Wise Men Say: Fans' patience being pushed to limit '“ Sunderland MUST deliver

We scrape survival; we think we’re going to be OK the following season. Optimism follows. Summer comes. Tough transfer window. Struggle. Ad infinitum.

This time around we appear to have got a head start on our annual ‘PLexit’ campaign. A threadbare squad on the back of our manager leaving and one of our best players angling for a move away.

Still though, we’re replacing those pink seats. That’s reason to be cheerful, no?

We might grumble from time to time, but we’re a generally cheerful bunch. This time, however, supporter patience is being pushed to the limit. We’ve signed a few unproven players, Premier League reserves if we’re being harsh, and look like losing, on form, one of the best defenders in the league.

Other teams are splashing the cash left, right and centre. This leads to anxiety amongst the support. It’s understandable on face value. A bucket load of TV money has landed on the doorstep of Black Cat’s House and people want to see investment.

Unfortunately we’re probably still clawing back from years of failed investment on the field and managerial departures. That pot of gold has probably already been accounted for.

Right, now for the positive bit.

Like Sam Allardyce was before him, David Moyes is the perfect fit for the club at the current time. He was terrific at Everton and I’m sure he’ll be using his experience there as a blueprint in achieving success at Sunderland. I think it’s a bit of a coup, to be honest.

Yes, he had a bad spell at Manchester United. However, we’ve since seen that it’s not the job it used to be. Louis Van Gaal struggled after Moyes in spite of major investment. I’m happy to write that one off.

His work at Everton is more relevant and perhaps a fairer yardstick to measure with.

The club has been slightly hampered in the transfer market given the situation with Sam. As it stands, it looks as though the new gaffer is trying to bring in promising, unproven talent and develop them. It definitely yielded success at Everton and we can only hope and pray it works at the Stadium of Light.

We are still desperately short in terms of adding proven quality though. Again, it seems every summer we’re seeking to add quality over quantity. Just a few players. No large-scale player turn over.

I suppose this time we have got rid of the dead wood. That leaves us short in numbers, but if we can get a couple of top players in then maybe we won’t be in such a bad position.

It will even leave a crack in the door for some of our more promising young players. It could be worse, couldn’t it?

It’s about time Sunderland gave us something to smile about. We want a win before October. We want stability. We want a team that plays for the shirt and a manager that’s going to do his best for the club and not himself.

It’s not too much to ask. In spite of the turmoil this summer, it’s about time they delivered for the sake of our sanity.