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SUNDERLAND
- SATURDAY 30/10/2004 |
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GEORGE
McCARTNEY THEMED EVENING | IMAGES |
| Oh
yes! The greatest match of the season. It was a
16 hour journey there and back to Sunderland. So
what better way to prepare for it than not going
to sleep the night before, instead choosing to
play some of the greatest board games ever seen.
The 'George McCartney Themed Evening' was only
ruined by the fact the inspirational Sunderland
defender was injured for Saturdays game. So,
just for you lucky people, we were awake for
over 24 hours to capture these photos from the
Stadium of Light |
| Mode
of Transport: |
It
was time to mount Liz, and the Costa Express.
Although this time it was John we mounted, as he
was the steward on our coach |
| Team: |
With
Virgo suspended, Mark McGhee changed the sides
shape. They lined up in a 5-4-1, with: Kuipers;
El-Abd, Hinshlewood, Cullip, Butters, Harding;
Hammond, Oatway, Carpenter, Currie; Knight. |
| Kit: |
Sunderland
were in traditional red and white striped
jerseys, black shorts and black stockings.
Brighton wore the dark blue Palookaville 3rd
choice jerseys, complete with white shorts and
stockings |
| Mark
McGhee's Attire: |
The
preferred uniform of the Crocs on Tour, of dark
blue shirt, black blazer and black trousers.
Again, with no tie |
| Weather: |
Foggy
in the heartland of the north, with light
drizzle in the second half. We encountered
spells of rain throughout the journey |
| Stadium
Rating: |
The
Stadium of Light holds 49,000. It is simply
superb, by far the best in the division. Two
stands have towering second tiers, and the
atmosphere with top class. However, the lack of
a statue of George McCartney outside means it
drops marks. 9/10 |
| Food
Rating: |
The
hotdogs were rubbery, although the pies were
rather tasteful, despite falling apart in
similar style to ones at Norwich. 6/10 |
| Entertainment: |
Simply
magnificent. A 'red coat' man and woman duet
sung classic songs before the match, and even
put in some movement to complement it. This was
all that happened though. 8/10 |
| Friendliness
of Locals: |
Extremely
friendly. They were a pleasure to be around,
even in defeat. Especially when they sang 'Scott
McCarthy's Red and White Army'. And the
programme seller, who in his broad, Geordie-like
accent counted the change individually out loud,
then said 'Enjoy the Game'. 8/10 |
| Standard
of Local Females: |
Saw
a number of particularly fine women outside the
ground. A possible place for university has been
found. 7/10 |
| Flag
Attention: |
Not
much, as Tom Stewart decided to wear it as a
kilt, to celebrate the fact we were in close
proximity to Scotland |
| Match
Report: |
Sunderland
demonstrated why they should be pushing for
promotion, with a good passing performance.
Brighton, missing suspended Adam Virgo, never
really threatened Thomas Myhre in the Sunderland
goal. However, they did put some nice passing
moves together. |
| Thought
of the Day: |
Can
you imagine if the coach driver just stopped the
coach, and demanded that if every person did not
take all their clothes off he wouldn't carry on
driving |
