Sunderland boss Tony Mowbray is relieved to be at a club with a clear plan for growth rather than one where transfer policy is made up on the hoof. Kyril Louis-Dreyfus' arrival on Wearside as chairman almost two years ago marked the beginning of a major shift in terms of both structure, with the club appointing a sporting director in Kristjaan Speakman and a head coach to work under him, and philosophy as he outlined his belief that the club must be run in a sustainable way after years of heavy losses.
Alongside that came a transfer strategy which has seen the Black Cats bring in a slew of talented youngsters - both from outside and promoted from the academy - to work alongside a core of senior players. That vision helped Sunderland win promotion from League One last season and has underpinned a positive first half of the campaign on their return to the Championship.
Head coach Mowbray is on board with the plan, and says it gives the club a defined direction of travel. "I am on board with the ownership," said Mowbray.
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"To have a plan is good, because I've been at football clubs where there is no plan and the manager is in charge and then when the manager wants to grow the team and says we need to improve this position and this position because we can't get to the top six with these players, you are told 'sorry, there's no money'. All you can then say is 'OK then, don't moan if we stay in midtable and just keep going'.
"But at this football club there is a very definitive plan of trying to grow the club, and if we do that and get it right - so if the young players that came in three months ago become established and become integral to the team - I think that's progress. And then if there's another crop coming underneath, we can keep growing from the bottom up.
"The balance looks alright to me at the moment, this group of young players allied to the Corry Evans and the Danny Batths and Alex Pritchards, are gelling pretty well. If the plan is to grow it incrementally, I'm on board.
"I like my conversations with the owners and with Kristjaan. I'm not stamping my feet, I'm not sitting here getting frustrated and angry because we should be getting promotion.
"I understand that it is probably best for a club that has just come out of League One to grow the team so that when we do get to the Premier League, it's not a case of changing 15 players because they aren't good enough, it's about adding two or three who are real high quality with experience who can help the team get through what would be a difficult season."
Sunderland have long-since sent out the message that the days of multi-million pound spending sprees in the transfer window are gone - at least, for now - and the emphasis is instead on savvy recruitment and adding players with potential that can be nurtured and developed. The club's recruitment staff have been making preparations for the upcoming January window, and Mowbray expects a few well-chosen additions rather than a mid-season influx.
He said: "What's really good is that we have got a plan. If we're going to stick to the plan, we shouldn't expect that we're going to be spending millions in January because we are doing OK and we are only a point off this or a point off that. The plan is to grow this club, to keep putting talent in the club, to grow the young players and give them the opportunity to play and see where we get to in 18 months or two years.
"As long as the team is moving forward, I'm fine with it. If someone wants to give me £50m and expects promotion in the second half of the season and you have to buy really, really, top players, then that's one way of doing it.
"If we're going to grow it and bring in some really young talent, we are on a journey and we have to take the days like Cardiff City [a 1-0 home defeat at the beginning of November] at home on the chin. They will happen along the way.
"As long as we can compete in every game and can feel that we are not out of our depth, that's what matters."
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