Roker Report
Sunderland AFC's foremost blog and Podcast!
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Latest Entries
Haway The Podcast | The Little General | Part 2
Welcome to an episode of Roker Rewind, where we take a look back at some of the people, games, myths, legends, incidents, and occurrences that combine to create the history of Sunderland AFC. On today’s show, we’ve got the second part of our deep dive into the legend of The Little General, exploring just what […]
“Some Bonds Are Too Strong…”
Certain managers and coaches develop special relationships with particular players, partnerships which become intrinsic to success for both parties. The greatest manager Sunderland never had, Brian Clough, forged a hugely influential bond with John McGovern, a player he initially encountered as a teenager in his first managerial post at Hartlepools United. Clough then took McGovern […]
The European Pedigree Of Sunderland’s Players!
Ahead of Sunderland’s first season in Europe in over fifty years, there’s been a lot of debate about how the extra eight matches – and hopefully more – will affect our league form and our squad. It’s easy to assume that Granit Xhaka is the only member of our squad with real European experience and […]
Back To The Minstermen: Zak Johnson Completes Permanent Move to York City
The summer restructuring inside the Academy of Light shows no signs of slowing down, as Sunderland officially confirmed the permanent departure of defender Zak Johnson to York City for an undisclosed fee. The twenty one-year-old centre-back’s exit comes just weeks after the Black Cats triggered a twelve-month extension option within his contract, and he joins […]
Haway The Podcast | Roker Rewind | The Little General (Part One)
Welcome to an episode of Roker Rewind, where we take a look back at some of the people, games, myths, legends, incidents, and occurrences that combine to create the history of Sunderland AFC. On today’s show, we take a look at the legend of the Little General, and explore just what makes Bobby Kerr such […]
The Rise Of ‘Supporter Brands’ And What Sunderland Can Learn From Them
I’m enjoying the World Cup, and I hope you are too. As well as the tournament itself, I’m also enjoying the competition between national fans. It feels like it’s gone up a notch in scale and intensity; a reminder of how powerful and distinctive supporter identity can be. The Tartan Army has done itself proud […]
Editorial: “Permission To Speak, Sir?! – Don’t Panic!”
Keep Calm And Let’s See What Happens… Just three weeks ago I wrote about the fact we should embrace whatever change might come this summer – which you can read here – and this was mainly centered around the likes of Roefs, Sadiki and Brobbey, but I’m not sure I would have included Granit Xhaka […]
On This Day (29th June 1994): Smith Looks To Reunite With Sunderland Midfielder!
When Sunderland dropped to the third tier of English football for the first time in our history in 1987, it was clear a fresh start was needed at Roker. Chairman Bob Murray had looked to the past in an attempt to save us from the drop when cup-winning legend Bob Stokoe was parachuted in after […]
Haway The Podcast | SUMMER QUIZ – PART 2 | Who Will Be Victorious?
We have an early leader from part one but who will come out on top?! Martin, Andrew and Kelvin line-up with Chris as host and we compete our Summer Quiz! On today’s show… All this and more! Get subscribed to Haway The Podcast so you never miss another episode of our free daily show. Want […]
Sunderland Must Stand Firm Amid Chelsea’s Interest In Granit Xhaka
When the news broke late on Saturday afternoon that Chelsea were rumoured to be interested in or had even agreed personal terms with Sunderland’s inspirational captain Granit Xhaka, my initial reaction read something like this… “That’s it. Project destroyed if he moves on. He’s utterly irreplaceable and if he leaves the club, we haven’t got […]
“Que Serra, Serra”: The New Man Behind Sunderland’s Loans and Exits!
Sunderland are set to enhance their backroom recruitment operation by appointing highly experienced Italian Matteo Serra to a senior role. Serra arrives on Wearside from Greek top-tier club PAOK Salonika, where he most recently served as head of recruitment. He’ll be stepping into a vital and highly specific position at the Academy of Light — […]
Could Nilson Angulo Be Sunderland’s Secret Weapon Next Season?
After signing from Anderlecht in January for around £15 million, Angulo experienced a stop-start six months, with injuries interrupting his progress as he made just eight appearances following his arrival. He showed brightness in moments, but honestly probably flattered to deceive for the most part, and looked very raw. For those getting their first view […]
On This Day (28 June 1968): Elvis Fills The Pre-Season Gap!
