Cats’ need for a chief executive and contract conundrums
in the summer months.
So from that we can surmise that they’re hoping to restart behind closed doors sometime in June.
All of that came with the heavy caveat that it is entirely dependent on government advice and this will only happen if it is safe to do so.
There’s clearly still significant doubt as to whether that will be the case. Playing behind closed doors also brings a number of issues for clubs, particularly in terms of the revenue they will lose from matchday income.
So there is still a lot to work out before we can realistically discuss a return to action.
What they’re essentially saying is that contracts were signed initially in the spirit of expiring when the season ends, and therefore they should be automatically extended to whenever that might be.
In suggesting that they will not allow players to enter new contracts until the next season begins, they’re hoping they could prevent the scenario of players being poached before or during a resumption.
Whether that works in practice remains to be seen.
Players may not necessarily want to risk injury if they know they will soon be free agents or joining a new club, and what about the teams who know they are likely to be relegated or have no realistic chance of promotion?
Will they want to commit to paying wages for a longer period or will they be eager to make savings ahead of the next campaign?
What does that then mean for the integrity of the competition? It’s a key issue for the EFL to ponder. been a major shift in opinion even if things have stabilised a bit on the pitch.
Sunderland are still way short of where they need to be. I think it’s also very difficult for people to hope and believe in increased engagement from the FPP group, as was suggested last week, when there has still been no comment on their aspirations and intentions.
In terms of the sale itself, I think it’s clear that the current crisis was always going to have an impact and there will need to be a bit of patience as the interested parties take stock. The flip side is of course that whoever does come in will need time to get their head around the situation and plot a way forward properly for next season, whenever that may be.
The absolutely key thing is that Donald sells to buyers with a long-term commitment to the club and its infrastructure.
I felt it ultimately underlined the belief that the club’s structures could be significantly improved. I have argued for sometime that the club would benefit immensely from a CEO based permanently on Wearside.
To oversee key departments, act as a key bridge between staff and board, and help implement a coherent strategy. I think the January errors we watched unfold in the series could have been avoided that way.
Some of these things have been addressed subsequently, with the scouting network expanded, and ensuring the recruitment department has what it needs is something that David Jones is very keen to make happen.
I personally feel last season was a bit of an opportunity missed in some ways.
It was the ideal ‘ground zero’ situation, to back academy talent and start afresh in terms of signing young talent with a big resale value. Watching the series mainly just reinforced these things.