WALKING north across the Wearmouth Bridge on Saturday afternoon, the panorama unfolded to reveal a glimpse of Sunderland FC, past, present and future.
To the east lies Roker Park, Sunderland's home since 1898 but for only another four matches before a summertime demolition, and to the west, rising higher by the day, the new Monkwearmouth Stadium, a 40,000 allseater venue to equal any in the country. Barely a mile separates the two.
For Rokerites, however, or Monkwearmouthites as they will be known soon, the contents of the structure rather than the structure itself has assumed utmost importance. What use is there, they say, in a 40,000 seater stadium if Sunderland go down? Plenty of legroom would be no consolation and judging by the genuine concern printed in the local newspapers, most of Sunderland goes to sleep at night counting white elephants.
What has been causing growing anger since the turn of the year, though, is the feeling that the Roker hierarchy sleep easy in their beds, despite the fact that the last time a Sunderland player had scored at home until Saturday was on St Stephen's Day. Manager Peter Reid is said to have inquired about four strikers last week alone. He is said to have at least £7 million to spend and yet, although there has been a parade of trialists at the Whitburn training ground, none has been bought, and the tribulations continue.
The 4-0 midweek thumping by a mediocre Spurs side had taken the Reid Out movement to the papers and another defeat would surely have had the fly poster men pasting furiously. It was hardly encouraging then that Sunderland took to the pitch with Michael Bridges the top scorer on three goals. His, striking partner, John Mullin, was one of those home players booed, a measure of the acrimony.
Yet, by the final whistle, not only had Sunderland triumphed over the champions, but Mullin was being feted noisily for his first goal in 19 months. Not even Andy Melville's walloping own goal could deny Sunderland a win and it was a relieved Reid who said: "It's good to get off 29 points." They had been on that mark for six weeks.
The victory was initiated 12 minutes after half time when a lazy lunge by Peter Schmeichel gifted the ball to Michael Gray six yards out. Gray scored and as irony is the most over used term by those who observe football and `unbelievable' the most by those who play it, the fact that Gray was once on Manchester United's books was probably an unbelievable irony - and not just a believable coincidence.
After the United team sheet had come out there was really no need for any further incredulity anyway. Already without Nicky Butt and Roy Keane, there was no place for Ryan Giggs, Andy Cole, Ole Solskjaer or Gary Pallister either. Pallister was injured and Giggs retired after the warm up, but once it was obvious that Jordi Cruyff was to lead the line with such alarming reticence, the omission of Solskjaer and Cole was of greater significance.
Only when Eric Cantona moved in from his peculiar position on the left wing, did United carry a central threat, and when he did he sliced the best chance of the first half wide. Cole and Solskjaer did eventually replace Cruyff and Karel Poborsky, but by then the momentum was with Sunderland, and United were registering their first defeat in 16.
