You're Stewart Donald right now, what do you do?

Let's not just say 'sell up' because that's unrealistic, he obviously would have and thats his long term intention. He's not going to give the club away without trying to fix it, so how do you do it?

How much money is needed?
Do we need a new gaffer?
Are we still able to get promoted?
If not, how do we plan for next season?

 

Sell up

 

Run.

 

Start moving my personal finances and assets about before I lose the lot.

 

Sack the manager and ask the Americans to buy us outright

 

I don't know if he can sell up to the Americans but if it's an option it must be a hell of a tempting one even with the financial hit. It's all collapsing around him and he must feel well out of his depth.

We know the plan was to stay for the long term but Parkinson was a terrible decision and his buddy and confidant Methven has left under a cloud. If I was him I'd want out.

 

Give Nicola Cortese a ring and ask how much.

 

Have a lap-dance and think myself lucky it's not my money at risk.

 

I would think he's washing his underpants right now...

 

Does anyone really think the Americans are on the table as of today? If they were, it seems like he'd have sold up if they were willing to buy us outright and were offering him a decent profit.

A lot of the FPP stuff feels like a compromise where they've said they wouldn't invest in the club right now, and he's said 'let me prove this club can make money and move forward with a small loan' and secured it in a way where it's basically a free shot for them even if they had (at that point) no intention of taking us on of their own accord. They could by the looks of things have their pick of options if he got success.

Going back after 3 weeks and saying 'I've had enough' is just not happening lads. He can't negotiate with anyone else to buy us either because of the agreement with FPP.

I think even if someone offered him his original money back today he'd say no right now. The opportunity is once in a lifetime for him and if he can get through the next 18 months, he can potentially make a big profit without putting any more of his cash in. It's a freebie for him too. At worst he's back in this situation next season and wondering how to sell it while the club pays dividends that satisfy FPP's loan.

 

My understanding is that they did want an outright takeover but Donald didn't, that may have changed now. Things change fast in football and there's no denying that Parkinson has been a disaster.

If I was Donald and I was offered my money back and a way out of the hole I'd dug for myself I'd be all over it. I think the guy is really struggling financially and the prospect of further problems and debts will be at the forefront of his thinking. How's he going to get through the next 18 months without spending and make a big profit when we'll probably be in the relegation spots by then?

Whether the Americans are an option or not at this point nobody knows. My guess is that this is a scenario they weren't adverse to because it'd make it easier for them to move in.

 

God knows, he managed in seven years to get Eastleigh promoted once by spending an utterly ridiculous amount of money relative to non-league football. How he thinks that translates as having the footballing nouse to run a club like ours is baffling to say the least. He needs to **** off is what I think to be honest, that's what he should ****ing do.

 

That's why he took out the loan mate. I think we're scheduled to make a profit as things stand this season and possibly next dependent on how the cost-cutting/revenue has gone in the last 6 months. I don't think he's under much immediate financial pressure to sell. He gets to use that £10m as he sees fit, with the ultimate accountability being that if he's to convince FPP to invest, he'll need to use it wisely and show nous that as mentioned, he hasn't shown yet.

I just think this deal looks like exactly what it will likely turn out to be. FPP are pretty much shrugging their shoulders and saying 'we're not proceeding as it stands' after doing their financial projections, and he's saying 'I'll do the first bit with a loan and worst case scenario, you just get your money back. Best case, we do really well and you lads want to come in and actually take over.' That's why I don't think either him giving them the club now (unrealistic with £10m of their money burning a hole in his pocket) or him defaulting on the loan (would lose out on a big chunk of cash) are realistic.

He's more or less said all this. The problem is that by what he said about '18 months' on the radio, I suspect that's the point (end of 2020/21 season) where he'd need to source more cash.

 

If he's got the best part of 10 mil to spend on sacking Parkinson and signing some quality players then it's all good and if the club is running at a profit even better. He does need to splash the cash because the current situation is dire and we'll be in league two before you know it.

 

Agreed with that. So you'd sack PP then?

I felt a little bit sorry for him today because he looked like he realised he's not up to it, but equally he seems like he's gone full Moyes. Part of me thinks what is the point? If we sack PP, who will we get in now?

 

He should sack PP, buy himself one of them spiky whips off The Da Vinci Code and give himself a good seeing to with it.

After he's atoned, he should take that £10m and prove he can build a fully functioning League One club. A director of recruitment that is on the same wavelength as the new manager, a backroom team, coaches, a proper youth team setup etc.

He should then raid the lower leagues etc for outstanding players and identify strong characters from League One and above to lead them. If he is capable of spending £3m on Grigg he can lash out on a League One Cattermole type with their own legs.

Then the manager and his team can implement the best strategy and away they go.

Otherwise, default on the £10m loan and give someone better a try.

 

I would sack him immediately and I don't say that lightly because I normally want to give them time. I think if we get someone in who actually wants to play football as in keeping it on the ground and playing it out to the (non-existent today) wings that'd be the way forward because we don't have the squad of 6 foot plus chunks that Parkinson seems to think we do.

Whether that's Phillips I don't know. I don't put much stock in him being a Sunderland legend, although it might help with the rebelling crowd, but I think from what he's said that long ball football isn't his thing so I'd look at him first.

 

If he sacks the manager then he effectively sacks himself imo
The yanks will wonder how he can appoint and dismiss someone so quickly. He would look incompetent

 

Doing what he always does.
Standing in front of the mirror with a daft grin on his face, rubbing his hands together and singing 'Money, money, money'.
Doubt he gives a t0ss tbh.
The rats are jumping off the ship and he has retreated to the bunker ( pardon the mixed metaphor ).
'Dirty sanchez' our uruguayan n'ere do well will flash his million dollar dentistry at us and hurl a few half hearted platitudes at the fans.
Donald has very few options right now. It looks as though PP has 'bombed' and given he has added 2 backroom staff in the past month we cant afford to sack him.
SD needs to watch it.
If things get any worse he may have to move back in with his wife and kids.

 

Absolutely. Who would come into an already poisonous atmosphere at the SoL and do better realistically that is. I don’t see any stand out option at all.