Fan Letters: “Mr Short needs to back Chris Coleman further or Sunderland’s value will plummet!”

Dear Roker Report,

Accusations are flying in Sunderland. Lazy players, a non-caring owner, rotten-to-the-core attitudes. Blame culture is rife, and fed up ‘fans’ (Sunderland ‘til they die?) are leaving the Stadium of Light in droves.

How refreshing, then, to see Chris Coleman appointed - and his positive, realistic attitude is rightly infectious.

And, though many of the faithful may bite their lippy lips, fair play to top management for unexpectedly pulling this Welsh Rarebit out of their hat. So maybe the seemingly publicly non-adroit Missourian does, indeed, have a care.

He could cement that notion by immediately providing realistic funds to allow our promising manager to bring in warriors and get rid of the charlatans that don’t deserve to wear the shirt. The value of players like Kone and Rodwell may have plummeted, but any cash is better than keeping bad apples around.

Promising but ‘cheap’ academy youngsters are fine, and CC has a great reputation for getting the best from them, but bringing in a few experienced and proven players/goalscorers is crucial.

This will, Mr Short, be a necessary (£10m+?) investment, as the club’s value will only drop further in the third tier. You’ve given Chris Coleman a job to do - trust him further and save our club and yourself.

Make this window worth looking through.

Stephen Walker

ed’s note: It goes without saying that Coleman needs to be backed. He re-iterated today though that he’s not expecting cash to spend and will be relying on loans, so maybe moving players out like Vaughan is enabling him to get an improvement in Jonathan Walters in on loan. The problem with Kone and Rodwell leaving is that for us to get rid of them we have to have clubs that are interested in them - are we so sure that anyone would take them, never mind pay actual money? I remain sceptical.

Photo by Ian Horrocks/Sunderland AFC via Getty Images

Dear Roker Report,

I have been a season ticket holder and have watched Sunderland through thick thin and thinner over these years.

I think the lowest point and worst performance that I’ve experienced in all of that time must come down to the New Year’s day game against Barnsley. The lack of fight, skill, quality and confidence was there for all to see.

That said, I do not blame the manager, back room staff, the Club, the Stadium or even Mr Short.

I blame the players. The players 100%.

We are not in the Premier League - we are in what I would class as a poor Championship. I cannot think of a team that I have seen this season where I have thought “they are a good side” - but many of them have a team spirit and some fight.

Sunderland teams of the past have always had fight.

There are many teams with players who are probably giving 100% game in game out. The current Sunderland squad are not. It’s about time that each player in the squad had a long look at situation. They need to stop feeling sorry for themselves.

Stop blaming playing at the Stadium of Light, the lack of transfer activity... the banning of Tomato sauce.

The Sunderland fans will always give 100% and will always accept defeat as long as they have seen the players try.

The likes of Jack Rodwell should be head and shoulders above anyone in that league, but we have not seen it in any of the games he has played at any level for Sunderland.

I call upon the players of Sunderland AFC to have a word with themselves, go out and prove the critics and rest of the football world wrong and get us out of this situation.

I’d love to ask them a question - where would you rather play your Football... at somewhere like Burton Albion in front of 2,500 supporters, or in front of 30 to 40,000 supporters at the Stadium of Light?

The gates are low at the moment as fans are just fed up with the situation, but I’ve got no doubt that a few good performances and a jump up the league would guarantee that supporters will come back to get behind the team.

Have a think about it.

Kenny Hilton (Very disillusioned and angry fan)

ed’s note: I think that solely pinning the blame on one thing, i.e. the players, is far too simplistic and masks over the many failings of CEOs, the owner and former managers. Granted, the players are the ones that step out on to the pitch each and every week, but decisions have to be made in order to recruit players to the point that they end up in that position. There are many reasons for why Sunderland are in the situation that we find ourselves currently, but I’d say perhaps the most important one is that our owner has trusted far too many irresponsible people with obscene amounts of money that we’ve quite frankly spunked up the wall.

Photo by Ian Horrocks/Sunderland AFC via Getty Images

Dear Roker Report,

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ed’s note: Good luck!

Photo by S&G/PA Images via Getty Images