2005–06 Sunderland A.F.C. season
| Third round | |
| Top goalscorer | League: Liam Lawrence Tommy Miller Dean Whitehead Anthony Le Tallec (3) All: Anthony Le Tallec (5) |
|---|---|
| Highest home attendance | 44,003 (vs. Arsenal, 1 May 2006) |
| Lowest home attendance | 28,226 (vs. Fulham, 4 May 2006) |
→ | |
During the
FA Premier League
. A total of 38 matches were played in which they finished last in 20th, with 15 points.
Season Summary
Sunderland's season began with a streak of five consecutive losses. A brief respite came with a three-match unbeaten run before the October international break, lifting the team out of the relegation zone. However, this momentum was short-lived; a defeat to Manchester United post-break plunged them back into the bottom three, a position they never recovered from. The period between the international break and Christmas was particularly bleak, with the team losing every match.
Their second victory of the season came in late January against West Bromwich Albion, who were just above them in the standings. Cup competitions were poor as well, as Sunderland struggled against League Two's Cheltenham Town in the League Cup's first round before a 3–0 defeat to Arsenal, and suffered a demoralizing exit in the FA Cup's fourth round to League One's Brentford.
The poor performance led to the dismissal of Mick McCarthy, the manager of nearly three years, with Kevin Ball stepping in as caretaker manager. The season's modest goal became to avoid setting a new low for the fewest points in a Premier League season, a record Sunderland themselves held. Not only was the new record set, but they also broke Stoke City's 21-year record for the lowest points under the three-point-win system. Sunderland marginally improved on their previous record for the fewest goals in a top-flight season The league's new low-point record was surpassed by Derby County two years later, who recorded 11 points in contrast to Sunderland's 15.
Transfers
In
| Date | Pos | Name | From | Fee |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 June 2005 | FW |  Daryl Murphy
|
Waterford United
|
£100,000[1] |
| 10 June 2005 | DF |  Nyron Nosworthy
|
Gillingham
|
Free[2]
|
| 13 June 2005 | FW | Jon Stead
|
Blackburn Rovers
|
£1,800,000[3] |
| 14 June 2005 | GK | Kelvin Davis
|
Ipswich Town
|
£1,250,000[4] |
| 22 June 2005 | MF | Tommy Miller
|
Ipswich Town
|
Free[5] |
| 6 July 2005 | MF |  Martin Woods
|
Leeds United
|
Free[6] |
| 2 August 2005 | DF | Alan Stubbs
|
Everton
|
Free[7] |
| 2 August 2005 | FW |  Anthony Le Tallec
|
Liverpool
|
Season-long loan[8] |
| 9 August 2005 | GK | Joe Murphy
|
West Bromwich Albion
|
Free[9] |
| 10 August 2005 | FW | Andy Gray
|
Sheffield United
|
£1,100,000[10] |
| 24 August 2005 | MF | Christian Bassila
|
Strasbourg
|
Free[11] |
| 31 August 2005 | DF | Justin Hoyte
|
Arsenal
|
Season-long loan[12] |
| 25 January 2006 | FW | Kevin Smith
|
Leeds United
|
Free[13] |
| 31 January 2006 | MF | Rory Delap
|
Southampton
|
Free[14] |
Out
| Date | Pos | Name | To | Fee |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14 June 2005 | DF | Mark Lynch
|
Hull City
|
Free[15] |
| 1 July 2005 | MF |  Jeff Whitley
|
 Cardiff City
|
Free[16] |
| 1 July 2005 | FW | Marcus Stewart
|
Bristol City
|
Free[17] |
| 1 July 2005 | FW | Brian Deane
|
Perth Glory
|
Free |
| 11 July 2005 | MF | Sean Thornton
|
Doncaster Rovers
|
£175,000[18] |
| 25 July 2005 | GK |  Thomas Myhre
|
Fredrikstad
|
Free |
| 25 July 2005 | FW | Michael Bridges
|
Bristol City
|
Free[19] |
| 12 August 2005 | DF | Neill Collins
|
Hartlepool United
|
Loan[20] |
| 31 August 2005 | GK |  Mart Poom
|
Arsenal
|
Loan |
| 8 September 2005 | FW | Chris Brown
|
Hull City
|
Loan[21] |
| 23 September 2005 | MF | Grant Leadbitter
|
Rotherham United
|
Loan[22] |
| 21 October 2005 | GK | Joe Murphy
|
Walsall
|
Loan |
| 24 November 2005 | MF | Carl Robinson
|
Norwich City
|
Loan |
| 24 November 2005 | FW | Daryl Murphy
|
Sheffield Wednesday
|
Loan |
| 12 January 2006 | DF | Dan Smith
|
Huddersfield Town
|
Loan |
| 17 January 2006 | MF | Carl Robinson
|
Norwich City
|
£50,000 |
| 20 January 2006 | DF | Alan Stubbs
|
Everton
|
Free |
| 23 January 2006 | GK | Mart Poom
|
Arsenal
|
Free |
| 17 February 2006 | DF | Neill Collins
|
Sheffield United
|
Loan |
| 1 March 2006 | MF | Andy Welsh
|
Leicester City
|
Loan |
| 16 March 2006 | FW | Andy Gray
|
Burnley
|
Loan |
Players
First-team squad
- Squad at end of season[23]
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
|
|
Left club during season
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
|
|
Reserve squad
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
|
|
Results
Sunderland's score comes first.
