Fan Letters: “I hope I’m wrong...” - are Sunderland making a mistake in shuffling around shares?

Dear Roker Report,

I have no idea if these rumors of the club being sold again are true, nor whether the possible new owner will be good or bad for the club. Yet, I do think it’s worrying that we may be repeating the mistakes of this last season.

Fans, myself included, and others have thought one reason for the disappointing finish might be owed to the turmoil last summer, and the resulting late start to preparations and recruitment. Yet, we might possibly again be facing this situation.

If the club’s majority position is sold, even if none of the structure is changed, it may put a delay to proceedings for next season. We are already behind in a way.

Yes, we finished later than other clubs, but there is one consistent trait present in well run clubs: expedient and early recruitment of players, sometimes months ahead of the window even opening.

Now, we are in the third division, and we’re unsure of where we would be next season, but still if the club’s sale drags on a couple of weeks.

We could be closing in on July, and still have not made any forward progress.

I grant that my fears may be too early and too poorly substantiated, but nonetheless, it does worry me. Hopefully, either way, it is resolved, and we are already close to finishing deals for players leaving and coming. I say finishing and not beginning, because we all know, negotiations for transfers can take months.

Anyway, I hope I’m wrong.

Colter L. Lasley

Ed’s Note [Damian]: You’re probably right to be concerned Colter; not in the sense that our fears will come true but because they always could. Any upset of the apple cart could knock a whole bunch of apples off (which I presume is the fear that gave rise to that phrase, - I’d have to check but I won’t) and that’s not something any fan wants. To hold those concerns isn’t irrational or unfair, and I empathise.

I suppose in this scenario we simply have to accept that these matters are beyond our control to a certain degree, and take some comfort in not having to fully shoulder that burden. Only if you and I held shares in Sunderland AFC would we have true cause for alarm in that sense. Perhaps there’s a welcome freedom in being merely one of the masses - safe in the knowledge that no matter how much you worry you simply cannot affect the outcome? It’s no way to live in society but it might be the healthiest option for a football fan.

But that mindfulness doesn’t change the fact that the future is anyone’s guess. Isn’t that part of being a football fan though, at the end of the day? For as much as we crave success and stability we will never be immune to failure or instability. All we can do is sit on our hands and hope for a good outcome.