Fan Letters: "Throwing my hat into the ring as Sunderland's new head coach!"

09/05/2024 07:00

Thoughts on the Stadium of Light vacancy, plus reflections on a challenging season and views on the club ownership are in the RR mailbox today! Got something to say? Email us: RokerReport@yahoo.co.uk

Dear Roker Report,

Please indulge me.

At the time of writing, Sunderland haven't appointed a new head coach, so can I apply for the vacant position and outline my footballing plan to bring success to our great club?

In addition, I've decided to ask the necessary questions of the owners and board members in order to give me the best chance of being successful in the role. I'm asking these questions on behalf of the other candidates, knowing that they won't have the bottle to ask for themselves.

My qualifications for the role are as follows:

• I've been a season card holder for as long as I can remember.
• I've watched the Lads away from home at least three hundred times at over seventy different grounds.
• I sit at games, ignoring the opinions of the few who complain about absolutely everything, whilst taking on board the opinions of the majority, who actually get most things right.

I have no formal football qualifications and I realise this could disadvantage me, but I absolutely believe that I would've got more points out of our current squad than the last two incumbents got from their shared twenty five games in charge. In fairness, I couldn't have done any worse!

Forget about systems and formations, because the main thing any coach should be judged on is whether he's improved his players. However, every member of our squad has got worse under the recent leadership, so the benchmark isn't high.

I've worked in business management for the past twenty five years, so I understand the importance of setting high standards, challenging the people in charge, continuing to do the things that are working, not changing for the sake of it and admitting when things have gone wrong.

All very sensible, but beyond the current club management this season.

Allow me to set out the detail of my application and ask the questions that need answering before my hoped-for interview…

Firstly, can I congratulate the current owners for the state the club is currently in, compared to how it was when they took over?

In saying that, can I ask Kyril Louis-Dreyfus to confirm whether or not he's still as committed and as ambitious as he was. In addition, is he happy to share in the responsibility of what's gone wrong in the last twelve months?

To Kristjaan Speakman, may I compliment you on some of the signings made during your tenure? Without doubt, you've overseen a massive increase in the value of the squad.

However, can I also ask whether there's any flexibility as far as the project is concerned, moving forward, and are you accountable for the absolute fiasco of the last six months?

You probably have enough credit in the bank to have another go at getting things right, but as your new manager, I would have my eyes on you.

Can I ask who authorised Mike Dodds to hold end-of-season conversations with our squad and to make plans for next season?

Dodds has publicly stated that he's 'proud of the job' he's done on an interim basis, despite having a 15% win rate — the lowest in our history. Why, therefore, is he acting above his station? Surely this is an indication of what's wrong at the club.

We're told that he's a good coach, but he has bridges to build to convince anyone of that being the case. If you have any chance whatsoever of salvaging your career, concentrate on that, and that alone. Again, as your new manager, I would need some convincing.

Regarding the coaching at the club, have things become stale?

Is it 'jobs for the boys', and wouldn't it make more sense if I was allowed to bring in my own trusted team? Without this, I fear that I'm only warming the seat for whoever comes next.

Despite my lack of formal qualifications, I would give my all and I would demand that every player wearing our shirt accepts the privilege bestowed upon them, giving everything for the cause as a minimum requirement.

I realise that in order to be a success, I would need a plan.

If I'm honest, I don't feel as if I need to be Jurgen Klopp to get things right. I still believe in a lot of the good we have at the club and I'm convinced that things could be changed quite easily.

So, here's my plan moving forward…

Save money on players' wages

We need to thank the players listed below for the memories, say 'sorry that it hasn't worked out', or simply tell some of them to sling their hooks. Whatever the reason, release the following players:

Evans, Embleton, Matete; Diamond, Huggins, Taylor; Bass, Bishop, Anderson; Dack, Styles, Burstow.

I don't know what salaries these players are on but I'd imagine that we wouldn't get any change from £80,000 per week.

Don't scrap the project

Loan out Hemir, Nectar Triantis, Eliezer Mayenda, Jewison Bennette, Caden Kelly, Marshall Burke and Tom Lavery.

Let them have a year of playing men's football week in and week out, to see if we've got real players on our hands. It's also time to promote Matty Young and Tommy Watson to the first team squad.

Generate cash from sales to reinvest in the squad

Sell two players to generate money for reinvestment. One is inevitable and one is very harsh and definitely controversial.

Jack Clarke is too good for the Championship and we shouldn't hold him back, and the other player to sell is Jobe.

This might come back to haunt me, as good as he was at the beginning of the season and taking into account his tender years. However, good managers are brave and sometimes make big decisions. As good as Jobe is, I don't think he'll make it as a top pro as he's too slow.

He also stands in the way of the development of Chris Rigg, who'll be a top player.

This would free up another £20-30,000 of weekly wages, generating £40 million in transfer fees, so by my calculations, I've brought in £40 million and saved well over £100,000 in weekly wages.

Add this to the amount of investment I would hope from the club and the money from the Ross Stewart sale, and I'd be confident that this would give us the budget to give Chris Rigg the contract he needs, reward the players we need to build our future and sign the likes of Sammie Szmodics, Lawrence Shankland, Morgan Whittaker and Chris Willock, who are seasoned and experienced pros.

Thank you for allowing me to apply, although I fear that I might have asked too many awkward questions, not toed the party line enough and- God forbid- made enough sense to be successful.

Darrin Adamson.

Ed's Note [Phil]: Hi, Darrin. Thank you for your letter.

You raise many interesting points; some of which I agree with, such as the rationale for promoting Mike Dodds to the role of interim head coach (a decision seemingly based on convenience rather than a genuine desire to salvage anything from the season), and others that I don't subscribe to, such as the idea of selling Jobe and letting him go just one year after he arrived at the club.

