Saints and sinners

Coincidence last weekend as the SAINTS lost... chucked away rugby's heineken cup and Manchester's red DEVILS won the premier league. Other interesting nicknames are Saint's football neighbours known as the cobblers. (no, it's true!) My team, Sunderland are the black cats ('cos it's unlucky to support the bloody team!) Everton are known as the toffees because 50 or so years ago a (mad?) woman used to throw toffees into the crowd... so maybe a woman used to throw black cats into the crowd at Roker Park! By the same token women have for decades lobbed bulls, badgers, hammers, owls, pensioners and... Stanley into the baying mobs. Best of all is Hartlepool, known as the monkey hangers. Legend has it that during the Napoleonic wars a French ship ran aground nearby and a monkey escaped. A reward was offered for the capture of any French spy. These fine (but thick as shit) people caught and hung the monkey thinking it was a Frenchman, no one in the town had ever seen a french person. (or a bath) The reward was £500 which is known today as... a monkey. Educational this interweb ain't it?