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Those of us who watched Sunderland ‘Till I die, Netflix’s fly-on-the-wall documentary of the Mackems’ first season outside of the top flight for a decade, will know that the North East club don’t do disappointment in half measures.

In a campaign that was expected to see promotion being chased and ideally an immediate return to the Premier League secured, it was instead an ever-spiralling study in disaster as a side completely shot of belief floundered and flailed their way to League One.

Amidst turmoil in the boardroom Sunderland burned their way through two managers and ended up rock bottom, losing half of their fixtures. It was a difficult watch. It was like witnessing a car crash in slow motion.

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What is remarkable is that ever since their ignominious drop to the third tier the Black Cats’ misfortunes have continued, only now they’re made somehow worse by the accompaniment of hope throughout.

In the summer of 2018 a takeover of the club by former Eastleigh owner Stewart Donald saw them free of debt and the appointment of Jack Ross as their new manager looked a shrewd one with the 41-year-old boasting a fine track record in Scotland. Granted nobody expected the rough and ready League One to be a cake-walk but, considering the quality within the squad, a successful year beckoned.

And in many ways it was, with a return to winning ways a very welcome development as Sunderland competed among the top six. In March Wembley was reached in the Checkatrade Trophy final but heartache followed with a loss on penalties to Portsmouth. It was a day that summed up Sunderland’s recent cursed spell all-too-aptly as a record crowd of passionate fans travelled south and enjoyed the ups and downs of circumstance only to be ultimately undone by cruel bathos.

But no matter, because varying form in the league resulted in a play-off spot attained and revenge being enacted on Pompey with a semi-final two-legged triumph. So onto Wembley it was again on a sunny day and with the offering of redemption and surely this was to be Sunderland’s time after all they had been through? Even fate after all has a heart. Against Charlton Ross’ men were much the better side but they lost 2-1, the winning goal arriving with just five seconds to go.

Check out the real life version of FIFA 20’s Volta Football in the video below…

Last week Ross was sacked after a mixed opening spell to the new season and his departure was announced in the same news cycle that brought confirmation that Sunderland’s latest takeover is off after a wealthy American consortium backed by Dell Technologies pulled out over discrepancies concerning the valuation of the club.

Michael Dell, one of the principle players behind the mooted takeover has an estimated net fortune of £28.6 billion.

Which leaves Donald still at the helm and Sunderland presently managerless. For the fans, meanwhile, it is once again a case of hopes cruelly dashed.

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“The reality of this club is we have the best travel arrangements, the best medical investment, we have the best facilities, we have got the best budget. I believe we have got the best squad.” This was Donald last week explaining how highly pressurised the position is that now needs filling.

Whoever takes charge will need a will of steel to inherit an institution that seems to have lately become so unpopular with the fates.

There are demons looming at the club after a torrid couple of seasons and the next manager will have to conquer those to put the Black Cats back on an upward trajectory.

This article is part of Football FanCast’s The Chalkboard series, which provides a tactical insight into teams, players, managers, potential signings and more… 

Sheffield Wednesday face a trip to the Welsh capital on Friday evening as the Championship season resumes following a two-week hiatus for the international break.

Under Garry Monk, the Owls have managed ten points from a possible 15 after losing three of their last four before he was appointed, per WhoScored.

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Last time out, Massimo Luongo netted the only goal of the game to defeat Wigan Athletic, while Cardiff’s seven-game unbeaten run was ended at the hands of league leaders West Brom.

The Bluebirds will bring a tricky test against the south Yorkshire side as they are one of the most physical teams in the division.

On the Chalkboard

Neil Warnock’s side rank third for aerial duels won in the league at an average of 30.5 per game, and they also rank inside the top five for fouls conceded per match, averaging 13.5, via WhoScored.

However, no member of the Welsh side has managed to record as many aerial duels won as Wednesday’s Steven Fletcher, so that gives Monk a potential weapon that could bear fruit on Friday.

