Fan Letters: Fans are cautious about Sunderland’s appointment of Jim Rodwell as CEO

Dear Roker Report,

As we know now SD is a reluctant seller. We need a real player with ambition and willing to back what in reality is not a great squad. 2 maybe 3 seasons in this league tells you that. SD now comes out and tells us that Covid 19 has muddied the waters so to speak. That doesn’t seemed to have stopped a move maybe worth 6 times more apparently going through, this and a new CEO appointment to me looks like a good bit of foot scraping. Now I have nothing against SD, he has tried, but is way way out of his league. He needs to move it on ASAP. Apart from the human rights bit at NUFC, I am totally jealous. Stay safe.

Pat

Ed’s Note [Tom]: Hi Pat, I just wish things hadn’t reached the stage where nobody seems to know what direction the club is heading in. Fans would be pretty understanding if the club’s ownership team admitted their mistakes and laid out some kind of plan that we could judge them on. Unfortunately, I’m not certain we’ll see that. Hope you’re well.

Photo by Ian Horrocks/Sunderland AFC via Getty Images

Dear Roker Report,

Even during a global pandemic ‘typical Sunderland’ things continue to happen. I don’t think we’re cursed but if something can go wrong it definitely will for us.

Just a few months ago, most of us were secretly or publicly hoping Mr Dell and his pals would buy the club for several hundred million, Mbappe would sign and help guide us onwards and upwards into the Champions League. No such luck, ‘typical Sunderland’, it was always just too good to be true.

Roll on a few months, and instead we have to watch as them up the road are taken over for hundreds of millions. They get a new Chairman with his hands in the oil rich Saudi Sovereign Wealth Fund and with a track record of delivering big sporting events and massive investment. Pretty much the exciting scenario we’d hoped the Americans would bring with their own investment fund. (Obviously, despite all this, the Mags won’t win anything so at least we have the consolation of still being able to laugh at them).

With great comedy timing, and ‘typical Sunderland’, we get the announcement of a new CEO who’s an unknown bloke from Scunthorpe with a track record of delivering nothing, a reputation amongst their fans of being anonymous and lazy and, just to rub it in, he’s called Rodwell. Who writes our scripts?!

Charlie Methven reckoned we were only a month or two from a takeover happening. If so, why would any business that’s trying to be tight with its money appoint a new CEO just for a few months? Does that mean any takeover is off? Does it mean SD is staying and he’s put someone in charge of day to day matters? Or worse still, has Mr Rodwell been appointed in advance on behalf of the new owner? If so, what would that say about the quality of the new owner?! Nothing to see here, just the usual Sunderland confusion.

Maybe worse than all of that, is an emerging view that the League One season will end as it stands. That would leave the horrible trio of Coventry promoted with Portsmouth and Joey Barton in the play offs. ‘Typical Sunderland’ , we’d be left wallowing in 7th place!

Surely that won’t happen, will it ?!

Stay safe,

Nige Small

Ed’s Note [Tom]: Hi Nige, there’s talk today of the top eight teams playing a small tournament to decide promotion from League One, but what happens is anyone’s guess. Re: your other concerns, I think they stem from the fact that the information given to fans at present is particularly muddled. It would be great if we had a solid statement with some kind of plan that we can use as a barometer of success. Will Rodwell be the man to help with that issue? We’ll have to wait and see. Hope you’re keeping well.

Scunthorpe Live

Dear Roker Report,

Hello Lads as you know I have minus 1 million per cent trust in the present regime and have pinned my colours to the mast from day one. Dave Robson yer spot on lad n av saved me from wasting my breath. P.S.What the hell is this Rodwell fella ganna do for SAFC except get paid a decent bit of money like all the bloodsuckers ower the last few years? Wasn’t one Rodwell bad enough? Hope is initials J.R. isn’t a taste of what the original J.R. of Dallas fame was like.

Yer cudden mack it up with what’s gannin on at our beloved SAFC. Please don’t feed me give the bloke a chance routine. Av yer seen where hes been? Boston, Notts co. and Scunthorpe. WOW. Oxford or Eastleigh will yer tack yer rubbish back home and don’t leave it on our doorstep again?

William Longworth

Ed’s Note [Tom]: Hi William, thanks for the email. All the info we’ve been given on our new CEO hasn’t been particularly flattering, but I do think if he acts quickly and offers something to judge him by in terms of a plan of action, then fans might be able to give him a chance. You’re right in noting that if he doesn’t act quickly and just appears to be someone working in the background then fans will be on his case from day one. Hopefully, he gives us some reason to feel positive. Stay safe, mate.