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Roker Report

https://rokerreport.sbnation.com/ | 925 entries published

Sunderland AFC's foremost blog and Podcast!

Latest Entries

Examining Sunderland’s Ever-Changing Expectations

Being promoted to the Premier League is an achievement almost every football club dreams of, but only a certain few can make a reality. In May 2025, Sunderland gained promotion to the top flight for the first time in nearly a decade, in the most exciting and dramatic way possible, and with around a third […]

22 days ago | 6 reads

Talking Tactics: Sunderland Adjust To Cope Against Oxford!

Sunderland were back in FA Cup action at the weekend, taking a welcome break from the league as they returned to the Kassam Stadium for the first time since May to face an Oxford side who’ve struggled in the EFL this season. With a chance to rest and rotate but the potential for a slip-up […]

22 days ago | 3 reads

Lasses Spotlight: Can Sunderland Versus Durham Be Classed As A ‘Rivalry’?

Having grown up in Durham yet supported Sunderland all my life has always meant that any fixture between the two clubs feels strangely personal. Once, I wanted both to thrive but now the lines feel more blurred, the loyalties more defined and the question more intriguing than ever: is Sunderland versus Durham a ‘rivalry’, a […]

22 days ago | 2 reads

Sunderland’s Greatest Homegrown Forwards: The Pre-War Icons

Following the same criteria as our examination of Sunderland’s homegrown post-war footballers, part two applies the same rules to discover whether we’ve produced any players who scored more than Gary Rowell’s 103 goals for the club. Just as this meant ruling out anyone the club purchased such as Kevin Phillips, Marco Gabbiadini, Brian Clough and […]

22 days ago | 7 reads

Lasses Spotlight: What Matters For Sunderland Against Durham?

There are fixtures where you simply want the result. There are also fixtures where you want the performance — and Sunderland’s meeting with Durham sits somewhere in the middle. It matters for reasons beyond the league table, yet it’s also a game that demands clarity, identity and conviction. Sunderland have been growing into themselves this […]

22 days ago | 1 read

On This Day (18 February 1967) Toddo Stamps His Class As The Lads Cut Loose

I was just a lad in the Boys Enclosure of the Roker End for this game, but I remember distinctly coming out of the ground a different person to the one that went in! What was different, you might wonder. Well, when I went into the ground, I idolised Slim Jim Baxter. When I came […]

23 days ago | 3 reads

Wilson Isidor And Eliezer Mayenda Certainly Aren’t “Finished” At Sunderland

It feels like a game from a different age. August sunshine, a buoyant Stadium of Light, an utterly confident and dominant Sunderland display and a spectacular opening-day win, and when the Lads kicked off their 2025/2026 season against West Ham, it was two players who now find themselves cast in very different roles that took […]

23 days ago | 2 reads

Lasses Spotlight: The Trials And Tribulations Of The WSL2

The WSL2 has a way of stripping a team back to its essentials. It’s not a league that rewards reputation, sentiment or history. Instead, it rewards clarity, consistency and the ability to adapt to a division that’s as unforgiving as it is unpredictable. For Sunderland Women, 2025/2026 has been a study in what happens when […]

23 days ago | 1 read

Sunderland’s Greatest Homegrown Forwards: The Post-War Heroes

In the weeks following the premature loss of Gary Rowell, I — along with probably just about everyone else who saw him play for Sunderland — found myself reminiscing about some of his finest moments in a red and white shirt. A glancing header into the net in front of the Roker End, a cracking […]

23 days ago | 2 reads

Lasses Time Capsule: “The Women Who Built Sunderland”

Sue “Buddah” Smith: The sweetest left foot in the North East! Before Sunderland Women had an academy to be proud of, before the club became known as a production line for England internationals and before the WSL era and the rising profile of the women’s game, there was Sue ‘Buddah’ Smith. She was the kind […]

23 days ago | 5 reads

Haway The Podcast | CHIT-CHAT | We Catch Up With Gordon Armstrong!

