Page 23 - 360633 LP236168 A Love Supreme 48pp A5 (April 2022)

spells with Ipswich, West Brom, and Wolves, in 1973 but achieved little in his eight games before heading to South Africa. Worth coming back? For the club, no. For him, sort of.
CM: Paul Bracewell. Apparently, we had to
sell Ally McCoist to buy le Brace from Stoke in 1983, but he was off to win trophies alongside Reidy at Everton only a year later. After injuries blighted his Goodison days, he returned in 1989, helping us to promotion in 1990 before
a contract dispute saw him leave for the Mags. After helping them to promotion, he was back
in 1995 as player/assistant manager under Reidy and played 44 times as we stormed the Championship. There were 41 games in ’96-’97 as we dropped back down, and he left for Fulham after three games and was promoted again the following season. Worth coming back? Two promotions and one relegation means yes.
LM: Stan Cummins, Ferryhill lad, arrived from Boro in November ’79, scored on his debut against Notts County and scored four against Burnley, a favourite with the fans. Four years later, after 147 games and 32 goals, he was off to Palace, but was back in October ‘84 for another 18 goalless games, being cup-tied for our run to Wembley in the Milk Cup, before heading to the USA where he saw out his career. Worth coming back. No.
RM: Bill Raisbeck, signed from Clyde in December 1896 and was part of the side that finished second bottom, so he left nine months later, returning from his second spell at Clyde in 1898. As we finished seventh and third before he left again, and he scored most of his nine goals in his second spell, was it worth coming back? Yes.
F: Pop Robson is a Sunderland lad, so it was natural
for him to join us in ’74 after time up the road and at
West Ham. Part of the promotion-winning side of ’76, he was arguably the best uncapped English forward of his generation. He was back at West Ham after 109 games and 40 goals, only to return in ’79. Another 60 games brought another 25 goals before he went to Carlisle as player/coach in March ’81. However, he was back in the summer of ’83, matching his ’80-’81 statistics - and his last goal, which kept us up with a win at Leicester, was his 67th making him our oldest scorer at 38 years and 182 days. Worth coming back? Yes, both times.
F: Michael Bridges was a child prodigy in Reidy’s promotion side of ’96, with his cool-as-fridges performances and 22 goals in 50 games earning him a big-money move to Leeds in ‘99, where his problems began. Injuries restricted him to 59 games over four seasons, and only the 19 goals he’d scored in his first campaign, with a series of loans ending at the SoL in 2004. A permanent move followed, but there was a solitary goal in his eight games, and he was off on his travels to Bristol City, Carlisle, Hull, and Milton Keynes before trying his luck in Australia. Currently managing Edgeworth FC in Oz, was his return worth it? No.
F: James Millar arrived from Annbank in 1890 and enjoyed success over the next six seasons as we won the league three times, with him scoring 97 times in 157 games. He was the first Sunderland player to score five in a game (against Fairfield in the 11-1 FA Cup win), before he signed for Rangers in 1896. Four years later he was back, adding another League Championship as he scored 24 times in 103 games. He left to become trainer at West Brom, then Chelsea, where he was working when he died, aged only 36, in 1907. Worth coming back? Yes.
Subs:
Danny Graham. Oh give over
Jermain Defoe. Worth coming back? You decide...
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