Whilst residing within the most bountiful shadow of the often dramatic and abject failures of our close and beloved neighbours, many of our red and white brethren appear to have replaced the aspirations of success with that of stability. Conversation in and around the pubs and workingmens clubs throughout the entire region had often consisted of the desire to ensure that we secure 'survival first and foremost'. Many of our fans had become increasingly satisfied with the mere security of survival and along with this mentality, Sunderland, whilst making considerable progress from the latter years of our era at Roker Park, had at the same time slipped into a phase of shall we say, tranquility. However football is not a sport of tranquility, football is a story of commitment, desire, passion and most importantly of all, football provides the opportunity for a collective group of individuals to yearn toward something far greater, sharing the fruits of a synchronistic effort on behalf of the unfettered determination of the boardroom, the meticulous preparation of the manager, the dedicated work of the backroom staff and last but certainly not least, the eleven men who serve upon the field of dreams. Recent events have brought significant changes to our most esteemed and beloved football club and invariably along with these changes arrives a certain degree of apprehension. Supporters who had become familiar with the notion of security are now beginning to and understandably so, feel the pinch of such sweeping endeavours. However, I believe that many of our fans have always held an inner knowingness that the potential for success within the modern era is a commodity that is readily available within a club displaying the illustrious magnitude of SAFC, if only we could seek out and nurture the most accurate blend of ingredients in order to successfully bind all of the latent potential in such a way that brings everything together. The adjustments that are being applied throughout the structure of SAFC during our current state of evolution provide the foundation for our club to be perceived as one of the most ambitious and respected propositions within global football. I envisage that the fans of other football clubs within the wider community and around the world will be observing the ongoing activity surrounding our fantastic club with a degree of intrigue and perhaps in some instances, wishing that they too were able to embrace the magical carpet ride that we as fans of SAFC are thoroughly appreciating with every passing moment of time. Since the chairmanship of Sir Bob Murray, SAFC have existed under the guiding hand of several custodians all of which have been underpinned with the continuity of a vision that had began to flow from our local heritage, subsequently via the spirit of Ireland and now from beyond a vast ocean, Sir Bob Murray, Sir Niall Quinn and Mr Ellis Short have conducted themselves with a level of commitment that many fans of other clubs could only ever wish to experience. Today, as the sleeping giant begins to awaken, the shackles of mundane tranquility are finally being released. The vision of Sir Bob Murray, the passion and determination of Sir Niall Quinn and now, with the fearless and unbridled confidence of Mr Ellis Short, we have reached the climax of a very thorough preparation, a preparation that has gradually readied our club toward the manifestation of a higher level of performance. SAFC are being linked upon an ever increasing frequency with footballers that manage to conjure within our fertile imagination, mental images of a delightfully mouth watering future. The global profile of Sunderland football club is broadening with each and every week that passes by and therefore, there can only be one conclusion to be drawn. Far from being a cause for apprehension, the developments that we witness today are a cause for joyous celebration!
another roker report...................just what we need......... I take issue, if I may with Bob Murray. The undoubted progress he made off the pitch was undone many fold by his stewardship of the club that affected on the pitch. Two things about Bob Murray stick in my craw:- 1) When we were 2nd in the Premiership after gaining promotion in 1999 Reid approached Murray with a list of targets to pursue in the transfer window, Murray declined to pursue these signings at a time when the prospect of european football was tangibly close. This was unforgivable in my eyes and position we were in would have made us as an attractive proposition as we have even been. Epic fail. 2) The sale of Don Hutchison.......if Niall Quinn was the heart of the Sunderland pumping the life blood that was Kevin Phillips through its veins then Don Hutchison was the pulse that kept the everything beating in time creating chances, winning the ball and scoring goals to boot. Sold because the promised contract review never materialise(as it would be too costly) and the bid from the Hammers was too big for the Accountant and entrepreneur in Bob Murray's psyche to turn down. This lead to Kevin Phillips realising Sunderland were a selling club that did not match his ambition and his own departure seeds were sown. So, before you laud Bob Murray too much, consider they above.
