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Roker Report

Sunderland AFC's foremost blog and Podcast!

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2 Up, 2 Down: Sunderland Beaten By Arsenal

Gav says… The effort was there — and that should count I don’t believe for one second that there wasn’t a single Sunderland player out there that wasn’t trying their hardest from the first minute. What we saw was our absolute best effort. And if that’s not good enough, well…it is what it is. Unlike […]

NFL

On This Day (8 Feb 1936): Sunderland Do Their Fallen Teammate Proud

With a sixth Football League championship confirmed, 1936 should have been a time of pure joy at Sunderland AFC, but the Lads’ title win will always be marked by a massive sense of sadness due to the tragic loss of popular team member Jimmy Thorpe just weeks before the trophy was handed over. By February, […]

NFL

Sunderland Women’s Rising Stars: The Academy’s Bright Future

There is something unmistakably Sunderland about the emergence of young footballers who carry both the weight of expectation and the ease of belonging. It is a club whose identity has always been rooted in development, in giving opportunities to those who have grown through its system, and in trusting youth not as a gamble but […]

Quick Thoughts: Sunderland Lose Away At Arsenal

Before the game I had a feeling we might sneak something out of it, but that was something that came to me in a dream… Nilson Angulo, off the bench, nicked a winner, Djibril Cissé versus Spurs style. Alas, what happened couldn’t have been further from the truth, but there’s nowt wrong with dreaming. Instead, […]

Haway The Podcast | REACTION | Arsenal 3-0 SAFC | Lads Did Themselves Proud!

Despite fighting for everything throughout the game, Sunderland were made to punish for their slight mistakes as Arsenal scored three – although, it’s fair to say the scoreline probably flattered them. Join Gav, Jonny and Andrew right on full time as they react to the performance… All of this and more – get subscribed to […]

Starting XI: Same Again For Sunderland At Arsenal This Afternoon?

A ‘tough and exciting challenge’ is how Regis Le Bris describes today’s game at Arsenal, and on paper, this is our biggest challenge of the season against a team that looks like the champions in waiting. There’s room for positivity, however – Arsenal have only won one in their last four league games, three of which […]

Score Predictions: Can Sunderland Shock The Gunners?

Martin Wanless predicts… Score prediction: Arsenal 2 Sunderland 2 Sunderland’s first goalscorer: Habib Diarra Arsenal aren’t invincible at home, as Manchester United proved recently, so there’s no reason we can’t get something in North London. Of course it’s going to be an incredibly tough game, but it’s one the Lads will relish and it’s as […]

On This Day (7th Feb 2015): Poyet Praises Defoe After Draw At Swansea

A draw is never a bad result away from home but after the way Sunderland had played in the first half, manager Gus Poyet was left regretting a missed opportunity for a rare three points on the road. Poyet’s side played magnificently well in the first half, where they seemed to be a more confident […]

Match Preview: Arsenal v Sunderland — Tough Task For The Lads In The Capital!

Saturday 7th February 2026 Arsenal v Sunderland – Premier League Emirates Stadium Kick-Off: 15:00 Tickets & Match Coverage Tickets: Tickets are sold out. TV/Stream: Full live match coverage is unavailable. Radio: Full live match commentary available via BBC Radio Newcastle (not online) Don’t forget to follow the blow-by-blow account of the game on the Roker […]

MLS

Lasses Report: The Friday Night Game That Never Was!

There are postponements in football that feel inevitable — and there are postponements that feel like a punchline delivered after everyone has already trudged through the rain, paid their money, rearranged their plans and committed their evening to the game. Sunderland Women’s Friday night fixture against Sheffield United fell squarely into the latter category. It […]

Lasses Fan Focus: Sunderland vs Sheffield United

It was a 4-0 last time out in the league. What are you expecting from the Blades in this tie, and how have things been since we last played each other? Since we last faced each other in league action and after thinking we would be in for a second relegation from the second tier […]

Sunderland’s Emirates Return: From 2021 Cup Run To Premier League Test

It’s another trip ‘darn sarf’ on Saturday to take on Premier League leaders Arsenal at the Emirates, and it’s a fixture I’m really looking forward to. It’s our first game there in just over four years and the circumstances could not be more different than the Carabao Cup quarter-final in December 2021. Then, we walked […]

Simon Adingra’s Exit Is A Sign Of The Times At Sunderland

When Granit Xhaka took what felt like ten Leeds United players out of the game with a sumptuous pass to Simon Adingra, who then composed himself before curling a smart finish beyond the dive of Lucas Perri at the Stadium of Light back in December, was I the only Sunderland fan whose first thought was […]

Who Is Sunderland’s Most Significant Signing Since League One Relegation?

Ben McKevitt says… Enzo Le Fée! What does a hard-working, defensively solid Sunderland team which is slightly lacking in creativity need when trying to escape the clutches of the Championship? Well, a French midfield magician of course. Enter Enzo Le Fée. I may just be his biggest fan but I think it’s completely fair to […]

Lasses Preview: Friday Nights Under The Lights!

A February night under the lights at Eppleton always carries its own kind of electricity, but tonight’s game feels particularly charged. Sunderland Women welcome Sheffield United in a fixture that arrives at a pivotal moment for both clubs, with each navigating the fine margins of a league table where a handful of points separate mid‑table […]

On This Day (6th Feb 1993): Butcher’s Reign Gets Off To The Worst Possible Start

Malcolm Crosby’s sacking on the back of a pools panel verdict summed up a lot about the way Sunderland were being ran in the early 1990s, and the immediate days after his dismissal saw a flurry of names mentioned as possible replacements. Steve Coppell, the Crystal Palace manager, had allegedly been offered the job in […]

Lasses News: Proposed Changes To The Women’s FA Cup

Earlier this week, it was announced that The Women’s FA Cup is facing a moment of reckoning — and the proposals currently circulating feel like they pose a threat to the very soul of the competition. The Football Association is considering a series of structural changes that would fundamentally alter how the tournament works, and […]

SAFC Women Strengthen Squad with Double Loan Swoop for Hamilton & Griffiths

On Tuesday evening, Sunderland Women announced a pair of loan signings that immediately reshaped the complexion of their squad for the remainder of the season. Defender Caragh Hamilton arrived from Nottingham Forest, while winger Mared Griffiths joined from Manchester United, giving Sunderland both experience and youthful dynamism in two key areas of the pitch. The […]

The James Hunter Column: ‘The Price Of Sunderland’s Progress’

In his first guest column here on Roker Report, long-time SAFC journalist James Hunter looks at the departures of two of the heroes of Sunderland’s renaissance… Wembley Stadium, 4:59pm on 24 May 2025, was a seismic moment. Who can forget Tommy Watson’s 95th-minute winner against Sheffield United in the Championship play-off final? It ended Sunderland’s […]

MLS

On This Day (5th Feb 1936): Remembering The Tragic Life Of Jimmy Thorpe

In today’s world of football, many people complain about the protection — or overprotection — that goalkeepers receive from match officials in games yet this wasn’t always the way it was. Around this time in 1936, Sunderland AFC were riding a crest of a wave in the top tier of English football where they were […]