Bob Murray was a good man for Sunderland, forgive his mistakes and see the bigger picture

Bob Murray was the owner and chairman of Sunderland A.F.C from 1986 to 2006. A local entrepreneur and a self made man, Murray overseen drastic changes at the club which took it into the new century, rebuilding the club’s infrastructure with the Stadium and Academy of Light.

It would be during the Bob Murray years that Sunderland had some of its brightest moments since world war II, including the two 7th placed finishes under Peter Reid and a team containing legendary players such as Kevin Phillips and Niall Quinn. These years from 1998 to 2002 were a golden era of sorts.

But from thereon things went downhill. From 2002 to 2006 Murray increasingly became a hate figure amongst fans, that’s because he overseen two disastrous record breaking relegations in 2003 and 2006, the notorious “19” and “15” point seasons which were laden with financially bad decision making and poor investments in players. The club was left £40 million in debt and things looked bleak.

This led Bob Murray to sell the club to Niall Quinn and the Drumaville consortium in 2006. However, now that nearly 20 years have passed since the departure of Bob Murray, it is ultimately time to reassess his legacy in a more positive light. Bob Murray was a man who made mistakes yes, but the truth is he was always a thoroughly decent man who’s heart was in the right place and there’s no need for bitterness. His achievements outshine his failures.

First of all, Bob Murray saved SAFC from the poor reign of Tom Cowie and Lawrie McEnemy, a duo who sunk the club into the third tier which was at that time, the lowest ebb in its history In rescuing the club, he kept the dream of a new stadium alive. In the years what followed he overseen the creation of the Stadium of Light in 1997 which at the time was one of the best stadiums in the country. We said farewell to Roker Park, but the change was long overdue and needed.

The Stadium of Light has single handedly became one of Sunderland’s best assets in the past 25 or so years, including off the pitch. This has seen some of the biggest names in world music come and perform in Sunderland including Beyonce (X2), Ed Sheeran, Elton John, Bruce Springsteen and many more. It put our city on the map.

Despite the two disastrous relegations, Bob Murray created an SAFC that reached and was able to compete in the Premier League, winning the second tier in 1996, 1999 and 2004. The 1999 promotion was a record breaking one at the time yielding over 100 points. There was a sense of euphoria at the club, which soon led to two successive 7th placed finishes, one where Kevin Phillips was Premier League top scorer.

With the creation of the Academy of Light, SAFC became a competitive youth training outlet which has gone on to produce several of the North East’s top footballers and England internationals, including Jordan Henderson and Jordan Pickford. In addition to this, he also created the charity the Beacon of Light, which has provided ample benefits to people of all ages in the community and countless opportunities.

So in conclusion while Bob Murray made short term mistakes, he nonetheless secured long term gains for Sunderland which have brought untold benefits to both the club and city. He is a decent, honest and local man who’s financial resources were nonetheless limited by how expensive football has become. We appreciate his legacy as a servant of this club.