Match day anxieties (2)

Companions

On match days the fans begin to gather early, an hour or two before the game in the pubs and clubs close to the stadium. Unlike America we don’t have acres of car parks around the stadiums where people enjoy “tailgate parties” we gather in groups around familiar landmarks conversing and reminiscing of previous good years or bad times (replica shirts, of course, are a necessity). Here it’s the Companions Club on Bridge Street, Sunderland, where I meet one of my friends before every home game, we enjoy a couple of pints and then move on to watch the game. We get anxious about the result either of our match or the other games taking place this weekend.

This weekend we get lucky, we won on Friday and our rivals lost today, so Sunderland now get promoted to play in the Premiership (see my post in my other blog.)

Do you have a favourite sporting team who you follow, do you have set routines on match days?

Map

Match Day anxieties (1)

“Roy”

I guess to the football fans in South Shields (who are split 50/50 between Sunderland AFC and Newcastle United) this is a bit of a “Roy of the Rovers” tale.

Sunderland were languishing at the foot of the Coca Cola Championship before Chairman Niall Quinn invited former Manchester United, Celtic, and Eire midfielder Roy Keane to take over as manager eight months ago, and now, in true fairy tale fashion the team is only one game away from securing promotion to football’s (soccer) elite in the Carling English Premiership. As the passion has returned to the club, so have the fans, almost 45, 000 were at the Sunderland Stadium of Light yesterday evening to watch the game against Burnley. Roy Keane has instilled character and a “never say die” attitude in the team without displaying any of the histrionics that we expected, as he stands on the touchline he always looks calm and measured, yet these are anxious days!

This is the first in a short series marking Sunderland’s achievements this season, this shot was desaturated, heavily stylised with a layer mask, and blended on top of the original layer in Photoshop.

Use the map link to see an ariel view of the stadium.

Map.

Green room.

Coble landing

Detail from one of the (newish) houses in Coble Landing, South Shields. I like the colour and design of these houses which mostly have uninterrupted views of the River Tyne.

Map

Springtime

Blossom

It’s that time of year when a little bit of warmth from the sun opens up the buds on the apple trees in the West Park, South Shields. This is my attempt at presenting a half decent macro shot, not one of my best attributes!

Map

Eats, shoots, and leaves.

The Giant Panda

They live in a large enclosure nestled underneath the Metro bridge in Crossgate, South Shields, a giant panda, and an elephant. Nobody knows who feeds them, but they have lived there for a number of years now, oblivious to the noise of trains, buses, lorries, and cars!

I kind of like this type of public art, don’t you?

Map