# 2011–12 Sunderland A.F.C. season

The 2011–12 season, Sunderland competed in the Premier League. They finished the season in 13th place, ending with a total of 45 points.

## Results
### Pre-season

| Date | Opponents | H/A | Result F–A | Scorers |
| 13 July 2011 | York City | A | 2–1 | Bardsley 13', Tounkara 33' |
| 17 July 2011 | Arminia Bielefeld | A | 1–1 | Sessègnon 74' |
| 20 July 2011 | Hannover 96 | A | 1–3 | Sessègnon 52' |
| 23 July 2011 | Borussia Mönchengladbach | A | 0–0 | – |
| 27 July 2011 | Kilmarnock | A | 2–1 | Sessègnon 36', Wickham 75' |
| 30 July 2011 | Burnley | A | 0–1 | – |
| 2 August 2011 | Hartlepool | A | 3–1 | Gyan 31', Colback 49', Larsson 59' |
| 3 August 2011 | Darlington | A | 3–0 | Cook 26', Gardner 41', Ji 63' |
| 6 August 2011 | Hibernian | A | 0–0 | – |

### Premier League

| Date | Opponents | H/A | Result H–A | Scorers | Attendance | League position | Manager |
| 13 August 2011 | Liverpool | A | 1–1 | Larsson 57' | 45,018 | 5th | Bruce |
| 20 August 2011 | Newcastle United | H | 0–1 | – | 47,751 | 13th | Bruce |
| 27 August 2011 | Swansea City | A | 0–0 | – | 19,938 | 13th | Bruce |
| 10 September 2011 | Chelsea | H | 1–2 | Ji 90' | 36,699 | 16th | Bruce |
| 18 September 2011 | Stoke City | H | 4–0 | Bramble 5', Woodgate 11' o.g., Gardner 28', Larsson 59' | 32,296 | 12th | Bruce |
| 26 September 2011 | Norwich City | A | 2–1 | Richardson 86' | 26,107 | 14th | Bruce |
| 1 October 2011 | West Bromwich Albion | H | 2–2 | Bendtner 24', Elmohamady 26' | 34,815 | 16th | Bruce |
| 16 October 2011 | Arsenal | A | 2–1 | Larsson 31' | 60,078 | 17th | Bruce |
| 22 October 2011 | Bolton Wanderers | A | 0–2 | Sessègnon 82', Bendtner 90' | 24,349 | 14th | Bruce |
| 29 October 2011 | Aston Villa | H | 2–2 | Wickham 38', Sessègnon 89' | 37,062 | 14th | Bruce |
| 5 November 2011 | Manchester United | A | 1–0 | – | 75,570 | 15th | Bruce |
| 19 November 2011 | Fulham | H | 0–0 | – | 37,688 | 15th | Bruce |
| 26 November 2011 | Wigan Athletic | H | 1–2 | Larsson 8' | 37,883 | 16th | Bruce |
| 4 December 2011 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | A | 2–1 | Richardson 52' | 25,145 | 17th | Black |
| 11 December 2011 | Blackburn Rovers | H | 2–1 | Vaughan 83', Larsson 90' | 39,863 | 16th | O'Neill |
| 18 December 2011 | Tottenham Hotspur | A | 1–0 | – | 36,021 | 16th | O'Neill |
| 21 December 2011 | Queens Park Rangers | A | 2–3 | Bendtner 19', Sessègnon 53', Brown 89' | 16,167 | 15th | O'Neill |
| 26 December 2011 | Everton | H | 1–1 | Colback 26' | 43,619 | 14th | O'Neill |
| 1 January 2012 | Manchester City | H | 1–0 | Ji 90' | 40,625 | 13th | O'Neill |
| 3 January 2012 | Wigan Athletic | A | 1–4 | Gardner 45', McClean 55', Sessègnon 73', Vaughan 80' | 15,871 | 10th | O'Neill |
| 14 January 2012 | Chelsea | A | 1–0 | – | 41,696 | 12th | O'Neill |
| 21 January 2012 | Swansea City | H | 2–0 | Sessègnon 14', Gardner 85' | 36,904 | 10th | O'Neill |
| 1 February 2012 | Norwich City | H | 3–0 | Campbell 21', Sessègnon 28', Ayala 54' o.g. | 34,476 | 8th | O'Neill |
| 4 February 2012 | Stoke City | A | 0–1 | McClean 60' | 27,717 | 8th | O'Neill |
| 11 February 2012 | Arsenal | H | 1–2 | McClean 70' | 40,312 | 9th | O'Neill |
| 25 February 2012 | West Bromwich Albion | A | 4–0 | – | 25,311 | 9th | O'Neill |
| 4 March 2012 | Newcastle United | A | 1–1 | Bendtner 24' (pen) | 52,388 | 11th | O'Neill |
| 10 March 2012 | Liverpool | H | 1–0 | Bendtner 56' | 41,661 | 8th | O'Neill |
| 20 March 2012 | Blackburn Rovers | A | 2–0 | – | 20,056 | 9th | O'Neill |
| 24 March 2012 | Queens Park Rangers | H | 3–1 | Bendtner 41', McClean 70', Sessègnon 76' | 37,128 | 8th | O'Neill |
| 31 March 2012 | Manchester City | A | 3–3 | Larsson 31' 55', Bendtner 45' | 47,007 | 9th | O'Neill |
| 7 April 2012 | Tottenham Hotspur | H | 0–0 | – | 39,335 | 9th | O'Neill |
| 9 April 2012 | Everton | A | 4–0 | – | 32,249 | 11th | O'Neill |
| 14 April 2012 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | H | 0–0 | – | 37,476 | 9th | O'Neill |
| 21 April 2012 | Aston Villa | A | 0–0 | – | 32,557 | 11th | O'Neill |
| 28 April 2012 | Bolton Wanderers | H | 2–2 | Bendtner 36', McClean 55' | 40,768 | 11th | O'Neill |
| 6 May 2012 | Fulham | A | 2–1 | Bardsley 35' | 25,683 | 11th | O'Neill |
| 13 May 2012 | Manchester United | H | 0–1 | – | 46,452 | 13th | O'Neill |

