Fan Letters: “The officials who oversaw the Sheffield United game weren’t good enough!”

Dear Roker Report,

The officials for Wednesday night’s game against Sheffield United were totally dog s**t.

It was embarrassing for Matthew Donohue to call himself a referee, and it was a f***ing shambles.

Rob Brown

Ed’s Note [Phil] Hi, Rob.

I think you’ve probably summed up the feelings of a large percentage of the Sunderland fanbase after yet another game that shone a light on the standard of officiating at this level.

If we hoped that we’d left such woeful refereeing in League One, we’ve had a nasty surprise this season.

For me, the main issue is the glaring lack of accountability.

Who holds these people responsible when such poor calls are made, and why aren’t they being censured or even demoted when they display such inconsistency in their performances? Apologies after the game simply aren’t good enough.

It’s baffling.

Photo by Ian Horrocks/Sunderland AFC via Getty Images

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Dear Roker Report,

I think we need to consolidate our league position for this season and not become impatient with trying to get promoted.

We haven’t got the depth nor the consistency to stay up and the players could suffer a massive loss of confidence.

The club and management needs time to recruit good quality players who can take the club to the next level, as well as footballers who want to be a part of Sunderland and not feather their own nests or egos.

Malcolm Donnison

Ed’s Note [Phil]: Hi, Malcolm. Thanks for getting in touch!

I think the game against Sheffield United highlighted exactly where we’re currently short, in which areas we need to improve and the standard we’ve got to hit if promotion, either automatically or via the playoffs, is to be achieved.

This summer needs to be used as a chance to add more power, more pace, and more savvy to the team.

We can play brilliant football at times but unless that comes with a hard edge, we’re always likely to fall short against teams who don’t take a backward step, as the Blades demonstrated on Wednesday,

Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images

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Dear Roker Report,

I’m very excited about the potential of Abdoullah Ba.

The boy has quality and he could be a big player next season!

Ian Hughes

Ed’s Note [Phil]: Hi, Ian. Thanks for getting in touch!

I completely agree on Ba. He’s a very exciting, albeit raw footballer with a tremendous amount of potential.

Like many of our other young prospects, I think 2023/2024 could be the season when he starts to really break through and become a key player for us.

He’s obviously gone through a settling-in period this season, which is natural, but he’s certainly got a lot to offer and I can’t wait to see how his Sunderland career develops.

Photo by Owen Humphreys/PA Images via Getty Images

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