Roker Report
Sunderland AFC's foremost blog and Podcast!
Total reads
4,764
This week
3
Rank
#31 of 460
Published
2,145 posts
Last 12 weeks
Most read posts
Featured on Sportsblogs
Run this blog? Add the badge to your site to show readers you're featured — it links back to this page.
Latest Entries
Matchday Musings: Sunderland lose But Aren’t Outgunned By Arsenal
Two things are often true simultaneously in football. “I’m proud and disappointed,” said Régis Le Bris when asked to give his post-match summation of a game that was within our grasp, albeit greasy, before an Enzo Le Fée missed penalty proved costly, in what was otherwise a tremendous display from Sunderland. It was an evening […]
Haway The Podcast | SUNDAY SUPPLEMENT | Tom White on Sunderland v Arsenal
We went toe-to-toe with the Arsenal and they showed why they are champions and probably will be again! It was a monumental effort from the Lads but we came away with nowt but pride. Tom White joins Gav & Chris as we look back at all the action from last night and the one or […]
Talking Points: Sunderland Fall Short Against The Gunners
A game that swung in two instances When Sunderland were awarded a penalty following Ezri Konsa’s impromptu wrestling match with Dan Ballard, it felt like a massive opportunity to break the deadlock against the notoriously watertight Gunners as Enzo Le Fée lined up his spot kick against David Raya. There was little wrong with the […]
2 Up, 2 Down: Arsenal Grind It Out As Sunderland Rue Their Luck
Ben McKevitt says… Effort and desire in abundance That’s as good a team effort as you’ll see all session from any team, in my opinion. The fact that we’ve come away with a red card and a 0-2 to show for it is sickening but you can’t feel anything but proud of the Lads and […]
OTD (13/9/1902): Liverpool Beaten By Mourning Sunderland
Alex Mackie’s dominant Sunderland won the 1901/1902 Football League title with games to spare, and because of their margin of victory, they looked a decent bet to repeat the trick ahead of the following season. However, the heartbreaking death of captain Matthew Ferguson over the summer left a dark cloud over the side and the […]
Andy’s Player Ratings: Sunderland 0-2 Arsenal – Le Fee Penalty Miss The Turning Point
Robin Roefs: 7/10 Made a really good save in the first half, tipping an effort over the bar and was strong from set pieces. Might be disappointed not to save the penalty after getting a good hand on it. Nordi Mukiele: 10/10 Absolute mountain at the back, dominated from right back. Didn’t give Arsenal a […]
Haway The Podcast | MATCHDAY PREVIEW | Can Sunderland Cause An UPSET vs Arsenal?!
The Champions are coming to the Stadium of Light. Join Gav, James and Jonny LIVE as we look ahead to a huge Saturday night on Wearside as Sunderland take on Arsenal in the Premier League. Arsenal arrive as the reigning champions and have made a perfect start to the season — but Sunderland have already […]
Fan Focus: How can Sunderland stop Arsenal from extending their 100% winning record?
Arsenal won the Premier League last season after a long 20-year wait for the Gunners. Do you feel that now the pressure is off in a way and Arsenal can play with more freedom under Arteta? The pressure is off in terms of the title, but I still see Arsenal playing in a similar way […]
Score Predictions: Can Sunderland Give The Gunners A Kick Up The Arsenal?
Stats at a glance: Arsenal (H): 12/09/2026 Average home goals predicted: 1.4 Average away goals predicted: 1.5 Confidence of Roker Report’s writers: 4.1/10 Predicting a win for the Lads: 37.5% Martin Wanless (Cautious Optimist) says… Score prediction: Sunderland 2 Arsenal 1 I think we can get a result here. Maybe I’m being overly optimistic, but […]
Starting XI: Is This The Sunderland Team To Take On Arsenal Tonight?
After our best display of the season last weekend, and a good performance by a different 11 on Tuesday against Hull City, Regis Le Bris has a few more players staking legitimate claims for first team places. Despite new signings Malick Fofana, Jules Ahoka and Dayann Methalie getting their first starts in midweek, and Omar […]
Match Preview: Sunderland v Arsenal — The Champions Head To The Stadium Of Light
Saturday 12th September 2026 Sunderland v Arsenal – Premier League Stadium of Light – Kick-Off: 20:00 Tickets & Match Coverage 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 of the game on the Roker […]
OTD (12/9/53): Sunderland thrash reigning champions Arsenal!
