S.A.F.C. - the future

Written by Chris Whetherspoon. Sorry, but I really think he's a pillock of the first order, he has an unhealthy obsession with Methven, Donald and Sartori, bordering on paranoia, and to be defending the RAWA statement, which has since been amended, shows he's already got his knives sharpened ready for KLD. He's pretty much said in that article that if Rodwell isn't sacked by February, nothings changed, which gives him an excuse to start on another owner.

Despite rumours for 18 months now that Sartori and Donald had fallen out he still wants to lump them together in some nefarious conspiracy like Blofeld and Spectre in a James Bond movie. He might have been right about some of the stuff Donald and Methven have done, but he's bending other things to match his agenda and it does him no favours. Unless he's got proof that Methven, Donald and Sartori are bussom buddies, why lump them together when there's enough rumours of major fallout and disagreements between them? It's quite possible that a lot of the damage over the last year or so is due to fall outs between them causing paralysis and lack of proper leadership. Donald might have has the majority of the shares, but didn't have the money, Sartori has the money but might have had other ideas and was blocked from being more involved or disagreed with how things were being done so wouldn't put more in. Getting to the bottom of that if it's true would go a long way to helping us understand what's gone wrong here.

 

And me

 

Happy New Year All.
Glad to see the back of 2020.
Hope 2021 is a great year for us all.
Haway the Lads.

 

And people are taken in by this rhetoric. The whole lot of them pushing this agenda have lost credibility in my opinion and have a lot to answer for.

 

Takes a canny few comps to get a four shot lift, the buggers are quick to drop your handicap though

 

The problem with 'fictional facts' is that they eventually become real In people's minds, like cutting your hair makes it grow thicker.

These fans groups, or whatever they are, make assumptions which they then repeat as possibilities which eventually morph into facts.
Kittens regularly started off massive lectures by saying 'let's imagine X happened for a moment' onto which he'd construct a huge argument.
By the time he'd finished he'd have convinced himself X was a fact and quote it in subsequent posts ...

... absolute madness.

Now these clowns are doing the same with Sartori. One of the few facts we know about him is that he had no power in the club under Donald.

Any argument that ignores that fact is worthless and laughable.

These groups making assumptions about people, without having ever met them, should be ridiculed. RAWA did it with Louis-Dreyfus and made themselves look needy and arrogant at the same time which is quite an achievement.

 

I agree, and what makes it ridiculous is if something comes along which contradicts them they ignore it, try and twist it to suit their facts, or just shout people down and it ends up where people stop listening to them and in my case start dismissing what they say straight away. There's been far too much of this going on for years with some factions of our fanbase. As with the rest of our supporters, I'll be glad to see the back of Donald and Methven, but I'm not going to accept some opinions as true, or start demonising people without real facts to back it up, just because they've been appointed by or worked with those two. Some fans, like Chris Whetherspoon, are still wishing that Donald and Methven are pulling the strings in some way. I've no idea why, but they are desperate to be right and are looking for anything to link those two to any power in the club.

The only people who will truly know what's went on at SAFC for the last few years are the board, shareholders and some key personnel. Some things will leak out from time to time and I think in the coming weeks and months more stuff will come out, some of it might change people's opinions for better or worse, other bits might reinforce what we think. Until then I'll give everyone a fair chance, personally I'm not going for guilt by association until I see real evidence why they are guilty. And in the end if this deal makes us successful, I'll take Methven and Donald having a small residual share holding as the price, far better that than them both going but being took over by someone equally as clueless or lacking resources to push us on and going through the same thing in another couple of years.

 

The only thing I didn’t like in that WMS article was the suggestion that if Rodwell stays then “nothing will change” (massively paraphrasing as read it yesterday and can’t remember exact words).

the jury is still out on Rodwell but there’s nothing to suggest he’s anything other than an operative who does what his paymasters say. Once his paymaster is KLD then I’m sure he could be an asset. He might not be. But to suggest he needs to go in order for us to be optimistic (again, paraphrasing), is a bit OTT for me.

 

Just noticed RAWA have slightly softened their language around expecting to see plans (now just hoping to see plans). Fair play to them for that.

 

There's an almost manic desperation for there to be underlying problems amongst some people ...

