How did the meeting go today? I was quite surprised to see you.
Was it a good meeting? Why did you come for the meeting?
I have no comment to make.
Do you not think the fans have some right to know what's going on with the club?
They don't have a right to know what's going on?
It's not exactly inspiring confidence in the deal, is it, Mr. Short,
if you can't answer a question like that?
Is it progressing?
-No comment. -You've got no comment on that?
Misery at the Stadium of Light
as Sunderland were relegated for the second straight season.
Just 12 months ago,
Sunderland were playing in the Premier League, but today,
they've been relegated to League One, for only the second time in their history.
The club released a statement last night saying, "We're truly sorry to fans
that we've not been able to give them the positive outcome
their tremendous support deserves."
But there remains a burning desire from within
to rebuild and reinvigorate the club.
They said, "We are in a period of uncertainty
around the club's future ownership,
and the resolution of this will be the driving factor
in how we move forward."
Whatever happens with those at the top of the club, it's certain
that Sunderland will be playing League One football next season.
The reality of the situation is that...
Ellis would like to dispose of the football club...
and... is keen to do so.
And that's my task in hand at the moment,
to try and fulfill some of the requests, and go over various aspects of the club
with people who may be looking at it, who Ellis has been in dialogue with.
There's people been looking at the club for a number of weeks,
a number of interested parties.
Hi. How are you?
-How are you? -Good.
Just showing some colleagues around the building.
Hi, guys.
For any new owner coming in to the football club,
there are a lot of opportunities to rebuild it.
There may be somebody who buys it over the next few weeks,
who actually decides very much to keep the structure and personnel in place.
However, going into League One,
then there would have to be some fundamental changes.
There are people who look to their own futures in a time like this.
Seeing uncertainty here at Sunderland Football Club
are now looking and going elsewhere, or are being poached.
So, we've lost three members of staff in the last fortnight,
key members of staff,
who have decided to move on and go on to other things.
So, obviously, that is a huge issue for the club at this moment in time.
It's uncertainty. Nobody has answers, and that's obviously frustrating.
Nobody has answers until we find out who'll own the club and what'll happen.
It's hard, I'm afraid.
It's not nice, but it is what it is, mate. You know what I mean?
You can't do nothing about it.
We don't make the big decisions here. We're not money people.
We just love our work, and that's it. What can you do?
I just hope that whoever comes in knows how big a job they've got
because it's an absolutely massive job.
It's not gonna be a quick fix.
Can't just chuck in a new manager, buy a boatload of players,
and think, "That's gonna work." 'Cause, as proved, it doesn't.
Charlotte has been brilliant. She actually...
We've been together... six years.
Don't know. Seven?
Six, seven years. I don't know how long it is.
So, she's been with me through some really bad, tough times,
and some great times. She's seen it all.
You would want the chance, wouldn't you, to turn it around and rebuild the club?
Hopefully, you'll get a chance to do that.
I don't know. Genuinely.
It's not a normal place
where the chairman is there, and I can sit and say to him,
"Well, you can give me a bollocking."
That's normal in this industry.
Because there's been nothing there...
It is bizarre, though, isn't it? Not to speak to the chairman?
It's incredible.
And Chris has had messages from other football clubs' chairmen,
saying, "Sorry what's happened."
And, "I believe you'll be the man to turn it around."
Haven't you had praises? And nothing from their own chairman.
-It's like... -I don't expect a bit of praise from him.
-We've just been relegated. -I know, but no contact.
It's too late now for contact. Don't even...
It's too late for contact. What's the point now?
But I say again, I wanted to come and manage Sunderland in any league.
I just wanna have a plan and a chance
to put it in a good place.
So, if I'm not here, it'll be because whoever is above me,
above Martin, whoever the owner is, they've made that decision.
It's all right. Come Monday morning,
I'll make him come to soft play with the kids.
What a better way to cheer him up as to go down the slide?
Yeah, that really cheered me up.
I know. I'm being sarcastic.
Ultimately, this is the supporters' event,
and the players and club staff are guests that are invited to come along.
Just because the club and the players have been relegated this week,
doesn't mean the fans should have their event canceled
or shouldn't get the opportunity
to meet the people they've spent money and time following all year.
