Fans must unite to stop Sunderland turning into Shakespearean tragedy

Well, actually it’s probably more like a couple of seasons of discontent, but given the current weather I thought it was topical.

I wonder if the bard himself were to write the sorry tale of Sunderland’s recent history it would be called something like ‘The Merchant of Texas’ – a tale of a billionaire who is persuaded to buy a football club, makes too many mistakes in terms of employing the wrong people, throwing good money after bad, and then falling out of love and walking away from this institution that is spiralling downwards.

I’m not sure if it would be a Shakespearean comedy or tragedy.

To be honest, the situation at Sunderland isn’t a laughing matter, but then if it wasn’t for the gallows humour, how would you find the will to keep dragging yourself there?

It’s a strange feeling to be honest. It’s been so bad for so long now, the cutting hurt you used to feel so keenly with every defeat has been numbed.

And yet the overall malaise that is engulfing our club, including a stay away owner and a chief executive whose austerity measures seem to be aiding and abetting the crisis rather than alleviating it, still make you angry.

The plight of SAFC may have even reached such measures that people are starting to sit up and take notice.

There will be those from the outside, who look and laugh at where the Wearsiders currently find themselves. But unless you have a deep-seated hatred of the Black Cats or more chips on your shoulder than McCains, then there’s surely little joy to be had in watching the car crash that is SAFC at the moment.

Sunderland fans are now trying to make their voices heard. Many have already voted with their feet. You don’t have to be a mathematical genius to work out numbers have dropped and people are staying away.

But many of the supporters have also started to make their feelings known by signing a petition – set up by Red And White Army at change.org

Some may ask what good will signing a petition will do? My answer is simply if you don’t try, you will never know.

For me, this petition is about fans uniting as once voice and the more that get behind it the more likely that voice is to be heard.

Personally, it’s not about hounding Ellis Short out of town, but rather standing together to show that we care about what happens to our club.

Unless you are one of the big boys who can take winning trophies for granted, it’s probably fair to say that fans of most clubs dream of a return to the halcyon days when their club were a force to be reckoned with.

For most Sunderland fans that has rarely happened in their lifetimes and rather than daring to dream, we are just longing for the nightmare to end.

A rallying cry that saw them claw back a point against Middlesbrough could well be too late to save Sunderland’s season.

But we live in hope.

Even in the darkest of hours there is that little glimmer of hope, that we can pull off another escape.