Fan Letters: "Is Will Still the right man for Sunderland, or is he the emperor's new clothes?"

08/05/2024 07:00

The former Reims boss's suitability for our head coaching role, thoughts on the 2023/2024 season and criticism of the ownership are in the RR mailbox today! Got something to say? Email us: RokerReport@yahoo.co.uk

Dear Roker Report,

The more I read about it, I wonder if some fans are not getting a bit overexcited about the prospect of Will Still becoming Sunderland's head coach.

His record at Reims is twenty five wins out of sixty five games, which is an average of five wins every thirteen games. In contrast, Michael Beale's record was four from twelve.

Also, Reims have lost more games than they've won this season.

They keep mentioning the magnificent nineteen-game unbeaten run that the team embarked on, but if this is the case, they must have lost a good few games since.

With that in mind, would it not be better to wait until Danny Röhl's situation is sorted out at Sheffield Wednesday? We know he can manage in the Championship, after all.

Also, I can't fathom why the recruitment team thinks the current model will get us promoted, given their reluctance to sign experienced players.

They've left us without a goalscoring striker for the last three transfer windows and some of the decisions made this season have been difficult to understand.

Ernie.

Ed's Note [Phil]: Hi, Ernie. Thank you for your letter.

I won't beat about the bush here: I don't believe that Will Still is the right man for Sunderland at this moment in time, and I'd have major doubts if he were to be appointed this summer.

Prior to his departure from Reims, their form had taken a nosedive and if a potential candidate's strongest advocates are using the fact that he got the club 'punching above their weight', I don't think that's the perfect preparation for taking over at the Championship's biggest club, and especially after the season we've had.

I firmly believe that the next head coach needs to be someone with presence, experience, stature, and a record of working with young players. Still, as highly-rated as he is, doesn't tick enough of those boxes in my opinion, and it would be a huge gamble if we appointed him ahead of 2024/2025.

Also, the Sunderland forward line needs to be rebuilt this summer. Eliezer Mayenda and Hemir should be loaned out, and with doubts over Nazariy Rusyn's future, there's going to be a lot of work required in that department.

Dear Roker Report,

I predicted a fourteenth-place for us when Tony Mowbray was sacked.

I'm not sure if the owners even know what they have, which is a real gem with 30,000 fans at the minimum screaming and getting behind the team every week.

Would you invest in Sunderland AFC at the moment? Do we look like a better investment now than we were when taken over?

Many have pointed out the lack of investment and the one vision strictly adhered to, or perhaps we could be taken over and attract an American consortium, an Irish contingent or a mixture of Sunderland faithful and other money men.

Why? Would it be any different from the other clubs who invest, and hire and fire yearly? Maybe we should give the five-year plan a chance and see where two more seasons takes us.

Personally, I would probably add more coaches to the mix and specialists for dead balls, defence and shooting.

If they're all learning, maybe division of labour is an answer, as one or two can't do it all, and again, we should invest in sound tactical people for all of our squads, as 'evolution rather than revolution' always works.

When did we last invest in genuine top flight coaches at all levels of the club? It's something to consider.

Keeping the faith.

A. Scott.

Ed's Note [Phil]: Thank you for getting in touch.

Personally, I'll always believe that Sunderland AFC is a good investment, regardless of which league we're in or the players at our disposal.

As we saw with Bob Murray and the Drumaville Consortium, when we get it right in the boardroom and everything comes together, the potential of the club is limitless and that needs to be the target for Kyril Louis-Dreyfus and his people.

If Dreyfus were to leave Sunderland having fulfilled his ambitions and elevated the club back to the top flight, everyone wins: the club, Dreyfus himself, and the fans who make Sunderland AFC what it is.

It won't come easily, but it's absolutely achievable.

Dear Roker Report,

First of all, this season has been a huge let down, and the finger of blame must be pointed at Kyril Louis-Dreyfus and Kristjaan Speakman.

However, let's be realistic: we're only two years on from the lowest period in the club's entire history, and the squad just isn't as good as the Sunderland teams of the 1990's and 2000's, where we were always favourites for promotion.

Mismanagement and stripping of assets was the real reason behind where we ended up, so we need to reset our targets as a club and our expectations as fans.

If 'the model' works, we still won't be a top six Premier League outfit, but would we be prepared to be bought by blood money from the Middle East and ignore the ethical issues of sportswashing? I wouldn't.

So here we are, trying to rebuild as a Championship club chasing a return to the top flight. I'm content with that for now, and credit to Dreyfus and Speakman for getting us here.

Allow me to finish on this note:

The only way to make a small fortune from running a football club is to start off with a big one.

Dreyfus isn't in it for money. He wants to get us back there but it isn't a straight, smooth road, so strap in for the bumps.

Dave W.

Ed's Note [Phil] Hi, Dave. Thank you for your letter.

As I say above, if Kyril Louis-Dreyfus eventually passes ownership of Sunderland AFC to someone else, having overseen promotion back to the Premier League, nobody loses out.

It would be a huge boost for him as a young businessman; the club could look to kick on under whoever took over from Dreyfus, and the fans could reflect on a journey that began in League One and ended with a return to the league in which we all want the club to be.

He needs to get things back on track for 2024/2025, but I certainly don't think his ownership of our club is a lost cause. It would be premature to claim otherwise, in my opinion.

Dear Roker Report,

I applied for my new season card, this time with four payments, and asked for a physical card instead of a digital ticket, giving my name and membership number.

Within twenty four hours, I received a reply confirming that my request had been processed as well as confirmation of delivery in June.

Excellent service!

Ian Dent.

Ed's Note [Phil]: Hi, Ian. Thank you for getting in touch.

It's great to hear of some good customer service at Sunderland, and certainly when it comes to ticketing, which has been problematic for a long time.

There'll doubtless be plenty of hiccups along the way this summer, but hopefully the club can get on top of any lingering issues and start to deliver a consistently high standard of service.