Roker Rapport

We accidentally went and left ourselves with nothing much to talk about following the win over Boro at the weekend and it looks like we've signed this Aaron Connolly lad who just so happened to play for them, so Gav and Chris return to consider a few things (like Gav's arse in the Binns window) and look ahead to Watford! What's the crack? The last Binns has, luckily for us all, closed down. Leaving Gav with no window but his own.So our new signing then.. is he another rehabilitation project in a similar vein to Clarke and Roberts? Or is he just here to provide some strength in depth? Watford play Man City in the cup tonight, could this work in our favour? What do we think will be the focus for Regis Le Bris as we approach the weekend; How things are going at Vicarage Road; It's been almost 6 months since Tom Cleverly took charge and it looks like he may keep his job for a little while longer.How do the lads think we'll set up against them? Will RLB settle on the Mepham/O'Nien partners

Aye we went and won the (not a) derby by a single but absolutely magnificent goal against Boro from our young Chris Rigg in front of the Sky cameras! Gav and Chris jump on quickly to react to it all. What's the crack? Getting Riggy with it; If you do nothing else with your evening just stick that finish on repeat. We're top as we record but possibly second if West Brom beat Plymouth in the rest of todays Championship fixtures, but still it's not a bad start this for Regis and the lads is it? Discipline and control; How well coached are the Lads now? How delighted will the head coach be with that result getting us back on track? Gav explains why Romaine Mundle is better than Clarke; Everything is pretty good aye. This is nice isn't it..Enjoy your weekend lads and lasses! Ha'way the Lads! #SAFC #EFL #EFLChampionship Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

So we have to talk about them, it'll only go to their heads but our Gav and Martin have done it anyway, looking ahead to this weekends meeting with... some random club from just outside the region... at the Stadium of Light on Saturday. What's the crack? They aren't Newcastle no matter how much they want to be, they aren't what we are to the mags either, they just exist in a permanent state of pointlessness. Parmos were invented by Italian Americans; this isn't discussed enough here. Look it up.Stockton has always had a smell that lingers and doesn't wash away; again not discussed anywhere near enough. How do we think the lads will perform against whoever plays for this lot? Is whoever their manager is decent or not? Has anyone paid any attention to them at all besides Craig Johns? Not really. The lads are actually quite thorough about the Boro but they shouldn't be in my opinion. All this and more! Ha'way the Lads! #SAFC #EFL #EFLChampionship Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/

Aye Régis Le Bris finally lost a league game in charge of the mighty Sunlun and the lads were utterly devastated and couldn't talk about it at all. Not really. What's the crack? We started a petition to ban international breaks but gave up 5 minutes later;This was always bound to happen; Gav and Chris set about telling themselves and everyone else that this was coming and while it was unlikely we were going to win everything… should we have won this? Anthony Patterson has conceded one goal (from an opposition player in open play) in about 8 hours of football so far this season but he's come in for some criticism here; is it justified? Dan Ballard didn't have his best game and the lads do point this out quite a bit too aye; How do we expect Reg to deal with this heading into a home fixture against our very distant cousins who we never think about at all? Lots of picking ourselves up and moving on and drawing lines and the like, but seriously we should probably just get over it if

Right, we know anything might happen at any moment so our Gav and Martin have attempted a podcast recording regardless of that and the upcoming deadline day, looking ahead to Portsmouth away on Saturday and a potential injury blow for RLB. What's the crack? How are we feeling ahead of a busy weekend? It appears Aji Alese has suffered another injury following the Burnley victory that is rumoured may keep him out for an estimated eight* weeks; if this is the case can Dan Ballard pick up where he left off? *RLB confirmed injury on Thursday but estimation is currently 3-4 weeksHow do we think RLB will approach Pompey and will they prove more of a challenge than our recent opponents? What are Portsmouth up to anyway since we last met? Do they have pitch drainage yet? Is Luke O'Nien planning further vengeance against the locals? The lads try to work out when they'll next be recording…All this and more! Ha'way the Lads!#EFL #EFLChampionship #SAFC Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy f

