This one's a rookie mistake. When meeting with friends before or after the match, it's obviously best to have an agreed landmark to congregate around. It would otherwise be nigh-on impossible to find each other in the throngs of Sunderland fans milling around the stadium ground before or after kick off. Luckily there are quite a few notable buildings and structures dotted around the Stadium of Light which can act as pretty reasonable meeting points. Just don't choose Stokoe. Geordie Bob might be one of the most beloved figures in Sunderland's entire history, but asking your mates to meet at his statue is asking for trouble. Everybody seems to flock there, especially after a big win, and he can often be seen with red and white scarves draped over his outstretched arms. Unless you fancy mimicking his mad dash across the pitch in the 1973 FA Cup final - made slightly harder with a few hundred drunken mackems in the way - it's best to just choose a pub instead. Although they can get pretty crowded too...
