Roker Report
Sunderland AFC's foremost blog and Podcast!
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What Sunderland Can Expect from York City
Can Sunderland overcome one of last season’s most dominant teams in National League history? York City arrive with a record-breaking attack, a formidable defence, and the confidence of champions. York City favour lining up in a 4 – 2 – 3 – 1 formation in possession and a 4 – 3 – 3 shape without […]
A Balancing Act: Sunderland’s Domestic And European Challenge!
Dean McDonald says… I’m looking forward to the challenge and I think the assumption from opposing fans that we’ll go down due to European football is a very lazy one — the last team to go down whilst playing in Europe was Ipswich in 2002. As others have pointed out, we still need to add […]
On This Day (17th July 2009): The Peter Crouch Transfer That Got Away From Sunderland
After being appointed Sunderland manager just over a month earlier, Steve Bruce was hoping to invest heavily in a new squad that would make the rest of the Premier League sit up and take notice ahead of the 2009 – 10 season. The Sunderland side certainly needed both a refresh and a cull. After a […]
My First Sunderland Game: “The First Journey Across The Irish Sea!”
Growing up in Ireland in 2002, supporting Sunderland AFC was one of the quickest ways to stand out in a primary school playground. In my class, there were eight football-mad boys, each proudly supporting their chosen club. There were four Liverpool supporters, one Leeds United fan, one Tottenham supporter, one Celtic fan and me, almost […]
Haway The Podcast | FROM THE ARCHIVE | When We Spoke To Ricky Sbragia!
With the Lads taking on York at the weekend we thought we’d pull our chat with Ricky Sbragia from our archive! Recorded a few years ago, Ricky takes us thorugh his time at York and Sunderland! The sound quality and the presenter have hopefully improved over the years but enjoy! On today’s show… All this […]
Haway The Podcast | THOMAS MEUNIER | Is Sunderland’s New Signing Any Good?
Sunderland announced the signing of Belgium international right back Thomas Meunier yesterday – so, with this in mind we sought out the expert views of someone who knows him well. Joining the pod for today’s show is French football expert Baptiste Reynaud to give us his insight on a man who has spent so much […]
Who is Dayann Méthalie? Sunderland’s Latest Left-Back Target
As the Black Cats look to bolster the squad and find that perfect balance of youthful exuberance and tactical flexibility, our scouting network has been working overtime. Today, we are casting our eyes across the English Channel to the south of France. Toulouse has become a breeding ground for elite young talent in recent years, […]
What Is Sunderland’s Next Priority In The Transfer Market?
Daniel Crosbie says… I’m going to cheat on this one a bit, because what we miss the most isn’t a specific position per se but a match-winner. In two seasons under Régis Le Bris, we’ve never really had a consistent one; a player you trust to come up with the goods when a game’s getting […]
On This Day (16 July 1988): Smith’s Mooney Bid Fails As Future Manager Arrives At Roker
When you look back on it, Brian Mooney’s arrival at Roker in 1991 may have seemed like something of a panic buy by Denis Smith. Granted, the Irish winger could be a mercurial talent on his day, but he had only ever played in the Third Division and, with the club battling to preserve its […]
From Roker Park to Europe – A Sunderland Love Story
It’s funny what you remember and what you’ve forgotten about the momentous days in your life. The first Sunderland game I went to in person is exactly that – a mix of things I remember and, after reading the match report, things I didn’t. I knew it was against Watford in 1983 and we drew […]
What Can Sunderland Expect From Thomas Meunier?
Before Sunderland’s Checkatrade Trophy final against Portsmouth in 2019, Belgian defender Thomas Meunier, who at the time played for PSG, unexpectedly asked on Twitter if anyone had a streaming link for the game. Fast-forward seven years and he’s signed for Sunderland, who are about to embark on a Europa League adventure rather than one in […]
Haway The Podcast | Meunier Set To Sign For Sunderland & Membership Scheme Launched!
Things are ramping up at Sunderland AFC HQ this week, with the launch of a ‘controversial’ supporter club membership scheme announced and the impending arrival of our first summer signing – so join Gav, Chris, Ian and Neil as they go over it all! On today’s show: All this and more! Get subscribed to Haway […]
Thomas Meunier: An Experienced And Shrewd Addition For Sunderland?
