Memo to Sunderland fans. Of course it was fixed.

Of course it was a fix. And if it had been the other way round I’d have been furious as well. But it’s time to let it go now.

For the benefit of people who have no idea what I’m referring to let me explain.

We’ve got to go back to 1977. Yes. 1977. Sunderland, Coventry and Bristol City are all fighting for their lives in the old Division One. Sunderland were at Everton, on the same night we played Bristol City. If Sunderland lost, a draw would save both Coventry and Bristol City. These were the days when the season dribbled to a conclusion. Not every team played at the same time.

Sunderland did lose. Coventry and Bristol City finished 2-2. I would add that we’d led 2-0 at one stage, but I’m clutching at straws. Sunderland went down.

On the face of it, those are the facts. Except they’re not. You’ve got to factor in the back story.

Coventry’s chairman was Jimmy Hill. Jim, of course, had once managed Coventry. His old assistant, Alan Dicks, was now Bristol City boss. And his assistant was John Sillett, one of Jim’s first big signings when he got the job at Coventry. Sillett was later to deliver Coventry’s famous Cup win of 1987, but I digress.

I’m pretty sure both matches were scheduled 7.30 kick-offs. This is significant because Coventry’s match was delayed 15 minutes - on Police advice.

I wasn’t there so I’ve no idea what it was like outside Highfield Road, but the delay was on safety grounds. At least that’s what an FA inquiry later found when it cleared Hill and Coventry of any wrong doing. What were they thinking? How couldn’t they see it? Or perhaps they did. Jimmy had friends everywhere.

It wasn’t the delay that was the issue, but the fact it allowed Coventry and Bristol City to stop playing after Hill performed a ‘public service’ act and announced the score from Goodison 15 minutes before the end of our game.

I say ‘what were the FA thinking?’ because it didn’t need Colombo (a popular tv detective at the time) to work it out Of course it was fixed. How can I be sure? Let me tell you that as well.

Some time later - 1992/3 it must’ve been, I was hosting a talk show for Sky Sports called The Footballers’ Football Show. The modern day equivalent is The Overlap. Trust me, there are no new ideas in TV. They all come round again.

Anyway, I digress again. We were in front of an audience at Coventry. One of our four guests was Terry Yorath, who was our captain on the night in question. I loved Terry. He was the reason I got his daughter Gabby her job at Sky.

Terry told the story of the night in question - including a tale about a sub Bristol City put on. The kid apparently hadn’t been briefed, so went on, dribbled past half a dozen Coventry statues and smashed the ball against the bar. Yorath said everybody turned to the Bristol City bench, in blind panic, asking what the hell was going on? Oh how we laughed.

Except it wasn’t a laughing matter for Sunderland fans. Oh, I’ve got to add that I was with Graham Kelly a few weeks later. He was FA Secretary then and he set up the inquiry. He pulled me and said ‘I saw your programme. I was going to re-open the inquiry after hearing what I did, but I decided it was better to let the matter rest’. Phew.

Hill saw it as well. He called me to express his surprise - and annoyance- we’d even discussed it. If I remember correctly he wanted an apology as well. There was no chance of that. What had been said was true.

I can feel Sunderland fans coming to the boil at this point. Especially because it sort of happened again in 1997 when we went to Spurs and won to stay up. This one started 15 minutes late as well because of crowd issues, but I promise you this one was legit.

On this occasion I was in a Sky Sports studio watching. It was two from three on this occasion. Middlesboro could only draw at Leeds whilst Reidy’s Sunderland lost at Wimbledon. They both went down.

I was the only person involved
who saw the last 15 minutes at Spurs. They battered us. Steve Ogrizovic had a worldly and kept them at bay. They were desperate to beat us, perhaps remembering 1987?

The match was coming into the Sky building, but we couldn’t put it to air because we’d covered our allotted amount of games for that season. There was me, trying to conduct a sensible conversation with our studio guests, whilst glued to what was happening at White Hart Lane. We should’ve put it to air and argued about it with the PL later. Everyone was desperate to see it.
There was no skull-duggery this time though.

So let’s go back to the original reason why this animosity exists between Sunderland and Coventry - and why I’ve chosen to revisit this now.

As I said - it’s time to let it go. First - It isn’t the only game that’s ever been fixed. It happens every week somewhere in the world nowadays. Even WC matches have been fixed. Not that that’s an excuse for what happened at Coventry.

Second - Sunderland had their revenge beating us in the play-off semi-finals last season. We were better in the two games, but we lost. I think it’s fair to say Sheff Utd were better in the final, but they lost. So top marks to Sunderland. They earned the right to play PL football this season.

And I’m absolutely delighted to see them doing so well right now. They were fantastic at Chelsea and they sit fourth on merit. Keep it going guys.

Having said that, I feel as though I can point out the winner at Chelsea could easily have been disallowed. Geertruida was clearly offside and in the keeper’s line of sight, but Sanchez failed to make anything of it, so Talbi’s goal was given.

And Isidor’s equaliser should’ve been disallowed. Mukiele’s long throw was illegal. His back foot was off the ground when he released the ball. But who would expect the assistant, who was six metres away to spot that? Anyway - well played Sunderland. You made the most of it again.

Nothing was made of Sunderland’s winner, but Stuart Attwell (VAR) took it upon himself to disallow Everton’s equaliser v Spurs, for much the same reason I’m arguing Sunderland’s first was a little fortune The decision changed the whole game. It was a ridiculous call. Craig Pawson was weak and should’ve ignored Attwell, who’s trying like a bear to impress enough people to get a WC call up.

The Brentford pen was another daft call. Leave it. Don’t get involved. And how Antony Taylor and Michael Oliver decided United shouldn’t have had a pen when Amad was brought down is staggering. The fact the ball brushed off a defender’s heel is irrelevant. The foul had been committed. Taylor and Oliver are supposed to be our two tops refs. Well - they consider themselves to be. I’m still counting Howard.

Truce Sunderland? And please back off Jason McAteer. He didn’t mean any harm. He loved his time at Sunderland.