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In the modern, money-driven, high stakes, glitz-and-glamour world of the Premier League, it’s seldom enough for a head coach or a manager to just be a head coach or a manager, and as the nature of the game that we all love has evolved, so too have the demands placed those who are fortunate enough […]
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, Having followed Sunderland since the 1950s, it’s the first time in my memory that the whole management team have been so experienced in football club management. Look at the background of Kyril Louis-Dreyfus […]
2 months ago | 2 reads
Much of the praise for Sunderland’s dream start back to life in the Premier League has been rightfully directed towards defensive performance. From Robin Roefs’ impressive command of his area in just his second professional season, to Dan Ballard’s willingness to launch himself through a brick wall for a header, to the class that the […]
2 months ago | 1 read
Good morning and welcome to the start of another week at Sunderland AFC – and we’re kicking off as usual with another episode of On This Week, where we take a look at some of the things that have happened On This Week in the history of Sunderland AFC! There’s no Kelvin this week – he […]
2 months ago | 1 read
Have you heard the joke about the so-called “Deserved Premier League Table” and how the team currently sitting proudly in fourth place should apparently be in the lower reaches of the league on the basis that we’re allegedly outperforming various metrics by a considerable distance? Well, pass me a needle and thread so I can […]
2 months ago | 0 reads
The fortunes of Sunderland and Newcastle United in the late-1980’s/early-1990’s were like a double-helix that constantly crossed paths. While Lawrie McMenemy did his thing and saw us slide into the third tier we had left our nearest and dearest in the top flight, but as we climbed out and consolidated our position, they came down […]
2 months ago | 1 read
Something I’ve found myself repeating almost every time I speak about Sunderland at the minute is something that many of you reading this will probably smirk and laugh at, as I know I’m often accused of getting carried away too easily, but I genuinely believe it when I say it: I think this is probably […]
2 months ago | 1 read
We hope you enjoyed part one – which was a little bit serious after we moved past pink custard – and here is part two with a few less serious pet hates that Andrew & Jonny would like to see banished to Room 101! All of this and much more – get subscribed to you […]
2 months ago | 1 read
Daniel George Ballard signed for Sunderland ahead of our return to the Championship back in the summer of 2022. Coming from Arsenal for a couple of million pounds, he immediately looked like a proper centre back despite missing around half of the 2022/2023 season with injury. Last season, there were times when he couldn’t get […]
2 months ago | 1 read
When we signed Granit Xhaka in the summer, it’s fair to say a few eyebrows were raised and that many neutrals nodded subtly — as well as acknowledging that for a club just coming up via the playoffs, it was a bold but potentially strong and ambitious move. There was an undeniable “feelgood factor” from that […]
2 months ago | 1 read
Sunderland’s pursuit of a first ever promotion entered the final straight in 1963/1964 and on this day, they returned to top spot in Division Two courtesy of a comprehensive victory over Leyton Orient. The Lads had won five of their last seven and had already been at the summit for a brief period at the […]
2 months ago | 1 read
Dan Harrison says… Whilst it’s always a bonus to finally be in the limelight, I’m at a bit of a crossroads regarding the coverage we’ve received since our return to the Premier League. On one hand, I feel that despite the praise, it feels like a surface-level analysis and a lazy attempt to label our […]
2 months ago | 1 read
For those who remember the radio or TV series from back in the day, we have our very own Football Room 101 as we try and we try and help our beloved game by banishing our pet hates – and this is part 1! All of this and much more – get subscribed to you […]
2 months ago | 1 read
In Phil Smith’s (of The Sunderland Echo) tremendous interview with Sunderland director of football Florent Ghisolfi, he states that his first objective was to preserve the quality that had got the team promoted last season and continue it throughout the nascent Premier League season. That quality is mentality, and the synonyms were bandied with gleeful […]
2 months ago | 1 read
I guess it’s just human nature – not just in sport – but in all walks of life, to see just how far rules can be stretched. And stretched they will be, unless there are punishments or direct consequences to those rules being over-stretched. Time wasting is one of the scourges of modern football. Even […]
2 months ago | 1 read
After the 3-3 draw on Halloween night with Bolton Wanderers, Sunderland manager Simon Grayson was the latest man to be given his marching orders after an insipid start to the season leaving the ex Leeds manager becoming the eighth manager to lose his job in six years at Sunderland. The club was on a downward […]
2 months ago | 1 read
Dan Ballard, Brian Brobbey, Granit Xhaka and the incredible atmosphere at the Stadium of Light may have monopolised the headlines after Saturday’s battling draw, but there was one key individual whose part in the proceedings appears to have been somewhat overlooked, and the quiet, studious and slightly enigmatic Frenchman who’s coached and moulded this group […]
2 months ago | 1 read
Hello everyone, and welcome to the first edition of a new feature on Haway The Podcast – Deep Dive, where we go in-depth to tackle some of the key topics surrounding Sunderland AFC. Today, we’re going into detail on the upcoming Africa Cup of Nations tournament, which has caused varying levels of concern for Sunderland […]
2 months ago | 3 reads
“Identity” is a word that gets thrown around a lot in football, but what does it mean to have one? At the end of Sunderland’s previous Premier League spell, it would be fair to say that the team lacked a clear identity. On the pitch, in the dugout and in the boardroom, we were a […]
2 months ago | 2 reads
After securing Sunderland’s return to the top flight at the sixth time of asking, Alan Brown promptly left the club in the summer of 1964 – apparently due to a dispute about his club house. Whatever the circumstances that saw Brown depart to Sheffield Wednesday, the board took their time to appoint his replacement. A […]
2 months ago | 2 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, At seventy five years of age and with my first Sunderland match being in January 1961, aged ten years old, I’ve seen many false dawns. The 1960’s team promised so much but managerial […]
2 months ago | 2 reads
Prior to Saturday’s game, Arsenal were being built up as a mountain that nobody, not even Sunderland, were capable of climbing. Having conceded only three goals in all competitions all season, riding high at the top of the division, it was seen as a bridge too far to imagine that Régis Le Bris and his […]
2 months ago | 2 reads
If you were looking for swashbuckling, successful football, then going to watch Alan Durban’s Sunderland in November 1982 was not the place to be. To be fair to Durban, the manager had a serious job on his hands changing the fortunes of a team that wasn’t far from relegation in Division One the previous season. […]
2 months ago | 2 reads
We all love an international break to reflect on how good the Lads are doing at the moment – so we sat down with Sky Sports north-east reporter Keith Downie for a catch up on everything that’s happened since we last talked! All of this and much more – get subscribed to you don’t miss […]
2 months ago | 1 read
From the moment we sealed promotion, our aim has been to focus on survival and consolidation, yet after eleven games, we’re fourth, so is it time to start dreaming bigger? We’re heading into the November international break — our third in the space of eleven games — and it’s not come as a welcome relief. […]
2 months ago | 0 reads