BENTLEY FEARS CRASH
SUNDERLAND are facing the threat of going into administration if owner Ellis Short fails to sell the stricken Championship club.
Although the American has dropped his asking price to around £50million – and may consider lower bids – there have been no takers as the Black Cats slide towards League One.
Debts of around £130m are putting off would-be investors.
But Short knows he can’t keep subsidising a club believed to be losing £3m a month.
Short is holding off bringing in the administrators because a mandatory 12-point deduction would seal Sunderland’s relegation fate.
But if no one comes forward in the summer he could be forced to act, meaning that next season will see the Black Cats start off in whatever division on minus 12 points.
Short has only attended one home game this season and moved back to live permanently in his native USA.
The day-to-day running of affairs at the Stadium of Light is handled by chief executive Martin Bain – charged with finding a new manager in November when the axe fell on Simon Grayson, who had only been appointed in June.
It was something of a coup to attract Chris Coleman, but the Wales boss admits privately that the task of trying to ensure the club doesn’t suffer a second successive relegation is proving tougher than he first thought.
One of the major frustrations for a man who led his country to the semi-finals of the 2016 European Championship is that there is no dialogue with Short concerning transfer business or a future strategy.
Coleman said: “I have been here three months and never had one conversation with him.
“I have seen reports that people are interested in buying the club but I have no idea whether a sale is close or not because I haven’t ever spoken to the chairman.”
It’s a stalemate which has seen fans imploring Short to hand over the club for nothing.
But he will argue that there DAVID BENTLEY is concerned that many of today’s multi-millionaire young footballers will end up skint.
Former Arsenal, Norwich, Blackburn, Tottenham and England midfielder Bentley (right) have simply been no takers. A German consortium were in discussions to purchase Sunderland in the aftermath of relegation from the Premier League but those talks fell through.
A Chinese group have been monitoring the situation on Wearside but have yet to act.
Meanwhile, supporters fear the worst if Short (right) remains in control.
There is no budget for players and relegation to the third tier for only the second time in history will see the best players leave. A group of fans calling themselves the Red and White Army have launched a petition pleading for Short to “treat the club with respect” and step up his plans to sell. Already around 10,000 fans have signed the petition with many more promising to follow. Short wants to go, the fans want him to go – but seemingly no one is banging at the door wanting to take over, increasing the dire threat of administration. managing money. But the cash they earn has to last them until they are 80-odd and a lot of players don’t think about that.
“They’re spending more than they should, given what their wages average out at over the course of their lifetimes.”