Fan Letters: “Sunderland need to be more like Newcastle - where is the atmosphere?!”

Dear Roker Report,

It’s very hard I think for any Sunderland fan to have found the energy and enthusiasm to turn up to the games in recent years, and that’s shown in the attendance stats. However, with new owners, new debts, and new a new manager/players coming in the future do you not think its time for the fans to turn over a new leaf too?

How can we expect the SOL to be a fortress when the atmosphere is inanimate?

When you look at SJP and compare the Gallowgate to the SOL it is almost embarrassing.

Even for a poor Premier League side, you get the feeling that Newcastle can win any team whilst playing at home because the atmosphere is so intimidating. At the SOL it’s the exact opposite. We should be putting fear into the away side when they walk out the tunnel but instead they walk out with optimism looking onto thousands of empty seats.

Could large fansites such as yourselves or ALS not run crowdfunders to raise money for banners/flags? Should you not already be getting these messages accross to our fans?

I’m not saying that the current attendence isn’t anything short of fantastic for a club in our position, but with such a big stadium and such a large fanbase which HAVE turned up in the past we can definately do better.

Let’s show these new owners what we’re made of, let’s show Ellis Short what could have been had he ran our poor football club correctly. It’s time to prove a point to not just them, but ourselves too.

Win, lose or draw this season really is the one to get behind the lads - it’s all or nothing and they need all of us.

Alfie Brown

Ed’s Note [Gav]: I’m like you in the sense that I have kept going regardless of how bad it has been, but I can completely understand why people have walked away and I don’t blame them whatsoever.

That said, once Stewart Donald’s takeover has been completed one of the first things he’ll need to do is attempt to get fans that were disenchanted during the Ellis Short era to come back. I think that plenty will, but it’s about letting supporters know what you want to do in order to gain their trust going forward.

I find your Newcastle comparisons strange. Surely you know why the atmosphere is crap at the SoL? We’ve won about ten games in four years or something - the place is dead cos the football has been rubbish for ages.

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Dear Roker Report,

The last week has seen a number of significant changes at Sunderland.

Ellis Short hands over the keys to not the best offer financially for him, but the consortium that is best placed to bring success to our club. In doing so he writes off a significant sum of money he personally is owed.

As one who is totally perplexed by the financial situation given the significant revenues generated by television deals and the recent sale of Jordan Pickford l suspect we will find that all these recent transactions will have been used to reduce his personal debt level.

My suspicions are further fueled by the lack of money available in the last two transfer windows. Simon Grayson was a manager with a proven track record in the Championship. Chris Coleman a manager of International standing. The sum total trusted to them was a net amount of around £1million.

So l ask the question - Ellis Short gives away the club writing off a huge sum (undetermined until the balance sheet is published), yet he was unwilling to back either of these managers with enough money to keep them in the division and therefore protect his investment.

Does that make sense? Time will tell as to whether Ellis Shorts gift is what it seems.

Gerard Hiscock

Ed’s Note [Gav]: It’s a big frustration that it has came to this. Sadly Short lost interest in this venture and the culmination has been back to back relegations. I suppose only Short knows why - I think that he brazenly thought we’d stay up on a shoe-string this season, or at least compete. Had he been more hands-on and attentive with the club this season I feel we mightn’t have had as many problems, particularly with recruitment.