The 32-year-old striker wins on average 6.5 aerial duels per game, while his likely match-up Aden Flint averages lower at 5.3 per match.

The Owls’ top goalscorer also manages to fire off 2.4 shots per game, which has led to five goals this season.

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Flint, on the other hand, has recorded 5.1 clearances per match, but his other attributes are slightly low for a defender as he has only registered 1.1 tackles and 1.4 interceptions per game.

This would suggest that Wednesday have some sort of advantage going into the game against what is one of the more physical sides in the division.

Fletcher should really just stick to his own game, the one that has brought him so much success so far this season to help Monk’s side towards another positive result.

This article is part of Football FanCast’s Opinion series, which provides analysis, insight and opinion on any issue within the beautiful game, from Paul Pogba’s haircuts to League Two relegation battles…

Talk about the perfect time to turn the tide.

Having gone through a bit of a tough stretch in the past couple of weeks in terms of results, the Blues are heading into the international break very much on a high note.

Having come under a lot of criticism from the St Andrew’s faithful, perhaps there was that little voice in the back of Pep Clotet’s mind that was thinking ‘told you so’, after their dramatic victory on Friday night.

Clotet was given a bit of a difficult task when he took over from Garry Monk in the summer, not only being thrust into the position in the aftermath. but also with the dagger of last year’s Financial Fair Play punishment hanging over him. Given the circumstances, he’s been doing a relatively steady job.

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He even managed to get them as high as eighth in the table and managed to grab a scalp in high flying Charlton away from home a few weeks ago before they went through their slump.

However, everything that was going disastrously for them on the pitch, were all things that could easily have been prevented.

For instance, the winner that Wigan Athletic scored last week was the definition of a howler from goalkeeper Lee Camp. Going back even further to the game against Derby County, the second goal that day came about because of a slip by Marc Roberts.

So it’s not as if they were being blown apart in the same way that they were earlier in the season against Nottingham Forest and Swansea City.

Thogden ranks all 24 Championship home kits in the video below…

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After a pretty much mistake-free game against Middlesbrough and with the international break coming up to sure up any holes in the team, this could be the perfect opportunity for Clotet to finally put his foot down on the team and get them back on track the way they were before their recent troubles.

After all, it’s been the mistakes of his players, rather than his own that has led to some recent troubles.

Birmingham fans aren’t expecting much this season, so Clotet shouldn’t really have been under much pressure to begin with, but perhaps this result will be enough to get them off his back for the next couple of weeks as fortunes begin to change.

Plenty of Liverpool fans have been left disappointed by the start of summer signing Sepp van den Berg.

The Anfield faithful could be forgiven for thinking they may have another Dutch superstar on their hands in van den Berg.

Indeed, the Reds have two Netherlands internationals at the heart of everything they do in Georginio Wijnaldum and Virgil van Dijk, and young prospect Ki-Jana Hoever has impressed when given the chance.

So, when they swooped up 17 year-old van den Berg for just £1.3m this summer, he was sure to become the latest member of Merseyside’s Dutch contingent to wow fans at Anfield, right? Well, not so much…

After featuring 22 times for PEC Zwolle’s senior side, he has been resigned to youth team football with Liverpool, and featured in the UEFA Youth League win over Red Bull Salzburg on Wednesday.

Although the Reds won, Klopp’s summer signing disappointed fans with his performance, scoring an own goal and enduring a really shocking first-half display, before improving somewhat after the break.

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Take a look at some of the best Twitter reactions down below…

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There are often times where pictures paint a thousand words and that has certainly been the case at Leeds this season.

It seems as if no matter how hard they try, they cannot get over the line.

It’s something that’s beginning to become somewhat of a problem, especially in their last two games where they’ve drawn with Derby and lost to Charlton.

The game against the Addicks was one that was typical of how the Whites’ season is panning out.

They had 71.6% of the possession but didn’t take one of their many chances throughout the clash.

Not for the first time this season, they conceded from a set-piece. Out of five goals to have beaten Kiko Casilla in the league, three of them have been from dead-ball deliveries.

