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Roker Report

https://rokerreport.sbnation.com/ | 320 entries published

Sunderland AFC's foremost blog and Podcast!

Latest Entries

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 […]

4 days ago | 0 reads

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 […]

4 days ago | 0 reads

Sunderland’s Homegrown Crunch: The ‘English Tax’ Looms

Sunderland’s recruitment across the summer was hugely impressive, as the scouting network spread its reach across European leagues to bring in a mix of young, promising, sought-after talent and much-needed top-level experience. But recruiting players from abroad brings its own complications. Premier League squad rules dictate that each team can only have a maximum of […]

4 days ago | 0 reads

Score Predictions: Can We Carry On Gannin’ Canny At Man City?

Martin Wanless predicts… Score prediction: Man City 2 Sunderland 2 Sunderland’s first goalscorer: Le Fee After Wednesday’s trip to Anfield, it’s another excellent game for us to tackle. I wonder whether we’ll rotate the squad a little – the obvious suspension threat to Sadiki and Xhaka is something that will surely come into the manager’s […]

5 days ago | 0 reads

Match Preview: Manchester City v Sunderland — Can The Lads Go One Better At The Etihad?!

Saturday 6th December 2025 Manchester City v Sunderland – Premier League Etihad Stadium Kick-Off: 15:00 Tickets & Match Coverage Tickets: Tickets are sold out. TV/Stream: Full live match coverage is unavailable in the UK. Radio: Full live match commentary available via BBC Radio Newcastle (not online) Don’t forget to follow the blow-by-blow account of the […]

5 days ago | 0 reads

Fan Focus: What Can Sunderland Expect Today From Manchester City?

Man City currently sit second in the Premier League – how would you summarise your season so far? I think it’s been fairly mixed. We started the season with two losses in our first three games before the first international break, but after we returned we started to get back to our best. We’ve had […]

5 days ago | 0 reads

View From The Away End: What It Was Like Watching Sunderland v The Champions!

What a special team we have right now. In years gone by, a Sunderland side falling two goals behind at home to two eminently avoidable goals – on the back of a poor defeat away from home – would slump to another disappointing loss or worse crumble entirely to humiliation. Not so with the current […]

6 days ago | 0 reads

Submarine Spotted: Sunderland Are No Longer Underdogs

At the start of every game this season so far, I’ve thought, “this will tell us something about where we are, and how we can handle this division.” In the beginning, that was an obvious thing to think. How will we do against established Premier League opposition like West Ham? Can we respond to the […]

6 days ago | 0 reads

Dan Ballard Is Playing Like A Beast!

After another impressive team performance at Anfield on Wednesday night there were several candidates for our own man-of-the-match from the 1-1 draw with Liverpool. You could take your pick from our defenders and midfielders really, but one thing for certain is that Dan Ballard added to his list of impressive performances which stretches back to […]

6 days ago | 0 reads

What Does The Future Hold For Dan Neil At Sunderland?

If Dan Neil is about to depart the club when the January transfer window opens, it will mark the end of a tumultuous period in the club’s history in which he has played a significant role. There is a photograph of a young Dan Neil in the Wembley crowd on the day Sunderland took on […]

6 days ago | 0 reads

Matchday Musings: Sunderland Unlucky Not To Beat Liverpool

In any regular season, a trip to Liverpool would cause a shudder amongst Sunderland supporters, but this has been far from an ordinary campaign for the Black Cats. After the forgettable 1-0 loss to Fulham, Regis Le Bris correctly reverted to a back four, which allowed our attacking players to get more involved against Bournemouth. […]

7 days ago | 1 read

Talking Points: Another Excellent Night On The Road For Sunderland

A sign of continuous progress It says so much that the overwhelming feelings coming out of this game amongst both the fans and the players is that of pride and a tinge of disappointment. We are newcomers here! We really should have no right to be coming away from Anfield disappointed to have not won, […]

7 days ago | 2 reads

On This Day (4th December 2008): Roy Keane Resigns As Sunderland Manager

Like everything in life, all good things must come to an end at some point and this day in 2008 was the end of what was once described as a ‘magic carpet ride’ by chairman Niall Quinn. Roy Keane’s departure as Sunderland manager was one that all fans knew would come at one point, but […]

7 days ago | 1 read

Two Up, Two Down: Positives & Negatives From Sunderland’s Trip To Anfield

Lars Knutsen says… Talbi was the goalscoring star, but this was another fantastic team performance. We at least matched Liverpool in terms of pace, shape and determination. To go ahead at Anfield, home of the current Champions, was almost a “coming of age” for this Sunderland team. We are back, we are competing and deserve […]

7 days ago | 0 reads