On this day (24 June 1995): Chris Waddle ends talks about a move to Sunderland!

On this day in 1995, Peter Reid set to work trying to turn a team that had just survived relegation from Endsleigh League Division One into a potential promotion contender.

The 39-year-old former England midfielder had just successfully led Sunderland to avoid relegation after taking over from Mick Buxton with seven games to go. With relegation secured, he signed a two-year contract with the club and immediately got to work.

He acted very quickly and secured the services of Paul Bracewell as player/assistant coach and within weeks of the end of the season he also brought Bobby Saxton onto his coaching staff.

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With this being Reid’s first summer in charge and given the team’s performance the previous year, the rumour mill was in overdrive and the main one that kept cropping up was the link with Sheffield Wednesday’s Chris Waddle.

It was no secret that the then 34-year-old had grown up a Sunderland fan and was a regular at Roker Park. He had also taken part in trials that unfortunately ended in failure for Sunderland. With only a year left on his contract at Hillsborough, it was clear that Reid would be interested.

However, on this day in 1995, it was looking increasingly unlikely that the former England winger would join Roker. With Waddle on holiday, it was clear that the message was that he would not only reject a move back to the north-east, but also a new contract that would have made him player-manager under David Pleat at Wednesday.

Despite rumours that Stephen Pears was also set to leave on a free transfer from Middlesbrough, Paul Walsh from Manchester City, David Preece from Luton and Rick Holden from Oldham, Peter Reid was already under pressure from fans to strengthen the squad.

The group Supporters Action For Change had issued a statement to reiterate their support for the manager and ensure that he received the necessary support from the board.

To have a fair chance of success it is important that Peter Reid has the full moral and financial support of the Board. We recognise the recent positive steps the Club has taken but we are still a long way from achieving our goal of playing in the top flight. The Group welcomes and supports Peter Reid as Manager.

He has the fighting spirit and will to win needed for a revival. Our group hopes that the club will show real ambition to succeed in the important pre-season transfer market. We see the coming season as perhaps the most significant in Sunderland’s long history. For the majority of fans, it could well be decisive.

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On the last day of the transfer window in March 1997, Waddle finally signed for Sunderland at the age of 36 and provided an unforgettable moment in the final league game at Roker Park against Everton when he hammered a free kick from the edge of the box into the top corner.

In other news of the day: Glenn Hoddle celebrated the double signing of Mark Hughes for £1.5m from Manchester United and Ruud Gullit on a free transfer. Gullit, 32, joined from Sampdoria and is believed to have signed a two-year deal worth £1.6m, and was arguably the transfer that changed the face of the Premier League in terms of attracting the best talent across Europe.

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