By the 1990s, the stadium was no longer large enough, and had no room for possible expansion. [176][177] The fans recorded the song due to the fact the manager often had a dour demeanour, whilst the team was doing well, and even won promotion at the end of the season.[178][179]. They beat Preston North End 31 in the final as Bobby Gurney, Raich Carter, and Eddie Burbanks all scored goals at Wembley Stadium. These credit notes were passed on to players. Sunderland won the game 53 and were crowned "Champions of the World".[16][18]. This offer secured their place in the Football League. A Second Division club at the time, Sunderland won the game thanks mostly to the efforts of their goalkeeper Jimmy Montgomery. [162] on 4 December 2008, Keane left Sunderland after a run of defeats in the Premier League. [99] Stokoe became ill during the 197677 season; he stepped down from the job, and was replaced temporarily by caretaker manager Ian MacFarlane. [54] The following season Sunderland managed to win their sixth League title, by a margin of eight points. The competition formerly known as the EFL Trophy was won by Sunderland . McCarthy left the club in mid-season, and he was replaced temporarily by former Sunderland player Kevin Ball. [193][194][195][196], As well as club nicknames, names have been used to define memorable periods in the club's history. [203], The first sponsor to appear on Sunderland kits was Cowie's, the business group of then chairman Tom Cowie, between 1983 and 1985. [81] The FA sent an investigation team, which found evidence of illegal payments in the Sunderland accounts, including a 3,000 (77,000 today) bill, supposedly for straw to cover the pitch. The last trophy Newcastle won that wasn't a second division title was the Intertoto Cup back in 2006. Len Shackleton, known as the "Clown Prince of Soccer", later admitted that the players were more a collection of talented individuals than a true team, and that "it takes time to harness and control a team of thoroughbreds. In October 2015, Sunderland defeated rivals Newcastle United for the sixth consecutive time, a new record. [192] Other nicknames used by the media and include the Mackems (believed to be related to the ship building industry and a name for inhabitants of Sunderland) or the Wearsiders, as a reference to the river that the city and broader region of Wearside sits alongside, and in contrast to their Tyneside rivals Newcastle United. The song peaked at number 41 in the UK Singles & Album Chart. They were the lowest scoring team in the Premier League,[147] with 29goals, ending the season in seventeenth place and being knocked out of both English Cup competitions in their first rounds. [23], Two seasons later the First World War brought the league to a halt. [3][4] His object was to provide "recreational amusement" for the area's schoolteachers. At the end of the decade, they were again relegated to the Second Division after finishing 21st.[42]. [53] Sunderland's next success came in the 193435 season when they finished as runners-up to Arsenal. [116], After just one season in the First Division, Sunderland were relegated again. Teams from the second tier of English football, at the time called the Second Division, experienced an unprecedented run of cup success between 1973 and 1980. Sunderland have also experienced success in the FA Cup, winning it twice; in 1937 and 1973. [30] This incident led to a change in the rules, whereby players were no longer allowed to raise their foot to a goalkeeper when he had control of the ball in his arms. [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. [115][116] Later that month, the club reached an agreement with Kyril Louis-Dreyfus for him to purchase a controlling stake in the club. Yeovil were a non-League club at the time, but beat Division One side Sunderland 21 to knock them out of the Cup. The crest also contains two lions, the black cats of Sunderland, and a banner displaying the club's motto, Consectatio Excellentiae, which means "In pursuit of excellence". Despite the 5 million signing of Danny Graham in January, Sunderland suffered a further slump, taking just 3 points from eight games, and with the threat of relegation looming, manager Martin O'Neill was sacked on 30 March, following a 10 home defeat by Manchester United. Streaming is available through desktop and through the SAFSEE mobile app. Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. For other uses, see, For a statistical breakdown by season, see, Early years and the "Team of All Talents" (18791908), Further league championship titles (19081945), "The Bank of England" club, financial troubles and three cup finals (19451995), New stadium, promotions and relegations (19952006), Drumaville Consortium takeover and Ellis Short era (20062016), Divisional movements and ownership changes (2016present), Supporters clubs and officially recognised organisations, List of Sunderland A.F.C. Sunderland's biggest ever win in the FA cup was against Fair field (a non-league team) and the final score was 111. It reached number one in the NME Indie Charts. [97] Eight games into the 201516 season he resigned from the position. [14] In 1898, the club moved to what would become their home for almost a century, Roker Park. Formed in 1879,[1] Sunderland play in the Championship, the second tier of English football. [20], On 5 December 1908, Sunderland achieved their highest ever league win, 91 against north-east rivals Newcastle United. However, under new manager Denis Smith, promotion was gained at the first attempt; Sunderland returned to the Second Division as Third Division champions in 1988. 