Sunderland’s Bus Parade That Never Was…
Once upon a football season in the enchanted land of Sunderland, the legendary Roy Keane pulled off an escape act Houdini would envy! Leading a ragtag team from the depths of the Championship table to the shiny gates of the Premier League, our hero then tossed tradition out the metaphorical window! You see, when his players expected a joyous jaunt on an open-top bus, Keane slammed the brakes faster than a striker caught offside!
Defying the football gods, Roy’s decision left former midfielder Ross Wallace scratching his head like he’d been hit by a wayward corner kick! Wallace revealed on the Undr the Cosh podcast how the lads were buzzing louder than a stadium full of vuvuzelas after victory against Luton. But Keane, with eyes fixed on future glory, was determined to snuff out the celebration like a referee with a broken whistle, believing “we’re not done here!” The party-taming tactics didn’t score well with players who just wanted their moment in the sun!
Players with previous experience under Manager McCarthy would’ve expected ticker tape and town jubilation. But Keane’s Premier League dreams meant that future parades disappeared like a balloon over a rooftop! Despite their subsequent Premier League adventures where Sunderland managed a 15th place finish in 2007/08, the Black Cats have since meandered through the leagues like a wayward shot into the stands. What next for Sunderland’s play-off campaign this season? Surely not another adventure without a victory parade?!
