Geordies here, Geordies there, Geordies every f*cking where....

While some sections of our crowd against Wigan last year kindly suggested that the “fat Geordie bastard” Steve Bruce was not welcome at our club, many other Geordies in the crowd may have been left questioning just how welcome they themselves were.

Sunderland have always had a strong Geordie following. From the 1950s, when supporters from Tyneside and Wearside would watch Sunderland one week, and Newcastle the next, through to the 70s and 80s when “Geordie” and “Mackem” chants could be heard echoing around the Fulwell. However, things turned sour with the advent of the cringe worthy Geordie Nation bollocks, where Newcastle United attempted to claim all things Geordie for themselves. The vast majority of Mags, being pillocks, believed their own hype, but unfortunately, many Sunderland fans also seemed taken in by it.

A quick look on the ALS/RTG SMB forum, and it’s clear to see that amongst some Sunderland fans there is a degree of hatred towards Geordies, and not just from the knackers, but also from intelligent, loyal, and otherwise well informed supporters. Despite what Tory boy John Hall would have you believe, Geordie does not belong to Newcastle United, and the city itself has no exclusive right to the name, in fact it’s quite probable that Newcastle has a lower proportion of Geordies in its population than anywhere else on the Tyne. Geordie belongs to the whole of Tyneside, whether you’re a Sunderland supporter or a black and white. Anyone who believes otherwise is merely playing into the hands of the Goebbel-esque, Maggie propaganda machine. And contrary to what many a gobshite Mag might say, supporting The Lads whilst coming from Jarra, Shields, Gateshead, or The Fellin’, does not make you a Mackem. Just as a Londoner supporting Liverpool is not a Scouser, and probably not even a thief.

Support from lads from Tyneside should not be underestimated. Geordie Sunderland fans make up a decent part of SAFC’s core following, there’s no room for half hearted support when you spend most of your life surrounded by Mags. When most of your mates and work colleagues are Skunks, it’s a right bastard having to go down the pub after Michael Proctor has managed to single handily destroy his own team with a hat trick of own goals, or having to go in to work after another defeat to the Barcodes. A generation of Sunderland fans on Tyneside have had to grow up tolerating their school mates discussing turning Barcelona over, while they sit quietly at the back of the class reading their Sunderland v Oldham programme. As a result a lot of Sunderland’s loyalist support can be traced back to areas surrounding the Tyne.

Hence it seems incredibly stupid, and Magpie-like, to alienate such fiercely loyal fans, who make a 30 mile round trip every other Saturday to cheer on the same team as their Mackem brethren. Don’t let the Mags steal our Geordie support. We are Sunderland. FTM not FTG.