Our ‘On This Day’ feature for 23rd August features the Sunderland programme from the 1969/70 season. Read the full review below and see all the Division One issues from 1969/70 here.
Sunderland’s programme for the 1969/70 season was the 16-page ‘Roker Review’. This represented a reduction of four pages from the previous season’s issue, although an increase in the size of paper used allowed the club to offer a decent level of content.
Following an introductory feature on the League Cup (which notes that all the top-flight clubs had entered for the first time – in the 10th iteration of the competition), there is a page of notes from Manager Alan Brown. He writes in honest fashion about the plight of the club and the financial restrictions on it, noting that “our difficulties are tremendous” and “we have a long hard road ahead of us”. Indeed, the club would be relegated at the end of the season.
A basic player Q&A follows, alongside a profile of the referee for the day’s fixture against Sheffield Wednesday. Coverage of the visiting club is quite detailed and well laid out, with player profiles set alongside a squad photo and player picture across the centre pages of the issue.
The programme contains a couple of pages of statistics, including a list of first-team and apprentice professionals, as well as a fixtures diary and league table. Supporters are also provided with details of how to travel to support the team in their upcoming fixture at Manchester United.
There is little that is particularly remarkable about this issue from Sunderland, but the candid nature of the Manager’s notes is noteworthy, in terms of how far removed they seem from the typically ‘on-message’ nature of such columns today.