A bit of a feature on the local telly news the other night, about the lad down at Darlington RA who broke his leg and waited a long time for an ambulance, stuck on the pitch in the rain. Much the same happened to Browny for us through at North Shields earlier this season. And elsewhere as well or so they say. The League Chairman is concerned I hear and raising it in higher places, and I somehow don’t think it was a coincidence that Look North featured the story. Journalistic contacts have their uses. Though I may be entirely wrong in this case of course.
I have said it before and I’ll say it again: we will miss him when he is gone. And his farewell walking malarkey seems to be going well, good effort and no question. Over seventeen grand raised so far and quite a way still to shuffle before it all ends. No doubt he spends his time humming that great tune by the much underrated and lamented Edwin Starr, "Feet don’t fail me now”.
So, back to our local concerns, and what is our points target for the season? Thirty one in the bank and twenty two games to go. At an average of a point a game that is fifty three, not bad at all, but hopefully we can do better. One and a half points a game, or a win every other game to put it another way, gets us to sixty four or thereabouts, very respectable indeed, but a tough target. But something to aim for so let's hope for at least that. Although we will need to keep our boys fit to get anything. Dropping like flies I hear. The management duo will be out scouring the Wearside League for likely lads to fill the ranks. Those West End boys are doing very well, and we know they are always up for the fight....
Shenanigans in the wider sporting world, Mr Johnson’s misdeeds catching up with him, will he play again and if so where? Not for a good while is my guess, and not for Sunderland again for sure, but I don’t think it should amount to a life ban either. I get a bit queasy with the sanctimonious brigade who seem rather keen on making an example of footballers, on the apparent grounds that they are role models. What sort of an idiot thinks footballers are role models? Never mind, we all live and learn, some of us the hard way...