#### Managerial change

| Outgoing manager | Manner of departure | Date of vacancy | Position in table | Incoming manager | Date of appointment |
| Steve Bruce | Sacked | 30 November 2011 | 16th | Eric Black | 30 November 2011 |
| Eric Black | Contract terminated | 3 December 2011 | 17th | Martin O'Neill | 3 December 2011 |
After winning just 2 of their first 13 Premier League games and following the defeat by Wigan Athletic, chairman Ellis Short moved to sack Steve Bruce on 30 November. Assistant manager Eric Black assumed first team responsibilities until a new manager could be found. Martin O'Neill was appointed manager on 3 December with a three-year contract.

#### Table

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
| 11 | Swansea City | 38 | 12 | 11 | 15 | 44 | 51 | −7 | 47 |
| 12 | Norwich City | 38 | 12 | 11 | 15 | 52 | 66 | −14 | 47 |
| 13 | Sunderland | 38 | 11 | 12 | 15 | 45 | 46 | −1 | 45 |
| 14 | Stoke City | 38 | 11 | 12 | 15 | 36 | 53 | −17 | 45 |
| 15 | Wigan Athletic | 38 | 11 | 10 | 17 | 42 | 62 | −20 | 43 |

### League Cup

| Date | Round | Opponents | H/A | Result H–A | Scorers | Attendance |
| 23 August 2011 | Second round | Brighton & Hove Albion | A | 1–0 | – | 17,090 |

#### FA Cup

| Date | Round | Opponents | H/A | Result H–A | Scorers | Attendance |
| 8 January 2012 | Third round | Peterborough United | A | 2–0 | Larsson 48', McClean 58' | 8,954 |
| 29 January 2012 | Fourth round | Middlesbrough | H | 1–1 | Campbell 59' | 33,275 |
| 8 February 2012 | Replay | Middlesbrough | A | 1–2 AET | Colback 41', Sessègnon 113' | 26,707 |
| 18 February 2012 | Fifth round | Arsenal | H | 2–0 | Richardson 40', Oxlade-Chamberlain o.g. 77' | 26,042 |
| 17 March 2012 | Sixth round | Everton | A | 1–1 | Bardsley 12' | 38,875 |
| 27 March 2012 | Replay | Everton | H | 0–2 | – | 43,140 |

