Dear Roker Report,
I went to the Macron Stadium last night with that irrational optimism that all Sunderland fans have and instead of enjoying it, I just wanted to cry in the corner like a child whose rabbit just died.
It was 90 minutes I’ll never get back and I came out just sad, rather than angry. My beloved club has fallen so quickly. My first memories were trips to Roker to play Gillingham in the old Division Three and yet I think this team might be the worst I’ve ever seen.
It was a sad night for me because I felt like we’ve got a long way to go before we can expect to welcome the big guns back to the SOL.
Paul from Bolton (via Sedgefield)
Ed’s Note: It’s hard to believe we’re actually going down to the third tier. Successive relegations with no investment. An entire football club left to rot like a Christmas toy forgotten in the garden. Heartbreaking.
Dear Roker Report,
I guess in the general context of things it was no surprise to see us lose again last night.
Although - to try and keep on the positive side - there was an improvement of sorts, but who knows, maybe it’s a case of too little, too late, what with yet another defeat in a game which simply had to be won never mind drawn.
True, the side did display a certain amount of effort/spirit, but sadly unless those qualities are allied to an end product then really they’re about as much use as the proverbial chocolate fireguard.
For points/vital wins only come about by an ability to put the ball where it matters most and being able to defend effectively/capably, two vital aspects of our game which were sadly lacking yet again against Bolton, when our limitations - and indeed the lack of genuine quality in our side - were once again cruelly exposed.
So we’ve again become the “strongest team” in the Championship/sunk a little further into the relegation mire, and with games and time slowly but surely beginning to run out, in my estimation six/seven wins at least would now be required to have a chance of avoiding the unthinkable.
Starting of course with what looks like being one of the most pivotal Wear/Tees derby clashes in the entire history of the fixture, there’s no better game than a local affair in which to get a much-needed result, and, dare I say it, begin a revival, unlikely as it may appear.
OK, quite a few other clubs are in a similar position to ourselves, but how long can one go on relying on the misfortune of others? I guess while its mathematically possible at least for us to survive this season, we have to cling to the hope that somehow the SOL will be hosting Championship football again in August 2018. However, should a third successive home reverse materialize v the play-off chasing Boro, then one would surely have to fear the worst - the club is in one big mess on and off the pitch, and relegation to the backwaters of League 1 (although maybe not surprising) would surely be “the cherry on the cake” in the worst sense.
Therefore, it looks as if it will take a super-human effort on the part of the manager/team over the remaining two months or so, and I just hope they’re all somehow up for/up to the task, else the possible consequences short (pun intended) and long-term may be too catastrophic to even contemplate.
Andrew Cockburn