Fan Letters: “Nigel Pearson is the man for Sunderland” & “some fans treat Donald horrendously!”

Dear Roker Report,

I’m just going to get straight to the point. I don’t have a clue what a certain section of our ‘fans’ expect from the club or Stewart Donald.

Some of them go on like spoiled brats who expect us to walk the league, batter teams by 3/4 goals and have a top manager who will spend millions on several individual players. We’re in League 1, not the Premier League anymore, maybe adjust expectations, aye? If people want a sense entitlement from supporting their club, support those in black & white just up the road.

Before he came in there was nothing from the owner in Ellis Short where communication was concerned. Nothing. SD comes in and its like lungs full of fresh air! Open and engaging, meeting fans, fanzines, answering questions on Twitter etc, I mean, it looked like a full time job just communicating with everyone. And we all loved it! Getting the fans engaged with the club again. It not just an empty shell, but finding its soul again!

But no, some people have to p*ss and moan about every little thing (which they’re entitled). Comments like ”if it proves to be correct, I will never watch my club Sunderland ever play again with SD as owner” or ”If you appoint Parkinson or Ainsworth prepare for the biggest backlash.....” I mean haway, get a grip! Let the bloke do his job.

Look at how many times he had to answer about his own takeover of the club.

Buying a club is not like buying a house, SD and Methven spent months buying Sunderland. Manager wise, who would realistically drop down from top tier Championship or Premier League to manage us?

Maybe I’m being a bit emotional here, typing this at 1:30am and the lack of sleep is getting to me. But maybe part of the ‘rotten core’ that was at the club is a small section of the fans. Maybe I’m going too far with that one? I’m not saying I’ll settle for whatever we get, I want us winning things also, but just let people do their jobs instead of hounding them! But my point still stands, some fans need to get a grip of themselves and take their head for a sh*te!

Andy Urwin

Ed’s Note [Gav]: I think there has to be a realisation of what is acceptable and what isn’t. Holding the owners to account and questioning their actions is absolutely fine - if people care deeply about the club then they will also want to know that absolutely everything is being done for the good of Sunderland AFC.

By the same token, people who are supportive of the regime should be allowed to express their opinions without fear of being abused too. It’s just not healthy.Sadly there’s no middle ground with many of the people on social media, who can’t seem to have a conversation with another person without it descending into a slanging match.

I’ve said for a while now that Stewart needed to delete Twitter and scale the transparency back for the sake of his own sanity, and thankfully it would appear that will be the case going forward. It shouldn’t have came around the way that it did, though - some fans treat and talk to him horrendously.

Photo by Richard Sellers/PA Images via Getty Images

Dear Roker Report.

It is actually saddening that SD is receiving verbal threats regarding the possible new manager coming in. However, I have to say that if he does go blindly ahead and bring Phil Parkinson in, I can genuinely see something of a backlash in regard to attendances.

I for one, will not go if this boring negative person is brought into the fold. We have all (in the main), completely backed the new owners and their decisions, including getting shot of Jack Ross.

The problem is, he will be getting rid of one piece of touchline driftwood for another. I thought he knew our club. I thought he was aware of how we tick, and of how a Manager with touchline charisma can get the terraces rocking. I have said even before Jack Ross was appointed (and my previous postings will show as such), that the man for the job is Nigel Pearson. He is a born again Peter Reid. If he upsets the apple cart so what? Let the little gentile boys go and play elsewhere. All the prima donna players who have left us to go on to the bright lights have fallen - Maja and Asora spring to mind.

We NEED a manager who can tap into our needs and appreciations, and that is not tippy-tappy football. It is blood and thunder we love up here. Frighten ‘em to death on the field and the terraces. Is it really too much to ask, it definitely isn’t rocket science. Ignore the majority of fans at your own peril SD.

Hughie

Ed’s Note [Gav]: The reaction to Phil Parkinson being named as a potential managerial candidate actually threw me. I know he’s not exactly an exciting name, but his record at this level is canny and if it happened I think there are more ticks in the ‘pros’ column than in the ‘cons’. I didn’t think he would be unanimously approved by supporters but seeing him so far behind in various Twitter polls shocked me slightly - I don’t actually think he’s that bad!

There are plenty of others I’d place ahead of him though, and I agree, the appointment has to be one that everyone - players, owners and fans - can see as making sense. I wrote an article last week about the boxes that I felt needed to be ticked to ensure the ‘right’ appointment would be made, which you can read here.

Let’s use Pearson as an example here. Name value? Yeah, I guess so - he’s pretty well known and has managed in the Premier League. Someone with EFL promotion experience? Yes - he won League One as Leicester manager. Someone with an experienced assistant? This may be the one anomaly where Pearson is concerned, as all the rumours suggest that he’d bring Kevin Phillips with him, a Sunderland legend who he’s previously worked with. I guess you could say that SKP is experienced as an assistant, it’s just that he’s never really been a part of a particularly successful EFL management team. Lastly, someone who has an obvious coaching/playing style? Absolutely. Pearson is ruthlessly organised and is known for his stern but progressive style of management - his teams generally play good football, are organised and work very hard.

Along with Paul Cook, he is the most obvious choice to me - particularly if he’s paired with Kevin Phillips. But, my thoughts change every day. On Friday I was convinced Cook was the man! Whoever gets the job deserves our support from the off, that much is sure.