Uruguayan given assurances by club owner Ellis Short that he and sporting director Lee Congerton will be able to reshape the first-team squad whatever happens this season Gus Poyet, the Sunderland manager, has been told his job is safe even if he fails to keep the club in the Premier League, although his players will be punished if they are relegated with a 40 per cent wage cut. Ellis Short, the Sunderland owner, and Margaret Byrne, the chief executive, have been impressed with Poyet’s progress since joining the club and recognise he inherited a mess from his predecessor, Paolo Di Canio. They have told Poyet that he, along with Lee Congerton, the new sporting director, will be given the job of reshaping the first-team squad regardless of whether they are in the top flight or the Championship next season. Poyet has earned a lot of admirers at Sunderland and there have been preliminary discussions with the club about a new contract - although the Uruguayan should be mindful of the fact that Martin O’Neill was told exactly the same thing by Short a few weeks before he was sacked and replaced by Di Canio 12 months ago. Poyet has done much to galvanise the club since he arrived in October. As well as lifting them out of the bottom three at the start of the year, he also took them to their first major cup final in 22 years, when they lost against Manchester City in the Capital One Cup final. However, Sunderland have slipped back into relegation trouble again over the past few weeks, their valiant defeat by City masking poor form in the league and the return of many of the same problems that left them bottom of the table at Christmas. The Black Cats have won just one game in their past six and were devoid of attacking flair and imagination in their goalless draw with Crystal Palace. Poyet’s side have scored just three goals in the league since they beat Newcastle United 3-0 on Feb  1. The former Brighton manager remains confident that his side will pick up enough points to stay up, but fears are mounting among fans that he does not have the firepower upfront to get out of trouble. His two main strikers, Jozy Altidore and Steven Fletcher, have scored only four league goals between them this season, while Ignacio Scocco, signed by Poyet in January, looks ill-suited to the Premier League. The Argentina international was not fit when Sunderland signed him from Internacional as it was pre-season in South America and he has been ineffectual so far. Should Sunderland fail to avoid relegation, there will be major budget cuts, with job losses in every department. Sunderland announced losses of £23 million for the last financial year, and while the Premier League's new television deal will dramatically reduce that figure if they stay up, they will be in serious trouble if they go down. The playing staff will not be exempt from the cost cutting if the club go down with relegation clauses in their contracts ensuring their wages will drop by 40 per cent in the Championship. Sunderland will also be helped in reducing the budget by the fact that eight of the first-team squad are out of contract in the summer and two players, Fabio Borini and Ki Sung-Yong, are on loan for this season only from Liverpool and Swansea City. Poyet won a significant behind-the-scenes battle when Short sacked Roberto De Fanti as director of football in January. Sunderland appointed former Hamburg technical director Congerton last week and Poyet will report to him as they look to end a cycle of relegation battles or gain an immediate return to the top flight. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/fo...is-safe-even-if-Sunderland-are-relegated.html
No they won't! There are 8 high earners (as you've said in your own article) out of contract in the summer. Probably saving the club in excess of £20m on wages in a year and even if we go down the club is not in serious trouble as there are relegation clauses in all of the contracts, as you ALSO mention in your own bloody article! Prize money, even for finishing bottom of the league, and the TV rights are enough to cushion the blow financially. Poyet staying is great news and, as Gil says, we definitely should be grateful to Poyet for staying with us.
agree with this. I expect there`s been plenty of behind the scenes discussions and Short seems to be going along with Poyet with the new staff comimg in. The number of players out of contract does create the ideal opportunity for Poyet to bring in the faces he wants but the talk of cost cutting on one hand and team rebuilding on the other concerns me a bit as I don`t see how they can do both.
That`s true enough Marcus but it doesn`t take into account transfer fees. It`s all very well reducing the wage bill but the 8 players will still have to be bought and those leaving are worth nowt. Even reducing the wage bill by half only leaves 10m
I know mate - but the Telegraph say we're in dire circumstances if we go down - Quinny always told Short that relegation release clauses should be put into players salaries - Newcastle lost a ****load when they went down as their players were on £50-60k a week some of them in the championship. OK so they won the league, but they made a bigger loss from that year than any other. It killed Leeds as well. Short has obviously kept the business model that Quinn sold him and kept putting the relegation clauses in. So we save the 8 players going out (some on very big money) and 40% saved free's up a big chunk of cash and digs us out of a pretty big hole as well. Basically the one that the telegraph says we're in. We'll run at a loss next season in the Championship OK but that chances are it won't be as big a loss as this
I take your point and agree I don`t think we are in any kind of financial trouble and won`t be either, contrary to what the doom-mongers like to tell us. But, the point I was trying to make is there`s more to it than just wages isn`t there? 8 players out for nothing have to be replaced (not counting loanees) and that is going to cost.
If we drop down to the championship, I think we will see a lot more of Watmore, Wickham and other development players coming through.
Sort of - but my point is that most of them really aren;t playing or required (in my eyes - talking about Larsson there!) Westwood Cuellar Bardsley Vaughan Gardener Colback Larsson Ji Only Bardsley and Colback will need "replacing" (or re-signing) IMO
Have i missed something here like, when did he re-sign for the club? He'll never make it, was ****e first time around.
The point I`m trying make (and not doing a very good job of it) is that there is no argument from me about who should stay and who should go and I`ll be as pleased anyone to see the back of Larsson & co but won`t we still need bodies instead or we`ll be back to the problems of a wafer thin squad? That would be Gus`s opportunity but raises my earlier point of wages v transfer fees Is that making a bit more sense?
Nah - You're a muso - we don't have to make sense to anyone else - but I think we understand each other and, in a roundabout sort of way, keep agreeing with each other to some extent!! I know what you mean though
you`re right there mate. Half the time I don`t make sense to me. I`m just a bit concerned that all those bodies going out (good) will reduce the squad number (bad) while reducing the wage bill (good) will not finance new players (bad). I suppose we`re getting back to Short and his cheque book again.
Relegation release clauses will not remove the existing debt. These clauses will also not be for free, as I am certain the players and agents also have clauses. All relegated teams have had massive financial implications. Why would SAFC be different. Relegation would be a disaster. Ask any of last years relegated teams (non looking certain of bouncing back).