Macauley Bonne’s sloppy strike somehow found a way over the line – a piece of luck that Marcelo Bielsa’s men were simply crying out for.

A similar chance occurred for them in the second half. Adam Forshaw, who hasn’t scored in the Championship since 2015/16, had a brilliant opportunity inside the six-yard box but it was scrambled away.

The picture above shows the reaction afterwards of both him and Eddie Nketiah.

The 20-year-old was guilty of missing opportunities too and this rather told the story of how things are going this season.

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From a possible 73 shots over their last four games, they’ve scored just three times. The ball simply will not go in the net and the way Forshaw reacts sums it up.

It’s bewildering at this point the number of chances they create compared to how many they score.

Forshaw looks as though he’s wondering what on earth they have to do while Nketiah stands in utter disbelief.

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This article is part of Football FanCast’s Transfer Focus series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent transfer news…

According to The Express, Crystal Palace, West Ham and Everton are paying close attention to Jack Clarke’s unhappy situation at Leeds, with Tottenham seriously considering recalling the winger.

What’s the word, then?

Well, Spurs signed the 18-year-old from Leeds in a deal worth £10m back in the summer, before loaning the teenager back to Marcelo Bielsa’s side.

However, the Argentine boss has given Clarke the cold shoulder since his return to Elland Road, restricting the Leeds academy graduate to just two appearances in the Carabao Cup.

As a result, the north Londoners may activate their recall option in the deal before finding a new temporary home for the winger.

In Palace’s case, the Eagles saw their interest knocked back having enquired about Clarke in January, so it’s safe to say the winger is someone who is definitely on their radar.

Depth and DNA

For a while now, Roy Hodgson has had only Wilfried Zaha and Andros Townsend as his options on the wing, with Jeffrey Schlupp – a sporadic appearance maker in wide attacking areas, per WhoScored – becoming more of a left-sided centre-midfielder under the former England manager.

Even Bakary Sako, a man who was released in the summer of 2018 before West Brom snapped him up, was brought back to the club in January of this year on a short-term contract to amend the situation.

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Fast, direct wide men are a part of Palace’s DNA, and signing Clarke would allow the Eagles to finally have a bit of depth in what is a key area in terms of the way Hodgson’s side operate.

They should do all they can to win the race for his signature.

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This article is part of Football FanCast’s Opinion series, which provides analysis, insight and opinion on any issue within the beautiful game, from Paul Pogba’s haircuts to League Two relegation battles…

When you’ve just been promoted from League One into the Championship, you’ll always find yourself up against it when competing against those recently relegated from the Premier League.

Indeed, Fulham, West Brom and Cardiff City have all benefitted from the Parachute Payment scheme this season, with a windfall of around £40m.

In Charlton’s case, however, the uphill battle has only been made harder by owner Roland Duchatelet’s financial restrictions.

The Belgian is still looking to sell the south London club, and Lee Bowyer recently opened up to The Daily Mail on what life under the Addicks chief is like in terms of finances.

“I get that he wants to sell and wants to reduce costs so our budget is bottom by a long way. Of course I’d love a £20m budget like some of our rivals.”

It is this aspect of life at The Valley that makes another part of Bowyer’s interview with The Daily Mail so pivotal, and invaluable, at this current time.

“We have built good relations in the loan market with West Ham, Chelsea and Arsenal in particular. Other Championship clubs can afford to pay a higher percentage of wages but we can still get the players because they see us as the best place to learn.”

The 42-year-old cites Krystian Bielik’s time on loan at Charlton from Arsenal last term as a key example, stating that the Pole would definitely not have been worth the £10m he was sold to Derby for this summer before his loan spell in south London.

Charlton also have the impressive Conor Gallagher – who has four goal involvements in eight Championship games this term – on loan from Chelsea. The 19-year-old recently won the EFL’s Young Player of the Month award.

