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David Bruce leaving SAFC

chriswallace85 said:
I'd say the past 24 months, the progress made, the 'til the end campaigns, improvements in social media, the merchandising etc, it's all better than it's been in years, and in some respects, ever.

It's a world away from the cold ownership of Short and the monkeys we had running the place under him. Nor is it the small time bullshit we saw under Donald & Methven.

Having Quinny in the boardroom was great, but even then I'm not sure they quite managed to tap into the fanbase and create the sort of buzz we have at the minute.

Murray did some great things for the club, and the Reid years were great, but too much had gone on beforehand. Even when we were flying, many never took to him. He never had the money to give the fans what the truly wanted.
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90% of the buzz is down to results. Let's be honest. If we having a Leeds-style season with no derby wins and a lot more struggle you wouldn't have anything like the feel good factor.

What good ownership gives you is a bit more patience and a bit more connection. If the fans see themselves reflected in how the club is run then they'll forgive a bad run and be a bit more understanding of a player sale.

That's why knowing what video to put on the screens or what design to put on the shirt really, really matters. And why using the club to flirt with politicians or surrendering the club's bars to our rivals really matters too.

It looks like Burwell is a shrewd commercial operator, and that could mean we're able to increase our sponsorship income and global reach. But if we did that at the expense of the club's connection to local fans then it's a net negative. The biggest selling point of Sunderland AFC is the fact that we have a massive, passionate and local fanbase. There's a reason why they didn't make a documentary about the players. That has to come first. It has to be a fan-first business. Fans are the business. And you don't have to be from Sunderland to understand that, but it really, really helps.
 

not spavin said:
90% of the buzz is down to results. Let's be honest. If we having a Leeds-style season with no derby wins and a lot more struggle you wouldn't have anything like the feel good factor.

What good ownership gives you is a bit more patience and a bit more connection. If the fans see themselves reflected in how the club is run then they'll forgive a bad run and be a bit more understanding of a player sale.

That's why knowing what video to put on the screens or what design to put on the shirt really, really matters. And why using the club to flirt with politicians or surrendering the club's bars to our rivals really matters too.

It looks like Burwell is a shrewd commercial operator, and that could mean we're able to increase our sponsorship income and global reach. But if we did that at the expense of the club's connection to local fans then it's a net negative. The biggest selling point of Sunderland AFC is the fact that we have a massive, passionate and local fanbase. There's a reason why they didn't make a documentary about the players. That has to come first. It has to be a fan-first business. Fans are the business. And you don't have to be from Sunderland to understand that, but it really, really helps.
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Spot-on, in my opinion mate
 
MadMackem10 said:
Could it point to outside investment? Seems like this new setup would be more geared towards investment than the current setup with KLD doing the day to day decision maker. This new setup would have the CEO answering to the board wouldn't it?
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Not necessarily, My thought is that some of this is being driven by the death of Patrick Treuer, who was KLD's principal advisor, and probably covering strategic areas. leaving Bruce to do what he does best. It's more a reversion to the structures that were in place under most previous owners, at least as far back as Bob Murray.
 
Pearlman saying 'change is inevitable as we enter the next chapter'....

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There are easier paths in football. Paths with brighter lights, bigger stages & fewer questions. So it tells you everything you need to know that
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chose a different one.

In July 2023, he walked away from the glamour of , from the orbit of Messi, Beckham et al & he came home. Back to Wearside, back to , back to a club in the Championship, back to a challenge that wasn’t about profile, but about purpose.

Because only a Sunderland fan, a true Mackem, makes that choice.

What followed, in less than three years, has been transformative. Yes, you can point to projects, to progress, to the visible signs of a club moving forward again. But the real measure is simpler than that, it can be summed up in a single question:

How does it feel to be a Sunderland fan today?

Sunderland isn’t just a football club, it is the heartbeat of a city. When that connection is broken, you don’t just lose games, you lose belief, you lose pride, you lose a sense of identity. What David helped restore was alignment, between club & city, between what happens on the pitch & what is built around it.

What’s been rebuilt by David & the owners over these past few years is that connection. A feeling that this club once again belongs to its people & that its people believe in it. That’s rare and it matters more than anything.

As we enter the next chapter, change is part of the journey, change is inevitable & necessary. But progress doesn’t happen in isolation & it should never come at the expense of recognising those who laid the foundations.

David did exactly that, so thank you, from one fan to another.

Our club is a better place because you came home.




 
not spavin said:
90% of the buzz is down to results. Let's be honest. If we having a Leeds-style season with no derby wins and a lot more struggle you wouldn't have anything like the feel good factor.

What good ownership gives you is a bit more patience and a bit more connection. If the fans see themselves reflected in how the club is run then they'll forgive a bad run and be a bit more understanding of a player sale.

That's why knowing what video to put on the screens or what design to put on the shirt really, really matters. And why using the club to flirt with politicians or surrendering the club's bars to our rivals really matters too.

