In 1997, Sunderland moved to their present ground, Stadium of Light in Monkwearmouth, which was opened by Prince Andrew, Duke of York. [56] After promotion from Division One in the 199596 season,[57] Sunderland began their first season in the Premier League, but finished third from the bottom and were relegated back to the First Division. [148] Reid had been sacked as manager in October and been replaced by Howard Wilkinson, with Steve Cotterill as his assistant. The project is closely linked with Tullow Oil. On 8 October 2013 when Gus Poyet was appointed manager of Sunderland. In September 2001, Sunderland chairman Bob Murray announced the separation of Sunderland's charitable and community work from the mainstream club activity, and the independent SAFC Foundation was created. [116], After just one season in the First Division, Sunderland were relegated again. In 1997, Sunderland left Roker Park[58][59] and moved to the Stadium of Light, a 42,000-seat arena that, at the time, was the largest stadium built in England after the Second World War. [3][4] His object was to provide "recreational amusement" for the area's schoolteachers. [112] He was replaced by former Bolton manager Phil Parkinson. Sunderland have also experienced success in the FA Cup, winning it twice; in 1937 and 1973. [13] In their second season in the Football League, Sunderland won the title, by five points over Preston North End. In June 2017, goalkeeper Jordan Pickford, a product of Sunderland's academy who joined the club aged eight, was transferred to Everton for a fee of 25 million, rising to a possible 30 million, a record for a British goalkeeper. [44] Since 1973 only two other clubs, Southampton in 1976,[45] and West Ham United in 1980,[46] have equalled Sunderland's achievement of lifting the FA Cup while playing outside the top tier of English football. [59] Sunderland competed in the Charity Shield for a second successive season, this time against Manchester City who had won the League title in 193637; Sunderland were beaten 20. [41] [146][147][148], A song Sunderland fans sing every game and has been described as the anthem of the club is a rendition of "Can't Help Falling in Love" by Elvis Presley, with "Sunderland" being sung repeatedly after "but I can't help falling in love with you. [16] The club shared this period of success with Aston Villa; the battles between these clubs were the subject of a Thomas Hemy painting of the two clubs during the 189495 season This is one of the earliest recorded paintings of a competitive Football League match; entitled A Corner Kick, the painting now stands in the doorway of Sunderland's current stadium, the Stadium of Light. Di Canio was sacked after a poor start to the 201314 season, and reports of a complete breakdown in relations with his players. ", "Signing Super Cup and Champions League-winning captain Jordan Henderson at Liverpool cost Damien Comolli his job", "What happened after Liverpool's Champions League final win and why Jurgen Klopp turned down Jordan Henderson request", "Niall Quinn steps down as Sunderland chairman", "Niall Quinn leaves Sunderland with immediate effect to concentrate on business interests outside football", "Martin O'Neill named Sunderland manager", "Martin O'Neill named as Sunderland manager after signing three-year deal", "Martin O'Neill sacked as Sunderland manager after Manchester United defeat", "Paolo Di Canio appointed Sunderland head coach", "Di Canio: David Miliband quits Sunderland role", "Miners' Di Canio protest 'will only end with Sunderland campaign support', "Durham Miners' Association: Our Issues With Di Canio At Sunderland Now Resolved", "Sunderland miners demand return of banner after Paolo Di Canio's arrival", "Paolo Di Canio was fired by Sunderland for 'systematic destruction' of", "Gus Poyet: Sunderland name Uruguayan as head coach", "Gus Poyet: Sunderland sack manager after crisis talks", "Sunderland: Dick Advocaat appointed Black Cats boss", "Dick Advocaat: Sunderland boss quits Premier League strugglers", "Sam Allardyce appointed new England manager on two-year deal", "Sunderland: David Moyes replaces Sam Allardyce as manager", "Sunderland make worst ever start to a Premier League season", "David Moyes resigns as Sunderland boss after relegation from Premier League", "Jordan Pickford: Everton confirm 25m, rising to 30m, deal with Sunderland", "Sunderland appoint Simon Grayson as manager after shelving takeover talks", "Simon Grayson sacked as Sunderland manager after draw with Bolton", "Sunderland sold by Ellis Short as Chris Coleman is sacked", "Jack Ross: Sunderland name St Mirren boss as new manager", "Phil Parkinson: Sunderland name ex-Bolton Wanderers boss as manager", "Sunderland officially finish the season in their lowest ever position in history", "Sunderland sack Phil Parkinson after sluggish start to League One campaign", "Sunderland appoint Lee Johnson as head coach", "Who is 22-year-old Kyril Louis-Dreyfus? [82], After Sunderland's first relegation from Division One in the 195758 season, the club at first languished in the lower half of Division Two, finishing the 195960 season in sixteenth place. [27] However, over the following decades it was continually expanded, and at its peak would hold an official crowd of over 75,000 in a sixth round FA Cup replay against Derby County on 8 March 1933. In 1958, with Brown in charge, Sunderland were relegated from Division One for the first time in their history,[82] bringing their 68-year stay in England's top division to an end. [151] A day after the Final, the song re-entered the UK Dance Chart at number 19. After a close call in the previous season, the club was promoted to Division One in 1964 after finishing in second place. [120] He in turn resigned after less than a year, and was replaced by the ex-England player Terry Butcher. The