Fan Letters: Supporters are angry at the fact that Donald is still at Sunderland AFC

Dear Roker Report,

Michael Dell and his MSD UK Holdings group invest in Southampton - a year after their Sunderland takeover talks began [according to the report in the Sunderland Echo, 3 July 2020].

WTF is going on?

Doug Raine

Ed’s Note [Rich]: I think it’s the question that we’re all asking ourselves after reading that news, Doug. I can only assume that Southampton are a more attractive opportunity at the minute. They’re established Premier League team with a track record of selling on top class players a good profit - if I was a neutral, foreign investor looking to enter the English football market they’d be close to the top of my list.

That said, the entity investing in the Saints is MSD UK Holdings, which we presume to be a new British arm of the American venture capital firm that manages Michael Dell’s money in this country, and this is not the same as the FPP Sunderland group. And although both companies share a director in Robert Platek, it is far from clear whether this relationship breaches the rules around owning more than one club. A FPP-led takeover is still a long-shot, but it’s not entirely out of the question.

Photo by David Dee Delgado/Getty Images

Dear Roker Report,

Absolute con man, he came from the start to do one thing make money out of Sunderland, the only way we can get these clowns out of our club stop buying season tickets, yes we might go into admin but it might be our only chance of getting a buyer.

Thompson39

Ed’s Note [Rich]: I assume you’re referring to Stewart Donald, here. It’s up to each individual fan to make their own decision on whether or not to renew their Season Cards, I wouldn’t want to judge people either way. I would say that Sunderland slipping into administration - a scenario that would only happen if Madrox Partners stopped injecting cash into the club - would be a complete disaster for all of us, with an automatic points deduction and the risk of liquidation.

Photo by Richard Sellers/PA Images via Getty Images