Roker Rapport

Gav, Phil and Martin got together earlier to react to yesterday's return to winning ways for Sunderland at the Stadium of Light, as a Dennis Cirkin header took all three points from Wigan Athletic!  What's the crack?  It's nice to win again isn't it; so how do the lads feel?  A bit of a rough start as Wigan took to breaking up play, hitting long balls and time wasting - were we worried going into the second half after that strangely inevitable Wyke goal against the run of play; The referee and officials once again let themselves down as we were denied a great goal; are they plain daft or just horrifically incompetent?    What a second half performance; after a change in personnel and a tweak to the formation the Lads absolutely tore up the pitch - would love to be a fly on the wall for those Mogga team talks.  EMBOOOOOOOOOO; The breakthrough finally came - that the ref let us have anyway - when the ball dropped to Embleton in the box and he didn

Well…our Chris Wynn sat down to chat with one of the classiest defenders Sunderland have ever signed, embarking on a journey through the life and career of the absolutely f***in delightful Emerson 'Paredão' Thome!  What's the crack?  The journey from Porto Alegre; what made a young Emerson - raised in Brazilian football's golden era - want to play a more direct, combative and aggressive style?  Batismo de fogo - The fight to stand out in a crowd of 700 hopefuls in the vast youth trials of Brazilian giants Internacional, and the influence of the Grenal on his young mind; Moving away from his family and friends to fight for a career in Europe, starting with trying to get the attention of the biggest sides in Portugal's Primeira Liga; Accepting the challenge set by a typically bullish Ron Atkinson at Sheffield Wednesday - with assistance from handy personal interpreter Paulo Di Canio - and proving he had what it took to play the English game;  Frustrations with what is in his

In an effort not to remedy the Sunderland striker crisis ahead of a trip to Swansea, but instead to satisfy his endless quest for footballing knowledge - our Chris Wynn sat down with former Boro, Sunderland, Blackburn, Swansea and Watford striker Danny Graham - talking his 17 year career, hearing his side of a few stories and chatting about his experiences with managers and players past and present! What's the crack?  How has life been treating Danny since retiring from professional football last year?  Where did his passion for footy come from?  How his first first spell at Sunderland came about and stories about his time under *deep breath* Martin O'Neill, Paolo Di Canio, Gus Poyet and Dick Advocaat;  His relationship with current Sunderland gaffer Tony Mowbray after a long spell under Mogga at Blackburn;  The lads he's played alongside over the years; Danny addresses some of the criticism he's faced publicly and how he feels about it in hindsight and how it fel

Gav and Chris got together after Sunderland's draw against Blackpool at the Stadium of Light to break down the night's action! What's the crack?  How are the lads feeling about that performance?  Is it almost lazy to blame the lack of strikers for our lack of chances, as despite acknowledging how much they're needed we did create chances didn't we?  Some brave defending, some great play from Alese once again and good saves from Patto;  *Game of two halves klaxon*  What happened in that second half?  We'll take the points and clean sheets given our current situation, but people are understandably frustrated;  Mowbray has asked for patience and we're in no danger as it stands - doesn't both he and the squad deserve the time they need?  Back soon lads and lasses! HAWAY! #SAFC #EFLChampionship #EFL Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Gav and Chris were joined by Paul Mort - massive Lads fan, author & host of the ‘Paul Mort Talks Shit’ Podcast - to review Sunderland’s entertaining 0-0 draw at the SoL against Preston - and to look ahead to the Blackpool game! What’s the crack? Well, despite the result it’s fair to say we were all entertained by the performance of the Sunderland players... right? Sunderland had 16 shots, but only two were on target - does that highlight the lack of a striker up top, or is it more complicated than that? Were Preston just like almost every League One side that came to the SoL last season, or is that harsh given they had some good chances? The Lads get rather excited about the potential of our young hopefuls; What did we make of Mowbray’s decision to make attacking subs? What wasn’t so good? Aji Alese was class again, as were Batth and O’Nien - which highlights that it might be a struggle for some good players to break back into the side; Will we beat Blackpool? This and much more - Ha’way the Lad

