Sometimes it's not the manner in which a player moves that shocks a fanbase, but the reasons for the departure itself. Lee Clark arrived on Wearside as a potential target for scorn, transferring from his boyhood club Newcastle in the summer of 1997. He quickly provide himself to the fans, playing a key role in the team denied promotion by a penalty shootout at Wembley. The next season he hit top form, his dynamic ability in midfield helping Sunderland to a First Division championship and record points-haul in 1998/99. The future looked bright as Sunderland prepared for promotion, but Clark's future at the club was already over before the summer had even begun. He was photographed at the 1999 FA Cup final with a group of Newcastle fans, gleefully wearing a t-shirt that read "Sad Mackem Bastards". His position was immediately untenable, and he never played for the club again. This grudge has never been forgotten on Wearside - earlier this season, Sunderland's 3-0 League Cup win over Birmingham was hailed with chants of "Clarky, what's the score? Clarky, Clarky, what's the score?". He refused to comment, but cut a fuming figure from the Blues' technical area.
