This may be a little too early for some fans to comprehend. But in the early 1950s Sunderland were known as the Bank of England Club, with good reason: by 50s standards, Sunderland - financed by the rich ship builders on the Wear - merrily splashed the cash on the finest players in much the same way as Real Madrid do today. In case you arent convinced, Sir Alex Ferguson once warned the Galacticos, Real, not to fall into the same trap that befell Sunderland in the Bank of England era. The disastrous policy then allowed the most entertaining stars in the game to dazzle the Roker crowd, with the show-stopper and crowd pleasing, Len Shackleton busy bamboozling defenders. But outlay and acquisitions of that calibre never equated into genuine success, not even for a club at the time bigger than Liverpool or Manchester United, with more league championships, historically than either of those. As bitter-rivals Newcastle were making cup finals and collecting silverware, Sunderland were falling short in semi-finals. In six years we would only mounted one genuine challenge for the league. But as former Sunderland captain Stan Anderson would admit later, the clubs fixation with glory in the FA Cup scuppered that and a seventh title alluded Wearside. That would be in effect the final nail, the spending couldnt continue and as future heroes, such as Charlie Hurley were emerging into a bleak new era for Sunderland Football Club the drop into Division Two for the first time in 1957 beckoned. Sir Alex spoke of bankruptcy in conjunction with Sunderland, which was true financially but probably in another sense, the club would never recover. While those on Wearside were once more trying to find their feet and get back to the big-time, the two most dominant clubs in the English game would emerge, forged by great leadership. Something rather lacking during Sunderlands excesses of the deluded 1950s. Which do you think were the most costly mistakes in Sunderland history? Share your thoughts below in the comments thread.