Sunderland’s innovative Elvis Presley collaboration is now live, with the club last week releasing the first of a series of themed kits. The pink strip pays homage to the ‘King of Rock ‘n’ Roll’s’ 1950s career beginnings, and come the following decade Presley was at this peak, starring on records and in films. In 1968, […]
Who Are Sunderland’s Top Team?
Over the past few weeks, I’ve found myself asking a simple question. Who exactly are the people running Sunderland AFC? We all know Kyril Louis-Dreyfus. We know Juan Sartori. Florent Ghisolfi arrived with a strong reputation from European football. Tom Burwell’s name has become increasingly prominent behind the scenes. But beyond the headlines, I realised […]
Haway The Podcast | REACTION | Could Granit Xhaka Be Heading To Chelsea?
Some bombshell news dropped on Saturday evening – Granit Xhaka is wanted by Chelsea, is understood to be in favour of a move, but Sunderland have said they don’t want to sell! Join Gav and Ant as they react to the news as it unfolded. Get subscribed to Haway The Podcast so you never miss […]
Haway The Podcast | NEWS ROUNDUP | New Strips, Rumours, EFL Trophy Draw & The World Cup!
Ant & Bomber join Chris to talk through all the news that has come out of Sunderland AFC over the las couple of weeks! On today’s show… All this and more! Get subscribed to Haway The Podcast so you never miss another episode of our free daily show. Want to get in touch with us? […]
Fan Letters: Polarising Opinions On Sunderland’s Pink Away Kit!
Want to have your say on all things Sunderland? Drop us a line and we’ll publish your views! [email protected] Dear Roker Report, Can I just comment on the new pink range of Sunderland gear as I’ve seen a lot of negative comments on social media, sometimes vitriolic (as is life now) Firstly, I absolutely love […]
On This Day (27th June 2001): Lilian Laslandes – The Signing That Symbolised Sunderland’s Decline
Much has been documented and written about the success of Peter Reid’s tenure as Sunderland manager, and notably the two seventh-place finishes. That fact has, of course, been resurrected even more at the end of this season, with the achievement of RLB’s team and qualification for the Europa League. I’ve supported the Lads long enough […]
Enjoy the Ride – Sunderland’s World Is Changing
As I stood queuing outside the Stadium of Light club store on Friday morning, awaiting the release of Sunderland’s new away strip for the 2026/27 season, there was a delicious irony as a black cloud appeared and a bolt of lightning struck the banks of the River Wear – a reminder, perhaps, from Elvis Presley […]
So, We Meet Again!
The release of the new fixtures always creates excitement and eager anticipation for the coming season. That very first match, however, seems to carry a little extra interest, particularly when you remember that self-same fixture from the dim and distant past. I knew I had been to Portman Road in August, but couldn’t be sure […]
‘GhisolfiBall’: Using Data To Find Granit Xhaka’s Successor
With the World Cup in full swing, it’s easy to forget that silly season is upon us. With Florent Ghisolfi overseeing his first full transfer window at the helm, preaching “quality over quantity”, it’ll be interesting to see how the summer unfolds. I’m sure none of you have forgotten, but we have a European campaign […]
Kristjaan Speakman’s 10 Worst Sunderland Signings – Ranked
Former Sunderland sporting director Kristjaan Speakman is headed to F.C. Copenhagen, and while the club wouldn’t have reached its current heights without him, there are plenty of misses in the list of 57 players signed during his four-and-a-half years in charge. Let’s take a look at the ones that haven’t made the grade. 10. Ahmed […]
Haway The Podcast | SUMMER QUIZ – PART 1 | How Will You Get On With Our Summer Quiz?!
We haven’t gone done a quiz since our Christmas Quiz, so here’s our Summer Quiz! Martin, Andrew and Kelvin line-up as Chris hosts and we have the first four rounds in part one! On today’s show… All this and more! Get subscribed to Haway The Podcast so you never miss another episode of our free […]
Elvis Comeback Special – The Return Of Sunderland’s Football Pink
Rumours of a pink strip have been circulating on Wearside for a while now, and whilst supporters were understandably cautious given the unpopular reaction to past designs featuring that colour, the anticipation levels had still been growing ahead of the launch of 2026-27 change kit. First of all, club insiders spoke of the kit having […]
On This Day (26th June 2007): Roy Keane Chasing Deal For Striker David Nugent!
Roy Keane’s mission of assembling a competitive squad for Sunderland’s return to the Premier League was ramping up with a list of players now being linked with the club. Already arriving through the door were Reading defender Greg Halford along with Aberdeen captain Russell Anderson, with the club now linked with Hearts goalkeeper Craig Gordon […]
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