'SAFC 2016/17 - A Cherry Placed On The Cake Of Disaster?' *REFRESHED*

Yann M'vila eh? Remember him? I'm still mopping up the tears that his transfer debacle caused last summer. Will he? Won't he? Pre-contracts and Instagram... Quite simply, the guy epitomises what I want in a modern midfielder. Robust, energetic, powerful and can pass a ball... What's not to like? When Dick Advocaat brought M'vila in from Rubin Kazan, I admit, I got excited. We had a player here. One that had recently lost his way a little yes, but the likeable Dutchman was confident that he could keep our new signing out of trouble and enable him to excel on the field. A few days later during a reserve outing against Norwich, M'vila headbutted an opponent and was promptly sent off. Great. That misdemeanor aside though, M'vila evolved into an extremely popular player on Wearside; his combative no-nonsense style endearing him to the paying faithful. So much so, that along with Jermain Defoe, became our only positives in yet another season of struggle for SAFC. M'vila himself seemed to hold a genuine affection for the club too. After Dick had departed (alleging Ellis Short had broken promises made with regards to the club's transfer policy - again), Sam Allardyce swept into The North East on a wave of positivity as he was the next manager again tasked with performing The Great Escape at The Stadium of Light. It's like Groundhog Day really isn't it? The football wasn't great, it wasn't pretty, but it was effective. Sam's January signings hit the ground running, and, after two wins over Chelsea and Everton (games in which the SoL was rocking by the way) and with a match to spare, Big Sam had achieved a minor miracle by keeping this mob in the top flight once again, losing only once in the final eleven matches of the season. The squad had the look of one finally going in the right direction and in Sam, Sunderland had, at last, the right man at the helm to bring some much needed stability and direction to our seemingly perennial rudderless ship. As pre-season crept upon us, everyone on Wearside was looking forward to a new, hopefully struggle-free campaign in The Premier League. Then, almost out of the blue, those suited football dinosaurs at the FA had to go and spoil it all for us didn't they? 

FA Chief Executive Martin "I am not a football expert" Glenn was the man with the unenviable task of appointing the next England manager, and after the embarrassment of the nation's exit to minnows Iceland in Euro 2016, he was under huge pressure and scrutiny to get it absolutely 100% right. It was at a pre-season game at Hartlepool that I, like many other Sunderland supporters, got the news that Sam had indeed agreed to take up the role of national team manager. To be fair who could blame him? That particular train only comes along once and you have to hop on board. Allardyce packed his bags and headed for London. Sunshine and rainbows quickly changed to darkening grey skies and storm clouds. We were now without a manager, the man who had guided us to safety. The man who was a perfect fit with Sunderland AFC. We hadn't signed a single player. Deals were mooted for Davide Santon and Eden Dzeko, as well as the aforementioned M'vila. Ellis Short appointed David Moyes as the new man, going on record to say that he had been his Number One choice for the role on the past five occasions, something that I believe was nothing more than a dig at the outgoing Allardyce. Moyes' first signing through the door was Papy Djilobodji, who cost Chelsea £2.7m, played once as a substitute and then left for Sunderland for a tidy £5.3m profit. Great start. Moyes then raided his former employers for Paddy McNair and Donald Love. When Steven Pienaar arrived on a free and we failed to buy a striker before the window closed, I smelt a rat and knew we were in trouble.

So where has it exactly gone wrong? You don't need me to tell you that this squad isn't good enough to compete admirably at Premier League level, and let's face it, if it wasn't for Jermain Defoe, we'd have fallen through the relegation trapdoor long before now. Injuries haven't helped either, but they are part and parcel of the game. Every club gets them, we suck them up and move on. Yes, we are paying for past mistakes made by the club's hierachy, and I include Ellis Short, Roberto De Fanti and Margaret Byrne in that. That is the bigger picture. Short has either been given bad advice, or none at all. He hired and trusted others to run his football club on a day to day basis, for which we are now paying the penalty. In his recent statement after the confirmation of relegation, he does acknowledge his own mistakes. Fair play to him for that. We know Short wants to sell up. His absence from the Stadium of Light this season speaks volumes. What finance will he make available to attempt an albeit unlikely a promotion push? Is David Moyes the right man to bring us back? Does he even have the passion, desire and fire in the belly to take this challenge on? I have my own reservations on that. Moyes looks to have aged significantly in his time here, and I believe he did not fully realize exactly what he was taking on when he agreed to manage the club. He hasn't helped himself with his lack of enthusiasm, his negativity or his bizarre tactical decisions at times, but he is down the pecking order in terms of blame for the shambles that SAFC are currently in. I for one wouldn't be surprised if he calls it a day, Moyes stating after defeat to Bournemouth that the end of the season will be the time to sit down with Short and Martin Bain to decide his and the club's future plans.

There have been precious little highlights this campaign, and once again an entire season has been tragically wasted. A corner seemed to have been turned after those three wins in four matches in November, but that simply feels like decades have passed in the time since. There's genuine discord between the club and its fans, and for some, that damage has become irreparable. For long periods, our fans couldn't muster the energy to voice their discontent at games anymore. They simply got up and left. After years of failure, who can blame them? The atmosphere recently has turned slightly toxic, a fair proportion aiming their anger at David Moyes and Ellis Short. People like Jermaine Jenas have publicly criticized Sunderland fans for their actions, but Jenas clearly doesn't understand the bigger picture. I invite him up here to engage with our supporters to experience what it's really like. This club has so much potential it beggars belief. Stoke City, Bournemouth and Southampton are fine examples of what can be achieved if the right people are in place at all levels of a club, and are all singing from the same hymn sheet. Some managers lose their jobs for delivering mid-table mediocrity, whereas up here, we crave it. That's how desperate it's become. 

Now that this season has ended in relegation, the state of our club will be magnified ten times over, certainly now that the latest finances have been published. For the record we reported a £33m loss and are £110m in the red. Most of our current players will not be here in August, and we must ensure that we have adequate plans in place to combat that. Financially, I cannot comprehend the implications for SAFC. Planning in the transfer market has been Sunderland's Achilles Heel in recent years, so I wouldn't bank on it being all plain sailing this summer either. It's hard to envisage a resurgence as great as Newcastle's, and a season of mid-table stability may be Sunderland's best hope for a first season back in the second tier. 

Forgive me if I sound defeatist, but there is obviously precious little to get excited about. I just feel that a dose of realism wouldn't go amiss in my assessment of the club's current situation. Something feels different this time. I don't buy the fact that going down will eventually benefit SAFC. Short would have been able to sell up much easier if the club had remained in The Premier League, and a sale would of course be in everyone's best interests. Whatever happens over the summer, another trying and testing period lies ahead. Relegation has been the cherry on our cake of disaster. The club should have been fighting tooth and nail to stay in this league whilst putting plans in place should the drop to The Championship materialize. We should have plans in place already for a stint in the second tier, but we've stuck plasters on gaping wounds for so long now, that nothing would surprise me anymore.

Keep The Faith (try!)

Michael