Don't you just hate the International break? Now it's over our Chris Wynn had a quick chat with PNE fan and LancsLive reporter - George Hodgson - to find out how things are going down Deepdale, and looking ahead to the glorious return to Championship action as Sunderland take on the Lilywhites tomorrow at the Stadium of Light! What's the crack? How is PNE manager Ryan Lowe getting on this season? What are fan expectations currently, and do they align with the strategy set out by owner Craig Hemmings? How have new signings Troy Parrott and Álvaro Fernández settled in - are they showing their pedigree? What sort of football are PNE playing currently, and is it anywhere near what they want to see? Despite league position only three points separate the two sides - just how unpredictable is the Championship this season? What should Tony Mowbray expect come tomorrow afternoon? *mutters something about Alex Neil*Thanks for listening and Ha'way the Lads! #SAFC #EFLChampionship #PNEFC #EFL Hosted on Acast. S

Buenos días Sunderland! The lads - Gav, Chris and Martin - got together Sunday morning to react to a great result on the road, as Sunderland came from behind twice to bring another Championship point back to Wearside before the international break! What's the crack? THE JEWISON BENNETTE GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOL How are we all feeling after yesterday's result? AJI LAD - Alese gets his first professional goal with a bit of help from that fangled goal line technology! Not everyone had the best of days but Sunlun once again found a way! What did the lads make of the overall performance? What about those youngsters brought on from the bench eh? Some serious talent there… Matete, Diallo, Ba, Bennette - The future looks extremely bright! Team spirit and camaraderie - Class to see the Lads all fighting for one another and looking after the new arrivals; Tony f***in' Mowbray is the absolute boyo so the lads start that 'waxing lyrical' business as

What's the buzz down Vicarage Road? Are they feeling Pozzo-tive? I know, I'll stop.Coming a bit later than usual due to some ridiculously busy schedules, our Chris Wynn had the pleasure of the company of a man many of us will identify with a particular era of Sky Sports coverage and many a deadline day drama - Adam Leventhal - who now covers Watford and more for The Athletic! Talking about his career, his love of his childhood club and the managerial merry-go-round that is Watford FC!  What's the crack?  How has Adam been doing of late? Chris does his thing as he rummages around his guests head for information.  The magic of deadline day and SSN - Has it been lost in a world of social media and the rest?  How is he enjoying covering The Hornets currently? Bit like being covered in them?  Adam details the ups and downs of Watford under the ownership of the Pozzo family;  Give Edwards a chance - Is the constant churn of coaches and managers really a good th

Gav and Phil return to action, sitting down after tonight's/last night's match as a sublime Sunderland rolled over a poor Reading side to bring all three points back to Wearside!  What's the crack?  Jack f***ing Clarke - Class, and more class. Pure class.  Patrick f***ing Roberts - "Who needs strikers" said the absolute baller as he took matters into his own hands... Embo - Changed the game when everyone thought the game was over... Mowbray is the Man - In Tony we Trust!   Absolutely f***ing delightful. Sacko seal of approval. HA'WAY THE LADS!  #SAFC #EFL #EFLChampionship Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

MATCH POSTPONED -The EFL have released the following statement following the death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II: Further to discussions on Friday morning it has been determined that all EFL fixtures from 9-10 September will be postponed as a mark of respect by the National Sport to the passing of HRH Queen Elizabeth II. This is aligned with the approach that the Premier League and the FA will take with their competitions this weekend. Further information, in respect of how football, Clubs and their supporters will commemorate Her Majesty’s reign will be confirmed at an appropriate point. Details regarding rearranged games will be announced in due course. -Our Chris Wynn returns to preview Sunderland's next opponents with Omer Ronayne of That Millwall Podcast ahead of the Lions' visit to the Stadium of Light in the EFL Championship this Saturday! What's the crack? That Millwall Podcast - so what got Omer (and mate Micky) into podcasting and how are they enjoying the whole fan media experience daan L

