Friends reunited with Coton could give Cats recruitment boost they need
Whenever I speak to someone who has never been to Sunderland and they ask me what it’s like, I usually say “it’s cold and mostly windy but you won’t find better people anywhere else.”
So when the next question comes about what makes us so good, I put it like this; when you meet someone from Sunderland they are your best mate until they prove you otherwise.
Most other places, it’s the other way around. Maybe it’s a North East thing rather than just a Sunderland thing but more often than not, that’s how I’ve always seen things.
The first time I really noticed the difference was after I’d moved up to Aberdeen. Perhaps it was more to do with the fact that I had to prove myself on the pitch before I felt accepted up there that was more relevant, but one of the reasons I stayed so long was to gain the trust of the locals and feel part of the area. It may have taken a couple of years but in the end, it felt just like home.
That feeling of having to earn that sense of acceptance is one that I’m sure the new owners and manager will have bypassed pretty quickly. Even the cynic in me that whispered “remember Michael Knighton?” when I watched on at the tidal wave of publicity that came from Stewart Donald even before the takeover was finalised, was quickly quietened with a hush.
I reasoned with myself immediately. What would I rather have? An owner that is neither seen nor heard and doesn’t even speak to the club’s manager? Or someone who engaged with the fans before day one and keeps us in the loop on every bit of progress the club is making? Exactly.
And it has to be said that the progress has been positive. Securing a young, highly sought-after manager drawing interest from clubs in higher divisions has been a coup. Over the course of Ellis Short’s tenure, we’d had managers of varying experience without much success which almost renders it irrelevant.
What is more relevant than actual management experience is the knowledge of the division and, more specifically, players in the English league.
That is why it will be extremely important that those around Ross have that vital know-how. Of course the new manager will have his own targets, but the scouting and recruitment of players recently has been an underlying problem in the club’s downfall.
I was pleased to see that Tony Coton had been linked with a potential return to the club. It was great to catch up with TC a few weeks ago on a podcast we recorded for the mental health charity CALM, talking about his autobiography “There To Be Shot At”. It’s a brilliant read.
In recent years he’s been chief scout at Wigan and Aston Villa and is exactly the type of person needed back at the club. Not just because of his knowledge, but because of his character. He was one of the sparks that ignited a revolution under Peter Reid and to have a man of his personalty at the club again would be the right step. Not just because of his past links, but because he’s the right man.
Of course there are going to be casualties when a new regime is install. Robbie Stockdale and Adrian Tucker are both excellent coaches and especially in the case of Tucker, I was surprised to see him go. I know the goalkeeping situation was desperate last year but it would be unfair for him to shoulder any responsibility.
It was a freak situation. You could have taken three keepers from any teams in the Football Keague and you could expect one of them to perform well. When you think of the contrast between the season Jordan Pickford had prior to the last one, it just shows that performances are really the ownership of the players.
I can guarantee one thing though. If Tony Coton is installed as part of the recruitment set-up, you can guarantee the same problem won’t arise next season.
The departures of those coaches, the head of recruitment and those likely on the playing staff will prove to be just as important as those that come in.
For far too long we’ve been putting sticking plasters over a wound that needed major surgery and now, the the club are making way, cleaning the table down and giving the space so that surgery can be performed.
I’m looking forward to what the future holds for the club