00:00Lots coming in. Phil and Beth have been on this. Lauren, can we get a shout out for the thousands of Mackhams on their way down to the capital for the big game tomorrow?
00:07How are the lads? Keep the tunes coming. Lots of love to you.
00:11Well, hello everyone from somewhere on the M1. Welcome to the On The Whistle sort of Wembley video diary special.
00:19Not really sure how this is going to go. Most of you know that my tech skills are pretty limited, but we'll give it a go.
00:24So about 24 hours from kick-off, starting to feel pretty nervous for the first time this week.
00:32I think mostly just actually coming down to the game, just sort of bringing home how massive it could be for the next few years of Sunderland really.
00:39In some ways it's quite nice in that there's a big contrast to the sort of league one playoff finals where it felt like it was kind of the end of the world.
00:47If we didn't win and we had another year in league one and what would that mean for the club's finances and all those kind of things.
00:51The foundations are a lot stronger now, but you kind of think about the opportunity here.
00:57I know obviously next season will potentially be a really difficult one in terms of you look at how teams have gone up to the Premier League and have struggled in recent times.
01:05But the flip side of that is the financial boost that could keep this team together that we've all grown incredibly fond of this season.
01:12And then also sort of the future Parish Loop payments and how that almost future-proofs what the club has done really for the next sort of five to ten years.
01:20So yeah, starting to get a little bit nervous now, even though I think it's going to be a fantastic celebration in terms of how far the club's come.
01:27And just hoping that we can complete that arc really of that initial relegation from the Premier League and then dropping through the Championship as well.
01:35It'll be such an emotional day if someone can go and get the job done.
01:42Pessimists, didn't we, get a little bit more worried about Sheffield United's depth.
01:46I do wonder whether, you know, with those slight question marks over the likes of Remain Munderland, Parry and Roberts in their fitness,
01:52whether that kind of extra depth on the bench could be key.
01:56You worry that if something needs to change or if the game's tight, especially going into extra time potentially,
02:01whether those sort of extra bodies, those fresh legs, might sort of work in Sheffield United's favour.
02:07But having said that, I think, you know, the good thing about this team is that they've not really been bad played by anyone in the division this season.
02:14They've not really sparkled at any point either.
02:16It's been quite functional at times.
02:18But there's a real strong core, real resilience about them and a good defensive structure.
02:22And I do still have a lot of faith that Regis Labrace will have a really good game plan put together.
02:27So, yeah, fingers crossed.
02:28Let's see what the weekend brings.
02:32Shout out to my lovely wife who's doing the drive-in now.
02:35So, let's say, Southampton fan with sort of growing Sunderland allegiances, I would say.
02:41So, you're going to get the best neutral prediction.
02:44What do you think, Beth?
02:461-1, Sunderland on penalties.
02:484-0 Sheffield United.
02:49You kind of say that.
02:501-1 on penalties, Sunderland win is best prediction.
02:53So, I'm not sure my heart can take that, but I will settle for that.
02:58So, fingers crossed.
02:59Quite a night for me tonight because I cannot work properly on Saturday for a Wembley final if I have done Trafalgar.
03:07Well, hopefully everyone has an amazing time.
03:09I'm looking forward to seeing all the pictures and videos.
03:12And I'll see you all on Wembley way bright and early.
03:13Real now, just off a very, very loud tube with lots of Eliza Mayender chants, wondering if he can be the main man today.
03:27Feeling quite emotional now, as you always do when you see Wembley, thinking about all of our trips here in recent years.
03:33And this long journey that we've been on since Sunderland were relegated from the Premier League.
03:38Thinking a little bit as well, just about what a long season it's been.
03:41And thinking especially back to the very start of the season when we first met Regis Labrice in his first press conference.
03:48And I remember being unbelievably impressed by his English, which was exceptional really.
03:52But also, he had this real calm presence and focus about him and spoke with such passion about the game.
03:58But of course, you just never know, do you?
04:00Especially after last season.
04:02I always felt that, you know, the thing that, well, we finished 16th last year.
04:05It was a little bit of a misnomer because I think we could see in the first half of that season that there was a lot more quality than that in the squad.
