the crying game

I know all there is to know about the crying game

I've had my share of the crying game

First there are kisses, then there are sighs

And then before you know where you are

You're saying goodbye.

by Geoff Stephens

well, that's it. The 2008/09 season is over and Newcastle and Middlesbrough have joined West Bromwich Albion in the relegation zone.

At one point this afternoon, before Aston Villa got a flukey goal, Hull were the third relegation candidates, and the Toon were going to survive on goal difference. Then it all went pear shaped, and my hubs & my son were left feeling stoical. They might have felt like crying but they managed not to.

My team Sunderland managed to score twice against Chelsea, were beaten 3-2 but stay up with the massive points total of 36. I thought we had scraped it last year with 39 points. The manager Ricky Sbragia has stepped down, to return to coaching at Sunderland, letting the club seek a new manager who can build the club up.

I listened to the twists and turns of the afternoon knitting away at my Monkey sock, only miscounting once or twice (well, the tension was unbearable at times). I've finished the leg and I'm now knitting the heel flap with a consoling glass of rioja beside me.

Unlike the Sunderland fans who cheered at the Toon's demise, I feel only sorrow. However, I'll have to rally myself to cheer on Barcelona as they take on Manchester Utd in the Champions League final. I wonder what that will do for my concentration.