Roker Report
Sunderland AFC's foremost blog and Podcast!
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Sadiki And Ahoka Are The Jules In The Sunderland European Crown
It was an image straight from a European tie of years past: an ecstatic player hurdling the pitchside advertising hoardings, running across the adjacent athletics track and throwing himself jubilantly into a throng of travelling supporters that had been put through ninety minutes of nerves and anxiety on a curious night in Portugal. The player? […]
Jules Ahoka: Sunderland’s Latest Emerging Star?
Calum Mills says… For the alleged £10 million we spent on him, he looks like an absolute bargain, and it’s no wonder the Royal Antwerp fans were up in arms over the sale of him. Yes, he’s only twenty years old with limited first team experience but he looks an absolute man mountain in the […]
OTD (17/10/2009): Sunderland Beat Liverpool In ‘The Beach Ball Game’!
For Sunderland fans, it’s probably the easiest pub quiz question to answer: what was strange about Sunderland’s goal against Liverpool on 17 October 2009? When did a beach ball affect a Premier League game, and why should you not throw objects onto a football pitch!? I remember it as a sunny afternoon, a packed-out Stadium […]
Haway The Podcast | “WHAT A MOMENT!” | James Copley Joins Us To Review All The Action From Portugal!
We had the immediate adrenalin fuelled reaction straight after the final whistle, but will we take a more measured approach after a nights sleep?! James Copley from the Sunderland Echo joins Ian & Chris to review all the action from Sunderland’s away win in the Europa League against Torreense! We cover all the action and […]
Matchday Musings: Régis’ reinforcements rescue Sunderland
On my three-day rendezvous to Portugal, one thing I did learn is there was no back-of-the-bus culture. This is a culture purely fabricated by my own vernacular, but nevertheless entirely real, and very much a pillar of the British transportation system. To be eligible all is required is an ASBO of some kind. It’s a […]
OTD (16/10/1976): Bob Stokoe Offers His Resignation!
The positivity surrounding Sunderland following their promotion-winning 1975/76 season quickly evaporated after a wretched start to life back in Division One. Bob Stokoe’s side couldn’t buy a win for love nor money, going nine league games without victory by mid-October. Problems were mounting at both ends of the pitch. Sunderland had scored just five goals […]
2 Up, 2 Down: Sunderland Turn It Around Against Torreense!
Anth Gair says.. We won! For a team that’s shown absolutely nothing going forward recently, this was the real test. Most of the ball, most of the chances, most of the corners and finally over the line with the victory. Jules Ahoka makes his mark A lad who’s played enough games for me to count […]
Haway The Podcast | First Away Trip In Europe! | Join The Lads As They Give Their Full-Time Reaction
There’s a party going on in Portugal – but what about the football?! Join the lads as they gather after the final whistle to give their reaction to Sunderland’s first away trip in a European competition for 53 years! All this and more! 🔔 Get subscribed to Haway The Podcast so you never miss another […]
Andy’s Player Ratings: Torreense 1-2 Sunderland – Sadiki Strikes Late As Black Cats Win
Robin Roefs: 6/10 Beaten by an absolute screamer that he had no chance with and that was about the extent of his involvement in the game. Trai Hume: 5/10 Barely anything to do defensively and didn’t really do much going forward either, other than taking some set pieces from out wide. Got booked for sarcastically […]
Fan Focus: What can Sunderland expect from Torreense in the Europa League?
Torreense enjoyed an incredible 2025/26 season, finishing third in Liga Portugal 2 and then beating Sporting to win the Taça de Portugal. Just how special was last season for the club and its supporters? Last season was incredible because, of course, winning the Portuguese Cup was beyond the imagination of Torreense fans. We were a […]
Starting XI: Six Changes Predicted For Our First Euro Away Game This Century
This is a really tricky one. We need a good performance for confidence, but we’ve got a three (on paper) tougher games ahead of us in the next 10 days. So who plays, whose minutes are managed and what takes priority. While Diarra and Brobbey seem to be in contention I think it would be […]
Match Preview: Torreense v Sunderland — An Away Day In Europe, It’s Been A While!
Thursday 15th October 2026 Torreense v Sunderland – Europa League Estádio Dr. Magalhães Pessoa – Kick-Off: 17:45 Match Coverage TV/Stream: Full live match coverage is available on TNT Sports. Radio: Full live match commentary available via BBC Radio Newcastle (not online) Don’t forget to follow the blow-by-blow account of the game on the Roker Report […]
Sunderland’s European Return: What Can They Expect from Torreense?