I'm quite sure that if you were to ask Bob Murray if he considered himself to have made some errors of judgement whilst being the chairman of the club, he would reply that he had made mistakes. I know I've made mistakes in life and most other people have too. If Hutchison was asking for silly money, Murray may have considered the implications of the other squad members finding out how much Hutchison would be earning if his demands were granted and therefore considered that the only viable option was to sell. I very much doubt that the Drumaville Consortium would have purchased Sunderland if the club were still residing at Roker Park and if it wern't for Niall, Ellis Short is unlikely to have been here today. The fact still remains that all of these men have contributed to what we have today, which is to support one of the most exciting clubs around. Bob Murray although wealthy by many peoples standards didn't have enough money to provide long-term stability for a club the size of Sunderland. Once again, if Murray had sanctioned Reidy's signings on tick, the Drumaville lads may not have been so keen to take on the debt... I still prefer to focus on Murrays vision for the club, the SOL and the fact that he presided over our 2nd place position and two 7th place finishes. Anything else is hypothetical. Anyhow, the reasoning behind my initial post wasn't designed to laud Bob Murray, it was designed to display gratitude to those whom have built up the club to where it is today, whilst passing reflection upon how good it feels to be a fan of Sunderland in 2013.
Not giving Hutchison what he had been led to believe would be his if he fulfilled his potential must have cost the club millions - this was when we were getting crowds well over 40'000 and on the crest of a wave. As a direct consequence of Hutchison going we got relegated, crowds dropped to 30-35'000 and the club very nearly went to the wall - all under Bob Murray's watch. I will not deny he did a good job with the stadium - however how many other clubs have had new stadiums - from Darlington to Arsenal and make no mistake we came very close to being just like Darlington - very close(which why Drumaville got the club for a song) The two best things Murray did was buying Niall Quinn and then selling the club to his consortium, the stadium and academy came at a price - and that price was success . I appreciate your article, I just do not see Bob Murray in the same light as you(can you not recall the Murray out protests outside of Roker Park) Quinn & Short as Chairmen are a class apart in that I sincerely hope we can agree.
Ofcourse I can mate. These days I see Murray in a different light. If Murray had kept Hutchison (one of my all time favourite players) Murray may have been considered a fantastic chairman. Murray only made one or two mistakes, but then again would you consider Niall appointing Bruce as a mistake? Bruce also contributed to where we are today, all of these men have contributed. MON also contributed to where we are today, although nowhere near aslong as I had hoped for but it was fairly clear that the club needed to take a new direction. Did Ellis make an error appointing MON? If so, about 95% of us made the same mistake. In the big scheme of things, I believe that Murray made his decisions in what he considered to be in the best interests of the club, for that, even if we suffered because of it, I find it difficult not to back him up.
you cannot change the past , but if nothing is gained from the past nothing will evolve in the future, its only a bold move to reach out and dare the future to try and dictate what happens , history repeats its self as we all know, its only the degree of rebirth we can change , if with each change comes an improvement , the cog of the wheel finally becomes the same size as the rim and then another cog must then be added to move forward once again . must have been hell to think you could fall off the edge of the world, remember guys, a faint heart never ****ed a pig
The premiership didn't have the money then that it has now, the bloke was no billionaire Ellis short, he was local self made millionaire. As frustrating as team investment was he kept the money and invested it in a gorgeous stadium and Academy all for a fantastic price and he sold the club for very little (ashley want 260m) I can see how at the time he wasn't popular and he wasn't in my eyes back then but hindsight see's me standing corrected. Can you imagine how much the SoL and and AoL would cost to build now?
cannot possibly reach some posters self adulation on here, im sure whatever zen is , it cannot touch the places that other three letter words can
Why? Because if he invested in players instead of the stadium and academy where would we be now? Who would have built these fantastic facilities. The drumaville? doubtful, they didn't invest enough money, Ellis? He wouldn't have invested in the first place. Go and look at how much the Emirates cost to build and how much the SoL cost to build(See how much Ellis and the club would have to fork out). It's relevant because he choose those facilities for the long term future instead of spending it on players at the time. We would not be where we are now if not for the timing of the build and the sale of the club. The timing allowed the forward step.
thats a very valid view from yourself , its possible that was the case. if so he must be applauded for this , im sure the views of others will differ and in time all the uprights in every fly over will tell the true story
Hated him at the time mate, like most. But he really gave the club the best possible chance before selling up. the blokes a credit.
What pisses me off around that time was the little money invested in the team was spent on Flo! And Reid expected him to be quinny, when he should have found a decent striker and change the tactics that had been found out by most of the league.