game was played on 27 April 1895, and was described as the "Championship of the World title match". [129], In 1998, BBC broadcast a six-part documentary named Premier Passions. [33][34] McCombie however, saw the money as a gift and refused to pay back the club. [71] However, Sunderland's next season was more successful; they finished third in the League, and were its top scorers with 83goals. think the last time we won at Wembley was . At the League's annual meeting that considered this application, Sunderland offered to pay towards other clubs' travelling costs, to compensate for the extra distance these club would need to travel. [102] In 1979, after Elliot ended his spell, Ken Knighton took the vacant manager's position. Years won: 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1995, 2001, 2003, 2012 Liverpool, finalists in 2022, sit top of the chart with regards to all-time Carabao Cup trophies, claiming the tournament eight times. Last time Man City won the FA Cup. [91] Billy Elliott, a former Sunderland player, took over after Brown's second departure,[92] but managed the team for only four matches before former Newcastle United player Bob Stokoe was appointed as permanent manager.[92]. However, in that season Sunderland embarked on a run leading to the FA Cup final, where they lost 20 to Liverpool,[118] They had previously beaten Chelsea in a quarter-final replay. [34][81] The investigators uncovered a string of similar accounting glitches; contract companies were purposely charging Sunderland excessive fees for services, and later sending credit-notes to redress the balance. [124] They assumed the current strip of red and white stripes in the 188788 season. '[56] The tragic end to Thorpe's career led to a change in the rules, where players were no longer allowed to raise their foot to a goalkeeper when he had control of the ball in his arms. Len Ashurst's appointment as regular manager. In 1976 Sunderland were again promoted to the First Division, as Division Two champions. [182] He also took Sunderland to the League Cup Final in the same season, defeating Manchester United in penalty kicks in the semi-finals. [102] The club was relegated for the first time in 10 years at the end of 201617, finishing bottom of the table,[103] and Moyes resigned. [20], In their first three league titles, Johnny Campbell was the top scorer of the league. [87][88][89][90][91] Sunderland went on to avoid relegation with one game to go. [154] The 200506 season was poor for Sunderland, as they failed to win a home game before Christmas and were eventually relegated with a new record lowest points tally of 15, breaking their own previous record of 19. Sunderland's win came 24 hours after Salford City had beaten Portsmouth in the 2020 final, a cup triumph 557 days in the making. This page was last edited on 25 February 2023, at 21:31. You have to go back 11 years to Roy Keane's time in charge for the last time Black Cats fans saw their side put . 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To find out more click here, Former player, manager and chairman, Niall Quinn. The Papa John's Trophy is back for the 2021/22 season - keep track of the teams taking part and all the fixtures and results. [114] However, the game was resumed and Sunderland completed the win. league they once dominated - they roared back to England's elite Sunderland have won a total of six Football League Championships including three in the space of four seasons, along with being runners-up five times. Sunderland also share good relations and a mutual friendship with Dutch club Feyenoord; this was developed after Wearside shipbuilders found jobs in Rotterdam during the 1970s and 80s. [24] They also came close the following season, finishing third. [104] Mick Docherty was brought in as caretaker manager until the end of the 198081 season, and helped them avoid relegation. [108] In April 2018, after a second consecutive relegation, this time to League One,[109] the club was sold to a group led by Stewart Donald and Coleman was released from his contract. [174][175] The background to the opposition was past statements made by Di Canio supporting Fascism. The last time Sunderland won a major honour the odds stacked against them were even greater. [123] Sunderland's board turned to Peter Reid as temporary manager, in the hopes of keeping Sunderland clear of relegation. Sunderland reached the fifth round where they were beaten by Birmingham City. [78] Shackleton and centre-forward Trevor Ford would never build any kind of relationship on or off the pitch however, and Ford once threatened to never play in the same Sunderland team as Shackleton until he was forced to back down by manager Bill Murray. The fanzine A Love Supreme was first published in 1989 and has won nine awards for Fanzine of the Year. [164] In addition the club has had a SAFC Liaison Group (SLG) since 1994 that works with fans on club issues and an independent supporters group, the Red & White Army (RAWA).