Sunderland fans excited

Preston were a huge club as were Stoke and Huddersfield that’s where sunlun legacy lies pre war hobnail boots history.

Not so much black and white history more like cave paintings.

(1892, 1893, 1895, 1902, 1913, and 1936)

So almost 100 years ago.

But since that small Austrian bloke gave up in his little bunker they’ve been bang average.

Big club???

in what way

They were even in the second tier when they win the cup.

Anyone who has stood on the open roofed away end at roker knows exactly what they were.
 
All football clubs have history, Sunderland were a genuine big club who were laden with trophies and up to the 1950's they were just as big as any other club in England. This history and belief doesn't stop at the last trophy it is passed on through the generations, but obviously it's been tempered by the last 40 years for the Mackems
If Sunderland were getting small crowds in the 80's then so we're most clubs, Man Utd dipped down a couple of times under 30000, Newcastle were getting 12000 pre Keegan, it was the norm in that period.
Are they big, are they passionate, yes, have a look at them they no ordinary club, they constantly come in for praise so even if most Boro fans don't get it, the Maks have something about them. We do as well, most fans want to put us down because they like to think they are bigger or better but very few clubs come to our ground in numbers and show us what they are made of. I saw vlog from last season where the opposition fan said Boro fans were one of the most underrated, and it's true. What other fans do to us, we do to the Mackems.
 
Theyll just be happy to be attending 25k+ stadiums again and not the likes of Burton, Fleetwood, Accrington, Wycombe, Cambridge, Cheltenham and Crewe where at some of these places visiting fans are lucky to get 1k tickets
 

Away grounds you're looking forward to

Forest is 8 miles away. Would love to gan to that but hope they go up for me marra
www.readytogo.net www.readytogo.net

Page 4 before the Riverside even gets a mention ... they dont like coming here, but we could say the same about going there .. if its not a Derby the 2 local police forces certainly think it is!
 
Their avarege home gate in the third tier is over 30.000. We've managed that how many times?

And what tier were we in?

They've been run shoddily for as long as I've been watching football but let's get something right. Like the other club up the road, as far as support goes, they're up there with the best.
 
I just dont see in what way sunderland are a big club. They've been largely insignificant and had very little impact on english football for the 30 years I've been watching football. I can't remember them playing in any cup finals, playing in europe, making any marquee signings in my time.
 
Mfc79 said:
I just dont see in what way sunderland are a big club. They've been largely insignificant and had very little impact on english football for the 30 years I've been watching football. I can't remember them playing in any cup finals, playing in europe, making any marquee signings in my time.
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They're a big club alright, as far as support goes, just badly run. I've been watching for just under 60 years. They've we on the FA Cup as a second division side and nothing else.

I'd describe 'big' by the amount of support they have, nothing else.

Having said that they're still amongst the top dozen teams as far as success with trophies goes. Like Dumbarton in Scotland.
 
Mfc79 said:
I just dont see in what way sunderland are a big club. They've been largely insignificant and had very little impact on english football for the 30 years I've been watching football. I can't remember them playing in any cup finals, playing in europe, making any marquee signings in my time.
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They were beaten by Liverpool in the FA Cup final within that period. Also, don’t forget the Pappa Johns success.
Joking apart, whether you want to admit it or not, they are a big club, great history, well supported home and away.
I’m pleased they are promoted, makes for two cracking games next season.
Like most clubs they have a few doyles following them, but they genuinely don’t bother me.
UTB.
 
Corcaigh_the_Cat said:
They're a big club alright, as far as support goes, just badly run. I've been watching for just under 60 years. They've we on the FA Cup as a second division side and nothing else.

I'd describe 'big' by the amount of support they have, nothing else.

Having said that they're still amongst the top dozen teams as far as success with trophies goes. Like Dumbarton in Scotland.
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Having a big following and being a big club are two different things.
 
Norman_Conquest said:
Having a big following and being a big club are two different things.
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As I said, for me, they're as big club as far as support goes. They're also in the top few as far as success goes.

So what, for you, makes a big club?

It's always been a strange claim for me in football, the best club is the one that wins the league, anything else is arguable. Sunderland are one of the best supported clubs but have been garbage for as long as I've been watching.

What is a big club, if it's not the support they get?
 
Corcaigh_the_Cat said:
As I said, for me, they're as big club as far as support goes. They're also in the top few as far as success goes.

So what, for you, makes a big club?

It's always been a strange claim for me in football, the best club is the one that wins the league, anything else is arguable. Sunderland are one of the best supported clubs but have been garbage for as long as I've been watching.

What is a big club, if it's not the support they get?
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A team that regularly performs at the highest level.

The success I can't argue with and the crowds would be the envy of many clubs that wish they could match them. Sunderland though haven't performed at the highest level for some time now and I am not talking about them languishing in the third tier. Their PL days were more about survival than achievement. If I remember rightly, they finished 7th one season and failed to push on from there.

Anyway, how can a team that raffled a canary and borrowed a kit from South Bank United be deemed a big club? ;)

From the Guardian:

And Sunderland didn't even come up with their shirts themselves: they were a gift from fellow northeasterners South Bank FC. The Mackems had run into financial strife - reputedly even raffling off a canary to keep things ticking over - and called their neighbours for help. South Bank responded by sending their kit - red and white striped shirts and black shorts. Sunderland expressed their gratitude by thrashing them 7-0 in the 1887-88 season.
 
exeterboro said:
They are, if you look at honours won then they are ahead of Forest and on a crowd basis they are way bigger than the Trees. We are obsessed with making Sunderland out to be smaller than they are, maybe the 20+ years I have lived in Devon means I don't get all riled up anymore at the mention of their name, when I read this forum regarding Sunderland it seems like all objectivity goes out of the window. If they were located down south we would be more appreciative of what they are and not want to put them down. However that doesn't mean they are not c**ts at our matches for their constant paedo singing and also hypocrites for getting worked up about the Adam Johnson songs the Mags sent their way.
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Forest have won one more trophy than Sunderland.

Sunderlands' overall history does look impressive on paper, when you factor in attendances, trophies won and years spent in the top flight, however the reality is they've achieved nothing within the modern era and football has changed.
 
They need the Newcastle match to validate them as still relevant. It is an inconvenient truth for the mackems that they are just another run of the mill club. They literally think they are on the same level as Villa, Everton, Newcastle. It is hilarious. Their heads explode if someone dares say they are similar to a Boro, Derby, Sheff Utd type club.

If you go on their message board they spend half their time arguing if they are rivals with us, the irony of it is lost on them.
 
parmoboy said:
Forest have won one more trophy than Sunderland.

Sunderlands' overall history does look impressive on paper, when you factor in attendances, trophies won and years spent in the top flight, however the reality is they've achieved nothing within the modern era and football has changed.
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1 league title and 2 European cups and they are in the past as well it you are calling the Modern Era the start of the Premiership. Sunderland are a big club, if they have success and because rich investors are attracted to big clubs they may at some point then they would fit right in with the big clubs in those places at the moment, they have talked about expanding to 54000 but it would need success on their part, they would fill it
 
I'm not buying into this "they are a big club because they have big attendances". Means nothing.
Their catchment area is well over double that of ours (Wearside) and add in parts of South Tyneside and County Durham (and Billingham 😉) and it's massive (500k) But if you take average attendances v. catchment area there is nothing in it.
So a lot of fans and 1 trophy in my lifetime (I wasn't even 1 when they won it) - nah, they are a well supported club, not a big club.
 
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