Aye there's been a bit of bad news about the Loch Ness Drogba, so Gav and Phil got together very quickly to add their thoughts on the extent of the injuries to both Rossco and Cirkin before Gav, Martin and Craig Johns - Boro reporter for the Gazette - get their teeth into Monday night's match in front of the Sky cameras! What's the crack? Ross Stewart is out for at least 6 weeks after scan results were revealed yesterday, with Dennis Cirkin joining him on the side-lines for a slightly shorter period - how does Gav and Phil think we'll cope?Can Tony Mowbray find a way around the loss of our best player? Do we think a change in the system is coming off the back of this news?Boro and Sunlun battled it out Monday night - first up was that a fair result?The loss of Ross Stewart was significant - just how significant was it to this game specifically given the short period of time Mowbray had to change it up?What did Craig make of the Boro performance - did their fans expect the worst in the final half hour given th

As part two of our Saturday double bill, our Chris Wynn was joined by Stephen Jackson of Boro Podcast - Tw12th Man - to look ahead to Sunderland's first trip to the Riverside since February 2018, as Middlesbrough legend Tony Mowbray returns to his old stomping grounds with the Red & White army in tow!  What's the crack?  Been a while hasn't it…How have our southern cousins been the past few years? Have they missed us at all?  What are the thoughts on Teeside about Sunderland's recent appointment of Mogga? He's quite well liked down there, so will he get a good reception from the home crowd?  Chris has a quick rummage about the history of our regional neighbours, and gets Stephen's thoughts on what exactly these games are; Is it a derby? Do they care? Do we care? Are we both pretending we don't care because we don't know if the other one actually does?  How is Chris Wilder managing at the Riverside - are the Boro fans content or are things looking a bit dic

Got a bit of a double bill of Podcasts for you this Saturday evening - first up our Gavin Henderson and Craig Chapman sat down the day after the deadline closed to summarise Sunderland AFC's business in the transfer market, and give their thoughts on whether Speakman, Harvey and Co have given new head coach Tony Mowbray enough to work with this season!  What's the crack?  Pretty much what it says on the tin - the lads look at the incomings since the window opened and also note the lack of outgoings, as the recruitment team seem determined to retain as many first team players from the last campaign as possible;  Who stands out of the players signed this window - or even who stands out in the group of young lads unveiled to the Stadium of Light crowd on Wednesday night?  Do we think new gaffer will be happy working with the lads he has - he's stated a desire to develop the younger players and has some considerable experience of doing so at other clubs - so could this prov

Our Gav and Martin got together again - for the second time in 12 hours - this time to react to the absolutely f***ing delightful first win of Tony Mowbray's SAFC tenure, as the Lads took the Millers apart at the Stadium of Light under the floodlights!  What's the crack?  WHAT A WIN - The lads enjoy that one aye?  LOCH NESS DROGBA - Please give him a new contract, Kyril.  CLARKE LAD - What a performance from Jack tonight...  New signings - Michut, Diallo, Bennette and Ba all said hello to the SOL crowd earlier - and a few more on way apparently so... we happy so far?TONY MOWBRAY'S RED & WHITE ARMY HAWAAAWAAAWAAAAY#SAFC #EFLChampionship #TONYMOWBRAY #CLASS Our GDPR privacy policy was updated on August 8, 2022. Visit acast.com/privacy for more information.

Gav and Martin joined one another just now to quickly react to the worst kept secret in Sunlun, as Tony Mowbray steps in to replace Alex Neil as Sunderland head coach!  What's the crack?  Been a funny week hasn't it...  Happy with the appointment? Blackburn fans are full of praise and Boro fans feel sick right now - how do the lads think it's gone down with our fans?  The departure of AN may have sent shockwaves initially but the club don't seem to be letting it get in the way of getting business done - some interesting signings on the way...How we feeling ahead of tonight's game against Rotherham?  Just a quick one lads and lasses, we'll be back soon! Ha'way the lads and All Hail Mogga!  #SAFC #EFLChampionship #TonyMowbray Our GDPR privacy policy was updated on August 8, 2022. Visit acast.com/privacy for more information.

