Skip to main content

Roker Report

Sunderland AFC's foremost blog and Podcast!

Latest Entries

Is This The Best Sunderland Team You’ve Seen?

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 […]

Haway The Podcast | ROOM 101 | It’s Part Two Of Our Room 101!

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 […]

Dan Ballard: Sunderland’s Defensive Destroyer!

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 […]

Sunderland And Granit Xhaka Could Be A Potent Combination!

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 […]

On This Day (16th Nov 1963): O’Hare Sits Out Big Win Over Orient

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 […]

Sunderland In The Media Spotlight

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 […]

The First Pillar Of Mentality

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 […]

“Haway Man, Ref!” — Tackling Timewasting In Modern Football

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 […]

The “Régis Factor” Is Key For Sunderland!

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 […]

Sunderland’s Identity: We Do It Our Way!

“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 […]

MLS

On This Day (14 Nov 1964): Press Bannings & A New Manager Appointed… Finally

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 […]

Put Some Respect On Sunderland’s Name

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 […]

MLS

How Highly Can Sunderland Aim This Season?

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. […]

Talking Tactics: Sunderland Go To War Against Arsenal!

Sunderland were able to remain unbeaten during their recent home double-header. Facing Everton and Arsenal within the space of a week and following some courageous efforts, we managed to scrape through with two additional points on the board. On Saturday Night Football, Régis Le Bris proved his worth by overseeing a tactically astute performance, putting […]

At Sunderland, The Team Is More Important Than The Individual

Last night, I had the pleasure of spending an evening with Sir Geoff Hurst. Not personally, of course, but as part of his final after dinner-type chat tour, and it was great to see him in good health and very much alive — if not actually kicking any more! He regaled us with some great […]

From “Reidy’s Kings” To Le Bris’ Princes!

Last weekend’s late show against Arsenal took me back to a classic encounter with the Gunners at the Stadium of Light. Sunderland opened the 2000/2001 season with a 1-0 home win against Arsene Wenger’s high flyers thanks to a Niall Quinn header in a game which also saw visiting skipper Patrick Vieira dismissed after retaliating […]

‘Til the End — An embodiment of Sunderland’s Culture on the Pitch

Kevin Ball was the first man to lead out a Sunderland side at the Stadium of Light. He is a modern-day legend, adored for his style of play, work rate, and just how much he “got it”. When he played, the passion and love for the club exuded from him. He was followed in a […]