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Roker Report

Sunderland AFC's foremost blog and Podcast!

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Talking Tactics: Sunderland Play It Smartly To See Off Wolves

Sunderland returned to winning ways on Founders’ Week, leaving Wolverhampton Wanderers rooted to the foot of the Premier League table after the first league meeting between the two sides since Sunderland’s final day victory of 2017/2018 — in which we denied Wolves a century of points in the process. A goal in either half confirmed […]

On This Day (23rd October 2010): Bruce praises resilient Sunderland

After heavy investment in the summer, Steve Bruce had aims on improving on Sunderland’s 13th-placed finish the previous season. With a heavy reliance on Darren Bent in the 2009-10 season, it was hoped that signings such as Danny Welbeck and Asamoah Gyan would lighten the load on the England international. Despite this, the team had […]

Fan Letters: Sunderland’s season may truly begin on Saturday!

Want to have your say on all things Sunderland? Drop us a line and we’ll publish your views! [email protected] Dear Roker Report, Is it just me or does anyone else have the distinct feeling that our season — in real terms — is about to begin this Saturday? Please don’t get me wrong regarding our brilliant […]

Sunderland Were The Keel Deal Against Wolves!

Sunderland’s return in style from the international break with a rousing victory against strugglers Wolverhampton Wanderers added weight to the noise that is surrounding the team, city, and football club at the moment — something I’m sure we’re all relishing and enjoying as we come closer towards the end of what has been a fantastic […]

Sunderland’s Defence Is Looking Stronger Than Ever

Four wins and four clean sheets in eight Premier League games is nothing short of remarkable. Saturday’s 2-0 win over Wolves came in a match that wasn’t a “must-win” but was certainly a “don’t lose”. For most of the afternoon, losing never looked like an outcome — and this turned out to be the case. […]

Sunderland Are Making Waves In The Premier League!

Whisper it quietly, but people are starting to notice us. After weeks of going under the radar, bookies classing us as underdogs and pundits underestimating us, the win over Wolves has made a lot of people sit up and take notice. I know many of us would’ve preferred to continue to sit under the radar […]

MLS

Sunderland’s Promotion Winners Still Have A Part To Play

Following our promotion from the Championship and subsequent comprehensive summer recruitment drive coming to a conclusion, a lot of the commentary from our own fan base was about what would become of the class of 2024-25 – the squad that had done all the hard work to get us into the Premier League. Without a […]

On This Day (22nd Oct 1955): Sunderland Are Top Of The League!

The ‘Bank of England team’ had gone close to success in 1954/55. A thrilling run to the semi-finals of the FA Cup before a one-nil defeat to Man City at Villa Park had been accompanied by a good stab at the league title. From late September till mid-March, we had not been out of the […]

Andy’s Player Ratings: Gateshead 1-1 Sunderland U21s – Abdoullah Ba Returns With A Goal

Dan Cameron: 8/10 Maybe slightly suspect positioning for Gateshead’s goal, leaving a bit too much of the far post open but made some fantastic saves late on to keep the scores level. Timothee Pembele: 6/10 As you’d expect from Pembele, a little too casual defensively but then provided an attacking threat on the overlap. Twice […]

Granit Xhaka: The ‘Strange’ Catalyst For Sunderland’s Premier League Rise

Sunderland’s decision to sign midfielder Granit Xhaka from Bayer Leverkusen this summer already looks to be a masterstroke by the club. Amusingly, former Sunderland winger Chris Waddle described the move as ‘strange’ when it was first announced. Given that Waddle is not renowned for his insightful opinions on Sunderland, his comments were a surefire sign […]

Chemsdine Talbi Is A Very Exciting Work In Progress

His introduction during the second half of Sunderland’s victory over Wolves injected some much-needed directness into our attack, and it was his driving run and unfortunately-intercepted pass (from the visitors’ point of view, that is) that gave us a 2-0 lead and ensured Vítor Pereira’s side would be heading back down to the Midlands empty […]

On This Day (21st Oct 1989): Bradford City Sunk By MacPhail’s Arrow

Sunderland had just suffered a midweek humiliation at West Ham United, but boss Denis Smith was keen to show faith in his players and so stuck with the same starting XI to go up against Bradford City next time out. The manager’s biggest hurdle to picking an unchanged side had been Gary Bennett, who was […]

MLS

Should Reinildo Get A Sunderland Recall At Chelsea?

