Phil Smith's Sunderland AFC Q&A: Reflecting on another dramatic day at the Academy of Light

There’s never a dull day at Sunderland AFC – and today was no exception.
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With news of the club extending their usage of the furlough scheme and the sudden departure of academy manager Paul Reid, fans have plenty of questions about the direction of travel at the Academy of Light.

Here, chief Sunderland AFC writer Phil Smith answers your questions after another dramatic day:

Q: Do you think they will be looking to appoint someone with more experience as Academy manager or do you think we are going to get rid of our Academy status as Cat 1?

Reflecting on another dramatic day on Wearside - and where it leaves Sunderland nowReflecting on another dramatic day on Wearside - and where it leaves Sunderland now
Reflecting on another dramatic day on Wearside - and where it leaves Sunderland now
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The news this morning has understandably led to concern amongst supporters and it’s little wonder.

We’ve seen a lot of talented academy products leave over the last two years, with Bali Mumba certain to be next.

We’ve seen a raft of players released in recent weeks, leaving the U18 and U23 squads very thin.

All of this has seen many understandably worry about what’s next and whether Reid’s departure is the sign of more to come.

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We’ll have to wait and see, to an extent, but I can say my understanding from conversations this afternoon is that the club will replace Reid, and that they are running the process of doing so.

I’m also told that there is, at this stage, no plans to lose Category One status.

Of course, we know that CEO Jim Rodwell told fan groups at a recent meeting that while there are no plans to scale back, ‘all options will have to be considered’.

What we can say is that Reid’s departure is not directly linked to any such plans.

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I absolutely agree that his replacement needs to be someone of experience and with a track record of success in this field.

It’s an enormous rebuilding job that is going to require immense expertise, leadership, energy and a vast contacts book.

As many have also rightly pointed out to me on social media today, anyone who takes the job will also need investment and support from the ownership, or they will have no chance of succeeding.

Whether they get it is of course the million-dollar question.

Q: Is our Academy in jeopardy now of losing its category one status and what would that mean?

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A great question, not an easy one to answer and so it’s probably best to split it into two: the short and long term.

Sunderland retained its Category One status in February, and this is done on a three-year cycle.

That clearly was a big boost for the academy (and testament to the fact that despite all the challenges, there are still some brilliant staff doing superb things there).

It is, though, a status that is regularly reviewed and so there can be no resting on your laurels.

The club say they want to retain that status.

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In the long term, is the academy in jeopardy of losing category one?

Well, my own view on it would be that it is absolutely not sustainable to maintain it while the results in the U18 and U23 set up are so poor.

I don’t think it is sustainable while so many top talents are lost once they reach the age where they can sign professional terms elsewhere.

There are also some well funded, ambitious teams pushing for category one status in the next few years (Leeds and Crystal Palace are two examples off the top of my head).

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Are the ownership committed to competing with these outfits?

In the short term, that requires significant investment in the U18 and U23 set up.

It’s my understanding that the recruitment team (now led by Ged McNamee who returned this year) have targets lined up and so it’ll be interesting to see how they are backed.

In the long term, it means stopping the talent drain and taking a longer term view on what these players are and could be worth.

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Given how things have gone over the last year or so, I can understand why fans have lost faith in that happening.

Another point stressing is that more generally, Category One academies are not built for clubs in League One.

Two things I’d stress here.

One, is that the club needs to get out of this division; the academy needs the first team to succeed.

Secondly, given that Sunderland has had a category one academy in League One for two years, is the pathway strong enough to the first team?

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I’m not sure, and the players lost in the last two years are only separating the two further.

That needs to change.

Q: Should Stewart Donald do a one time video interview so the fans can see 100% the direction this club is going? A lot of fans on social media believe we are heading into administration..... surely it would be good for some clarity now.

I’m not sure where the administration rumours are coming from but to be honest, I’m not sure that would actually suit anyone.

Sunderland don’t have any debtors.

Madrox of course have to repay FPP (and we have no idea on the timescale) but as we know, the Americans just take control of the club if that doesn’t happen.

