Sunderland are one of the giants of English football. Sleeping giants, as the cliché goes, but giants nonetheless.

For a club that has won only one major trophy since the Second World War - and with more than half a century having passed since that famous 1973 FA Cup triumph - the ‘giant’ tag may seem generous in the extreme, at least to those outside Wearside looking in.

Supporters of clubs smaller in stature but who have enjoyed more recent success, and there are many, might even scoff at Sunderland’s claim to a place in the upper echelons of the game.

But Sunderland’s rich and storied history, six league titles and two FA Cup wins, means its status as a true giant is assured.

That will not stop fierce debates over what exactly constitutes a ‘giant’, or what it means to be a ‘big club’, taking place in the schoolyard, at the pub, or in the online town square.

So it is always wise to have sound arguments to deploy when fighting your corner.

And to that end I can heartily recommend a new book by Sunderland’s official club historian Rob Mason, titled Sunderland AFC The Definitive History.

The Definitive History explains in detail why Sunderland are one of the English game’s great institutions.

It offers the most detailed account ever put together of the club’s rise from humble origins as the Sunderland and District Teachers’ Association Football Club in 1879, to the glory years of the 1890s with the 'Team of All the Talents,' the sporadic successes in the first four decades of the 20th century, Sunderland’s post-WW2 years as the Bank of England Club, and the decline thereafter.

It goes without saying that Sunderland’s back-to-back relegations which saw the Black Cats plummet from the Premier League to League One in double-quick time, followed by a four-season struggle to escape the third tier, represents the club’s nadir.

Sunderland spent four years in League One after back-to-back relegationsSunderland spent four years in League One after back-to-back relegations

But the book also covers what fans fervently hope is the beginning of the club’s renaissance as it includes the eventual return to the Championship, the play-off campaign under Tony Mowbray, although it finishes with Sunderland at something of a crossroads following the desperately disappointing 2023-24 season.

Journalists spend hours poring over books filled with records and facts, and in recent years Rob’s peerless reference books Sunderland AFC: The Absolute Record and Sunderland AFC The Absolute Record: The Players, have provided food for thought and settled numerous disputes.

The Definitive History is not a reference book in that sense but instead an authoritative narrative account of the club, its story and its achievements, and which sets these in both a footballing and social context.

 

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Sunderland has a fascinating history filled with incredible characters, all of whom have left their mark on the club, and some on the wider game.

I don’t know if glory-hunters existed in the 1890s when Sunderland ruled the roost, but it is fair to say there are no glory-hunters at the Stadium of Light these days.

Instead generations of Sunderland fans have lived through their own silverware-starved present while being sustained by tales of the club’s glittering past handed down from parents, grandparents, and great-grandparents.

Yet despite the lack of tangible success, those supporters remain intensely loyal - which other club, after four years in League One, could record an average attendance in excess of 30,000?

To even begin to understand why, it is essential to understand the club’s history.

And that makes Sunderland AFC The Definitive History a must-read.

 

* Sunderland AFC The Definitive History, by Rob Mason, is out now and available at all good bookshops, and will be stocked at the club’s official store at Black Cat House, priced at £20