Sunderland are battling for a top-half finish heading into their final games of the season having seen their play-off bid tail off in a major way. The Black Cats have gone through two managers and now find themselves searching for a new permanent boss ahead of the summer. But how do the club compare to their rivals when it comes to money spent on agents? The FA have now published the figures for the Premier League and Championship, and here we round up all of the clubs from the second tier and...
The Championship season is coming to an end and with just two games remaining, Sunderland have very little to play for at this point. The Black Cats missed the chance to move into the top half on Saturday as they lost 1-0 at home to Millwall and as a result they currently sit 13th in the table. Mike Dodds’ side will still be well supported this weekend, though, when they travel to Watford for their final away game of the season. Sunderland have travelled well throughout the campaign and they’ll...
Leeds United continued to stutter in the Championship promotion race after losing 1-0 at home to Blackburn Rovers on Saturday. A first home defeat of the season came at the worst possible time, with Sammie Szmodics’ calm finish in the 82nd-minute proving decisive. Leicester City’s defeat at home to Plymouth Argyle handed Leeds the chance to reclaim a top-two spot but another poor attacking display saw points dropped for a fourth time in the last five games. Later on Saturday, Ipswich Town were...
Sunderland play Watford at Vicarage Road on Saturday in the Championship before taking on Sheffield Wednesday at the Stadium of Light the following week in their last game of the 2023-24 campaign. The Black Cats, who are currently under the stewardship of interim head coach Mike Dodds, lost 1-0 to Millwall at home last time out and have seen their season fizzle out with the play-offs out of reach whilst mathematically safe of the relegation places. Despite Sunderland’s dull end to the season,...
Leicester City had to showcase the character and resilience they possess to return to the top of the table this weekend, says Hamza Choudhury. The Foxes' hopes of winning automatic promotion took a huge blow last week as they fell to defeats against both Millwall and Plymouth Argyle. However, Enzo Maresca's side held out to claim a 2-1 win over West Bromwich Albion on Saturday afternoon and pile the pressure on Leeds United and Ipswich Town in the battle for automatic promotion. The Foxes still...
Sunderland missed the opportunity to move back into the top half of the Championship table on Saturday afternoon as they lost 1-0 at home to Millwall. Mike Dodds’ side had been in fine form prior to the visit of the Lions, but they could do little to prevent Duncan Watmore’s effort deciding the contest at the Stadium of Light. It was a disappointing result and it leaves them sitting 13th, with just two more games to play this season. Sunderland travel to Watford next up before returning to...
In just 10 days' time, the regular Championship season will be over and we will know who has won the battle for promotion to the Premier League. Leicester City are in the driving seat, of course, with their 5-0 win over Southampton on Tuesday night putting them four points clear at the top of the division. Leeds United and Ipswich Town are hot on their tail, though, and over the next week and a half they'll be doing all they can to pick up the points they need to win automatic promotion and...
Sunderland will aim to round off a challenging season at the Stadium of Light on a positive note over the next ten days. A season that began with high hopes under Tony Mowbray, was threatened to go of course during Michael Beale’s short-lived reign and has produced mixed results under the interim management of Mike Dodds will come to an end with a visit to Watford on Saturday before Sheffield Wednesday visit the Stadium of Light seven days later. Once the campaign comes to a close on the first...
Southampton manager Russell Martin has confirmed he will be without Stuart Armstrong for the remainder of the season due to a muscle injury, with the midfielder set to miss crucial games against Leicester City and Leeds United. Armstrong was stretchered off during Southampton’s 2-1 defeat at Cardiff City on Saturday, his injury compounding a miserable day in which the promotion hopefuls threw away a lead and conceded the decisive goal in the 96th-minute. Martin admitted immediately after the...
Leicester City took another huge step towards promotion after thrashing Southampton 5-0 on Tuesday, a result which also virtually ends the Saints’ hope of a top-two finish and leaves Leeds United and Ipswich Town set to battle for second. Abdul Fatawu was the main man on the night in which one of Leeds United’s main promotion rivals all but sealed a return to the Premier League. Wilfred Ndidi and Jamie Vardy were also on the scoresheet to secure a massive three points for Enzo Maresca’s side,...
The German, whose side returned to winning ways with a thrilling 4-3 victory at Middlesbrough on Monday night to keep the pressure on their fellow promotion hopefuls, was expecting a busy day of preparation for Friday's visit to London. Leeds will face Queens Park Rangers in the first game of the weekend and have the opportunity to put a four-point gap between themselves and Ipswich, who play at Hull City on Saturday. Leicester, meanwhile, could stretch their own lead over Farke's men to four...
Middlesbrough manager Michael Carrick bemoaned a number of decisions by the officials after his side fell to a 4-3 home defeat against title-chasing Leeds United on Monday night. Two goals from in-form forward Emmanuel Latte Lath and an opener from Isaiah Jones were not enough for Boro as Daniel Farke’s men claimed a crucial three points thanks to a Crysencio Summerville brace and a goal apiece from Patrick Bamford and Wilfried Gnonto. It was the latter of those goals that proved to be a source...