Personalised Sunderland Football Books
Enjoy a Newspaper History of the Black Cats
Sunderland AFC was formed in 1879 by local school teacher, James Allan. Allan would later leave the club to form a break-away team called Sunderland Albion FC. The Black Cats won the First Division title in 1892, despite it being only their second professional season. Sunderland won five further First Division Championships before the outbreak of the Second World War and finished as league runners-up on five occasions. The club also lifted the FA Cup trophy in 1937. The Black Cats received much critical acclaim during this spell of success and Sunderland managed to stay in the top flight for an unbroken spell of sixty-eight seasons – a record only bettered by Arsenal. Sunderland was relegated for the first time in 1958, following a financial scandal that resulted in the Black Cats being heavily fined. Sunderland’s results would become more inconsistent over the following decades, but highlights included winning the FA Cup in 1973, reaching the League Cup final in 1985 and contesting another FA Cup final in 1992.
Personalised Sunderland Football Books - Inspired Gifts
A Sunderland Gift Book can be an inspired present for a fan of the Black Cats. It is unique, smartly presented and filled with fascinating newspaper reports on the history of the club. Being able to personalise this Sunderland Football Book makes the gift even more special and shows the thought that has gone into buying it. The present will also prove to be a terrific addition to a supporter’s Sunderland memorabilia collection.
Sunderland Football Book Coverage
This Sunderland Football Book opens with a 3-1 win over Newcastle United in 1905. It goes on to cover a selection of great games through the decades of the 20th Century and many entertaining reports from the present era.
Early highlights in the Sunderland Football Book include dramatic, high-scoring games, such as the 9-1 victory over Newcastle United in 1908 and the 7-0 trouncing of Liverpool in 1912. The Gift Book features Sunderland winning the last match of the season against Burnley to become League Champions in 1913. It also covers Sunderland’s FA Cup final against Aston Villa from the same year and the 7-2 thrashing of Birmingham City to win the league again in 1936. The Sunderland Books revisit the Black Cats’ 3-1 win over Preston North End to secure the FA Cup in 1937 and the epic victory against Leeds United to win the Cup again in 1973. Read about the 1985 Milk Cup Final against Norwich City and the 1992 FA Cup Final against Liverpool. The Gift Books incorporate articles on the opening of the Stadium of Light in 1997, promotion to Division One in 1976 and 1980, plus promotion to the Premiership in 1999. More recent coverage includes the appointment of Roy Keane as Manager in 2006. Keane led Sunderland back to the Premiership in his first season in charge.
Newspaper coverage continues right up to the end of last season. This unique insight into the Black Cats’ history makes these books truly memorable gifts and a great addition for a collector of Sunderland memorabilia.
Sunderland Memorabilia
If you are a collector of Sunderland memorabilia or looking for other Sunderland gifts, why not consider our Sunderland Calendar or Sunderland Diary? Each month features a newspaper headline on one of the Black Cats’ key games. The presents can be personalised with the recipient’s name to make them even more special and both items make great gifts for Sunderland fans. Other Sunderland presents include Framed Newspaper Reprints, "My Football Year" Sunderland Books and unique Sunderland T-Shirts.
Finally – Did You Know?
- James Allan formed a rival club in 1881, as he did not want Sunderland to turn professional. The disbanding of Sunderland Albion coincided with Sunderland FC’s first title win in 1892.
- Sunderland was known as the "Team of All Talents" at the beginning of the twentieth century. The club was then nicknamed "The Bank of England" in the 1950s.
- Sunderland was found guilty of paying their players too much money in 1957. The club was issued with a heavy fine as punishment.
- The Black Cats play home matches at the "Stadium of Light". FC Benfica’s ground is called "Estádio da Luz", which means the same thing when translated into English. This is a coincidence, as there is no connection or relationship between the two clubs.
- The Sunderland fans were found to be the noisiest supporters in the Premiership during the 2007-2008 season.