Another Invite to Robocop Mayor

...but in light of his broken leg it may be a while before he can make it to Sunderland again.

Northern Echo
Hear all Sides
18th March 2006

PIES THE LIMIT
READING Ray Mallon's column, How the mighty have fallen (Echo, Mar 10) I first assumed that he was referring to the unsuccessful Yes campaigners from the North East regional assembly referendum, many of whom have slunk away from public view.

Sir John Hall blamed me personally for "costing the North-East its best opportunity for decades". Sorry, Sir John, but I think that there were another 686,000 who were equally responsible.

However, Ray was talking about something perhaps more important than politics to many of the North-East public - football.

I invited Ray to Sunderland after he had branded the No campaigners "southern Tories" to meet the No campaigners who were certainly not Tories and definitely not southerners.
As the cameras clicked, the debate on politics lasted minutes, as I knew, and I think Ray did too, that an elected North East Assembly had about as much chance of happening as Sunderland have of avoiding relegation.

The conversation then turned to football and, being somewhat younger, my memories were of a different era but we surprisingly both found ourselves sharing the same passion for Sunderland Football Club.
However, at the time, Sunderland were not in the dire straits we are in now. Ray, along with the whole of Sunderland, hopes that we can salvage some pride from the season and achieve a victory in the Easter Monday game against Newcastle at the Stadium of Light.
At our meeting, Ray Mallon kindly offered me an invitation to a Middlesbrough match.

Ray, I wish to return the compliment. We need as much support as we can muster in our hour of need and I have a couple of spare tickets.
I hope you can join me - and I'll buy the pies.

Neil Herron
Sunderland.