Please take your seat.

Sunderland supporters are among the best traveling fans in England. They routinely take contingents of several thousand to matches as far away as Plymouth and Cardiff, and when they’re there they often own the home ground with their passion and noise. For a good many of these fans, the ticket they have in their pocket only hypothetically represents an actual seat in which one is actually required to place one’s derriere. Honestly, how is one expected to be sitting down when one is jumping and clapping and singing the praises of the team one loves?

Well, Middlesbrough, whom Sunderland visit this Saturday, take that expectation of sitting very seriously, and have given SAFC supporters a prim slap on the wrist for their crime of standing at the Riverside, two years ago (they also cited the Sunderland fans standing at Old Trafford earlier this season). The ticket allocation for travelling Mackems has been cut by “several hundred,” prompting Sunderland management to urge their fans to please take their seats.

One the one hand I think this is pure nonsense. I know there have been problems in the past with unruly fans in the terraces; but you go to a football match, you stand and cheer. Period. In a way though, this petty punishment ploy is an indication of just how awesome Sunderland’s fans are. As I may have pointed out once or twice in this space, I was with the Sunderland away supporters at Old Trafford two seasons ago, perhaps 4,000 strong, and it was a huge thrill (I snapped this chaotically blurry picture of ecstatic Mackems right after Sunderland had completed their unlikely 0-0 draw). If all these manic nutters were sitting down the entire time it would have been a far less exciting experience. Plenty of time to sit down when you’re dead, right?

If there are a few hundred less Mackems on Teesside this weekend, well that’s a shame; but I still fully expect those who are there to put the Smoggy home crowd to shame, just as I expect the boys on the field to put to shame the Boro team (longtime Mackem favorite Julio Arca included).

Category: Team News

Tags: away fans, EPL, Mackems, Middlesbrough, Sunderland, Sunderland AFC, supporter culture, supporters, Team News

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