# 2001–02 Sunderland A.F.C. season

During the 2001–02 season, Sunderland competed in the FA Premier League.

## Season summary

In the 2001–02 season, despite standing 9th on Boxing Day 2001, Sunderland narrowly avoided relegation. They were the lowest scoring team in the Premier League, with 29 goals, ending the season in 17th place and being knocked out of both English Cup competitions in their first rounds.

## Results

Sunderland's score comes first

### Legend

| Win | Draw | Loss |

### FA Premier League
#### League table

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
| 15 | Everton | 38 | 11 | 10 | 17 | 45 | 57 | −12 | 43 | |
| 16 | Bolton Wanderers | 38 | 9 | 13 | 16 | 44 | 62 | −18 | 40 | |
| 17 | Sunderland | 38 | 10 | 10 | 18 | 29 | 51 | −22 | 40 | |
| 18 | Ipswich Town (R) | 38 | 9 | 9 | 20 | 41 | 64 | −23 | 36 | UEFA Cup QR and relegation to the First Division |
| 19 | Derby County (R) | 38 | 8 | 6 | 24 | 33 | 63 | −30 | 30 | Relegation to the Football League First Division |
* ↑ Ipswich Town qualified for the UEFA Cup qualifying as the winners of Premiership Fair Play League by The Football Association, and as one of the UEFA Fair Play ranking winners.

#### Results per matchday

| Matchday | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | 32 | 33 | 34 | 35 | 36 | 37 | 38 |
| Ground | H | A | A | H | A | H | H | A | H | A | H | A | H | A | H | H | A | H | A | A | H | A | H | H | A | A | H | A | H | A | H | A | H | A | H | A | A | H |
| Result | W | L | D | W | D | L | D | W | L | L | D | L | W | L | W | D | L | W | W | L | D | L | D | L | L | W | L | L | W | L | D | L | W | L | L | L | D | D |
| Position | 7 | 10 | 10 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 7 | 5 | 9 | 12 | 12 | 15 | 13 | 13 | 11 | 13 | 13 | 11 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 12 | 11 | 11 | 15 | 11 | 14 | 14 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 14 | 15 | 15 | 17 | 17 | 17 |
| Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Scorers |
| 18 August 2001 | Ipswich Town | H | 1–0 | 47,370 | Phillips (pen) |
| 22 August 2001 | Fulham | A | 0–2 | 20,197 | |
| 26 August 2001 | Newcastle United | A | 1–1 | 52,021 | Phillips |
| 8 September 2001 | Blackburn Rovers | H | 1–0 | 45,103 | Quinn |
| 16 September 2001 | Aston Villa | A | 0–0 | 31,668 | |
| 19 September 2001 | Tottenham Hotspur | H | 1–2 | 47,310 | Phillips |
| 22 September 2001 | Charlton Athletic | H | 2–2 | 46,825 | Quinn (2) |
| 29 September 2001 | Bolton Wanderers | A | 2–0 | 24,520 | Phillips, Craddock |
| 13 October 2001 | Manchester United | H | 1–3 | 48,305 | Phillips |
| 22 October 2001 | Middlesbrough | A | 0–2 | 28,432 | |
| 27 October 2001 | Arsenal | H | 1–1 | 48,029 | Schwarz |
| 3 November 2001 | Leicester City | A | 0–1 | 20,573 | |
| 18 November 2001 | Leeds United | H | 2–0 | 48,005 | Arca, Phillips |
| 25 November 2001 | Liverpool | A | 0–1 | 43,537 | |
| 1 December 2001 | West Ham United | H | 1–0 | 47,437 | Phillips |
| 9 December 2001 | Chelsea | H | 0–0 | 48,017 | |
| 15 December 2001 | Southampton | A | 0–2 | 29,459 | |
| 22 December 2001 | Everton | H | 1–0 | 48,013 | Reyna |
| 26 December 2001 | Blackburn Rovers | A | 3–0 | 29,869 | Quinn (2), Kilbane |
| 29 December 2001 | Ipswich Town | A | 0–5 | 24,517 | |
| 1 January 2002 | Aston Villa | H | 1–1 | 45,324 | Thome |
| 12 January 2002 | Everton | A | 0–1 | 30,736 | |
| 19 January 2002 | Fulham | H | 1–1 | 45,124 | Phillips |
| 29 January 2002 | Middlesbrough | H | 0–1 | 44,579 | |
| 2 February 2002 | Manchester United | A | 1–4 | 67,587 | Phillips |
| 9 February 2002 | Derby County | A | 1–0 | 31,771 | Quinn |
| 24 February 2002 | Newcastle United | H | 0–1 | 48,290 | |
| 2 March 2002 | Tottenham Hotspur | A | 1–2 | 36,062 | M'Boma |
| 5 March 2002 | Bolton Wanderers | H | 1–0 | 43,011 | McAteer |
| 16 March 2002 | Chelsea | A | 0–4 | 40,218 | |
| 23 March 2002 | Southampton | H | 1–1 | 46,120 | McAteer |
| 30 March 2002 | Arsenal | A | 0–3 | 38,047 | |
| 1 April 2002 | Leicester City | H | 2–1 | 44,950 | Reyna (2) |
| 7 April 2002 | Leeds United | A | 0–2 | 39,195 | |
| 13 April 2002 | Liverpool | H | 0–1 | 48,355 | |
| 20 April 2002 | West Ham United | A | 0–3 | 33,319 | |
| 27 April 2002 | Charlton Athletic | A | 2–2 | 26,614 | Kilbane, Phillips |
| 11 May 2002 | Derby County | H | 1–1 | 47,989 | Phillips |

