Roker Report
Sunderland AFC's foremost blog and Podcast!
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Latest Entries
Haway The Podcast | HAWAY THE Q&A | What Do Sunderland Need NEXT?
We’re right into the swing of things now that pre-season is over and we are looking ahead to the start of the Premier League, so join Chris, Gav and Andrew as they answer YOUR questions from the mailbag this week! On today’s show… All this and more! Get subscribed to Haway The Podcast so you […]
On This Day (18th Aug 2001): Sunderland Start in Style vs Ipswich – But It Was a False Dawn
August 18, 2001, saw Sunderland kick off their Premier League campaign in style with a 1-0 victory at home to Ipswich Town. Peter Reid’s side were fresh from a seventh-place finish in the previous campaign, narrowly missing out on a UEFA Cup spot, and there was genuine optimism that they could push on again. Over […]
Sunderland Are Ready for the Premier League – So What Comes Next?
The anticipation of next week’s Premier League kick-off at Ipswich is more than palpable – it’s downright frothing at the bit. It’s been a pretty good summer. The World Cup was a decent watch, despite the utterly predictable nature of England’s exit. Sunderland had 12 players representing their respective countries in the USA, Canada & […]
On This Day (18 Aug 1951): Sunderland And Derby Play Out A High-Scoring Thriller
With both clubs finishing the previous season in mid-table and level on the same number of points, Derby County and Sunderland’s 1951/1952 opener seemed like it could be an intriguing affair between two evenly matched sides. It was the second season running that the Lads were facing the Rams in their first fixture and they […]
26/27 Pre-Season Predictions: Potential League Positions And Away Day Excitement
Anth Gair says… Hark back to the era where teams ‘gelling’ was a thing. This can only be good news for us as a side, as this will be their first pre-season together. I know, it’s not always as straightforward as that, but I’m holding out hope that some of the young lads will kick […]
Fan Letters: Who Is Next On Ghisolfi’s Transfer Wishlist?
Got something to say? Drop us an email with your thoughts to [email protected] and we’ll publish them here on the website in our next edition of Fan Letters! Dear Roker Report, I wanted to share two transfer suggestions that, in my opinion, could completely change Sunderland’s attacking options this season. The first priority has to […]
Haway The Podcast | MONDAY SUPPLEMENT | Phil Smith on SAFC 2-1 Rennes, Transfers & More
We’re now only a matter of days away from the proper stuff starting in the Premier League, so we thought we’d grab a chat with our marra from the Sunderland Echo, Phil Smith! On today’s show: All this and more! Get subscribed to Haway The Podcast so you never miss another episode of our free […]
Why Sunderland Can Go One Better Again This Season
Twelve months ago, we were all doing the same thing. Scrolling the fixture list, counting up the winnable ones, quietly telling ourselves that seventeenth would do very nicely, thank you, and we’d sign for it right now if someone offered. We finished seventh. Fifty-four points. European football for the first time since 1973/1974, when the […]
Editorial: Sunderland’s Patience Pays Off as Methalie Deal Finally Gets Done
After several months of talks and back-and-forth meetings, it appears Sunderland have finally managed to thrash out a deal with Toulouse for their star left-back Dayann Methalie that works for all parties. The fee – believed to be worth around £25.7m including add-ons – seems pretty reasonable considering stories last week in the French media […]
On This Day (17th Aug 1976): Beard-Gate — When Roy Greenwood Fell Foul of Bob Stokoe
It’s fair to say Bob Stokoe had an immediate impact when he arrived on Wearside in December 1972. Within nine months, the former Newcastle United player had claimed the FA Cup for Sunderland and navigated our first-ever game in a European competition – not a bad start. But we’d been out of the top flight […]
What Next For Abdoullah Ba, The Last Of Sunderland’s ‘Teens In Jeans’?
It was August 19, 2022, a sultry summer’s evening on the banks of the Wear, and there was an air of intrigue as we trooped to the Stadium of Light to witness what we all hoped would be a comfortable home victory over perennial Championship strugglers Rotherham United. Despite a good start to the season […]
Haway The Podcast | Opening Day Sunderland Memories!
