Roker Rapport Podcast

Aye the long wait is over lads and lasses as the new season is finally upon us! Our beloved Lads are back in action later today against newly promoted Ipswich Town and so our Chris Wynn sat down with EFL specialist, NTT20 host, Sky Sports and BBC pundit and the rest - Mr George Elek - for a chat about what expectations are for Sunlun and the rest of the sides in the 23/24 EFL Championship! What's the crack? It's been a long time coming, so is everyone suitably excited for the long season ahead? How has George been since we last spoke and what has he made of Sunderland's progress under Speakman, as well as our top six finish last season under Tony Mowbray? How bold is the approach we've taken to recruitment (from the outside looking in) and should more sides be looking to implement such a model? Does George see any reason Sunderland fans shouldn't be looking at the top six again this season?What's occurring around the division - are the sides who fell looking strong enough to make an immediate return to the Premier League? Could we see more shocks this year than last? Chris had the misfortune to spend last weekend very drunk in Warsaw with a couple of very confident Ipswich fans (who George also happens to know personally) so are they right to be confident in his opinion? Does Chris want to know the answer? Has anyone in League One missed us since we left (as we honestly don't really miss them) and the lads dip into a bit of discussion about the Wrexham trend..All this and much, much more! Ha'way the Lads! #SAFC #EFL #EFLChampionship #ITFC #NTT20 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

6 Aug 202346min

No we don't talk about Barbenheimer or the weird Twitter logo and brand change to X (or even the recent loan move of Joe Anderson to Shrewsbury Town) but now you're here you should listen to Gav and Chris chat about: Sunderland AFC wrapping up our US Tour with a 4-2 victory over North Carolina at some point in the early hours of Saturday morning, the positives to take from the trip to the States overall, and looking ahead to our upcoming friendly against La Liga opposition Mallorca on Saturday at the Stadium of Light - at a normal time of the day too aye! What's the crack? Gav realises the United States is a big place…The lads reflect on watching matches at weird times of the night and why they're suddenly bothered enough to stay up that late with work the next morning.How do we feel as the tour comes to an end (at the time of recording the Lads flights hadn't yet landed*) and do we think the experience has been beneficial to the squad? Bit of a breakdown of both victories since the last Pod; one over New Mexico United on a baseball field and the other against North Carolina on what turned out (thankfully) to be an actual football pitch..Did Mogga sound concerned about any knocks taken during the latter match? - Update: Since publishing this pod the club has announced that Jay Matete will be out for a while with a knee injury. Mowbray said "It looks as if he is going to need an operation... There are different levels so I can't be definitive on a timeframe but it looks as if it will be between six to ten weeks."What did the lads make of our reserve keepers? Do we still need competition for Patto, and would Nathan Bishop fit the bill for that or could we make do?Gav compares Danny Batth to that other Lineker, we reflect on the effort put in by our host clubs on tour and the wonderful efforts of our American commentators to pronounce English town names and learn a bit of EFL history.All this and a bit more about the upcoming fixture against Mallorca we're sure everyone will get tickets for soon…Ha'way the Lads! #SAFC #EFL #EFLChampionship *Pod slightly delayed by Barbenheimer fallout. Honest. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

25 Jul 202349min

I know. Poetry is a calling. After a brief stint in rehab following the nerve shredding culmination of the 22/23 SAFC season, the pod returns to action for the season ahead, and as a few things have happened since our last episode... our Gavin Henderson and Chris Wynn pick up (sort of) where we left off. Chatting about our new arrivals, some sad departures, some weird rumours, a Shields/Gateshead double header, watching our beautiful Lads sweating in a US heatwave, our win over another SAFC, looking ahead to the next couple fixtures at daft o'clock and aye generally just trying to squeeze two months of news into an hour and a bit. Nee bother. What's the crack? So what's been happening since the end of last season? Did that Russian coup work out in the end, can we really 'just stop oil' - and more importantly - who are these new boys Kristjaan has signed and do they increase the average height of the squad significantly? What have we made of preseason so far? Did Gav enjoy his little road trip? How fit and sharp do the lads look at the moment and what updates do we have on the injury front? The Lads currently seem to be competing to see who can be crowned 'most wholesome Sunlun squad member 23/24' and it's lovely to watch. Clickbait reviews - Apparently everyone is buying our best players, they've just failed to inform the club and went straight to a random Journo. The transfer window - what positions do we look like we'll strengthen now and how ridiculously relaxing is it knowing whoever we bring in will automatically be an absolute baller? How do we feel about the running of the club on the business and retail side of things? A few fans are struggling to get the club to help with issues, it's just a shame Speakman isn't in charge of securing merchandise as well as footballing talent. Let's just say Chris isn't happy at all...All this and much more! It's good to be back..HA'WAY THE LADS! #SAFC #EFLChampionship #EFL Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

