If Ellis Short continues as Sunderland owner then they could be relegated from League One, says former defender Micky Gray.
Micky Gray thinks that if Ellis Short continues as owner of Sunderland then the club will be fighting relegation for a third successive season in 2018/19.
It was confirmed that the Black Cats had suffered the drop for the second time in as many years at the weekend following a 2-1 home defeat to fellow strugglers Burton Albion.
This comes a little under 12 months after they came down from the Premier League after a decade’s stay in England’s top flight.
Yet it could get even worse for the Wearsiders, according to former defender Gray at least, if Short continues to stay at the Stadium of Light.
“If Ellis Short stays at that club and he doesn’t put the funds back into the playing side of things – and I say this and I mean it – we’ll be fighting relegation in League One. I can’t see how it’s going to change,” the 43-year-old told Talksport.
“You can’t just point the finger at him. [Chief executive] Martin Bain has got to look at himself because the recruitment at the club is absolutely shambolic.
“Those two guys need to really take a look at themselves but if they stay at the club we’ll be fighting relegation next season.”
Could it happen?
It has happened before in English football, with Wolverhampton Wanderers dropping from the old First Division to the fourth tier in successive years from 1984 to 1986.
There has been talk of a consortium taking over from Short at Sunderland but as yet nothing has come to fruition and Gray clearly thinks that needs to happen sooner rather than later.
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