Fan Letters: What happens with the contracts of Sunderland’s players if the season is extended?

Dear Roker Report,

I can’t take another season in this league.

I’m not saying we’re above it all (ok I am) it’s just that it’s so draining.

We have a squad of league one players in my opinion and I fully appreciate that we should never breeze through games and win at a canter.

Why a 100 point plus season was predicted is beyond me, talk about arrogance! Every other club must have looked at us and thought “ 100 points, bunch of w****** “ They already treat playing us like a cup game.

We need to grab these games by the balls, let’s start playing dirty ( within reason ) time wasting has been used against us to great effect over this season and the last. Let’s try and hoy that around a bit! I know the Gillingham game needed it. We’ve shown recently that our league one players are capable of playing some of the best football in this league, more than capable of getting us up either this time around or next season but this is where I fear the worst.

The list of players out of contract this summer terrifies me and do we really think they’ll sign up again or Donald will pay them the money they want if we don’t go up, I really doubt it! And then we’ll have to rebuild on false promises of money to spend from an owner who refuses to budge with a quid. If he dropped a penny it would hit him on the back of his heed on the way down.

So five loanees and injury ravaged has beens not fit for championship squads will be called upon to fill the void. That’ll end in tears, mine to name a few. I fulfilled my obligation as a devoted SAFC fan who loves his club and city with all my heart. I renewed my season ticket again and I always will! I’m keeping the faith by dripping my little money into the club but I’m afraid Stewie D won’t reciprocate. Sorry for the ramble!

Anthony Iley

Ed’s Note [Gav]: Unfortunately, the issue of player contracts is one we’ve not really had any clarity on. If the league season runs, as expected, past the end of June we could be faced with a situation where our players are out of contract before the season even finishes.

Truly bizarre.

Photo by Ian Horrocks/Sunderland AFC via Getty Images

Dear Roker Report,

Loved that work put in by the stat man on charlie wyke - well done, lotta work gone in to that report. You may need to be careful when you classify him as a striker under the trade description act 0 might get in bother!

I wonder what the stats will show when you run the rule over how many set pieces he’s attacked (or hasn’t) each game - he seems to think its other players job to do that, he just jogs to the front post hoping know one notices and headers on the line he’s put over or wide.

Good centre forwards make their own goals like those in the list you provided with movement, strength and accuracy - he has none.

As you can tell I’m no fan, I like to see my centre forwards in the shape of billy whitehurst not billy Elliott, and I get angry when I see players stealing a living from our club and a manager who protects him by saying he’s been carrying injuries and starting games.

That makes no football sense to me - it comes to something when a fan has to try and work out whats going on in that department. Well done Steve.

Jeff Angus

Ed’s Note [Steve]: Thanks Jeff! Your feedback was nice, but not as funny as the bloke on Twitter on Sunday morning who clearly carefully dissected the article line by line before letting me know it was ‘a load of shite’.