Murray's Last Day

Well we still don't know if the Quinn Consortium's takeover will be completed this week or not, but one thing is certain. Tomorrow will be Bob Murray's last day as chairman of the club following his announcement 2 weeks ago that he would step down on 30th June.

If the takeover is not confirmed, Murray will remain on the board and of course will remain the majority shareholder.

Press reports and hints from Murray himself hinted that the club will be sold for less than the £16 million originally agreed with the consortium and could go for around £10 million - still significantly higher value than when Murray purchased an extra 10% of shares from SKY to gain a majority stake. Of course the buyers will also be saddled with around £40 million of debt which masks the true value of SAFC.

If as we all hope, the takeover can be completed soon we can also expect to see the departure of the Vice Chairman, John Fickling.

Jimmy McNab Dies

Former Sunderland defender Jimmy McNab has died aged 66 after a short illness.

McNab will be remembered by many as a hard defender and made over 300 appearances in his 11 years at the club during the late 50's and early 60's before leaving for Preston.

He was given a testimonial at the Stadium of Light in 1999 which younger fans who may not have seen him play originally will have attended and witnessed his brief appearance.