What we want most is what we fear most: Separation anxiety, Sunderland style

Deep down, we all knew that day would come. We actually wanted it to come, although we didn’t consciously want it. Maybe they didn’t, but they obviously wanted them to succeed.

Under its previous owners there was always an expectation of keeping the best, most consistently performing assets, but I can’t say I’m working under a similar illusion with Sunderland’s current setup We were warned enough in advance. Whether skeptical, reluctant, or enthusiastic, the message was very clear. Talent is scouted, developed and ultimately sold to ensure the club’s long-term sustainability.

Maybe it shows how depressed we were at the time, but the implicit, stiff business logic made perfect sense to me. Maybe they forgot how it felt to have invested their hopes and expectations in the key playing staff at the time, rather than just the club itself. Seasonal departures of players and habitual failures that marked dropouts from the EPL and unnecessary residencies in League 1 meant that there were few valuable, unsellable assets in the good sense. How easy it was, at the time, to accept the Faustian bargaining of a process meant to give us the type of player we so desperately needed. However, it was subject to the condition that it would be sold at an uncertain time of its maximum expected value in the future.

This was even easier to accept when the model appeared to be one of the belated gratifications. Patience was the buzzword, as if fans just needed to temper their expectations and put their faith in the new model. There will be failures and conflicts, but Rome wasn’t built in a day.

But the obvious ease with which we’ve adapted to stepping up to the championship is more than preparing ourselves for a day when those responsible for such an unexpected and quick success may move. also suggests that patience may have been inaccurately prioritized. There is), it’s certainly close as January considered a festive period of indulgence.

Patience was prepared, but after decades of watching the best football by Sunderland teams, I find it hard to accept what was so obvious from the start.

Photo by Ian Horrocks/Sunderland AFC via Getty Images

It’s been a long time since I’ve been really disappointed to see a Sunderland player leave. Knowing when to sell players is just as important as knowing when to buy them in order to run a football club effectively. And selling them at top prices must certainly be seen as the right time. Reconciliation is difficult.

Nevertheless, our approach to the keep-or-sell dilemma, as the impressive transfer record of investment in young talent under the current administration compares favorably with that of the past decade It’s reasonable to assume that can similarly avoid past mistakes. Wage structures were abandoned to retain players, creating only dissatisfaction within the wider team, and guaranteed rewards regardless of performance discouraged clubs from overpaying. I think.

There are few examples that come to mind that we are in a position to sell players from a strong position. The two are Michael Bridges, who was sold, and Lamine Kone, who was not sold despite strong interest from Everton in August 2016. The amount offered was substantial and reflected the fact that there was no need to sell. Bridges was an undeniable talent, but with Phillips and Quinn leading the attack, we were able to profit well. seemed to have great assets. In hindsight, money would have been better.

Photo credit should read OLI SCARFF/AFP via Getty Images.

Obviously, I’m not thrilled with the possibility of weeding out a better player, but I hope it’s enough to help me and hopefully allow others to gradually come to terms with that inevitability. In the past, it was perfectly understandable to think that quality players were worth far more than the millions of dollars in transfer Kitty, but today’s recruiters are making an impressive move in the transfer market. The spirit of the camp also suggests a supportive environment free of ego. In the same way that clubs want their best players to meet future wage demands, I think team cohesion should be a priority. price.

In the past, the idea of ​​selling the best players could be criticized for lacking ambition by the club, but for the current owning team there is no escaping the fact that it is an ambition in itself. And it’s pretty lofty too. Being a selling club is no shame. Almost all clubs beyond the European elite can be counted as part of the European elite as well. is ambitious enough for me.