### FA Cup

| Round | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Goalscorers |
| R3 | 5 January 2002 | West Bromwich Albion | H | 1–2 | 29,133 | Phillips |

### League Cup

| Round | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Goalscorers |
| R2 | 12 September 2001 | Sheffield Wednesday | A | 2–4 (a.e.t.) | 12,074 | Phillips, Laslandes |

## Players
### First-team squad

    Squad at end of season
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 | DEN | Thomas Sorensen |
| 2 | DF | SUI | Bernt Haas |
| 3 | DF | ENG | Michael Gray (captain) |
| 4 | MF | USA | Claudio Reyna |
| 5 | DF | SVK | Stanislav Varga |
| 6 | DF | BRA | Emerson Thome |
| 7 | FW | CMR | Patrick M'Boma (on loan from Parma) |
| 8 | MF | ENG | Gavin McCann |
| 9 | FW | IRL | Niall Quinn |
| 10 | FW | ENG | Kevin Phillips |
| 11 | MF | IRL | Kevin Kilbane |
| 12 | DF | SWE | Joachim Björklund |
| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
| 13 | GK | NIR | Michael Ingham |
| 15 | FW | FRA | David Bellion |
| 16 | MF | IRL | Jason McAteer |
| 17 | DF | ENG | Jody Craddock |
| 18 | DF | ENG | Darren Williams |
| 19 | FW | SCO | Kevin Kyle |
| 20 | MF | SWE | Stefan Schwarz |
| 21 | MF | ENG | Paul Thirlwell |
| 24 | DF | NIR | George McCartney |
| 26 | MF | IRL | Thomas Butler |
| 30 | GK | AUT | Jürgen Macho |
| 33 | DF | ARG | Julio Arca |

### Left club during season

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 | SCO | Don Hutchison (to West Ham United) |
| 7 | FW | FRA | Lilian Laslandes (on loan to Köln) |
| 12 | FW | ENG | Danny Dichio (to West Bromwich Albion) |
| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
| 16 | MF | SCO | Alex Rae (to Wolverhampton Wanderers) |
| 23 | MF | ENG | Chris Lumsdon (to Barnsley) |
| 37 | MF | ENG | Neil Wainwright (to Darlington) |

### Reserves

    The following players did not appear for the first team this season.
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
| 14 | MF | ARG | Nicolás Medina |
| 22 | DF | ENG | Simon Ramsden |
| 25 | DF | ENG | Mark Maley |
| 27 | FW | IRL | Michael Reddy |
| 28 | MF | WAL | John Oster |
| 29 | MF | BEL | Tom Peeters |
| 31 | DF | ENG | Ben Clark |
| 32 | DF | NED | Baki Mercimek |
| 34 | FW | ENG | Michael Proctor |
| 35 | MF | IRL | Brendan McGill |
| 36 | DF | IRL | Cliff Byrne |
| 40 | GK | ENG | John Kennedy |
| — | GK | ENG | Adam Dowell |
| — | DF | ENG | Patrick Collins |
| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
| — | DF | ENG | Steve Harrison |
| — | DF | ENG | Craig James |
| — | DF | ENG | Gareth Mordey |
| — | DF | IRL | Stephen Capper |
| — | DF | IRL | Mark Rossiter |
| — | MF | ENG | Jonjo Dickman |
| — | MF | ENG | Marc Hand |
| — | MF | ENG | Carl Shippen |
| — | MF | NIR | Chris Kingsberry |
| — | MF | IRL | Glenn Lacey |
| — | MF | IRL | Richie Ryan |
| — | FW | SCO | Dene Shields |
| — | FW | NIR | Neil Teggart |
| — | FW | IRL | Keith Graydon |

