Sunderland are stuck in a rather precarious position again.
It's been the story of the last few years for the Black Cats, suffering relegations from the Premier League and Championship to two failed promotion campaigns from League One.
Despite a new season now in full swing, it's looking like the traditional predicament is facing Sunderland. They currently sit in seventh and are certainly no shoo-ins to go up.
For the supporters and for Stewart Donald, that is a big concern.
Clearly, the things he wanted to do at the Stadium of Light have taken him a greater period of time than first imagined but perhaps some added investment will help?
It was reported by The Guardian last week that after a period of due diligence, Donald had accepted a bid from Juan Sartori and Kyril Louis-Dreyfus to relinquish his stronghold over Sunderland.
The current owner is set to keep a 15% stake, but everything is not as simple as imagined. That's because Rich Energy owner William Storey, a man who first registered his interest in the club this summer, has said the proposed deal from Sartori and Dreyfus is nonsense, suggesting his bid is in the closing stages.
That has thrown a real spanner in the works but if it is Dreyfus and Sartori in the box seat as we first understood, there is one primary concern.
That was labelled by finance expert Kieran Maguire who spoke to The Price of Football this week about the ongoing takeover situation.
He told the podcast:
"The money is certainly there. My only concern is, is there an element of parents giving the child [a football club]? ‘I’m not going to get you an Xbox this Christmas, I’m not going to get you the latest Lego – I’m going to buy you a football club instead.’
"We’ve seen too often where new owners have come in who are wealthy, who perhaps have good intentions, they can be taken advantage of by people who are exploiting their naivety, perhaps.
"If you look at some of the owners who have actually been very generous – Sheffield Wednesday’s owner, Dejphon Chansiri, he’s put his money where his mouth is left, right and centre; but sometimes you think he’s not, perhaps, been well advised.
"So, that would be my reservation. If he appoints the right person as chief executive and director of football, then I think this could be a real step up for Sunderland."
GIVEMESPORT'S Matt Dawson says...
This takeover situation is a game of ifs and buts.
Of course, when Donald first took over it was seen as a chance to start fresh but things really haven't gone well. The departure of Josh Maja, spending a fortune on Will Grigg, losing the EFL trophy final and then missing out on promotion were all catastrophic moments in 2018/19.
Things then didn't get any easier when they once again failed in their attempts to reach the Championship last term.
It has now been over two years since he took over from Ellis Short and not a great deal has been achieved since.
Thus, Sunderland fans will need to be careful when welcoming Dreyfus and Sartori or Storey to the club.
They may have big ambitions but as the quotes suggest, it can go wrong very quickly. Just look at Sheffield Wednesday. They are now 23rd in the Championship following a points deduction.