A few stories going around about problems at Sunderland. The more extreme are suggesting it's folding tomorrow, and that has to be nonsense, but there seems to be something behind the different stories, with the most common being backroom staff cuts next week, as the chairman tries to leave with as much as he can legitimately get over the coming season.
I don't know if you ever look on other clubs boards, but there are several with threads that could be cut and pasted straight off here. I blame Euro 96.
Didn't Michael Gray tweet that thendelete it yesterday. Ye I really hate it. When I took a peak at a derby forum, Jesus. Yet we hold them up as a club.
Yes, Gray posted and then deleted it, but apparently it's gossip that's been doing the rounds for a while. The consensus seems to be it stems from rumours of redundancies causing people to put two and two together to make five. Seemingly Ellis is owed a lot if not the most money, so wouldn't gain from going in to admin.
Talking about this very subject last night in pub. In between the usual "saw it coming" bollocks,merry wise cracking and recollections of John Hawley's screamer that afternoon against Sunderland at Fer ark some of us have been suggesting for years now the only good thing about Championship from a financial point of view is the chance to actually get out of it come May.
Seemingly it's in addition to that, and hence the claims. You could well be right though, but it seems to be far from a happy club.
Strange isn't it, when you look at Huddersfield Town and see just how ell they are doing both on and off the pitch. They have a Chairman who knows what he is doing, cares about his team and the supporters and seems to be getting everything right. Shame really for us because you put us along side them and they are light years ahead of how it should be done. But that said, you need people that have a clue and care which we are sadly lacking in all aspects.
It's sad how so many clubs are affected by it. I mean the Allams clearly, are a uniquely ****ed up subspecies, but they aren't the only ones who seem to love this tried and tested formula for failure: sacking managers, not backing them, pissing everyone off and then wondering why their club spirals down the leagues. Watching Slutsky's interview on the Channel 5 thing the other night, I was thinking to fans of other clubs it must look exactly the same as clubs like Blackburn, Wolves, Charlton etc have done in recent Championship seasons. Random, unconvincing foreign bloke in charge of an unpredictable and woefully unbalanced rag-tag bunch.
Yes all that PL riches but they are scrapping their academy as it costs a million or so a season. They were losing fans season on season. All they've done is got lucky with a good coach who's made excellent signings. See what they a like when they are relegated and Wagner leaves next season.
A lad I work with has one of his kids at Port Vale & a couple of others at Stoke's Academies. He said the lads in their age groups have already been finished at Huddersfield. Man Utd put some trials on for them last week with a few other teams following suit to try & help the kids by giving them a chance elsewhere. He said the reason given was that they've only brought one player through to the first team in the last 10 years or so, others have been poached & as such the owner didn't think it worthwhile investment. Poor form.
Think I've told you before but if I was in charge I would be blitzing the schools of hull. Running free or nominal coaching courses five nights a week. That hull been on the end of the line can be an advantage for us. Indoctrinate them and work with the massive untapped potential in hull.