04:11So I was always quietly confident that we could compete for the playoffs.
04:15But to be honest, I didn't think that Labrice would be able to adapt so well to the championship.
04:20So much tactical versatility.
04:21I know it got mentioned a lot at the time, but, you know, when he talks about the head coaches, he had my age.
04:26And Deserby and Pep Guardiola.
04:27But saying, you know, we won't play like that because we're Sunderland and we've reduced Labrice.
04:31And I really admire the way that you sort of got to understand the region and the city.
04:36Built a team that can play really, really good football.
04:38But also it's probably its biggest strength, as he would say, is its mindset, its ability to defend, its ability to run, its ability to suffer together.
04:45And it's going to be really interesting to see.
04:48You know, I think we've talked a lot that Sheffield United probably have slightly the edge in terms of the quality they have and certainly the depth.
04:54But can that togetherness get Sunderland over the line in this massive game?
04:58Yeah, nervy stuff.
05:00Fingers crossed.
05:01But hopefully they can take that final step today and complete this long journey that we've been on over the last eight years.
05:07We've been on over the last eight years.
05:37We've been on over the last eight years.
06:07It's been on the journey.
06:21It's been on the Sunderland journey because let's go back to when you began your Sunderland ECO career covering Sunderland.
06:28Where were they?
06:30well there we have it i've stopped crying so i feel like i can probably do a little
06:54end to the video diary now just the most sensational end to the most incredible season i think the
07:00way it's finished with a damn bad header with tommy watson's goal i think this is genuinely going to
07:04go down it's one of the most iconic seasons in sunland's history something we'll be talking
07:08about for generations just an incredible wave of emotions really at the end there not just because
07:14of the the way sunland won it which was obviously just staggering but couldn't have been a more
07:19perfect way to to complete this eight-year journey that we've talked about and you know i imagine i
07:25all you lot watching you know you're thinking in those moments at the end about all those low
07:31points you know losing away at chelton and being knocked out the afl trophy by scunthor all these
07:37kind of things where you you wondered whether it was worth it you wondered why you bothered
07:40and thinking about all the people in the last eight years you know who no longer with us who
07:46who you always think about in those special moments just the most incredible affirmation of of why we
07:52do it and why it's such a special club and i thought the way sunland won it today typified
07:56the players and this head coach we've said that they're not always sparkling they don't always
08:00play the most incredible football but they fight and they dig in and today was a perfect example of
08:05that they could have gone under in the first half i thought chef united really brought their
08:08their power and their physicality to bear i thought gus harmer was clearly the best player on the
08:14pitch for the first half incredible turn of pace and assist for the goal and you didn't really in
08:19many ways think that something we're going to get back into it other than knowing about this
08:23incredible character and fight they had and you know as he always does labrice was calm he made
08:27little tweaks he i thought switching ballad over to the left made a big difference getting that
08:31power in his build-up play driving out from the back and you know tommy watson's winner i think it
08:37sums labrice up there was so much noise when tommy watson agreed to join brighton you know should he be
08:41included should he be involved can he realistically contribute will his head be elsewhere labrice just managed
08:47that situation so calm he didn't get sucked into any of that noise really ruthless and pragmatic
08:52and he said i can't remember exactly what it was but he literally said in the press conference
08:55we might need tommy watson for 10 or 15 minutes and it could make all the difference
09:00and how true that true that proved to be today fantastic finish incredible moment really
09:05one of yeah i i'm really struggling to find the words for it an amazing team so much heart so much
09:14fight and things at the end there that will that will just stay you stay with you forever what an
09:20amazing journey it's been um and even though you know we know next season is going to be really
09:25really difficult you know someone might come back down again you just don't know we've got enzo la
09:30fae we've got the core of a side that is only going to get better team with incredible fight
09:35and a city that feels like it's on its way back you know on and off the pitch it's
09:40such a wonderful day and such an exciting time after such a long slog um yeah absolutely absolutely
09:48floating what a what an absolutely amazing time to be summoned we haven't been able to see that often
09:54enough over the last years and so we've got to savour this exactly for that reason