Someone with a business background may correct me! But I just don’t see that one and have certainly heard absolutely nothing to suggest that it is the case.

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More broadly, I think some honest communication is long overdue.

We have seen board members claim the club has the best finances in the EFL, and yet many decisions made recently suggest cashflow concerns.

The imminent sale of Bali Mumba, the decision now not to top up salaries of staff on furlough etc.

Every club is suffering and will continue to do so as a result of what is happening in the world.

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Many have been up front about it and as a result, have had a really positive response from their fanbase.

The muddled communication from Sunderland has made that impossible.

There are definitely questions to be asked and answered around the finances given that everything has gone on.

Q: Could today’s events be Jim Rodwell flexing his muscles as recently appointed CEO and looking to employ the right people into integral roles at the club or could it be a major cost cutting/mothballing exercise which will have huge ramifications for the club for years to come?

Could it be a bit of both?

As I’ve said, my understanding is that Reid will be replaced and so it’s not part of a mothballing or downgrading process at this point.

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As we have said many times, however, the club has not been set up in the last two years for success.

While the cost base has come down considerably, there is a lot that now needs to be rebuilt.

Only the ownership can really make that happen.

Q: Do the owners have any clear idea what their plans are if they fail to sell the club during the summer?

I took the appointment of Jim Rodwell as CEO as in indication at the time that the club was unlikely to change hands any time soon.

There is definitely a lot of uncertainty surrounding the first team and the academy sides at the moment, it’s a worrying time for all concerned.

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But I do think there has been a recognition for a while that the club might not be under new ownership this summer.

Q: Not related to any of today’s news, but any sign of the new kits?

I’ll try and get an update on this as soon as I can.

Nike’s contract appears to have started, though. You can see they’ve replaced Adidas on the sponsors section of the website, as well as across the club’s branding.

So the wheels look to be in motion on that one at least.

Q: Wasn't the reason Dave Jones and Tom Sloanes were brought to the club was to advise them on how to avoid some of the recent fiascos that have infuriated fans. Why are these horrendous misjudgements still happening?

David Jones was primarily brought in to advise on footballing matters.

He’s written previously about trying to ensure the club’s recruitment structure, for example, is as modern as it can be.

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I’m sure he’ll be very eager to have his say in the next academy manager, too, and ensuring it’s someone who has the capability and freedom to make an impact.

I agree that the season card process has been handled appallingly badly, and I’d agree that they demonstrate the need to have strong connections with the club at boardroom level.

You’d think someone of Jones’ experience and also someone who has would be consulted properly on such topics.

Both are being put in a difficult position by what has gone on.

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They want to help the club, but their presence of course puts their reputation on the line and so is only worth it if they can make a genuine difference.

That they are still there suggests they believe they can and let’s hope that is the case.

Q: With the carry on at the stadium regarding season tickets I think the season ticket holders will be down. I’m debating whether to renew. What do you think?

I think season card holders will have been lost, absolutely.

Some will not be able to commit at this time which is absolutely understandable.

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I think there are many others who would have done so and would have been open to supporting the club financially, but now don’t wish to do so given the way the process has been handled.

I know many who have been left baffled and disillusioned, and in many cases it’s people who adore the club but aren’t always that vocal with me when it comes to their views on day-to-day matters.

Clearly that’s purely anecdotal evidence but I think many have experienced the same.

That people don’t feel in a position is a damning indictment of what’s gone on and it also is self-defeating in terms of the ownership.

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Season card holders are more important than ever to clubs, and in Sunderland’s case, their loyalty has been utterly vital for Madrox.

The way they have been treated has been nowhere near good enough.

Q: Phil where do you see all of this ending? Administration? Academy downgraded? More of the same to come? Or new owners? Eddy in Yeovil

Hopefully my answers above have given my views on a couple of your points here, Eddy.

Like everybody else, I’m deeply saddened by where the club finds itself and deeply concerned about the scale of what needs to be done to get it close to where it needs to be.

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