The Sunderland team of 1953/1954 was somewhat enigmatic. Blessed with some magnificent attacking talent, we had no problems scoring goals, but we seemed to suffer from travel sickness whenever we left the North East. Despite looking like we could kick on during this particular season, our form away from Roker Park was causing major issues […]
Andy’s Player Ratings: Sunderland u21 4-2 Ipswich u21 – Four First Half Goals Seal Win
Joe Cowan: 6/10 Made a really good save down to his left at the death but didn’t have too many other saves to make, with both Ipswich goals coming from good finishes. Jenson Jones: 7/10 Got forward well really early on, when he drove into the 18-yard box but fired an effort over. Did well […]
Enzo Le Fée Deserves His France Call-Up – And Then Some
Rumours emerged from France on Friday afternoon that Zinedine Zidane plans to call up Enzo Le Fée to his first France squad ahead of the upcoming international break. For anyone who has watched him in a Sunderland shirt over the last two years, it will come as no surprise to anyone in red and white. […]
Haway The Podcast | Can Sunderland SHOCK Arsenal? | John Cross on Saturday’s HUGE Clash
𝗖𝗔𝗡 𝗦𝗨𝗡𝗗𝗘𝗥𝗟𝗔𝗡𝗗 𝗦𝗛𝗢𝗖𝗞 𝗔𝗥𝗦𝗘𝗡𝗔𝗟? 👀 The Champions are coming to the Stadium of Light. Under the lights. 8pm kick-off. A packed Stadium of Light. And an Arsenal side who have won their opening three Premier League games and arrive on Wearside unbeaten. It has all the ingredients of a special night — but what exactly […]
OTD (11/9/2004): When Sunderland Found Their Rhythm at Gillingham
Upon reflection, Sunderland’s away win at Gillingham was more important than we probably realised at the time. After a sluggish start to the season in which the team had tasted victory just once in their opening six games, Mick McCarthy’s side were beginning to encounter obstacles in their mission to secure promotion. Whilst the emergency […]
The Sunderland Supporter Who Made Me One
People often ask me where my Sunderland obsession comes from. The honest answer is that I do not remember a time when it was not there. What I do remember is where it came from. It came from my cousin Dylan (you can see him above, front row in black). Long before I had a […]
Sunderland’s Biggest Week in Years Is Finally Here
The week that Sunderland have in store from next week is one that, for far too long, we’ve only been able to dream about. Arsenal at home and Man City away are either side of AZ Alkmaar for our first European match in 53 years. The defending champions, a club that has won everything there […]
Sunderland’s Hull Win Shows There’s Plenty to Be Excited About
Tuesday night’s cup win over Hull City was a surprisingly enjoyable affair – and by this I mean that it’s been much too long since I actually saw Sunderland win a League Cup game. Having lost the last five League Cup ties we’d played, Sunderland fans would be forgiven for expecting little more than a […]
Crown Jules: A Stellar Sunderland Debut For Ahoka
Three of Sunderland’s new boys made their full debuts against Hull City in the League Cup on Tuesday night, and although all three impressed me a considerable amount, there was one player who really stood out, and that man was Jules Ahoka. The twenty-year-old had made just four senior appearances for Royal Antwerp before transferring […]
Fan Letters: Sunderland Fan Frustrated by Black Cat Membership ‘Mess’
Got something to get off your chest? Email us and we’ll include your thoughts in the next edition of Fan Letters! 📧 [email protected] Dear Roker Report, A follow-up to my readers’ letter of last week, where I was a bit lost as to how I could access Barnes and Benno via the SAFC site. My […]
Outcome Bias: Why Sunderland Fans Need to Embrace Risk
This was the moment. The culmination of an incredible season of comebacks. The instant that would launch Sunderland into Europe. The triumphant end to the wildest six minutes of the year and recent club history. But then Emiliano Martínez popped a hand up and stopped Habib Diarra’s cheeky chip, and Aston Villa stormed downfield to […]
Sunderland’s Black Cats Membership Scheme…Is It Worth It?
When Sunderland announced the ‘Black Cats Membership’ scheme in the summer, my first reaction was that it would make it much more difficult to get tickets for home matches. This was based on the expectation that most non-season card holders who go to more than one or two games a season — like me — […]
Sunderland Are Back! The Story of the Lads’ Rise from League One to Europe
I’ll start out by saying that, as someone who has lived through the ups and downs of the period in Sunderland AFC’s history covered by this book, I was looking forward to reading it but not really expecting to learn a great deal. I was wrong. Connor has, from the opening chapter and throughout the […]
OTD (10/09/66): Hurley Blow As Toddo Makes His Professional Debut
Heading into this early-season away fixture at Stamford Bridge, Sunderland knew the odds were very much against them. The club hadn’t won away from home for 20 games, with their last victory on the road coming almost a year prior, on 18 September 1965 at Blackpool. Ian McColl was now in charge – he’d been […]
Displaying entries 151-175
of the latest 1,250