Fan Letters: “I was so happy that Sunderland won that I got absolutely mortal drunk!”

Dear Roker Report,

I was over the moon when we won Saturday, so much so that I got so p*ssed that by the end of the night I could barely see straight.

I’m sure that I wasn’t the only one either. Sunderland town centre was jumping on Saturday night and you can probably attribute some of that to the fact that the lads managed to finally beat someone!

All I’ve done all weekend (other than drink) is watch all the various highlights shows, talk about the game with friends, watch videos of the manager and the players on SAFC.com and so on.

Isn’t it amazing what a win does for your confidence and mood?

I’m sure that the players are feeling it too.

They have to go in to the Reading game next weekend with their heads up and their chests out. We have to build on this performance!

Adam O’Brien

Photo by Matthew Lewis/Getty Images

Dear Roker Report,

I moved to Wales fifty years ago when Sunderland were still in Division Two.

The last game I watched before I left was a 1-1 draw with double-winning Spurs. I remember sharing flasks of oxtail soup with my dad on cold afternoons in the Roker End. It was cruel and I think that today it would probably be seen as child abuse.

It seems like we’ve had a lifetime of disappointments, with the occasional glimmer of hope lifting the gloom but then bringing us back to earth with a bump.

Now when I read the many articles each and every day from the local press I find myself often cheesed off reading all of the venomous comments that are thrown at the players and staff who are all trying the best that they can to give us a team that we can be proud of.

We now have a fantastic opportunity of achieving long-lasting success with Chris Coleman in charge.

I have watched him take the Welsh team from being low in morale and confidence after the death of Gary Speed, to becoming a team that takes to the field with their chests pumped out, ready to run through concrete walls for their cause - not just for their team mates, but also for their supporters. Supporters just like us that come from an area built on coal and heavy industry, that have seen mass unemployment and better days.

We, the fans, have to get behind Chris Coleman and the players and turn up in numbers. We need to not shout insults and venom, but instead encourage and cheer them on.

Chris Coleman is right - he can’t do it on his own, and the players can't either.

They need us watching their backs. A noisy cheering crowd... that's not a lot to ask for.

I will be driving up to the Reading match - I hope there is a good crowd!

Ernie