That's right - yeeeeesssssssss!!!!!! I am a Sunderland fan, and after battling through half the 2000/2001 season, my team is solidly positioned near the top of the Premiership. Couldn't be more pleased.

What's that I hear you say? Bandwagon supporter? Get lost. My interest in SAFC didn't begin with their promotion to the Premiership a few years ago. Neither did it begin with the signing of the legendary Quinny.

I'll tell you when it began - about 25 years ago when, as a small child, I was introduced to the concept of being a football fan, and had to make that sacred, emotional choice about which club was worthy of my devotion.

I'll be honest with you. I have no discernible link with the city of Sunderland. I was born in a small town in the south-east of Ireland, and all my distant English relatives live in places like London and Manchester. I chose Sunderland because my father and one of my uncles supported them. No doubt their allegiance had its genesis in Sunderland's last era of glory, the best part of half a century ago. The fan allegiances of the rest of my family are many and varied. My grandfather supports Leicester. Various uncles support QPR, West Brom and Chelsea.

I may as well continue to be honest with you. Though my loyalty to SAFC has been mostly staunch and stalwart through the decades, it did waver once. You see, when I was six years old, in 1977, a young lad slightly older than me called Gregory Harrison threatened me with violence if I didn't immediately convert to the cause of Manchester United, his club. With an eye on my personal safety, I acquiesced, and for about two months thereafter, went through the motions of being a fan of MUFC plc. Soon, however (though exactly why I can't remember), I was brought back into the fold. Just in time, as it turned out, for a few short seasons later, in 1985, Sunderland met mighty Norwich in the Milk Cup Final and… well, they lost.

But that's beside the point. Being a fan isn't about basking in reflected glory. It's about… actually, I haven't a clue what it's about, but I do know one thing: SAFC is the club for me.

Mack M would like to point out that he does not normally go around with sunglasses and a beard drawn on his face, or a swimming cap on his head. These are present purely to achieve a sort of Ali G-type vibe. He hopes that nobody will get the impression that he's a sad tosser of the Darius from Popstars variety.

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