da casino： Stewart Donald deserves praise. That isn’t a succession of words you’re likely to hear on a regular basis.
da cassino： The Sunderland owner is a heavily hated figure. In fact, that’s perhaps putting things lightly. He’s attracted criticism from various corners of the Stadium of Light this season, no more so than when he released a statement at the start of January. Within that, Donald confirmed he’d put the club up for sale.
The trouble is, however, that no one is willing to meet Sunderland’s current valuation of £40m.
Bloomberg suggested the Mackems wanted to tie things up by the end of February but that’s now looking incredibly unlikely.
Animosity has followed Donald around like a bad smell but there is one decision he deserves enormous credit for – sticking with Phil Parkinson.
The choice to move Jack Ross on had initially looked like a bad one, so had the move to land Parkinson.
From his opening 14 matches in charge, the former Bolton manager had won only two games. Considerable fan pressure called for him to be sacked and replaced with Kevin Phillips.
What might have happened if that had occurred is anyone’s guess, but the fact of the matter is that Parkinson’s defied his doubters.
It would have been easy for Donald to pull the trigger before the New Year and sack him. However, he stuck with the 52-year-old – a decision that could ultimately prove season-defining.
Sunderland have been nothing short of exceptional in recent months. They’ve won seven matches in their last nine outings and have kept seven clean sheets from eight of those encounters.
Their form has been in complete contrast and much of that is owed to Parkinson. If Donald had sacked him, they would have been left searching for someone who would need to establish new ideas at the height of the January window.
Where is he from?! Can you name which obscure countries these famous players have represented?
Instead, Parkinson was allowed to crack on with his own formulas, while also assessing options to strengthen the squad.
Sunderland have now lost just once in their last 13 outings, a run that stretches all the way back to 14th December.
The two months since have vindicated the owner’s faith in sticking with the current managerial team. It was a brave one, and for that Donald deserves credit.
Should the Black Cats achieve promotion, he’ll merit even more.
Meanwhile, Alan Nixon has provided a HUGE update on Sunderland’s takeover situation…