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Roker Report

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

Sunderland AFC's foremost blog and Podcast!

Latest Entries

On This Day (15th Feb 1890): No Fog, But Plenty Of Rain At Tynecastle!

Later in the year, Sunderland would apply for entry into the Football League but prior to that, their seasons were predominantly made up of friendly and exhibition games. Whilst already established as the strongest team in the county, matches against sides from further afield took on extra significance as not only were they often lucrative […]

26 days ago | 3 reads

Lasses Spotlight: The Dilemma Of Repeated Postponements

The 2025/2026 season has been anything but straightforward for Sunderland Women. A campaign already marked by inconsistency and uneven performances has now been further disrupted by a trio of postponed fixtures: the away match against Durham Women, a home meeting with Sheffield United, and most recently, the home clash with Nottingham Forest. For a team […]

26 days ago | 3 reads

FA Cup Score Predictions: Will Sunderland Progress At Oxford’s Expense?

Martin Wanless predicts… Score prediction: Oxford 1 Sunderland 2 Sunderland’s first goalscorer: Chemsdine Talbi We’ll surely put out a strong team today, just as we did at Everton, and we’ll need to as it’ll be a tough fixture. Given the opposition, it’s likely we’ll go back to a more attacking setup, and I fancy us […]

26 days ago | 3 reads

Fan Focus: What Can Sunderland Expect From Oxford?

Back in late December, Gary Rowett was sacked as Oxford manager. What were the key things that went wrong? I think in any managerial tenure there is a point where everybody gets a little sick of one another. Without doubt, I think this happened here and I don’t think Gary Rowett was at all disappointed […]

26 days ago | 3 reads

Match Preview: Oxford United v Sunderland — Can The Lads March On In The Cup?

Sunday 15th February 2026 Oxford United v Sunderland FA Cup Fourth Round Kassam Stadium Kick-Off: 14:00 Tickets & Match Coverage Tickets: Tickets are sold out. TV/Stream: Full live match coverage is available via Discovery+. Radio: Full live match commentary available via BBC Radio Newcastle (not online) Don’t forget to follow the blow-by-blow account of the […]

26 days ago | 2 reads

Haway The Podcast | OPPOSITION PREVIEW | George Elek On Oxford Challenge

Admittedly, we didn’t think we’d be catching up again so soon after our summer debrief, but the FA Cup likes to throw up surprises, and since Sunderland are heading to take on Oxford United on Sunday in the fourth round, we thought it would only be right to get our old mate George Elek (host […]

27 days ago | 4 reads

On This Day (14th Feb 2004): Love Is In The Air As Fans Stay Away For FA Cup Tie!

Despite stating that Birmingham City were underdogs coming into this FA Cup fifth-round tie, Sunderland were thankful to striker Kevin Kyle for securing a 1-1 draw that would keep them in the competition another few days at the very least. An amazing individual strike from Mikael Forssell fired Birmingham into a 27th-minute lead, working his […]

NFL

27 days ago | 3 reads

Sunderland Greats: Dennis Tueart, Wembley Hero & Club Legend

Born in Newcastle — in times when it wasn’t a big issue to Sunderland fans where he came from — Dennis Tueart came through the club’s youth system. Tueart actually started out as a striker which came to serve him well in his senior career as he himself described himself as a ‘right-footed left winger’ […]

27 days ago | 2 reads

Speakman’s Sunderland Farewell: Our Writers Have Their Say!

Andy says… Shocked — well, initially I was. This man was responsible for the turnaround of our club over the past four to five years. He oversaw the rebuild of our beleaguered squad in League One and ushered in a new era where a home was made for our youth-inspired recruits. It felt like he […]

27 days ago | 2 reads

50 Years of Love: My Sunderland Valentines Day Origin Story

On 14 February this year it will be half a century since a shy, unaffiliated, nine-year-old lad had a Valentine’s Day encounter with the phenomenon that is Sunderland AFC that left him hooked and obsessed and destined for a lifetime of joys, wonders and sorrows following a club with no notion of mid-table mediocrity! On […]

27 days ago | 2 reads

Haway The Podcast | REACTION | Kristjaan Speakman Leaves Sunderland AFC!

