Dear Roker Report,

If we play like this for the first ten games of next season, a relegation battle will be on the cards.

The fans are the only ones who deserve credit, as they never gave up.

We need to get rid of Anthony Patterson as he’s useless at dealing with crosses from the wings. Elsewhere, Jobe simply runs around aimlessly and Hemir is as bad as Mason Burstow, and he must go.

Watford hadn’t won at home since November…what a laugh.

Bill Calvert

Ed’s Note [Phil]: Hi, Bill. Thank you for your letter.

Saturday was a dismal and dispiriting day, without a doubt.

It feels like the season is destined to end on a flat note, as I wouldn’t be surprised if Sheffield Wednesday end their own campaign with a victory on Saturday.

I don’t think Anthony Patterson did a great deal wrong against Watford. There was a lack of energy from Jobe, and Hemir unselfishly tried to tee up Patrick Roberts instead of going for goal himself, so it was very much a mixed bag for the players you mentioned.

Let’s hope they can rouse themselves for the season finale. They owe it to the fans.

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Dear Roker Report,

I just wanted to say how far we are away from being a first class club.

Liverpool, for example, have already got their next manager lined up, whereas we’ve been without a head coach for months and are still floundering, with no idea who’ll take over.

It’s about time the owners grasped the nettle and named our next head coach.

They’ve had enough time, or do they not have any idea as to who they want or in which direction this club is going?

Barry Frame

Ed’s Note [Phil]: Hi, Barry. Thank you for getting in touch.

I agree that the fact we’re currently in a state of limbo regarding our new head coach isn’t ideal, and I sincerely hope that the process has been thorough as they search for a permanent successor to Michael Beale.

This is a very important decision and they have to get it right. Fan patience is running low and another underwhelming appointment would merely compound the problem.

Let’s hope they’ve got some potential candidates in mind- and candidates who’d be well-suited to the role, at that.

Photo by Ian Horrocks/Sunderland AFC via Getty Images

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Dear Roker Report,

As a twelve year old boy, I went to my first Sunderland match at Roker Park in 1961, as the Lads took on Aston Villa on a darkening autumn evening. What an atmosphere and what an experience.

I’d read about and seen pictures of Charlie Hurley in the Football Echo but when he stood in front of me at the Fulwell End goal, I couldn’t believe how huge he was. He must’ve been defending because he hadn’t even started to go up for corners at the time.

Charlie was probably the major factor behind me catching the Sunderland bug and it’s stayed with me for sixty three years. In fact, my life would’ve been totally different if I hadn’t gone to Roker Park that night.

Rather like Roy Keane at Manchester United, Dave Mackay at Spurs and Derby, and Tommy Smith at Liverpool, when you saw Hurley’s name on the team sheet, you knew the players around him would give their all. He was our leader; a superb, unhurried defender and a giant of a man.

It’s been suggested that the Sheffield Wednesday game should be renamed in honour of Charlie, but the way things are panning out at the moment, I don’t think it’s a good idea.

Remember him by all means, but please don’t link him to the current team and another potentially disappointing day.

Also, if the suggestion of naming a stand after Charlie is ever taken up by the club, perhaps the following players should also be considered: Raich Carter, Jimmy Montgomery, Brian Clough, Niall Quinn, Kevin Ball and Kevin Phillips.

Stand names could be reviewed every ten years, just in case others come into consideration.

Alan Jackson

Ed’s Note [Phil]: Hi, Alan. Thank you for getting in touch and for sharing your memories of ‘The King’. Indeed, the fact that you mentioned his name alongside other true greats of the English game speaks volumes.

Personally, I feel that Saturday’s final game against Sheffield Wednesday should be about one man and one man only, regardless of whether we win, lose or draw, and that man is Charlie Hurley.

Despite the prospect of a very sour ending to the Championship season, I don’t think it should overshadow what’ll be a very emotional occasion as we salute one of our greatest ever players, and perhaps the current players can tap into that emotion and use it to drive themselves onwards to victory.

Both sets of supporters will doubtless be in full voice, and it’ll hopefully be a fitting way to pay tribute to a true Sunderland icon. It’s nothing less than he deserves.

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