Roker Report
Sunderland AFC's foremost blog and Podcast!
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On This Day (10th March 2003): Sunderland Sack Howard Wilkinson!
In October 2002, a decision that nobody saw coming occurred when Bob Murray appointed Howard Wilkinson as the new Sunderland manager, with a curveball for good measure in the form of appointing the then Stoke City manager Steve Cotterill as his assistant manager. The decision to appoint Wilkinson sparked shock and surprise amongst fans as […]
What’s The Crack With Gerry?
As a Sunderland fan, I have always tried to avoid being overly critical of our players, or writing them off. There are some obvious exceptions, players who never even tried to look like they understood what it meant to wear the badge or play for this club – yes, Jack Rodwell and Will Grigg, I’m […]
Fan Letters: A Bad Day In The Potteries For Sunderland
Want to have your say on all things Sunderland? Drop us a line and we’ll publish your views! [email protected] Dear Roker Report, Like thousands of others, I genuinely believed the days of us ‘doing a Sunderland’ were well behind us. The beating by Port Vale was inexcusable. I was quite dismayed when I heard Luke […]
View From The Away End: A Bitter FA Cup Exit For Sunderland
One of the (admittedly very minor) drawbacks of Sunderland securing our place back in the top flight has been the lack of new EFL stadia to visit. For any travelling fan, there’s always a sense of satisfaction that comes from ticking another ground off the list, edging ever closer to the fabled 92/92. Thankfully in […]
Talking Tactics: Analysing The ‘Régis Le Bris Paradox’
Famously labelled the ‘David Moyes Paradox’, West Ham have spent the last half decade perpetually firing and re-hiring Moyes after fans grew tired of his conservative approach to games — only to hire a more expansive manager and it have blow up in their face, requiring them to bring back the more pragmatic Moyes to […]
Andy’s Player Ratings: Sunderland u21 5 – 2 Leeds United u21 – Black Cats Make It Seven Wins In A Row
Joe Cowan: 6/10 Had a couple of shots straight at him in the first half and was beaten twice after the break, no chance with the second and almost kept the back post header out that made it 3-2. Jenson Jones: 9/10 Had a really good game at right back and showed why he has […]
Haway The Podcast | MONDAY SUPPLEMENT | Sky Sports’ Tom White On Sunderland’s FA Cup Exit
Sunderland became the latest side to be dumped out of the FA Cup by lower league opposition on Sunday, and it wasn’t fun. Still, there’s plenty to pore over, so joining us today for a chat and to offer his perspective on things is our old marra Tom White – Sky Sports presenter, and massive […]
Editorial: A Day To Forget In A Season To Remember
Watching Arsenal in the FA Cup at Nigel Clough’s Mansfield Town on Saturday reminded me that the task we were due to take on the following day at Port Vale wasn’t going to be easy. It was fun to watch as a neutral, but just as Mansfield reached their peak levels of hope, Arteta sadistically […]
Talking Points: The Ins & Outs Of Sunderland’s Disappointing Cup Exit
Chronic Disappointment First off, I can’t express just how gutted I was that we lost. Take the fact this was Port Vale out of the equation, because it could have been anyone for me – the fact we would have been just one game from a potential Wembley semi-final had we won the game was […]
2 Up, 2 Down: Sunderland Squander Their Opportunity Against Port Vale
Ciaran McKenna says… An opportunity missed We couldn’t have asked for a better chance to get into the quarter finals. After reaching forty points on Tuesday, the FA Cup became a very attractive prospect and we’ve properly buggered it up. Mentality and performance We sleepwalked to defeat there. There was no intensity, a lack of […]
FA Cup Matchday Musings: Sunderland Blow It Against Port Vale
Bugger. Yes, I’m annoyed, and if you’ve opened today’s edition of Matchday Musings in the hope that there would be any gloss applied in the wake of one of the most embarrassing and infuriating cup exits in recent times, you’ve sadly decided to read the wrong article. Why? Because as charitable as one can be […]
On This Day (9th March 1992): Sunderland Head To Stamford Bridge For Cup Quarter-Final
We all know that there’s never a dull year when it comes to following the Lads, but 1991–92 was about as ridiculous as it gets. We ended the previous season as gallant heroes who almost defied the odds to stay in the First Division, and fans and players bonded in an emotional finale at Maine […]
Haway The Podcast | MATCH REACTION | Port Vale 1-0 SAFC | A Day To Forget As The Lads Crash Out!