Can you put your hands together, please,
for Chris Coleman and the Sunderland first team squad?
The worst thing we feared all season has happened to us.
We're absolutely gutted. We're devastated that we've been relegated.
Young Player of the Year.
Put your hands together, please, for Joel Asoro.
Here you go.
End of the day, managers and players leave.
We pass through, don't we?
We're here six months a year, two years,
but the people who are born and bred in the area,
you can imagine, to them, that's much worse for them,
because they'll be here long after we're here.
Now, George Forster won this year the EFL,
basically, Supporter of the Year.
It makes me happy.
-Sunderland till you die, yeah? -Definitely.
I've not got long to go, you know.
Tell us again how old you are.
Ninety one and a half.
Brilliant, George. Fantastic!
Big round of applause for George.
Just the uncertainty for the club, really,
'cause we don't know where the club is gonna go,
and we don't know who's gonna take it wherever they wanna take it.
My advice is to play Joel next year.
-If he's fit. -Yes. Cheers, mate.
-Thank you. I really appreciate you. -Thank you, son.
As soon as the chairman says, "We've got a buyer,"
the cleansing will begin.
I'm still a part of this football club,
and I still hold on to that optimism of it going in a positive direction.
I'm just being told that Sunderland have released Chris Coleman,
from his contract at the club.
They have just released a statement. "Sunderland announces that Chris Coleman
and his assistant, Kit Symons, have been released from their contracts."
"The club would like to place on record its sincere thanks to Chris and Kit
for their tireless efforts
in what has been a hugely disappointing season
for everyone involved with the club."
It was brave and a risk for him, going there. It's a basket case, the club.
They actually need Ellis Short out. They don't need Chris Coleman out.
Something had to change. Now, everything might be changing.
Chris Coleman was the collateral damage.
The manager was let go as the owner dropped bombshell after bombshell.
Ellis Short has cleared the debts
and agreed to sell to a mysterious consortium.
Who are these potential new owners?
We don't know a great deal about the new owners.
Some people say the money is coming from a private equity firm in Spain,
some say a bank in America,
and some say the Uruguayan son-in-law of a Russian oligarch.
Basically, we just don't really know,
but we do know the front man will be Stewart Donald.
This is what he's had this to say:
Even by the chaotic standards of Sunderland's recent history,
this was a day to shake the foundations of the Stadium of Light.
Chris Coleman is gone, the debt is gone, Ellis Short is going,
but at least now, Sunderland fans can look forward to a new beginning.
Breaking news!
Old girl is upset. Look at her.
PATRICK LESCA - CLUB CHEF JOYCE ROME - CLUB CHEF
I'm devastated, gutted.
It's all right.
It broke my heart.
It's not just like a manager and an assistant manager.
We've come to call them friends. They've been our friend.
And just good people.
The gaffer texts me,
thanking us for all I've done for him and everything and all the staff.
"Hello, my lovely. I'm only sad because I'm going to miss you lot.
Brilliant people! Love the bones of all of you.
Can't thank you enough, Joyce, for looking after me
and making me feel like one of your own.
It meant the world to me and Kit.
Well, the football didn't go to plan, but we met some of the best people.
Great club, great people. It was a pleasure, sweetheart.
See you soon. Mush, and thank you."
And that's all. A lovely...
Got a text speaking about the manager, and soon after, about the club being sold.
Of course, it was a shock.
You know, it's already the second time this year.
Last year with Moyes as well. I wasn't there yet.
This is gonna be the fourth manager in one year's time?
To be honest, I thought it was a bit of weird timing.
For quite some time,
there's been a lot of activity and work going into change of control,
and it really all happened very quickly.
I had to have a difficult discussion with Chris, over the weekend.
With regards to my own part in all of it,
I'm only focused in completing the transaction.
But I will convey to the staff
that it's now about new opportunity and a new dawn.
It's been a quick deal 'cause we came in last-minute.
For about a month, it's been absolutely crazy.
It's been 4:00 a.m. finishes.
Any normal football fan will realize Sunderland is just a huge club.
And you think, "Can I really get involved with Sunderland Football Club?"
Yeah, it's all falling into place.
Really nervous 'cause you wanna get it right.
I just thought, "There's a football club
that hasn't had the success in recent years that it wants.
The fans are craving that."
