Fan Letters: “Onwards and upwards — I think now is a good time to be a Sunderland supporter”

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Dear Roker Report,

Is it just me, or do some of the doom and gloom merchants writing in here and calling into the radio phone-ins remind you of the Old Ex-Leper from Monty Python’s Life of Brian? There really is just no pleasing some people.

Granted, KLD and Speakman have made mistakes and will undoubtedly make more — but who doesn’t in business, football, or life? Some people seem so quick to jump on their mistakes that they are blind to all the obvious successes and causes for optimism.

What a start to the season we’re having. Three wins from three, zero goals conceded, a new manager who gets more impressive each week, and a young, hungry team playing with passion, energy, and a love for the club. Add to this some positive moves off the field, with investments in infrastructure and the Hummel link-up — surely these are exciting times to be a Sunderland supporter.

We’re all sad to see Jack Clarke move on, but what a joy it was to see Mundle take his chance and then some on Saturday. Maybe we could have got more money for Clarke, but maybe not—without any other offers, the club had to make a decision, and it was clear that Jack (and Ian Harte) had made up his mind to leave. At the end of the day, the transfer, and that of Ross Stewart last year, is evidence of the much-maligned model working. We made a tidy profit on both players, which hopefully has and will be reinvested in the club.

So what more do the doom-mongers want? Maybe they should rewatch our Netflix series to remind themselves of how bad things really were before. I, for one, am excited about where we are as a club and a team and look forward to seeing how this season goes for Regis Le Bris’ Red and White Army. Haway the Lads!

Michael Dugdale (Big Mac’s cousin)

Ed’s Note [Gav]: Nice to meet you Michael! Honestly, I think some people are just addicted to drama/can’t admit when they’re wrong. Whatever happened to being objective? Everything gets so tribal. Call stuff out when it needs to be called out, but also be supportive - I just assumed this was the natural position to take on all things SAFC. You usually get labelled a happy-clapper for just being a fan, which quite frankly is ridiculous. I’ll never wrap my head around why there are people who think our owner is out to fleece the club when the evidence suggests otherwise. I know what a bad owner is, I’ve seen a few of them here, and KLD certainly isn’t one. He’s trying to do this properly.

Photo by Martin Swinney/Sunderland AFC via Getty Images

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Dear Roker Report,

I hope this message reaches Gav.

As I’ve said in the past, I’ve watched SAFC through thick and thin since 1967!

Anyway, on to the current team and squad. I thought Romaine Mundle looked more relaxed yesterday, with the pressure from Clarke’s departure having evaporated. He turned in a man-of-the-match performance with a Clarkesque trademark goal.

Patrick Roberts looks back to his best. Chris Rigg, at just 17, is an unbelievable talent, and Dennis Cirkin must be the best left-back in the Championship!

In Patterson we trust. And Alese looks a much better centre-half than full-back. O’Nien continues to prove people wrong, and Trai Hume is Huuummmme!!

Although Mayenda scored two last week, we still need a striker. I’m not sure about Dan Neil as captain, as he let the side down yesterday with two silly bookings. Alan Browne looks a good addition, and personally, I would make him captain.

And finally, Regis Le Bris. If we won 10-0, he would still want improvement and say we should have had 15!

Onwards and upwards. I think now is a good time to be a Sunderland supporter.

Gav, I’m on the same planet. Hopefully.

Philip Wright

Ed’s Note [Gav]: This does indeed find me well Philip! Glad we’re on the same planet. Given that the evidence is right in front of our face, it’s impossible to be anything other than happy right now.

Love your point on Regis by the way - I like that he’s never truly happy. I’m allowed to get carried away cos I’m a fan, but he’s never too high and never too low. That’s a good stance to take as when things don’t go our way at some point he’ll need to be the voice of reason.

Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images

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Dear Roker Report,

An avid listener of your podcasts and a regular morning reader here (great job by the way, guys — they’ve become an integral part of my daily routine!).

I don’t usually feel the need to write in, but I felt it right to do so as a couple of the fan letters I’ve seen over the last few days have, well, perplexed me, to say the least. I get that everyone’s entitled to their own opinion, and of course, that’s absolutely right. But somehow, I’ve seen people, not just here but on social media too, still putting out very negative statements and having defeatist attitudes towards the club. I can only assume it stems from the sale of Clarke. Yes, of course, I’m disappointed he’s gone elsewhere, and yes, the reported fee is below what we fans would have expected for someone of Clarke’s calibre at this level — but we don’t know the full story and never will. He’s gone now, and that chapter is closed.