Sunderland are set to embark on their first European away fixture since 7 November 1973, when the Black Cats faced Sporting Clube de Portugal in the second leg of their second-round tie in the UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup, the competition that has since been succeeded by the UEFA Europa League. Fifty-three years later, Sunderland face […]
OTD (15/10/1976): What Happened To This Sunderland Trialist After He Departed Wearside?
Sometimes, these On This Day articles give you the opportunity to dig into something that had become a very distant memory indeed. Take today, for example. There’s been a load of good games played – including one in which Raich Carter made his debut – and another in which Ian Snodin made his debut. Either of […]
Haway The Podcast | Who Are Torreense? Meeting Sunderland’s Europa League Opponents
Who are Torreense? 🇵🇹 Ahead of Sunderland’s Europa League clash with the Portuguese side, we’re joined by Torreense fan Luis Cristovao to find out more about the club standing in the Black Cats’ way! We discuss Torreense’s journey, their historic Portuguese Cup triumph, playing their European home games in Leiria, and what Sunderland can expect […]
From Albufeira to Leiria: A Reflection on How Far We’ve Come
I’m writing this article as I’m sat on a plane to Portugal. Seven years ago, in July 2019, I got on a similar flight, also to Portugal. This journey took me to Albufeira, where I watched Sunderland take on Belenenses SAD in a pre-season friendly. Sunderland had just lost the League One play-off final to […]
Over Land And Sea For Sunderland AFC
Tomorrow evening, a new chapter will be written in Sunderland’s recent history and when we kick off in Portugal against Torrensee, it’ll officially mark a return to continental football for the first time in half a century. What’s perhaps fitting is that on previous occasion, we were also playing Portuguese opposition in Sporting Lisbon back […]
OTD (14/10/1933): Sunderland 4-1 Liverpool – Gallacher’s Magnificent Roker Park Hattrick
Sunderland came into this game against Liverpool at Roker Park occupying eleventh position in the league. Raich Carter was still injured, so Benny Yorston continued at inside-right. All the chat in the stands and the press prior to this game was about the impending sale of local centre-forward Bobby Gurney. By all accounts, Sunderland had […]
Haway The Podcast | European Memories from 1973
As we build up to Thursday’s fixture in Portugal, we take a trip back to 1973, and our last competitive games in Europe before this season. Our brilliant storyteller Kelvin Beattie is on top form as he takes us back 53 years, and an eventful couple of games against Sporting Lisbon! All this and more! […]
Sunderland Raised the Standards – So Why Can’t We Want More?
I’ll admit something from the outset: I’m probably not always the easiest Sunderland supporter to sit beside. I groan at misplaced passes. I question decisions. I occasionally wonder aloud why a very talented footballer has done something which, from my considerably safer and less pressurised position in the stands, appears completely inexplicable. There’ll undoubtedly be […]
OTD (13/10/1962): Sunderland 1-1 Newcastle – The Derby Where Clough Shone
On 13 October 1962, Alan Brown’s Sunderland visited St James’ Park in a Second Division clash. This was Sunderland’s fifth consecutive season in the second tier following their first-ever relegation in May 1958. Having finished in third place the previous season, only a point off second-placed Leyton Orient, there were high hopes of a return […]
Chemsdine Talbi: Why Is Sunderland’s Talented Winger Being Frozen Out?
When he scored a sumptuous goal during Sunderland’s League Cup victory over Hull City, running the length of the field before unleashing a beautifully weighted chip that dropped into the net in an almost inch-perfect manner, was there a Lads fan anywhere who would have felt anything other than elated for Chemsdine Talbi? The Moroccan […]
Sunderland’s European Away Day: Everything You Need to Know About Torreense
53 years later, Sunderland’s long wait for a European away fixture is about to come to an end as we make the trip to Portugal to watch the Lads take on SCU Torreense on Thursday. The weather forecast is promising warm weather of upwards of 25 degrees on matchday, which will make it feel like […]
Haway The Podcast | WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT?! | Sunderland Q&A with Connor Bromley
That Brighton defeat was a tough one to take – and it’s fair to say there won’t be many positives to cling to. So, it’s time to get things off your chest. Former Roker Report contributor and now YouTuber Connor Bromley joins Gav to answer YOUR questions on all things Sunderland in the aftermath of […]
Editorial: Why Does It Feel So Flat At The Moment?
I’m confused about how I feel about Saturday. There are things I can hang on to in order to reason with myself that we’re still in a good place, but there are a few reasons for concern. With the intention of ending with some sort of positive, and I could go in depth and talk […]
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