Email from the club

[haway]

Very good email which should close the book on this, but it won't because many people are unable to accept our predicament.

Close the book?

 

[Deleted member 26022]

North Korea SAFC PR at it's very best

At least they are learning communicating skills

 

[The Cabbage]

There are many on here who have been expressing serious concern about the way the club was being run,not just the level of spending or what it was being spent on.

You're right of course. However the remedy prescribed has so often been that Short should spend (much) more rather than less.

 

[Sheep farmer]

You're right of course. However the remedy prescribed has so often been that Short should spend (much) more rather than less.

Still the overwhelming view on here I think

 

[The Cabbage]

My point has always been the mismanagement of it all and it now seems the club agrees with me, you realise of course just how irresponsible it's all been when we can see the likes of alonso for example brought in on loan and then the club not going on to sign him when it was clear he improved the team

That is a specific example where the real cause is very much moot, though. It's far from certain that fiorentina would have let him leave or that they'd do it at a price we could afford. When you then remember that the player we bought instead gave us a massive profit it lessens the example further.

The club has been irresponsible, though, certainly. They should have completely shut down spending as soon as Short arrived as full owner. That would have been an incredibly difficult pill for the fanbase to swallow though.

 

[Grumpy Old Man]

My point has always been the mismanagement of it all and it now seems the club agrees with me, you realise of course just how irresponsible it's all been when we can see the likes of alonso for example brought in on loan and then the club not going on to sign him when it was clear he improved the team

Can we nail the Alonso thing once and for all; at the end of the day, he was wanted by the new Fiorentina boss. They didn't want to sell, and he preferred living in Florence and playing in the Europa League once he was sure he'd get plenty of game time.

 

[Deleted member 26022]

That is a specific example where the real cause is very much moot, though. It's far from certain that fiorentina would have let him leave or that they'd do it at a price we could afford. When you then remember that the player we bought instead gave us a massive profit it lessens the example further.

The club has been irresponsible, though, certainly. They should have completely shut down spending as soon as Short arrived as full owner. That would have been an incredibly difficult pill for the fanbase to swallow though.

So stop spending In 2009 ?, and spend how long in this state ?

 

[4everredandwhite]

Can we nail the Alonso thing once and for all; at the end of the day, he was wanted by the new Fiorentina boss. They didn't want to sell, and he preferred living in Florence and playing in the Europa League once he was sure he'd get plenty of game time.

It will make no difference Grumps, it suits certain people's agendas to ignore the facts

 

[Deleted member 26022]

Can we nail the Alonso thing once and for all; at the end of the day, he was wanted by the new Fiorentina boss. They didn't want to sell, and he preferred living in Florence and playing in the Europa League once he was sure he'd get plenty of game time.

Ok maybe he's not the best example of this but over the last few years their has been examples of times where had we signed a loan player or two we would now we looking at returns on them

 

[Deleted member 7101]

You're right of course. However the remedy prescribed has so often been that Short should spend (much) more rather than less.

I know,but hitherto they haven't been able to be trusted to spend the money wisely. Those who think it's the panacea for all the ills are mistaken.....we spent a lot of money on Rodwell!! It's not only the fees involved or the ridiculous wages....it's also the length of the contract. Some of the contracts we've entered into have simply been crazy.....Cattermole till 2021 for example. The fee for Ndong and till 2021 the same....for an untried young player with no PL experience. f***ing madness!

 

[The Cabbage]

So stop spending In 2009 ?, and spend how long in this state ?

Forever potentially. Spend what we bring in. If you've got rid of all debt then you can look at some form of investment but it needs to be done within strict parameters i.e. players who we feel will appreciate in value and can be sold up the chain for significant profit - allowing the cycle to refresh. Hopefully that generation would have allowed us to move up the ladder and establish along the way.

It's f***ing shite but that's modern football. We've got to get our pleasures from somewhere and a team of players we've developed - however fleetingly they may be with us - is as good a target as any.

 

[Deleted member 26022]

Forever potentially. Spend what we bring in. If you've got rid of all debt then you can look at some form of investment but it needs to be done within strict parameters i.e. players who we feel will appreciate in value and can be sold up the chain for significant profit - allowing the cycle to refresh. Hopefully that generation would have allowed us to move up the ladder and establish along the way.

It's f***ing shite but that's modern football. We've got to get our pleasures from somewhere and a team of players we've developed - however fleetingly they may be with us - is as good a target as any.

Interesting point, and I will think about this. It seemed to me like the taps got turned off in 2010 apart from signing Gyan we didn't do much spending that summer I seem to remember, of course I am open to a correction.

Then after that mistakes and lack of a plan seemed to take over

 

[Grumpy Old Man]

Interesting point, and I will think about this. It seemed to me like the taps got turned off in 2010 apart from signing Gyan we didn't do much spending that summer I seem to remember, of course I am open to a correction.

