Fan Letters: ‘On Saturday I was tempted to toss my season card over the bridge’

Dear Roker Report,

What a magic message from Malc Dugdale and he goes as often as he can to SOL. I live 6000 miles away and that was when we gave Chelsea a serious hiding and Gus Poyet scored for them. Every report on the SAFC matches speaks about their amazing fan base and that support has often been thru at least two maybe three generations

We had the away game against Wycombe on the ESPN channel. in the bag and then the almost inevitable draw happened. I have just finished reading “The Man They Could Not Ban” a biography on Johnny Crossan who we all have very happy memories of.

For what it is worth and after 64 years supporting I just wish I could get to see more games but I connect my laptop to the Chronicle Live channel. Supporting SAFC is not for the faint-hearted. Thanks for restoring my faith Malc Dugdale! Haway The LADS

Andy Holland

Ed’s Note [Martin]: Thanks for your lovely email Andy - you made Malc’s weekend! Not that it took much, mind, but you get the gist.

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Dear Roker Report,

It’s Sunday and I’m just about recovered from yesterday’s debacle. As I left the SOL and walked over the Wearmouth Bridge after the match I felt that I had enough of being disappointed on Saturdays and I was tempted to toss my season card over the bridge. Since 1967 I have been on a rollercoaster with Sunderland, like thousands of fellow fans, but this is taking the biscuit. Where I sit at the SOL in the east stand I’m surrounded by fans from my generation and we are all disillusioned and disappointed. Just about they had enough, but we’ll be there again on Tuesday night.

I plead with younger fans not to give up and keep supporting your club and hopefully, we’ll see better times.

I know that I’ll keep going on about time-wasting in league 1. We didn’t lose because of it. Their two goals celebrations took approximately 2 minutes. Also strolling to take throw-ins and their goalkeeper time-wasting when taking goal kicks is a joke. Plus 6 subs and injuries and then the fourth official comes out with 4 minutes on the board. It's very annoying. That’s my rant. Keep the faith fans.

Anthony Degiovanni

Ed’s Note [Martin]: Keep the faith, as they say, Anthony – it’s all we can do. I agree with you re the time added on, we should have had more. That said, in reality that would only have increased the chances of our goal difference taking another hit rather than us scraping a point on Saturday, but I agree completely with the general point!

Photo by Ian Horrocks/Sunderland AFC via Getty Images

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Dear Roker Report,

Dan Neil, Elliot Embleton and Cory Evans currently bring nothing whatsoever to our team. Neil being doing an ‘invisible man’ impersonation since he signed a new contract. No sentiment in football… They need dropping.

Graham Dunn

Ed’s Note [Martin]: Dan Neil needs to have a few weeks out of the team, Graham – he’s clearly running on empty. I like Embleton as a player, but he doesn’t get on the ball enough to influence things to the degree we need him to, but Corry Evans – well, where do you start? He’s anonymous, which isn’t a characteristic you want in a footballer, let alone a captain. He’s been very disappointing since his arrival on the whole and I agree would ideally be dropped. Trouble is, if Alex Neil insists on playing three centre mids, he’s got very limited options.

Photo by James Gill - Danehouse/Getty Images

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Dear Roker Report,

Ever since I can remember Sunderland have had trouble finding an owner with deep pockets... apart from Short who had no idea. Murray and Cowie were reluctant buyers and had to be prompted...Quinny had a right job selling.....and the only other interested parties seem to be chancers (including the lunatic with the beard) who see the chance to buy a big club on the cheap and make a quick profit. Fan buyouts can never raise enough money to buy and then more importantly run a big club these days.

My point is if we chase these owners out of the club there might be no knight in armour with deep pockets to take over the club... and there is a real danger of the club going bust.

All this negativity and hostility must be put on hold till the end of season. We must put our energy into trying to get the team into playoffs... which there is a real danger of missing out on.

David Wilkinson

Ed’s Note [Martin]: Thanks for your email, David. It’s important we don’t let the whole ownership issue overwhelm the club, the negativity that people whip up affects everything to do with the club, and it’s not condusive to achieveing on-field success. I believe we need to put it to one side, focus on the on-field stuff in an attempt to secure a playoff spot, and then come back to it in the summer. That’s not me saying it’s not important – it is, and ideally Donald and Methven shouldn’t have anything to do with the club, as their continued presence just has too much negativity surrounding it – but right now, getting SAFC back up to the championship is far, far more important. Longer term, I do still have faith and confidence in KLD, with the right people behind him and, preferably, a much larger stake in the club.