Our Chris Wynn was joined yesterday by Phil West and 'ye olde man of tweed' Nick Barnes to try react to the chaos surrounding Sunderland AFC as Alex Neil joined Stoke City in a shock move that rocked the fanbase!  What's the crack?  Alex Neil - what the good **** happened there Nick? WHATS HAPPENING? What can Barnesy tell us about Alex Neil's sudden departure? Did he have an inkling something was happening before the Friday announcement?  What do we think was the primary motivation for Alex to leave when he did and does it rhyme with honey? The fan reaction has been one of defiance for the most part - rallying around the players as we took on Norwich City on Saturday at the Stadium of Light - good to see...  Could the club and Speakman have done more - do we think we'll ever get to the bottom of exactly what's happened with the amount of rumours flying around?  Where do we go from here - what do we think the club will do now in its search for a new

Where do we even begin? Our Chris Wynn had the wonderful opportunity recently - just as the UK last heated to boiling point - to sit down for a chat with the absolute legend that is Clive Tyldesley!  I'm not going to try to write down absolutely everything spoken about here - but to be brief - this is a frank, open and honest discussion about: Clive's work in the industry since the mid 70's, his most memorable experiences, the inspirational characters met along the way, his feelings about the way the game has changed for journalists and broadcasters, his views on the role of fan media like ourselves, his friendships with players and managers alike, the history of the Premier League, the nostalgia of Roker Park and the older stadiums, the dark days of Heysel and Hillsborough, his love of Reidy and Brace, his favourite World Cup, his most memorable matches, the hardening of supporters to their rivals, his experiences with Brian Clough, his love of Saint & Greavsie, Newcastle imploding at home aga

Our Gav and Martin were joined yesterday by our old marra Tom White from Sky Sports News - and anywhere the Lads happen to be playing - to break down Sunderland's away victory over Stoke City and look at our activity in the transfer window! What's the crack?  Alex Neil has got us off to a cracking start; what has Tom made of our return to Championship action?  The SAS - Ross Stewart and Ellis Simms are relentless; are these lads the most potent attacking partnership in the EFL?  Dennis Cirkin is bossing it; the young lad is improving at a ridiculous pace, so safe to say the 'step up' was pretty easy for him?  Lynden Gooch has had a great couple games with the Captain's armband - giving everything he's got to get the job done - nice to see isn't it?    Transfer Talk; does Tom have any snippets of information he can reveal to us about Sunderland's recruitment plans for the coming weeks? What has he made of the business so far?  Jan Paul van H

As it happens both our Chris Wynn and this week's guest Dave Cowlishaw - from the wonderfully named Stoke City Podcast 'The Wizards of Drivel' - were in attendance last night for Sunderland's first league defeat in some time down Bramall Lane... so now we're heading to the Bet365 Stadium this Saturday, how are things looking for the Potters?  What's the crack?  As podcast names go that's a blinder (and a pretty apt description for the entire industry) so how did it all come about and how are they getting on?It's been a while since we last met, how has the last six years gone for Stoke City and their fans?  How have the Championship years played out, and why in their opinion are they still here?  Why exactly do we keep swapping players between the two clubs - gets a bit weird at times...  Who wins between the two sides in a top trumps of worst overpaid PL mercenaries?  What does Dave make of the start to the 22/23 season? Happy with transfer business

Gav returns with Phil and Martin to look at the 2-2 draw against QPR on Saturday in a bit more detail, as well as getting a few things off their chests regarding the administrative side of the club...  What's the crack?  Now everyone's had time to think on it, how are the lads feeling about the performance from Sunderland overall - including that mad 5 minutes or so that resulted in us taking one point rather than three;. Which players stood out - besides the obvious strike partnership of Stewart and Simms?  Ballard break? As of the time of recording the lads couldn't confirm the severity of the injury but reacted to the likelihood that we won't be seeing our new CB for a while...  Alex Neil's game management; there's been a little bit of criticism levelled at the manager after the removal of Simms and the change in formation, what do the lads think about it all? Is AN responsible for the madness at the end there?  Steve Davison; Our COO seems to be strug