Fan Letters: ‘Season card holders should get refunds, even if they’ve used streaming service!’

Dear Roker Report,

My gripe is the fact that fans who did not use the streaming pass have had full credit refund. I on the other hand had to use the streaming pass yet I have been informed that I won’t receive even a part credit.

My complaint is that I could have purchased a season streaming pass for £120 I think, yet my season ticket was £300+.

I feel really saddened that the club I love won’t credit the difference, they say I can use early bird prices to renew – I qualified for early bird prices anyway!

Come on Sunderland be fair, my friend bought a streaming pass paying £120, I paid £300+ for me season ticket yet both got the same service, how is this fair?

Disgruntled to say the least.

Keith Stubbs

Dear Roker Report,

Can anyone tell me if existing season ticket holders get any refund for signing up to the streaming service this season, as on average we have been paying £20 per game where as if you signed up on the day you could get it for approx. £10.

Ian Parkinson

Ed’s Note [Martin]: Thanks for your emails Keith and Ian. From what I’ve read, I don’t think there’ll be refunds issued, however I do think it’s something the club should look at. I think this issue’s occurred as when the streaming passes went on sale at the start of the season, they never envisaged fans being locked out for the whole season.

The whole season card thing end of last season/this season was a debacle – if you remember, it was early in Rodwell’s days, and he had to release about four statements over a couple of weeks, each one rectifying something he’d cocked up in the last.

However, in fairness to the club, it was communicated clearly (eventually) that if we redeemed the code for the streaming service we’d not get refunded – I know some season card holders have just been paying game by game as it was the better financial option.

That said, the new regime seem to be tuned into this stuff, so hopefully something will be done – after all, those who bought a season card for this season despite the uncertainty should be looked after the most. As far as I’m concerned, every season card holder who redeemed the streaming pass should be refunded at least the difference between their season card price and £230 (based on £10 for 23 home league games).

---

Dear Roker Report,

Karl Robinson - arsehole!

That is all.

Ben Fox

Ed’s Note [Martin]: I think you’ve summed it up perfectly, Ben, although I’d be tempted to throw a few more expletives in there! He’s always come across as delusional when talking after games, but his behaviour during the match on Saturday, and his comments afterwards were something else. I genuinely don’t see what he had to complain about during the game – his team tried to cheat, and it failed. Suck it up!

Photo by Ian Horrocks/Sunderland AFC via Getty Images

---

Dear Roker Report,

No wonder Peterborough are so good at home. Their pitch is atrocious! I do wonder what Lee Johnson’s game plan for this pitch is. I heard him after the game talking about it which means it’s definitely in his thinking. He said that the Peterborough players volley the ball at each other on it! What do you think?

Harry Taylor

Ed’s Note [Martin]: It’s going to be a different sort of test, isn’t it – and Peterborough are used to playing on it. When we played Accrington on a cow field a few weeks ago we played a lot more direct, and for that reason I wouldn’t be surprised to see Stewart start up front with Wyke. It may be that we go to a back three and use MacFadzean and Gooch as wing backs – Gooch was excellent in that position on Saturday. I think Johnson will treat this very much as a one off game, with the onus on not getting beat.

Photo by Chloe Knott - Danehouse/Getty Images

---

Hi Matty,

Instead of trying to second guess Lee Johnson’s half time substitutions maybe you should just mark players on what they achieve over 90 minutes. The mark you gave Gooch was totally unrealistic given his goal, assist and work rate. He was still motoring up and down the right flank in injury time. He worked very hard for the assist and was perfectly positioned to score from Jones’ pass. Must admit you’re not alone in giving him little credit as two or three reports I read didn’t even give him a mention for the assist. It’s the same players most weeks who seem to be undervalued – Gooch, Scowen and until recently O’Brien. All hard workers but rarely headline makers. Just as well pundits are not managers – or in our case head coaches.

Look for the positives in a players performance in future.

Derek Baxter

Ed’s Note [Matthew]: Hi Derek, first and foremost my comment on the half-time substitution was linked to my belief that Gooch would have been removed had he not scored. I felt in the first half he struggled to influence the match and his goal prevented himself from an early bath. In the second half I acknowledge he improved and perhaps I was harsh to focus on his poor first half, rather than his better second.

Player ratings are subjective and fans will always disagree on them, some weeks my opinions will be agreed with, other times people will disagree - that is football and I am always happy to engage in healthy debate about anything I publish.

On your point on Gooch, Scowen and O’Brien, I have made many positives comments on all three across the season, for example I led with O’Brien being undervalued in a recent talking points article. When Sunderland win the easy option is to say everyone played well and everything is fantastic, but players can be average or leave you feeling as though they could have done more and it is important to say that.

You are correct to suggest that fans and writers should be positive when a team wins, but that does not necessarily mean you cannot criticise anything or suggest that anything could have been done differently. For example I think we missed Carl Winchester in midfield!

If writers agreed with everything the manager said or every decision the players’ made we would just be club propaganda machines.