Roker Report
Sunderland AFC's foremost blog and Podcast!
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Haway The Podcast | HAWAY THE Q&A | Promoted Clubs, Membership Schemes & More
Welcome to today’s pod, and we’re delving into some of the questions we didn’t get the chance to answer last week! On today’s show: All this and more! Get subscribed to Haway The Podcast so you never miss another episode of our free daily show. Ready to have an AI that can tackle real work? […]
Editorial: One More to Go — Are Sunderland Ready for the Big Kick-Off?
One more to go… It’s usually a game of two halves and, by my reckoning, it’s been a pre-season of three parts – and we only have one game to go until we countdown to Ipswich. There was our trip to York that got early minutes into the legs, especially for those few who didn’t […]
Sunderland’s Quiet Window: Patience or Cause for Concern?
At the end of the 2025/2026 season, as Sunderland’s players, fans and coaches basked in the elation of having qualified for the Europa League in the most thrilling fashion, Florent Ghisolfi was at the heart of the on-pitch celebrations, joining in the party with the likes of Kyril Louis-Dreyfus and Régis Le Bris – and […]
Lens Away: A Weekend to Remember for the Sunderland Supporters
My son Sam and I set off from home at 11:00 on Friday morning and had a largely stress-free trip down to Folkestone, across on Le Shuttle and then approximately an hour’s drive to Lens. We arrived at our apartment around 18:00, dropped the bags and went straight out in search of adventure (beer). On […]
Why Luke O’Nien Represents the New Sunderland
It felt a little like a “proud dad moment” when listening to Luke O’Nien speak on a recent episode of the High Performance Podcast. Not because I consider it the pinnacle of sporting interviews, but because of the journey O’Nien has been on since arriving at Sunderland and where that journey has ultimately taken him. […]
On This Day (10th August 1992): Sunderland Midfielder Wanted By Little’s Leicester
On this day in 1992, Leicester City were poised to make a bid for Sunderland’s out-of-favour midfielder Gordon Armstrong. Armstrong had been an automatic choice since Denis Smith took over in 1987, but had started only two of Sunderland’s five pre-season matches and Leicester manager Brian Little was set to test Malcolm Crosby’s resolve to […]
Haway The Podcast | REACTION | Sunderland 2-0 RC Lens | Sacré Bleu!
Sunderland put in an utterly dominant and convincing performance away in France against RC Lens, a side who have just won a major trophy, pushed PSG at the top of Ligue 1 last season, and will play in the Champions League in the coming campaign… so are we right to feel a little bit chuffed […]
Matchday Musings: Fun In The Sun As The Lads See Off Lens!
Yesterday’s match was a rarity for me: a pre-season game that looked to have something approaching an actual atmosphere. I wasn’t overly fussed about the Lads’ North American tour. I’m pleased it all went well but sinking $25 Michelob Lights with a side of grits in the PricewaterhouseCoopers THUNDERDOME isn’t my idea of fun. Knocking […]
On This Day (9 Aug 1950): When Tommy Wright Nearly Walked Away from Sunderland
With the 1950/1951 campaign about to start, Tommy Wright should have been looking to build on a successful first full season at Roker Park, yet the capture from Partick Thistle was far from comfortable and, rather than readying himself for the big kick-off, he had gone back home – and had made it known that […]
2 Up, 2 Down: Sunderland See Off Lens In A Lively Friendly!
Dean McDonald says… Chris Rigg, take a bow! Rigg looked every inch a Premier League player when he came on, playing a big part in both goals and just looking comfortable whenever he got the ball. The big hitters are back Noah Sadiki, Robin Roefs, Trai Hume, Luke O’Nien and Reinildo all getting ninety minutes […]
Talking Points: Five Things We Learned From Sunderland’s Win Over Lens
Bright debut for Meunier First of all, as highlighted pretty much every time we’ve spoken about him on the pod, what a specimen of a man. He’s turning 35 in September but popped up all over the pitch in a very bright 45 minutes on his Sunderland debut. He’d press high alongside Hume on the […]
A Pre-Season Catch-Up with the One and Only Ron Manager
It’s been quite a while since I’d caught up with retired football supremo Ron Manager. As the new season approaches, I thought it would be a good time to get flashes of wisdom and some deep and meaningful insight from him about the game in general, and Sunderland in particular. Ron has forged a lifelong […]
Andy’s Player Ratings: Lens 0-2 Sunderland – Black Cats Cruise To Victory
Robin Roefs: 6/10 A spectator for most of the game, had a couple of easy claims to make and a soft shot straight at him but most of his involvements were with his feet. Thomas Meunier: 7/10 A really good debut, reliable on the ball and always quick to provide an outlet on the right. […]
Fan Focus: What can Sunderland expect from Coupe de France winners RC Lens?