| Win | Draw | Loss |
League Cup
| Round | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Goalscorers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2nd | 20 September 2005 | Cheltenham Town | Stadium of Light | 1–0 (after extra time) | 11,969 | Le Tallec |
| 3rd | 25 October 2005 | Arsenal | Stadium of Light | 0–3 | 47,366 |
FA Cup
| Round | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Goalscorers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3rd | 8 January 2006 | Northwich Victoria | Stadium of Light | 3–0 | 19,323 | N. Collins, Whitehead, Le Tallec |
| 4th | 28 January 2006 | Brentford | Griffin Park | 1–2 | 11,698 | Arca |
Premier League
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16 | Aston Villa | 38 | 10 | 12 | 16 | 42 | 55 | −13 | 42 | |
| 17 | Portsmouth | 38 | 10 | 8 | 20 | 37 | 62 | −25 | 38 | |
| 18 | Birmingham City (R) | 38 | 8 | 10 | 20 | 28 | 50 | −22 | 34 | Relegation to the Football League Championship |
| 19 | West Bromwich Albion (R) | 38 | 7 | 9 | 22 | 31 | 58 | −27 | 30 | |
| 20 | Sunderland (R) | 38 | 3 | 6 | 29 | 26 | 69 | −43 | 15 |
Source: Premier League
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored.
(R) Relegated
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored.
(R) Relegated
Results by matchday
Friendlies
| Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Goalscorers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16 July 2005 | Vancouver Whitecaps | Swangard Stadium (Burnaby, British Columbia) | 0–3 | 6,857 | |
| 20 July 2005 | Seattle Sounders | Qwest Field (Seattle, Washington) |
1–0 | 8,502 | Lawrence |
| 23 July 2005 | Portland Timbers | PGE Park (Portland, Oregon) |
0–0 | 15,376 |
Statistics
Appearances and goals
| No. | Pos | Nat | Player | Total | Premier League | FA Cup | League Cup
| ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||||||
| Goalkeepers | |||||||||||||
| 1 | GK | ENG
|
Kelvin Davis | 35 | 0 | 33 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 13 | GK | ENG
|
Ben Alnwick | 7 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | ||
| Defenders | |||||||||||||
| 2 | DF | ENG
|
Stephen Wright | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 3 | DF | NIR
|
George McCartney | 13 | 0 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 5 | DF | IRL
|
Gary Breen | 36 | 1 | 33+2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 6 | DF | SCO
|
Steven Caldwell | 25 | 1 | 23 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | ||
| 12 | DF | ENG
|
Nyron Nosworthy | 32 | 0 | 24+6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | ||
| 15 | DF | WAL
|
Danny Collins | 27 | 1 | 22+1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | ||
| 28 | DF | ENG
|
Dan Smith | 5 | 0 | 1+2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1+1 | 0 | ||
| 32 | DF | ENG
|
Justin Hoyte | 30 | 1 | 27 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | ||
| 33 | DF |  ARG
|
Julio Arca | 26 | 2 | 22+2 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Midfielders | |||||||||||||
| 4 | MF | IRL
|
Rory Delap | 6 | 1 | 5+1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 7 | MF | IRL
|
Liam Lawrence | 33 | 3 | 19+10 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | ||
| 8 | MF | ENG
|
Dean Whitehead | 41 | 4 | 37 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0+2 | 0 | ||
| 11 | MF | SCO
|
Andy Welsh | 16 | 0 | 11+2 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 | 1+1 | 0 | ||
| 14 | MF | ENG
|
Tommy Miller | 31 | 3 | 27+2 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 19 | MF | ENG
|
Martin Woods | 8 | 0 | 1+6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | ||
| 23 | MF | ENG
|
Grant Leadbitter | 12 | 0 | 8+4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 31 | MF | FRA
|
Christian Bassila | 14 | 0 | 12+1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | ||
