Fan Letters: “It’s time for Sunderland to start playing Declan John and Antoine Semenyo!”

Dear Roker Report,

Sunderland have got 29 points in their last 14 league matches (the matches since Boxing Day). Clear promotion form. If this form had lasted all season, that would equal 70 points. In other words, automatic promotion would have been almost secured already. That makes me optimistic for the rest of the season. Parkinson deserves a lot of praise for how he seems to have lifted the team. This doesn’t seem like coincidence and luck. There are many interesting details that happened the last few months: The McGeady saga, the appointment of fitness coach Nick Allamby and his man management of Chris Maguire. Many small details seem to suggest that Parkinson is most likely a highly competent manager for our club, at least for the foreseeable future. I hope that he stays on board for at least the next 1-2 years and gets the chance to show what he can do in League One and beyond.

Sorry if my English not the best, I am a Norwegian fan. I have went to Sunderland a 3-4 times by the way and watched a game, have flown in from Norway. I love the Northeast as an area. Great, friendly, good mannered people there. You guess deserve so much better than what you get in this world. But then again, that is the story of the whole Western world since the 80’s I guess. Crap politics where the ultra rich become richer and everyone else suffer. In any case, I hope that prosperity one day returns to the North east, to SAFC and the communities as a whole. You deserve it.

Dan Ejstrup-Andersen

Ed’s Note [Gav]: Hi Dan. Thanks for the kind words about the north-east - I think it’s the best place on earth and you’re right, we deserve something to cheer about. I live in the hope that one day we’ll see a successful Sunderland team again.

I think that whilst Parky has undoubtedly got an awful lot right since he arrived, he’s in danger of compromising that success if he doesn’t start looking at what appears obvious, and being less superstitious with his decision-making.

Crucially, he told the club’s board that he needed to reinforce and improve his squad in January. He has signed six players since arriving, and none of them (except for Bailey Wright, who is injured but was playing before that) have been given an opportunity.

With the team looking creatively stale, poor in front of goal and a little slack in defence, now is the time to actually give opportunities to those players he signed with the purpose of improving our fortunes even further.

Photo by Lewis Storey/Getty Images

Dear Roker Report,

Things to improve on...

Keep the ball on the ground, cut out long balls. Ban the goalkeeper from slowing play down and no long high kicks. Practice building from the back. Parkinson has not a clue. It is the senior players that sort things out at half time.

Keith in Lanzarote

Ed’s Note [Gav]: I think it’s probably unfair to say Parky has no clue, because he clearly does. I was one of his biggest critics in the first two months of his tenure, but he’s definitely sorted a lot of things out that needed to be addressed. As I’ve said above, the problem is that whilst he has been incredibly loyal to the players who were involved in masterminding the turnaround, he can’t keep ignoring the fact that performances are regressing.

Photo by Ian Horrocks/Sunderland AFC via Getty Images

Dear Roker Report,

I would drop Hume and give John a try.

Also, give Gooch a rest and put Semenyo in for a game.

Colin Anderson

Ed’s Note [Gav]: As would I! I’d also start Scowen and Lafferty.