## Statistics
### Appearances and goals

    As of 13 May 2012
| 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 |
| 1 | GK | SCO | Craig Gordon | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2 | DF | SCO | Phil Bardsley | 37 | 2 | 29+2 | 1 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 3 | DF | ENG | Wayne Bridge | 10 | 0 | 3+5 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 4 | DF | ENG | Michael Turner | 29 | 0 | 23+1 | 0 | 4+1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 5 | DF | ENG | Wes Brown | 22 | 1 | 20 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 6 | MF | ENG | Lee Cattermole | 27 | 0 | 23 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 7 | MF | SWE | Sebastian Larsson | 39 | 8 | 32 | 7 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 8 | MF | ENG | Craig Gardner | 37 | 3 | 22+8 | 3 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 9 | FW | ENG | Fraizer Campbell | 17 | 2 | 6+6 | 1 | 2+3 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 10 | FW | ENG | Connor Wickham | 19 | 1 | 5+11 | 1 | 1+1 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 |
| 11 | MF | ENG | Kieran Richardson | 34 | 3 | 26+3 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 12 | DF | ENG | Matthew Kilgallon | 11 | 0 | 9+1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 14 | MF | ENG | Jack Colback | 40 | 2 | 29+6 | 1 | 3+1 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 15 | MF | WAL | David Vaughan | 27 | 2 | 17+5 | 2 | 2+2 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 16 | DF | IRL | John O'Shea | 34 | 0 | 29 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 17 | FW | KOR | Ji Dong-Won | 21 | 2 | 2+17 | 2 | 0+1 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 |
| 18 | MF | IRL | David Meyler | 9 | 0 | 1+6 | 0 | 0+2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 19 | DF | ENG | Titus Bramble | 8 | 1 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 20 | GK | IRL | Keiren Westwood | 10 | 0 | 8+1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 21 | FW | FRA | Oumare Tounkara | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 22 | GK | BEL | Simon Mignolet | 35 | 0 | 29 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 23 | MF | IRL | James McClean | 29 | 6 | 20+3 | 5 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 25 | DF | GRE | Sotirios Kyrgiakos | 4 | 0 | 2+1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 26 | FW | ENG | Jordan Cook | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 27 | MF | EGY | Ahmed Elmohamady | 21 | 1 | 7+11 | 1 | 0+2 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 28 | MF | BEN | Stéphane Sessègnon | 41 | 8 | 36 | 7 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 31 | FW | ENG | Ryan Noble | 2 | 0 | 0+2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 38 | FW | ENG | Craig Lynch | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 40 | DF | ENG | Louis Laing | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 42 | DF | IRL | John Egan | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 52 | FW | DEN | Nicklas Bendtner | 30 | 8 | 25+3 | 8 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Players that played for Sunderland this season that have left the club or went out on loan: ||||||||||||
| 3 | FW | GHA | Asamoah Gyan | 4 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 |
| 29 | DF | ENG | Anton Ferdinand | 4 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |

### Goal scorers

| Position | Number | Name | Premier League | FA Cup | League Cup | Total |
| FW | 52 | Nicklas Bendtner | 8 | 0 | 0 | 8 |
| MF | 7 | Sebastian Larsson | 7 | 1 | 0 | 8 |
| FW | 28 | Stéphane Sessègnon | 7 | 1 | 0 | 8 |
| MF | 23 | James McClean | 5 | 1 | 0 | 6 |
| MF | 8 | Craig Gardner | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| DF | 11 | Kieran Richardson | 2 | 1 | 0 | 3 |
| FW | 17 | Ji Dong-Won | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| MF | 15 | David Vaughan | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| FW | 9 | Fraizer Campbell | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| MF | 14 | Jack Colback | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| DF | 2 | Phil Bardsley | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| DF | 5 | Wes Brown | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| MF | 27 | Ahmed Elmohamady | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| FW | 10 | Connor Wickham | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| | | Own goals | 2 | 1 | 0 | 3 |
| | | Totals | 44 | 8 | 0 | 52 |

### Overall

| Games played | 45 |
| Games won | 14 |
| Games drawn | 14 |
| Games lost | 17 |
| Goals scored | 53 |
| Goals conceded | 52 |
| Goal difference | +1 |
| Clean sheets | 13 |
| Most appearances | Sessègnon 42 |
| Top scorer | Bendtner 8 |
Updated 13 May 2012

