Sunderland club historian Rob Mason has published a new book titled "What If?". It explores a fascinating alternative history of the club as he ponders what could have been. Rob began writing for the programme in 1986 after watching his first Sunderland match in February '67, and has done ever since. Including club annuals, he has written over 50 books on Sunderland AFC and is basically an encycolpedia on the history of the Black Cats. Rob was kind enough to sit down with us and chat about the new book, how it came about and what it contains...
First of all, how did you come up with such a unique concept for a book?
Having been following Sunderland for so long and been in and around the club and its players, managers and directors over the years I’ve come across many stories. In ‘What If’ I’ve tried to look at the turning points in the club’s history. So often what happens in football hinges on a single decision, a bit of good or bad luck, some skull-duggery somewhere or even the weather! In this book I’ve tried to pull these ‘What If’ moments together and get people wondering about how things might have been different.
Most of your books are based on the real history of Sunderland AFC, how challenging was it to write about something with a bit of a different angle?
To be honest I didn’t find it difficult to produce this at all because these stories have been in my knowledge for some time. I was just looking for an opportunity to pull them together into what I hope is a book that will fascinate readers. Not every story is one people haven’t heard before, for instance people know that Brian Clough and other big name managers got close to managing Sunderland but in some cases I’ve been able to perhaps add a bit to what was already in the public domain. In particular in pulling all of these stories together I hope to be able to make supporters consider the overall picture of how many big ‘What If?’ moments there have been in the club’s history.
Without spoiling the book, why is Diego Maradona on the cover??
Sunderland’s recruitment staff have done a fabulous job in bringing in young players from various countries in the last couple of years but credit where credit is due – Sunderland identified Maradona’s magnificent talent when he was very young. As a 17-year old he threatened to retire if he was not allowed to sign for Sunderland but the military dictatorship in Argentina would not allow him to be transferred abroad at that time. He’s the top name in a list of stellar superstars who Sunderland tried to sign. Some of the names in the book might surprise you although I’ve realised I forgot to mention another great Argentinian, Alex Sabella who I watched regularly for Sheffield United when I was a student in Sheffield in the late seventies. I saw him in midweek matches as I’d still be travelling with the Doncaster branch in those days to watch the Lads on weekends.
What do you think is the most important 'What If' moment in SAFC history?
I’d say the ‘Mr. Smith’ story in the 1950s when an anonymous letter to the football authorities exposed the illegal payments the club were making in the days of the maximum wage. Ultimately the outcome of this was a first ever relegation in 1958 that it could be argued the club have never fully recovered from. I’ve dealt with this story in detail in one of the longest chapters of the book.
What's your favourite part of the process of creating a book?
That’s a good question... I’d say coming up with the idea and then getting the thumbs up from a publisher when I put the idea to them. I also enjoy getting in touch with players, managers and directors to get their memories of events so that as far as possible I get as close as it is possible to get to the truth. There are a lot of stories, some long, some short and covering a wide timespan from the modern day back deep into history.
Which parts did you find most difficult?
I wouldn’t say anything is difficult really but what can be irritating is that when you write for various publishers they all have their own style-guides as to how they like things to be written. For instance some like you to write out every number up to twenty and some only want you to do so up to ten. Some want you to write seasons with a forward slash or a dash, e.g. 2023/24 or 2023-24, some want you to write play-off, some like Play-off and some like Play-Off. The lists of these sort of things can be very long and when you are writing more than one book at a time you have to keep going back to each publisher’s style-guide at the end of each chapter to make sure you have stuck to the style they want. That can become quite mind-numbing.
Now the transfer window is closed, how do you think things are going at the club? Where do you reckon we'll finish this season?
I go along with what seems to be the majority view that things are going well. People are looking forward to coming to the match these days because we have a young, vibrant, attractive and attacking team. I hated being in League One because a club of Sunderland’s stature should not have been there and it took us far too long to get out. The gamesmanship in that division was beyond a joke and I was sick of it. Of course there is only one tier Sunderland should be in and that is the top tier. The sooner we are back there and able to compete, not just survive, the better. Of course now in 2023 there is so much money needed to achieve that but we are heading in the right direction and it’s good to see owners with a clear strategy. As to where we’ll end up, goodness knows. I don’t do predictions but I haven’t seen a more attractive team than us in the division so I’ll just do what I’ve always done which is to turn up and watch it all unfold while hoping for the best.
Rob's book is available now and can be purchased in the ALS shop or on our online site. It's a great read, or the perfect gift for any Sunderland supporting relative. CLICK THIS LINK to get yours now!
