A half-century ago today, the man who came to be known as ‘The Messiah’ – Bob Stokoe – was appointed as Sunderland manager.
At the time the club was struggling near the foot of what is now known as the Championship. The football Sunderland were playing was often dour, crowds were small, spirits were low and there was even an absence of hope.
Stokoe changed all of that almost overnight. Just over five months after he took over Sunderland astonishingly won the FA Cup after the most sensational and romantic of cup runs. With a team transformed Sunderland didn’t just beat Leeds – then as powerful as Liverpool or Manchester City are now – in the final, but they deserved to beat them. This came on top of defeating Arsenal in the semi-final and knocking out much fancied Manchester City in a Roker Park replay voted ‘The Match of the Century’ when the stadium closed in 1997. Sunderland did this by playing attacking free-flowing football, taking on the best teams in the land and beating them as Stokoe filled a talented group of footballers with belief, pride and organisation.
In his opening match programme notes this week in 1972 Stokoe said, “I am proud because the Sunderland Board of Directors have entrusted to me the task of restoring greatness to one of Britain’s most famous clubs.” He went on to add, “I am no miracle worker. I make you only one promise, that I shall do absolutely everything in my power, to put Sunderland where they belong – right at the top of the tree.”
The arrival of Bob Stokoe proved to be a major moment in the history of SAFC, a fact indicated by the presence of the Stokoe statue at the Stadium of Light now. A celebration dinner on the 50th anniversary of the cup triumph to take place on 5 May next year sold out immediately, but look out in the coming months for other events commemorating Stokoe’s Stars including the publication of an official club book ‘73@fifty’ in the new year.