## 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 | SCO | Craig Gordon |
| 2 | DF | SCO | Phil Bardsley |
| 3 | DF | ENG | Wayne Bridge (on loan from Manchester City) |
| 4 | DF | ENG | Michael Turner |
| 5 | DF | ENG | Wes Brown (vice-captain) |
| 6 | MF | ENG | Lee Cattermole (captain) |
| 7 | MF | SWE | Sebastian Larsson |
| 8 | MF | ENG | Craig Gardner |
| 9 | FW | ENG | Fraizer Campbell |
| 10 | FW | ENG | Connor Wickham |
| 11 | DF | ENG | Kieran Richardson |
| 12 | DF | ENG | Matthew Kilgallon |
| 14 | MF | ENG | Jack Colback |
| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
| 15 | MF | WAL | David Vaughan |
| 16 | DF | IRL | John O'Shea |
| 17 | FW | KOR | Ji Dong-Won |
| 18 | MF | IRL | David Meyler |
| 19 | DF | ENG | Titus Bramble |
| 20 | GK | IRL | Keiren Westwood |
| 22 | GK | BEL | Simon Mignolet |
| 23 | MF | IRL | James McClean |
| 24 | GK | NIR | Trevor Carson |
| 25 | DF | GRE | Sotirios Kyrgiakos (on loan from Wolfsburg) |
| 27 | MF | EGY | Ahmed Elmohamady |
| 28 | MF | BEN | Stéphane Sessègnon |
| 52 | FW | DEN | Nicklas Bendtner (on loan from Arsenal) |

## Transfers
### In

| No. | Pos. | Name | Age | EU | Moving from | Type | Transfer window | Ends | Transfer fee | Source |
| 27 | MF | Ahmed Elmohamady | 23 | Non-EU | ENPPI | Transfer | Summer | 2014 | £2,000,000 | The Guardian |
| 10 | FW | Connor Wickham | 18 | EU | Ipswich Town | Transfer | Summer | 2015 | £12,000,000 | The Guardian |
| 17 | FW | Ji Dong-Won | 20 | Non-EU | Chunnam Dragons | Transfer | Summer | 2014 | £2,000,000 | BBC Sport |
| 8 | MF | Craig Gardner | 24 | EU | Birmingham City | Transfer | Summer | 2014 | £6,000,000 | BBC Sport |
| 7 | MF | Sebastian Larsson | 26 | EU | Birmingham City | Transfer | Summer | 2014 | Free | The Guardian |
| 20 | GK | Keiren Westwood | 26 | EU | Coventry City | Transfer | Summer | 2014 | Free | The Guardian |
| | MF | Roarie Deacon | 19 | EU | Arsenal | Transfer | Summer | | Free | |
| 5 | DF | Wes Brown | 31 | EU | Manchester United | Transfer | Summer | | £1,000,000 | |
| 16 | DF | John O'Shea | 30 | EU | Manchester United | Transfer | Summer | | £5,000,000 | |
| 15 | MF | David Vaughan | 28 | EU | Blackpool | Transfer | Summer | | Free | |
| 23 | MF | James McClean | 22 | EU | Derry City | Transfer | Summer | | £350,000 | |
| 52 | FW | Nicklas Bendtner | 23 | EU | Arsenal | Loan | Summer | | Season-long loan | |
| 3 | DF | Wayne Bridge | 31 | EU | Manchester City | Loan | Winter | | Season-long loan | |
| 25 | DF | Sotirios Kyrgiakos | 32 | EU | VfL Wolfsburg | Loan | Winter | | Season-long loan | |
Total spending: £28,350,000

