Gloomy times at the Stadium of Light
For a f ootball team once dubbed the “Bank of England Club”, Sunderland have fallen on very hard times, suffering their second successive relegation last week and dropping to the third tier for only the second time in their 130-year history.
The last time they suffered such an indignity was back in 1987 after losing a two-leg play-off to Gillingham.
After their relegation from the Premier League last season, many Sunderland fans hoped the Black Cats would be rejuvenated and bounce straight back into the top flight. Unfortunately the opposite happened and this season has been a slow and painful tale of woe.
There was a fleeting ray of hope when Chris Coleman was brought in as manager after a highly successful stint with the Wales national team.
But not even this talented Welshman could turn things around. A bitterly disappointed Coleman commented this week: “It is my first relegation as a manager... it is a brutal experience.”
Most Black Cat fans don’t blame Coleman. “The majority believe he hasn’t been dealt a fair hand and want him to stay,” commented BBC Newcastle’s Sunderland reporter, Nick Barnes.
The heavy turnover of bosses — seven managers in five years — has not helped matters and has been reflected by dismal performances on the field.
What has been particularly damaging is the deafening silence from the London-based American owner, Ellis Short. It’s extraordinary to think that Coleman has never met or spoken to his boss. That has to be a big problem.
Talking about next season, an obviously frustrated Coleman commented: “We don’t know what’s happening above us... we don’t know what the chairman is doing.”
Sunderland have a strong fan base, but their patience has been stretched to the limit this season. Not only have they witnessed dire football from their team, there is little hope that things are going to get better. Attendances at the 49,000 capacity stadium this season have averaged close to 28,000 which isn’t bad considering their wretched performances.
A Telegraph interview with a fan recently summed up the situation: “People aren’t smiling. It has become a chore. As soon as the opposition team score, that’s it, heads go down and you’re heading for yet another defeat. It’s a horrible feeling you can’t get rid of.”
Among the new experiences Sunderland will have to face next season is playing in the first round of the FA Cup rather than their customary third round. Their television income will also plummet.
Another reminder that they are no longer among the elite will be facing away days at teams like Fleetwood, Accrington Stanley and Doncaster Rovers.
Most of their squad will also be dismantled. Seven players on loan will return to their parent clubs, while another four players are out of contract and unlikely to see them renewed. Another problem is that some of the remaining players are on wages which are unaffordable at third tier level.
It is hard to conceive that in the 1950s Sunderland were known as the “Bank of England Club” because of their high profile in the transfer market.
Sunderland have a rich history, but unfortunately it is mainly ancient history... very ancient. They have won the English league title an impressive six times, but the dates of these successes tell the real story — 1892, 1893, 1895, 1902, 1913 and 1936.
Their only real piece of silver in the modern era came in 1973 when they upset the then mighty Leeds United 1-0 in the FA Cup final.
They were in the top flight for a record 68 years before suffering their first relegation in 1958, which the Wearside press called “an unbelievable and humiliating blow”.
I was fortunate enough to be shown around the impressive Stadium of Light some years ago and it was an enriching experience. The place was stacked with memorabilia of Sunderland teams and famous faces of years gone by — Charlie Buchan, Raich Carter, Len Shackleton and Brian Clough — every face with a thousand tales to tell.
Clough incidentally scored 54 goals in 61 appearances for Sunderland before a serious knee injury ended his playing career.
In recent decades, Sunderland rather like West Brom, have been experiencing that all too familiar cycle of promotion and high hopes, soon to be followed by relegation and the accompanying gloom and doom.
Despite their lack of success, their old stadium at Roker Park was a formidable place to visit and the “Roker Roar” was said to be worth a goal in itself. There has not been too much roaring going on at the Stadium of Light lately, apart from those yelling for the head of the unpopular American owner.
Sunderland need a change of ownership desperately. But who is going to invest big money in a club which has suffered two consecutive relegations? That is a big ask even for oil-rich sheikhs.
STAR SISTERS
Congratulations to Thailand’s Moriya Jutanagarn for winning her first LPGA title at the LA Open on Sunday. It was a well-deserved victory as Moriya has been knocking on the door for several years.
It was a hugely popular win and it was wonderful to see the support she received from her younger sister Ariya, who already has seven LPGA titles to her name. Ariya burst into tears of joy as she witnessed “Little Mo” clinch victory at the 18th.
Moriya has strongly supported her better-known sister throughout her career. It was Moriya who comforted Ariya in that heartbreaking moment at the 2013 Honda LPGA when Ariya blew a two-shot lead on the final hole.
They are only the second sisters to win LPGA titles and they have done Thailand proud.