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Who dared to dream? It’s not been an easy ride as Sunderland fans. We’ve witnessed first hand — been there, read the book and completed the trilogy — just what it is to support a struggling team through the years. Going back over my time as a Sunderland fan, I reckon I’ve witnessed to around […]
Want to have your say on all things Sunderland? Drop us a line and we’ll publish your views! [email protected] Dear Roker Report, To me, a football club is a bit like my car engine. When things are on the up, the engine purrs. I don’t know which component of the engine is the main reason for […]
We’ve certainly had some cracking full backs at our club — and I fear to start a list as I’m certain to miss someone’s favourite. Cecil Irwin provided one of my earliest memories of seeing an imposing full back. Then there’s Len Ashurst, Joe Bolton, Dariusz Kubicki, Mickey Gray, Phil Bardsley, George Burley, Barry Venison…and […]
Alex Charlton says… While I’m tempted to go for Enzo Le Fée, I feel I have to go with our captain and Premier League signing of the season, Granit Xhaka. One of the biggest signs of how important a player is to a team is when they’re absent, and for me we’re at our weakest […]
This article is dedicated to the lads on the train home from Everton who challenged me to include Kazakhstan in my post match reflections. I did — and just look what happened next! Anyone that’s followed Sunderland during the last decade will each have their own barometer of just what an outstanding achievement finishing seventh […]
We pick up where we left off in part one of our Q&A as we focus on what type of summer we might be in for, and what we might be looking at specifically to build a squd for the Europa League! On today’s show… All this and more! Get subscribed to Haway The Podcast […]
Want to have your say on all things Sunderland? Drop us a line and we’ll publish your views! [email protected] Dear Roker Report, From League One to Europe via the Championship and Premier League in double quick time. Wow! Special praise must go to Luke O’Nien, who in my opinion is the heartbeat of Sunderland Association […]
The last time I was at the Stadium of Light was April 2024. We lost 1-5 to Blackburn, and it was pissing down with rain. They say a year is a long time in football? Well, I can assure you, two years is a very long time for Sunderland. On Sunday, the chance to finish […]
It’s the final away game of the season, and Sunderland travel to Everton’s brand-spanking new On our first Euro-inspired Q&A we answer as many of your questions as Chris can try and squeeze out of Martin and Andrew – which can only mean this is part one of our Euro-bumper Q&A! On today’s show… All […]
Eleven days after Sunderland were relegated via the play offs on away goals, the recriminations were in full swing. Caretaker manager Bob Stokoe was helping chairman Bob Murray identify full-time targets – recently sacked Ipswich manager Bobby Ferguson was said to be the frontrunner, while other candidates named in The Journal included Scunthorpe boss Mick […]
There were a strange few minutes after full time on Sunday where time seemed to stand still. From up in the Premier Concourse, it was easy to look down at a sea of red and white as a single sentence kept on playing over and over in my head: “Sunderland are in the Europa League”. […]
Sunderland fans of a certain vintage may remember two particularly no-nonsense yet inspirational quotes from Kevin Ball following the Lads’ 1998/1999 Division One title-winning campaign. The first was delivered on the pitch at Gigg Lane following the emphatic 2-5 victory over Bury that sealed our promotion back to the Premier League, with Ball declaring to […]
There are some weekends in life that you know immediately will stay with you forever — and this was one of them. My son and I drove down from Edinburgh to Sunderland on Saturday morning carrying the strange mixture of excitement and caution that only Sunderland supporters truly understand. Hope always travels with you, but […]
Sky Sports presenter and massive Lads fan TOM WHITE joins Gav and Ant for a chinwag now that the dust has settled following Sunday’s dramatic events at the Stadium of Light! Coming up on today’s show… Today’s show is brought to you in association with Saily. For more details on today’s special offer, go to […]
No, Saily’s not a new signing for Sunderland – at least not as far as we know. But Saily is absolutely something you want to be taking with you as the lads venture into Europe. Why? Because it’s an esim that gives you a great connection for phone calls and the internet in hundreds of locations, […]
In the hazy, hungover afterglow of what was one of the best weekends any of us can remember, it’s difficult to know where to begin reflecting on what we’ve just achieved, but I think placing our European qualification in the wider context of the club’s journey is a good place to start. After speaking to […]
Arthur Wright was an ‘adopted son’ of Castletown. He was actually born in Burradon, Northumberland, on 23 September 1919. In 1929 his family moved to Castletown and so began a Sunderland connection that would last fifty-six years. Arthur’s early days saw him playing for Castletown Schools and Sunderland Schools. He also played for the famed […]
Want to have your say on all things Sunderland? Drop us a line and we’ll publish your views! [email protected] Dear Roker Report, I couldn’t believe that our game was on third last — incredible bias on behalf of the BBC. No problem with the first two games concerning the final relegation place, but our game […]
In the run up to the Chelsea game, I wrote a piece on here about Luke O’Nien, a player that’s quite simply defied the odds during his career at Sunderland. There appears to be a section of the fanbase that he’ll never win over for some reason, despite being the most committed and professional individual […]
Welcome to the second part of our look at how Gary Bennett arrived at Sunderland. Last week, Martin, Andrew and Chris left Benno hanging by the telephone, waiting for Sunderland to call – this week, we find out what happened! Tune in to discover All this and more! Get subscribed to Haway The Podcast so […]
I’ve waited a day or so before writing this for a good few reasons. One, I was in absolutely no fit state after the match to write anything other than “where r u???” to my Uber driver as I stumbled out of the Baker’s Oven with some mince concoction, and two, I knew I’d be […]
I recall the 2005 Champions League Final like it was yesterday. Not because of Liverpool’s dramatic comeback, or Jerzy Dudek’s penalty-saving heroics, but because of how it made me feel as a Sunderland-supporting kid – envy. Not least because I was surrounded by my mum’s half of the family (all loud and proud Scousers of […]
Andrew Parrington says… Forced to watch from afar, the greatest moment for me was the moment the players broke their huddle after the match, after learning that we would be going to the Europa League. Like a lot of fans all over the country and around the world, I was watching in my Sunderland shirt […]
Gary Owers was a brilliant servant for Sunderland AFC during the 1980s and 1990s, and many Roker Park regulars felt at the time that his skills deserved wider recognition. There were various rumours and links with big moves up the league over the years that failed to materialise, and somewhat unfortunately for a player whose […]
All my life, I’ve been searching for something, Something never comes, never leads to nothing… The opening lines of the Foo Fighters’ 2002 single All My Life (released, coincidentally, at a time when Sunderland were entering a major downturn that culminated in relegation to the second tier under Mick McCarthy) have often felt like an […]