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Roker Report

https://rokerreport.sbnation.com/ | 321 entries published

Sunderland AFC's foremost blog and Podcast!

Latest Entries

Match Preview: Fulham v Sunderland — Can We Pick Up Where We Left Off?!

Saturday 22nd November 2025 Fulham v Sunderland – Premier League Stadium of Light Kick-Off: 15:00 Tickets & Match Coverage Tickets: Tickets are sold out. TV/Stream: Full live match coverage is unavailable in the UK. Radio: Full live match commentary available via BBC Radio Newcastle (not online) Don’t forget to follow the blow-by-blow account of the […]

20 days ago | 0 reads

RLB’s Reset Mantra: Stay Humble, Go Again at Fulham

Folk are digging out their long coats, scarves, hats, and gloves in preparation for yellow and amber weather warnings, a potential visit from “the Beast from the East”, and even, apparently, “thundersnow”. What they all mean, of course, is that it’s winter! Simples. Regardless of the weather, I for one can’t wait to get back […]

21 days ago | 1 read

American Mackem John: From Wikipedia to Wearside Love

Lars: John, how did you first get involved with football? By that I mean Association Football, or “soccer”, not the American version of football, where they hardly use their feet. John: I was not a fan of English football – in fact not a football fan at all – until I started watching games with […]

21 days ago | 1 read

Haway The Podcast | REMEMBER WHEN | Fulham (A) Clashes Of The Past!

Good morning Sunderland supporters – and if you’re looking forward to Saturday’s return to Premier League action as much as we are, we’ve got some great listening for you to whet your appetite for our visit to Craven Cottage.  Join Martin, Andrew and Ant as they take a look back at some memorable visits to […]

22 days ago | 1 read

On This Day (20th Nov 2021): Late Goals End Sunderland’s Poor Run!

Three heavy defeats in a row saw pressure suddenly rise on Lee Johnson and his Sunderland team as the winter period of heavy fixtures was about to set in. Sunderland had lost at home to Charlton Athletic and had followed it up with two very heavy defeats to Rotherham and Sheffield Wednesday respectively. These defeats […]

22 days ago | 1 read

Can Romaine Mundle Step Up To The Premier League?

Since signing Mundle, it’s become clear that he’s a very talented young man. He has all the skills you would want from a winger: pace, directness, dynamism, power, with the dribbling and finishing ability to top it off. Goals against Preston, Luton and Burnley highlighted his explosive and impressive wing play, but that said, he’s […]

22 days ago | 0 reads

After Years Of Neglect – The SoL Makeover Continues

We’ll see further enhancements to the Stadium of Light when fans take their seats for the home match against Bournemouth on November 29. Speculation online during the international break suggests we’ll see updated screens at either end of the ground, with images from the U21 game against Athletic Club showing the old North Stand screen […]

22 days ago | 1 read

Arthur Masuaku — Should Sunderland Stick, Or Twist?

With reports emanating from Turkey that Arthur Masuaku may be open to a return to his former side, Beşiktaş, in January, would it be in Sunderland’s best interests to allow the former West Ham player to move on?  The slew of new recruits that arrived at the Academy of Light during the summer added much-needed […]

22 days ago | 1 read

Fantasy Premier League: I Should’ve Backed Sunderland From The Start

How could we possibly have predicted this? If you had told me this time last year that Sunderland players would be making up 7% of the top 100 Fantasy Premier League performers, I simply wouldn’t have believed you.  It’s easy to look at the table and see how well we’re doing as a team this […]

23 days ago | 2 reads

Dream Big, Dream Bold

Without sounding like a broken record, it’s a hell of a time to be a Sunderland fan. A third international break of the season is annoying as it stops us from being able to watch the red and white wizards in action, which, considering we’re unbeaten in four and have just one loss in nine […]

23 days ago | 2 reads

What Are Sunderland’s Top Two Priorities For January?

Malc Dugdale says… The first priority has to be thinning out what may insensitively be termed “deadwood” across the squad for me. We have a lot of players who we know won’t make the grade for a team pushing for the UEFA Champions League slots (I can’t believe I’m writing that about us, and it’s […]

23 days ago | 2 reads

On This Day (19th Nov 1966): Great Comeback As Bullet Bags A Brace

This campaign had not got off to the best of starts as the World Cup feel-good factor evaporated quickly for Sunderland fans. With just two wins and seven defeats in the first twelve games, we found ourselves in twentieth position in the top tier; it was looking like it was going to be another hard […]

23 days ago | 1 read

On This Day (18th Nov 1905): Bell Rings As Everton Are Taught A Lesson!

1905/1906 was Bob Kyle’s first season as Sunderland secretary — although the directors still called most of the shots and were in charge of picking the side that took on Everton 120 years ago today. The selection process was drawn out as long as possible to see if Harold Buckle and Jimmy Watson could overcome […]

24 days ago | 1 read

Régis Le Bris Is Very Much A Sunderland Boss Of The Times

In the modern, money-driven, high stakes, glitz-and-glamour world of the Premier League, it’s seldom enough for a head coach or a manager to just be a head coach or a manager, and as the nature of the game that we all love has evolved, so too have the demands placed those who are fortunate enough […]

24 days ago | 1 read

Fan Letters: Diversity Is A Real Strength 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, Having followed Sunderland since the 1950s, it’s the first time in my memory that the whole management team have been so experienced in football club management. Look at the background of Kyril Louis-Dreyfus […]

24 days ago | 2 reads

Sunderland’s Defensive Masterclass Was No Accident

Much of the praise for Sunderland’s dream start back to life in the Premier League has been rightfully directed towards defensive performance. From Robin Roefs’ impressive command of his area in just his second professional season, to Dan Ballard’s willingness to launch himself through a brick wall for a header, to the class that the […]

24 days ago | 1 read

Haway The Podcast | ON THIS WEEK | Brady Debuts, False Hope, & Christmas Lights!

Good morning and welcome to the start of another week at Sunderland AFC – and we’re kicking off as usual with another episode of On This Week, where we take a look at some of the things that have happened On This Week in the history of Sunderland AFC! There’s no Kelvin this week – he […]

25 days ago | 0 reads

Don’t Be Deceived — Sunderland Are Currently Fourth On Merit

Have you heard the joke about the so-called “Deserved Premier League Table” and how the team currently sitting proudly in fourth place should apparently be in the lower reaches of the league on the basis that we’re allegedly outperforming various metrics by a considerable distance? Well, pass me a needle and thread so I can […]

25 days ago | 0 reads