If winning the Premier League is really our ownership’s true goal, when will they show that they want to pursue it the right way?
It’s the subject that still takes up a lot of our conversations these days, driven by irrational conspiracy theories, frustration, and conjecture. Sunderland is still no closer to selecting a new head coach 117 days later. As fast as Michael Beale’s miserable tenure on Wearside came to an end, so too are potential contenders withdrawing from consideration for the position.Life will continue as usual for individuals who are reportedly being investigated, just as it did for Sunderland in 2024, despite the fact that something was wrong. The pool of possibilities that we have keeps getting less
The latest announcement by Kyril Louis-Dreyfus that the nearly five months of waiting would soon come to a “imminent” end has left an already irate fan base with a great deal of confusion. The statement “a relentless demand for a high-performance culture” keeps coming back to haunt him. One can only speculate about the regret he feels after approving each news release. Surprisingly, a small but growing minority of people continue to back the club’s ownership group. I want to know if there is any part of you that feels like this is getting a little absurd at this point. Sincerely, how much longer can this go on? Every elite organisation will have succession planning in place for all positions.
In a summer 2023 interview with The Athletic, Sunderland’s contentious Sporting Director Kristjaan Speakman said as much. It’s only fitting that he shoulder some of the responsibility after a terrible year on and off the pitch. Kristjaan, we’re still waiting to see succession—and I don’t mean the show that’s available on Apple TV right now. Preseason is drawing up, and while our Championship competitors are actively evaluating their teams in preparation for the demanding season that lies ahead, Sunderland is failing to finish the fundamentals. As of this writing, their fixtures in Alicante, which are set to take place in five weeks, have still not been finalised. The club is acting sluggishly and doesn’t seem to be in a rush to make amends for its own wrongdoings.
If winning the Premier League is really our ownership’s true goal, when will they show that they want to pursue it properly instead of treating our team like a hot new venture? Given that our new head coach is probably only our fifth or sixth choice, you can excuse yourself from being too excited about them. But our fan base will undoubtedly support whoever is bold enough—or foolish enough—to take over as Sunderland’s 23rd manager in just 22 years. But the main question is if our owner and sporting director would support him fully and appropriately.
The football team’s lack of experience has been openly noted by Alex Neil, Tony Mowbray, Michael Beale, and even Mike Dodds. This is something that needs to be addressed this summer. An obvious shortcoming in the club’s recruitment strategies over the last two years is that a ready-to-contribute striker is also at the top of the shopping list. It will be intriguing to see who is willing to commit to a team that is under suspicion, especially with the transfer market open. There literally isn’t any room for error anymore. It’s time the ownership group moved quickly to salvage a season that is still two months away from starting, as their reputation among the majority of our fan base is beyond repair. If they don’t, another 16th-place finish might start to seem out of reach.
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