Fans want meeting of minds...

After two top seven finishes, Sunderland could have pushed on to greater things, says Peter Reid in his revealing autobiography.

He pushed to sign Zlatan Ibrahimovic; he ended up with Tyson Nunez.

Sunderland fans may well point to that era as the start of the decline which today sees them in the Championship relegation zone.

Of course, football is full of what-ifs, so-nears and if- onlys. It’s what makes the game such an all-consuming love affair for many and a tear-your-hair-out marriage of frustration for the rest.

What is telling in the article we run today, is just how much the feelings of the fans were brought to bear on the manager.

Reidy talks of dealing with the expectations of the fans and how he felt he had to act to keep them happy.

Whether you’re at the top or struggling at the bottom, you ignore the fans at your peril.

It’s a lesson the current Sunderland regime, as we touched on yesterday, must take on board.

We revealed how the club is keen to push school visits and host an open door training session at the Stadium of Light to help bring the players and fans closer.

But perhaps a more formal, structured and regular dialogue is in order.

The formation of the new Sunderland AFC supporters’ group The Red and White Army we reveal today couldn’t be better timed.

The 2,000 strong, and still growing, group aims to strengthen the bond between club and fans and has called on Ellis Short and Martin Bain to meet and discuss the future.

In the current climate, it’s an offer too good to turn down.