P45

Woke up this morning with a hangover? Having only consumed 2 pints of the old John Smiths Smooth last evening I put this down to having again dreamt of the 86,805,555 pints I can purchase when I win the Eurogazillions draw tonight.

News filtered through yesterday afternoon that Newcastle United had sacked Graeme Souness. I spend 8 to 12 hours each day in the heart of black & white country, so you might expect I was involved in debating this subject for most of the day. Throw in the fact that I am one of only 3 persons who hail from the red & white area to the south of Geordieland and you would expect the debate to be heated.

Not so. I support, and have done so since I was ickle, a team who reside in North London. At this time my particular chosen team aren't doing as well as is expected of them, so I guess I can sympathise a little with the Geordie folk over the situation they now find themselves in. I am a not-so-regular visitor to the Stadium of Light and theirs is the second score I look for at final result time, but my loyalties lie in North London. This may then be the reason why I have never been involved in Newcastle v Sunderland debate wars, why I have never held as strong views as neighbours, friends or indeed work colleagues.

Liverpool & Everton, Rangers & Celtic, Portsmouth & Southampton and the two teams from North London to name but a few also have this type of rivalry ongoing. I do hold my hands high and admit to being involved in many a heated debate involving the North London teams, I do care passionately and my mood for the following days is often influenced by the final result of a game. Never though have I witnessed such passion as those from here in the North East when it comes to a game of footy.

For instance, a colleague travelled by train for a day out last weekend. He a Geordie, his lady a Mackem. As they boarded the train for the return journey they found their seats taken by a group of Sunderland fans returning home after having been beaten by Brentford.There were plenty of seats free and they simply chose to sit elsewhere. The fans struck up a conversation when they found Mrs X also to be from Sunderland. However, on finding that Mr Y was a Geordie the conversation and atmosphere turned hostile, even towards Mrs X. To the point where they moved carriage in fear of the situation turning to violence. What’s that all about?

It’s widely known that I don’t like Alan Shearer, you can take that as a fact. But I don’t like Alan Shearer because he is Alan Shearer. I wouldn’t like him if he were still at Blackburn, it has nothing to do with the fact he wears a black & white shirt. I’ve even been to St James Park twice. Once many years ago I attended a game against Leicester City and last year I went to a ball in the one of the function rooms, very nice too it was (apologies to the security guards who 1. had to put up with my Trophy Room gags and 2. had to chase me from the building at the end of the night when I pulled the shorts down on the Alan Shearer statue on the 1st floor).

So what next for Newcastle and the Sunderland?
Sunderland sack McCarthy and install Souness as his successor?
Peter Reid as the next Newcastle manager?

On this day: Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and The Big Bopper died in a plane crash on “The Day The Music Died” (1959).

I'm off to put this months wages on the Euromillions draw............

Talk hard
H.