Time for FPP Sunderland trio Glenn Fuhrman, Robert Platek and John Phelan to make their intentions clear after £9million loan

Sunderland AFC is at a crucial point in the club’s illustrious 141-year history.

A club that has lifted the FA Cup twice, along with clinching six top tier titles, is at its lowest ebb.

Not even half a decade ago, the prospect of spending a year in the third tier of English football was unimaginable. Now, Sunderland are set to spend a third season in League One.

Things have scarcely looked darker. The fanbase have become disillusioned with the current regime and trust has all-but eroded.

Supporters have grown tired of a string of contradictions, unfulfilled promises and brash statements.

Promises of 100-point seasons and the gravy train being halted may have won favour in the short-term, but fans are now left feeling that there has been little to no actual substance to them. Meaningful actions have not followed.

Indeed, such comments only serve to emphasise the short-termism which has plagued the club since their drop into League One.

There is little evidence of a coherent plan being implemented with the club seemingly stumbling from season-to-season while sticking plasters in a bid to fend off any immediate issues. Yet as each month passes, more and more of these plasters are peeling away.

Perhaps nowhere is this more evident than in the playing squad. Over recent months, the fanbase have also had to deal with speculation that the club’s best players will be moving on despite there having been ample time to sort out contracts. Sadly, this is nothing new. Fan favourites are lost and the academy losing talent.

Year after year, player after player; it’s becoming the same old story.

Who knows what this summer will bring, too. English football as a whole is facing one great unknown, and it’s impossible to predict how the 2020-21 season will look as clubs bid to navigate their way through this unprecedented situation.

At Sunderland, though, we can say at least one thing with certainty. A change is needed.

We have passed the point of no return with the current ownership and a new figure at the helm is imperative. Stewart Donald is not the man to lead Sunderland back to where it belongs, in the aftermath of the club’s lowest-ever league finish.

But for all the negativity around the football club, there is one glimmer of hope; a beacon of light that is offering supporters belief that things could improve.

That is you, Mr Fuhrman, Mr Platek and Mr Phelan.

Supporters have received mixed messages about your interest in the club but, while there has been a lot said, we know the basic fact - you do have an interest in Sunderland AFC.

Two of your group came to the Stadium of Light last season, and we know you engaged in detailed talks with the club’s current ownership over a takeover.

That didn’t materialise, but now we look towards the future.

At this moment in time, of course, there is the £9million loan into the current ownership’s holding company, Madrox Partners from yourselves. That gives you security over the club itself and their assets, should the worst ever happen.

But still, we know little of your intentions.

To be clear, this is not a plea for you to come and buy this football club. You are all astute businessmen who will not need informing about the merits, but obvious challenges, of purchasing a club in Sunderland’s current predicament.

This is merely a bid to learn more about your intentions, and to discover whether the faith and promise that has been placed in you by some supporters is well-founded.

At the moment, there are some quarters of the Sunderland fanbase who are expecting you to ride in on the proverbial white horse to save the day as the club reaches its lowest ever point.

If that is the case, then that will of course be well received. But if it isn’t, supporters need closure.

We know there will undoubtedly be non-disclosure agreements and the like which prohibit you from going into precise details, but there are some baseline facts that supporters deserve to know.

Why did you agree to this loan? Was it about Sunderland, or - as supporters have been led to believe - about their management team?

If the loan is defaulted upon, will you run the club yourselves? Or will you look to sell it on?

And finally, and most critically, is a takeover of the club by your group still possible? Or does the fact you have sought to have FPP Sunderland struck off the companies register signal that your interest has ended?

Despite attempts for answers, these questions have gone unanswered for almost a year now. Time to make your intentions with the football club clear.

If you won’t be taking your involvement any further, if the loan is as far as things will go, please tell us.

Some supporters are clinging to the hope that you will one day take ownership of this football club - but at the moment, that’s all it is. Hope. Nothing more.

The loyal supporters deserve so much more than hope. They have been forced to suffer through far too many false dawns in recent years.

So please, make your intentions clear - and let Sunderland fans know whether their faith in you is well-placed.

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