Fan Letters: “Stop banging on about a Director of Football - Sunderland don’t need one!”

Dear Roker Report,

Hello Lads - I appreciate you have to be open to all views. Not all fans might be as 100% ‘Parkinson out’ as I am, but even if I was the only one who feels sick to the stomach of this inept manager I can ask you all to look at his track record.

Wow wow wow - two promotions at basement level is what the owners hired him on. Well what about the three relegations and then the plight that the clubs were in after he had been their manager? The simple thing is he should never have been anywhere near the Sunderland job in the first place.

Appoint a lower base manager and that’s where you will stay. So even if I was the only one shouting for him to be out I can justify it (if justify is the right word) by looking at his past and present track record, and the final straw for me is not doing an after-match interview cos he had had a busy ten days on the training ground.

Discraceful act - a dereliction of duty. I bet he isn’t too tired to check if his big pay check is in the bank... that my friends I can guarantee.

Any how, Jarvis and me hope to get to Doncaster, Fleetwood, Tranmere and Portsmouth. I just hope Phil Parkinson isn’t there. I agree that the two new board members need get on their knees to beg Quinny and Super Kev back to try and save us. It’s a no-brainer cos I think their first game would be a 40000-plus crowd, then forward and onward with four important people who actually know what it is to be truly and loyaly IN LOVE WITH THE WONDERFUL THING CLOSE TO OUR HEARTS - THE TIED UP AND SHACKLED BEAST WHAT IS SUNDERLAND AFC.

William and Jarvis

Ed’s Note [Gav]: I’m far from convinced by our manager either. Uninspiring, dull, lacking in charisma, awful football - what is there to like about him? I was keen to give him a chance when he first arrived, but we’ve learned very quickly that he’s not up to the job.

Sadly, we might as well stop harping on about it because he’s clearly going nowhere.

Photo by Ian Horrocks/Sunderland AFC via Getty Images

Dear Roker Report,

Merry Christmas to Gav and the team.

Now for the main point - I’m sick of you banging on about a director of football. You seem to have conveniently forgotten the mess which has been cleaned up somewhat by Charlie.

Do you remember De Fanti and Congerton? DOF and all, the as I said mess left by them two. The main problem is their players. Leave it as is - the manager picks his players. The academy gets to be run right.

James Airey

Ed’s Note [Gav]: Merry Christmas to you too!

I’ve got a Director of Football on the top of my list for Santa.

Just because the experiment failed before, doesn’t mean it can’t work for us in the future. It’s about stable, long-term planning and putting people in place that the owner trusts to run the club on their behalf. They need time to set out their ideas and build the club in the way that works to their plan. This isn’t a revolutionary concept - most clubs across Europe have a proper footballing structure in place, so why not us?