It was our first chance to reach the FA Cup quarter-final since 2015 as the Lads took on Port Vale and lost out to League One opposition again – so Brett & Jonny joined Chris to go through it all again to try and get right in our heads how that went wrong! On today’s […]
Lasses Spotlight: A Celebration Of Community Values And Opportunities For All
There’s a particular kind of pride that runs through Sunderland — the pride of a city shaped by industry, resilience and community; of people who know what it means to graft, to stand together and to believe in something bigger than themselves. That same pride is woven into the story of Sunderland Women, and on […]
Andy’s Player Ratings: Port Vale 1 – 0 Sunderland – Sloppy Sunderland Knocked Out Of Cup
Melker Ellborg: 5/10 Made a brilliant, improvised save after O’Nien’s crazy back pass and got his finger tips to the goal but couldn’t get enough on it to keep it out. Did have a couple of uncomfortable moments, one with a dodgy touch in the first half and then bringing down a striker after the […]
Haway The Podcast | MATCHDAY PREVIEW | Port Vale v Sunderland | Up For The Cup (Again!)
It’s not often we’re talking about the chance for Sunderland to go through to the quarter-final of the FA Cup – it’s been over a decade since we were last in this position! So, we gather to preview Sunderland’s trip to Port Vale in the fifth round of the cup! On today’s show… All this […]
Fan Focus: What Can Sunderland Expect From Port Vale?
Port Vale are currently bottom of League One, 10 points from safety – what would you say are the key factors behind this? Darren Moore being tactically poor and he didn’t know how to change things when needed. At one point, we had four wing-backs injured and he still didn’t change our shape. To add […]
‘Cup Fever’ Is Catching For Sunderland!
For so long, the FA Cup has felt like a hindrance for Sunderland; a chance to play a weakened team at a half-empty Stadium of Light or to get knocked out at the first attempt. However, we now find ourselves in the last sixteen of the world’s oldest cup competition for the first time in […]
Score Predictions: Will Sunderland Beat Port Vale?
Martin Wanless predicts… Score prediction: Port Vale 0 Sunderland 3 Sunderland’s first goalscorer: Isidor This is a great opportunity for us, and one we need to take seriously – and I think we will. While we have plenty of injuries and suspensions, we can still name a strong team and with a quarter final place […]
On This Day (8 March 1980): No Goals But Plenty Of Entertainment On Wearside!
Sunderland’s 1979/1980 promotion campaign was built largely on the back of some excellent home form, with the visit of Jock Wallace’s high-flying Leicester City proving to be another positive on the Roker record. Both teams were battling it out near the top of Division Two and would eventually go up at the end of the […]
Starting XI: Three Changes Predicted For Sunderland At Port Vale
After a brilliant win at Elland Road on Tuesday all but guaranteed safety, we can focus on the FA Cup – and this is a game I hope we take as seriously as possible. Despite Vale’s lowly league position they’ve picked up under their new manager, and this game absolutely falls into the ‘nothing to […]
Match Preview: Port Vale v Sunderland — Will The Lads Make It To The Quarter-Final?
Sunday 8th March 2026 Port Vale v Sunderland FA Cup Fifth Round Vale Park – Kick-Off: 13:30 Tickets & Match Coverage Tickets: Tickets are sold out. TV/Stream: Full live match coverage is available via TNT Sports. Radio: Full live match commentary available via BBC Radio Newcastle (not online) Don’t forget to follow the blow-by-blow account […]
Haway The Podcast | OPPO PREVIEW | BBC Commentator Phil Bowers On Port Vale v SAFC
We’re back in FA Cup action this weekend and Sunderland head to take on Port Vale, who are currently sat bottom of League One. Joining us to tell us all about our opponents in the fifth round is Phil Bowers, who is the BBC Stoke match commentator for all Valiants games! All this and more! […]
Mr Sunderland: A Testament To Mr. O’Nien
Sunderland beat Leeds 1–0 midweek with what many called a depleted team. The trip to Elland Road was not without its dramas: a Leeds disallowed goal jangled the nerves somewhat before Habib Diarra struck from the spot to take Sunderland to the much-coveted 40-point mark. Yet the highlight of the story has to be Luke […]
On This Day (7th March 1985): Official Complaints As Chelsea Put Sunderland Fans In Danger
The 1984/85 season was a very strange affair indeed. One where we reached our first Wembley final since that glorious day in 1973, but we also suffered relegation down to the ‘Canon Division 2’. The history books will show that despite beating our Milk Marketing Board League Cup rivals Norwich City 3–1 only a week […]
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