It's Grim Up North (east)
At about 10 to 5 on Saturday afternoon, I was sat in a now half empty Stadium of Light. Robert Earnshaw was hesitating over the ball and a Sunderland defender nipped in to kick the ball into touch. The corner would see out the match and although a point wasn't great for Derby, it was an improvement on recent form. Inexplicably, the linesman awarded a goal kick. A minute later, Sunderland had scored and the Rams had lost yet again.
Five minutes later a group of young teenage Mackems were swarming around a lone Rams fan making his way home. Another five minutes later and a reversal of age's, a Mackem "man" was punching a teenage Rams fan, forcing the latter to flee across a busy road. As a mate said "I wonder what they're like when they lose?". An hour later, we were still stuck in traffic on the outskirts of Sunderland. Not a good end to the day.
I realise that the average Sunderland fan will no doubt feel slightly embarrassed by some of the above and these things, unfortunately do happen- but I haven't seen it for a while.
How about the match? As all the media have said, it was essentially a Championship standard game. Derby were much improved in terms of commitment and organisation but it was frustrating that we didn't have enough to claim victory against a Sunderland side who were essentially the same as last season, but without the confidence and belief. It's frightening to see that £40 million can have so little impact- what hope is there for the rest of us? A Sunderland fan in The Observer (am I allowed to mention another paper?) said he hoped they would strengthen the defence and midfield in the transfer window. By the time they've done that (and they need to) you're talking a lot of money to stay up- enough to win most European leagues comfortably.
It's been a hectic week for Derby and ending with a point would have been nice but it wasn't to be. With Man Utd away next week, the games are slipping away. A few mates had a flutter on Derby staying up after Jewell's appointment, a touch optimistic you might think. I'm more of a realist- I've just had twenty quid on Sunderland to go down.
S Spaceram
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