Culture change

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Robertson

Robertson

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Oct 7, 2019
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https://www.a-love-supreme.com/single-post/culture-change

We all remember that scene in “Sunderland `Til I Die.” The cold night air being challenged by the stuffy aura in the Madrox office. Stewart Donald breaking through it with such arrogance; pacing up and down, waiting with anticipation for the phone to ring.

Then, picking it up several times - in the process, each time failing to make a deal with the town that`s more famous for its Rugby League team.

Picking it up several times - in the process, each time upping the bidding number. Trying to please the other party…

And then he got what he was looking for. William Donald Grigg. Yours for 3 mill. I’m fairly sure that if he presented that to Peter Jones off Dragons Den as a business model, he wouldn’t be getting the cash. And that was what was so wrong with Sunderland for so long - everything which was going on behind the scenes.

Ellis Short entered the fray roughly 15 years ago. A wealthy man, who at the time was brimming with potential. This didn’t go to plan. We made big money signings such as Jack Rodwell. Wasted 6 million pounds on Jozy Altidore. Oh yes, and that lot from 17/18…

And then when we were promised new light, a guy who owned an insurance firm and a DJ from 7even Nightclub turned up. Oh dear. We had an identity as a laughing stock. “We saw you crying on Netflix” etc…. I urge away fans to come up with something more original next season please.

But now, times have finally changed. With Donald now in Hampshire and Charlie Methven seemingly raving to “I`m Still Standing” at Glasto, KLD is on his own; and he’s changing the culture at the Stadium Of Light.

Since KLD acquired some ownership of the club, it has felt as if positivity has been steadily rising. Promotion only felt like the start of something special. Last season was probably the most united season between the ownership and fans that I have seen as a fan of Sunderland. The bond between the team and the fans has been unparalleled.

The atmosphere seems so overwhelmingly positive. Hearing Amad`s name breaking free from the walls of the Roker End concourse when we played against Watford; this is surely not something that my generation has ever witnessed before! The roar when Prokofiev bellows into the Stadium Of Light; it`s like in the Quinn and Phillips era- a far cry from the slight amplification a couple of seasons prior.

Rather than the team singularly being help up by expectation, it is one being held up by elation and optimism. If the team makes a mistake - the crowd gets behind them. If the team concedes - the crowd gets behind them. This club isn’t made up of two entities anymore. It`s not the crowd and the players. It`s one united bond. The players up the game, the crowd thrives off it. The crowd ups the volume, the players play off it. This is what football is meant to be about. But where has this surge in positivity come from?

Maybe it is this: remember I mentioned about our identity being a laughing stock earlier? Well now it is one to die for. Other clubs look at us with envy. We have created this hub for young players to grow and develop. Fresh young talent like Daniel Ballard and Pierre Ekwah. More recent editions like Luis Semedo and Nectar Triantis. They see this as a stage to showcase what they can do.

We are a club to help Premier League occupiers nurture their talent; Ellis Simms and Amad immediately spring to mind … and although Joffy didn’t score many goals, he certainly proved his worth as a presence upfront. And unlike past times, these players don’t cost a fortune. Abdoullah Ba only cost us £1 million. Didier Ndong cost us around 13 times that…

Yet there is so much more will and desire. As mentioned before, the team will make mistakes, as they are only learning; but they have a hunger and desire for success so strong! So we now have a clear identity. A clear, strategic way of going about our business, encompassing a sense of sustainability. A team who never dies. A crowd who never quietens.

We are experiencing a Culture Change. This is only the start of something special…
 
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(Long article)

Sunderland are not only signing talented footballers - they’re also recruiting the right characters

For years, our dressing room was poisoned by toxic personalities and players who shirked responsibility, but things have finally changed for the better at Sunderland

By PhilipW_89 / Jun 27, 2023

https://rokerreport.sbnation.com/20...t=chorus&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter

When Jobe Bellingham was officially unveiled as a Sunderland player on Saturday amid a flurry of videos and photographs on social media, two things stood out above all else.

You must log in or register to see images
Sunderland AFC/Twitter

The first was the strength of the bond between Jobe and his brother Jude.

When the England World Cup star made the switch from Borussia Dortmund to Madrid, his younger sibling was there for the unveiling. On Saturday, the roles were reversed as Jude made the trip to Wearside and was by his brother’s side as he put pen to paper on a long-term contract.

In an era where egos are rampant in football, it was proof that family ties can transcend career paths and that they’ve both got each other’s back as they embark on a new chapter.

The second thing that struck me was the amount of composure and maturity that the seventeen year-old Bellingham seems to possess- which was none more evident than in his first interview and as he got his first glimpse of the Stadium of Light.

