Little Book of Sunderland

The only thing that's little about SAFC is this book! Sunderland prides itself on not just being a big club but one of the biggest. Only five clubs have been champions of England more times than Sunderland who were the first team to be champions three times, the first to score 100 goals in a season, the only top flight team to ever have a 100% home record and the last club in the country to have never played outside the top flight. Sunderland's Stadium of Light was the biggest football ground built in England in the second half of the twentieth century but soon had to be extended. Even when struggling Sunderland can average home gates of over 40,000 and their record attendance is almost 7,000 higher than any other club in the north- east has ever managed. The 1973 FA Cup final against Leeds United and 1998 Play Off final against Charlton Athletic saw Sunderland play in two of the most memorable games seen at Wembley stadium as the highs and lows of one of the game's traditional giants captured the imagination of the footballing world. Sunderland is the club of Raich Carter, Jim Montgomery, Charlie Hurley, Brian Clough, Kevin Phillips, Niall Quinn and the Clown Prince of Soccer Len Shackleton. They're all featured here along with everything you need to know about the team in the most famous red and white stripes in the country – after all Sunderland have won more major trophies than all the other teams who wear red and white stripes combined. Written by Sunderland AFC's club historian and publications editor Rob Mason, The Little Book of Sunderland AFC is the Bobby Kerr of football books. Kerr was the smallest skipper to lift the FA Cup but big enough to be a winner.