AFTER 18 years at the Sunderland tiller, steering the club through choppy waters and towards a calmer future, Bob Murray must wish he were able to smile at the irony of the timing of his CBE.

The Sunderland chairman knows more than most about the slings and arrows of outrageous footballing fortune, having been a senior figure at the club through turbulent as well as triumphant times.

But to receive such recognition for his efforts at Sunderland, at a time when their Premiership status is in grave jeopardy, would probably prompt Murray to raise a grin - were he not so concerned at their Premiership plight for the second year in a row after last season's flirtation with relgation under Peter Reid.

If the sight of a full house at the Stadium of Light and top-flight football on Wearside were not sufficient reward for all those years of hard work,Her Majesty The Queen has now bestowed upon Murray her metaphorical thumbs-up.

It confirms that every stressful meeting staged as Murray battled to secure the long-term future of the club in the mid-1980s was worthwhile.

So, too, was his determination to press ahead with plans for the Stadium of Light - Britain's best new stadium post-Taylor - as he was bombarded with brickbats along with bouquets after sounding the death knell for Roker Park.

Murray has been the principal driving force behind Sunderland's renaissance; one that more than anything has made fans proud of their club again, despite the slump over the last 18 months.

Soon after Murray became Sunderland chairman in 1986, the team were going to the likes of York City and Northampton Town in the Third Division.

Tomorrow, they play at Old Trafford.

Forget Sunderland's current woes, and Murray's part in them. Surely that transformation must be worth a CBE in itself?

Read more about Sunderland here.