And I think, with a lot of hard work,
and doing it slightly differently to how it's been done,
I can make it exciting for everyone again.
That'll feel great if I can play my part.
When you see what the football club is spending,
and you ask where the value for money from that is coming from,
that was the first thing. There's a big challenge, operationally.
Hello and welcome to a very special edition
of the Roker Rapport podcast where we'll be talking
to the new Sunderland AFC chairman and major shareholder, Stewart Donald.
I've put myself on the line
to say I can do something here that other people have been unable to do.
And I've put myself on the line to be shot at, and I accept that.
So, I've gotta back my judgment.
Jack Rodwell, a lot has been said about him.
-Earning a lot of money. -Yeah.
Fans have grown sick of him. Have you got anything to share on that?
I think you'll probably ask me about him and Martin Bain.
You'll ask those questions. I know what the fans are gonna say.
At this stage, I think the fans have just gotta understand where we are.
We've just come in.
If we make any decisions on the players or the staff,
they need to be the first to know. We must do it in the right order.
It's not fair, I don't think, at this stage,
to discuss individual players, or individual staff members,
before having the courtesy of talking to them.
-Thanks much for coming on. -My pleasure. We'll do it again soon.
Okay, all right. Okay, no problem. Okay.
What are you doing now?
We're just going to have a bit of time without the cameras, if that's all right.
Right.
-Can I get you some tea? -Yeah, lovely.
You just said the word "restructure,"
and that sort of strikes fear in us, doesn't it?
'Cause last time, it meant a lot of us lost our jobs.
It's still raw, isn't it, off last time?
-It's less than a year. -Less than a year.
-In fact, is it a year to the day? -It was a year yesterday.
We lost a lot of staff in here.
Nothing would surprise us.
If I'm still here, I class myself as one of the lucky ones.
It's been said there'll be a restructure.
How far does that come down? Is it every department?
Who knows? Is it just the football side of things?
It's been suggested that isn't the case, but nobody knows.
-Thank you very much. -You're welcome.
Do I need that!
You can see that all the staff are waiting for a conversation.
The atmosphere is flat.
They're all lovely,
bubbly all the time. They're lovely and bubbly with you,
but you can see underneath it, they're thinking,
"What are they gonna do?"
So, we need to evaluate that, really quickly. We started that today.
There are lots of questions, but we just told it how it is.
There's no varnishing the truth, the reality. It is what it is.
Famous last words,
but outside of what we've gotta do on the pitch,
the actual club side,
we're pretty confident we can get it up to speed
quicker than we thought we could. So, it's been a good day.
He's crazy with the dog.
Puppy!
He plays all day with it.
Come on in, please.
Yeah, one game to go...
after a long season.
This is my room.
Definitely, it was a bad season, a really bad season.
But all the times, when these things happen,
you need to have a strong mentality, and you need to learn a lot.
Because it is not a nice feeling.
I am so sad, and sometimes, I cry,
and no one knows, you know? Because it's completely difficult
when you try to do everything, try to play well,
and the result not coming how you expect. It's very difficult.
But you need to be strong. You need to have a strong mentality.
Focus all the time in the next game or in the next training,
because that is the only way you have right now.
We have, maybe in the past one year, not won at home. That's ridiculous.
I think now everything has changed.
We need to start next season... Or start right now against Wolverhampton.
We're going to win the game on Sunday, because we want to win the last game.
We're preparing everything for the next season.
So funny, man.
I've got a good network of people, not just family,
but friends and others who've always helped me with my career,
and they've said to me,
"It's one of the toughest stages in your career so far.
But to get it this early on, maybe it's a bit of a blessing...
that this can happen now, and make you stronger for the future."
That's the way I'm looking at it.
I've been asked to take the week leading into the Wolves' game.
You rally around everybody and draw on support from different people.
The biggest thing I'm proud about with the young players is
they've not shirked it.
Not one of them has hidden in a difficult atmosphere.
In a team struggling at the wrong end of the season, they've all been counted.
Whatever happens to me following on,
I think that's probably the best bit I've done at the club.
They've got a good group of young players that it means something to them.
Yeah, there we go! Good play!
I spoke to the players who were training this morning.
"Whatever is happening outside the bubble we're in,
we've got one game left against he Champions. We'll do the job."
