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While it’d be nice to have a full strength squad for Regis Le Bris to pick from today, we’ve got a good group of players who’ll be desperate to follow up December’s derby win with another today. In reality, it’ll be a tough ask, but Le Bris and this team have pulled off big results […]
It was cup final day, with local rivals Sunderland and Darlington hoping to take the honours and lift the Durham Challenge Cup. Two of the stronger clubs in the county, the pair had history in this particular competition and had been regular opponents over the years, with the most recent clash ending in a convincing […]
Martin Wanless predicts… Score prediction: Soul-Selling Scum 0, Glorious Righteous Red and Whites 1 Sunderland’s first goalscorer: Chris Rigg Look, it’s going to be a massive challenge, particularly with Sunderland having pretty much a whole team out injured. But, we’ve seen several times in the past year that we can pull magic results out of […]
Sunday 22nd March 2026 Newcastle United v Sunderland – Premier League St James’ Park – Kick-Off: 12:00 Tickets & Match Coverage Tickets: Tickets are sold out. TV/Stream: Full live match coverage is available on Sky Sports. Radio: Full live match commentary available via BBC Radio Newcastle (not online) Don’t forget to follow the blow-by-blow account […]
Many centuries ago, Sun Tzu said in The Art of War: “If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles. If you know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat. If you know neither the enemy nor yourself, […]
We know you lot love a pre-derby treat to get the juices flowing, and after picking Gus Poyet’s brains before the game in December, we thought we’d grab another man who was a part of those wins over the mags for a chat – none other than former Sunderland striker Fabio Borini!
Newcastle were knocked out of the Champions League, conceding seven to Barcelona in midweek. Do you think this has increased the pressure massively to win the derby? I wouldn’t say it has increased the pressure as the pressure on Newcastle to win this game would have been huge regardless. Eddie Howe admitted their performance let […]
During the week leading up to a big Sunderland game, I seem to feel the same emotions every time. On Monday and Tuesday, it’s more the excitement of how brilliant winning would be. By Wednesday and Thursday, the nerves start to kick in and by the time weekend comes, it settles into an overwhelming sense […]
Andrew Smithson says… People might assume that they’re rare, but there’s quite a few that deserve name checks or to be classed as a favourite. Gordon Armstrong and Gary Owers were both massive parts of the team when I first started going and in more recent times you’ve had the likes of George Honeyman, Anthony […]
There aren’t many seasons in Sunderland AFC’s history that don’t involve some sort of drama towards the end of a campaign, whether that be at the top end of whatever league we happen to be competing in, or at the ‘wrong’ end of the table. The 1980–81 season was no different, and it took a […]
It’s always good to talk to someone who has been there and done it and today we catch up with Julio Arca, who a couple of months after making his debut, played in a victory for the Lads at St James’ Park! On today’s show… All this and more! Get subscribed to Haway The Podcast […]
Financial Stability: Last Year’s Foundations Last year, with the filing of the FY24 accounts, it felt like Sunderland had reached a crossroads. It wasn’t exciting, but all things pointed to a very well-run football club from a business perspective. It had established itself on a very stable financial footing (which I don’t wish to understate […]
It’s been a very long time since Sunderland visited St James’ Park — almost ten years to the day, in fact, since a 1-1 draw when Newcastle ended a six-game losing run against the Lads. A lot has happened in the last decade. We’ve been down to the third tier and come back again; they […]
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’ve just read the opinions on people leaving early — and it’s not just at full time. From thirty five minutes onwards, people head down below for their half time refreshments. It drives […]
In the context of how both teams were faring at this stage of the season, the 1–1 draw that was played out between Rafa Benítez’s Newcastle United and Sam Allardyce’s Sunderland was not beneficial for either team. With Sunderland lying in 18th position and Newcastle lying a place – and a point – below their […]
Sunday is the 159th the Lads have taken on that lot up the road so we thought we’d catch up with someone who has covered most of them for the past 36 years – so Ian Murtagh joined us to talk about the upcoming derby and a whole host of other things! On today’s show… […]
There’s something uniquely draining about following Sunderland. It doesn’t matter if it’s the men or the women, home or away, top of the league or fighting at the bottom – supporting this club is a guarantee of emotional whiplash. The highs and lows often come in the same ninety minutes. Tonight’s 2–2 draw against Sheffield […]
John Wilson says… What’s keeping me positive is the fact that this game certainly won’t define our season — and taking a longer-term view, it won’t define the trajectory the club is on. Of course it’s depressing whenever we lose — and certainly to them — but our visit to the ‘Visitors’ is in many […]
After leaving Wigan’s Springfield Park frustrated after a controversial refereeing decision had denied his team all three points – which came off the back of a controversial referring decision denying his team all three points at home to Blackpool the weekend before – Denis Smith’s regard for the footballing authorities wasn’t at its highest level. […]
Dear Roker Report, Maybe it is just me, but I somehow do not sense this Sunday’s big game is causing the same anticipation and levels of anxiety as the one at the SOL and those in bygone seasons. Something just seems missing in the build-up, and whether it is injury concerns or other reasons, I […]
Joe Cowan: 7/10 No real chance with any of the goals, although he may be a little upset at getting beat by the first and third goals, with them arrowing into his near post. Made one really important save with his feet when Sunderland were 2-1 up and was proactive from set pieces. Alex Lienard: […]
Welcome to today’s edition of Haway The Podcast, and there’s somuch to talk about we thought we’d do another Q&A! Martin, Andrew and Ant tackle your questions, including: Is Premier League footy actually any good? Why are our set pieces so poor? What’s going on with Diarra? Is a DRS type solution an idea for […]
As a general rule of thumb, I don’t tend to issue rallying cries without an element of conviction to back them up. Many of my Roker Report colleagues are far more adept at finding the sweet spot when banging that particular drum and trading in blood-stirring Shakespearean oratory in the process, whereas I prefer to […]
Hailing from Mauchline in East Ayrshire, Lalty’s family home is deep in Rabbie Burns country. He first played organised football for his hometown team of Mauchline in 1887/88 and the following season played for the Ayrshire Rifle Volunteers. Season 1889/90 saw the volunteers change their name to Newmilns, amalgamating with Newmilns Rangers and Newmilns Star […]
It’s almost a year to the day since we lost 3–0 at Coventry in a game which probably ended our hopes of automatic promotion from the Championship. At that point in our journey, promotion was a hope and a realistic ambition – especially after the positive impact made by Régis Le Bris in his first […]