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“As a matter of fact, I found him eventually in a pub. He looked distressed and down at heel. He said to me, ‘Well ye beggor Jack, what’s th’deeing heor hinny’.” And so began the career of Sunderland’s most successful manager (to date). The football club that became Sunderland AFC had crept rather than sprung […]
Calum Mills says… The one player I can see being pinched is Noah Sadiki. He’s every top four club’s dream central midfielder due to his engine, dynamism and tenacity. There were strong comparisons to N’Golo Kante at the start of the season and I easily think he could surpass him as a player. Whether it’s […]
Welcome to a very special episode of Haway The Podcast, as Jeff Brown joins Martin and Andrew to discuss his new documentary, Finding Roly (which is available on BBC iPlayer!) In today’s podcast, we cover All this and more! Get subscribed to Haway The Podcast so you never miss another episode of our free daily […]
During Lee Johnson’s tenure, much was spoken about the leakiness of the Sunderland defence and the way their exciting attacking football was sometimes counteracted by their vulnerability at the back. Many defenders came and went during the Johnson era but few made as much of an impression at the Stadium of Light as Dion Sanderson. […]
What a truly tremendous season that has just ended. Emulating Peter Reid’s 7th-placed finishes in 2000 and 2001. At the beginning of the season, most commentators and pundits were writing Sunderland off. With a few notable exceptions, the lads were almost unanimously tipped to return from whence they came. You’d think that once the club […]
I’m extremely lucky that I have a very understanding wife. The fact that she puts up with me for the other 364 days of the year is proof of that, but I’m certain that on Sunday, there would’ve been many a husband hearing the words, “You’re not going to the match today — it’s our […]
In any sport — whether team or solo, played with a ball, in a swimming pool or on a racetrack — there’s always tremendous joy to be found in watching an athlete at the peak of their performance curve, seemingly unaffected by outside pressure, self doubt, or the standard of the opposition. From the outside […]
Join Andrew, Jonny, Bomber & Chris as they come up with a shortlist and try and sort out the levels of brilliance we have seen in a red & white strip this season to crown our player of the season! On today’s show… All this and more! Get subscribed to Haway The Podcast so you […]
Saturday’s Champions League Final has predictably attracted some commentary about the standards of refereeing. Personally, I thought the referee for the game was excellent – he got the big calls right, clamped down on time-wasting, and wanted to keep players on the pitch. Regardless of the perceived rights and wrongs of individual decisions, though, the […]
In practice, all it took was one accurate cross from Nordi Mukiele and for Newcastle United’s Nick Woltemade to temporarily forget how to execute a defensive header as he thundered the ball into the roof of his own net, but if the first staging of the 2025/2026 Wear-Tyne derby was defined by a single moment, […]
Within the space of a couple of months, the outlook of Sunderland AFC was beginning to change quickly. A disastrous defeat at Barnsley saw the end of Mick Buxton’s reign as Sunderland manager, and left the club in a position where relegation to the third tier of English football for the second time in our […]
Alex Charlton says… Favourite goal: Chemsdine Talbi, Chelsea (A) With the game all square at 1-1, we could’ve sat back and accepted a point, but instead we hit them on the break with a lethal counter. Brian Brobbey’s hold up play was immense, pinning back the Chelsea defender for what felt like an eternity before […]
It’s that time of year and we kick of our end of season awards with deciding on who our young player of the season has been! Join Andrew, Jonny, Bomber & Chris as they come up with their list! On today’s show… All this and more! Get subscribed to Haway The Podcast so you never […]
Régis Le Bris and his squad have an exciting pre-season trip to the United States scheduled for later this summer, when the Sunderland head coach will be following in the footsteps of one of his predecessors, Bill Murray. The former Roker Park full back had returned to the club in 1939 to take up the […]
Want to have your say on all things Sunderland? Drop us a line and we’ll publish your views! [email protected] Dear Roker Report, Why has the attendance for the final game of the season against Chelsea not been announced? I keep a record of all our home attendances but this omission has spoiled that record. I’ve […]
The all-too-predictable outcome of the Premier League’s ‘Manager of the Season’ vote has been announced, with the award going to (drumroll, please) Mikel Arteta, after he guided Arsenal to the title. Was it an achievement? Of course, but he coached a team of established superstars to victory in what turned out to be very much […]
The former site of our beloved Roker Park is now a housing estate, but given all the history attached to the area, is it properly marked? Two Lads fans hoping that they can do something about it, Ged Mullen-Buick and Gav Blakey, join us to chat about their project – RokerPlaque.com – and why you […]
Who dared to dream? It’s not been an easy ride as Sunderland fans. We’ve witnessed first hand — been there, read the book and completed the trilogy — just what it is to support a struggling team through the years. Going back over my time as a Sunderland fan, I reckon I’ve witnessed to around […]
Want to have your say on all things Sunderland? Drop us a line and we’ll publish your views! [email protected] Dear Roker Report, To me, a football club is a bit like my car engine. When things are on the up, the engine purrs. I don’t know which component of the engine is the main reason for […]
We’ve certainly had some cracking full backs at our club — and I fear to start a list as I’m certain to miss someone’s favourite. Cecil Irwin provided one of my earliest memories of seeing an imposing full back. Then there’s Len Ashurst, Joe Bolton, Dariusz Kubicki, Mickey Gray, Phil Bardsley, George Burley, Barry Venison…and […]
Alex Charlton says… While I’m tempted to go for Enzo Le Fée, I feel I have to go with our captain and Premier League signing of the season, Granit Xhaka. One of the biggest signs of how important a player is to a team is when they’re absent, and for me we’re at our weakest […]
This article is dedicated to the lads on the train home from Everton who challenged me to include Kazakhstan in my post match reflections. I did — and just look what happened next! Anyone that’s followed Sunderland during the last decade will each have their own barometer of just what an outstanding achievement finishing seventh […]
We pick up where we left off in part one of our Q&A as we focus on what type of summer we might be in for, and what we might be looking at specifically to build a squd for the Europa League! On today’s show… All this and more! Get subscribed to Haway The Podcast […]
Want to have your say on all things Sunderland? Drop us a line and we’ll publish your views! [email protected] Dear Roker Report, From League One to Europe via the Championship and Premier League in double quick time. Wow! Special praise must go to Luke O’Nien, who in my opinion is the heartbeat of Sunderland Association […]
The last time I was at the Stadium of Light was April 2024. We lost 1-5 to Blackburn, and it was pissing down with rain. They say a year is a long time in football? Well, I can assure you, two years is a very long time for Sunderland. On Sunday, the chance to finish […]