Editorial: The Chevrons (and some good form on the pitch) are returning to Sunderland!

Fair play to Mike Dodds, the coaches, and the players... to take four points from the last two games is some going given where we find ourselves at this stage of the season, and what’s riding on these games for Leeds and WBA. Both teams needed the win and we were able to deny them it, so you have to give credit where it’s due.
The cynic in me would probably ask where this level of performance was a few months ago when we were still in the playoff race, but we can’t change the past and at least they’ve reacted well — particularly after the Blackburn tonking — and we seem to be ending the season on a more positive note.
I wrote last week about the importance of doing just that, because it’s multi-faceted. A good finish improves our chances of retaining good players, it improves our chances of attracting a top head coach, it improves our chances of signing good players over the summer, it improves the morale of the fanbase; it improves everything.
We’ve still got three games left to go, but if we can nab another couple of wins from the remaining games (I’m expecting Sheffield Wednesday to be the toughest game given their relegation scrap could go down to the final day, and they’re a much better side than they were at the start of the season) then we can think more glass half full than glass half empty about the summer to come.
I predicted we’d get battered off Leeds and was pleasantly surprised by what we got from the Lads — yeah we rode our luck at times, but we grafted hard as a team. I don’t know if it’s just the reintroduction of several important players who have been missing with injury or not, but it certainly seems to have helped lift the mood. That draw and performance coupled with some other canny news has calmed everyone down, and it feels like we’re getting over whatever had been hampering us for the last few months on and off the pitch. There was the announcement this week of the new kit deal with Hummel, and that probably gave the fanbase more of a boost than I might have realised it would initially. It gave everyone something positive to talk about during the week, and had us all reminiscing about iconic looks from the past — and then the players were pictured arriving at the Hawthorns on Saturday in their trendy new/old Hummel shellsuits, which are a tribute to the ones worn by the 1992 FA Cup Finalists.
Subtly, the kit stuff is a sign that there will be a fresh coat of paint over everything from this summer. As David Bruce (the club’s Chief Brand and Commercial Officer) said when the deal was announced:
Our fans deserve the best and this agreement represents that – it’s for our people, our Club, and our city.
Some may just think this is the club paying us lip service, but it does feel like there has been a recognition from those higher up at the club that supporters need to feel like they’re a part of big decisions going forward. When was the last time we had a kit deal that had the supporters at the heart of it? Everything since the switch to Nike has been a disaster, and to call it non-league is an insult to non-league clubs who have a far better merchandising setup than Sunderland have had over the last five years.
It was reflected in the statement from Kyril Louis-Dreyfus which was read out at the start of a recent Supporters Collective meeting, in relation to the catastrophic way in which the Wear-Tyne Derby was handled.
At the last meeting with Supporters’ groups, we made a commitment to putting fans at the heart of all that we do. That commitment is unwavering, and as supporters you will soon start to see meaningful change. We understand where we need to improve, and this includes an ongoing requirement to continually develop our people and refine our processes. In the coming months, we are excited about bringing that commitment to life and embracing it throughout all levels of our Club.
There was also the announcement of multi-million pound investment into the club’s facilities, where again it was reiterated by Kyril Louis-Dreyfus that these decisions were being made with the interests of the fans in mind:
These upgrades signify a dramatic shift in our approach to matchday experience and each development will bring lasting benefits to our loyal supporters. The improvements we are making will enhance matchday now and in the future, and we can’t wait to experience them side by side with our fans when we return to the Stadium of Light for the new season.
This also included a promise that the club would work with fan groups to identify issues with the facilities at the Stadium as they bid to continually improve things further.
All good stuff, providing they stick to their word.
This isn’t to say that they’ve now got everyone back onside just because of a fan-friendly kit deal and investment in facilities, but it’s certainly a start and it’s a promising sign that they’re listening properly to legitimate concerns.
At the end of the day, all we want as fans is for the club to be successful, and for big decisions to make sense. I’ve heard Kristjaan Speakman use the iceberg analogy a lot recently — his feeling that, like an iceberg, fans only see ten percent of what actually goes on at the club as the other ninety percent lies under the surface and out of sight — so really, it’s important that for the stuff we can see and that we are aware of that they keep the fans as close to it as we can be.
That, coupled by a nice end to the season, would give us a massive leg up in the summer.