The wider issue is that this summer needs to represent a turning point for Sunderland AFC.

2023/2024 was not the season that anyone would've hoped for or maybe even expected, and after finishing a mere six points above the relegation zone, the idea of ploughing on regardless and failing to address the flaws in both recruitment and coaching is simply not going to cut the mustard.

We need to see real and meaningful action, and a willingness to be flexible at all levels. This club's future prosperity depends on it.

Dear Roker Report,

As I drove back to East Yorkshire on Saturday, I was in reflective mood having just taken my ten year-old grandson to his first Stadium of Light game. Indeed, it reminded me of the first time I was taken to watch Sunderland by my brother-in-law back in 1967.

Living in north Derbyshire, he took me to Stoke, hopeful of seeing Jim Baxter and Charlie Hurley, and despite leading at half time, we lost 2-1.

By the end of that season, I was allowed to go into Manchester to watch matches with my best friend from school, and we won 2-1 at Old Trafford. This was followed by a great train ride back down to Buxton, and he was so upset as a United fan, as Manchester City won away at Newcastle to win the league.

Living in East Anglia, we'd been to a few away matches but my son's first visit to the Stadium of Light was in 1998 to watch the league game against Bury.

That day, striker Danny Dichio was brought on to score the only goal of the game.

For my birthday weekend, my son and his wife came up and we attended the Millwall game. At the time, Mike Dodds said that he was 'bored' when watching the team he'd coached all week, but at least he got paid, whereas we'd paid quite a lot to be equally bored!

On Saturday, my grandson was very excited at the thought of going to the game.

We got him a scarf from the shop and retold stories of great games I'd seen there in the past, but what a huge let down it was, with 41,000 fans hoping for a celebratory end-of-season performance, but in my opinion, only four players turned up.

I'd gone to the Leeds United game on a rather cold December evening and had witnessed such drive, determination and skill to beat one of the top teams in the league.

Having been there for so long, I think the 'Tony Mowbray effect' was still embedded in the players and it was great to see them elated at the end and the crowd equally enthusiastic.

How things can change!

The team selection on Saturday didn't say 'Here's our strongest team to give you an end-of-season treat.' Instead, there was no midfield drive or direction, and no cutting edge or fluidity in our play- the exact opposite of what happened against Leeds.

My son, who's now thirty three, is a fan for life but my grandson may never want to watch anything like that again!

However, I'll be there again next season, hoping for yet another turnaround. I just hope we have the people at the top of the club who can give all those loyal, dedicated fans the experiences they deserve.

Thanks for everything, SAFC.

Phil Mellor.

Ed's Note [Phil]: Hi, Phil. Thanks for getting in touch and for sharing your experiences of following Sunderland with your family. It's obviously a red and white affinity that's been passed down from generation to generation, which is what it's all about.

I fully agree that Saturday was a dismal way to end the season, and if the win over Leeds in December was one of the best results of the campaign, the loss to Sheffield Wednesday was one of the worst, as we never looked like taking anything from the game and the Owls ran out as deserved winners.

Thankfully, it should be the last time we see Mike Dodds coaching a Sunderland team, and whoever the next permanent head coach may be, let's hope they can unlock this team's potential and get us moving again.

Dear Roker Report,

Thank you for your coverage of the 2023/2024 season.

I've followed the coverage throughout and like many, I hoped that honest and constructive comment would at least be acknowledged by the owner.

However, rather than repeating the many points raised here, here are a few of my complaints which have left me in despair for the future…

As a Sunderland supporter for the best part of seventy two years, I've witnessed the good and too often the bad experiences in the history of our club, yet I've never been as low as I am now.

When we were bought out by what appeared to be a member of billionaire family, the future looked bright, but what's appeared since is a disturbing gulf between the new 'company' and its clientele.

They've turned it into a business; exclusive of any concern or responsibility to its supporters or the rich community history of a once-great icon.

No doubt with season ticket sales in mind, the hierarchy announced a programme of work to improve the customer experience on matchdays. However, rather than 'improvements', substitute it for the word 'maintenance', thereby undoing years of neglect and abuse!

Last summer, there were rumours of Sunderland chasing a top manager, quickly followed by the sacking of Tony Mowbray for telling the truth, the appointment of a new head coach that nobody wanted, who was quickly sacked, putting us back to square one!

My anger is based on the fact that Mowbray only wanted what was needed for the final push towards the playoffs, instead of being treated disgracefully, offered a one-year extension, or being sacked.

Conversely, Kristjaan Speakman's role in that, as well as the recruitment debacle and our non-striking strikers, appears to make him untouchable in the eyes of Kyril Louis-Dreyfus

Exactly how bad must things get before the owner acts? I have no faith that things will change.

The ownership isn't compatible with progress beyond League One or survival in the Championship, and certainly not with reaching the Premier League.

The ownership is wrong and the structure of the club is wrong. There's no money behind it and the strategy is not based around the happiness of the supporters- a total conflict that will not end well!

Jeff.

Ed's Note [Phil]: Hi, Jeff. Thank you for your letter.

Although I certainly don't feel that this is the worst situation the club has been in during my years of following Sunderland (a mere twenty eight compared to your seventy two!) I fully agree that the 2023/2024 season was a dismal experience and that it did raise questions about the club's direction of travel.

I don't believe the situation is irretrievable for Kyril Louis-Dreyfus, or that he must sell up and let someone else take over, but for the people working beneath him, this is a big summer and they have to demonstrate that the mistakes of recent months, of which there have been many, won't be repeated.

There's plenty of apathy among the fanbase right now, and the good feeling that's built up in recent years has been dampened after a poor season filled with bruising results.

The club can certainly get through it and emerge stronger, and I really hope that they take the steps that are necessary to do just that.