[4] He developed a reputation for being careful with money, saying that he "hit the roof" because the club were giving free bottles of water to players who would only drink half; he saved the team £500 by stopping this.
[5] In April 2018, Donald was chosen to be the leader of a consortium offering to purchase Sunderland, who were put up for sale by billionaire owner Ellis Short after a second successive relegation to League One.
[8] On 31 December 2019, news broke that Donald was reportedly trying to sell the club after 19 months of ownership, due to backlash from fans.
[11] In an interview with Talksport in April 2020, Donald stated that he was aware that he had made mistakes during his tenure as owner and that he understood the fans dissatisfaction.
[12] In an interview with BBC Radio Newcastle on 17 July 2020, Donald publicly named his asking price to purchase the club to any interested parties.