Club must win back the fans – Chris
SUNDERLAND Football Club is the fans and the club must build bridges to win back their support.
That is the view of manager Chris Coleman as he attempts to guide the club through one of its most difficult periods.
With eight games remaining, the Black Cats are five points adrift of safety and face being relegated to England’s third tier for just the second time in their history.
In addition, owner Ellis Short has lost interest in the club and with crippling debts hanging over them their finances are a mess.
It is hardly a surprise, then, that attendances are down this season at the Stadium of Light as the fanbase becomes increasingly disillusioned with the ailing club.
However, together with chief executive Martin Bain, Coleman is doing his utmost to repair the fractured relationship with supporters.
As well as plenty of community work, the club recently announced a reduction in season ticket prices for next season, while the Sunderland boss also met with a supporters’ group last week to answer their questions directly.
On his reasoning for that, Coleman said: “The club is the fans. Me, the players, we have our time then we move somewhere else. The fans are always here.
“They have to be the most important thing and we have to build bridges, on the pitch and off it.
“Whether that is us out in the community, having forums like the one we had recently, it gives them a chance to ask us as well.
“There will always be the odd awkward question for me about what is going on and choices I make on the pitch but that is fine, that is why we are here.
“It can be really fruitful. No one could blame our fans for being angry, you really cannot.
“It is up to us to put them in a better mood, and I think we can do that long-term.
“Hopefully we can do that in the short-term as well by getting results between now and the end of the season.”