Sunderland have established themselves as a Barclays Premier League side after winning the Championship title in 2006/07.
After their relegation in 2006, the club was taken over by Drumaville - a consortium of mainly Irish-based businessmen, headed up by former player Niall Quinn - which appointed Republic of Ireland legend and former Manchester United hero Roy Keane as manager, his first managerial post since hanging up his boots.
The club have not looked back since as Keane guided them from the bottom of the Championship to title winners. Keane led them to a 15th Barclays Premier League place finish in 2007/08 but left the club midway through the following season with the Black Cats struggling at the foot of the table.
Coach Ricky Sbragia moved up from coach to take charge until the end of the campaign and ensured the struggling Black Cats avoided the drop. Majority shareholder Ellis Short assumed 100 per cent control of the club with Quinn staying on as chairman. They appointed Steve Bruce as new manager and he steered the Black Cats to 13th position in 2009/10.
Glaswegian schoolteacher James Allan founded Sunderland and District Teachers' Association Football Club in 1879, changing the name to Sunderland AFC a year later. They were elected to the newly-formed Football League in 1890/91 and were to remain in the top flight for 68 consecutive years - a record only recently passed by Arsenal.
Sunderland won the title three times in five years, only losing one home match in their first six seasons. The Mackems won another title in 1902, but a better prize in their fans eyes' was a 9-1 thrashing of fierce rivals Newcastle United - still a record away win in the top flight. The team came close to doing the double in 1913 but they lost the FA Cup final 1-0 to Aston Villa.
A post-war slump saw them beaten by Yeovil Town in the FA Cup - the first time a non-league club had beaten a top-flight team - and worse, relegated in 1958. Sunderland have spent most of their time since then bouncing between the top two divisions, with their only real glory being a 1973 FA Cup win over Leeds United - the first time in 40 years a club outside the top flight had won the trophy.
The Black Cats reached their lowest point in 1987 as they were relegated to the Third Division. But successive promotions saw them back in the top flight two years later.
1992/93 - Avoid relegation to Division Two by one point
1993/94 - Mick Buxton replaces Terry Butcher as manager
1994/95 - Peter Reid becomes manager with seven matches remaining
1995/96 - Win Division One
1996/97 - Relegated from FA Carling Premiership
1997/98 - First season at Stadium of Light. Lose play-off final on penalties
1998/99 - Win Division One with a record 105 points
2002/03 - Break record signing with Tore Andre Flo for £6.75m. Reid replaced by Howard Wilkinson. Mick McCarthy takes over with nine matches left. Relegated with lowest points tally ever (19)
2004/05 - Win Division One
2005/06 - McCarthy leaves in March after just two wins. Kevin Ball appointed as caretaker. Relegated with new record low number of points (15).
2006/07 - Consortium headed by former hero Niall Quinn takes over. Quinn appointed as manager but sacks himself after four straight defeats. Roy Keane becomes manager. Win promotion to the Barclays Premier League
2007/08 - Break British transfer record for a goalkeeper - paying Hearts £9m for Craig Gordon
2008/09 - After a disappointing run, Roy Keane resigns from his post as manager in December. Ricky Sbragia takes temporary charge and keeps the Black Cats up. Steve Bruce takes becomes new pemanent manager in June.
2009/10 - Bruce secures Sunderland's Barclays Premier League status as they finish 13th.
source: http://www.premierleague.com
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