the FA Cup (against Newcastle) - he and the chairman picked up five grand when they lost 5-0...an interesting scoreline as Swindon were riding high and Newcastle were struggling in the same (second) division.
That was dramatic and emotive but what really did for them was the second part of my investigation which involved irregular (and illegal) inducements for players to sign for Swindon OUTSIDE the official contracts lodged with the Football League.
What made this especially dodgy was the fact that Swindon would often use the then tribunal system which used the players' wages as a key part of the "multiplyer" equation to settle on fees when the buying and selling clubs could not agree terms.
So Swindon would agree a contract back then with Player "X" for £500 a week but agree a secret side agreement (not seen by the League or taxman) for an additional £250 a week. Result: the player is valued at, say, £200,000 instead of £350,000 so Swindon can build a team in this way on the cheap, gaining an unfair advantage on all others in the league. Oh, and the taxman is defrauded as well! They signed and paid many players this way.
Ultimate result? Swindon are relegated two divisions after their Wembley promotion - commuted to just one division on appeal - and Sunderland are promoted instead; their chairman, Brian Hillier, is jailed and Lou Macari, who had left Swindon by this point, is sacked by his new club West Ham.
I was delighted, professionally, by the campaign we ran and, personally, I was down the White Hart pub in Fleet Street's New Fetter Lane raising a glass and a secret smile to the Lads.
Happy Days? I'll say.

Cracking read. Gold rated this thread for this alone.
 
Good read Bill.

I remember meeting up with a few mates in Ikenham who'd traveled down for the match.

We went through to Wembley on the tube with loads of Swindon supporters. They told us before the game that irrespective of the score, we were up.

Thanks for that... yes, their fans knew the evidence was overwhelming but I confess I was on tenterhooks as football authorities have a habit of looking after their own. Not this time... I think they knew that they had to act.
But I did feel for the Swindon fans. It was a shock for them and very much 'non football' reasons on the face of it. But, in truth, the club's shenanigans allowed them to build a decent team they could not have otherwise afforded.
As for betting against your own side.... don't get me started!
Just a shame Bob Murray & co pretty much looked this gift horse in the mouth. We all know what happened next.
 
Thanks for that... yes, their fans knew the evidence was overwhelming but I confess I was on tenterhooks as football authorities have a habit of looking after their own. Not this time... I think they knew that they had to act.
But I did feel for the Swindon fans. It was a shock for them and very much 'non football' reasons on the face of it. But, in truth, the club's shenanigans allowed them to build a decent team they could not have otherwise afforded.
As for betting against your own side.... don't get me started!
Just a shame Bob Murray & co pretty much looked this gift horse in the mouth. We all know what happened next.

we didn't spend a bean after going up...... AGAIN ! :lol:
 
we didn't spend a bean after going up...... AGAIN ! :lol:

Same as 1996, go up with a squad which was never really equipped for promotion let alone staying in the Premier and our big signings were Tony Cotton and Niall Quinn who were both out injured all season.

We were reliant on the prolific Paul Stewart to bag us the goals to keep us up. :oops:
 
Thanks for that... yes, their fans knew the evidence was overwhelming but I confess I was on tenterhooks as football authorities have a habit of looking after their own. Not this time... I think they knew that they had to act.
But I did feel for the Swindon fans... snipped

I agree with you. The fans we traveled in with were a cracking bunch and we all met up afterwards back at the pub in the middle of nowhere (Hen and Chickens in Ikenham). Four coach loads of them called in there thinking they'd be on their own. They walked in to find about a hundred Sunderland supporters had got there before them. You could cut the air with a knife, for about 5 seconds, then it was just a brilliant session. Mixed tables, swapping stories and the buses into Wembley were mixed. The pub put on a barby after the game and we all had a good chat before wending our ways north for most, south for me, west for the Swindon lads. Always had a bit of a spot for them since then. Abiding memory was being asked "How the f**k did you find this place?" Reply "We get everywhere.

It really was a village green place and it had a great invasion that day. Sticks in my memory clear as day.

Subsequent visits to Swindon, especially in KP's heyday were enjoyable except for the magic roundabout.

Any plans to do Pop-master again? This stalking lark can be dull. :lol:
 
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