I've asked them, "Be professional. We've got one game to go."
The worst thing in the world is we turn up on Sunday
with the attitude of, "Just get through it."
The Wolves come and turn us over, heavily. I don't want that.
You're in, Maj!
We haven't won enough at home.
Why not try and just go out with something
and beat Wolves, in the final game of the season?
Why would that not be our aim, a game of football that you wanna win?
Well done! Well played!
Today is my last day at the Academy.
It's quite a sad feeling to be honest, 'cause I've made a lot of friends,
and I might not see any of them again.
It's weird. Wait and see. I'll probably go in next week...
to see the manager and the lads back at Palace.
See what the plan is for me.
It's an important time in my career. I'm 25 this year.
So... Yeah, we'll see.
It's weird, this.
Maj, last day here, man.
-Whose? -Mine.
-No, it's not. -I'm coming to the game.
It's my last day in.
It's a weird feeling, mate.
-See you soon, bro. -Yeah, man, see you Sunday.
-See you Sunday. -Watch the magician.
I hope I'm playing.
Well, if you're not, you might as well hang them up.
Right, that's true.
-Cheers, Robbie. I'll see you Sunday. -Okay.
-Thanks for everything. -Good man.
Leanne.
-Might see you Sunday. -See you Sunday.
-See you later. -Thanks for everything.
No problem.
-Cheers, Rob. See you Sunday. -See you Sunday, son.
When you got a pitch like this...
It'll be a good day today. It's nice and warm.
If you like football, it's a day out with the family, kids?
Come to see a match. Bank holiday weekend.
Early kickoff. What more do you want? Sun is out.
I wasn't expecting it to be like this. After relegation on Saturday,
we thought it'd be quiet today, and it's been the opposite.
The queue has been out the door.
It's been positive under the circumstances.
Today, was to renew the season tickets we've had for many years.
I've come for years with my father, and brother, and nephews.
So, we're not going to give up on them.
As I say, I wouldn't not go to the match.
-I've been going all this time. -Yeah.
Will I get a new season card?
You'll get a new season card coming in July.
Thank you.
-See you later, Maggie. Bye. -Bye.
Last day! Last meal!
Last supper.
We're still here,
but it's the last one... with all the players.
Excuse me!
What?
Off!
Can't it wait?
You're on the telly again? It's like bloody Ready Steady Cook!
Red peppers, green peppers!
Yeah, except the food is shit!
-Hey! -I'll remember that!
Youse are all a set of cheeky bastards.
-You can't swear on the telly, Joyce. -I can.
-You cannot. -At youse lot, I can.
You not hungry today?
-I am very hungry. -You're very hungry.
Trust me.
We've got chicken fajita, pulled pork.
See, I thought I'd treat youse today.
They get spoiled. I mother them too much.
I treat them as if they were my own.
Will you not be in next week, though?
Will you not, no?
Might pop in.
-Will you pop in? Promise? -Yeah. I will indeed.
-How are you? -Good, John. How are you?
David!
-See you next week. -All right.
I'll pop in and see you, all right? Don't worry.
No.
Keep the heads up.
Be good.
-Goodnight, John. -See you after, John.
See you after.
We've obviously got new owners,
who are gonna arrive here, before the match.
I really do wish them well.
All I want for this football club is to rebuild
and get back up to where it belongs.
People will have their opinion and say as to why it got here,
and who helped it get there, and everything.
But from my perspective, it needed to be sold.
I don't know. Going into today's game,
there are a whole lot of emotions going round in my head
as to whether it will be my last, or whether I'll carry on.
I'll help Stewart Donald all I can.
If he'd like to take my advice, great, and if he doesn't, I fully understand.
Season ticket, that's a good one.
Shows you how hard-up Sunderland is. I've had it three years.
They're not renewing them to save money. And it's their last time this year.
Right, Marie, I'm off.
I'm going, all right?
I'll see you in the evening when the match finishes, all right?
Off to see Sunderland versus Wolves. Last game of the season.
Wolves have just won the league. Sunderland has just been relegated.
Without the new owners, I think the place would have...
There may have been a terrible atmosphere today,
but I think that's changed it. I'd just love to see Sunderland win.
It's my birthday. What more do you want?
