The latest edition of the Sunderland weekly round-up takes a look at the latest news from Stadium of Light. The Black Cats played twice during the last week with mixed results. New owner and chairman Kyril Louis-Dreyfus spoke for the first time about his vision for the future of the club. Plus, there’s all the rest of the news from the past week on Wearside.
New Black Cats Owner Sets Out Long-Term Vision for the Club
Kyril Louis-Dreyfus Delivers Vision
New Black Cats owner Kyril Louis-Dreyfus has begun to deliver his vision for the club going forward. He believes that the club needs to be rebuilt again following years of disappointing results on and off the field. During an interview with safc.com, he said: “I think it’s very important in football not to panic. A key moment will be this season. I truly believe we can get promoted this season because we have a very strong squad. a good manager and the league is still open to play.
“However, we need to follow our long-term plan. We can’t panic if we fall short this year. We believe the club needs to be rebuilt from the foundation and it starts with the appointments of Kristjaan, Steve and Lee.
“There will be multiple appointments following in the next weeks. We’ve had the academy leadership team announced this week and we slowly start to rebuild.
“The next months will be challenging and there are pandemic-related losses that will require investment from the ownership. But we’re confident that over time we will get out of this stronger and bring success.”
New Black Cats Owner in Attendance as Fleetwood Town Defeated
Lee Johnson’s side made it three league wins from three games as they defeated former manager Simon Grayson’s Fleetwood side. New owner Kyril Louis-Dreyfus was once again in attendance; however, he had to wait for his new club to find a way through a stubborn opposition.
It took the Black Cats until the 61st minute to find a breakthrough. Aiden McGeady was once again the supplier to a goal when his cross was headed in by Aiden O’Brien. Sunderland took control of the game and it came as no surprise when their lead was extended. Captain Max Power sealed the win, connecting with a Chris Maguire corner. The victory moved Sunderland up the table and continued their momentum as they push for promotion.
Two Stunning Goals Rescue a Point
Sunderland travelled to Crewe Alexandra on Saturday looking for another three points. However, the home side had no intention of giving the visitors an easy game. Crewe were the better team during the first half as Lee Johnson’s side surprisingly struggled. It was little surprise that Crewe went in at half time winning 2-0.
The inevitable improvement came from the Black Cats in the second half. On the hour, with the score still the same, Lee Johnson made a quadruple change and soon the game began to be all about Sunderland. On 77 minutes, January signing Jordan Jones cut inside from the left-wing and unleashed an unstoppable drive into the top corner to reduce the deficit.
Sunderland poured forward looking for an equaliser and when it appeared that they would be defeated, Chris Maguire scored a spectacular goal from the edge of the area to rescue a point.
Injury News
Grant Leadbitter has been added to those currently on the injury list. The experienced midfielder came on as a second-half substitute but last only minutes due to dislocating his shoulder. It is hoped that due to medical staff being able to put his shoulder back in place, he shouldn’t be unavailable for too long.
Leadbitter joins fellow first-team players Denver Hume, Tom Flanagan, Bailey Wright, Jordan Willis and January signing Ross Stewart on the treatment table.
Changes Continue Off the Field as New Black Cats Owner Makes His Mark
Since the arrival of Kyril Louis-Dreyfus at Sunderland, changes have been made and they appear to be set to continue for the foreseeable. The club issued a statement, which read: “Sunderland AFC today announced that long-serving Finance Director Angela Lowes is to step down from her role with immediate effect.
“Angela has been a loyal servant to the club for more than 20 years, having joined in 2000 and been a member of the Board of Directors since 2011.”
Lowes follows Jim Rodwell out of the club in the past week, as Sunderland’s new owner begins to restructure behind the seasons at the Stadium of Light.
Recently, Lewis Dickman and Leann Cowperthwaite joined and will undertake the respective roles of Academy Manager and Head of Academy Operations. Stuart English becomes the club’s new Head of Coaching.
Club Want Luke O’Nien to Sign New Long-Term Contract
According to reports in the Sunday Mirror newspaper and the Sunderland Echo, the Black Cats are keen to agree on a new contract with fan favourite and their very own dependable Mr Versatile Luke O’Nien. The consistent performer has played in midfield, at right-back, central defence and left-back during his time on Wearside.
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