## Transfers
### In

| Date | Pos | Name | From | Fee |
| 18 May 2001 | MF | Nicolas Medina | Argentinos Juniors | £3,500,000 |
| 13 June 2001 | DF | Baki Mercimek | Haarlem | Free |
| 28 June 2001 | FW | Lilian Laslandes | Bordeaux | £3,600,000 |
| 3 July 2001 | FW | David Bellion | Cannes | Free |
| 3 August 2001 | DF | Bernt Haas | Grasshopper | £750,000 |
| 19 October 2001 | MF | Jason McAteer | Blackburn Rovers | £1 million |
| 7 December 2001 | MF | Claudio Reyna | Rangers | £4 million |
| 28 January 2002 | DF | Joachim Björklund | Venezia | £1.5 million |

### Out

| Date | Pos | Name | To | Fee |
| 1 July 2001 | MF | Carsten Fredgaard | FC Copenhagen | £500,000 |
| 18 August 2001 | MF | Neil Wainwright | Darlington | £50,000 |
| 30 August 2001 | MF | Don Hutchison | West Ham United | £5 million |
| 19 September 2001 | MF | Alex Rae | Wolverhampton Wanderers | £1.2 million |
| 30 November 2001 | FW | Danny Dichio | West Bromwich Albion | £1.25 million |
| 11 December 2001 | MF | Chris Lumsdon | Barnsley | £350,000 |

### Loan in

| Date | Pos | Name | Club | Return | Ref |
| 14 February 2002 | FW | Patrick M'Boma | Parma | 11 May 2002 | |

### Loan out

| Date | Pos | Name | Club | Return |
| 9 August 2001 | FW | Michael Proctor | York City | 21 April 2002 |
| 22 August 2001 | FW | Danny Dichio | West Bromwich Albion | 22 September 2001 |
| 7 September 2001 | MF | Brendan McGill | Carlisle United | 21 April 2002 |
| 21 September 2001 | FW | Michael Reddy | Hull City | 21 October 2001 |
| 27 September 2001 | DF | Mark Maley | York City | 21 April 2002 |
| 5 October 2001 | MF | Chris Lumsdon | Barnsley | 11 December 2001 |
| 19 October 2001 | MF | John Oster | Barnsley | 19 November 2001 |
| 7 January 2002 | FW | Lilian Laslandes | Köln | 9 March 2002 |
| 25 March 2002 | DF | Stanislav Varga | West Bromwich Albion | 25 April 2002 |
| 28 March 2002 | FW | Michael Reddy | Barnsley | 22 April 2002 |

## Statistics
### Appearances and goals

    As of end of season
| No. | Pos | Nat | Player | Total | Total | Premier League | Premier League | FA Cup | FA Cup | League Cup | League Cup |
| No. | Pos | Nat | Player | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals |
| Goalkeepers ||||||||||||
| 1 | GK | DEN | Thomas Sørensen | 35 | 0 | 34 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 13 | GK | NIR | Michael Ingham | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 30 | GK | AUT | Jurgen Macho | 4 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Defenders ||||||||||||
| 2 | DF | SUI | Bernt Haas | 29 | 0 | 27 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 |
| 3 | DF | ENG | Michael Gray | 36 | 0 | 35 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 5 | DF | SVK | Stanislav Varga | 11 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 6 | DF | BRA | Emerson Thome | 12 | 1 | 12 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 12 | DF | SWE | Joachim Björklund | 12 | 0 | 11+1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 17 | DF | ENG | Jody Craddock | 31 | 1 | 30 | 1 | 0+1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 18 | DF | ENG | Darren Williams | 30 | 0 | 23+5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 24 | DF | NIR | George McCartney | 20 | 0 | 12+6 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Midfielders: ||||||||||||
| 4 | MF | USA | Claudio Reyna | 17 | 3 | 17 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 8 | MF | ENG | Gavin McCann | 31 | 0 | 29 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 11 | MF | IRL | Kevin Kilbane | 30 | 2 | 24+4 | 2 | 0+1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 16 | MF | IRL | Jason McAteer | 27 | 2 | 26 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 20 | MF | SWE | Stefan Schwarz | 20 | 1 | 18+2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 21 | MF | ENG | Paul Thirlwell | 16 | 0 | 11+3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 26 | MF | IRL | Thomas Butler | 7 | 0 | 2+5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 33 | MF | ARG | Julio Arca | 24 | 1 | 20+2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Forwards: ||||||||||||
| 7 | FW | CMR | Patrick M'Boma | 9 | 1 | 5+4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 9 | FW | IRL | Niall Quinn | 39 | 6 | 24+14 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 10 | FW | ENG | Kevin Phillips | 39 | 13 | 37 | 11 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 15 | FW | FRA | David Bellion | 10 | 0 | 0+9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 19 | FW | SCO | Kevin Kyle | 8 | 0 | 0+6 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 |
| Players no longer with club: ||||||||||||
| 4 | MF | SCO | Don Hutchison | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 7 | FW | FRA | Lilian Laslandes | 13 | 1 | 5+7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0+1 | 1 |
| 16 | MF | SCO | Alex Rae | 3 | 0 | 1+2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |