Sunderland’s new investment finally arrived yesterday, with reports of a figure of up to £10m being invested in the League One side.
Having been the subject of a failed takeover bid by Mark Campbell, and struggling to get a grip on the league form, this is some welcome good news for Black Cats fans.
A group containing Glenn Fuhrman, John Phelan and Robert Platek have agreed to invest in the League One side, with the money to be used for transfers as well as for developing the club’s thriving academy.
Current chairman Steward Donald will remain in majority control, and the move is something executive director Charlie Methven told the Sunderland Echo it would help take the club “to the next level”.
Will it though? After a couple of years of decline, is £10m enough to put this once prestigious club back at an acceptable level? Can it mask the mistakes of last season, not only those on the field but the rash signing of striker Will Grigg?
We turn to our assortment of League One experts to discuss the situation in our brand-new feature ‘Our View’.
Gary H says…..
“It’s interesting to see its finally been done, but will it be the catalyst for success at Sunderland? I’m not so sure it will.
“£10m would revolutionise most League One clubs; for Lincoln City (my team) it would put us in the top six, I’ve little doubt about that.
“Sunderland aren’t Lincoln though; they’ve still got big earners and the recent transfer dealings have hinted at a haphazard policy that they may yet have to pay for.
“My worry is that £10m will only scratch the surface of the problem. This won’t change the world overnight.”
James G says…..
“I bet there are a lot of really happy fans on Wearside right now. This is the news they’ve been waiting for. I’m not sure my colleague is seeing the bigger picture here; they only need to get out of this division.
“The increase in revenue from TV rights in the Championship should see them sustain their place. It’s not like they’ve got a 10,000-capacity stadium is it? Ticket sales alone will help them move forward.
“The worry is spending lots of money in January and struggling afterwards. Gary mentions Will Grigg and that’s interesting; £4m wasn’t the sum they paid as I am led to believe, it’s an eventual figure if they go up.
“However, it wasn’t a good move and a couple of those would soon see this windfall frittered away. It has to be handled with care.”
Harry F says……
“I’m a Sunderland fan and this is the second-best bit of news we’ve had this autumn. I’ll let you guess the first.
“I understand why some outsiders might be carefully choosing their words and even for some of us looking out, it’s not the earth-shattering investment that some newspapers have made it out to be.
“It is a positive move though and the harsh reality is we’re at a low ebb; just because £10m would change Lincoln or Southend doesn’t mean it’ll do the same for us.
“If we get back to the Championship, I think we can kick on. It’ll be more like our level; you won’t face such negative tactics as Wycombe show, nor go to grounds more used to hosting South Shields or Morpeth.
“No disrespect intended.”
Gary H is a lifelong Lincoln City fan and has worked as a sport’s journalist for the past three years. He’s the editor of the popular Lincoln City site ‘The Stacey West’ and has written for Football League World as well.
James G is a Luton Town fan who has helped build the Real EFL into the successful site it is today, approaching 1m views for the year. He still watches the Hatters, but feels comfortable in the lower leagues and loves the passion on the terraces without money ruining it all.
Harry F is a Sunderland fan and journalist student hoping to forge a career in the world of football writing.
