There is little trust left in those that hold the reigns at Sunderland

Sunderland Chief Executive Martin Bain has gone on record to try and dispel some myths about the financial situation within the club this week. It’s admirable that there has finally been an attempt at some transparency, especially after fans had become frustrated with the lack of investment in the squad during the summer. Yet, after so many PR disasters in recent times there is little trust left in those that hold the reigns on Wearside.

Bain had been relatively quiet since Simon Grayson’s arrival and supporters were left to fill the void, which ultimately led to rumours of the club going to administration. It all sounded very Sunderland which added to its apparent ‘veracity’. It’s also likely that those latest reports sparked the Scot into action and they have now thankfully been largely quashed. However, the subsequent interview with Bain still had the air of a carefully choreographed press release rather than that of a revealing, probing interview.

Bain said, “I recognise that we have sold players for a large amount of money and our spend is not commensurate with that. The truth is that every penny of the £33m that we received for Jordan Pickford and Vito Mannone has gone into the running of the club.”

Interestingly, while the £45mil parachute payment received following relegation apparently has also gone into the ‘running of the club’ there was no mention of the £100mil which Sunderland received for finishing bottom of the Premier League. Presumably that tidy sum has gone the same way or cynically, perhaps it has ended up in Ellis Short’s pocket. Either way, with approximately £1.2mil spent on revitalising a demoralised squad it certainly did not go anyway near the direction of the playing staff.

In mitigation it is an understatement to say that Bain has a difficult job. Years of malpractice in the Boardroom have led to the mess we currently find ourselves. However, Bain’s previous statements have often come back to bite him. Understandably he must feel there is an urgency to try and bring some positivity back but that should not be at the expense of eroding trust further. Even the handling of the Stadium of Light’s 20^th Anniversary match against Celtic was a disaster. Yes, from the outside looking in there has been little to show Bain is any more adept at steering the club than any of his immediate predecessors.

Meanwhile, on the pitch, the football on display thus far is commensurate with what you would expect to see with a squad patched together for what is tantamount to a League One budget. Perhaps that’s unfair but defeat at the hands of Everton in the League Cup was as predictable as night following day. Either way Grayson is at pains to point out that the players who arrived in the summer have a desire to play for the shirt and that is a start. In fairness it has been apparent on several occasions, which is more than it could be said for last season.

Unfortunately the Lads have only been able to cobble together a 45mins to an hour worth of reasonable football during this campaign at best. Therefore, with the Boardroom troubles left to Bain and the Everton defeat mercifully over, Grayson will be attempting to get his team to perform well over the full 90mins as we play host to Cardiff this weekend.