Roker Roundup: “Sunderland [fans] are the worst” for giving players abuse, explains ex-striker

Football podcast Undr The Cosh celebrated their two year anniversary this week and the show, hosted by comedian Chris Brown and featuring former footballers Jon Parkin and ex-Sunderland striker Chris Brown, took the opportunity to look back at their favourite guests.

It also gave the former Black Cat forward Brown a chance to discuss a few Sunderland anecdotes and revealed just how difficult it can be when the crowd are on a player’s back.

Brown mentioned that former Sunderland goalkeeper Kelvin Davis took time out from his own struggles to encourage the youngster and let him know that his team-mates had his back:

I remember Kelvin Davis, he was having a worst time than me, he was having the worse time but he just pulled us to one side and went ‘I know you’re getting a bit of sh*t and whatever but just remember that your team-mates have got your back’ and I was only a young lad.

I was only 19 or whatever and he didn’t have to do that but he went ‘the lads want you in the team’.

Even if he was lying, which he might have been as I wasn’t good enough for that level.

The fact that he recognised that I was getting a bit of sh*t and it might have been getting me down, he just pulled us ‘don’t worry too much about it’.

Kel then left Sunderland, fans were running on the pitch to get at him. Somebody scored a forty-yarder and someone ran on the pitch to get him.

Left to go to Southampton and got a testimonial.

Davis is not the only former Sunderland goalkeeper to suffer abuse from the fans, with Brown revealing that the treatment Jason Steele received in the Championship relegation season left the player’s mother in tears:

Jason Steele came to Sunderland and got absolutely dog’s abuse, his mam’s in tears in the players lounge. There’s more to life than football.

For every player you’re booing and giving sh*t to, they’ve got families watching their son play. How would they feel if that was their son or daughter?

What chance have you got if your family can’t go to watching their son in a home game? Steeley’s mam was in tears.

Sunderland are the worst and Blackburn are bad for it, toxic.

It was not all negative news, however, with Brown hailing former Sunderland skipper Gary Breen for his response to the horrific injury suffered by Colin Healy in an away game at Coventry City:

Remember Gary Breen? He was club captain but he was injured for this game and we played Coventry away on a Monday night and Colin Healy broke his leg badly, like bone through the shin.

So Breeny is watching on the telly and the game was at Coventry and Breeny, the first thing he did, was he spoke to Col’s missus and said right I’m coming to pick you up, it was like 10’o’clock on a Monday night and took her down to Coventry to see Colin.

He looked after his missus basically, we had training the next day but he texted Mick McCarthy to say he won’t be in and picked his missus up from Durham, took her down to be with Col.

So he’s picked her up and drove her four hours to Coventry on a Monday night at 10 o’clock for a team-mate. Just the even thought of doing that.

You can listen to the entire Undr The Cosh anniversary podcast by clicking HERE or by pressing play on the link below.