Last week, Sunderland owner Stewart Donald spoke publicly to the BBC about the club’s current state of affairs; mainly the new investment being made into the club. Donald spoke as open and honestly as he could about the arrangement despite their being legal obligations for him to leave out certain aspects of the deal.
And while there were a few fans who had previously shown appreciation for the information shared, there were just as many who didn’t quite understand why the financial deal was necessary. When Roker Report asked fans what questions they would ask Donald if given a chance, some focused on the deal, questioning why the current owners didn’t just invest themselves.
Why get this loan when we have a multi-billionaire on our board???
— David Hindmarsh (@DavidHindmarsh7) November 17, 2019
Can I loan £40 for the next football manager, please?
I have the money myself but I think it would be a better investment if they paid for it instead.Cheera
— at one point, I kidnapped me arn mar (@LiamAngus) November 17, 2019
Others were more concerned about the ambitions of the club. They wanted to know what the club’s plan was if promotion wasn’t achieved at the end of the season. Others wanted to know why money wasn’t invested in the players in the summer. One fan questioned the inconsistency of the management team’s messaging.
If we fail to get promoted this season, will you pave way/sell up in the summer and give someone else a crack at it. This would mean you failed twice.
— Michael Stubbs (@stubbsm) November 17, 2019
What is “Plan C” when we are still in League One next season?
— Parkersafc (@Parkersafc) November 17, 2019
Why did they gamble with this seasons promotion chances by getting freebies despite saying we were financially very healthy and could have bought better players .
— Ray (@Raymond52479726) November 17, 2019
Any plans to sort your comms out – if you’re gonna speak publicly to address things maybe it might be a good idea to have a consistent message? Anything other than that just breeds worry and concern, along with a lack of trust and belief
— Lee Anderson (@LeeAnde51871819) November 17, 2019
One supporter stuck to the most pressing question of all…
If they could have 1 giant sized Luke O’Nien or 11 mini Luke O’Nien what would they choose?
— David (@snakefinger99) November 17, 2019
What do we think?
It wasn’t clarified in the post by Roker Report if fans were going to have an actual chance to hear their questions answered. Hopefully, for Sunderland fans, Donald will read this post and publish his answers anyway. What we do know, however, is that 11 tiny Luke O’Niens would 100% be better than one large Luke O’Nien.