Fans’ Letters: ‘Have Sunderland really learned from past mistakes?’

Dear Roker Report,

Here we go again. This club won’t learn, will it?

Once again, we’re heading into a new season without a recognised striker in the squad. It’s only been six weeks since they boasted that they’ve learned from their past mistakes, but they just don’t get it.

Bringing in a new coach may change our playing system, but there is no proven striker yet and we honestly cannot believe that all of a sudden the floodgates will open and our inadequate attacking force will somehow score twenty goals apiece, because it simply isn’t going to happen.

We have a player (Alexandre Mendy) practically begging to come here and he has a good track record, but the executives are not going to shell out one bit more to sign him.

He has the physical presence to integrate into teams and is waiting for the call-up, but we will lose him, like we lose any player who costs more than a fiver.

Many people are blinded by the fact that we have a new manager and somehow believe that he will give them the Holy Grail, but it won’t happen. Once we suffer some injuries to our attacking players, who are already suspect, we will be in serious trouble and I can honestly see mid-table mediocrity if we are lucky.

I haven’t renewed for the first time since I was a child and I have no intention of doing so until things change radically.

We are signing players again who are not good enough to come into other Championship teams, but of course they will come into ours. That sums up for me the aspirations of the club.

I really hope I’m proven very wrong, but I’m too old to fall for all that projected cosmetic nonsense.

Peter Milton

Note from Ed (Phil): Hello, Peter. Thank you for your letter.

First of all, I’m sorry that you didn’t want to renew your season ticket for the 2024/2025 season. After what happened last season, it’s understandable, but I hope the club can work hard to try to get fans like you back to the club.

Regarding our current transfer situation, I completely agree that the most glaring problem is the lack of a proven, powerful striker who can lead the line, cause problems for opposing defenders and ruin opportunities that others may not be able to take advantage of.

With any luck, we will soon have a solution to the question of whether Alexandre Mendy will play or not, and hopefully another striker will arrive. It is obvious that Nazariy Rusyn, Hemir and Eliezer Mayenda will not be able to lead the attack effectively this season, so it is something that certainly needs to be addressed.

Assuming Jack Clarke remains at the club for the new season, we cannot expect him to once again carry our fortune on his shoulders, and if Régis Le Bris is to have any hope of succeeding at Sunderland, he must be given the resources he needs.

We’ll see how things develop between now and the big start against Cardiff.

Photograph by Ian Horrocks/Sunderland AFC via Getty Images

Dear Roker Report,

We have enough wingers but not enough strikers.

The strikers we have signed have not proven themselves, so they have to be loaned out or left on the bench. We need two proven centre forwards and not a bunch of kids who couldn’t find the goal even if they were on the goal line.

Eight of our lads have shown they are championship material, but the rest are not good enough and we are not going anywhere until the forward line is sorted.

Before the season starts, I hope the board sees reason, or we will waste another season.

‘Connection Excellentiae’.

Bill Calvert

Note from Ed (Phil): Hi Bill, thanks for getting in touch.

Concerns surrounding our forwards seem to be dominating the agenda ahead of the new season, and it’s easy to see why.

Hemir looks set to leave the club on loan, and while Régis Le Bris has given Eliezer Mayenda chances in pre-season, I’m not convinced he and Nazariy Rusyn are the answer either.

With any luck we will soon make some progress and be able to put ourselves in the strongest possible position ahead of the trip to South Wales on 10th August.

Photograph by Ian Horrocks/Getty Images