Sunderland cursed indecision continues; Moyes' future remains unclear despite owner's statement

Despite Sunderland's fate having now been confirmed, owner and chairman Ellis Short says the club's plans for the future will not be communicated until after the season has concluded.

Photo by Nigel Roddis/Getty Images

Despite Sunderland's fate having now been confirmed, manager David Moyes says discussions about his future will wait until the end of the season.

Photo by Nigel Roddis/Getty Images

And dependent on which quote you happen to read, the Scot has either suggested he retains the desire to lead the club in the Championship or has hinted he could walk away from the Stadium of Light.

Welcome to Sunderland. As indecisive and muddled as ever.

Despite this most inevitable of relegations having being rubber-stamped today - before April has even ended - the Ellis Short era will stumble on to the end of the season without clear purpose despite cries this evening for a much needed clarity.

The club which has had weeks to prepare itself for the mathematical certainty of Championship football to come, has released a statement suggesting it will take a three-week sleep on what to do next and come back to us later with a decision.

And that's nothing compared with the confusion over David Moyes' future as manager.

The 54-year-old, who had up until Friday insisted he would remain at the helm next season come what may, started dropping hints yesterday about decisions to be made and discussions to be held about his position at some non-determined point following the final game of the campaign.

Moyes' post-match comments in the wake of this afternoon's goal-to-nil defeat at the hands of Bournemouth have done nothing to conclude the debate and have only added to the uncertainty.

In one breath, the manager who has overseen the Black Cats' long-anticipated drop into the second-tier, reaffirmed his desire to carry on:

I would like to make sure we get Sunderland back in the Premier League that's for sure.

I think the job is to make sure we try to get ourselves prepared and ready.

Before continuing in a cryptic third person analysis of his own tenure when asked what had gone wrong:

It's a collective from top to bottom, it would be wrong to blame any individual.

But football clubs are much stronger than any one individual so Sunderland will bounce back, I have no doubt.

And in the next breath, Moyes appears to refuse to comment on his future:

I think we would be better talking at another time. I will sit down with the local journalists in time and speak with them...

I have managed in the Championship before but, again, I don't think today would be the time to talk about that.

Moyes and his close ally, Chief Executive Martin Bain, were careful to schmooze those local journalists of which he speaks at the start of their Sunderland careers last summer. So it's perhaps little surprise to hear the manager suggest he will share his shrouded plans with the north east press pack in which he believes there are close allies.

The hint that releasing the details of Moyes' future intentions will be carefully managed and revealed in private to trusted local media men is clear and concerning. In truth, it will no doubt mean a laboured painful cloud passes over the managerial position at the Stadium of Light for weeks to come yet. Clouded uncertainty and a prolonged period of speculation and second-guessing has now begun.

Certainly it is abundantly clear that the club hierarchy agreed on this pre-prepared line of 'we'll get back to you later' once relegation was confirmed.

So Ellis Short's Sunderland continues to muddle along hoping no one will ask it a difficult question and closing the gates when the paying public demands an answer. As always.

Indecision from the owner and a swaying in the wind to whomever has his ear at any given moment in the coming weeks is guaranteed. For a leader who breaks everything he touches, his reticence to commit is perhaps understandable. But it will do no good this time.

For supporters who have tolerated an unforgivable five years of mismanagement smattered with scandal, secrecy and failure which have culminated in this most abject campaign - one which has left fans bereft at what has happened to their club - it simply isn't good enough.

Putting us on hold? I don't think so.