Load of old pony
SUNDERLAND legend Gary Bennett has hit back at Michael Beale’s claim that Mackems don’t like him because of his cockney accent.
The under-fire Black Cats head coach believes fans haven’t warmed to him due to the way he talks.
But Bennett reckons that’s a load of gobbledegook, insisting winning football matches is all that matters for Bromleyraised Beale.
“It’s not how you sound, where you’re from or how you look that counts,” said the 62-year-old Mancunian.
“If Sunderland are successful, he’ll be loved by the fans however he speaks.
“I thought he was wide of the mark saying what he said.
“Our captain Luke O’nien is a southerner and the fans love him.
“And then you look at the likes of my old team-mate Kevin Ball, Kevin Phillips and Charlie Hurley.
“They all spent years up here but never lost their accents yet they were heroes to supporters because of what they did on the pitch. It will be the same for Michael Beale – he’ll be judged by results.”
Bennett can speak with some authority having arrived on Wearside in 1984 when there were few black players around.
Yet locals quickly took him to their hearts and four decades on, he’s still hugely popular in the area despite never losing his north west accent.
“Work hard, show your commitment and give everything for the cause and you’ll hit it off with the fans,” he added.
“Your background, accent, skin colour or culture should never come into play,” he added.
“At the end of the day, it’s all about the football.”
They face Middlesbrough at the Riverside in the Tees-wear derby today and Bennett hopes it’s a very different outcome to Sunderand’s last game against local rivals.
“Facing Newcastle at home in the FA Cup was a free hit,” adds the former centre-half who made almost 400 appearances for the Black Cats.
“It should have been a no-lose situation for Beale but it didn’t feel that way afterwards. We were massive underdogs, supporters didn’t really think that we would win yet the result still hurt him.
“The players never turned up and there was a negative vibe surrounding the tie.”