To hear him speak was to listen to a player who clearly understands the challenge he’ll face at our club, and that he’s also willing to work hard, listen, and improve as a footballer.

Indeed, it wasn’t unlike listening to a young Michael Owen when he first burst onto the scene at Liverpool, with composure beyond his years and a quiet confidence that hinted at an iron-clad belief in his own ability.

In recent years, the overhaul that’s taken place at Sunderland has brought some exceptionally talented footballers to the club but perhaps even more importantly, it’s also allowed us to bring the right kind of personalities to Wearside as well.

For years, the home dressing room at the Stadium of Light was poisoned by a glut of wasters, wage stealers and players who were more than happy to experience the prestige of signing for such a club, but were far less keen to live up to the responsibilities and the expectations that donning the red and white jersey entails.

You must log in or register to see images
Photo by Richard Sellers/PA Images via Getty Images

Think of Will Grigg and Jack Rodwell, and you get the picture.

These were players who had a chance to become true fan favourites but never had the minerals to do the hard yards. Compare Grigg’s efforts and overall mentality in red and white to Ross Stewart’s, for example, and the difference is stark. Grigg shrank in key moments, whereas Stewart has stood tall time and time again.

Thankfully, this squad has no such players within its ranks, and in that sense- even beyond his undoubted talent as a footballer- it’s very easy to see why Bellingham has been brought to the club.

Ability is one thing, but combine that with a poor attitude and/or an unwillingness to put the team above yourself, and you’re not going to be signed by Sunderland. It’s just that simple and it’s something that’s going to be absolutely vital as we aim to progress over the coming seasons.

In essence, what’s been implemented at Sunderland is a variation on the ‘no d**ckheads’ ethos espoused for years by the New Zealand All Blacks, a policy which ensured that every player carried their share of the load, allowing them to win consecutive Rugby World Cups and become arguably the most fearsome force the oval ball game has ever seen.

Last season, the team-oriented mindset of our squad was embodied by the likes of Luke O’Nien, who was shunted here, there and everywhere but got his head down, put in consistently effective performances, and slowly won over even his most ardent doubters.

You must log in or register to see images
Photo by Alex Dodd - CameraSport via Getty Images

I can’t remember a time when Sunderland had so many talented players who were burdened by so little ego. The likes of Jack Clarke, Patrick Roberts, Trai Hume, Dan Neil and Abdoullah Ba have skill and talent in abundance, but they’re also likeable players to whom the fans can relate and have taken to their hearts.

Take Clarke, for example. He's an immensely exciting footballer but he also balances that with a willingness to empty the tank and ever improving discipline off the ball- something that steadily improved as last season unfolded.

The strong, shrewd and fair management of Tony Mowbray, plus the guidance of senior members of the squad including Danny Batth and Corry Evans, is helping to keep them on the right track and prevent their heads being turned or their standards to slip.

Last season, the boss often spoke about the importance of ‘values’- a term seldom used by a Sunderland boss in recent times, and the importance of helping these young lads to develop as human beings as well as footballers.

You must log in or register to see images
Photo by Ian Horrocks/Sunderland AFC via Getty Images

It’s obvious that the overall mantra is ‘We’ll give you a chance to shine, but you must work hard for the team as well’, and it’s bearing fruit, without a doubt.

Very rarely could you use terms such as ‘cosmopolitan’ and ‘progressive’ to describe a Sunderland squad, but that’s exactly what we’ve got right now. A group of players recruited from far and wide to represent our club and eventually help it to regain its place in the top flight.

This hasn’t been achieved by sheer good fortune or by spinning a globe, jabbing your finger at a certain country and hoping that you’ll land on goldmine of talent.

It’s taken a lot of hard work to create such an environment and to recruit players who are willing to buy into it. What its given us is a foundation; a foundation on which can continue to build, and will set us in good stead for the future.
 
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Robertson said:
(Long article)

Sunderland are not only signing talented footballers - they’re also recruiting the right characters

For years, our dressing room was poisoned by toxic personalities and players who shirked responsibility, but things have finally changed for the better at Sunderland

By PhilipW_89 / Jun 27, 2023

https://rokerreport.sbnation.com/20...t=chorus&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter

When Jobe Bellingham was officially unveiled as a Sunderland player on Saturday amid a flurry of videos and photographs on social media, two things stood out above all else.

You must log in or register to see images
Sunderland AFC/Twitter

The first was the strength of the bond between Jobe and his brother Jude.

When the England World Cup star made the switch from Borussia Dortmund to Madrid, his younger sibling was there for the unveiling. On Saturday, the roles were reversed as Jude made the trip to Wearside and was by his brother’s side as he put pen to paper on a long-term contract.

