Ellis Short Sunderland
Short Changed? Life Before Stewart Donald
Another day at home, another day with no football, another day thinking about football, so thought I’d write about football, (with absolutely no obligation for anyone to read). Strange, strange days – on a positive note done quite a bit of tidying up and unearthed this beauty……
Money in football is ridiculous, whilst the current situation will test its resolve, it’s just mental and has been for years…. if the Premier League wasn’t in Year 22, you’d have to question its sustainability? Anyway…. there’s lots been written about football finance, by lots of clever people – but to write about football ownership, one has to acknowledge the importance of money.
Owning a Football Club
Football is an emotional business, it’s a costly business too, often cited as a thankless task. Just look at those idiots up the road with their delusions of grandeur….. they spend their spare time shouting at shops, yet are delighted that their prospective new owners only have a few minor Human Rights indiscretions, but…..at least they don’t dirty their hands with zero hour contracts?
I think he’s done with football, but if I was Mike Ashley, I’d trouser the £300 million and use 10% of it to buy Sunderland.
Working on the basis that owning a club can be a thankless task, with this in mind it’s probably not for anyone seeking self gratification? That said, football is a drug, it’s unconditional love, it doesn’t make sense …. which is perhaps why people who should know better get involved?
Ellis Short…..
Let’s be honest, he’s absolutely minted. Even on a conservative estimate of his wealth, a low risk investment would net him hundreds of millions per annum…. Short acquired a controlling interest in SAFC in Sept 2008, assuming full ownership in May 2009. Nine years later, he sold to our current owners.
Criticism……..
It’s an inevitable part of owning a football club. Our current owners have been subject to plenty of criticism, even on occasions from SAFCBlog! They rode into town, all smiles, high fives, selfies and beers, I never bought into that. Contrary to popular opinion, I never really subscribed to the what seemed like universal criticism of Ellis Short
Transfers…….
- 9 years
- £278 million spent
- £181 million in
As if £97 million deficit isn’t bad enough, circa £45 million received was for a 21 year old who is now the best player in the Premiership and the Captain of England, and a 23 year old destined to be England’s number one for years. Who knows what there current combined market value would be now?
Much as I love Pickford, it was the right move for all concerned. The biggest transfer crime of the summer was this……
Ellis Short Loved it……
Whilst he never craved the love like some others, he loved it……
- Picking up the tab for an entire curry house after a win
- Free buses to Man U, when they wouldn’t budge on £47 League Cup tickets
- Entertaining hundreds of fans the night before Chelsea last day game after survival under Big Dick
This all sounds very Donalde-esque, I know, but Sunderland really got under his skin.
So what went wrong?
Only one man could answer this, but this what I think….
- He backed lots of people, maybe not the right people…
- After years of getting it wrong, he found the Right Man…
- After the demolition of Everton, Ellis and Big Sam sat up all night on the piss in the Hilton. Ellis had found his man, this team without any additions would finish 8th or 9th next season
- The future was bright. England succumb to Iceland and Sam is on his heels….. I genuinely believe it was that simple? That was the night that the dream died.
Surely it’s not that simple?
I think it probably is. Some owners need to be loved by all, Ellis never needed this, but it also accentuates that he definitely didn’t need to not be loved.
No owners are perfect, but then it’s not a perfect role is it? I was fortunate to be in a decent position at Wembley last season, not far from Ellis as it happened. Pictures are open to interpretation, ambiguity etc, but this was Ellis looking at the fans during Wise Men Say…….
Do the right thing……
Time will tell, whilst we have been promised transparency and honesty, for me the jury is out. The numbers will be there for all to see in 4 months. But, it looks like Ellis walked away well out of pocket and for the right reasons?
Of course nothing’s ever that simple and we all have opinions……
Lots won’t agree with this, that’s fine – actually that’s good, it’s all about opinions. Please don’t feel the need to email me; back with more nonsense tomorrow….. And remember….The Grass Isn’t Always Greener…
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SAFCBlog
2 hours ago
Short Changed? Life before Stewart Donald…. @GoldieFTM @MatthewRodenby @stevew_pfc @halftimepiesite @SoccerSartorial @RokerReport @1879SAFC @sunderlandafc11 @Dean_Matthews_ @SafcMerch @old_punky @Sunder_LAD @straydog73 @OuthwaiteG85 @jeffred3098…
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SAFCBlog
6 hours ago
RT @ChrisCollier79: I’ve told my kids that if this gets over 100 retweets, I will let them cut (and colour) what hair I have left and I won……
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SAFCBlog
7 hours ago
@steveovo3 @bignorms @Parky08 @jeffred3098 @YfrontFanzine @Yorktone I was cameraman that day !…
