Martin Bain and David Moyes are forging a partnership which they believe will shape the long-term future of Sunderland AFC.
Speaking in an exclusive interview with safc.com, CEO Bain spoke about Sunderland’s results on and off the pitch, while outlining his vision for stability over the coming years.
From finances to free-kicks, Bain revealed how the club will build to provide Moyes with the best possible support for long-term success as the club continues to cement its place in the Premier League.
“When you come to a new football club you need to look, listen and learn, walk the boards and get to know the people,” said the club’s CEO. “Experience and character [are what stood out to me about David Moyes] – he is one of the top four most experienced managers in Premier League history – and fundamentally that experience, coupled with David’s longer term approach to life, are what stood out.
“I think he’s a builder and I think he’s a guy who absolutely understands the need to win first and foremost, but in parallel understands that the job he’s come here to do, and I’ve come here to do, is to build and almost rebuild.”
He continued: “I think it’s apparent to everyone that we have a journey to embark upon here, so when I first met David we obviously had to discuss a little bit about the past, but together, working as a partnership, it’s very much about how we can’t change the past but we can certainly change the future.
“We now have to look forward and from both our perspectives its very much about rebuilding and getting the basics right, and, as the CEO of the football club, I think that’s the biggest the message I want to get across to people that work here and indeed to our fans.
“We want to get back to basics and we have a football club here that has to be very synonymous with its north-east identity, and I think the fans want that because – this isn’t to be disparaging to anything that’s gone before – I think it’s probably lost its identity, so therefore let’s do the basics correctly, build and take a long-term approach.
“Winning [is my main focus for the next few months]. I have to do everything in my power to help strengthen the squad, and what I mean by that is that my daily task, with David, is to strengthen the team.
“He’s the football manager and he’s out there on the pitch every day – he also has recruitment and everything else to deal with – but I need to ensure that our overall objective is to give him every possible opportunity to succeed.”