... that's because bad news sells better than good news.

If everything's going well people don't give a toss what the WMS are saying.

It's only click bait scare stories that get any attention.

They need to just back off and stop pretending they're running the club.

 

I'd leave Rodwell in post for a transition period tbh. Too many changes too quickly could be a bit of a problem. I'd rather Johnson got his coaching team in place (he has only appointed Macalister, the rest are still Parky's) and also get the academy manager and scouting sorted out first. Speakman as SD and KLD as chairman plus maybe one additional person (as well as Rodwell) at the top table would be enough of a change then Rodwell could move on. All imo of course.

 

Who knows mate, he might do a Leadbitter and become an asset.

 

Quite right, hopefully that will be the case. He made a few blunders early on with the refunds and a couple of Comms releases but with a new remit and support in those areas he could well be an asset.

Going forward there will be loads of new appointments imo:
Media/Comms
Data/Analytics
Events (non football related)
Sales/retail
Scouting
Fitness
Sports Science/Psychology

Some of the heads of those departments will report to Speakman and some to Rodwell - there will be others as well no doubt.

Edit: Johnson uses drones in training so if there are any drone pilots out there.......

Edit Edit: this is without including:
Ground/Academy maintenance (responsible for fixing the lifts and PA system )
Legal/HR/Finance
Global development?
Linking in with the Council on their plans for the City to make sure vision's are aligned

Loads to think about going forward.

 

That's a bloody awful article to be honest. Talk about having an agenda. He's just using it as yet another excuse to have a rant about the previous ownership.
Yes they were ****e. We all know they were ****e but christ he needs to get over it.

Two thirds of the article complaining about the previous owners, a bit defending the RAWA statement and another bit having a go at Rodwell and how if they don't sack him nothings changed.

No credibility in my books. One small paragraph taking about Speakman and LJ.
What about talking about KLD,s background and what he brings. What he's already done. Speakmans talk about future plans and structure.
What about talking about the football the structure the clubs new direction.
Its all about the old owners not about what's actually happening now.

Summed up by saying if Rodwell is still here in a couple of months nothings changed
What if Rodwell's still here in three years time and we are in the Premiership

 

It makes you wonder who it's aimed at tbh, are there really so many miserable people around?

This takeover should be a joyous occasion but people, supposed to be passionate Sunderland supporters, seem desperate to spoil it.

Just f**k off and let people be happy ffs.

 

That's exactly where I'm at
I've been buzzing since the take over and hearing the plans and seeing what they have actually started doing
But all I'm hearing is miserable ****e from people who claim to represent me
As you say just f**k off and let us be happy
There's always ups and downs supporting the lads but for God sake this is one of the ups and potentially a bloody big one

 

Sometimes I wonder if Methven and Donald have shagged his lass or ran over his pet cat or something, he has such an obsession about them. To sum his view up, "Madrox = Evil. Anyone associated with Madrox = Evil by association. Anyone appointed by Madrox = Evil by association". It does him no good at all and risks damaging his and WMS's reputations in the long run as the club might be less wiling to deal with them because of his and their stance. If we are successful in the future with those two holding minor shares, where does he stand? Does he back track from his current position of they being in control in the club, or does he say that they're involved in a positive way, or take a different position again?

 

Is that Chris wetherspoon, mittens on here and over on rtg?

Seem to share the same views and both are accountants I believe.

I didn't mind his article too much tbh. Although I do disagree with Rodwell. I can't see him staying long term, but if he does stay in the short term that has no reflection of our long term plans and aspirations. Same could be said for any appointments within the club. Managers, coaches etc come and go. Owners and supporters less so. In any business if your not pulling your weight you'll be disposed of. Especially managers.

 

I'd be a bit more inclined to agree with Chris Weatherspoon if Rodwell was staying on in the same capacity as the main man running the club day to day. That's not the case though. Speakman will be making a lot more of the decisions, and KLD is going to be making decisions. Rodwells role will be much reduced as a result. I don't want to say purely administrative, that would probably be a disservice, but he won't be calling the shots in any way

 

Yes, that's a very good point. I tend to agree with you. Surely any decisions come from the owners and his role is to implement them.