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From the latest transfer news, quizzes, videos, features and interviews with the biggest names in the game, plus lots more.Signup +Once a week...And its LIVE!Sign up to our FREE live football newsletter, tracking all of the biggest games available to watch on the device of your choice. Never miss a kick-off!Signup +Join the clubGet full access to premium articles, exclusive features and a growing list of member rewards.Explore An account already exists for this email address, please log in.Subscribe to our newsletterKevin Phillips first impressions of Sunderland came as a young Watford player in the mid 90s, traveling to the clubs old ground Roker Park. Located just a few hundred yards from the North Sea coast, there wasnt much protection from the icy winds off the water in the winter (and sometimes summer!). The presence of a biting, salt-crusted gale meant the air around the stadium was often damp and misty. Combined with cold wind, temperatures inside Roker Park often defied thermometer readings.The Roker RoarFamously landlocked on all four sides by tight, red-brick Victorian terraced streets, on matchdays back alleys were crowded with fans seeking shortcuts, and corner shops and chippies would do a weeks worth of business in three hours. Legendary pre-match spots like The Wheatsheaf, The New Derby, and The Roker Hotel were packed to the rafters and were the genesis of the Roker Roar.I was a young lad, and I'd never been further than the Watford Gap, let alone come all the way up to Sunderland, recalls Phillips, speaking to FourFourTwo a stone's throw from the Stadium of Light, where the club has played for almost 30 years now. I remember coming on the bus through the old streets of Roker. I used to watch Coronation Street when I was younger, and it looked like Coronation Street! I was thinking. God, Id hate to live up here'.You may likeSunderland were going places under Roy Keane, but when the results dipped, he was off Phil Bardsley on his former Man United team-mates Black Cats managerial stint'Im a lone campaigner for Everton and Celtic being the true and original partnership. I struggle with Liverpool and Celtic's 'You'll Never Walk Alone' love-in' Proud Toffee Andy Burnham reveals home-and-away Evertonian rootsIn ten years at Fulham, he has enjoyed three promotions, suffered two relegations and experienced plenty of highs and lows along the way... proof that there ain't nobody like Tom CairneyIt was one of those where we just wanted to play the game, get home. So my initial impression was Im not sure, but once I did come up and sign and realise what beautiful place the area is, not just Sunderland, the whole of the Northumberland Coast, there are some great places.People here are generally friendlier compared to people down south I shouldn't say that cause Im a southerner, but that is the truth. They just made us feel welcome, and it made us settle in really quickly.Phillips settled almost immediately, netting 35 times in all competitions during the 1997-96 season, building an incredible partnership with Niall Quinn.People always ask, What did you use to do on the training pitch? and if you ask Quinny or Reidy, we didn't do an awful lot. We did more tactical work in the pub! With the beer glasses and the salt and pepper pots around. The biggest bit of advice, he and Reidy used to give me was they both said don't ever be more than 10-15 yards away from Quinny. That just stuck with me. "Wherever the ball looked like it was going to Niall, I just got around him. It was just one of those partnerships that just worked."Phillips admits that the death of the strike partnership in the mid 2000s, a move away from traditional formations like 4-4-2, wouldnt have complemented his fox-in-the-box style. I think I wouldve struggled. "Towards the end of my career, I was asked to play up front on my own a fair few times. I didn't enjoy it if Im being honest because I was always sniffing around another striker, always looking to pull on the shoulder, and as a loan striker, you're more of a link player to let the wide boys run in behind.So I found it very, very difficult [towards the end]. I ended up running here, there and everywhere, and tiring myself out. It was a shame that two strikers and 4-4-2 died out a little bit. I would definitely struggle paying up top on my own nowadays.But that doesnt matter to Sunderland fans because, when the time came for Phillips to leave the club in 2003, he had scored 130 goals for them across six seasons. That included 30 Premier League goals in the 1999-00 season, which not only secured him the Golden Boot but also won him Europes Golden Shoe which is awarded to the top goalscorer across all European domestic leagues.Get FourFourTwo NewsletterThe best features, fun and footballing quizzes, straight to your inbox every week.Contact me with news and offers from other Future brandsReceive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsorsBy submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.I've spent a lot of time here, reflects Phillips. I felt I had a connection with these fans from the moment I drove up here. You could sense the passion the fans showed for their football club and the area.Its a hard-working area, and every football club, every set of fans loves a goalscorer. I think it makes it easy for you to settle in somewhere when you come somewhere, you do well, and you score lots of times. They're just great fans and so passionate about the football club, as is the North East in general. So I think for me it's important I come back as much as I possibly can.LiveScore is a principal partner of Sunderland, with its branding visible across club platforms and on matchdays. The partnership places an emphasis on supporter-focused experiences. Download the LiveScore app for real-time updates and enjoy competitive odds via LiveScore Bet (18+ GambleAware.org). Go to livescore.com for more information.TOPICSSunderlandPremier LeagueChampionshipMatthew KetchellSocial Links NavigationDeputy EditorA former goalkeeper, Ketch joined FourFourTwo as Deputy Editor in 2022 having worked across ChronicleLive, LeedsLive, Hull Daily Mail, YorkshireLive, Teesside Gazette and the Huddersfield Examiner as a Northern Football Editor. Prior to that he was the Senior Writer at BBC Match of the Day magazine. He has interviewed the likes of Harry Kane, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Gareth Southgate and attended two World Cup finals and two Champions League finals. He has been a Newcastle United season ticket holder since 2000 and has a deep knowledge on the history and culture of football shirts.
