Fan Letters: TEN reasons why stay-away Sunderland supporters should start coming back

Dear Roker Report,

Lads and lasses, boys and girls, this letter might be for you. It isn’t intended to criticise anyone or cause offence, but it’s a simple appeal: Please come back to the Stadium of Light.

Let’s look at ten reasons why you should...

1. The Stadium is going to ruin. The much maligned pink seats are there for all to see. We can’t afford to replace them, so let’s do the next best thing and cover them up with buttocks!

2. The football may well be turgid, but there’s youth in the side now and real fight.

3. Championship games are difficult to get on the foreign channels.

4. The lack of atmosphere in the ground puts our beloved team at a distinct disadvantage.

5. Many feel that by staying away they’re depriving Short of money that he doesn’t deserve - but are they? With the club riddled with debt, how much of your £25 will he really see?

6. Don’t you miss a Saturday afternoon at the football and the emotional rollercoaster it brings?

7. It’s difficult to fully appreciate the good times when they come unless you can really say that you’ve been there through the bad.

8. We have flags - big flags - but we can no longer unfurl them as sadly there just isn’t enough people to do it.

9. We have some crucial home games ahead - very few 6 pointers, save for Burton, which means we need to overachieve. We need the 12th man behind us.

10. The most important one in my opinion, which is why I’ve saved it until last. Chris Coleman. He could be the best thing to happen to this club in an entire era. He wants to be here. He left an international job to be here, rather than leaving us for one like Big Sam. He’s honest, passionate and doing a great job. He deserves our support. He took the job on and was proud to get it. There was hardly a queue for it.

Back in 1987 when we were last relegated to League One’s equivalent, from February until the end of the season we averaged 13,190 at home. I realise that was a different time and a different stadium, but when it was too late we played the second leg of the old relegation/promotion play off at home to Gillingham and won 4-3 losing on away goals in front of a crowd of over 25,000. Almost double the average gate.

All I’m saying is let’s not leave it too late this time. We did in 1987 and this time around it won’t be Gillingham in our last home game - it’ll be the champions elect, Wolves. Please don’t leave it until then.

Ha’way The Lads.

Lee Adams