Bit of a crash landing for our lads on Tuesday night. Most people expecting a steady win for us without too much trouble and instead, and for the first time this season, we were second best from start to finish. Good few lads missing, but even so a decent side out on the pitch, but there you go. And a tough game coming up against a booming North Shields, clearly determined not to be left behind by the moneybags over on the brighter side of the Tyne. Still a bit of adversity is good for us generally, so maybe this will be a shot in the arm at just the right time. After Saturday a run of away games, including an immediate return against North Shields, which is not ideal, never like the idea of sides playing each other too close together, grievances have a tendency to fester, but equally it is true that year after year we seem to be better away than at home. God knows why, you would think the Ryhope slope would be a distinct advantage, especially the knowledge that everybody, and I mean everybody, plays better up the slope than down.
Our local colleagues in the big boys league making their usual sparkling start to the season, now under the dour Scot, who I bet tells a great joke. All you need to know about Sunderland follows. Watmore, headless chicken, but anything that does happen, happens through him, Van Aanholt, good going forward but completely unaware of what defending is, Rodwell, static; and no pace at all in midfield. Other than that, everything absolutely fine, all be right come Easter.
Whereas the good old boys over on the dark side are making waves in the Championship, which I am reliably informed by magpie acquaintances is, contrary to uninformed popular opinion, a much better and stronger league than the Premier, which means that we can relax as the Toon are happily maintaining their position as England’s top team who will be playing Barcelona and Real Madrid regularly within the next two years, if not sooner.
I’m also taking a bit of interest in the US presidential election as a break from sport. Can they really be thinking of making Trump the main man? Funny face, and not in a good way, clearly a very accomplished “story" teller, and not in a good way, and a fake accent. Nice line in suits mind, I think he might win.