‘You should write a book.’

That has been the advice given to me by numerous friends and colleagues since leaving my previous job as Sunderland AFC writer at the Chronicle, Journal, and Sunday Sun.

Maybe one day I will.

But the truth is that, to all intents and purposes, I already have - in getting on for 9,000 daily chapters.

Bit by bit, day by day, for almost a quarter of a century I have written many millions of words charting the ups and downs of life on Wearside viewed through a red and white lens.

For more than half my life I have been following Sunderland around the country reporting on more than 1,150 first team competitive games (I’ve missed five and, yes, I can name them!), as well as covering the transfers, managerial sackings and appointments, takeovers, along with the day-to-day comings and goings at the Stadium of Light.

It has been a stint that has taken in five owners, 21 ‘permanent’ managers, four relegations, three promotions, three cup finals, two play-off finals, one cup win (well, the EFL Trophy), and a partridge in a pear tree.

I’ve covered everything from the back-to-back seventh-placed finishes in the Premier League and the joy of those Tyne-Wear derby wins that every supporter can reel off without missing a beat, to the despair of the 15-point season, the 19-point season, and the League One years which left a scar on the soul.

And any journalist that has worked with a cast of footballing characters that includes the likes of Peter Reid, Niall Quinn, Kevin Ball, Kevin Phillips, Sir Bob Murray, Roy Keane, Steve Bruce, Martin O’Neill, Sam Allardyce, Jermain Defoe, Paolo Di Canio, Gus Poyet, Ellis Short, Charlie Methven, and Tony Mowbray, will never be short of an anecdote!

But a book has to have a beginning, a middle, and an end.

And Sunderland’s story has no end point.

So when the call came saying ‘fancy writing a weekly column for We Are Sunderland?’, I jumped at the chance.

Because a column is current. It lives in the present, not in the past. It provides the narrative that accompanies the results, savouring the successes but never shying away from asking the difficult questions when necessary.

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In becoming a columnist, I will be trading the challenge of following the daily twists and turns for the scope to look at the bigger picture, explore some of the broader issues surrounding the club, put events into context and, of course, spark debate.

Joining We Are Sunderland is an exciting new adventure for me, at a website that aims to cover Sunderland in a fresh and innovative way.

I’m delighted to be a part of it and I hope you enjoy reading my take on all things Sunderland every Friday.