Roker Report
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What Can Sunderland Expect From Thomas Meunier?
Before Sunderland’s Checkatrade Trophy final against Portsmouth in 2019, Belgian defender Thomas Meunier, who at the time played for PSG, unexpectedly asked on Twitter if anyone had a streaming link for the game. Fast-forward seven years and he’s signed for Sunderland, who are about to embark on a Europa League adventure rather than one in […]
Haway The Podcast | Meunier Set To Sign For Sunderland & Membership Scheme Launched!
Things are ramping up at Sunderland AFC HQ this week, with the launch of a ‘controversial’ supporter club membership scheme announced and the impending arrival of our first summer signing – so join Gav, Chris, Ian and Neil as they go over it all! On today’s show: All this and more! Get subscribed to Haway […]
Thomas Meunier: An Experienced And Shrewd Addition For Sunderland?
Ben McKevitt says… I can’t lie: when I saw the news that Meunier would be our first signing of the summer, I was a bit disappointed. Truthfully, I’d actually been quite critical of him when watching Belgium at the World Cup and felt he represented the ageing end of their golden generation. That was then, […]
On This Day (15th July 1961): The Secret Transfer That Brought Brian Clough to Sunderland
The regional – and indeed national – sporting press was doing its best to catch up with the stunning news that Brian Clough had signed from local rivals Middlesbrough the previous day. Alf Greenly, writing in the Sunday Sun, exclaimed that “the signing of Clough must go down as one of the best-kept secrets in […]
The Sunderland Badge Opened Every Door
Whilst I’m a County Durham lad by birth, work and wanderlust have taken me to every compass point of Britain. And everywhere I’ve lived, I’ve worn the Sunderland badge with pride. A couple of years ago, family wishes took Mrs L and me to Hertfordshire. The Home Counties. Shock horror. Wilstone, population 341. Quintessentially English. […]
What Will The Future Hold For Anthony Patterson?
It’s been one of the running themes at Sunderland in recent times — the gradual phasing out of the first team picture of the players whose efforts over a four-year period helped the club to regain a place at the top table of English football, with Trai Hume and Luke O’Nien the two solitary members […]
Thursday Nights In Transylvania: Has Football Forgotten the Matchgoing Supporter?
I thoroughly enjoyed Gavin and Andrew chatting on the pod after the Foundation of Light’s fixture release breakfast and chuckled when they said that all these matches were on a Saturday at 3pm – except they’re not. They’ll be all over the place. That got me thinking about the whole fixture-setting process and its impact […]
Has Sunderland Forgotten the Next Generation of Supporters?
And thus another debate is fired up. Just when the waters seemed destined to calm after the tumultuous weeks of the Granit Xhaka saga, Sunderland have somehow managed to do it again. Step forward the new Black Cats Memberships – a new three-tiered membership system that, well, all seems a bit rushed. The premise is […]
Thomas Meunier Signing Makes Perfect Sense for Sunderland
Sunderland look set to announce the signing of former Paris Saint-Germain and Borussia Dortmund right-back Thomas Meunier on a free transfer following his release from Lille at the end of his contract this summer. The 34-year-old, who made three appearances for Belgium at the World Cup and bagged two assists, has a proven track record […]
Haway The Podcast | ROB MASON INTERVIEW | The Gaffers
Hello and welcome to today’s edition of haway the podcast, and we’ve got the pleasure of Rob Mason’s company today. Martin and Andrew talk to Rob about 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? […]
On This Day (14th July 2015): Jeremain Lens ‘Keen’ On Sunderland Move!
Part of the agreement in place when Dick Advocaat was tempted to stay on as manager was the club’s assurance that it would invest in the playing staff before the commencement of the 2015-16 season. In fairness to Ellis Short, he was putting his money where his mouth was as things were heating up with […]
Can Sunderland’s Coaching Team Now Be A Fonte Of All Knowledge?
There’s a new face joining Régis Le Bris’ coaching collective, and the hope is that former central defender José Fonte is going to fit in seamlessly with a group that already seems to be working brilliantly. Having only just retired from playing, Fonte will arrive later this month with a modern-day understanding of current tactics […]
Who Should Sunderland Keep on the Left Wing?
