RAWA - the voice of the people

[Ghandi Floss]

Well mate, that doesnt work at all, if only those who sit on the top table get to decide whats the point of having members of the RAWA? 6 peoples hands show what 10,000 members think?

Then join up and tell them, if it bothers you that much.
Although you’ll have probably changed your mind again by next week, and be calling for action from the again!

 

[Sweeper]

A democratically elected member from here for a start

So that’s one person.

A solid, albeit demonstrably slow start.

 

[Daffy]

They have the club at heart & had the balls to shout it out to an owner that was already distancing himself from the scrutiny
we will be here long after a Stew , Salmon pants has already bailed

 

[Sweeper]

Then join up and tell them, if it bothers you that much.
Although you’ll have probably changed your mind again by next week, and be calling for action from the again!

By the sounds of it, joining up doesn’t entitle someone to much say.

 

[Mowgli]

When did the club announce that it expected any of us to be happy with it?

Considering they've blamed the fans for lack of patience etc a few times. Talking about being realistic about where we are etc.

 

[Botchie]

Class

And I'm still waiting for him to answer the question.

 

[gipetto]

I wasn't happy but I was prepared to give PP time. He inherited a load of unfit players which was obvious. The players now seem fitter and are playing better, which proves my point he needed time to get them fit. Am I not allowed an opinion, or do I have do agree with you.....as you say ffs

No I never said that, but we fell as low as 15th in league one, if that doesn't warrant action I really don't know what does.

I struggle to relate with many people on here, I'm responding to posters like pwsafc who would happily follow the team into the national league and not have a word said in angst about the club. It's not normal. We should be challenging owners and managers.

Was it premature? I don't know, but we were 15th in the league playing absolutely shite and had nothing to be positive about, if you think that's acceptable crack on.

 

[West_Winger]

Considering they've blamed the fans for lack of patience etc a few times. Talking about being realistic about where we are etc.

The unbelievably uneducated fans with unrealistic expectations you mean?

 

[Sweeper]

Considering they've blamed the fans for lack of patience etc a few times. Talking about being realistic about where we are etc.

I don’t remember the fans being “blamed” for anything. The latter seems like a perfectly reasonable request.

 

[Northumberland Rocks]

The club is at the lowest point in its history. It should be treated as desperate times, although the club have expected us to be happy with where we are

We are but there were ways of doing it.

What happened last week was crass and mageske...we are better than that and RAWA should learn lessons.

 

[TAD]

tbh I’m glad someone took a stand. You can never represent the views of absolutely everyone, how could you? I voted labour yet the tories still got in and my voice wasn’t heard. Nice to see these groups having the balls to raise concerns in a way in which they would be heard. Whether I agree with it or not, they were effective.

I think the point of the post was that you got a vote. In some way's it's irrelevant whether people agree with the statement, it's about the way RAWA went about it. (I was totally on board with the statement generally speaking as I think action was needed but can fully understand why RAWA members are angry).

 

[Father Jack Hackett]

So that’s one person.

A solid, albeit demonstrably slow start.

What else do you suggest? I'm happy for them to represent me as I know the lad from on here personally.

 

[Mowgli]

I don’t remember the fans being “blamed” for anything. The latter seems like a perfectly reasonable request.

'Unbelivably uneducated' was methvens words iirc

 

[Falconhoof]

I was on board with this when it started last year and thought it could only be a good thing. Listening to the supporters and putting all valid concerns and points of view towards the club management in structured dialogue. This seemed to be going well from both sides until the last meeting with CM when SD had to step in and re-take the meeting (only what im reading from here)

Anyways my problem now is that RAWA seem to NOT be taking all questions and concerns on board and having structured dialogue with the club and deciding (along with all the other fanzines and supporter groups) that without consultation they have decided that ALL Sunderland supporters want SD to leave the club. I am a member of the RAWA and was not consulted about this hence this is not right and proper in my eyes of 'a voice of the supporters'. On the flipside I think its quite pathetic that SD has decided to sell up because of a faceless twitter campaign but RAWA and the others have not acted in the correct manner to start this off.....on behalf of whom??

I would like some feedback from RAWA from this @Ghandi Floss because I believe you are the spokesman on here so why was a poll or the like not put out for supporter feedback?

Not my presidents. Or something

 

[Mowgli]

We are but there were ways of doing it.

What happened last week was crass and mageske...we are better than that and RAWA should learn lessons.

It was tweeted thousands of times. It's not just doen to rawa ffs

 

[gipetto]

Then join up and tell them, if it bothers you that much.
Although you’ll have probably changed your mind again by next week, and be calling for action from the again!

He's not interested man, we're talking about a poster that was calling for protests only a few weeks ago, we've had a few wins and now he's backtracking.

 

[Perryqhill]

They don't represent me, because as an SAFC supporter I don't feel like I need 'representation', I'm not interested in any of that shit tbh, I just want the team to do well.

Having said that, I think they made a serious and naive tactical error in not consulting their members because it gave Stewart Donald a very easy opportunity to do what he has done in the last 24 hours - ie try to turn SAFC fans and groups against each other, to take the heat off his mismanagement.

But I happen to agree with them, and I am glad they challenged him. If it gets rid of him (though I don't think for one minute he will go without the profit he came here for), then great - they deserve heaps of praise.

People getting all high and mighty claiming they are claiming to represent the views of all Sunderland fans without exception don't seem to have read the statement, because nowhere does it say that. It is an opinion that Donald should go, supported by a podcast, a fanzine, a website, and RAWA. It doesn't claim to be anything more or less than that.

Still, once again Donald has done a number on a sizeable proportion of SAFC fans judging by this place tonight.

Donald was always going to defend himself, so I'm not sure how he's managed to turn SAFC fans against the supporter groups, hes got very little influence at the moment without results....

Just like I think the supporter groups have had the support to say and do what they have done because of an reaction (or even overreaction) due to recemt results, then the results since have meant for some everything's going rosy again.

You see most football fans are a fickle bunch. Had we drew two and lost two recently - I doubt theres many of us who would be questioning the actions of the supporter groups. Given we've improved in the interim then even if Donald hadnt replied yet the supporter groups would have have been questioned.

 

[Father Jack Hackett]

By the sounds of it, joining up doesn’t entitle someone to much say.

Have you tried?

 

[No. 1 is Gary Rowell]

Agree with the above. It seemed to come from nowhere and I couldn't understand the rush to push it through without consulting the members and just before the transfer deadline.
I wonder if any of the RAWA officials are considering resigning because of the poor decisions.

Where was your 'rush to deny it, recently'?

 

[billyboy]

I think it was needed basically just to highlight a lot of the fans frustrations at how the club was being run, namely who was running the club on a day to day basis since Davison and Methven have left. It's apparent that there are things happening behind closed doors with regard to the FPP loan and the contradictory statements being made by Donald and Methven. If you haven't heard last nights interview with Donald, then you need to, just to understand why fans are suspicious of his motives and fear for the future of our club. I was on the fence until last night and was willing to give him the benefit of the doubt, but now I think he is looking for a way out and is using the RAWA etc. statement as a reason to bail out. It could get very interesting. Let's see what the transfer window brings.