### Out

| N | Pos. | Name | Age | EU | Moving to | Type | Transfer window | Transfer fee |
| | MF | Boudewijn Zenden | 34 | EU | Retired | Contract expired | Summer | Released |
| 14 | MF | Jordan Henderson | 20 | EU | Liverpool | Transfer | Summer | £16,000,000 |
| 2 | DF | Jean-Yves Mvoto | 22 | EU | Oldham Athletic | Transfer | Summer | Released |
| 14 | MF | Nathan Luscombe | 21 | EU | Hartlepool | Transfer | Summer | Released |
| 10 | MF | Robbie Weir | 22 | EU | Tranmere Rovers | Transfer | Summer | Released |
| 17 | DF | Michael Kay | 21 | EU | Tranmere Rovers | Transfer | Summer | Released |
| 16 | MF | Cristian Riveros | 28 | Non-EU | Kayserispor | Loan | Summer | Season-long loan |
| 17 | MF | Liam Noble | 20 | EU | Carlisle United | Loan | Summer | Loan |
| 25 | MF | Steed Malbranque | 31 | EU | Saint-Étienne | Transfer | Summer | £1,000,000 |
| 3 | DF | George McCartney | 30 | EU | West Ham United | Loan | Summer | Season-long loan |
| 35 | DF | Anton Ferdinand | 26 | EU | Queens Park Rangers | Transfer | Summer | £3,000,000 |
| 24 | DF | Blair Adams | 20 | EU | Brentford | Loan | None | Loan |
| 3 | FW | Asamoah Gyan | 25 | Non-EU | Al Ain | Loan | None | Season-long loan, £6,000,000 loan fee received |
| 30 | GK | Trevor Carson | 23 | EU | Bury | Loan | None | Season-long loan (recalled in November) |
| 37 | MF | Adam Reed | 20 | EU | Bradford City | Loan | None | Month-long loan |
| 33 | DF | Nyron Nosworthy | 31 | Non-EU | Watford | Loan | None | Season-long loan |
| 35 | GK | Ben Wilson | 19 | EU | Harrogate Town | Loan | None | Month-long loan |
| 29 | DF | Blair Adams | 20 | EU | Northampton Town | Loan | Winter | Two month loan |
| 37 | DF | John Egan | 19 | EU | Crystal Palace | Loan | Winter | Month-long loan |
| 27 | GK | Ben Wilson | 19 | EU | Gateshead | Loan | Winter | Month-long loan |
| 33 | DF | Nyron Nosworthy | 31 | Non-EU | Watford | Transfer | Winter | Undisclosed |
| 34 | MF | Billy Knott | 19 | EU | AFC Wimbledon | Loan | Winter | Month-long loan |
| 17 | MF | Liam Noble | 20 | EU | Carlisle United | Transfer | Winter | Released |
| 36 | GK | Trevor Carson | 23 | EU | Hull City | Loan | Winter | Month-long loan |
| 16 | ST | Jordan Cook | 21 | EU | Carlisle United | Loan | Winter | Two month loan |
| 3 | DF | Louis Laing | 18 | EU | Wycombe Wanderers | Loan | Winter | Season-long loan |
| 12 | FW | Ryan Noble | 20 | EU | Derby County | Loan | Winter | Month-long loan |
| 24 | GK | Jordan Pickford | 17 | EU | Darlington | Loan | Winter | Month-long loan |
| 19 | DF | Liam Bagnall | 19 | EU | Darlington | Loan | Winter | Month-long loan |
| 30 | GK | Trevor Carson | 23 | EU | Bury | Loan | None | Season-long loan |
| 29 | DF | Michael Liddle | 22 | EU | Accrington Stanley | Loan | None | Month-long loan |
| 26 | DF | John Egan | 19 | EU | Sheffield United | Loan | None | Month-long loan |
| 8 | MF | Adam Reed | 20 | EU | Leyton Orient | Loan | None | Season-long loan |
| 35 | FW | Ryan Noble | 20 | EU | Hartlepool United | Loan | None | Season-long loan |
| 24 | GK | Lewis King | 18 | EU | Stockport County | Loan | None | Month-long loan |
| 36 | FW | Oumare Tounkara | 21 | EU | Oldham Athletic | Loan | None | Season-long loan |
EU = if holds or not a European Union passport; Country: when 2 flags, 1st flag = country that plays for internationally, 2nd flag = country of birth; N = number on jersey; P = Position (for position name, pause mouse pointer on abbreviation); Name = Name on jersey (for more extensive name, pause mouse pointer on name); Age = age on the day of the signing; Moving from = only indicate the club the player was playing before start playing for this club in this season, for the type of the moving see Status column; Moving to = only indicates the club the player is going to play next, for the type of the moving see Status column; Ends = when the player's current contract ends; n/a = Not applicable. Total income: £25,000,000

## Awards
### Monthly awards

| Award | Month/Round | Winner |
| Premier League Manager of the Month | December | Martin O'Neill |
| FA Cup Player of the Round | Fifth round | Kieran Richardson |

### End of Season Awards

| Supporters' Association's Young Player of the Year | Supporters' Association's Player of the Year | Player of the Year | Young Player of the Year | Goal of the Season | Save of the Season | Team Performance of the Season |
| James McClean | Stéphane Sessègnon | Stéphane Sessègnon | James McClean | Fraizer Campbell against Norwich City | Simon Mignolet against Newcastle United | 1–0 win against Manchester City |