Fan Letters: "If he is ours, then we support him 100%" (2024)

Dear Roker Report,

Thank goodness the saga is at last over, and we finally have a new head coach in place. It has taken an unconscionably long time to replace Beale, and let’s hope our new man can fire up our team and at least compete for a place in the top 6.

Le Bris is a bit of an unknown quantity as far as Sunderland fans are concerned, but I confess I was encouraged by his first words as recorded by the local press; he seems to appreciate that he needs to get the fans on board as quickly as possible, and that is to his credit.

Now let’s hope that the Board gives him the additional players with the experience to take our young and promising team to new heights!

Roy Swanston

Ed’s Note [Gav]: Hear hear, Roy. I know nowt about the bloke, but he deserves as much of a chance as anyone and needs time and patience to do his job. I don’t see any point of wallowing in misery over this appointment — we’re not going to be able to move forward very quickly if we do.

Dear Roker Report,

Re: Fan Letters 22/06/24

Well said, Martin. I am pleased that I am not alone in the support of my club, and I can only echo your entire comments and support for our marvellous team and the people responsible for backing, financially and committing to the restructuring of a football club that has been decimated beyond belief by past regimes. Let’s all get behind this head coach and hope that he can bring us the success so many of our true supporters deserve and shut the glory/part-time supporters up. Of course, this won’t happen as they will ever so quickly find something else to twist and complain about.

Sunderland til I die!

Malcolm Donnison

Dear Roker Report,

At last! The end of the long and winding road! I’ve had plenty to say about this appointment and its process, but my beef has never been with or about any appointee. As it happens, as the story unfolds, I’m beginning to understand more the complexity of this appointment and agree with the Roker Roar view (more considered than most) that whoever was given the job should be backed 100% by everyone, including the hierarchy. By paying compensation for their preferred candidate, they seem to be indicating a change of policy, which is a good thing. As far as Le Bris is concerned, you have to admire a man who is confident enough in his own ability to take on the job amidst all the noise and negativity. After all, he is going where others have feared to tread! Now if we can just sign a centre forward and keep our best players...

QPR were looking for a six-figure compensation fee for Cifuentes and KLD wouldn’t pay it. Now he’s going to pay well into seven figures for an unknown who has just overseen a relegation in France. I’m bemused.

Stephen Owens

Ed’s Note [Gav]: The Roker Roar View?! C’mon!

Regarding Cifuentes — we don’t know that as fact, do we? The only person who we’ve heard anything about him from is Alan Nixon, who has made several wrong calls during this process and seemingly had no idea that Le Bris was even happening.

I’ll take his word with a pinch of salt.

Photo by MI News/NurPhoto via Getty Images

Dear Roker Report,

Well, it seems that Sunderland have chosen their man, and shock horror, it’s someone Alan Nixon hasn’t mentioned. Nixon comes up with a new name daily and is never right. He either believes his “inside information” after getting it wrong so many times, always adding the word “could” in the article in case he is wrong again, or he makes it up.

Either way, he is a crap journalist.

Gerald Kearney

Ed’s Note [Gav]: Ha... I should have just pasted your letter as the reply to the one above!

Dear Roker Report,

Well, at long last, we appear near to getting our next Manager. And I couldn’t care less if he were first or tenth choice. If he is ours, then we support him 100%. We have had many in the past who came with great reputations and failed miserably. Make sure we all give him total support. He is coming to a different country and that presents difficulties, so let’s not make things more difficult for him. He appears to be a coach rather than a manager, and that should work in his favour. The pressure on getting the right players for him still rests on Speakman. If this move doesn’t work, then the blame will more lie with Speakman than Le Bris. No pressure there, then. Good luck, Régis, and welcome to God’s Kingdom.

Bill Fisher

Dear Roker Report,

At last, they have made a decision. As expected, it’s someone we don’t know much about. But please, can we get behind him and support him and the team? He’s going to need all the help he can get. So let’s move forward and upwards together.

Barry Frame

Dear Roker Report,

I have no thoughts on the manager, to be fair, because I’ve never heard of him. He may be fantastic. I hope he can be a positive influence, but unfortunately, my overall view of this ownership and the model is unchanged.

Let’s see what happens. I will be over the moon to be proven wrong. Unfortunately, I’m very pessimistic about the club ownership and frankly the likely squad that will be selected this season, as I’m confident it will be too young to compete at the desired level.

I’d like to see at least three seasoned, proven players in the lineup, and I don’t think there is a fan alive that doesn’t see a decent striker is a must! If they don’t deliver something of that dynamic, I don’t think anyone can defend the club. I can’t imagine any reasonable argument against signing a few seasoned players given our experience last season.

Phillip Henderson

Photo by LOIC VENANCE/AFP via Getty Images