Alex Charlton says… Let’s face it: Wolves didn’t really offer any cutting edge in the final third. That said, I thought we defended resolutely and deserved the clean sheet. Reinildo offers a natural option on the left and that will be tempting for Régis Le Bris, but I’d like to see the same back four […]

The Craic From Belle View: Fans Reflect On Sunderland’s Surge

It’s 6:30pm on a Friday night, and the glare of floodlights, as it always does, is drawing me on, lifting my spirit and filling my memory with glorious snapshots of past games. Tonight, though, I am not heading into the Stadium of Light or Roker Park; it’s the Belle Vue Stadium, home to Consett AFC, […]

Haway The Podcast | ON THIS WEEK | 20-26 Oct | European Footy & Soccer Sausages

There’s no Chris this week, but Martin, Andrew and Kelvin are here to guide you through yet another week in the history of Sunderland AFC. Among today’s topics: • Sunderland’s first foray into shirt sponsorship • Tom Cowie – good, bad or somewhere in between? • Sunderland’s first leg ECWC tie vs Sporting Lisbon • […]

“Respect the knee!”

The practice of taking the knee was started in the UK in 2020 to support the Black Lives Matter movement following the death of George Floyd in police custody in Minnesota, USA. In August 2022, following consultations with players, the Premier League stopped taking the knee before every match. Instead, it was decided that the […]

Sunderland Conclude Founders’ Week In Fitting Style

As the featured game of Sunderland AFC’s always-fascinating Founders’ Week, it was vitally important that Saturday’s visit of Wolves and a chance to bank three points against a team who already look deeply in trouble was taken — and that’s what happened. The Lads emerged from a periodically scrappy and occasionally nervy affair as victors, […]

On This Day (20th October 1990): Sunderland’s New Strike Pairing Do The Business!

Sunderland were labelled as potential whipping boys for gaining promotion by virtue of winning the play-offs this season, but back in the summer of 1990, the world expected Denis Smith’s side to fail miserably in the top flight after being promoted having lost the play-off final. Swindon Town’s “financial irregularities” meant a decision had to […]

When The Going Gets Tough…

Travelling home after Saturday’s game was a mixture of elation and trepidation. After 8 games, Sunderland sit 7th in the Premier League and there is much to celebrate. There have been a couple of disappointing performances at Burnley and Manchester United but at no point has this side looked like it did not belong at […]

Haway The Podcast | SUNDAY SUPPLEMENT | BBC’s Simon Pryde On SAFC 2-0 Wolves

It’s Sunday morning, we’re sat down with a brew, and we’re ready to dive into yesterday’s performance after a night of sleeping on it… so joining us today to chat all about Sunderland’s win against Wolverhampton Wanderers in BBC Radio Newcastle’s Simon Pryde! On today’s show: All of this and more – get subscribed to […]

MLS

Talking Points: Another Three Points For Reggie’s Magic Mackems

Mukiele Shines Robin Roefs may have something to say about it, but for me, Nordi Mukiele has a real shout to be the true steal of the season. Arriving at the club for just €12m, he represents what real, top-level quality is. His European experience indicated that we may have been onto a winner from […]

NHL

On This Day (19th October 1912): Late Goals Spark Unexpected Run

Although it was arguably Sunderland’s best ever season, 1912-13 actually saw the Lads making one of the worst starts imaginable. Without a win in their first seven games, a strong performance against Middlesbrough in match eight proved to be the catalyst, and from that point on Robert Kyle’s team gathered the momentum that took them […]

Matchday Musings: Sunderland See Off Wolves — Onwards And Upwards!

If each of Sunderland’s league games thus far has featured a slightly different dynamic, with the Lads regularly showcasing their capacity to adapt, adjust and emerge with something to show for their efforts, Saturday’s visit of Wolves was very much a game to file under “One we simply have to find a way to win […]

MLS