Long Hot Summer
Updated: Jul 28
With the season over, the search for a new manager begins in earnest. Michael Appleton is keen on the Sunderland manager’s job and it seems he would quit his post as assistant manager at Leicester City to come to the SOL in a heartbeat. Appleton said: “Look, Sunderland is a big club and it’s always nice to be linked with clubs like that. Sunderland is certainly a big job and it’s nice to be mentioned as a potential candidate. But ultimately, from my point of view, I’ll be focusing everything I do on Leicester City until I’m told otherwise. Every manager would like that backing, but in today’s game it’s very rare you’re given much time. But to build a club and a style and a relationship with fans, you are only going to get that with time. Ultimately at Sunderland for too long that hasn’t been the case.”
However, Sheffield United boss Chris Wilder is still the bookies’ favourite. Wilder had this to say after his current club’s last match of the season: “I have nothing more to say about my position. That is for another day. Today I want to talk about my team and the achievement of a top 10 finish in the Championship with a bottom six budget. I would like to thank my staff and everyone involved. I found the support for me humbling. But it is the players who should take the credit for a great last day performance against a team who have also had a very good season.”
Meanwhile, the man who was in charge against Wolves, Robbie Stockdale, recons that we are capable of coming straight back up with the right investment over the summer months. Stockdale said: “Over the season, we haven’t been good enough. I would be going over old ground, why that has been the case. The emergence of the younger players is a positive, even though it has been a tough season, the younger players will be better for it. It is not always nice football, there are probably more dark times than good but it will make them stronger. With the right investment and the right players - the right characters as well as footballers – this club will bounce back, I have no doubt about that. I asked the players to finish on a positive note. It was a good performance, we scored some good goals and it was important that we finished it right. It is what we’ve been trying to do for a couple of months now, it was just a shame the game didn’t have anything on it in terms of staying up. It has been a tough week, a difficult one. The players have been distracted with other things, like we all have. The message I had for them just before we went out was ‘if somebody was coming to watch you for the first time, what impression do you want to leave them with?’ That went from the older players to the younger ones. If anybody did do that, they would come away with some positive things to say about our team. The original plan under Chris and Kit was they would be in Monday, chats over contracts, post-season plans etc. I have decided not to do that as it is not my decision what happens next with the players out of contract.”
Stockdale also chatted about the players he gave a chance to impress against Wolves. “I had in my mind the changes I wanted to make to give the boys exposure and their debuts. My reasons for playing LuaLua from the start (were that) he is out of contract this summer and hasn’t had a start this year. If anybody is watching to take over next year, I wanted to give him an opportunity to stake a claim, he hasn’t had that that much. With Luke Molyneux, he did really well and got confident in the game, showed some nice touches and young Denver (Hume) was steady. There is a lot of good young players here, if we mix it with the right senior players, we have a really good chance.”
To celebrate being complete and utter shite once again, we’re bringing bring back this classic t-shirt from the 05/06 season. Looking back to those halcyon days under Mick McCarthy when we managed to amass an incredible 15 points to see us relegated from the Premier League.
Don’t worry we will reach those lofty heights again but until then we can take comfort in the fact that we’re all... still here when we are shit! Hardcore fans and Sunderland till we die, whichever league we are in and whoever owns the club. Players, manager and chairman come and go. Fans remain. We are the club… click here to view product
