Sunderland fan group writes open letter to Ellis Short and launches petition calling on owner to go

Disillusioned fans have come together to call for Short to 'treat the club with respect' and find a buyer as quickly as possible.

The Black Cats are deep in relegation trouble at the bottom of the Championship, staring a second successive relegation in the face.

The Echo understands that Short is still keen to sell, having seen a summer takeover collapse, and that the billionaire has reduced his asking price to £50million.

However, with attendances dwindling at the Stadium of Light and the club still struggling with large debts - the last accounts revealed £110million of debt - independent supporters organisation Red and White Army has written the open letter and launched a petition in which they ask fans to sign, demanding Short takes action.

The open letter says: "Do us a favour Mr Short — sell. Make it your number one priority to source a reputable buyer and go.

"The match day experience is unrecognisable. Thousands of supporters have understandably given up and no longer bother. It feels like Sunderland AFC has lost its soul, and with it we'll lose a generation of supporters.

Ellis Short slashes asking price to £50m

"There may have been a period in which Ellis Short was enamoured of SAFC, but that time has long passed. By contrast our infatuation lives on, almost 140 years strong, a never-ending blessing and curse. Owners come and owners go. We’re Sunderland ‘til we die.

"We are a club steeped in tradition with its fair share of glory and pain, but through thick and thin this club has had a heartbeat, a lifeblood that is as passionate as they come. We are not the tatty, discarded plaything of a frustrated and disillusioned billionaire, who no longer finds novelty in owning a football club."

Read the letter in full here

The petition can be found at www.change.org.

Black Cats boss Chris Coleman yesterday spoke about the impact Short's reign is having on the current set-up.