Three league games, three clean sheets, three wins and top of the EFL Championship table! Regis Le Bris becomes the first manager in our history to achieve this and it's delightful, fucking delightful.What's le crack? ROMAINE MUNDLE; Upon stepping into the still flaming shoes of the outgoing Jack Clarke he only went and won the game for us didn't he. Unbelievable Jeff. TOP OF THE LEAGUE; Aye we're only three games in we know but that's a historic run for Sunderland AFC and everything is falling into place for RLB. Rigged again; Can you drop Chris Rigg at this point? Another brilliant performance from our young midfield, but a bit of déjà vu for our Dan Neil as he was sent off after a second yellow with 5 minutes to go. Anthony Patterson hasn't had anything to do for weeks so what is he doing to entertain himself whilst Hume, Alese, O'Nien and Cirkin form a practically impenetrable wall around him; as far as we can tell it is the first time in our history that we have won three without conc

Aye we recorded a preview and it was mint but everyone involved went and sold their players, so upon hearing the news of Jack Clarke's imminent departure our Gav and Martin sat down for a chat at 1am. Fabrizio Romano announced on his social media feed at 22:24 on Thursday night that our Jack the lad will be leaving Sunderland AFC for Ipswich Town following a medical on Friday morning so... How are we taking this news? Is the £20 million fee with an as yet unknown sell-on clause enough for one of our most talented players? What do we think RLB will do for now to address the absence of Jack on the left? Wilson Isidor is very close to an announcement as a Sunderland player; so what do we know about the former Rennes, Monaco and Zenit forward? The promising young RB Salzburg striker Roko Simic could be a Sunderland player soon if reports are to be believed; do we like the look of him? The Mendy saga continues with another statement from the player on his wish to join Sunderland; 

Our Gavin Henderson and Chris Wynn sat down to gloat and be all smug about how mint we were in our 4-0 victory over Wednesday on Sunday and discussed 'Le Football liquide' so far under RLB. The game was Rigged from the start.What's the crack? ELIEZER MAYENDA: GET IN LAD! We keep saying it but just how vital is Dennis Cirkin to the way we play? Chris Rigg is just ridiculously good. How good is he exactly? What is his ceiling? Is he the second coming? Luke O'Nien has been found out this season already as... he's a goal machine apparently; A great start for Reg; two league games with two wins and two clean sheets, so can this continue? Chris tries to calm Gav down a bit again and Gav doesn't get to listener questions, but has redeemed himself by recording a Burnley preview with Martin answering those questions that should be up imminently... Ha'way the Lads! #SAFC #EFL #EFLChampionship Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Our Gav and Martin are back to full podcasting duties as the new SAFC 2024/25 season begins with a nice tidy win over Cardiff City in Wales yesterday to get their teeth into! What's the crack? How do the lads feel about that result? Reg isn't as happy as you might think but as first League games go in charge, that wasn't bad at all. A clean sheet, two goals and three points; can't really ask for more can we? Especially away from home. Dennis Cirkin. That's all. Did Jobe have his best performance in a Sunderland shirt or just his best performance in a Hummel Sunderland shirt. No, they didn't pay us to say that. What did the lads make of our general style of play and who - besides our goalscorers on the day Luke O'Nien and Jack Clarke - really made the difference for us? Attempting to answer a few of your questions (quickly) and more! Ha'way the Lads! #SAFC #EFL #EFLChampionship Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Oui oui, we are not dropping the ridiculous accents or French puns yet. Monsieurs Gav and Chris return to drink wine and talk all things RLB, SAFC and more ahead of our Spanish double header this weekend! What's the crack? Regis lad; How is our new head coach settling in?Gav was over Shields on Saturday, so what did he make of the game? Early recruitment seems to have focused on keepers and also strengthening the midfield, both areas getting the experience we asked for, so are the lads happy with it so far? How significant a signing could Alan Browne be? We definitely need a striker aye, but Chris and Gav disagree on how the club may go about it; What should we be looking at in the coming Friendlies against Nottingham Forest on Friday and Eldense on Sunday? Hummel and the club reveal the next kit design on Friday after the first went down so well we sold out... so are there ships on the horizon? Mainly ships carrying more stock aye. Will we start to see some evidence of

