10 Shocking Sunderland Departures That Nobody Expected

5. Gary Rowell

It's safe to say that Gary Rowell didn't want to leave Sunderland. One of the most beloved players in club history ("we all live in a Gary Rowell world" is still regularly belted out at the Stadium of Light), Rowell was forced out in 1984 as part of Len Ashurst's risky reshuffle. It was not a move that paid off, as Sunderland would slip to the third tier of English football for the first - and only - time in their history. Rowell's career was similarly ruined. He never recaptured his goalscoring heights again, the Sunderland local never scoring more than ten goals for any subsequent club - a decline partially attributed to injury suffered while on a pre-season tour with new club Norwich.