I don’t suppose anything to do with football in our area could go by after last Saturday without mentioning, praising, singing to the high heavens, the fantastic two-hour experience enjoyed by everyone other than Sunderland supporters at St Mary’s.

Like Ronald Koeman, as an experienced manager I just sat as the game went on to the latter stages thinking “I have never seen this sort of thing before”.

Everyone in the ground expected another goal to come and if the game had gone on any longer Saints would have undoubtedly made it into double figures.

The reality of it all is this is the best and the strongest league in the whole world, it’s not a friendly, it’s not a pre-season game, it’s not first team v reserves in a practice match.

I think that for years to come people will be saying “I was there”.

It compares in this respect to people who were at Wembley.

I even had one of my regulars bumping into me in Romsey town centre again reminding me he was there 30 years ago, the last time eight goals went in.

I remember that because we beat Coventry City 8-2 and hat-tricks were scored by Danny Wallace and Steve Moran, who I am happy to say were products of what we called our youth policy, not the academy we have read recently that Rupert apparently set up in his time.

As a manager, to see youngsters that you have brought in at 14 years old while still at school, and given apprenticeships to at 16, go through the system gives so much pleasure to the coaches and everyone else at the club.

I’m sure Ronald Koeman had that same feeling as he saw players that he himself has brought into the club banging the ball into the net.

I think even Ronald might put his hands up and say the best goal of the day was scored by a Sunderland player, but I am sure this game will take a long time for him to forget.

I was asked a few days later to comment on BBC radio as the result went, in football terms, worldwide.

As well as praising Ronald and the team I had to give credit to the Sunderland supporters who, if anything, in the second half sang louder and louder as each goal went in. Bearing in mind they had to face up to their longest trip of the season, about 350 miles, to get home, full marks to them.

In football terms as a north easterner I have to shake my head at the two worst performances I have seen this season, which have been Sunderland and Newcastle, bearing in mind the passion for the game in those areas.

As with Alan Pardew, who has had to get his team picking up points as quickly as possible, the test for Gus Poyet’s outfit is the next game.

They are playing against Arsenal, and it’s at home, and even if they lose the game the least they have to do is give 100 per cent for the whole game and try and win over those supporters, particularly the ones who made the long journey.