Big Sam Poll: amid FA dithering, are Sunderland entitled to closure?

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Apologies for typos that appeared in an earlier version: an unedited draft somehow managed to replace the finished article and this remained in place, with spelling mistakes, until spotted …

No one knows, or no one is saying, when the FA’s three wise men will put us out of our misery, and end the damaging disruption to Sunderland’s pre-season preparations, and announce their decision on England’s new manager.

Perhaps we have no real right to place our own concerns above those of England, much as some of have felt detached from the national team for years.

But we are fully entitled to feel troubled and angered by the drawn-out selection process and the effect it is inevitably having on recruitment and staff (including team) morale, not to mention the nervous systems of supporters.

Sunderland, effectively, are currently managerless.

Yes, Sam Allardyce will be acting professionally, doing his job as best he can while awaiting a decision.

But it does not take a genius to work out the effect this limbo will be having.

Players take account of who is in charge of teams that want to sign them, or tie them to longer contracts if already there. Owners want to know that money spent on their behalf by one manager is money his possible successor would also have wished to spend. Systems of play may change altogether if Allardyce leaves.

There is, therefore, a strong case for bringing the matter to a head. Is is strong enough?

My choice, and the club’s choice, would be for Allardyce to remain at Sunderland and continue the excellent start he made last season. No manager since Peter Reid (at least for most of his first five seasons) has given us as much genuine hope of stability; that’s not a word everyone likes but what I have in mind is not the stability of being in the bottom six every season.

No one, as I have said, should blame Big Sam for pursuing a job he has always – and openly – coveted.

We can question the wisdom of his ambition but not its sincerity. But the current dithering is so harmful to the interests of the club that the owner, Ellis Short, might be well advised to knock the uncertainty on the head, issue a Stay or Leave ultimatum to his manager and prepare the ground, before it is dangerously late, for a replacement to get started and sharpish.

What do you think? Have your say in our poll. There’s an option to add a response not already among those listed.

M Salut, drawn by Matt, colouring by Jake
M Salut, drawn by Matt, colouring by Jake

28 thoughts on “Big Sam Poll: amid FA dithering, are Sunderland entitled to closure?”

  1. Look on the bright side lads, it gives you an excuse readymade for having another rotten season lol All join in on the chorus, we deserve better its not our fault

    • And the Boro can look forward to a rotten season but without an excuse to fall back on Smogster.

      • Ah why lets wait and see, we’ve moved forward and made a few signings and if it works all to the good and if it doesnt at least we tried and we wont make excuses. But you lot have nothing but excuses and moaning on that youre badly done to by all and sundry, you never just get on with the job

      • Bit difficult to get on with the job when you don’t know who the Manager is going to be for the upcoming season in 3.5 weeks!!!!

        Not Big Sam it now appears!

        Nicely leaked prior to the opening of our campaign, the FA are just pure class…….not

      • This is what that idiot Glenn of the FA had to say

        Glenn was quick to offer a defence.

        “Three weeks. Is three weeks a long period of time? If we’d have done a knee-jerk and done it in three days, we’d have been rightly accused of knee-jerking.

        He went on to say:

        “We’re taking an appropriate amount of time. Of course we’re concerned about how individual clubs manage, etc. We aren’t blind to that, we just need to make the right decision.”

        First time for everything I suppose!
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      • What the hell are you talking about,I wish you would get off here because you are a irritant carbuncle on the backside of humanity!

  2. On a wider front, I have never considered the England Manager needs to be full time. He already has two/three full time coaches, and no doubt others doing scouting for him.

    His main job is deciding upon a playing style, team selection, and above all, motivation. That is hardly a full time task.

    Brian Clough said years ago that h could manage Notts Forest and the national team at the same time, and I believe he could have.

    Sam is hardly Cloughie, but I bet he could do both – without jeopardising his club, or his country.

  3. I’ve voted to stick it out, however hard, in the hope he won’t get it. Anyone else will be a gamble and we should only go for it if forced. Having said that, if it drags on for more than another week then needs must. Perhaps we can sue the FA for mental distress…

    • If Big Sam wants to move on then as much as I think he is a good fit for Sunderland and thank him for doing such a great job for us last year I would set a deadline and start talks immediately with prospective replacements ,
      Any new manager worth his salt will want his own players in any way and so why let Sam take this step.
      My club is so much more important than the England team and I am a true patriot,
      It doesn’t surprise me how the FA dithers along on this type of issue and they have never shown any respect for any club outside the so called elite . lets move on now before it affects the start of the season and we are left with problems that take us well into next season.
      Bye the way I’m surprised that Sam is allowing this to take place. We don’t deserve it.

  4. All it might take to tip this in the “right” direction is for everyone on SalutSunderland to beam thoughtwaves in the direction of the FA: “Steve Bruce… take Steve Bruce… quickly… do it now…”

  5. Now that the FA have spoken with, of all people, Steve Bruce (snigger gufaw), Big Sam should walk away from England and commit to SAFC.

    Does he really want to be associated with an organisation of the three stooges who are incredulously considering Steve Bruce!!!!!

    God, you couldn’t make this up!

  6. I’m a firm believer that, when there are several alternatives, select one which is reversible.

  7. I urge every fan at Hartlepool and Rotherham this week to let Sam know, in no uncertain terms that we want him to stay at our club. He is WANTED at SAFC, he is merely NEEDED at the FA.

  8. Let Sam become part time DOF. That would allow us to bring Moyes in, would not cost us for sack Alladice, we could still claim compensation from the FA and keep Alladices knowledge at the club.

  9. As a long-time – possibly the first on this site – advocate of Allardyce, I’m somewhat reluctant to put this forward as a proposal. But would Sunderland be justified in ending the suspense by summarily firing him and appointing Moyes? Desperate situations call for desperate measures and one thing the club is very good at is dumping managers…

    • The time is rapidly approaching for Sam to do the honourable thing…..either resign to pursue his England ambitions or commit to SAFC and forget about the Englqnd job.

  10. I agree with the comments in this article. I voted for the second option, but, the deadline should have been over by now.

    I have no interest in the national team and never have. The FA are clueless lickspittles.

    Charles W. Alcock, Sunderland boy and creator of the idea of internationals and the FA cup, must be the I g in his grave.

  11. Perhaps a wiser club would have added a caveat to any England clause in the contract. Something along the lines of ‘you will be granted permission to talk to the FA if England come calling but not during the first 18 months of your contract’. Eighteen months of stability may have got us out of the continuous mess we seem to be in.

    • He didn’t have a clause in his contract anyway. The club gave him permission to talk to the FA. The club could have denied him permission. This isn’t Sunderlands fault.

  12. If he thought anything of safc, he’d leave to allow us as much time as possible to find a replacement, and transfer targets, as it stands I want him to go anyway as if he don’t get England job I don’t think he’ll be as committed as when he arrived. Man up and go.

    • It may go the other way Tony, if the FA overlook him again he might adopt the attitude that he has something to prove. Am I clutching at straws here?

  13. Allardyce can also send an ultimatum to the FA.
    We don’t know the detais but I would not be too
    understanding towards the FA or Allardyce. Do I put
    Sunderland before England? Most certainly.

  14. The harm these buffoons are doing to Sunderland is immeasurable. The so called 3 wise men seem to be as clueless as Hodgson was.
    Get on with it and put somebody in charge who understands the modern game.

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