It was the pre-camera phone era, but Lee Clark was still caught out. Perhaps, as a contracted Sunderland player, he shouldn’t have travelled to London to support Newcastle United in the 1999 FA Cup final.
But the die-hard Toon fan, who grew up in the East End of Newcastle, couldn’t resist the opportunity to watch the club he supported (and had played for only two years prior) potentially win a cup for the first time in 30 years.
Pre-match spirits (metaphorical and perhaps literal) were flowing and Clark was presented with a white t-shirt that had the letters SMB emblazoned on it. Everyone in the pub, and Clark himself, know exactly what they stood for.
‘Sad Mackem B*stards’.
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In the face of peer pressure, Clark adorned the t-shirt and, unbeknownst to him, a photograph was snapped. He never played for Sunderland again.
“I added goals to my game there and got called up by England, so the switch [from Newcastle to Sunderland] certainly paid off career-wise. It was always going to cause debate because of my black and white roots but I never regretted the move.
“Peter Reid and Paul Bracewell were huge factors in my decision – and, of course, it made sense from a geographical point of view. I played with some great players at Sunderland. Niall Quinn and Kevin Phillips was another unbelievable partnership. I didn’t realise just how good Quinny was until I played with him.”
Speaking 25 years on from the incident to FourFourTwo, and the regret is still there. “It’s something I wish had never happened. Across 16 years, I only played for three clubs and I take great pride in what I did for all of them. I’ve been welcomed back with open arms at two of them, and it’s sad that wasn’t always the case at Sunderland.
“Of course, I realise you cannot bite the hand that feeds, and I understood the ramifications of what I did. I like to think these days I’ve made my peace with Sunderland fans after discussing the episode on the Roker Report podcast, putting it out there how much I regretted what I did and issuing a heartfelt apology.”
Unfortunately for Clark, football fans have long memories.
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