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This season, Sunderland love a late goal and Brian Brobbey’s 94th-minute finish on Saturday was just the latest in a catalogue dating back to the playoffs in May. This one was special because it helped us come from behind against one of the best teams in the country to get a point that we never […]
When I walk through the turnstiles at the North West Corner on matchdays, I’m greeted — as we all are — by the sight of the red and white-clad concourse and a pair of beautifully-painted murals of two all-time Sunderland icons — Leonard Francis Shackleton and Kevin Phillips, whose likenesses proudly adorn the walls and […]
The summer of 2007 heralded the next step of the magic carpet ride, and it potentially came quicker than the new owners and chairman Niall Quinn had expected. Roy Keane entered the scene with the club sitting bottom of the Championship and once the burners were put on full following the January transfer window we […]
By Michael Conroy I have supported Sunderland for 39 years, and the majority of those 39 years have drifted from mediocre to horrific. Of course, there has been the odd moment to keep me clicking through the turnstile; the hope of nothing else. The Phillips and Quinn era was undoubtedly a high point, where everything […]
We might have only taken a point but it feels like a win as the Lads went toe-to-toe with league leaders Arsenal and took a point with another late goal! Gav & Jeff Brown walk us through all the talking points with Chris… On today’s agenda: All of this and much more – get subscribed […]
Sunderland remembers the fallen We should start by praising for the club for the classy and poignant tributes paid to those who are no longer with us after serving in various conflicts around the world and giving their lives when serving their country. Well done to all concerned. The Lads give their all in the […]
Sunderland vs Blackpool in November 1974 was a clash between two promotion-chasing teams, and whilst they were both focused on the result more than anything else, the two managers also had extra reason to try and come out on top. Visiting gaffer Harry Potts was making a return to his home county, with the Hetton-le-Hole […]
Anthony Gair says… Big Dan Ballard — ‘nuff said! The fact that he’s not being scouted by the best clubs on the planet shows that we’re one of the best clubs on the planet. That’s my logic and I’m sticking with it. He was unbelievable. He won everything in the air, scored an absolute wallop, […]
A massive point. A character-building point. The kind of point (and refusal to crumble under immense Arsenal pressure) that says “Yes. We are here. We mean business and we want to make our mark in this league”. When Brian Brobbey acrobatically hooked the ball past David Raya deep into injury time on Saturday evening, ensuring […]
Join the lads as the gather for a pint after the final whistle to go through another epic late show at the Stadium of Light as Le Bris’ side become the first two score twice against Arsenal this season to remain unbeaten at home! On today’s agenda: All of this and much more – get […]
Robin Roefs: 8/10 I don’t think Roefs can be blamed for the first goal even though it was at his near post, it was really well hit and had a great shape on the shot. Absolutely no chance with the rocket of a second. Played well all game, was brave when coming for the ball […]
The Lads are unbeaten at home and Arsenal are looking to extend their run of five successive victories, will one of these records go today?! Andrew, Jonny, Gav & Chris gather to give their thoughts on today’s game and to be as optimistic as possible as we face league leaders Arsenal! On today’s agenda: All […]
Saturday 8th November 2025 Sunderland v Arsenal – Premier League Stadium of Light Kick-Off: 17:30 Tickets & Match Coverage Tickets: Tickets are sold out. TV/Stream: Full live match coverage is available via Sky Sports. Radio: Full live match commentary available via BBC Radio Newcastle (not online) Don’t forget to follow the blow-by-blow account of the […]
Martin Wanless predicts… Score prediction: Sunderland 1 Arsenal 1 Sunderland’s first goalscorer: Ballard This is a game that most definitely says ‘we’re back in the top flight’ and it’s going to be a huge test. If we play like we did in the first 30 minutes against Everton we’ll be dead and buried, but you […]
In 2008 when Roy Keane was Sunderland manager, the now famous pundit had a typically comical rant about pundits insisting that he would never become one! In the managers pre-match press conference before Sunderland took on Portsmouth at the Stadium of Light, the manager was asked whether he would ever do any punditry by one […]
Arsenal are bulletproof at the moment, having kept nine straight clean sheets in all competitions. They’ve swept aside teams with relative ease, and come to the Stadium of Light six points clear at the top of the Premier League, seven ahead of Sunderland. They will be the best team we’ve played so far this season, […]
After an excellent display at Chelsea, our opening 30 minutes against Everton proved there’s no resting on our laurels – and with both Granit Xhaka and Enzo Le Fee pretty critical of the team’s approach in the opening stages last time out, you’d hope we don’t see a repeat of that any time soon. Le […]
Ben Metcalf: 6/10 No chance with either goal, the first that was poked past him from short range, the second deflected in from a cross and wasn’t particularly busy the rest of the night. Managed to get something on a couple of scrambles but rarely tested. Jenson Jones: 6/10 Caught out of position a couple […]
To state the obvious, Arsenal have many players who can change a game in an instant, a rock-solid defence, and an exceptional set-piece conversion record. It’ll be difficult to get a result against them on Saturday — there’s little point getting too down about it, or wallowing in post-mortems after the event; it is what […]
Is this the year Arsenal end their wait of over twenty years for a league title?! We caught up with The Athletic’s Arsenal reporter (and huge Gunners fan!), Amy Lawrence to talk to us about that and all things Arsenal! On today’s agenda: All of this and much more – get subscribed to you don’t […]
Do you fancy writing us a letter that we can use here on the Roker Report website? Want to pick our brains on something, or simply just have your say on Sunderland? Drop us an email and we’ll include it in a future edition – you can find us at [email protected] Dear Roker Report, I […]
Since KLD and Speakman have taken the reins at Sunderland, fans and commentators have fixated on the term ‘model’. In the years since their ownership commenced, we have strategically invested in young prospects that we have taken time to develop. One clear message I received from the interview on Monday night is that this way […]
Currently top of the table, Arsenal have had a brilliant start to this season and look like prime contenders for the title. What would you say are the key differences from previous seasons? The obvious one would be personnel. Arsenal have brought in players who have elevated our existing style of play and crucially offered […]
The signing of Connor Wickham three years earlier had seemed like a huge coup by Steve Bruce. The young Ipswich striker was the talk of football at the time, and at just 18 had the physicality and seeming the ability to really make an impact in the game. Fast foward three years, however, and things […]
Sunderland started sluggishly but ended strongly during Monday’s draw with Everton, coming from behind for the fourth time this season to pick up points. On reflection, it was a good point overall but there was a nagging sense that given our second half dominance, perhaps we could’ve taken all three. The draw moved us back […]