Sunderland in right mess, says former England star

FORMER England international Paul Robinson believes the off-field mess at Sunderland is worrying as they seek promotion back to the Championship at the third attempt.

Having spent ten consecutive seasons in the Premier League between 2007 and 2017, the Black Cats went into a worrying decline which saw them relegated not once but twice.

Despite the club’s stature, the Wearsiders have twice failed to get out of the third tier, having previously only spent one season at that level in their entire history. However, as manager Phil Parkinson prepares for what he hopes will be third time lucky in the pursuit of promotion, his task is not been helped by so much off-field disruption.

As well as the main two members of the recruitment team leaving last week, owner Stewart Donald has confirmed he’s looking to sell to anyone who’ll meet his £37.5m price tag, while fan unrest caused him to resign as chairman on Saturday.

On the latest developments, Robinson said: “It has been a gradual decline and League One football is almost unthinkable in that stadium.

“It is a mess. For a club of that stature to again have League One football and then to have this situation behind the scenes is very worrying. It needs to be resolved and resolved quickly.

“They need to find new investors or a new owner who has the club’s best interests at heart and who will put money in to get them out of League One.

“It will not be a quick fix for Sunderland fans unfortunately.”