Fan Letters: “At the minute Stewart Donald just wants to sell our bright young players off”

Dear Roker Report,

Jim Rodwell - can you go and get someone who actually cares about our club and put him in charge of our academy? Because at the minute Stewart Donald just wants to sell our bright young players off

We would be far better keeping them and making a brighter future for these said players and the club, instead of flogging them for a pittance.

At the minute out academy is a shambles from top to bottom. A MASSIVE FAILURE.

The person I would like, and so many others, would like to see in charge is Lee Cattermole, a legend in is own right, and Kevin Phillips another legend in is own right.

A new beginning for all.

Make it happen Mr Rodwell - earn your wages.

Rob Brown

Ed’s Note [Rich]: As I understand it, Rob, the club have held interviews for the vacant post of Academy Director, but no appointment has yet been made. I’d be very surprised if it was Lee Cattermole or Kevin Phillips who takes up the role - much more likely is someone already working in a talent development role in another club.

It’s a key appointment for Rodwell, with the development of young players having been thrust to the forefront of every League 1 club following the vote on the salary and squad caps. The club, while we’re at this level, will probably lose the very best young players to the Premier League elite. But we need to do everything possible to ensure we cling onto the youngsters who will help us get back up there ourselves in the years ahead.

If the club can make the right choice then we could, hopefully, see a greater focus on bringing more players through to the first team before.

Dear Roker Report,

Why is it for the last ten years, we the loyal supporters have had the piss taken out of us by a bunch of incompetent tosses?

One manager after another, then when we thought we had finally got it right we find out that Donald and his mates are all greedy bastads who couldn’t organise a piss up in a brewery.

I come for every home match, and I travel from Barrow-in-Furness - it takes 5 and half hours by train, and I don’t just stop the weekend - I stop for a week. That’s loyalty for you.

Shame the owners and managers haven’t got a clue what it is

Anthony Prior

Ed’s Note [Rich]: I think we’re probably all feeling much like you are, Anthony; really frustrated and angry about what we’ve been put through by the club we follow from all over Britain and beyond. We are loyal, and we’ve had our loyalty taken for granted for far too long.

But we can’t keep just shouting nasty things at the owners in the hope they’ll go away. Either someone comes along who can meet Donald’s asking price and pass the Owners & Directors test, or they won’t. With the new season fast approaching, I just hope that Phil Parkinson can put a team on the pitch that’s worthy of our support, and we can get a bit of much-needed positivity back as a fanbase.

Photo by Ian Horrocks/Sunderland AFC via Getty Images