I’M beginning to feel that I’m in the midst of a personal campaign against The Northern Echo; I’m not, nor do I wish to be.

However I feel that I would like to express my disappointment with some elements of Scott Wilson’s article following the Sunderland v Lincoln match at the weekend.

In a previous letter, (HAS, Dec 31), I mentioned the negative way in which some items and reports appear in the local press, including The Northern Echo. I know it has long been an issue, hinted at by many managers of SAFC, Newcastle United, and Middlesbrough. It’s perhaps part of what the same press refer to as the “hotbed of North-East football”.

Mr Wilson’s article, in my opinion, somewhat reservedly acknowledges the fact that signs of improvement are beginning to show on the pitch at the Stadium of Light.

He’s reflecting upon results in the previous three games. As a chief sports reporter, I feel he should be capable of recognising that those green shoots of improvement were there during the Boxing Day match versus Bolton and even prior to that; yet The Northern Echo chose to focus upon the ridiculous response of the “noisy army”, who shout first and then perhaps think later.

Anyone with an understanding of sport in general and football in particular, would appreciate that Phil Parkinson, when first arriving at Sunderland was faced with an under-performing squad of players trying to play a style of football which had proved to be unsuccessful in League One during the previous season, a series of cup ties which the club didn’t really need and no real time to assess his players or to work with them on the training pitch.

There was/is also all the political stuff going on at board level to cope with and yet the Echo and other local papers gave him little time, understanding or support. No wonder he and Jack Ross before him became so fed up with the Hotbed of North-East football that they elected to withdraw from some of their dealings with the press.

So here we are following a good performance against Lincoln and Scott Wilson does offer some recognition of growing momentum and light at the end of the tunnel. Then in the very same article he suggests that all will be lost and we’ll be back to square one should we fail against league leaders Wycombe on Saturday.

Should we fail to win we will either have drawn or lost one game of football. Nothing more, nothing less.

We have a manager who chose none of his current squad, has been in post for a few months, was faced with matches he probably would have chosen not to play but has been expected to improve and change everything almost immediately.

Scott Wilson and the “noisy army”, please take a deep breath before you write or speak.

Alan Jackson, Tudhoe Village.