The right-wing position has been a highly scrutinised topic this summer, and rightly so. Bertrand Traoré’s exit has put more pressure on the club’s situation on the right and, even if he was still on Wearside, I think the club would be in the market anyway. That being said, I think it’s only right to […]
A Hat Trick Of Sunderland Games — “A Generational Love Affair”
Our family story of following the Lads begins on November 22 1952. My paternal grandfather was from Burnley and was a Burnley supporter. Unfortunately I never met him as he died before I was born but I’m in the very fortunate position of still having my Dad around — in fine health and fitter than […]
Remembering 1936/1937: The Season Of Sunderland’s First FA Cup Triumph!
As Sunderland scored three second half goals that broke Preston hearts and sparked a Wearside party. Raich Carter fulfilled his destiny and cemented himself into Mackem folklore as the lads conquered Wembley in front of 93,495 spectators on 1 May 1937. The 2026/2027 season marks ninety years since we won our first FA Cup and […]
Haway The Podcast | SUNLUN AT THE WORLD CUP | How Did The Lads Get On?
With Switzerland exiting the World Cup at the hands of Argentina at the weekend, that now means every Sunderland player who featured over in the States has gone home – so, the Lads got together to chat about how they all got on! Joining Gav are James and Ant to chat all about: All this […]
Editorial: Monty Nod The Sign Of A Strong Club – And Long May It Continue
For any of you who’ve listened to our On This Week or Roker Rewind episodes of the podcast, you’ll know just how much we believe the history of the club matters. There have been so many people who’ve contributed to the story of Sunderland Association Football Club, and the ones that have played a positive […]
“1966 And All That”: My First Sunderland Match Memory!
As a young lad in a family of five boys and one girl, it wasn’t often that we were taken anywhere other than with our parents or grandparents. Of course, we “went out to play”, and in many cases we didn’t need anyone else to make up the numbers… because we were the numbers! When […]
The Road To A Landmark Sunderland Season Starts Here!
With the World Cup building slowly towards its climax, the long, hazy summer days showing no signs of ending and the transfer market beginning to show signs of activity, the football cycle that never really stops has reached the stage where excitement, intrigue and perhaps a touch of nerves all meet. Sunderland are back! Well, […]
Balancing the Backline: Why Sunderland Need A Natural Left-Sided Centre-Half This Summer
Let’s be honest: what this football club has achieved over the last 12 months is nothing short of a miracle. From Wembley play-off joy to securing a spot in Europe next season, watching the Lads completely defy the odds has been the ride of a lifetime. But as the old saying goes, the reward for […]
On This Day (13th July 1999): German International Arrives On Wearside, & Swede In Talks
It’s strange knowing what we know now, but on this day in 1999, German international Thomas Helmer completed his move to Sunderland. The 34-year-old central defender had only weeks prior been in the Bayern Munich squad that were beaten by Manchester United in the Champions League final. He’d also played in two World Cups for […]
Haway The Podcast | Roker Rewind | Sunderland In The States
Welcome to Haway The Podcast for an episode of Roker Rewind – and today we’re taking a trip to the States for a deep dive into Sunderland’s US tour in 1980, plus a few others too. On today’s show: The Sunderland trips of the 50s and 60s – Marilyn Monroe, players flying planes, counterfeit money […]
The Day I Fell in Love with Sunderland AFC
Can one freezing afternoon change your life forever? For me, one trip to the Stadium of Light sparked a lifelong obsession with Sunderland AFC and memories that still mean everything. I was about six and a half when I first visited the Stadium of Light — a bitterly cold day on 12 January 2013. The […]
On This Day (12 July 1931): Caretaker Gaffer Alex Watson Passes Away
The Gaffers, Sunderland AFC’s Managers Through The Decades, is Rob Mason’s latest title and is available for pre-order now. Pocket-sized and published by local firm twocan, who’ve worked with Rob on several projects before, it fills a gap on any Sunderland supporter’s bookshelf — think The Absolute Record: The Players, but for managers. Every Sunderland […]
Is Matías Soulé the Right-Winger Sunderland Have Been Waiting For?
The heroics of last season are still fresh in the minds of Sunderland fans, and the excitement is clearly building ahead of a first European campaign in over 50 years. We’re living in dreamland at the moment, with our wildest expectations completely surpassed during a whirlwind 12 months. However, if we were to add a […]
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