Gunning down Arsenal a must for Normal One

YOU’D have thought that a win that bought us within touching distance of the top two would create a stir amongst the Chelsea fans but we were in a subdued mood as we streamed out of the Stadium of Light.

It’s a difficult phenomenon to try and put into words — Grant’s appointment has tainted the club for many and for some any achievements will be similarly tainted. I wouldn’t go quite as far as that but I can understand the feeling.

Perhaps it was the game that had sent many into a comatose state. Dull doesn’t begin to describe it, although desperate might. We hung on for dear life and if Sunderland had equalised, I’m not sure where a second goal would have come from.

Sunderland is rarely a barrel of laughs; we inevitably always go up there when it’s freezing cold and I am still always shocked by the wastelands that greet us when we exit the car. There is nowhere decent to get a drink and the policing up there leaves a lot to be desired.

The fans seem to whine more than scousers (a feat in itself) and they don’t seem to have one original song to their name. They mocked the fact that we had managed only to take 2,300 up to Wearside, but yet they seem to have conveniently forgotten that they took only half the 3000 allocation they were offered at Stamford Bridge AND failed to even fill that.

Now something that some of you readers may be able to help me with. I believe that up to 3,000 Irish Sunderland fans attend each home game since Roy Keane took over as manager. Now I understand that he is a popular figure in Ireland and all that — but really . . . where did all these “fans” come from? Who did they support before? And more importantly, who will they support when Keane inevitably leaves Sunderland?

But let’s move on to the important stuff; this is a big week for Grant. I have heard it described as “make or break” by some fans. Lose to Tottenham tonight and then to Arsenal at the weekend and I think Grant will lose the handful of supporters he has left. Both games are very important.

Tottenham’s results have been pretty poor since they beat us in the Carling Cup Final and Grant needs to demonstrate that he has learnt some lessons. A win tonight will not eradicate the memory of Spurs winning a trophy at our expense but it would at least give our team some belief.

The Arsenal game is paramount. Not only are the points at stake, and city pride, but so is our astonishing home record. I realise that this has to go at some point, but Grant has not built up the goodwill to get away with its loss under his tenure. As far as I am concerned it is win or be gone. Who am I trying to kid — it’s win AND be gone too, and quickly.

Some fans have “accepted” Grant, believing (despite club quotes to the contrary) that he will be gone this summer. It is worrying then that Peter Kenyon has yet again reiterated Grant’s contract is for four years and the crucial phrase he used was that “it was never pre-conditional on this season”. That sounds to me like the ground being primed for at least another year.

Backing this up amongst all the stories in the press linking us with experienced managers with impressive portfolios, a couple of papers are running an alarming story stating that not only will Grant stay if we win nothing, but that Abramovich will sanction another two Israeli coaches to come and work alongside the Normal One. The two in question are Eyal Lachman and Ronny Levy. Lachman works for Ghanaian club champions Hearts of Oak and it is thought that he has already done some scouting for Chelsea. Levy is with the Israeli club Maccabi Haifa. So would our owner be that stupid? Grant’s appointment answers that for you.

It seems that the owner is a bit sensitive to criticism of Grant. A banner at the Derby game which read “we want a manager — not a puppet” was quickly removed by stewards. What happened to free speech? One thing is for certain, should we lose to Arsenal, the crowd will finally turn against him en masse and let their feelings be heard — so he’d better read that “How To Be a Successful Manager Overnight” manual very carefully indeed in the next couple of days, and hope the luck he’s had up to now, which includes the fortunate draw in the Champions League, holds out.

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