In his exclusive discussion with our chief Sunderland AFC writer, Phil Smith, Methven offered a number of updates on the future of the club following their new investment from American consortium, FPP Sunderland. But what were the key points from his engaging interview? Scroll down and click through the pages to see what the club’s executive director had to say on a wide range of subjects – from January signings to Juan Sartori:
13. Methven and the Sunderland board are confident Parkinson is the right man
“We were utterly unanimous as a board that it was the right decision. The references were unbelievably strong, that this was an utter professional. Players, board members and peers who worked with and know him all see him as a very professional manager and that his 17 years in management has armed him with a huge amount of experience. He has demonstrated that he can manage situations. We believe he’ll bring professionalism, a calm head, clarity of thought.” Photo: Frank Reid
14. Sunderland's recruitment team have come in for criticism
Methven, however, believes their work will only be fully recognised in the long-term. He said: "Richard Hill [Head of Football Operations] has done an awful lot of work in 18 months that will probably never be adequately realised. In recent months, Richard Hill and Tony Coton [Head of Recruitment] have understandably but unfairly taken a lot of flak for having to manage, on their own, a very complex and difficult situation. I’d ask that people judge the results of Richard and Tony’s work over a 3 year period, not making them take the blame for a structure that simply had to go." Photo: Matthew Lewis
15. The Black Cats are set to invest in their recruitment staff
Methven said: “We will be bringing in substantial recruitment staff to improve these processes, but that only comes off the back of being sustainable and being able to attract investment.” Photo: FRANK REID
16. Some high praise for Paul Reid
Methven said: "Paul Reid [Academy Director] was handed a very challenging task. Paul is in there all hours, flogging himself to keep things going on a shoestring compared to the other category 1 academies he is competing against.” Photo: Getty Images