Exactly. Like it or not RAWA have absolutely no standing whatsoever at the club to be putting demands or requests on the table. That being the case, I'm not sure why they feel entitled to be making these statements. We all have concerns given how the club has been ran, but the "owners elect" haven't even got the keys yet. It's a bit embarrassing, and hopefully it won't make the press.
The Echo picked up on it straight away and focussed on the 'demands' 'no uncertain terms' 'want to meet the owner soon' etc. ... ... there was no need for any statement whatsoever. Or should each forum, fanzine and supporters group issue their own statement and demands?
I kind of knew the answer - . Agree with this. When RAWA own the club they can demand to see whatever plans/evidence they like. Until then, perhaps wait and see what is planned without making demands that hold no gravitas whatsoever.
The thing is mate, every football supporter in the world has the same hopes/expectations/demands. The new owner obviously shares, identically, those ideals. Why does anyone believe they need to be spelled out ffs ... ... let the owner run the club and pull him up if he makes any glaring errors, not lay the law down before he's begaun.
So far no but, out of nowhere, we've been tagged recently as demanding, hounding, toxic supporters who turn on the club and managers quickly. Things like this won't help. This is a takeover many higher clubs would dream of, let's not look a gift horse in the mouth ... ... and start complaining about the state of its teeth before the saddle goes on.
I don't actually think they expect to see evidence, in terms of expecting kld to tell them what he's planning. I think that the "evidence of a long term plan" part is just meant to mean that fans will want to see things happening like academy kids staying, recruitment improving etc. For me we've already had a bit of evidence of a long term plan with speakman coming in. If we don't sell our most promising kids or at least try our hardest to keep them, maybe some start to look like breaking through, then that's evidence for me and if we're doing that kind of thing and getting smarter in recruitment and showing ambition I think most fans would be happy. On the flip side if nothing changes over the next few years and we're still flogging kids and buying ****e I think people would be uneasy. So I think it's fair enough, but people can read it as RAWA expecting KLD to come to them cap in hand with some sort of business plan, which obviously would be ridiculous. Like I say, it's in the wording.
Yep I get that and as you say, I've seen/heard more about "player and club development" in the last couple of weeks than there's been in the last couple of years which bodes well. Obviously talk is easy, but fingers crossed the take over (or whatever it's called) goes through and the new owner can elaborate more and if he feels inclined, will offer up some well received plans to set all our minds at rest.
Both KLD and the DofS had issued statements which included details of a planned structure, while there was a welcome to our new owner the rest of it was ill conceive, poorly written and in my case did not represent my views The people of Sunderland are a warm welcoming folks, surely we can afford the new people to the time to cross the threshold before making demands upon them
My guess would be that owners only ever pay lip service to fan groups. There is too much money involved these days for them to have much/if any real influence. On certain issues such as the match day experience, ticket pricing, merchandise etc I could see them being used as a focus group of sorts, because those things are important to clubs, covid has proved without any doubt that football is nothing without the fans being at the games, but I'd be very surprised if they could ever have any significant influence over and above those kind of practical issues. Does anyone seriously think the glazers, Ashley, levy or the sheikh at man City ever diverted from their 'plan' or changed their recruitment policy because their respective supporters groups didn't agree with them? I would guess they probably think they're better placed to make those decisions and, in the main, they are probably right. There is definitely a role for RAWA but it needs to be clearly defined and understood and they need to be much more careful with their words in my opinion. Football clubs are not democratic organisations so as much as any group or individual might want to hold a clubs owner to account, in reality, thats not actually possible. The only thing that ever influences big businesses is profit margins, hence how Ashley can continue as owner of Newcastle year after year while at the same time being universally despised by his own clubs supporters.
See how things can be misinterpreted? You say tomato and i say tomatoe. And i'm not spouting ****e, it's how i feel about the statement and in my opinion it's a poorly worded and uneccessary piece of drivel from people who want to remain relevant.
Exactly. It doesn't matter if 98% of fans aren't fickle or demanding and hounding, if the other 2% are and shout load enough they'll seem to be representing the majority. The chopping and changing of managers every few months, and starting with Bruce's excuses about being a Geordie, have put an impression out to outsiders that we are fickle and turn on people quickly and hound them out, even if we aren't And there's enough members of the press that hate us (The Sun, The Mail, the Mirror for example) that will happily take something like this to use it as a stick to beat us with and keep pushing that storyline to suit them, and people on the outside won't know any better and believe it. This statement even if it's well intentioned has been badly worded, badly timed, comes across as arrogant, full of self importance, and caused divisions within the support instead of being a rallying call and bring us together. Who ever advised them to do it should be shot with **** along with who ever wrote it. It almost smacks to me as if they wanted to get something out first before the other fan groups or fanzines, either to be seen as the main fans group, to set an agenda for others to follow, or remembering how Donald used Roker Report, wanted to get in first and cultivate a relationship as an outlet. It would have been better to have given out a general welcome and said that they looked forward to meeting him as a fans representative group and hearing what his plans are to take us forward. Then if they wanted to put a more detailed statement out later, canvas members for their views of what should be in and a rough draft agreed on before being released, that way even if members didn't agree with the final statement, they'd have had a chance to give some input.
This was never aimed at Louis-Dreyfus. It was, as you say, to push themselves to the front and show other groups and the support who's top dog ... ... it looks like a typical case of people overplaying their part.
its also just the type of reckless use of words that the press love to magnify into a headline, or a bitter PR person (no names) twists into evidence of 'the sunderland disease', see how careless statements can become poison in the wrong hands? RAWA should learn a lesson from this.
Some of the reaction seems quite bizarre tbh. We've been absolutely fleeced and lied to by the current owners of the club and a fan group has said to the new fella "welcome, let's see what you've got" and people are saying that us fans have no right to ask anything of the owner of OUR club???? Unbelievable.