Mon dieu! Sacré bleu! Sunderland AFC have a head coach, as Kyril has exploited his French connection and appointed a French lad! Gav and Martin got together today to react to it all, trying to avoid lazy stereotypes and occasionally failing. What's le crack? Welcome Reg! He hasn't actually arrived at the academy yet but he'll be there imminently. So has everyone calmed down a bit? It's been a bit of a month for a few, so does this settle the nerves ahead of preseason? Who is Régis Le Bris? The French footy analysts and pundits seem to think highly of him; Is this a distinctly KLD appointment? It certainly feels like one; Are the lads excited by the possibilities or more cautious? What does he need to do first? Can he have a real impact on the players (and the fans) this summer? All this and more! Ha'way the Lads! #SAFC #EFL #RegisLeBris #Championship Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Our disorganised (and now slightly late) season review continues as we all await imminent news from our dear club about our imminent head coach. But we aren't talking about managers at all here (we'll react to that when we get an official announcement) as today our Gav, Chris and Martin's focus is on the players themselves. What's the crack? Now the lads are away on their hols and with plenty of time to reflect, who do we think stood out in the past season? Besides Jack Clarke aye..The lads try to sell Patto for a giggle; but how do we feel about the goalkeeping situation? Is Young a bit too young for a chance? We may have the best pair of full backs in the league if Cirkin was able to stay fit, so what did the lads make of our attempts to deal with injuries this season, what exactly is Leo Hjelde and will Pembele stick around next season? Are O'Nien and Ballard good enough for a promotion push or do they need further assistance and more experienced competition? Will Ballard be snapped up by so

Aye lads and lasses we threw the towel in early as Dodds and the club drove us a bit insane. Following medical advice we've all had a bit of a break and now we're back to dissect everything in a really disorganised and chaotic fashion, as our Gav is joined by Chris Wynn and Martin Wanless to attempt something resembling a season review for a season Sunderland AFC itself abandoned. What's the crack? That season was shit aye. So how is everyone? Appointment announcement incoming? That's a genuine question like we have no clue if it's coming or not. Mogga, Micky and Mike; Do any come away with any credit whatsoever? Do we think we're going to go for the likes of Will Still - an up and coming coach from the continent type - or are we leaning towards someone with a bit more experience? Can Gav get a word in here? No he can't and it's amusing. He talks too much anyway. All this and more! We'll be back with a part two and possibly a part three and four if the lads survive those con

Our Gav and Martin return to react to the increasingly painful and unfortunately still ongoing shite run/limp to the end of our season, following possibly the dullest game we've ever witnessed. Luckily they have some listener questions to try distract them from the football itself. What's the crack? Was that the most boring game we've seen this season/decade/century? Can we end the season now? Editors note/answer: Yes. Yes we can.If Mike Dodds wants a career in management Mike Dodds might like to consider thinking about what Mike Dodds really has to lose by trying to win games at home. Did anyone try to win that game for us? Mike Dodds once again laid the blame at the players feet and doesn't think it's on Mike Dodds but is that fair in this case? Shouldn't he be shouldering responsibility for team selection and tactics? The lads try once again to address the issues at hand and look at the backroom as well as the head coach; should they be cleared out too when summer finally arri

Our Gav Henderson welcomes Martin Wanless back to the pod as the lads look back on Sunderland's goalless draw against Bristol City at the Stadium of Light yesterday, ahead to Tuesday night against Leeds at Elland Road, and grab a few listener thoughts on all things SAFC! What's the crack? It wasn't a win - we couldn't get the ball to go in - but was it better? A far improved performance from Pierre Ekwah yesterday; Martin thinks he needs to get a bit of consistency going ahead of potential competition arriving for his place in that midfield. The lads just don't rate Hjelde, so apologies to Hjelde fans out there; The tangents continue as is now tradition, as Gav and Martin try and dance around a lot of the actual football by getting lost in thoughts about the summer and next season; Are we looking to turn a quick profit on Jobe, hence his long run in the side this season? Should we be thinking more about any future deals with Rigg and prioritising his development in that area of t

