Page 28 - 358264 LP231909 A Love Supreme 48pp A5 (Issue 257)

SORENSEN PEREZ CHAMBERLAIN
28
ALOVESUPREME
ISSUE257
helped us get to the top division in 1990, he was the keeper who took us to Wembley
in the FA Cup (his performance against West Ham deserving particular mention),
he was the keeper you knew would never be incredible but was never going to make a mistake. It is therefore unfortunate to say the least, that the piece of commentary most associated with him, mainly because a fanzine was named after it, is ‘it’s an easy one for Norman’. This refers to the following season in the FA Cup as we were doing ok at Sheffield Wednesday, we were getting a replay, it was the end of the game and all he has to do was catch the easy ball in and not drop it right at the feet of Mark Bright...
Who’d be a keeper? In his seven years at Sunderland there must have been thousands of dreadful passes by midfielders or miss-hit shots by strikers but, if you’re a keeper and you drop a clanger, it’s remembered for ever more. Of course, if you have a moment of magic, that too is retained by fans for life. Like a penalty save at St James’ Park for example.
Thomas Sorensen was a proper international, replacing Schmeichel in
Denmark’s goal in 1999 and keeping the role for 101 games until being replaced at the age of 36 by, erm, Schmeichel. He joined the club in the summer after Lionel Perez had assisted Clive Mendonca to a hat trick at Wembley and, although we knew nothing about him, somehow we were optimistic that he’d be better than the French clown. And he was.
He was, in many ways, the missing ingredient that took us from play offs to champions with record points and, wait for it, 29 clean sheets. Incredibly, he looked at home in the Premier League despite being only 24. He filled the defence with confidence. There was a belief that, even if the opposition broke through, they would be stopped by the Great Dane. And on one famous night in November 2000 he did just that. We were away at Newcastle and were winning 2-1 when with eight minutes left, Niall Quinn made a tackle in the penalty area that showed the world why he was a striker and not a defender. But it’s OK. 2-2 is ok away against them. And, it’s Shearer so, you know, this is inevitable. Sorensen however had other plans. He dived to his left and pushed Shearer’s penalty around the post. The silence from the Gallowgate beautifully balanced with the cries of joy from across Wearside (and wherever