Football is all about the present, though. What we do have is a young, hungry, extremely talented (and dare I say it, well-coached) group of lads playing for the badge. There’s literally so much to be positive about in this team I don’t know where to start. Patterson and the back four haven’t conceded a league goal yet in the first three games. Seriously, we all know how good Ballard is, but can you honestly justify changing that back four at the minute? Then there’s the midfield. Jobe looks like a dog with a bone — he’s come back and, in my eyes, seriously raised his game already. Chris Rigg is already running rings around seasoned Championship midfielders at the age of 17, Dan Neil is, in my opinion, one of the top three midfielders in the league, and Alan Browne has come in and offered exactly what we were all crying out for in the middle. Roberts has come back looking like he has a point to prove, Mundle undoubtedly has talent and took his chance on Saturday, and Mayenda, of course, looks raw but again he’s got ability. I suspect we have more firepower on the way too.

I could go on and on—there are a few more who probably deserve a mention. I was reading somewhere that this has been our best league start since 1925, so my question to you is, am I missing the point or something? I personally couldn’t be any happier with how the season has started. Yes, okay, we got beaten by Preston in the cup, but I honestly don’t even think about that anymore. Football is a results-based business, right? Can you ask for more than nine points, three clean sheets, and seven goals, also beating what probably will be the Championship winners along the way?

Do I agree with everything that Speakman has done? No, of course not. He’s made mistakes, as I’m sure the next sporting director will, but he is the architect of a hell of a lot of success at the club too, whether people like to admit that or not.

As I say, though, please tell me if I’m wrong, but I believe football is about the present. We all know too well how quickly it can go wrong, and I acknowledge that. Having said that, at present, I can safely say I’m over the moon with how the season has started, and I’m very optimistic about how this season could go. We can all dream, can’t we?

Lewis B

Ed’s Note [Gav]: Cheers for listening to the pods and checking in on the site, it’s much appreciated! You’ve given a fair synopsis of where we’re at there and to be honest, I think that’s the way the silent majority think about things too. We can all sit and point out things we feel this regime has gotten wrong, but there’s no denying that this club is in far better shape right now than it was when they took charge.

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Dear Roker Report,

I’m writing this the day after watching a great win over Burnley at the Stadium of Light, where a team of 11 (mostly young) lads put on a brilliant display and secured a comfortable win over a team who, just a couple of seasons ago, walked the league and scored 9 goals in their opening two games. We walked away with a fantastic 3 points at home, 3 wins in 3, and 3 clean sheets to top it off.

So why, instead of praising the team and management for what has been one of our most successful starts to a campaign in a very long time, am I reading fan letters where people insist on complaining about Mr Speakman and the sale of Jack Clarke? The lad wanted to play in the Premier League, and it’s not as if other clubs were lining up to put in offers for his services.

I say to all the moaners and complainers: enjoy the team in front of you, playing good football and winning games.

And to Jack Clarke: all the best at your new club, and good luck for your future (unless you end up opposite us someday!).

Tony Elliott

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Dear Roker Report,

I’m a huge fan of Le Bris so far. He feels like Klopp at his best, with a brilliant counter-pressing style. He also seems to have great man-management skills, strengthening the team’s cohesion, courage, and confidence.

Another subtle but interesting aspect of Le Bris is that he seems to be a fair and strict disciplinarian when necessary. Ba and Aouchiche were left out of the squad yesterday, and if I remember correctly, he hinted at a press conference that they might possibly leave, suggesting it was due to a poor attitude in training (though he put it more diplomatically). I love this. It seems like some of the backup players have had a rather poor attitude, and it’s about time that was addressed.

This might be one of the only slight weaknesses in Speakman, Harvey, and the others’ recruitment strategy (though I’m generally a big fan of KLD and Speakman). Sometimes it seems they might get it wrong when it comes to the psychological evaluation of a potential signing. Occasionally, they bring in someone who looks good on paper but lacks determination, work rate, or the willingness to train hard and improve. I hope they learn from any possible mistakes on this front. I believe they will. KLD and Speakman seem like competent people who are capable of learning from their mistakes and improving their decision-making. The future of the club seems bright as long as they’re at the helm.

Dan Ejstrup

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