Sunderland AFC have announced that Sporting Director Kristjaan Speakman will leave the club with immediate effect. What does all of this mean for things going forward? Join us as we react to the news! All of this and more – get subscribed to Haway The Podcast so you never miss another episode of our free […]

27 days ago | 1 read

Kristjaan Speakman: A Key Figure in Sunderland’s Revival

The name Kristjaan Speakman was once one that divided Sunderland fans, with a lot of anger aimed at him particularly in the 2023/24 season. His control of transfers in the model of the club garnered lots of praise and at times, lots of criticism which was only very rarely justified. Speakman joined the club back […]

27 days ago | 2 reads

Lasses Spotlight: “The Fanbase That Stayed True”

The cold seems to come in sideways at Eppleton. It always has, and even on days when the sun sits low and orange over the stand, there’s a bite in the air that seems stitched into the place, as if the ground remembers every winter it’s ever endured. On this particular afternoon, the wind is […]

28 days ago | 2 reads

Can Sunderland Find Inspiration In The FA Cup?

Ciaran McKenna says… Suffering back-to-back league defeats and losing our impervious home record were tough blows to take but losing to one of the best teams in the world — and the reigning league champions at that — is nothing to be ashamed of. Oxford provides a good opportunity to get back on track, but […]

28 days ago | 2 reads

Why Is Trai Hume Currently Our Fashionable Scapegoat?

We’ve seen this before. It’s a familiar movie, with the same script, a different director and different subject matter, yet the same core theme — a Sunderland player becoming a lightning rod for the team’s failure to perform on any given day. For years, the starring role was played by Luke O’Nien, ludicriously branded a […]

28 days ago | 2 reads

On This Day (13 Feb 1988): Doyle Sees Red But Sunderland Hold On For A Point At Deepdale

History would suggest that at this point of the Division Three campaign, the mood around the club was fairly buoyant. Denis Smith had taken over, we’d been top of the table since mid-October, and we were unbeaten in the league since a 2-1 Halloween reverse at Notts County. However, a disappointing single-goal reverse endured by […]

28 days ago | 2 reads

How Do You Fill A Xhaka-Shaped Hole In Sunderland’s Team?

Losing away at Arsenal (the soon-to-be Premier League champions) and then at home against Liverpool (the reigning trophy-holders) is not the disaster that some social media dwellers would have you believing if you took their words with anything more than a shovelful of salt. Yes, it’s perfectly understandable that Sunderland would drop points against such […]

28 days ago | 1 read

Talking Points: What Went Wrong For Sunderland vs Liverpool?

Konaté and Van Dijk vs Brobbey It’s fair to say that Brobbey was absolutely marshalled out of the game by Liverpool’s centre-halves yesterday. He’s often a huge source of attacking intent and influence for the team but wasn’t able to get a foothold in the game against two players in Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahima […]

29 days ago | 1 read

2 Up, 2 Down: Positives & Negatives As Sunderland Lose To Liverpool

John Wilson says… Goodbye George A fitting tribute to lifelong supporter George, both on 26 minutes and at half-time. I Couldn’t Get A Ticket For The Game. A lovely sentiment and tribute. Sunderland ‘Til I Die — never a truer word. Enzo A bright star in a mostly mundane performance. His talent shone through when […]

29 days ago | 1 read

Matchday Musings: Sunderland Finally Beaten At Home In The League

Perhaps it was never going to last forever. Maybe there was always going to come a time when Sunderland’s frankly astonishing home league record for 2025/2026 — that of remaining unbeaten against all visitors to the Stadium of Light — would end, and as a Liverpool side possibly smarting from the manner of their late […]

29 days ago | 1 read

The WSL2 January Transfer Window: A Tale of Contrasts, Caution and Ambition

The January transfer window in the WSL and WSL2 is rarely a quiet affair, but this year’s edition felt especially revealing. It exposed the widening gap between clubs with resources to reshape their squads mid‑season and those who must operate with caution, creativity, and a heavy reliance on internal development. It also highlighted the shifting […]

MLS

29 days ago | 2 reads