Join Martin, Andrew and Kelvin as we begin the build up to the new season by looking back on some memorable opening day encounters. On today’s show, we delve into the past to revisit: All this and more! Get subscribed to Haway The Podcast so you never miss another episode of our free daily show. […]
Matchday Musings: The Lads End Pre-Season With A Win
The Lads ended pre-season in style, once again facing French opposition that has likewise qualified for European competition in the upcoming season, and, in truth, probably could and should have scored at least three or four more. It was good being back in the SoL. Due to the absolutely nonsensical way the club still refuses […]
Talking Points: Sunderland Wrap Up Pre-Season With A 2-1 Win Over Stade Rennais
The Lads brought their 2026/2027 pre-season schedule to a close with a 2-1 victory over fellow Europa League side Stade Rennais on Saturday afternoon. What were the main points for discussion on a day where a particular transfer slightly overshadowed the football on Wearside? Sunderland sharpen up their chance creation Sunderland looked at their creative […]
Can’t Live If Living Is Without You, Nilson!
The summer of 2021 could be described as the period when Sunderland’s fortunes really began to change. A few months earlier, Kristjaan Speakman had been appointed as Sporting Director, and Kyril-Louis Dreyfus had bought a significant portion of the club. In May, a squad featuring the talents of luminaries such as Josh Scowen, Callum McFadzean, […]
On This Day (16 August 1975): Longhorn Lets Rip Against New Rivals
Promotion had proven elusive in 1974/1975 when a defeat at Aston Villa in Sunderland’s final competitive game of the season saw the Lads miss out at the death. Failure, having spent so long looking like certainties to go up, was hard to take, as was the departure of lynchpin Dave Watson in the weeks that […]
2 Up, 2 Down: Sunderland Ease Past Rennes Thanks To Brobbey And Hume
David Elliott says… A strong outing for Reinildo The left side looked very strong with Reinildo impressing throughout. He also looked a threat going forward and was denied a goal by a fine save. Luke O’Nien shows his class once again O’Nien was solid and has an excellent range of passing that shows some great […]
Haway The Podcast | PUBCAST | SAFC 2-1 Rennes | Sunderland Utterly Dominant!
Sunderland put an excellent second half performance in against another Europa League side in Rennes, setting us nicely for the real stuff starting next weekend – join Gav and James as they dissect all the action post-match from the pub! On today’s show: All this and more! Get subscribed to Haway The Podcast so you […]
Andy’s Player Ratings: Sunderland 2-1 Stade Rennais – Brobbey and Hume wrap up preseason test
Robin Roefs: 6/10 Couldn’t get near what was a great penalty and only had a few soft shots to deal with, although their was a wide open shot very early on that should have hit the target. Showed how good he is with his feet early into the game when he skilfully turned the press. […]
Haway The Podcast | MATCHDAY PREVIEW | SAFC v Rennes | Return of The Big Man
It’s the final game of pre-season before the proper stuff starts next week – join Chris, Gav and Andrew as they look ahead to Sunderland vs Rennes at the Stadium of Light! Coming up on today’s show… All this and more! Get subscribed to Haway The Podcast so you never miss another episode of our […]
Starting XI: We Predict Our Line Up For Our Final Pre-Season Friendly
It’s fair to say that all of us would have hoped – if not expected – to have more new signings in place by the time we got to this point, however the most important thing right now is we’ve kept hold of everyone we wanted to (fingers crossed that remains the case) and we’ve […]
Opposition Analysis: A Stadium Of Light Soirée As Sunderland Meet Rennes
Sunderland return to the Stadium of Light for the first time since that historic afternoon on the final day of the Premier League campaign, when the Black Cats qualified for the Europa League. This is the Lads’ final pre-season fixture, which is against French side Stade Rennais. Rennes in profile – tactics and talking points […]
On This Day (15 August 1997) Sunderland Take On Manchester City In Their New Home
Sunderland beat Manchester City 3-1 in the first competitive match at the brand new Stadium of Light. What a brilliant evening it was! I remember the day well, as I visited our new stadium with my brothers. Of course, there had been a lot of discussions and heartache to get us to this point. The […]
Match Preview: Sunderland v Stade Rennais — Final Step Before The Real Thing
Saturday 15th August 2026 Sunderland v Stade Rennais – Friendly Stadium of Light Kick-Off: 15:00 Tickets & Match Coverage Tickets: Good luck! TV/Stream: Full live match coverage is available via safc.com. Don’t forget to follow the blow-by-blow account of the game on the Roker Report Twitter feed (@RokerReport) and check out the player ratings after […]
Haway The Podcast | NEW KIT + NEWS | Phil Bardsley EXCLUSIVE & Sunderland Ticketing Issues
What’s gaaaaarn on everyone?! It’s time for another catchup on the latest news in the world of Sunderland AFC, so stick yer earphones in and listen as Gav, Chris, Ant and Andrew chat over it all! On today’s show: All this and more! Get subscribed to Haway The Podcast so you never miss another episode […]
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