Number crunching - View From The North Stand

3:56pm Thursday 14th February 2008

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IT'S got to that time of the season where the football fan studies the league table, calculator in hand, working out what they need from the final batch of games in order to retain Premier League status.

I jubilantly stood up and announced: "we're safe," after studying the fixture list and adding together our points, providing we win a few games, of course.

My tips are fairly safe bets. Middlesbrough at home, Derby away, Newcastle away, West Ham home, Fulham away. That, in itself, should get us 15 points, all in all, putting us on 41 points.

The chances of us picking up points against Everton at home, Villa away and City at home are slightly slimmer but draws from those games will put us up to 44 points.

That equals safety. I know, I know - who knows what is going to happen come the end of the season. But it's the first time for a long time that we've even been in with a chance of survival at this stage of the season. The last two Premier League outings saw us dead and buried by Easter.

Saturday's win against Wigan was welcome, if not a little fortuitous. In fact, it was so bad in the first half that I started counting Wigan's meagre travelling support. But I'd got to 20 by the time Dickson Etuhu charged into the path of Dean Whitehead's cross to put us 1-0 up. Game on.

Last week's column, I should tell you, was fuelled by a heady mix of Lemsip and Nurofen, as I was laid low with a cold which would have most probably finished off someone with an inferior immune system to mine.

In between involuntary spasms and choking my lungs out, I watched last season's end of season DVD from my sick bed. I cringed through the bad times, and glowed with pride when I watched Carlos Edwards' 30-yard screamer against Burnley.

I usually watch that goal once a week.

Watch it again here -

Leadbitter finds Murphy in space. He holds it, holds it, then releases an inch-perfect through-ball to the onrushing Edwards, who takes a touch and despatches an exocet missile bound for the North Stand. But no, the net gets in the way. The North Stand goes mental, though partially out of relief that the ball, travelling at 500mph, didn't hit anyone.

Murphy's goal on Saturday had echoes of Edwards' brilliance. It will never match it, but it comes very, very close.

Andy Reid's crossfield pass was sublime. Murphy's shot was awesome. Once more, the North Stand went mental. But this time I was there, rather than sat in a pub in Sheffield like I was for the Burnley game in April last year.

That goal made my weekend. It made the weekend of every home supporter who was lucky enough to witness it first hand.

That's the power of football, and that's the upside of having a season ticket in the Premier League.

So imagine my disdain when the Premier League announced that they want to take our game on the road. For one game only, one extra game, Sunderland may end up in Sydney, or Seoul, or Dubai City, or Los Angeles, or Bangkok.

Let me tell you, if we're involved in a relegation scrap if this ridiculous plan comes to fruition, I don't want any part of it.

The climate, the timing, the atmosphere, will all play a part. If it's us against Wigan, who on earth would want to see it other than Sunderland and Wigan fans?

And, if it's the last game of the season, Premier League rules dictate that all games must kick off at the same time.

So if it's on TV in England, that's a 4pm start.

In Sydney it will be 3am, Seoul 1am, LA 8am, Bangkok 11pm and Dubai 8pm.

It will never, ever work.

The day this happens will be the day this game has taken its last breath.