I think there's analysis and I think there's pouring over every word tbh. It was quite obviously meant to as a fairly positive statement. Like I say, basically saying everyone is happy he's here and as long as he runs the club properly he'll get loads of support. Had it been all gushing about him they'd have got criticism for that as well, probably from the same people (not so much on here where good fans are having a decent discussion, but the likes of Mary Hinge over there would moan whatever was said). End of the day its very likely kld will meet with RAWA very soon and I'm confident it'll be positive. Even if he was arsed about a statement to begin with (which he won't have been, it'll have barely registered) he'll know the intent behind it when he meets them, so it doesn't really matter
That's all fine mate but it boils down to this, RAWA have proclaimed themselves the voice for all Sunderland supporters ... please log in to view this image .... that's a big responsibility and once you do that you have a duty to choose your words very carefully, they've quite obviously failed in that duty as you've admitted yourself. We all have to remember our words do matter whether they're addressed to friends and family, posted on a forum or sent to a billionaire owner of a football club cherished by thousands of people ... ... otherwise what is the point? In reality all RAWA have are words and those words need to be carefully chosen. We've seen, with Methven, how quickly relations can turn nasty with a few hastily chosen words. If RAWA get it wrong and alienate some of their own members, that's unfortunate. If they get it wrong, with the owner, that could be tragic and irreversible. We'd all suffer from their actions, RAWA, their members and also the bulk of the support. I didn't need to 'pour over every word', even though I have every right to, it just looked wrong as soon as I saw it, RAWA members have said the same. No one would expect anyone to gush over a stranger but there was absolutely no reason to do anything other than offer him a warm welcome. There was no need for a statement at all before the new owner/chairman is ratified by the EFL and no need to be pushing forward to the front of the queue to meet him. Sorry mate but it just looks a little wrong and this is why it was instantly picked up that way by the Sunderland Echo, let's not bring lone eccentrics like Mary Hinge into it. Your own members have voiced their own concerns which shouldn't just be shrugged off. It's your own members, like @Sciolist, you should listened to, not loons on the Internet. You can't just arbitrarily decide how KLD will see this statement and decide what his reaction will be, it's assumptions like that which really need to be avoided. This is serious stuff and not a game to be played by a handful of people deciding they know better than everyone else. RAWA aren't there to lay down rules, demands, rules, hopes, expectations or whichever word you care to choose... ... sorry but that's really not their job.
I am actually a member and have spoken to DR on the phone. He is a very clever, articulate bloke who knows what he is doing and what he wants for the club. I don’t have an issue with the statement, however to claim to be the “voice of all Sunderland fans”, is clearly wrong. If they can’t get a simple one liner correct, I can see how others will rip a statement to bits. Let’s not forget though, it is RAWA who took the brunt of Donald’s tirade at the last meeting, it is those that he was aiming his animosity at, whist the BLC sat there and nodded like Bob in a board meeting. They have been at the forefront of change when it was required , whilst others sat in the background. They obviously welcome KLD and will give him time, but they cannot claim to be a voice for all fans, they are merely a conduit for their members
There's an insistence that the committee can be voted out and that everything is highly democratic. I'm afraid this statement has shown that really isn't the case.
That's my greatest concern mate. We saw how ALL communications with the supporters was cut off after RAWA were cut off. What happens if KLD actually does take offence at this statement, what then? It's all very well shrugging it off and saying he probably hasn't even seen it, or it hasn't registered with him. This was the very first communication, from Sunderland supporters, which should've been a warm welcome and absolutely nothing else, nothing. If RAWA are saying he probably won't have seen it, what is the point ... ... if they've actually sent this to the club, or KLD, they need closing down.
That’s very true, it comes across as RAWA are a bit of a wounded animal following that and we all know wounded animals can be dangerous. But fans need someone like RAWA, it’s still a fairly new concept and we need a vehicle with which to have a collaborative approach, (I’m not saying this was, but ideally it is what it should be).
Because they wanted to get in before anyone else, simple as that. There are long standing benign and respected Sunderland supporters groups with as much right as anyone to welcome the new owner. Every one of us should be equal and nothing should've been done until Louis-Dreyfus introduced himself to ALL the supporters. RAWA have simply, and all too obviously, pushed themselves to the front as if they're more important than the rest of us ... ... hence the ridiculous haste to rush out a 'welcome statement' before he's even arrived. You may think you're a voice for all supporters ... ... no, you're not so please make that clear in your statements.
RAWA need a punch in the face and closing down, this is not the first time, they are like the wraith of SAFC
I think they've probably guaranteed that KLD will be keeping RAWA at arms length from the word go after this, and thats exactly how it should be after this fiasco. If I was him I'd be inviting representatives from all sections of the fanbase ( whether part of a recognised group or not) to meet up informally, and from that gauge the feelings and concerns of the fans . It doesn't need an agenda, or a timeframe, or even a table to sit around, it just needs a friendly conversation , with no pre-conditions or demands. Sounds as far away from RAWA procedure as my first ****e.
Lets assume you wanted to buy a business and you've gone through all your due diligence and almost certainly would have looked at the history of the club and would have taken into consideration the fan base. You formulate plans for a brighter future and then you're hit with....on the face of it....looks like demands from fans, who lets face it are in no position to make any such demands. How would you feel about the actual purchase, would it make hime think twice ( it certainly would with me) ....Does he need hassle at this stage, will he be now guarded about future plans at the risk of upsetting these people. RAWA have got way ahead of themselves, sounds like a bunch of people who like to believe they "are part" of the inner circle of SAFC, in reality that are not, they are wannabes. They should shut up and see what happens like the thousands and thousands of Sunderland fans, support the club, and don't have delusions of grandeur
Definitely not learning. They pissed a lot of fans off last Christmas time with a stupidly timed statement that again stunk of their own self-importance and then again this Christmas time they've done the same all over again. It's time the fans rallied against them big time and let them know they need to get back in their box.
These are exactly the kind of Mag-lite headlines we really do not need. "RAWA say they will offer him the ‘warmest of welcomes’ ... ... but have made it quite clear that supporters will want to see ‘evidence of an assured plan of long-term progression’." Those two things totally contradict each other.
It's bollocks the way they've demanded to know anything. Having said that I imagine owning Marseille would come with slightly more demanding fans so it's nothing he wouldn't have been expecting to a certain extent
RAWA are claiming they'll explain, to the owner, the demands of the supporters. What demands? Nothing needs explaining ffs, every football supporter on the planet wants exactly the same thing.