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. [146] Later, the foundation came to be known as the Foundation of Light. [179], Poyet took over at Sunderland during the 2013-14 Premier League campaign. 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. The name was made official in a public vote in 2000. [199] Dave Halliday holds the record for the most goals scored in a season: 43in the 192829 season in the Football League First Division. [61], Bill Murray was appointed Sunderland's manager in 1939. [139] The report recommended that all major stadiums must be converted to an all-seater design. [187] Sunderland finished their season having had four managers. [25] From 1886 until 1898, Sunderland's home ground was in Newcastle Road. [48], In April 1925, Sunderland completed the signing of centre forward Dave Halliday, after Buchan left for Arsenal. The original ground capacity was 42,000 which was increased to 49,000 following expansion in 2000. Sunderland break 48-year Wembley curse and halt years of failure to finally land trophy Sunderland have won a trophy for the first time since the 1973 FA Cup final - and now have. Although both are generally geographically close, Newcastle are considered their main rivals. [159] The club also previously had an official monthly subscription magazine, called the Legion of Light, which season ticket holders received for no cost. Sunderland are England's sixth most successful club of all time, having won the English League championship six times: in 1892, 1893, 1895, 1902, 1913, and, most recently, in 1936. [149] Wilkinson's reign was unsuccessful, and he left the club after only six months in charge. [163] First-team coach Ricky Sbragia took over as caretaker manager,[163] and on 27 December 2008 Sbragia took the job on a permanent basis, signing an 18-month contract. The events of the season formed the backdrop to the documentary series Sunderland 'Til I Die which was released on Netflix on 14 December 2018. This was in reference to the club's spending in the transfer market at the time, which saw the transfer-record broken twice. In 200102 Sunderland narrowly avoided relegation. Portsmouth are looking to become the first team ever to retain the Football League Trophy, having won the last edition in 2018-19 against Sunderland. A Davy lamp monument stands outside the stadium, and a miners banner was presented to the club by the Durham Miners' Association,[141] as a reminder of the Monkwearmouth Colliery pit the stadium was built on. 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. [52] He was replaced by Johnny Cochrane, who arrived from St Mirren. Sunderland are England's sixth most successful club of all time,[1] having won the English League championship six times: in 1892, 1893, 1895, 1902, 1913, and, most recently, in 1936. The Blues took the lead with one of Didier Drogba's many cup final goals, but Spurs came fighting back, equalising with a Dimitar . [111] The return of 1973 FA Cup winning manager Bob Stokoe,[112] appointed caretaker manager following the sacking of McMenemy, could not help Sunderland avoid relegation. [102] In 1979, after Elliot ended his spell, Ken Knighton took the vacant manager's position. They have also been runners-up on a further five occasions: in 1894, 1898, 1901, 1923 and 1935 (see Sunderland A.F.C. [164] Despite promising early results, the team continued to struggle and narrowly avoided relegation from the Premiership on the last day of the season, after which Sbragia resigned from his post. [11] They replaced Stoke, one of the original League founding members, who failed to be re-elected. [19], In December 1902, Arthur Bridgett joined Sunderland. By 1898, the ground reached a capacity of 15,000 after renovations, and its rent had risen to 100 (11,900 today) a year. [66] In the 194546 season, after the end of the war while the League was still suspended, the FA Cup resumed. Manager Sam Allardyce was sacked during the season and replaced by David Moyes, but that did not change the club's fortunes. [42] Other prominent players of that period's Sunderland was George Holley, who was league top scorer in the season before the title, and Scottish Charles Thomson who captained the club. [70] Before the start of the following campaign, Irish-American businessman Ellis Short completed a full takeover of the club,[71] and Steve Bruce was announced as the next manager on 3 June.