Then after that mistakes and lack of a plan seemed to take over

Year end 31/7/10 additions to intangibles (ie buys) £39.3m, 31/7/11 £51.9m, 31/7/12 £1.9m. So that was the first attempt to reign in the spending. With hindsight, those earlier numbers are utterly preposterous, given that we were raising comparative peanuts in sales.

 

[Doberman]

ran us into the ground, has us scavenging for bargain basement signings under the false pretence that they want to play for Sunderland but we should all be grateful that Mr Short continues to fund areas of the business that every football club has to contend with?

Ran us into the ground, has us scavenging for bargain basement signings under the false pretence that they want to play for Sunderland but we should all continue buying season cards & turning up because there's a chance Mr Short might get it right this time!

Nah. You're alright. Too late Mr Short.

Short must go. Sell up & fuck off.

Thank you for your support,

with kind regards,

Doberman.

 

[Deleted member 26022]

Year end 31/7/10 additions to intangibles (ie buys) £39.3m, 31/7/11 £51.9m, 31/7/12 £1.9m. So that was the first attempt to reign in the spending. With hindsight, those earlier numbers are utterly preposterous, given that we were raising comparative peanuts in sales.

This is what I mean we did that then, Di Fanti happens and it's goes from needs correcting to malfunctioning club gone mad

 

[Far Tibetan Mountain]

I think Di fanti would have been a good appointment if he was given more money to work with.

You're clearly insane then.

 

[SAFCSpartan]

Dear ______.

Thank you for your recent email to Mr. Bain and Mr. Short. We appreciate you taking the time contact us, and I would in turn like to take this opportunity share some thoughts with you.

Martin Bain has been brought to the club by Ellis Short to help achieve football and financial stability. It is not something that can happen overnight, especially given mistakes of the past, which Mr. Short would acknowledge. We are contending with a huge drop in income from Premier League to Championship and are having to cut our cloth accordingly as we aim to turn the club around. Mr Short continues to fund the business shortfalls, however it was simply not sustainable to continue operating in the way the club had been in recent years and a line had to be drawn a line in the sand.

In the time Ellis Short has been involved in the club he has invested a huge amount of money and, which I feel is important to clarify, has never taken a penny from the business. He would be the first to say that the money he has committed has not always been spend wisely, which again is something that we have to change. In Martin Bain, the club has a strong leader who is making positive changes to how we operate our football business in order to address this.

As previously mentioned, Mr Short continues to fund the club, however the money he puts in is currently going towards elements such as the wage bill, legacy transfer fees (transfer costs relating to players signed in previous years), running costs and other operating expenses, so supporters don’t see the investment he is making as it is not being spent on transfer fees.

It is imperative that we work smarter in terms of our player trading, whether that be acquisitions or sales and this is a fundamental issue highlighted by the chief executive when he joined the club. By not generating cash from player sales to subsidise new signings, the club has been heavily reliant on owner funding, which is not a sustainable model for any football club, hence the need for change.

Our primary focus over the summer has been to re-build and re-shape the squad for the Championship. We have done a lot of work to bring in the right players and importantly to move on those players which did not fit into our vision for the future. Simon Grayson has been clear in the type of player he wanted at the club, hard-working, playing for the shirt, respecting the club – and I think that’s something every Sunderland fan would echo. It is also something that has perhaps not always been the case in the past.

We have a good group of players now, a mixture of youth and experience, who are desperate to succeed here. We need to encourage and nurture them and we are confident that we will see the fruits of that as the season progresses.

There is no quick fix but please be assured that we are committed to making the club stronger for the long-term.

Thank you for your support.

With kind regards,

Louise

Canny e-mail that

 

[The Cabbage]

You're clearly insane then.

Strangely enough there could have been truth in it. A significant number of the players we were linked to that summer have gone on to have very good careers. FFP and s lack of cash curtailed many of our moves.

 

[Deleted member 31333]

You're clearly insane then.

Brought in Ki, Mannone and Borini for virtually nowt. Could have added Mendy too I know he had another of poor signings but we were scraping the barrel with the fees that we were paying out

 

[LineTrash]

Ran the business like shit for years and now Ellis doing everyone a solid by funding the club's shortfalls??

To be clear, they are his shortfalls brought about by poor business management,

I don't see how fixing the sorry state of the club's business and the problems he created should be seen as some sort of great favour he's taking on on behalf of the club.

Need to fund shortfalls to keep the club going??

Boo boo.

Fix your mess and get on with.

We don't need the pr spin on how he's doing some sort of noble thing in trying to get the business operations sustainable.

It's the very basics of expectations.

Raise ticket prices