Guest Blog: What’s your favourite chant? [part5 – FINALE]

Today’s entry brings to the end our series of chant blogs – we hope you’ve enjoyed reminiscing about funny songs past and present. We always want input from readers, so please do leave a comment with any thoughts or any genius chants we haven’t thought of.

There were some brilliant chants from Arsenal’s heyday in my early teens, some of the best including: “He’s blond, he’s quick, his name’s a porno flick, Emmanuel, Emmanuel” about the midfield supremo Manu Petit, and “We love you Freddie, because you’ve got red hair, we love you Freddie because you’re everywhere, we love you Freddie, you’re Arsenal through and through” (and later when he shaved his head updated to “We love you Freddie, because you’ve got no hair”). Other favourites include “We are staying up, we are staying up” early this season as a sarcastic riposte to all the early-season haters, and “Chelsea, Chelsea, money can’t buy you history”, sung repeatedly on the most squashed tube journey I’ve ever experienced on the way back from Fulham Broadway last month.

One more (an offer from Gerts as it happens, who says this is one of our best songs – I also think he enjoyed me singing it today as we ate lasagne in the work canteen): “Lasagne, woooooah, lasagne, woooooooah, we laughed ourselves to bits, when Tottenham got the sh*ts.” Genius.

In terms of the best by other fans, I took a trip to Loftus Road when QPR played Hull in May, at the end of the Championship season and enjoyed “Taarabt’s too good for you”. I also enjoyed “We were here when we were sh*t”, but as a tourist for the day, I couldn’t sing that with much credibility!

I also recall enjoying the tune to “Darren Bent is as fast as lightning, Darren Bent is a red and white, he gets the ball and he scores a goal, he’s f*ckin dynamite” at an away trip to Sunderland in November 2009. However given Bent then scored to send us on our way to a 1-0 defeat, I think I like it less now!

Guest Blog: Is Steve Bruce’s exit part of a new cycle?

Whilst reading this article from Phil McNulty I started thinking that the cycle that Sunderland are going through rang true a little, like I’d read the blog before, and like I could really connect and felt sorry for Sunderland fans and the situation their club is in. I came to the conclusion that Bruce’s exit is a sign of what may well now be the norm for clubs such as Sunderland.

This is the cycle which Villa, Everton, even Spurs to an extent (obviously less now than in the past) will go through. Work hard, sign good players, create a happy squad with a few star players. Inevitably, with the money the big guns have we’ll see them now circle to sign these players, turning their heads and offering large contracts: Bent; Henderson in Sunderland’s case; Downing and Young in Villa’s; potentially (despite a new contract) Fallaini at Everton; and Modric at Spurs (if it wasn’t for Levy digging his heels in). They then leave and the re-building starts again. Other players question the ambition of the club and the harmony is broken. Results suffer, Chairmen are impatient and the manager is sacked, simply to start the cycle again.

BCC Football: Sunderland and Bruce under the spotlight

This week’s blog focuses on Sunderland, who enjoyed a promising start to the season (notable successes including beating Chelsea 3-0 at Stamford Bridge) but whose results turned for the worse in 2011. I posed the suggestion to avid fan Ben Wilkinson that Bruce is no longer taking Sunderland forward. The way I saw it, they’re no longer a yo-yo team and need a new, more ambitious manager to reflect this. Would Ben agree? Editor in Chief George took up the debate with him…

Ben: The thing to remember about Bruce is that he’s a Geordie, so as soon as we have a slight chink in the armour that’s the first thing the fans chuck at him. If I’m honest, I would have preferred another appointment at the time, but the fact is SNQ went for Bruce.

For me, building a club and team takes time. In today’s world you rarely get that but I think Bruce will be given plenty more – a season anyway. Is he taking us backwards? The facts say no; miraculously we finished 10th and that was the aim. Now he’s achieved it, it sets the bar ever higher. So now we will see how he can wheel and deal to build a stronger team, we have mighty ambitions as fans. He certainly took us backward in the striker department; the Bent deal was good business, but how we ended up playing three games without a recognised striker is madness. Big summer ahead for Brucey.

George: Interesting that you back Bruce mate and refreshing that you give a nod to giving a manager time to build a club. I’m a big advocate of that.

My question to many football fans though is what do you think is realistically possible next season or the season after that? Should Sunderland be focussing on trying to win a cup or are you chasing a Europa league spot and then a top four finish? Are these expectations possible under Bruce? You had a real chance to lift silverware this year, but you bombed out of both cup comps at home to opponents you realistically should have beaten.

Ben: My problem with your question is that we’re football fans and therefore by nature we’re never realistic!  If we were realistic we’d probably never invest so much love and passion in our clubs, or we’d all support Utd. 

So, my realistic ambition for Sunderland next term is 6th spot.  Ambitious yes, but we’ve got to aim high.  I think we’re in a good state off the pitch, which has to help, but it’s on the pitch where it counts.  I have my doubts if this is possible under Bruce but if you look at the positives of last season we were flying until Christmas so as long as we can get a decent replacement for Bent (and don’t sell him in January) we’ll have every chance.

A decent cup run would be nice, we’ve been a terrible cup side lately but these days every side sacrifices the cups for Premiership.  Apart from Birmingham and I know where I’d rather be.  Getting into 6th would be a huge achievement and then who knows – I’d have to aim for top four the year after… what did I just say about football fans and realistic?

George: I agree entirely that football fans are never realistic and to save this conversation going on all day I won’t say whether I think you will achieve top 6 next season.

My problem with very unrealistic football fans, and that’s not a reference to you, is that there expectations often lead to the sacking of a manager. So my final question is this… if you don’t win a cup next season and are sat 10th again, or even 9th would you be calling for Bruce’s head? Do you think other fans are? How many seasons of consistent top ten finishes but not winning a cup or qualifying for the Euro two bob cup will you take?

Ben: Personally I think a good solid 9th/10th place finish would still be a decent result for Sunderland.  Bruce can’t afford to go backwards but I think he should have time.  I know many fans are calling for his head after this season, but that mainly comes back to the Geordie issue.

Managers constantly get fired and if we’re in a stable position we just can’t afford to make a change that will ultimately mean we start the building process again.  Over the next five seasons I’d take several top tens with maybe one glory season – a cup final or Europa Cup – it’s not been long since we were yo-yoing and this would be a massive step up from those days.

After that? I’m pretty sure we’ll win the league in year six and UCL in the seventh…

Not so much a harsh dose of realism from Ben then, but I’m definitely on the same page – much better to dream than support United. An interesting debate that has implications beyond just Sunderland; for mid-table teams, what exactly does success look like? Or more pertinently, what can it look like on a relatively limited budget compared to Citys and Chelseas of this world? Feel free to leave your comments, re-start the debate with Ben on Twitter @BenWilko, or do get in touch if you’d like to discuss the big issues around your team with us. ‘Til next time…

Jess – Head of Content – Gooner – @jessicaenoch