Sunderland fans have been encouraged not to demand sackings following a poor season.
Sunderland’s board and backroom personnel have been under increasing strain since Tony Mowbray was fired in December.
Many fans wanted the 60-year-old out following a rocky start to the campaign, but things only got worse when Kristjaan Speakman made the contentious decision to choose Michael Beale as his replacement.
There have also been a number of questionable decisions made by the Sunderland leadership, such as the failure to sign a proven striker, the Black Cats bar brawl with Newcastle United, and the decision to hire Mike Dodds for the remainder of the season.
Speakman is one moniker that has received a lot of criticism this season, and some fans have even asked for Kyril Louis-Dreyfus to sell the club.
Steve Davison was the first to be punished for this season’s mistakes, and the club has revealed that he will leave Wearside at the end of the season.
Davison was supposedly to blame for the pandemonium that erupted ahead to the Wear-Tyne derby in January, and he is now likely to extend his stay to this summer.
Sunderland fans urged to stop with the ‘clamour for sackings’
Many fans were overjoyed to learn that the COO was leaving, but journalist Michael Graham has encouraged followers to quit ‘clamouring for sackings’.
He posted on X: “I disagree with the call for sackings at #SAFC this summer. Speakman, Dodds, Proctor, etc. The second half of the season has been a disaster, but failure is not permanent, and I always favor collective accountability to blame culture. “I know I’ll be in the minority (again) there.”
I don't agree with the clamour for sackings at #SAFC this summer. Speakman, Dodds, Proctor etc. The second half of the season has been a failure, but failure isn't final and I always prefer collective accountability to blame culture. Know I will be in the minority (again) there.
— Michael Graham (@Capt_Fishpaste) April 2, 2024
Should there be anymore exits?
Steve Davison may have made some great adjustments at the club, but everyone knew someone had to bear the brunt of the calamity surrounding the Newcastle match, and it was never going to be Louis-Dreyfus himself.
Sacking Davison is clearly papering over the flaws for the club, but there is no disputing that Speakman is already on a tightrope.
I believe that he should be given an opportunity to show himself this summer, but there needs to be a final straw, and we don’t want that to happen when we reach the winter transfer window next season and have yet to sign a new striker.
Fans undoubtedly want everything to work out for him and the club’s new model, but it is entirely reasonable for them to have serious reservations about how things are going.
For the most part, supporters have been quite fair and patient with these owners, but when they make decisions that the entire fandom knows are wrong in front of them, there is cause for concern.