The Addicks have also signed West Ham youngster Josh Cullen on a season-long loan deal twice across the last two summers – the midfielder set up Patrick Bauer’s League One play-off final winner at Wembley last season with a great cross.

Since replacing Karl Robinson in the Charlton hotseat, Bowyer has spent a grand total of £203,000 on new signings – the entirety of that figure was lavished on Macauley Bonne back in the summer.

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Duchatelet’s restrictions make Bowyer’s life as manager of a newly-promoted club even harder than usual, but his strong relationship with Arsenal, Chelsea and West Ham, in particular, are currently proving invaluable.

Charlton, after all, are currently eighth in the Championship, just one point off the play-offs and three behind leaders Leeds United.

It remains to be seen if Bowyer can keep it going, but the acquisition of promising youngsters is only going to stand them in good stead.

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This article is part of Football FanCast’s In Numbers series, which takes a statistical look at performances, season-long form and reported transfer targets…

After a summer in which Manchester United’s only signings were Daniel James, Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Harry Maguire, the club are naturally on the look-out for further reinforcements.

Already speculation has suggested the Red Devils are readying themselves for a big-money swoop for Borussia Dortmund sensation Jadon Sancho next year, and reports in recent weeks have claimed Maguire’s former teammate at Leicester, James Maddison, is also on United’s radar.

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Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side got a first-hand look at the midfielder on Saturday, and the 22-year-old’s all-action display proved exactly why United simply have to pull out all the stops to bring him to Old Trafford.

When you think of Maddison’s natural position, it is easy to think of him being a central attacking midfielder. After all, out of his 38 games last season, 18 of them came in that number ten role. But this season under Brendan Rodgers he has operated more from the left-hand side.

The England U21 international lined up in front of Ben Chilwell on the flank, and no doubt the idea behind that was for him to drift inside and play balls in behind the United defence for Jamie Vardy to latch on to. Whilst the Red Devils’ rearguard held firm, Maddison still had a highly influential game for his side.

Per Whoscored, his 11 crosses were a game-high (and seven more than any other player on the pitch), whilst his five dribbles were also the most of anyone during the game.

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The former Norwich man embraced the responsibility of being Leicester’s key provider, and when things didn’t appear to work out too well in that regard, he tried to take matters into his own hands by registering three shots.

Off-the-ball, the 22-year-old was equally as effective. Solskjaer’s intent on implementing a high-intensity approach that revolves around pressing from the front requires players who are willing to put the work in. Maddison showed he is perfectly capable of buying into that philosophy by making four tackles – the joint-second highest of any of his teammates.

All in all, the midfielder highlighted everything he has in his locker. If Saturday’s game was a transfer audition for a future switch to Old Trafford, then he undoubtedly passed it with flying colours.

The 16-year-old said that it’s a pleasure to lift some silverware with England, and many supporters all over the country have to be hoping that this becomes a regular sight over the next few years.

Perhaps this Syrenka Cup win will give him a taste of what’s possible at international level and push him to achieve great things when the time comes for him in the senior side.

He signs off the post by saying that it’s time to get back to work with Liverpool, which is a message a number of Liverpool fans will enjoy reading as it shows he’s committed to working hard for his new club despite not being a part of the first-team.

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Leeds witnessed a rather big clear out on Monday as the transfer window closed for clubs around Europe and lower down in the Football League.

One of the names to depart Elland Road was Vurnon Anita, a man who rarely played after signing for the club in 2017.

The Dutchman joined from Newcastle but leaves a free agent after he and Leeds came to an agreement to mutually terminate his contract.

It’s a move that is unlikely to have any sort of impact on Marcelo Bielsa’s side and that was evident in the reaction from supporters on Twitter.

There appeared to be a sense of relief in some responses as one said it was a transfer that should never have happened in the first place. Another noted his exit had to occur.

A further individual claimed he came with so much expectation and it was a shame that things didn’t work out.

Anita played just 22 times for the Whites in all competitions but ultimately never really stamped down a place.

He spent last season on loan at Willem II.

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Here’s the best of the reaction.

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