Our Martin and Chris had the good sense to fuck off on holiday for Easter so Gavin grabbed our heavy loss specialist, Craig Chapman, to see if they could ignore talking about any of the football from the win on Good Friday over Cardiff or the horrific loss yesterday to Blackburn! What's the crack? Those Good Friday vibes didn't continue, the lads would've talked about them but why bother? Argh why us argh etc Dodds was a mistake. A terrible, terrible mistake aye. Would Heckingbottom be a good appointment and if so, would it be better to get him in now or leave it until the summer? Craig attempts to get Kristjaan Speakman's attention by accusing him of picking the side himself, poor decision making, appointing his mate in a caretaker role unnecessarily, poor player recruitment for a while, resting on ancient successes and tells him to sort it out like because this isn't on like and we may get relegated next season if he doesn't sort it out like. No protests have been planned as ye

So we stopped a cycle of losing before heading into what is a very welcome international break for most, as Sunlun held QPR to a draw at the weekend. Join Gav and Martin as they try to talk about it all.. and end up talking about everything but the game. What’s the crack? Our worst losing streak in a decade comes to an end, but we didn’t make it easy on ourselves; what did the lads make of it all? Nice quick minute or so spent on the game itself here. We got a clean sheet! Just the one for now but it’s good news? It is isn’t it? Tell me it is please I need something. Can we build on this result, however dull it might’ve been? We need this international break, we need this summer and ideally we need it all to come along a lot faster; Do we need to change up the backroom staff a bit as well as the head coach? This is exactly what our Chris Wynn said would happen aye. Just… aye. Ha’way the Lads! #EFL #SAFC #EFLChampionship Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

If you haven't noticed there's a little gift we've posted full of joy and positivity just prior to this here podcast. Honest it's all great fun. Seriously though we are actually back, as Gav and Chris sat down late last night to look at the Southampton result and ahead to QPR! What's the crack? BREAKING NEWS: WE'RE STILL SHITEIt wasn't exactly an inspirational performance against Southampton but at least we got a couple goals aye? Stop overthinking it Mike; the lads try to explain to Dodds where he might be going wrong... Defensive injury woes continue to just get worse as Seelt is now absent for Saturday and likely the rest of the season; so how do we sort this mess until Luke gets back? The lads both get a little ranty about it all and question the team selection, specifically regarding players like Adil Aouchiche. So with QPR retaining the services for now of a lad who allegedly hit someone with a brick back on the continent, we have to deal with a reasonably potent attacking threa

Personal circumstances we don't really need to go on about online have unfortunately put the pods back a couple weeks, so in the interest of continuity/torture/sadism this is a combination of three recordings made after our defeats at home to Swansea, Norwich City and Leicester City… running back to back. This isn't something we'd necessarily advise you listen to, especially if you're feeling a bit low, but if that's your thing then we won't judge. Enjoy the descent into madness or switch to the Southampton reaction and QPR preview that's just gone up.What's the crack? The first half hour or so the lads looked at the defeat at home to Swansea City, tried to work out what exactly the players were playing at and started to show a little concern over the Dodds intervention on the pitch. Gav was not feeling confident at all.The second half hour is of course dedicated to the memory of Doddsy's sanity and tactical nous, as the lads just stood aghast at the complete lack of attacking intent against a Norwi

Chris and Gav look at the Beale burner fiasco that unfolded since we last recorded, at the task Dodds has ahead of him now for the rest of the season, and look ahead to his first challenge against Swansea on Saturday! Or they try to but get distracted aye.What's the crack? BurnerGate; Well that's not very a clever thing to do is it lad? The lads try and work out why it appears he did what he did and why it's a bad idea...Will Michael Beale get another job in coaching after this or should he take some time to consider everything that has happened these past couple months/years; Away from all that and back to the footy as DoddsBall returns this Saturday; what are we expecting from the great one? How exactly does he get to grips with the situation he's been left to deal with? Looking over Swansea this season and in spite of our poor record against them, Chris is optimistic about our chances… but Gav isn't. So what's wrong with Gav? Do we expect to see Jobe or Rusyn up top and which would the