2005–06 Sunderland A.F.C. season

During the 2005–06 season, Sunderland competed in the FA Premier League. A total of 38 matches were played in which they finished last in 20th, with 15 points.

Sunderland
2005–06 season
ChairmanBob Murray
ManagerMick McCarthy (until 13 February)
Kevin Ball (caretaker) (from 7 March until 31 May)
Niall Quinn (from 25 July)
StadiumStadium of Light
FA Premier League20th (relegated)
FA CupFourth round
League CupThird round
Top goalscorerLeague:
Liam Lawrence
Tommy Miller
Dean Whitehead
Anthony Le Tallec (3)

All: Anthony Le Tallec (5)
Highest home attendance44,003 (vs. Arsenal, 1 May 2006)
Lowest home attendance28,226 (vs. Fulham, 4 May 2006)

Season Summary

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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

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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]
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

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First-team squad

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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.

No. Pos. Nation Player
1 GK   ENG Kelvin Davis
2 DF   ENG Stephen Wright
3 DF   NIR George McCartney
4 MF   IRL Rory Delap[notes 1]
5 DF   IRL Gary Breen (captain)
6 DF   SCO Steven Caldwell (vice-captain)
7 MF   IRL Liam Lawrence
8 MF   ENG Dean Whitehead
9 FW   ENG Jon Stead
10 FW   IRL Stephen Elliott
11 MF   SCO Andy Welsh[notes 2]
12 DF   ENG Nyron Nosworthy[notes 3]
13 GK   ENG Ben Alnwick
14 MF   ENG Tommy Miller
No. Pos. Nation Player
15 DF   WAL Danny Collins[notes 4]
16 FW   SCO Kevin Kyle
17 FW   FRA Anthony Le Tallec (on loan from Liverpool)
18 FW   SCO Andy Gray[notes 5]
19 MF   SCO Martin Woods
20 FW   ENG Chris Brown
23 MF   ENG Grant Leadbitter
25 DF   SCO Neill Collins
26 FW   IRL Daryl Murphy
28 DF   ENG Dan Smith
30 GK   IRL Joe Murphy
31 MF   FRA Christian Bassila
32 DF   ENG Justin Hoyte[notes 6] (on loan from Arsenal)
33 MF   ARG Julio Arca

Left club during season

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Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
4 MF   WAL Carl Robinson (to Norwich City)
21 MF   ENG Matt Piper (released)
22 DF   ENG Alan Stubbs (to Everton)
No. Pos. Nation Player
24 GK   EST Mart Poom (to Arsenal)
MF   IRL Colin Healy (to Livingston)

Reserve squad

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Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
21 FW   SCO Kevin Smith
24 GK   NIR Trevor Carson
No. Pos. Nation Player
27 DF   ENG Ben Christensen
29 DF   ENG Sean Taylor

Results

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Sunderland's score comes first.

Win Draw Loss

League Cup

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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

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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

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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

