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In a victory that Sunderland manager Gus Poyet described as ‘much needed’, new Sunderland signing Jermain Defoe got off the mark for his new club after his January move from Toronto FC. Sunderland had been struggling for goals throughout the season where they had become quite the draw specialists and the club knew that something […]
With the current transfer window seemingly being used to ship players surplus to requirements, the news that Aji Alese has joined Portsmouth on loan prompted me to take a look at a typical team from last season and see how they have fared this year. To do this, I dipped into my box of programmes […]
We’re heading not only towards the Burnley game, but also the end of the January Transfer window – so, Gav caught up with Jonny and Bomber for a chat about the latest goings on at Sunderland! Coming up: All of this and much more – get subscribed to Haway The Podcast so you never miss […]
We have a free weekend this week and it’s because we play in front of the cameras on Monday night as we entertain Premier League strugglers Burnley and we caught up with Joe Redmond from TurfCast to find out if they still have any hope of staying up this year! All of this and more […]
Jon Guy says… I don’t think there will be a major change in thinking. He will set the team up to win and I expect to see a lot more from the team in terms of application on Monday. The big question is who does he put in to replace Xhaka. Diarra and Talbi need […]
The transfer window closes on Monday 2 February 2026 — in less than 100 hours as I am writing this piece. So far Sunderland have only signed the promising Ivorian winger Jocelin Ta Bi, for a very modest fee. It appears that the recruitment team snatched the young prospect from right under the noses of […]
With Dan Neil gone, the Sunderland bench will look very short of midfielders come the Burnley game. So given the lack of options available to Régis Le Bris in order to change a game or cover injuries, do we need to bring in another midfielder during the transfer window? You could argue that we were […]
Most Sunderland supporters are acquainted with Mr Smith. Regardless of age, you know the name, because Mr Smith, to this day, is inextricably linked to the club’s shift from top-flight elite, The Team of all the Talents, and ‘The Bank of England Club’ to a yo-yo club bouncing between second and first divisions, and occasionally […]
Joe Cowan: 10/10 Made some fantastic saves throughout, brilliantly tipped over two goal bound efforts, one in each half, and stopped a shot with his feet when a striker was through on goal. Made a world class save in injury time when a goal looked certain and made a good attempt at the penalty. Looked […]
The window is about to slam shut just an hour before we kick-off against Burnley and Andrew & Ant join Chris to go through and attempt to predict what might happen! Coming up on today’s show… All of this and more – get subscribed to Haway The Podcast so you never have to miss another […]
Following on from their victory against Crystal Palace, Sunderland returned to the capital for the third away game in a row to face a West Ham side renewed with confidence following a last-minute winner from Callum Wilson the week prior. With Granit Xhaka a confirmed fitness doubt for at least the next fortnight, for the […]
I have to admit that when Sunderland signed two experienced international left-backs in the summer, I thought it would be curtains (sorry, not a pun, despite his hairstyle) for Dennis Cirkin. He’s a player I’ve really fallen in love with over the years and I’ve really enjoyed watching his journey from being a League One […]
Aji Alese has had quite a strange time on Wearside. We signed him for a reported £500,000 from West Ham in the summer of 2022, and although no one knew anything about him, I think we all had high hopes. He’d made just four senior appearances before joining us, but the club saw his talent […]
During a game where Sunderland were largely second best against local rivals Middlesbrough, the greatest joy came from the fact that Frazier Campbell scored on his return to the team after eighteen months out injured. Campbell had been extremely unfortunate since joining Sunderland, with a stop-start feel ensuring that supporters only saw glimpses of what […]
As news of Dan Neil’s inevitible departure from Sunderland AFC reached us, Gav, Chris and Andrew reacted to hearing that our former skipper was headed for pastures new, joining Championship promotion hopefuls Ipswich Town. Coming up on today’s show… All of this and more – get subscribed to Haway The Podcast so you never have […]
Sunderland came into this game in 16th position in the league and in need of points against Dave Sexton’s evolving Manchester United. United had been knocked out of the FA Cup by Brian Clough’s Nottingham Forest the previous Saturday and arrived looking to make a quick recovery. Sunderland had sought some cup relief from their […]
The news we were all expecting finally arrived today when the club announced that former team captain Dan Neil was leaving to join Ipswich Town on loan, until his contract ends at the end of the season. There he will be reunited with former Sunderland winger Jack Clarke. Since promotion, there has been a lot […]
After writing regularly about Dan Neil for four years and quite possibly boring Roker Report readers senseless in the process, this could very well be the last article I pen in praise of him, therefore I have zero intention of holding back or trying to be subtle. Why? Because I love him as a footballer. […]
John Wilson says… I remember seeing him ping his first goal for us at the Stadium of Light and running over to the section where his family was, and where he used to stand as a young supporter — a great memory for Dan and for us. He developed into being a proud product of […]
The boy who lived out the dream of every Sunderland supporter, Dan Neil, has finally left the club to join Ipswich Town on loan before his contract expires in the summer. What a ride it has been. Only two SAFC supporters have ever led out a winning Sunderland team at Wembley, and Dan Neil is […]
After a defeat on Saturday, an injury to Granit Xhaka and the transfer deadline looming, there’s a packed mailbag to get through today! Join Martin, Gav and Andrew as they attempt to answer all of your questions. On today’s agenda: This episode contains a promotion for MedExpress. Visit MedExpress.co.uk to check your eligibility and get 30% off […]
Roker Report were saddened to learn of David Young’s passing earlier in the month, so for our latest ‘On This Day’ feature we have decided to look at the context surrounding a game where the Sunderland defender excelled… Given the FA Cup exploits that soon followed it is easy to forget that Bob Stokoe’s initial […]
Ben McKevitt says… Arsenal’s home defeat to Manchester United has left us as the only team left unbeaten at home and we’re all hoping for a huge response to ensure the streak continues as we welcome Burnley to the Stadium of Light. In my opinion, the setup against West Ham was all wrong in terms […]
As Sunderland embarked on a heavyweight and dizzying pre-Premier League squad overhaul during the summer of 2025, is it fair to say that the addition of the experienced Bertrand Traoré for a fee that, comparatively speaking, felt like an absolute drop in the ocean alongside the sums of money we spent elsewhere perhaps didn’t feel […]
Not everyone who writes for Roker Report knows each other; in fact, many of us aren’t even in the North East. A couple of years ago, two of our “silver foxes” (Lars and Kelvin) met up on the beautiful island of Lindisfarne, as it had become clear that it was a place that was close […]