​I can’t believe how many people buy into the nonsense Fabrizio Romano peddles. Doesn’t it strike anyone as odd that he operates more like an influencer than a genuine journalist? He crafts a story and lets others run with it as if it were fact. That’s the engine behind his success—and he’s pretty proficient at it. He’s the Italian equivalent of Alan Nixon, and I don’t trust a word that comes from him. Would people swallow it if he claimed the Earth was flat or that the Moon consists of green cheese?
Our club now runs on professional terms, and players will leave only on Sunderland’s terms. It’s wrong for people to attack Granit Xhaka over a false story that someone who thrives on stirring trouble cooked up.
Ed’s Note [Phil]: Hi, Gerald. Thanks for writing in. While I completely understand the anger directed at media figures like Fabrizio Romano, we should also acknowledge that figures like him sometimes share good news about Sunderland’s transfer dealings—as they did in the summer of 2025—and there’s a reasonable chance it’ll happen again. In today’s football social-media landscape, clicks translate to cash. Romano and others exploit that reality, and it’s an inevitable, albeit unfortunate, part of the game.
After Wilson Isidor’s remarkable goal for Haiti, I overheard someone singing, “Eezer good, eezer good, dun du du du du du,” and I corrected them, “No—it’s ISIDOR, ISIDOR, DUN DU DU DU DU!” I improvised that chant on the spot, and it caught on with the lads and carried through the bar all night. It’s still echoing in my head a week later.
I hope this chant becomes a staple for the new season.
Ed’s Note [Phil]: Hi, Toni. Thanks for getting in touch. To get that chant circulating, we’d need Wilson Isidor to stay with Sunderland for 2026/2027, especially since Eliezer Mayenda was sold to Rennes. I’m a big fan of Isidor and believe he has a real connection with the club, so let’s hope he remains in red and white for another season—perhaps with a fresh chant to accompany him, for both fans and better SEO.