It was said through gritted teeth from behind his steering wheel, but you know Sunderland are doing something right when a Geordie taxi driver is forced to begrudginly admit how well Roy Keane has done as manager.
He wasn't happy about it, obviously, but nevertheless, there was, no matter how much bitterness festered in the front seat of his Volkswagon, an acceptance that Keane has revolutionised Newcastle's bitter rivals this season.
Sunderland's 4-0 hammering of Southend on Saturday has lifted the Black Cats up to fifth in the Championship. They are in the play off zone for the first time this season and are just four points off an automatic promotion place following a run of five wins and a draw in their last six games. When Keane took over at the start of September they were in the bottom three.
Taxi drivers, don't you just love them? Erm, love, no, but they are always a fountain of knowledge aren't they? Most of it useless and, at 3am in the morning after several hours of heavy partying, most of it unwanted, but they've always got something to say on all the big issues!
In London, I never like to stray into politics with a cab driver, mainly because most of them appear to be members of the Monster Raving, anti-foreigner/immigrants party or they struggle to speak English!
In the North-East, I generally try and avoid straying into a conversation about football. Relationships, yes. Cricket, yes. The property market, yes. The Weather, yes. Television, yes, football, nope.
But, against my better judgement, I made the fatal mistake of revealing my profession to one of these happy chappies on Saturday night. Normally I say journalist, which ends the conversation as they assume I cover council meetings all day, but if I admit I'm a sports writer, they're away!
That Freddie Shepherd.... I picked up Steve Harper the other day and he told me Newcastle are going to sign Gary Neville.... That Kieron Dyer's a useless, over paid fairy isn't he.....If you ask me video technology is long overdue.....Chelsea have ruined football....Newcastle are going to be relegated unless they sack Glenn Roeder.....Aren't the Three Legends great.....Why don't you write this in your paper....I've got a story for you... Emre, looks like a little teletubbie doesn't he....Do you know my son? He plays for so and so and he's great but Newcastle haven't signed him because their run by aliens who also abducted me, years ago, and played with my....
You get the picture, but then it happened
"Mind you, I hate to say it because, if it were up to me, the (colourful language not fit for a family friendly website such as this) would be in the Conference, but that Roy Keane, done well hasn't he? There's something about him isn't there? Transformed them he has, can see them going up. You know what? It reminds me of Kevin Keegan and Newcastle, now those were the days.....
That was it, the conversation moved on, I think into a discussion about the price of diesel, but I was stunned, lost for words - not that I could get one in anyway - high praise indeed!
For what it's worth, I agreed with him. I think Sunderland will go up, I think Keane has done a fantastic job and, I also think that most Newcastle fans, whether they are willing to admit it in public or not, think (or is that fear) the same!
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