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Dear Roker Report,
The Nottingham Forest game was very disappointing by the team but my biggest was the reaction by some so-called supporters.
The performance wasn’t good enough but to hear booing and to see people leaving early was very disappointing for me. These people need to look in the mirror, ask themselves if they’re true supporters and look at what we’ve been through in the last ten years. In our seating area, nobody booed or left early, and we clapped and tried to support the team as I’m sure they were hurting
as we were.
I’ve supported Sunderland for over sixty five years and now attend with my son and two grandsons. I’m proud that they never booed or asked to leave early, and we enjoy going to the match together.
Win, lose or draw, we enjoy supporting Sunderland and having that time together. That’s what it’s all about with like-minded people, so I hope these so-called supporters take time and decide what they are.
Keep the faith.
Bob Hitch
Ed’s Note [Phil]: Hi, Bob. Thank you for your letter.
I did feel that this issue would inevitably crop up again at some stage, and after by far the worst performance of Régis Le Bris’ time in charge, with the Lads 0-4 down at half time and performing way, way below the standards we expect, it wasn’t a surprise to see a mass exodus from the Stadium of Light long before Friday’s game was over.
As always, my view of this is very simple: swathes of rapidly-emptying seats never look great in person or on the TV, but as much as we’ve invested so much into the “Til The End” philosophy, perhaps Friday’s loss and the witless nature of it was just too dispiriting for some fans to deal with — rightly or wrongly.
This will doubtless be discussed after every home loss and/or sub-par performance. It’s not new but as I’ve written in previous replies, if there’s a workable solution to fans leaving early, I’d love to know what it is, because I’m not convinced that one exists, sadly.
Dear Roker Report,
Just what is it with this club at times?
Of course we’re all reeling from the catastrophe that was Nottingham Forest, but to listen to some of the garbage that is doing the rounds, you would think Régis Le Bris was worse than the likes of Wilko and Michael Beale.
I can’t believe the notion of sacking the head coach should even be contemplated after what he’s done for us.
The guy has performed miracles; he took a full squad of players with differing personalities and character traits and he’s single-handedly moulded them into a unit that 99% of the time sweats blood for the cause. At any other club in the UK, the thought of sacking a head coach that — with meticulous tactical know-how — had out-thought and finally outfought other teams on our way to the Premier League would simply be too absurd to even contemplate.
Le Bris has made mistakes and will continue to make them, but he’s far and away the best head coach we’ve had here since Reidy.
He gets us, he knows what we crave on the pitch and he makes sure his players are also aware. All I would say to these gormless mischief-makers is “Beware what you wish for”, as I have no doubt the guy would be snapped up by another top club and then come back to haunt us as we hurtle back down without him.
Sack Le Bris? For God’s sake, get a grip out there.
Peter Milton
Ed’s Note [Phil]: Hi, Peter. Thank you for getting in touch.
As bad as the Nottingham Forest performance and result was, and as important as it is for the Lads to respond with a victory over Wolves this weekend, I fully agree that there are some peculiar opinions being shared regarding Le Bris’ position, and dare I say, a touch of ingratitude despite what he’s done for us?
To have Sunderland in such a promising position with four games to go — and at the end of a season during which we were tipped to struggle by just about everyone — is no mean feat and I think he deserves immense credit for that.
As you say, he hasn’t got everything right but he’s overseen some exceptional results and is well-placed to become just the second Sunderland boss in Premier League history to lead us to a total of fifty points or more.
I hear all the arguments about how the club’s decision-makers are “ruthless” and the like, but only an absolutely unprecedented collapse in form at the start of next season should lead to any real questions about his position. He deserves to stay; he deserves to be backed in the transfer market and he deserves the chance to build on the foundations he’s laid down during 2025/2026.
