Person: Martyn McFadden

WHEN I heard that an Irish icon in charge of all things Sunderland AFC was about to walk, I had a bit of a panic on. Surely we’d struggle to survive as a Premier League outfit; maybe we’d no longer be able to attract players to the club.

Fri, 05 Dec, 2008

Roy may face a messy Wearside divorce

LAST weekend saw a football first. I’ve had lots of pals get married during the football season, but I’ve always picked the match ahead of the wedding.

Wed, 03 Dec, 2008

From rock ‘n’ roll to shock and droll

I SPENT last week living the rock and roll dream. A pal of mine is in a band who were supporting Primal Scream in Belfast, Dublin and Cork. So I booked myself a £1 budget airline ticket, travelled Ireland in a luxury tour bus and hung about as official photographer.

Wed, 26 Nov, 2008

Thankfully, Black Cat Friday didn’t materialise

LAST Friday promised to be a fairly quiet day at our fanzine’s HQ. Sure, Sunderland had been awful for almost a month, but we’ve been bad for most of the 30 odd years I’ve been following them, so that’s no big deal.

Wed, 19 Nov, 2008

Roy deflects criticism with pie in Sky rant

IT’S starting to become a bit like the madness of King Roy here on Wearside after our manager’s latest rant.

Wed, 12 Nov, 2008

Reality bites after our double capitulation

I’VE never been a big fan of clichés in football. Just the thought of listening to a lazy commentator trot them out during a match ensures I never opt for following Sunderland on the box, even when it costs €60 to watch us get pulverised at Stamford Bridge.

Wed, 05 Nov, 2008

Champagne football sparks derby day joy

ROY Keane has hit a new high in his Sunderland career.

Wed, 29 Oct, 2008

You ain’t seen nothing like the mighty Quinn

TWO previously despised football chairmen must be struggling to wipe the smug grins from their faces this week.

Wed, 15 Oct, 2008

Sweet goal struck in name of the father

LAST YEAR there was an awful inevitability about our games against the top four sides.

Wed, 08 Oct, 2008

If you tolerate this then Keane may be next

THE LAST few weeks have taught everyone just what fan power can achieve at a football club in the North East of England.

Wed, 01 Oct, 2008

Greening of club continues after derby win

I SPENT most of last week’s build up to the Middlesbrough game stressing that, contrary to mainstream media belief, The Wear/Tees clash is not really a proper derby match.

Wed, 24 Sep, 2008

Not much to toast after punch-drunk effort

IT PROMISED to be a great weekend.

Wed, 03 Sep, 2008

Tired excuse, Roy, more a failure to prepare

FAIL to prepare, prepare to fail has been one of Roy Keane’s favourite mantras throughout his football career.

Wed, 20 Aug, 2008

Fancy dress fails to disguise away form

THERE is something different about the last away game of the season for Sunderland fans and it’s always even more enjoyable when they aren’t twinned with tragedy.

Wed, 07 May, 2008

Sitting pretty, now for sexy Sunderland

LATE into the early hours of Sunday morning, I was still celebrating our last-gasp win against Middlesbrough — which secured our Premier League survival — and admiring Sunderland’s lady folk. I was drunk, making my ability to judge things, both from the game and the rest of the evening, difficult.

Wed, 30 Apr, 2008

Keano to blame for demolition derby

I SPENT most of last week listen-ing to an assortment of Sunder-land players tell the press how much the game meant to them. I even watched Roy Keane stress that the players knew exactly what was at stake. But at Newcastle on Sunday afternoon, I felt cheated.

Wed, 23 Apr, 2008

Worth Keano’s while to put a call through to his former teammate Giggs

WITH talk of Ronaldinho going to Manchester City last week, it’s Sunderland’s turn to look for an audacious summer coup now, with one Ryan Giggs apparently topping Keano’s summer shopping list.

Wed, 16 Apr, 2008

Grand day out leaves survival odds on

AS I WAS driving down Fulham Palace Road a couple of hours before our game at Craven Cottage on Saturday, the unmistakable frame of Niall Quinn was striding in the opposite direction.

Wed, 09 Apr, 2008

Hungry Reid puts survival on the menu

MANY males at the Stadium of Light last Saturday will have been looking down at their pot bellies, ruing their physique for ruining a career in professional football.

Wed, 02 Apr, 2008

Relief as we celebrate rare away-day joy

SUNDERLAND’S first away win of the season against Aston Villa on Saturday was a massive fillip for their fanatical travelling army who have clocked up thousands of miles this term for very little reward.

Wed, 26 Mar, 2008

Real worries as player fallout hits home

ROY Keane’s nose is getting shorter and shorter each week, as he gradually cuts it off to spite his face. For some obscene reason he dropped Daryl Murphy, Michael Chopra and Kieran Richardson for our match against high-flying Chelsea last weekend.

Wed, 19 Mar, 2008

We need a revolution, not evolution

AFTER the euphoria of four successive home wins lifted us away from the drop zone, picking up only one point from games against Derby, Portsmouth and Everton in recent weeks has dragged us right back down.

Wed, 12 Mar, 2008

Miller better late than never, Roy

AS a fan of Liam Miller I was sorely tempted to submit this week’s musings a little bit late.

Wed, 05 Mar, 2008

’Til death I do part with my team

WHEN a childhood pal decides to get married in the middle of the football season it raises several dilemmas. Do I choose friends or football?

Wed, 27 Feb, 2008

Imagine if we become a genuine force!

WIGAN is a strange little place. I see it as a town that, apart from the Wigan Casino, has never produced anything cool, or interesting.

Wed, 13 Feb, 2008

Time to Kop on and have a go

OUR brilliant travelling supporters go to Anfield this weekend with one hope for Sunderland — that we don’t embarrass ourselves by scoring fewer goals than Havant And Waterlooville managed in their heroic efforts in the Cup.

Wed, 30 Jan, 2008

Counting cost of misspent loot

YOU know something is going wrong with the season when my car’s CD player for away day trips is overflowing with The Smiths and Joy Division to cheer me up on the way home.

Wed, 23 Jan, 2008

Victory a gift after tough Christmas

AS far as Christmases go, things could have been a lot merrier at the Stadium of Light.

Wed, 02 Jan, 2008

No festive cheer as Roy finally loses it

SATURDAY saw Sunderland managers past, present and future gather to witness an unexpectedly-exciting game.

Wed, 19 Dec, 2007

Angry Fans

The Examiner’s football correspondent Liam Mackey likes a good argument when he hears it and he gives prizes away for the best of them.

Tue, 04 Sep, 2007

Murray’s exit paves way for Quinn consortium

BOB MURRAY’S reign as Sunderland chairman ended yesterday after 20 turbulent years with former Black Cats player Niall Quinn heading the consortium set to replace him.

Sat, 07 Jan, 2006