Source: SKY_Sports
Club versus country
Sunderland beats England every time for FanZoner Nick Colling - but he still wants his players to be recognised by Fabio Capello and is backing new signing Michael Turner to star in South Africa 2010.
If you had to choose between England wining the World Cup or your team winning the Champions League, which would you pick? That was the question my mate Mark Tannetta recently asked me. Now Marky knows his stuff when it comes to football but he let himself badly down with this daft question.
The answer, of course, is Sunderland to win the Champions League. The reason, well quite simply I don't care enough about England to pick them over my team.
I've seen England a handful of times in 25 years, I've seen Sunderland a handful of times this season already so it shows where my loyalties lie.
The basic reason for this is that it's easy to get attached your club, you feel it more, read and watch far more media coverage on a daily basis to ensure it remains as much of a constant in your life as food and water.
Be honest if you don't support Liverpool/Chelsea do you really care how good Stevie G is, or how many headers JT can win in 90 minutes? We all know it's club first country second. This simple fact makes those who moan about players pulling out of meaningless friendlies wrong.
My club have today lost our first choice left-back for probably six weeks thanks to a pulled hammy - and look at Arsenal losing Djourou for six months. Quite simply the only people here that lose out are the clubs and the fans.
Don't get me wrong I like Fabio Capello and the guy is doing a great job, everyone can see that. But you could argue that traffic wardens do a great job and I care not for them either!
What makes it more annoying is the Premier League has just come back and got underway, then within the first five games we will have played three international games, surely both Fifa and the FA can see this makes no sense at all. But then even if they do see this I guess Michel Platini is hell bent on ruining football for the masses anyway. Still this season is the season of homecoming for my beloved SAFC and Saturday sees the debut of a player who makes this blog relevant.
Ladies and gentlemen please give a warm welcome to Michael Turner. This lad looks the business and within the season has an outside chance to muscle, head and kick his way into Fabio's squad for South Africa.
He brings a bit of strength and height to a back line that at times suffers from being bullied.
Add the Ghana vice captain John Mensah and we look like a side firmly on the rise.Coupled with a run of good fixtures and I'm looking to go into the festive period looking at setting up a top-10 finish, one richly deserved may I add.
Another North-East club looking for a top-10 finish is 'N666astle', who may I point out are in the CHAMPIONSHIP...
In closing, international football is required, it doesn't however mean that I like it, as always its Sunderland first!
It can only get better when watched by Mark Tannetta...
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