Preview: The Roker Report Draft Extravaganza!

As the summer rolls on, we are rolling out our summer schedule big guns! We have teased this one for a while and next week it takes centre stage on the site.

The Premise: Imagine you are back in the school yard and a captain as the football teams were being picked. Before you stands every single player to have ever played for Sunderland AFC and you are able to assemble your dream team.

Each one of our writers took it in turns to pick and remove a player from the pool until six squads were created with you, our treasured readers, free to vote for your winner.

The Rules:

A random draw was taken place to decide the order in which our writers were able to make their pick. The result of that draw are as follows:

1. Karl Jones, 2. Simon Walsh, 3. Michael Graham, 4. David Boyle, 5. Chris Weatherspoon, 6. Dan Williams.

For every other round of selections however, that order was reversed.

Participants are able to use their selections however they wish, though the following rules must be followed:

• Squads must consist of 15 players that are made up of the following - 2 goalkeepers, 5 defenders, 5 midfielders, and 3 forwards.
• Players who can play in multiple positions can be declared for one position in the selection process, but included in the final team in another. For example, Stephane Sessegnon could be picked as a midfielder, but also chosen to play in attack in the final teams, or Kieran Richardson declared as a defensive pick but utilised anywhere he wants, as is standard.
• Once a player is selected he is removed from the pool and ineligable to be selected by anyone else.
• Players are selected as they turned out for Sunderland AFC. So, for example, should Chris Waddle be selected it woud be the 37-year-old version, not the one who wowed Europe at his peak.
• Each person must accompany their pick with a summary of the reasons behind it.

At the end of the week, the final squads will be published and each of our writers will have the chance to make their case for why you should vote their's the winner.

Be sure to pop by next week as the fun unfolds, and get involved in the heated discussion that some of the selections are sure to provoke. I can assure it that this caused controversy, tension, in-fighting, and plenty of petty bickering at Roker Report Towers!