In an era where egos are rampant in football, it was proof that family ties can transcend career paths and that they’ve both got each other’s back as they embark on a new chapter.

The second thing that struck me was the amount of composure and maturity that the seventeen year-old Bellingham seems to possess- which was none more evident than in his first interview and as he got his first glimpse of the Stadium of Light.

To hear him speak was to listen to a player who clearly understands the challenge he’ll face at our club, and that he’s also willing to work hard, listen, and improve as a footballer.

Indeed, it wasn’t unlike listening to a young Michael Owen when he first burst onto the scene at Liverpool, with composure beyond his years and a quiet confidence that hinted at an iron-clad belief in his own ability.

In recent years, the overhaul that’s taken place at Sunderland has brought some exceptionally talented footballers to the club but perhaps even more importantly, it’s also allowed us to bring the right kind of personalities to Wearside as well.

For years, the home dressing room at the Stadium of Light was poisoned by a glut of wasters, wage stealers and players who were more than happy to experience the prestige of signing for such a club, but were far less keen to live up to the responsibilities and the expectations that donning the red and white jersey entails.

You must log in or register to see images
Photo by Richard Sellers/PA Images via Getty Images

Think of Will Grigg and Jack Rodwell, and you get the picture.

These were players who had a chance to become true fan favourites but never had the minerals to do the hard yards. Compare Grigg’s efforts and overall mentality in red and white to Ross Stewart’s, for example, and the difference is stark. Grigg shrank in key moments, whereas Stewart has stood tall time and time again.

Thankfully, this squad has no such players within its ranks, and in that sense- even beyond his undoubted talent as a footballer- it’s very easy to see why Bellingham has been brought to the club.

Ability is one thing, but combine that with a poor attitude and/or an unwillingness to put the team above yourself, and you’re not going to be signed by Sunderland. It’s just that simple and it’s something that’s going to be absolutely vital as we aim to progress over the coming seasons.

In essence, what’s been implemented at Sunderland is a variation on the ‘no d**ckheads’ ethos espoused for years by the New Zealand All Blacks, a policy which ensured that every player carried their share of the load, allowing them to win consecutive Rugby World Cups and become arguably the most fearsome force the oval ball game has ever seen.

Last season, the team-oriented mindset of our squad was embodied by the likes of Luke O’Nien, who was shunted here, there and everywhere but got his head down, put in consistently effective performances, and slowly won over even his most ardent doubters.

You must log in or register to see images
Photo by Alex Dodd - CameraSport via Getty Images

I can’t remember a time when Sunderland had so many talented players who were burdened by so little ego. The likes of Jack Clarke, Patrick Roberts, Trai Hume, Dan Neil and Abdoullah Ba have skill and talent in abundance, but they’re also likeable players to whom the fans can relate and have taken to their hearts.

Take Clarke, for example. He's an immensely exciting footballer but he also balances that with a willingness to empty the tank and ever improving discipline off the ball- something that steadily improved as last season unfolded.

The strong, shrewd and fair management of Tony Mowbray, plus the guidance of senior members of the squad including Danny Batth and Corry Evans, is helping to keep them on the right track and prevent their heads being turned or their standards to slip.

Last season, the boss often spoke about the importance of ‘values’- a term seldom used by a Sunderland boss in recent times, and the importance of helping these young lads to develop as human beings as well as footballers.

You must log in or register to see images
Photo by Ian Horrocks/Sunderland AFC via Getty Images

It’s obvious that the overall mantra is ‘We’ll give you a chance to shine, but you must work hard for the team as well’, and it’s bearing fruit, without a doubt.

Very rarely could you use terms such as ‘cosmopolitan’ and ‘progressive’ to describe a Sunderland squad, but that’s exactly what we’ve got right now. A group of players recruited from far and wide to represent our club and eventually help it to regain its place in the top flight.

This hasn’t been achieved by sheer good fortune or by spinning a globe, jabbing your finger at a certain country and hoping that you’ll land on goldmine of talent.

It’s taken a lot of hard work to create such an environment and to recruit players who are willing to buy into it. What its given us is a foundation; a foundation on which can continue to build, and will set us in good stead for the future.
Click to expand...

The season hasn't begun and here's a contender for post of the season <laugh>
 
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Might be on that we were accosted outside Wembley.

We may have been cut as ‘unsuitable’ for it like cos we were in a bit of a clip after the day/night before ‘festivities’

Be interesting to see…
 
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Nads said:
Might be on that we were accosted outside Wembley.

We may have been cut as ‘unsuitable’ for it like cos we were in a bit of a clip after the day/night before ‘festivities’

Be interesting to see…
Click to expand...

I'm sure it's a mini series, 2 or 3 parter.
 
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