The pies will be the winner in Wigan battle - View from the North Stand
12:43pm Friday 12th September 2008
IT was about this time last year, that I sat here, a little thinner, less wise, a bit more hair, penning my first dispatches of View From the North Stand.
Then, I was faced with a bit of a task. Write about Sunderland, but in a week where there wasn't that much going on and the bigger story involved the national team.
At the time, I bleated about how years of heartache watching Sunderland has made me hate the national team, as they used to add to my grief with lacklustre performances.
So it is actually quite refreshing, when seeing my home team play so poorly against Man City, to be faced with England - dare I say it - winning, and winning well in Croatia.
The fact that we won on foreign soil against better opposition, with a player scoring a hat-trick, Emile Heskey a revelation, a relatively new manager earning a great deal of respect - brought memories of England's 5-1 victory in Germany in 2001 flooding back.
That win brought the pride back after a bit of a barren spell, and I think that the win in Zagreb was just as important, if not more so.
The problem with England is that the fans are disillusioned with the so-called pampered egos not performing. The egos have come out and said that they aren't playing well because of the negative pressure from the fans. A vicious circle.
The best thing that could have happened this week is that England, on their travels, away from the baying wolves of Wembley, can put two performances in and put themselves on the front foot so early in the qualification for World Cup 2010.
England's next home game will be a different proposition now. The fans will be relaxed after actually enjoying watching England play, while the players will have that extra few per cent in confidence and will be able to express themselves.
The victory has shut England's detractors up. I'm one of them. I'm the last to be accused of bandwagoning, and trust me, I won't be here tubthumping every time England play well saying I told you so, because I didn't.
Watching England has been a chore for years now, and I hope that this victory will get a weary nation out of that mindset.
Elsewhere in the world, Dwight Yorke made his competitive return to international football, playing the whole game for Trinidad and Tobago on Saturday.
But Yorkey didn't feature in midweek, apparently because Roy Keane blocked his appearance.
This has wound up wind-up merchant Fifa vice-president Jack Warner, who also acts as 'special adviser' to T&T.
He said that Keane acted disrespectfully in relation to his handling of the affair.
Considering Warner's previous conduct in the world game - like ripping off the T&T supporters on their first appearance in a World Cup in 2006 by charging them an arm, and in many cases a leg, to travel to Germany - it's a huge case of the pot calling the kettle black, in my opinion.
But international matters aside, our contingent of players on national service have returned to Sunderland, and at this point will be putting some training in ahead of tomorrow's trip to Wigan.
Our last two trips to Wigan have been nightmares. Gary Breen conceding a penalty in 2005. Danny Collins and Russell Anderson conceding penalties in 2007. Coming back up the M6 empty handed is never a good feeling. In fact, more often than not, my trips back from the North-West after watching Sunderland play have rarely been fun.
Tebay service station represents a concrete strip of lost hope. A lukewarm coffee, a couple of quid into the arcades, then the last leg of the journey before home.
Well I'm sick of it. You could say our new-look team - which, for only the second time this season will be mostly-fit with the exception of Kenwyne Jones - has more than enough to deal with Wigan Athletic, but to be fair to the Latics, they've strengthened as well.
Emile Heskey will be buoyed by his international exploits, they have a good goalkeeper in Chris Kirkland, a great balance going through the team with some quality in the likes of new loan signing Zaki. There is much to be feared.
But I have to stick by my guns and say that, on their day, Sunderland can be a match for any team outside of the top four.
It's going to make for a great day out. Two football clubs known for their competitive spirit, but two clubs that will play football in a good spirit.
I have a soft spot for Wigan. Maybe it's got something to do with their rags to riches success story, going from the Northern League to the Premier League in a short space of time. Maybe it's just the pies.
But all the same, I'm looking forward to this game and I'm hoping it will kick-start our season.