| Forwards | |||||||||||||
| 9 | FW | ENG
|
Jon Stead | 34 | 1 | 21+9 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | ||
| 10 | FW | IRL
|
Stephen Elliott | 16 | 2 | 11+4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 | ||
| 16 | FW | SCO
|
Kevin Kyle | 14 | 1 | 9+4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 17 | FW | FRA
|
Anthony Le Tallec | 31 | 5 | 12+15 | 3 | 1+1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | ||
| 18 | FW | SCO
|
Andy Gray | 22 | 1 | 13+8 | 1 | 0+1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 20 | FW | ENG
|
Chris Brown | 13 | 1 | 10+3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 26 | FW | IRL
|
Daryl Murphy | 20 | 1 | 5+13 | 1 | 0+1 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 | ||
| Players transferred out during the season | |||||||||||||
| 4 | MF | WAL
|
Carl Robinson | 7 | 0 | 3+2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | ||
| 21 | MF | ENG
|
Matt Piper | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | ||
| 22 | DF | ENG
|
Alan Stubbs | 11 | 1 | 8+2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
References
- ^ "Sunderland sign Irish star Murphy". BBC Sport. 3 June 2005.
- ^ "Sunderland seal Nosworthy signing". BBC Sport. 13 June 2005.
- ^ "Sunderland snap up striker Stead". BBC Sport. 13 June 2005.
- ^ "Davis completes Sunderland move". BBC Sport. 14 June 2005.
- ^ "Miller secures Sunderland switch". BBC Sport. 22 June 2005.
- ^ "Sunderland sign Leeds youngster". BBC Sport. 5 July 2005.
- ^ "Sunderland sign defender Stubbs". BBC Sport. 2 August 2005.
- ^ "Sunderland sign Le Tallec on loan". BBC Sport. 2 August 2005.
- ^ "Murphy reveals Sunderland switch". BBC Sport. 9 August 2005.
- ^ "Gray completes move to Sunderland". BBC Sport. 10 August 2005.
- ^ "Bassila agrees to Sunderland move". BBC Sport. 24 August 2005.
- ^ "Sunderland capture Hoyte on loan". BBC Sport. 31 August 2005.
- ^ "Sunderland sign Smith from Leeds". BBC Sport. 26 January 2006.
- ^ "Sunderland seal signing of Delap". BBC Sport. 31 January 2006.
- ^ "Defender Lynch seals move to Hull". BBC Sport. 14 June 2005.
- ^ "Whitley completes Cardiff switch". BBC Sport. 1 July 2005.
- ^ "Stewart agrees Bristol City move". BBC Sport. 6 June 2005.
- ^ "Thornton completes Doncaster move". BBC Sport. 12 July 2005.
- ^ "City put seal on Bridges signing". BBC Sport. 23 July 2005.
- ^ "Collins joins Hartlepool on loan". BBC Sport. 12 August 2005.
- ^ "Striker makes loan move to Hull". BBC Sport. 8 September 2005.
- ^ "Millers sign Leadbitter on loan". BBC Sport. 23 September 2005.
- ^ "FootballSquads - Sunderland - 2005/06". www.footballsquads.co.uk.
Notes
- ^ Delap was born in Sutton Coldfield, England, but also qualified to represent the Republic of Ireland internationally and made his international debut for the Republic of Ireland in 1998.
- ^ Welsh was born in Manchester, England, but also qualified to represent Scotland internationally and has represented Scotland at U-19 level.
- ^ Nosworthy was born in Brixton, England, but also qualified to represent Jamaica internationally through his father and Guyana internationally through his mother, and would make his international debut for Jamaica in May 2012.
- ^ Collins was born in Chester, England, and represented them at C level, but also qualified to represent Wales internationally and made his international debut for Wales in February 2005.
- ^ Gray was born in Harrogate, England, but also qualified to represent Scotland internationally and made his international debut for Scotland in April 2003.
- ^ Hoyte was born in Waltham Forest, England, and represented them at U-16, U-19, U-20, and U-21 level, but also qualified to represent Trinidad and Tobago internationally and made his international debut for Trinidad and Tobago in March 2013.