[165][166]. [2] Originally organised by James Allan, a teacher at Hendon Board School. Buchan and William Clunas had been called up by England and Scotland respectively. Between 1891 and 1939, "The Black Cats", as they are known in addition to their six league titles finished in the bottom half of the league only ten times, and finished in the top seven 28 times. [60] Cochrane announced his retirement from management in 1939, after he had been in charge of Sunderland for 11 seasons, taking them to a League title, and an FA Cup win. [50] Under new chairman Bob Murray and new manager Denis Smith, the club was promoted the following season. [105], The activity in the Sunderland manager's seat continued, with Alan Durban's appointment in 1981. [119] Smith had quit as manager during the season, and was replaced by his assistant Malcolm Crosby. Portsmouth beat Sunderland on penalties to win the Checkatrade Trophy following a compelling 2-2 draw in front of a competition-record crowd of 85,021 at Wembley . [10] On 5 April 1890, the Football League's founder, William McGregor, labelled Sunderland as "the team of all talents" stating that they had "a talented man in every position". [14] This success was repeated in the following season, when Sunderland won their second League title, this time 11 points ahead of their nearest contenders. The late 1950s saw a sharp downturn in Sunderland's fortunes, and the club was once again implicated in a major financial scandal in 1957. [124] Reid's first full season as Sunderland manager, 199596, was successful; the club won the Division One title and gained promotion to the Premier League for the first time since the League restructuring which had taken effect in 199293. [125] Their badge included a ship, the upper part of the Sunderland coat of arms, a black cat, and a football in front of Sunderland's red and white stripes. The Lads also picked up a Charity Shield [142][143] Despite relegation from the Premier League in 2017 the club has continued to post large annual average attendance figures, recording over 30,000 for the 2019 and 2020 seasons, enough for 16th in the country. Reid's time in charge had a stabilising effect; he remained manager for seven years. [98] Sam Allardyce was appointed the next manager in October 2015, and the club was again saved from relegation at the end of the season. [33] As a result, Sunderland were fined 250 (28,700 today)and six directors were suspended for two and a half years. [180] Although he had a rough start to his tenure as Sunderland manager, suffering a 40 defeat to Swansea in his first match in charge,[181] Poyet ended up securing Premier League safety in the penultimate game of the season. Over 40,000fans travelled from the North-East to see the game against Charlton Athletic. Although both are generally geographically close, Newcastle are considered their main rivals. [197] The club's top league goal scorer is Charlie Buchan, who scored 209goals from 1911 to 1925;[198] Bobby Gurney is the record goalscorer over all competitions with 228goals between 1926and1939. [51] With Cochrane in charge, Sunderland reached the 193031 FA Cup semi-final, where they lost to Birmingham City. [104] In June 2017, goalkeeper Jordan Pickford, a product of Sunderland's academy, was transferred to Everton for a fee of 25 million, rising to a possible 30 million; a record for a British goalkeeper. [144] Kevin Phillips won the European Golden Shoe in his first top-flight season with Sunderland, scoring 30 goals.[145]. In the process, they became the first team to score 100 goals in a season, a feat not matched until 191920. [21] Also notable in the attack at the time, and important to Campbell's success in attack, were other "Team of all Talents" players Jimmy Hannah and Jimmy Millar. [3] Their first recorded competitive game was against Ferryhill Athletic on 13 November 1880, which they lost 10. [105] This was also the biggest fee Sunderland have received for a player produced by the Sunderland academy. [130] A colliery wheel at the top of the crest commemorates County Durham's mining history, and the land the Stadium of Light was built on, formerly the Monkwearmouth Colliery. [191] On 21 May, he officially became owner of Sunderland, doing so without the consortium to speed the transition.[192]. A special constable was killed while patrolling the stadium. [6] During the late 19th century, they were declared the "Team of All Talents" by William McGregor,[7] the founder of the league, after a 72 win against Aston Villa. [15] Initially the ground had a capacity of 30,000. [44] Charlie Buchan and Bob Young each went on to win the Military Medal. The last trophy Newcastle won that wasn't a second division title was the Intertoto Cup back in 2006. It was opened on 10 September 1898, and the home team played a match the same day against Liverpool,[137] which they won. He was subsequently replaced by Chris Coleman. The club's records showed further breaches of the League's financial rules. Sunderland's average attendance were higher over that period than perennial title challengers such as Juventus F.C. After promotion in the previous season, Sunderland were relegated back to the Second Division. They beat Preston North End 31 in the final as Bobby Gurney, Raich Carter, and Eddie Burbanks all scored goals at Wembley Stadium. They returned to Roker and set up home in Roker Park. The club has also won the FA Cup twice (1937 and 1973) and been runners-up twice (1913 and 1992), as well as winning the FA Charity Shield in 1936 and being finalists the following year. [115][116] Later that month, the club reached an agreement with Kyril Louis-Dreyfus for him to purchase a controlling stake in the club. It was demolished in 1997 and a housing estate built in its place.[137]. One night a soldier heard loud wailing, which turned out to be from a black cat. They last won the Premier League title in the 2003-04 season, the famous 'Invincibles' campaign as they didn't lose any of their 38 games that season. seasons). [64][bettersourceneeded] Sunderland took part in the two-legged War Cup final in the 194142 season, against Wolverhampton Wanderers. [15], After taking Sunderland to three English League championship titles manager Watson resigned at the end of the 189596 season, in order to join Liverpool. [84] Two finishes in third place followed in the 196162 and 196263 seasons, Sunderland in each case missing out on promotion by just one position. [25] Robert Campbell replaced him. Sunderland were fined 5,000 (128,000 today), manager Murray was fined 200 (5,100 today), and a number of players, including record-signing Trevor Ford were temporarily suspended from the game.