Lens finished just six points behind PSG last season in what was a remarkable push for the title. What were the key factors behind your excellent form? I would say there are three key factors behind the season’s success: First, the alignment between the ownership, the sporting management, and the coach was solid, with everyone […]
Haway The Podcast | MATCHDAY PREVIEW | RC Lens v SAFC | Avengers Assemble In France!
1500 of Sunderland’s finest are heading to the north-east of France today to watch the Lads take on RC Lens of Ligue 1, who won a cup last season and qualified for the Champions League, so it should be a good test. Join Gav, James and Michael as they get together for today’s show! All […]
Opposition Analysis: Will Lens Test Sunderland’s Mettle?
Can Sunderland come out on top against a Lens side packed with attacking quality and fresh from a strong 2025/2026 campaign? The Lads travel to north-eastern France for a clash with RC Lens, the 2025/2026 Coupe de France winners and Ligue 1 runners-up, with Black Cats defender Arthur Masuaku having spent six months on loan […]
On This Day (8th Aug 1998): The Day Peter Reid’s Great Sunderland Side Began to Take Shape
All great things start somewhere. Maybe the entertaining team under Peter Reid was already making people sit up and take notice the previous season, when we lost that superb play-off final to Charlton Athletic. However, this 1998/99 season opener at the Stadium of Light against Queens Park Rangers was the marker for what was to […]
Match Preview: Sunderland Say ‘Bonjour!’ As We Head To France
1500 Sunderland supporters are heading to the north of France this afternoon to see the Lads take on a Lens side who had one of the most successful seasons in the club’s history during the 2025-26 campaign. Les Sang et Or — who are managed by former Eintracht Frankfurt boss Dino Toppmöller — won the […]
Fan Letters: Fans Praise Sunderland’s Summer Strategy
Want to have your say on all things Sunderland? Drop us a line and we’ll publish your views! [email protected] Dear Roker Report, Sunderland’s pre-season tour of the USA was a masterstroke by the club. Pre-season games generally consist of two teams each half, where match minutes are more important than the result. Everybody connected with […]
Haway The Podcast | OPPO PREVIEW | Hugues Honoré on RC Lens vs Sunderland!
BONJOUR! Tomorrow, Sunderland have two friendlies against RC Lens, and with that in mind we had a chat with Hugues Honoré from Culture Sang et Or Podcast ahead of the games! On today’s show… All this and more! Get subscribed to Haway The Podcast so you never miss another episode of our free daily show. […]
Are Sunderland Ready for the Demands of a Bigger Season?
After all the heroics and triumphs we enjoyed last season, the new one is just around the corner. Are we ready to raise our platform? Do we have the squad that can take on more responsibility when the need arises? More than midway through pre-season, I feel that there are far more questions than answers. […]
Built on Character: Sunderland’s Intangible Recruitment Identity
Gone are the days of desperation, the instinctive decisions, the moments when Stuart Donald was calling Wigan and somehow outbidding himself for Will Grigg. Gone are the days of seeing “Ibrahimovic” at the bottom of this list and wondering what the plan was supposed to be. This time, everything feels meticulous. Everything feels measured. The […]
The Sunderland Generation That Finally Gets Europe
Recently, I wrote that promotion, a top-seven finish and European qualification had not changed Sunderland’s identity. A proper club then, a proper club now. They had simply given Sunderland a bigger stage on which to be Sunderland. Now we’re about to find out if that’s true. For the first time in fifty-three years, Sunderland will […]
On This Day (7th Aug 2014): The Borini Saga — Sunderland’s Summer of Waiting & Hope
After a hugely successful loan spell during the 2013-14 season, Fabio Borini instantly became Sunderland’s number one transfer target after returning to Liverpool for pre-season training in the summer of 2014. Borini became a fans’ favourite at the Stadium of Light after scoring the goals that helped Sunderland beat Newcastle United both home and away, […]
Reader’s Corner: Why Sunderland’s Europa League Squad Is a Transfer Balancing Act
Want to have your say on all things Sunderland AFC?Well, you too can wiggle your finger in the air over here at Roker Report’s Reader’s Corner! To get involved, simply drop us an email – [email protected] – with your views (between 500-800 words) and we’ll publish them on the site! As the summer rumbles on, […]
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