Relegation not an option – Short

Short took full control of Sunderland in May 2009

Sunderland owner Ellis Short has stated that relegation from the Premier League should not be an option for the club under his ownership.

Short took full control of the Black Cats in May 2009, and has seen on-field improvement during that time.

“The first goal is to never get relegated again,” Short told the club’s official website.

“Overall we need to improve every year and make sure long-term the club is healthy on the pitch and financially.”

Short added: “The second goal is to try to always finish well into the top 10.

“It’s a great club, with great support, we’re all going to do our best.

“I’m not sure what we can achieve, but we will try our hardest to get a team that is good, hard to beat, respected in the football world and one which we can all be proud to support.”

Short was

speaking to the club website

prior to Sunday’s 2-0 defeat by Liverpool, which saw a full-house at the Stadium of Light for the first time since January’s 1-1 draw with local rivals Newcastle United.

What the world will see is a packed stadium of passionate supporters and the world will get the message that this is a serious football club Sunderland owner Ellis Short

“I’ve been surprised that the attendance has been down while we’ve been doing better,” Short continued.

“I worried that perhaps with my financial support the supporters didn’t think it was important to support the club any more, but nothing could be further from the truth.

“The financial support has helped to pull the club up from a yo-yo club to an established club but going forward we will be relying on the support of the fans.

“When that stadium is full it’s an intimidating place to play, it makes the team play better, it causes us to win more, to get more Premier League points, to finish higher up the table and therefore earn more TV money and that’s the financial impact.

“It makes a statement, we’re at home against Liverpool, it’s being shown around the world, and what the world will see is a packed stadium of passionate supporters and the world will get the message that this is a serious, serious football club.”