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I don’t mean to blow smoke up our backsides but Sunderland’s travelling support at Hill Dickinson Stadium at the weekend was, quite simply, immense – both in terms of numbers and noise. It helped make for a classic cup tie and a great away day, but not everybody deserves praise for the way they behaved […]
about 2 months ago | 2 reads
In recent years cup games have appeared as something of a chore and one of which we have avoided with impressive but slightly depressing consistency. It has been 11 years since we last played in the fourth round of the FA Cup and 4 years since that League Cup run that took us to the […]
about 2 months ago | 0 reads
When Granit Xhaka was first linked with a move to Sunderland back in the summer, even the most optimistic of us would have thought this was too good to be true. As the links became more detailed, one of the most ambitious signings in our recent history got closer. Once the deal was done and […]
about 2 months ago | 1 read
Martin, Andrew, and Kelvin are back again to field another round of listener questions! On today’s show: All this and more – get subscribed to Haway The Podcast so you never miss another episode of our free daily SAFC show! This episode of Haway The Podcast is sponsored by LiveScoreBet, a principal partner of Sunderland AFC. For […]
about 2 months ago | 0 reads
I still wasn’t sure what I thought about VAR going into this new season in the Premier League. Sorry, yes, I’m writing about VAR! There are arguments on both sides of course; if there weren’t, everyone would be of the same opinion. I’m slowly coming off the fence, which is a very limited use of […]
about 2 months ago | 1 read
To say that the FA Cup has been something of a non-event for Sunderland in recent years might be an understatement, but after the deflating loss at Brentford a break from league action could be the tonic we all needed. A trip to Everton away wasn’t the kindest draw on paper, but the Toffees’ squad […]
about 2 months ago | 1 read
When Sunderland were drawn away to Everton in the third round of the FA Cup there may have been a feeling among some of our own fanbase that we would once again be looking at an early exit from the competition. It was an all-Premier League tie, away at the Merseysiders’ brand spanking new home […]
about 2 months ago | 1 read
The 1977/78 season had not quite gone to plan for Jimmy Adamson. The unbelievable run-in to the previous season as we attempted to preserve our hard-won top-tier status – though in the end unsuccessful – had left many of us feeling we were only a couple of players away from having a squad good enough […]
about 2 months ago | 1 read
Sunderland returned to FA Cup action on Saturday as the lads travelled down to the Hill Dickinson Stadium for the first time to face an Everton side who faced the prospect of their third home defeat in a week. With questions around how seriously both teams were going to treat the competition, two strong sides […]
about 2 months ago | 2 reads
It’s been a while since we did these editorial pieces for the website and, after a ridiculously busy period where it’s felt like Sunderland have been playing every couple of days, it feels like an appropriate time to bring them back as a regular feature here on the website. So, thanks very much for checking […]
about 2 months ago | 1 read
Having drawn 1-1 at Millmoor first time around Sunderland needed to get an FA Cup 3rd round replay with Rotherham United lined up, but with the country in the midst of a ‘big freeze’ it was proving to be much easier said than done The fixture had been due to take place on the evening […]
about 2 months ago | 1 read
Want to have your say on all things Sunderland? Drop us a line and we’ll publish your views! [email protected] Dear Roker Report, If you take the size of the support as a yardstick, Sunderland are the biggest underachievers in world football. We’ve been yo-yoing between the top two divisions since 1958. We haven’t been English […]
about 2 months ago | 0 reads
Join Martin, Andrew, Kelvin and Ant as they attempt to answer your questions from the Everton game on Saturday! On today’s agenda • Team selection under the spotlight – should Dan Neil and Patto have played? • Did Luke O’Nien’s performance show he’s got something to offer at Premier League level? • How important is […]
about 2 months ago | 3 reads
Mark Wood says… I have to admit that back in the summer break following our promotion and before we had gone out and bought so much as a bootlace, I did feel that based on the performances of Dennis Cirkin last season the left-back position was one of the areas I would have chosen to […]
about 2 months ago | 0 reads
When we were first linked with Robin Roefs last summer, I’ll be the first to admit that I didn’t have a clue who he was, and nor did I know how highly he was rated in his homeland and quite why Sunderland were so keen to bring him to Wearside as we sought a more […]
about 2 months ago | 0 reads
When Sunderland entered the 2025 summer transfer window, there was a clear sense that the club meant business, with the recruitment strategy blending the signings of seasoned internationals with younger players carrying high‑ceiling potential. The arrivals of experienced figures brought leadership and stability, whilst the addition of emerging talents promised energy, creativity and potential for […]
about 2 months ago | 1 read
Join Martin, Andrew and Kelvin for another episode of On This Week, where we take a look back at some of the key events that have happened on this week in the history of Sunderland AFC. On today’s show: This episode of Haway The Podcast is sponsored by LiveScoreBet, a principal partner of Sunderland AFC. For […]
2 months ago | 0 reads
On Saturday, Régis Le Bris showed proper respect to the FA Cup competition. The hectic Christmas period, combined with the absence of the AFCON players, has placed a massive strain on the first-team squad. Spaces opened up on the bench, and it was good to see the likes of Timur Tutierov getting some exposure to […]
2 months ago | 0 reads
Want to have your say on all things Sunderland? Drop us a line and we’ll publish your views! [email protected] Dear Roker Report, A nine-hour-plus round trip to Brentford and back after losing 3-0 wasn’t in my script, but I’m not going to be critical of the Lads. Since 20 December, we’ve played five league games, […]
2 months ago | 0 reads
Let’s be honest: we’d all love to be Enzo Le Fée, wouldn’t we? A good-looking guy, a real team man, an example of the triumph of determination over tragedy, and above all, a damn good footballer. However, perhaps it’s fair to say that few of us would’ve wanted to have swapped places with Le Fée […]
2 months ago | 0 reads
Denis Smith’s Sunderland were always up against it after being promoted in May 1990. After the celebrations of beating the mags and the announcement we were promoted over Swindon Town had faded, the realisation of the task in hand kicked in. Smith had nothing in the pot to strengthen, so Eric Gates and John MacPhail […]
2 months ago | 2 reads
There are seasons in football that drift, seasons that never quite settle into a rhythm and seasons where the story becomes one of “what might’ve been” rather than what was. Sunderland Women know that feeling all too well, amid a 2025/2026 campaign that promised stability yet has instead lurched between inconsistency and frustration, with performances […]
2 months ago | 0 reads
Despite calls to fully rotate our side, Regis Le Bris went strong with his team selection and Sunderland were rewarded with a penalty shootout win that puts us into the 4th Round of the FA Cup. To chat all about it, Gav and Andrew were joined by James Copley from the Sunderland Echo this morning. […]
2 months ago | 0 reads
Sunderland show due respect in both team selection and performance Prior to the trip to Merseyside, Régis Le Bris hinted that his team selection against the Toffees would reflect a desire to take the FA Cup seriously, and that’s exactly what happened when the Sunderland starting eleven was published at 11:15. This was no mix-and-match […]
2 months ago | 1 read
When the team was announced, I was surprised at its strength and the lack of rotation after the tired showing against Brentford, but once again, Régis Le Bris got it bang on and but for a dubious penalty, we would’ve won comfortably and the rested lads would’ve enjoyed even more of a recharge of their […]
2 months ago | 1 read