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Dear Roker Report,
They say a week can be a lifetime in politics, but they should apply that adage to being a Sunderland supporter.
After our dire display against Fulham, you’d think our world has come crashing down around
us, but we really need to get things into perspective. Stand back and look at the table; look at where we are and how that’s utterly surpassed all expectations that we had prior to the season beginning.
This is a problem with us Sunderland fans. As soon as something goes wrong, we panic and dive into despair mode, and I believe it’s in our mindsets because of the crushing dismal seasons we’ve had to endure over the last decade.
Last season, we finished miles off Burnley and Leeds — and look where they are compared to us. Let’s get practical here: we have no right whatsoever to European football (and I personally believe any foray into Europe is at least a couple of seasons too early for us), and we need to be content with how we are doing at this present time.
Look at the teams currently below us — Liverpool for a start — not to mention the unmentionables. No game in this league was ever going to be easy.
The bottom team can turn over the top team on any given day. Let’s just be happy, proud and energetic right through the season. Let’s get “over the line” together and then we can maybe, just maybe dream of bigger and better things.
Peter Milton
Ed’s Note [Phil]: Hi, Peter. Thank you for your letter.
Although Saturday was undeniably disappointing, I have to say that I’ve seen very little in the way of over-the-top reactions to the loss at Fulham. Instead, much of the discussion has been reasoned, rational and perfectly balanced, which is how it should be.
It’s true that at Craven Cottage, we didn’t perform to the standards we’ve established thus far and that the performance was somewhat disjointed and lacking in fluidity, but this team has shown their powers of recovery on multiple occasions this season and I’ve got every confidence that they can do so when Bournemouth make the long trip north on Saturday.
This is a challenging league.
It’s meant to be that way, but we’ve acquitted ourselves very well during the early months of 2025/2026 and I’m sure Régis Le Bris and his players will reflect calmly on Saturday’s loss and ensure that by the time we run out on Saturday, we’re ready to get back to winning ways against what’ll be a tough opponent.
Dear Roker Report,
During the international break, I was asked how I would improve football — a random question but it got me thinking.
Firstly, I said “Scrap VAR” as every weekend, we have conflict among managers and fans alike. In my opinion, all of the officials on the pitch are human and will make mistakes, but it’s their opinion on the day.
Secondly, I would scrap the offside law.
At present, I wear a size nine boot but if somebody wore a size six and I was beside him, I’m offside — not to mention an elbow in front of my foot. Just scrap it!
Thirdly, take the time control off the referee.
Monitor the clock by the fourth official, who can stop it properly for substitutions, time wasting, goal celebrations and the like.
Fans will see the clock on the scoreboard on forty five minutes and will know next time the ball goes out at the end of half. This would mean we see the ball in play more often, and more goals.
Mark
Ed’s Note [Phil]: Hi, Mark. Thank you for getting in touch.
The VAR issue is one that clearly isn’t going to go away at any stage in the near future and although Sunderland have been involved in one or two incidents this season, I still maintain that the technology itself is perfectly fine and that it’s those who operate it who often aren’t up to par.
I’d like to see officials backing their own judgement more often as opposed to being too reliant on the technology or too prone to dash to the monitor for any incident, no matter how minor.
For me, this would allow games to flow more effectively and would also give the fans more clarity as to who is actually calling the shots when it comes to the overseeing of matches.
Dear Roker Report,
I’ve been a Sunderland supporter since 1964 — and a very proud one.
I used to take a lot of abuse from my fellow students at Newcastle University but always felt we were better than them. I lived around the corner from Roker Park and attended as many games as possible during my student days. I’ve also been following the clubs progress over the years — even after I emigrated to Canada in 1981.
I’m excited to see where we are now and confident that we will stay in the Premier League for the foreseeable future. Looking forward to beating Newcastle in December.
Haway the Lads.
Sujit Sarkar,
Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Ed’s Note [Phil]: Hi, Sujit. Thank you for your letter.
Let’s hope that the Lads can head into the derby in good form and ready to compete against a dangerous, if slightly inconsistent Newcastle side.
As we know, these games are unique and are often decided by moments of individual quality — but we’ve certainly got enough of that in the ranks, and it’ll be interesting to see how we go about it!
