Fan Letters: The debate around Lee Johnson and the club’s direction with him in charge continues

Dear Roker Report,

I think the person who wrote the article about being too hasty on Johnson's future has forgotten the nightmare of Portsmouth and Charlton - this team have no chance of promotion, they’re too slow and too weak.

Norman Howey

Ed’s Note [Gav]: It’s undeniable that recent results have been crap, but you’re also conveniently forgetting all the brilliant football and results we’ve seen this season! Sometimes I think as fans we sway far too much. We are going to lose games, we are going to get battered from time to time. You can’t just throw everything away on the back of some bad form, because it’s undeniable that there has been progress.

Ultimately, I think it’s far too early to start writing this season and the manager off. But, each to their own I suppose.

Photo by Ian Horrocks/Sunderland AFC via Getty Images

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Dear Roker Report,

There’s no use in sacking the manager as we might get someone worse, like the previous ones, but it does seem that he doesn’t know whom his best players are.

You need in that league some tough, no-mess players, and he seems to dislike some - like the ones he got rid of.

But, when this team can only draw with a team like Spennymoor, it says a lot for the choice of footballers he has bought, but paying pennies for players is not going to get you promoted.

Bobby Bland

Ed’s Note [Gav]: I’ll be honest marra, I’m not understanding the relevance of drawing the first game of pre-season with Spennymoor to our current situation. It’s not even the same squad, and pre-season games - especially in the case of the very first one! - are merely fitness exercises. Literally, there is nothing we can read into that.

What makes more sense is to reflect on the season to date - the last three results have been an absolute disaster and undoubtedly worrying, but we have had some epic performances and results, and are the last remaining EFL team in the League Cup.

I think the squad this year is great, it’s just a shame we’ve lost a handful of them to injuries. Broadhead and Huggins would have been important players this month and the sooner we can get them back into the side, the better.

But, January is right around the corner. Between now and then Johnson needs to work out where we need more quality and ensure we focus on bringing players in that will lift us out of the division. It’s as simple as that.

Photo by Ian Horrocks/Sunderland AFC via Getty Images

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Dear Roker Report,

Sunderland have to get promotion this year, or the club will be in the wilderness for years.

We need three points from the next game or the manager has to go.

James Stanness

Ed’s Note [Gav]: I totally agree with your initial point that we have to get promoted this year, there's no doubt about it. But, I couldn’t disagree more about sacking the manager. Reactionary, knee-jerk decisions made on the back of a patch of bad form are what we need to get away from, in my opinion.

Just think back to when Roy Keane got us promoted - we were sat midtable until the start of February. If social media was as prevalent then as it was now, people would have been shouting the same things in his direction!

Sometimes, it’s better to just be patient. We can all surely tell where progress is being made, and that’s important. I see no real need to rip everything up and start again just now - not unless we go on a proper horrendous run of form.

Photo by Matthew Lewis/Getty Images