A technical issue meant we had to cut short our chat with former Sunderland midfielder Gordon Armstrong, but we did get a chance to catch up with him on the transfer window as well as how difficult a tie like Sunderland faced at Oxford could be! On today’s show… All of this and more – […]

23 days ago | 2 reads

Nostalgic Win At Oxford: A Reminder of Sunderland’s Journey!

Being a Sunderland fan is a funny thing. One minute you’re seemingly teetering on the edge of unholy disaster, then, poof — it can all change in an instant. You’re getting promoted, you’re winning games, and you’re on a cup run. Just as quickly as things can ramp up, stuff goes awry and it’s that […]

24 days ago | 2 reads

On This Day (17th Feb 1976): The Joy Of Sunderland: Did They ‘Stoke’ Your Passion? 

A wonderfully evocative article from Barry Jackson has prompted today’s feature, which looks at a game that brought the romance of the FA Cup back to Wearside just as his new love affair with Sunderland was blossoming. The Lads’ battling fifth round showing in Staffordshire forced a replay and despite Stoke City’s top flight status, […]

24 days ago | 2 reads

For Sunderland, Radical Changes Post-Speakman Could Be Hazardous

If the confirmation and timing of Kristjaan Speakman’s Sunderland departure took many people by surprise when it was confirmed on Friday afternoon, the only thing more worthy of animated discussion than his legacy at Sunderland was what his exit might lead to — as well as the precedent the departure of such a notable figure […]

24 days ago | 1 read

Lasses Spotlight: Ella West — The Quiet Rise Of A Sunderland Talent

There are players whose progress feels inevitable, even when circumstances conspire to slow their momentum. Ella West is one of them, and her call‑up to the Scotland U19 squad for their upcoming double‑header against Belgium is more than a line on a squad announcement graphic. Instead, it’s a statement, a reminder, and confirmation that the […]

24 days ago | 1 read

Our Writers React To Sunderland’s FA Cup Draw!

Gav says… When someone mentioned that we’d beaten Oxford on the way to reaching our last FA Cup final in 1992, I did take a look at who else was in the draw to see if any of the other teams we faced that year were still in, and to my amazement, they all are. […]

24 days ago | 1 read

FA Cup Talking Points: Oxford Pay The Penalty As Sunderland Advance

Sunderland play the conditions to perfection With question marks over the playing surface and some pretty nasty conditions to deal with, the scene could well have been set for a classic cup shock. However, Sunderland though approached things brilliantly, kept their heads when things got tricky and made sure they will be in the hat […]

25 days ago | 1 read

Matchday Musings: Diarra Makes The Difference As Sunderland See Off Oxford!

It was an intriguing team selection from Régis Le Bris, with Dennis Cirkin, Luke O’Nien, Lutsharel Geertruida, Romaine Mundle and Wilson Isidor all starting despite seeing far less game time in the Premier League, yet on reflection, this worked quite well.  O’Nien picked up “player of the match” from the TNT Sports team (I would’ve […]

25 days ago | 2 reads

2 Up, 2 Down: Sunderland’s FA Cup Progress Continues!

Ciaran McKenna says… Enzo Le Fée — magnifique! “Le Magician” was brilliant. He’s really stepped it up a gear the last month or so and he kept that form up. He didn’t put a foot wrong, pulling the strings and doing his defensive duties well. He gave up the penalty, too, although I’m not 100% […]

25 days ago | 2 reads

Lasses Time Capsule: “A Story Of Resilience, Legacy And Rebirth”

In the beginning… Long before Sunderland AFC Women existed in name, before the academy became a conveyor belt of international talent and before the club’s story was intertwined with the rise of the women’s game, there was “Cowgate Kestrels”, a small team from Newcastle that was built on community spirit and the sheer love of […]

25 days ago | 0 reads