The Craic From The Bus: Sunlun two, Derby nowt!
Today at 01:00 AM
Kelvin reports back on the crack from the Consett Branch bus after Sunderland's fourth home win of the season, against Derby...
There is a chill, cold wind as we board the bus in Consett bus station. There is only one bus for midweek games generally (no early and late bus), so the bus is packed. Adding to the bonhomie is the fact it is a school bus, and the seats are generally designed for children. It's a tight squeeze, but we cope.
A meaty discussion begins almost immediately, with big Tommy Sorensen offering a view regarding Aaron Connolly. He feels it is an arrangement that might work. Jack Clarke and Patrick Roberts have seen their careers revive at Sunderland, and there is no reason it couldn't work for Connolly.
There are not too many dissenting voices. Varga makes the point that he was highly regarded at Brighton, and you have to feel there is a footballer hiding in there, and we might be the platform to bring him on. Big Tommy feels it is a fairly low-risk arrangement, and Varga makes us all smile when he says, "When it first became news that we were considering him, loads of fans were saying 'no way,' that would be a bad move, etc. Now we have him, fans are saying 'this could work.' Haway Aaron bonny lad, prove us right!"
An article about a game between Sunderland and Boro is up for some discussion. Dave Watson and Bill Gates played against each other that night back in 1971. Both would be diagnosed with degenerative brain disease decades later. Kev Halom references the fact that Boro centre-half Bill Gates (1961-1973) was Eric Gates' brother.
I throw in my snippets of info: Bill Gates passed away from dementia on the same day as Bobby Charlton (21/10/2023). Also, that Gates' wife, Dr. Judith Gates, launched the "Head for Change" charity and that a documentary (The Billion Pound Game) was released about Bill Gates not long after he died.
The conversation touches on the issue of heading footballs, and the fact that the FA has introduced a rule phasing out deliberate heading in all affiliated grassroots youth football between U7 – U11 levels over the next three years.
It's a start, and rightly focuses on children. As pensioners involved in this conversation, we could all recall heading the old leather case ball and getting head spins and subsequent headaches from this activity. Will heading be eradicated from the professional game?
We might pick this debate up again, I fancy.
It was encouraging to note that some fans had already contributed to the fundraiser referenced in the OTD regarding a film called Forgotten, which Dave Watson's daughter Gemma is making about his life — a story of love, resilience, and football. Please do look it up and donate if you can. Many of us who saw Dave Watson play believe he was one of, if not the best, defender to ever wear our colours and a real warrior, whoever he played for.
Dan Neil is on the radar for a number of us. He has a lot of admirers on the bus. I have wondered about the captaincy weighing a little too heavily on his young shoulders. Bob's lad disagrees and thinks he should be dropped, his form and recent errors being the main reasons. He has little sympathy with the question of the responsibility of being captain, though he wouldn't be brutal in the act of dropping him, rather offering him a rest and a chance to gather himself. It's fair to say there is a bit of disagreement about dropping him. Following the game, there is even disagreement about how well or not Dan Neil played on the night! Bob's lad thinks Alan Browne should come in for Neil for the Leeds game. I remark that Browne is not a defensive midfielder. Bob's lad is unfazed and says we should play Rigg, Jobe, and Browne and just go for it!
Football is a game of diverse opinions, and I'm glad we won, as that particular debate has the capacity to intensify. A victory and three points mellows the atmosphere; there are easier things to agree upon.
"Here, what about the referee tonight?" says one of three older hands sitting in front of me. Referee Dean Whitestone (who had refereed our first home game of the season) was given a severe drubbing in the time it took us to crawl from Southwick to Washington. It was difficult not to agree with the trio as they rattled off a number of inconsistencies the beleaguered Whitestone had delivered. I marvelled at their ability to remember so many of the details of his offences (details I couldn't have given) and then had to smile as one of the trio remarked, midst 'ref rant,' that he had "forgotten the wife's birthday."
A joke follows a discussion about the excellent redevelopment at Sheepfolds Stables.
At a pub quiz in Sheepfolds, the final question — £1,000 for the winner — is asked: "Take That's first album had a four-word title. The first two words were Take That, what were the next two words?"
After a lengthy silence, a slightly inebriated pensioner with a cap and Sunderland scarf stands up and shouts, "Ya Bastard!"
Jobe's goal and form are hot topics on the bus home. Our joyous imaginations/memories are at work as I traverse the bus and find folk in their seats. Jobe's goal-scoring shot ranges from "nigh on forty yards" to eighteen yards. I, myself, was convinced it was thirty-five yards from goal!
A lively conversation ensues about Jobe, with all of us just about agreeing:
- However far out, it was a cracking goal.
- He looks like he's filled out a bit over the summer and seems stronger on the ball.
- His chasing back and good defensive work have been noticed by some of us.
- He appears to be playing much more the way he's facing and moving the ball at pace.
Gan on Jobe, keep it up bonny lad.
And with that, we entered the Consett homelands, safely returned victorious.
Bring on Leeds, we can hardly wait.
