Born on this day is former Republic of Ireland international Jason McAteer, who signed for Sunderland for £1 million in October 2001. The Birkenhead born midfielder is more well-known for his time at Liverpool and Blackburn Rovers. In fact, he still works closely with LFC TV and is regularly involved in 'legends' events. He began his career at Bolton Wanderers before securing a reported £4.5 million move to Liverpool, where he stayed for four years before being transferred to Blackburn....

On this day in 1957, former Sunderland forward Gary Rowell was born in Seaham. He made just shy of 300 appearances for the club between 1975 and 1984, scoring over 100 times. Rowell made his debut in the 1975/76 season, aged just 18, and his first goal came in a 4-1 win at Hull City in April 1976 with a low shot from the edge of the area. However, it took him a good six to nine months to nail down a spot in the first team, as he was in the same position as captain Tony Towers and Gary was...

Former Sunderland assistant Luciano Vulcano has praised his former club, where his January exit came as a surprise. The Italian has been out of work since leaving Sunderland, with Regis Le Bris saying it "wasn't the right fit" for the club at the time. However, Vulcano seems to have no ill feeling towards Sunderland and praised the Lads following Europa League qualification. He seems like a really interesting guy and it's a shame it didn't work out for Luciano here at Sunderland... POSITIVE...