18 Jul 20231h 20min

That's f***ing delightful! Our red & white wizards made us all very proud yesterday, so our Gavin Henderson and Chris Wynn return - after a brief recovery period - to try to relive one of the greatest atmospheres and performances a packed Stadium of Light has seen in recent memory! As well as to try convince a certain starboy to stay next season.. and to look ahead to the second leg of the Championship Play-Off Semi against Luton on Tuesday night! What's the crack? That was just... Aye. Incredible scenes yesterday and though it's not over yet, the parties continued long into the night on Wearside; so how do we feel today? AMAD LAD - "Never fall for the loan player" is a bit f***ing difficult when that player is Amad Diallo. TRAI HUME - What a performance (and what a header) from a lad playing out of position in a makeshift back three that fought tooth and nail to take his one goal advantage into the second leg! CAPTAIN AMERICA(N MACKEM) - Has Lynden Gooch once again managed to win Gav back over towards the end of a season? Of course he has. I'll stop shouting now, but that there Pierre Ekwah is an absolute baller is he not? The future looks very bright indeed! How do the lads feel after watching that? Can they put it into words? The second leg; are we going to make it to Wembley for a third successive year? Are we confident, nervous.. both? Roll on Tuesday! HA'WAY THE LADS! TONY MOWBRAY'S RED & WHITE ARMY! #TilTheEnd #SAFC #EFLPlayOffs #EFLChampionship #EFL Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

14 Mai 20231h 2min

The only club that now stands between Sunderland and a return to Wembley - to fight for a return to the Premier League - is Luton Town. Gav and Chris look ahead to our Championship Play-Off Semi-Final fixtures and try not to be too nervous. They almost succeed.What's the crack? How are we even here man? How are Sunderland in this position now? Madness. How does everyone feel? I'm in a state in all honesty. The lads look at Luton and our last few meetings; we tend to draw a lot but could a draw at the Stadium of Light be enough? It's all in our hands again; how confident are we of getting beyond these? How inspiring are our young Lads? How much drive do they have? Were their expectations for this season a lot higher than ours? Strap yourselves in #TilTheEndHa'way the Lads! #SAFC #EFLChampionship #EFLPlayOffs Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

12 Mai 202338min

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Aye. An exhausted Gav and Chris cracked out the defibrillators and sat down just now to try calm themselves after an insane finish to the 22/23 EFL Championship season, as the mighty Sunlun thrashed Preston by three goals (our new best friends Blackburn sank Millwall) and we somehow find ourselves fighting for promotion to the Premier League in our first season back from League One! What's the crack? WE F***ING DID IT LADS AND LASSES! How do we feel? I'm utterly exhausted like, but how do these two feel? DO THE TONY MOWBRAY; He got us there, the gorgeous chocolate covered b*****d, but can he take us one step further?An attacking masterclass; what a team this is, just how good were the Lads today? AMAD LAD! What a goal from the absolute f***ing boy, followed up by equally gorgeous finishes from Pritch and Jack Clarke! Ah they say all kinds. Gav tells you he told you so and the lads think about booking their hotels for Wembley now rather than later…WE ARE THE SUNLUN! HAWAY THE LADS! #SAFC #EFL #EFLCHAMPIONSHIP #TilTheEnd Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

8 Mai 202354min

Aye lads and lasses, there's a bit going on this weekend, but frankly nothing as important as Sunderland's upcoming fixture against Preston North End on what is shaping up to be a thrilling and nervy finish to the 22/23 EFL Championship season on Monday! Our Gavin Henderson and Chris Wynn sat down to try and predict the outcome for all the sides in the race and to look at how Tony Mowbray and the Lads might approach (what could be) our final game of the campaign! What's the crack? Promotion or not, we can't say we're not proud of what the Lads have achieved this season can we?So how do we all feel? Are we going into this relaxed and confident or utterly f***ing terrified? Aye.What did the lads make of Tony Mowbray's press conference? Does he sound like he's thinking of anything besides a win?Michut-gate; Mogga was noncommittal when asked about Michut's future at the club. Are we reading too much into it?Looking at the sides around us; who do we think will come out on top as Millwall take on Blackburn Rovers, West Brom face off with Swansea, and our old friends Boro meet our old friends Coventry...How do Preston look currently? We got just about what we needed against Watford after a struggle, but will PNE approach the game the same way? Hopefully there's a few of them already on the beach.Chris tries to trick the Gods of footy into thinking he's not confident by pissing all over our parade (with love) but is countered once again by Gav's boundless optimism.All this and much more! HAWAY THE LADS!ALL HAIL KING CHARLIE (HURLEY) & GOD SAVE OUR LUKE! #SAFC #EFL #EFLChampionship Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

6 Mai 202342min

Aye lads and lasses, results went our way the last few days and we now head into a huge game against Watford tomorrow at the Stadium of Light! Our Gav, Chris and Martin sat down to shake their heads at the insanity of finding ourselves in this position in spite of every obstacle placed in our path. What's the crack? The excitement is building, the stadium is sold out and the scene is set for a crazy finish to the 22/23 EFL Championship season. So how is everyone feeling? Just been a mad couple weeks hasn't it… Should we all calm down? Results elsewhere have put it in our hands now, so will the Lads rise to the challenge in front of what looks to be our highest attendance this season? The lads freak out a bit about how well everything is going… it can't continue can it? This is Sunlun after all. How do Watford look coming into the game? They seem a bit of a wounded animal currently, so how should we approach them? Should we just go for the kill? Gav says something inspirational and doubles down on his bold prediction about finishing in the top six and somehow making it to Wembley for a third consecutive year, but are Chris and Martin as confident? Is someone a little too confident? All this and more! HA'WAY THE LADS! BRING THE NOISE! #SAFC #EFL #EFLChampionship #TilTheEnd Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

28 Apr 202344min