Ben McKevitt says… I can’t lie: when I saw the news that Meunier would be our first signing of the summer, I was a bit disappointed. Truthfully, I’d actually been quite critical of him when watching Belgium at the World Cup and felt he represented the ageing end of their golden generation. That was then, […]
On This Day (15th July 1961): The Secret Transfer That Brought Brian Clough to Sunderland
The regional – and indeed national – sporting press was doing its best to catch up with the stunning news that Brian Clough had signed from local rivals Middlesbrough the previous day. Alf Greenly, writing in the Sunday Sun, exclaimed that “the signing of Clough must go down as one of the best-kept secrets in […]
The Sunderland Badge Opened Every Door
Whilst I’m a County Durham lad by birth, work and wanderlust have taken me to every compass point of Britain. And everywhere I’ve lived, I’ve worn the Sunderland badge with pride. A couple of years ago, family wishes took Mrs L and me to Hertfordshire. The Home Counties. Shock horror. Wilstone, population 341. Quintessentially English. […]
What Will The Future Hold For Anthony Patterson?
It’s been one of the running themes at Sunderland in recent times — the gradual phasing out of the first team picture of the players whose efforts over a four-year period helped the club to regain a place at the top table of English football, with Trai Hume and Luke O’Nien the two solitary members […]
Thursday Nights In Transylvania: Has Football Forgotten the Matchgoing Supporter?
I thoroughly enjoyed Gavin and Andrew chatting on the pod after the Foundation of Light’s fixture release breakfast and chuckled when they said that all these matches were on a Saturday at 3pm – except they’re not. They’ll be all over the place. That got me thinking about the whole fixture-setting process and its impact […]
Has Sunderland Forgotten the Next Generation of Supporters?
And thus another debate is fired up. Just when the waters seemed destined to calm after the tumultuous weeks of the Granit Xhaka saga, Sunderland have somehow managed to do it again. Step forward the new Black Cats Memberships – a new three-tiered membership system that, well, all seems a bit rushed. The premise is […]
Thomas Meunier Signing Makes Perfect Sense for Sunderland
Sunderland look set to announce the signing of former Paris Saint-Germain and Borussia Dortmund right-back Thomas Meunier on a free transfer following his release from Lille at the end of his contract this summer. The 34-year-old, who made three appearances for Belgium at the World Cup and bagged two assists, has a proven track record […]
Haway The Podcast | ROB MASON INTERVIEW | The Gaffers
Hello and welcome to today’s edition of haway the podcast, and we’ve got the pleasure of Rob Mason’s company today. Martin and Andrew talk to Rob about All this and more! Get subscribed to Haway The Podcast so you never miss another episode of our free daily show. Want to get in touch with us? […]
On This Day (14th July 2015): Jeremain Lens ‘Keen’ On Sunderland Move!
Part of the agreement in place when Dick Advocaat was tempted to stay on as manager was the club’s assurance that it would invest in the playing staff before the commencement of the 2015-16 season. In fairness to Ellis Short, he was putting his money where his mouth was as things were heating up with […]
Can Sunderland’s Coaching Team Now Be A Fonte Of All Knowledge?
There’s a new face joining Régis Le Bris’ coaching collective, and the hope is that former central defender José Fonte is going to fit in seamlessly with a group that already seems to be working brilliantly. Having only just retired from playing, Fonte will arrive later this month with a modern-day understanding of current tactics […]
Who Should Sunderland Keep on the Left Wing?
The right-wing position has been a highly scrutinised topic this summer, and rightly so. Bertrand Traoré’s exit has put more pressure on the club’s situation on the right and, even if he was still on Wearside, I think the club would be in the market anyway. That being said, I think it’s only right to […]
A Hat Trick Of Sunderland Games — “A Generational Love Affair”
Our family story of following the Lads begins on November 22 1952. My paternal grandfather was from Burnley and was a Burnley supporter. Unfortunately I never met him as he died before I was born but I’m in the very fortunate position of still having my Dad around — in fine health and fitter than […]
Remembering 1936/1937: The Season Of Sunderland’s First FA Cup Triumph!
As Sunderland scored three second half goals that broke Preston hearts and sparked a Wearside party. Raich Carter fulfilled his destiny and cemented himself into Mackem folklore as the lads conquered Wembley in front of 93,495 spectators on 1 May 1937. The 2026/2027 season marks ninety years since we won our first FA Cup and […]
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