Poll: Do fans think Grayson deserves more time?

It’s been a disastrous start to the season, and Sunderland find themselves in an all too familiar position lurking in the league’s basement. We’ve shipped 17 goals in our last 7 games, we haven’t won in the league since the second week, and don’t seem capable of completing the basics required in order to play football, let alone win games.

One recurring complaint is that on paper we seemingly have the squad to be far more comfortable than we currently are, yet a lack of confidence and seemingly no coherent tactical plan has left us struggling to keep our heads above water... again.

Fans have been upset with the club for what feels like an eternity now; however, in the wake of several incredibly poor performances some fans have openly aired their disdain for the manager and his approach. We decided to gauge fan opinion and asked the question on many minds: should Simon Grayson be given more time, or should he be asked to move on?

Over 1,000 readers cast their vote, and the majority think that Simon Grayson simply isn’t capable of doing the job. It’s not surprising that fans think this way when you consider just how poor we’ve been so far this season, and should the Lads suffer defeat again this weekend, the pressure will only continue to mount.

That being said, there is a lingering worry in my mind at least that Grayson’s departure would signal more of the same in terms of our approach to football: bring in manager > hope for miracle > discard when things run their course and we are still crap > repeat.

The majority of fans according to our poll, though, think that sacking Grayson is worth the risk.

Photo by Nathan Stirk/Getty Images

Should the club agree with our poll’s suggestion and ask Grayson to empty his desk and leave, one major issue would be finding a manager capable of steadying the ship immediately. Basic errors are costing us games, and any new manager would have to be incredibly pragmatic in order to get this team moving in the right direction. On a completely unrelated note: I wonder what Sam Allardyce is up to right now?

Joking aside, however, it honestly feels almost embarrassing even discussing the topic of potential new managers, but yet again the club finds itself in a perilous position, desperately looking for some kind of hope - wherever it can be found.

I’m really disappointed that Grayson has struggled thus far because it really felt like he could be the man to restore some pride to the club, steady the ship and sort out the basic footballing errors that cost us so dearly least season - you know, like defending, passing and scoring.

Furthermore, it’s disappointing to see a host of last season’s players continue their rotten form into this campaign. Many of us thought a core nucleus of players from last season would be more than capable of doing well in this league, yet they - just as much as anyone else - have let this club down.

Ultimately it just feels like we’re a broken club right now, and although many demand change at the helm once more, it really does feel like we’re a broken record skipping from verse to verse in an incessant loop of disjointed chaos.

The fans are impatient and you really can’t blame them; hopefully we can turn this situation around and move in the right direction.