The game will be interesting,
the last game of the season and the reported takeover.
It'll be interesting to see if he's here. There's talk he'll come in with fans.
So, the new chapter starts if you like.
Press has started to assemble
for Stewart Donald's first chance to talk with everybody,
who, I'm sure, have got a lot of questions.
-Welcome to the club. -Hello there. Thank you.
-Charlie, will you be Vice Chairman? -Crikey! We haven't discussed that yet.
Stewart and I are the directors of the acquiring company.
He could see a lot of people, a bit of atmosphere.
That could focus his mind to the amount of investment he needs to put in the club
but also the club's potential.
How much money will you be able to generate to get the team
out of League One?
The budget for Sunderland is gonna be pretty hefty. You'll see us.
I'll take charge of the football club, and you'll see the impact that we have.
It's all about the future now for us. Be glad to see the end of this season.
Looking from afar, but as passionate football people,
we think Sunderland lost its sense of what it is. The club has lost many games.
It's gotta start winning again, and start competing.
To compete, it needs to be lean, mean, and hard.
People will stop seeing Sunderland as a free wage,
free three points, piss take , et cetera. That piss-take party stops now.
I'll give you both teams.
Sunderland: Steele in goal, Matthews, Wilson, O’Shea, and Oviedo,
McNair, and Robson, Asoro, Ejaria, and now, Molyneux with Fletcher up front.
Wolves: it's Norris in goal, Roderick, Coady, and Batth.
Then it's Doherty, Saiss, Neves, and Douglas.
A very strong lineup when you consider they're the champions.
Wolves get us underway, here, at the Stadium of Light.
Now, Stewart Donald is here today to watch the game.
It has clearly changed the mood.
Come on!
Gets it through to Fletcher. Edge of the area. Fletcher now shoots!
It's carried in the air and caught by Norris. Good shot.
-Certainly the brighter of two sides. -Yeah.
We have seen this season, on numerous occasions,
they start well for 20 minutes. Twenty-five minutes, the opposition score.
He's rolled it down the right of the area to McNair. McNair's ball in the box,
and it breaks here!
Put away by Ejaria!
Molyneux's first opportunity blocked.
It fell to Ejaria, and Ejaria scores.
It's Sunderland 1, Wolves 0.
All they're asking, I think, is, "Put on a show."
-Give them some hope. -Give everybody a little bit of hope.
Stewart Donald getting a flavor of the atmosphere here
and what it could be like when it's full.
Little flick to Fletcher.
He's got past one of them. Bart on the back foot. Fletcher's shot!
Dribbles past the right post. What a goal that would have been!
Fantastic.
That's confidence, wasn't it? Would he have done that three weeks ago?
Lifting it over the top.
Looking for Fletcher. Out comes the keeper.
Fletcher gets his foot to it. Will it bounce in?
-Yes! -It bounces in!
It's 2-0.
And Fletcher runs across to Robbie Stockdale
and hugs Robbie Stockdale in the technical area.
All of a sudden, it seems as though the shackles have been taken off.
And Sunderland lead in the 65th minute, 3-0.
And it's appreciated by the supporters. You can hear them.
We are Sunderland We are Sunderland!
All anybody was asking, really, was go out on a high.
-Correct. -Give everybody something to remember.
You couldn't have wished for any more.
Obviously, a few goals. Good goals, as well.
Then with kids in the team, and for me,
to be honest, it's a nice finish.
The next thing people will be focusing on will be the smell of the new-cut grass,
and pre-season, and what players are coming in,
and the whole thing goes again.
If you speak to people in football, there's a phrase a lot of us will say,
and I'm sure you've heard before.
I think it's one of these jobs when you're in it, you want out of it,
and when you're out of it, you want in it.
And I think that sort of sums it up.
There's been something really nice and special
about the people I've worked with at Sunderland.
Yeah, that's it.
How often does a chance
to own a football club like Sunderland come along? Next to never.
So why wouldn't you do it?
To think that you would look after something like that
for a whole community is... Yeah, wow!
It's the journey, and the experience, and the involvement,
and the feeling of getting the club moving in the right direction
with all the fans wanting to be involved.
I've seen that at Eastleigh. All right, it was 300 fans to 2,000.
Imagine if you did that in Sunderland.
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