Results by matchday

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Matchday1234567891011121314151617181920212223242526272829303132333435363738
ResultLLLLLDWDLLLLLLLLLDLLLWLLDLLLLLLDDLLLWL
Position1820202020201917191920202020202020202020202020202020202020202020202020202020
Source: [citation needed]
W = Win; D = Draw; L = Loss
Date Opponent Venue Result Attendance Scorers
13 August 2005 Charlton Athletic Stadium of Light 1–3 34,446 Gray
20 August 2005 Liverpool Anfield 0–1 44,913
23 August 2005 Manchester City Stadium of Light 1–2 33,357 Le Tallec
27 August 2005 Wigan Athletic JJB Stadium 0–1 17,223
10 September 2005 Chelsea Stamford Bridge 0–2 41,969
17 September 2005 West Bromwich Albion Stadium of Light 1–1 31,657 Breen
25 September 2005 Middlesbrough Riverside Stadium 2–0 29,583 Miller, Arca
1 October 2005 West Ham United Stadium of Light 1–1 31,212 Miller
15 October 2005 Manchester United Stadium of Light 1–3 39,085 Elliott
23 October 2005 Newcastle United St James' Park 2–3 52,302 Lawrence, Elliott
29 October 2005 Portsmouth Stadium of Light 1–4 34,926 Whitehead (pen)
5 November 2005 Arsenal Highbury 1–3 38,210 Stubbs
19 November 2005 Aston Villa Stadium of Light 1–3 39,707 Whitehead (pen)
26 November 2005 Birmingham City Stadium of Light 0–1 32,442
30 November 2005 Liverpool Stadium of Light 0–2 32,697
3 December 2005 Tottenham Hotspur White Hart Lane 2–3 36,244 Whitehead, Le Tallec
10 December 2005 Charlton Athletic The Valley 0–2 26,065
26 December 2005 Bolton Wanderers Stadium of Light 0–0 32,232
31 December 2005 Everton Stadium of Light 0–1 30,567
2 January 2006 Fulham Craven Cottage 1–2 19,372 Lawrence
15 January 2006 Chelsea Stadium of Light 1–2 32,420 Lawrence
21 January 2006 West Bromwich Albion The Hawthorns 1–0 26,464 Watson (own goal)
31 January 2006 Middlesbrough Stadium of Light 0–3 31,675
4 February 2006 West Ham United Boleyn Ground 0–2 34,745
12 February 2006 Tottenham Hotspur Stadium of Light 1–1 34,700 Murphy
15 February 2006 Blackburn Rovers Ewood Park 0–2 18,220
25 February 2006 Birmingham City St. Andrew's 0–1 29,257
3 March 2006 Manchester City City of Manchester Stadium 1–2 42,200 Kyle
11 March 2006 Wigan Athletic Stadium of Light 0–1 31,194
18 March 2006 Bolton Wanderers Reebok Stadium 0–2 23,568
25 March 2006 Blackburn Rovers Stadium of Light 0–1 29,593
1 April 2006 Everton Goodison Park 2–2 38,093 Stead, Delap
14 April 2006 Manchester United Old Trafford 0–0 72,519
17 April 2006 Newcastle United Stadium of Light 1–4 40,032 Hoyte
22 April 2006 Portsmouth Fratton Park 1–2 20,078 Miller
1 May 2006 Arsenal Stadium of Light 0–3 44,003
4 May 2006 Fulham Stadium of Light 2–1 28,226 Le Tallec, Brown
7 May 2006 Aston Villa Villa Park 1–2 33,820 D. Collins

Friendlies

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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

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Appearances and goals

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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

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  1. ^ "Sunderland sign Irish star Murphy". BBC Sport. 3 June 2005.
  2. ^ "Sunderland seal Nosworthy signing". BBC Sport. 13 June 2005.
  3. ^ "Sunderland snap up striker Stead". BBC Sport. 13 June 2005.
  4. ^ "Davis completes Sunderland move". BBC Sport. 14 June 2005.
  5. ^ "Miller secures Sunderland switch". BBC Sport. 22 June 2005.
  6. ^ "Sunderland sign Leeds youngster". BBC Sport. 5 July 2005.
  7. ^ "Sunderland sign defender Stubbs". BBC Sport. 2 August 2005.
  8. ^ "Sunderland sign Le Tallec on loan". BBC Sport. 2 August 2005.
  9. ^ "Murphy reveals Sunderland switch". BBC Sport. 9 August 2005.
  10. ^ "Gray completes move to Sunderland". BBC Sport. 10 August 2005.
  11. ^ "Bassila agrees to Sunderland move". BBC Sport. 24 August 2005.
  12. ^ "Sunderland capture Hoyte on loan". BBC Sport. 31 August 2005.
  13. ^ "Sunderland sign Smith from Leeds". BBC Sport. 26 January 2006.
  14. ^ "Sunderland seal signing of Delap". BBC Sport. 31 January 2006.
  15. ^ "Defender Lynch seals move to Hull". BBC Sport. 14 June 2005.
  16. ^ "Whitley completes Cardiff switch". BBC Sport. 1 July 2005.
  17. ^ "Stewart agrees Bristol City move". BBC Sport. 6 June 2005.
  18. ^ "Thornton completes Doncaster move". BBC Sport. 12 July 2005.
  19. ^ "City put seal on Bridges signing". BBC Sport. 23 July 2005.
  20. ^ "Collins joins Hartlepool on loan". BBC Sport. 12 August 2005.
  21. ^ "Striker makes loan move to Hull". BBC Sport. 8 September 2005.
  22. ^ "Millers sign Leadbitter on loan". BBC Sport. 23 September 2005.
  23. ^ "FootballSquads - Sunderland - 2005/06". www.footballsquads.co.uk.

Notes

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  1. ^ 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.
  2. ^ Welsh was born in Manchester, England, but also qualified to represent Scotland internationally and has represented Scotland at U-19 level.
  3. ^ 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.
  4. ^ 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.
  5. ^ Gray was born in Harrogate, England, but also qualified to represent Scotland internationally and made his international debut for Scotland in April 2003.
  6. ^ 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.