Sunderland really are paying the price for one poor decision after another. It seemed to start with Short, largely absent and surprising given his seemingly adept business acumen placed his trust and money in the wrong people who safe to say let him down wasting money on players with no interest in Sunderland, or its people, or fans.
Moyes despite his mundane manner and buying time with his long-term goal brief was unlucky with some referee decisions in the games before we were relegated from the Premier League. That was the killer blow and it’s been slippery dip since.
Grayson was a terrible appointment. Similar to Parkinson, an ultra-working-class man with the accent and demeanour to go with it. It’s like a throwback to the donkey jacket shouting and gesticulating looking like you’re working hard ‘putting in a shift’ without an iota of IQ.
Coleman, I thought was treated appallingly. He loved Sunderland and even put his lad into school in the area, only to be shafted. It’s said Short never spoke to him.
Ross showed promise and like Moyes was a bit unlucky. Ross himself said last season despite the ups and downs we were still in the fight six games out. It all came unstuck with Charlton’s late goal; McLaughlin seemed at fault for both. Ruiter frozen out.
Again, poor management constantly lurking in the background. Sunderland got most way in the Checkatrade that season with fringe players then when we got close, they were dumped. What’s that do for a player’s psyche. Then to top it off the club’s highest paid player who scored about 10 goals in 10 years steps up second to take a spot kick in a final at Wembley stadium, dead on his feet.
Ross didn’t seem to have control over what players he could buy or sell and intimidated that. Again, this is fundamental management. We don’t know what’s going on half the time because we’re not told. Maybe SAFC should have a cooperative where the club is owned by its shareholders the fans.
What we’ve got now is a posse of ex Eastleigh ‘managers’. A club they collectively could not get out of the national league. A co-owner who seems more interested in politics in South America.
Top that off with another posse of people around PP. What are they, FIFO? Again, where is the management. It’s said PP was appointed on the basis of his references. Well, have you heard of anyone attaching bad references for a job? Where’s the trial period, performance clause.
If he’s sacked, he’ll most likely have made good money out of it. That’s the latest scam milking the game, just as players can rake in up to £40k a week, more than us plebs in a year, to ponse around in ‘reserves’ or better still sit in the team grouping on game day, paid extra for international duty whilst the club pay their wages, then after milking the club dry and a big FU to the supporters land another lucrative contract elsewhere.
Five years ago, South Shields were in the Wearside league playing out of Peterlee. Sunderland were in the Premier League.
Today Shields sit top of the NPL, their U18 play Fulham shortly in the Youth Cup and the senior team play Southport in the FA Trophy this week.
Sunderland U23 just lost eleven games straight and the senior team won two in twelve.
My point. Shields have a hands on local chairman Geoff Thompson and co managers Picton and Fenton, the box and dice. Raise players they see fit; drop players they don’t see fit. Change tactics and teams to suit conditions, schedule and opposition. They don’t always get it right but six trophies in five years speaks for itself.
As for Sunderland. SD did seem to get off on the right foot and cleaned up a lot of the mess he inherited but as is often the case when luck doesn’t go your way it’s the little things that hurt. Sunderland have a strange habit of talking people up or down on a whim. Watmore is talked up like he’s somebody. I’d imagine he’s earned good money at Sunderland. For weeks Wyke and Grigg were talked up then signed. It’s like the management can’t see in front of their noses. Just like PP’s references. Just like our parking wardens, ‘if it’s on the ticket it must have happened’.
Now before the lads in the office fall off their seats, I’ve seen the likes of Gavin Cogden, Robert Briggs, Jason Gilchrist rifle in goals at Shields I’ve never seen at the SOL. Same ball, same sized goal. Worse field and tougher defenders. Anyone who saw the tackle on Anthony Callaghan at Kendal a couple of years ago...
Sunderland just lost 3-0 to a team several places above the National League, Scunthorpe. Not too bad according to Phil Smith and James Hunter rating Sunderland’s players 5-6 largely for that. So that’s where we’re at.
It all comes down to poor management and poor decision making. The place needs a sledgehammer taking to it.
We need to say to Donald thanks for having a go but, no thanks. Ross like Coleman had they been given more support from the management could have been the answer, Parkinson is not.
We’ve heard nothing from the new owners. Do they not know the league? Do they not know how buoyant Sunderland can be over the festive season?
We need to do something out of the box. A well paid short term manager signed on a performance contract to get us promoted, then take stock.
Similarly, a marquee striker or two like Defoe, Ibrahimović signed short team to get the stands heaving and the halcyon days. AND a couple of players to feed them the balls they need.
It’s quite pathetic seeing Grigg running around like a headless chook looking for the ball, strikers need to be fed the ball. Poachers don’t have a ‘weaker’ foot as Phil Smith refers to every time Watmore misses a sitter.
Other than that, I don’t know the answer. It’s a shame as fans we even have to think about how to make the club great again.
Donald’s ‘team’ and Parkinson’s ‘team’ hasn’t worked. Old habits die hard. I can’t see how the mindset that’s caused our demise is going to change quickly enough to save the season.
Realistically, on form, we’re heading for League Two. Seems to me there’s a lot of bluff going on from interviews, contracts, appointments and decisions. Just what goes on in training. how can hours and hours be spent on theory, tactics, formations, curving bending stretching fade yet on game day no goals, few on target in 90 minutes.
Seems it’s all hot air, hogwash. Is this the tip of the iceberg, are all these people fraudsters cleaning up at our expense? Players, managers and their hangers on alike in their mansions must be thinking... well, we got away with that, didn’t we?
