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Roker Report

Sunderland AFC's foremost blog and Podcast!

Latest Entries

On This Day (11th December 1926): A Day To Remember for Dave Halliday

Any day you win, score six goals, and beat Manchester United has to be seen as a good day out for a Sunderland AFC team, and this is exactly what they did on this day in 1926. In the fantastic book The Absolute Record written by Rob Mason, Mike Gibson, and Barry Jackson, the season […]

Poyet’s Sunderland v NUFC Derby Victories: Which Was Your Favourite?

Jonny Hawley: SAFC 2-1 NUFC, 2013 In a crowded field, Poyet’s first derby is right up near the top of my personal list – it’s no Richardson free kick, obviously, but I absolutely loved that game. I’d have just turned 15 not long before the match, so I was in that sweet spot in life […]

Fan Letters: The Importance Of Realistic Expectations

Want to have your say on all things Sunderland? Drop us a line and we’ll publish your views! [email protected] Dear Roker Report, As our season unfolds, I think we maybe need to take an actual reality check in what our expectations actually were before the season got underway, and now what seems to be a […]

Luke O’Nien: From League One Losses To His Premier League Debut

Look, even though he got stupidly sent off at the weekend, Luke O’Nien has fully cemented his legacy as one of the greatest Sunderland players. I’d even argue that he could receive straight red cards for the rest of his career and still not lose the love of so many supporters. Luke O’Nien’s Sunderland journey […]

Simon Adingra: The Ivory Coast’s Loss But Sunderland’s Gain?

Anthony Gair says… Although surprising, it’s not the end of the world for Adingra.  The Ivorian can utilise this time as a massive opportunity to cover for any of the missing wingers; to get himself some proper Premier League football under his belt and be a real positive force for our push for the title! […]

Who Could Be Sunderland’s Difference-Makers Against Newcastle?

Anthony Gair says… Well, just to start off, I’m absolutely bricking it. I always do, and I always will before the derby. Our main threat against Newcastle will be down the wings, I expect. Hopefully they field Dan Burn and Kieran Trippier as I feel Romaine Mundle, Bertrand Traoré, Wilson Isidor, Brian Brobbey, Chemsdine Talbi, […]

On This Day (10th Dec 2004): Darren Williams — From A Black Cat To A Bluebird

Darren Williams eventually arrived at Peter Reid’s Sunderland in October 1996. He had been recommended by future Sunderland coach and manager Ricky Sbragia, who was at that time York City youth-team coach. Williams had a pre-season trial for Sunderland reserves, but with his contract finishing, a fee could not initially be agreed. Reid eventually got […]

On This Day (9th Dec 1961): Second Half Spike Seals Sunderland Success!     

The respective signings of George Herd and Brian Clough in April and July 1961 added an extra dimension to Sunderland’s attacking threat for 1961-62. Their first full season saw the club put together a strong promotion push that made them the third highest scorers in Division II, but the increased goalmouth action was not quite […]

Our Writers React To Sunderland’s FA Cup Draw!

Ciaran McKenna says… I think we could’ve done much worse with the draw — a title-challenging Premier League team away would’ve been rather upsetting. Equally, a home draw against a lower league team wouldn’t have gotten the fans up for a cup run. An away game at a new ground with a bustling away end […]

Can Wilson Isidor Become Sunderland’s Latest Derby Hero?

If there’s one thing we learned during his maiden campaign on Wearside — apart from the fact that he’s got the kind of passion for football and transparent love for Sunderland that you can’t help but admire — it’s that behind the smile and the affable, happy-go-lucky exterior, there’s a fiercely competitive footballer and mentally […]

Fan Letters: 2025 Has Been A Red And White Year To Remember!

Want to have your say on all things Sunderland? Drop us a line and we’ll publish your views! [email protected] Dear Roker Report, As 2025 draws to a close, what a year it’s been! Memorable moments and great atmospheres in the Sunderland family — who can forget Dan Ballard against Coventry, Tommy Watson at Wembley and […]

Staying Up And Pushing On!

Sunderland moved onto twenty three points from fourteen games with our much-deserved draw away at Liverpool in midweek. It was a match that once again left us feeling proud of this team — and a small sense of ‘What could’ve been”, as we had some good chances to win it. Writing about a 1-1 draw […]

The Road To The Derby Starts Here!

So, the countdown to the first league derby for too long has begun. Football is nothing without rivalry, near-tribalism and passion, but that said, I’m not a great fan. My blood pressure is already going up writing this with a week still to go — and I’m sure my doctor won’t be too pleased about […]

Sunderland Experienced An Etihad Eye-Opener On Saturday

It wasn’t the biggest shock of our 2025/2026 season so far. Perhaps it was always asking a lot for Sunderland to end what had been an objectively impressive week of results by depriving Pep Guardiola’s Big Blue Machine of valuable points in the Premier League title race, but after Arsenal’s Saturday afternoon slip combined with […]

HAWAY THE PODCAST – We Want Your Questions!

We’re recording a Q&A Podcast tomorrow morning, and we want your questions on all things SAFC related – from this last run of games to what lies ahead! Drop your questions in the comments section below or email [email protected] and we’ll do our best to answer them!

Talking Points: Ballard v Haaland, Classy City, & Missed Chances Cost SAFC

Ballard vs Haaland Facing up against the toughest individual opponent in the league in the form of Erling Haaland, I think that Ballard in particular could leave the pitch with his head held high yesterday. Haaland barely had a sniff at goal throughout the match, with one illuminating stat showing that the Nordic giant had […]

NFL

Matchday Musings: With Important Games To Come, We Have To Move On Quick

As someone who generally tries to find the positives in everything, my attitude leading into the game was that Sunderland could – largely due to the brilliant results against Bournemouth and Liverpool – go into the Manchester City game free of pressure, knowing that the result would be relatively inconsequential. I have to admit, though, […]

2 Up, 2 Down: Sunderland Well Beaten As City Step It Up

Gav says… Positive play at points I thought we were excellent until the sucker punch that came from the first Manchester City goal. Yes, we didn’t dominate the ball at all, but our game plan was solid and for a good half an hour there, I thought we stood a chance of getting a positive […]

On This Day (7th Dec 1991): New Obstacle Comes Into View For Murray   

1992 may have been deemed Queen Elizabeth II’s infamous annus horribilis, but for Sunderland’s own head of state it was the year before that looked like it would take its toll. Bob Murray, later to become CBE in the 2003 New Year Honours and a Sir in the Queen’s own 2010 Birthday Honours, endured a […]