It looks like Burwell is a shrewd commercial operator, and that could mean we're able to increase our sponsorship income and global reach. But if we did that at the expense of the club's connection to local fans then it's a net negative. The biggest selling point of Sunderland AFC is the fact that we have a massive, passionate and local fanbase. There's a reason why they didn't make a documentary about the players. That has to come first. It has to be a fan-first business. Fans are the business. And you don't have to be from Sunderland to understand that, but it really, really helps.
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Without a doubt. But we've had results before and not had the same vibe.
Father Jack Hackett said:
David Bruce’s influence? I’m right with you regarding the progress but, I think a lot of people are aligning that with “a connection”. I personally feel no more connected than I did when we reached the League Cup Final or finished 7th a couple of times, I’m just enjoying being good.
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The whole 'connection' thing has always seemed a bit silly to me. You can't connect me or disenfranchise me from the club I was born and bred supporting. It's my club.

All I'm on about is how happy we are with ownership. This is possibly the happiest I've been with any regime in my 40 years on the planet.


Mind, the lost lot wasn't exactly a tough act to follow.
Joe Baker said:
All these recent departures signal a move away from SAFC as a local British club and towards a European/international outlook imo.

No bad thing in some ways, but I'd hate to lose our identity in the process, which I think is a real risk.
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We've been doing all sorts to not only maintain that, but strengthen and promote. It's at the very core of everything we're doing.
 
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Weststand said:
Pearlman saying 'change is inevitable as we enter the next chapter'....

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You must be logged on to see external links



There are easier paths in football. Paths with brighter lights, bigger stages & fewer questions. So it tells you everything you need to know that chose a different one.

In July 2023, he walked away from the glamour of , from the orbit of Messi, Beckham et al & he came home. Back to Wearside, back to , back to a club in the Championship, back to a challenge that wasn’t about profile, but about purpose.

Because only a Sunderland fan, a true Mackem, makes that choice.

What followed, in less than three years, has been transformative. Yes, you can point to projects, to progress, to the visible signs of a club moving forward again. But the real measure is simpler than that, it can be summed up in a single question:

How does it feel to be a Sunderland fan today?

Sunderland isn’t just a football club, it is the heartbeat of a city. When that connection is broken, you don’t just lose games, you lose belief, you lose pride, you lose a sense of identity. What David helped restore was alignment, between club & city, between what happens on the pitch & what is built around it.

What’s been rebuilt by David & the owners over these past few years is that connection. A feeling that this club once again belongs to its people & that its people believe in it. That’s rare and it matters more than anything.

As we enter the next chapter, change is part of the journey, change is inevitable & necessary. But progress doesn’t happen in isolation & it should never come at the expense of recognising those who laid the foundations.

David did exactly that, so thank you, from one fan to another.

Our club is a better place because you came home.




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I’m not saying for definite he’s used AI, but “Sunderland isn’t just a football club, it is the heartbeat of a city” is proper proper chatGPT talk
 
Father Jack Hackett said:
Whilst I agree he has shown ambition, absolutely, can I just ask in what way have you felt more connected to the club, as opposed to previous regimes?
This isn’t a dig at all, just a genuine question.
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Some fans just make the popular noises and sound bites to fit with the popular narrative, no real thought or explanation as to why they feel that way.
I distinctly remember the popular phrase at the beginning of and well into the Donald and Methven reign “ we’ve got our club back” , I’m not suggesting anything regarding Louis-Dreyfus but he’s still really an unknown entity, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing.
 
viccarlton said:
Some fans just make the popular noises and sound bites to fit with the popular narrative, no real thought or explanation as to why they feel that way.
I distinctly remember the popular phrase at the beginning of and well into the Donald and Methven reign “ we’ve got our club back” , I’m not suggesting anything regarding Louis-Dreyfus but he’s still really an unknown entity, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing.
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That the thing mate, I feel no more affinity to a billionaire from Switzerland as I did one from Texas. Let’s hope he does better, that’s all I’m bothered about.
 
Bamber said:
I’m not saying for definite he’s used AI, but “Sunderland isn’t just a football club, it is the heartbeat of a city” is proper proper chatGPT talk
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He spent about a year on LinkedIn posting ChatGPT-y screeds about how the worst thing about the genocide in Gaza were the people protesting about it. Think he was told to pack it in but for a while he was posting some pretty vile stuff on there.

Not a great person to have associated with our club.
 
Bamber said:
I’m not saying for definite he’s used AI, but “Sunderland isn’t just a football club, it is the heartbeat of a city” is proper proper chatGPT talk
Click to expand...
Very good eye. I’ve just run it through two AI detectors and they flagged up that paragraph as AI generated. The rest seems to be human-written.
 
Not sure if anyone has asked this, but why couldn’t they have kept Bruce, and appointed a CEO above him? Bloke has transformed us off the pitch dramatically in the last 3 years. Always think it is good to have local influence in the club.
 
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