Relegation means big gobs of money off the budget and/or down the drain, and that does not escape Sunderland goalkeeper Vito Mannone.
The Italian backstop, 28, obviously wants his side to avoid the drop out of the Premier League for competitive reasons, but understands that the team goes far beyond the players and coaches.
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And Mannone is speaking openly about his co-workers off the pitch.
From The Sun:“I care about each individual that might lose their job. That makes it even more important to survive.
“I love this club and, for my career and for everyone involved in the club, it is vital we come out of this.
“I mean that for everyone. From the office, from the training ground, from the stadium — everyone.”
We get tied up in rivalries and occasionally avoid the human side of this massive business we call soccer, so it’s nice when someone like Mannone helps us remember the other angles. Dislike Big Sam all you like, but there are club workers hoping their paychecks continue for another year.