Sunderland and Di Canio: Controversy creates cash

Several years ago TV producer and pro wrestling mogul Eric Bischoff wrote a tell-all book titled Controversy Creates Cash. It was a best seller and kept the wrestling community happy because of its dirt-dishing content and lurid look into the seedy underbelly of an industry that was notorious fo...

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Sunderland: Is the club's youth policy working?

Looking over Danny Graham’s stats it shows Sunderland’s new signing as having wracked up 82 professional goals at his last three teams. However, on the other end of the spectrum the Geordie only mustered a mere 10 goals between the ages of 18 (when he debuted for Middlesbrough) and 22 (whe...

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Sunderland: Can Geordie Graham be a gem for O'Neill?

Look out, there’s a Geordie on the pitch! So the Danny Graham saga has finally ended with the much-maligned Geordie putting pen to paper on a three-and-a-half year deal after the Black Cats agreed a deal in excess of £5 million with Swansea. Graham was the only arrival at the Stadi...

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Sunderland: Danny Graham or Gary Hooper - who would you prefer O'Neill to sign?

We’re well under way in the January transfer window and things are hotting up on Wearside. The Black Cats have brought in Senegalese defender Kader Mangane from Al Hilal and talented French U21 international Alfred N’Diaye from Turkish club Bursaspor. Meanwhile, heading the departure list...

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Sunderland: Black Cats need strong start against Southampton

Martin O’Neill was profiled in this week’s Premier League Preview with the man himself claiming to be a fan of the old school way of life, in particular showing a distain for today’s music and the volume his Sunderland players blast it out of their headphones. But if O’Neill’s cultural...

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Sunderland: Would you welcome Darren Bent back to the Stadium of Light?

Well 36 hours later and not a lot has changed at the Stadium of Light; Martin O’Neill is still at the club, the team continue to play woefully and fans continue to share their displeasure, this time in the form of howls and boos at the end of the 0-0 home draw with QPR. Defensive...

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Sunderland: Could a QPR defeat signal the end of O'Neill?

The headline on Saturday evening read “Sunderland deny O’Neill resigns” but chances are that may not be true. It certainly won’t say the same thing if anything but a home win for the Black Cats takes place tonight against what will surely be a revamped QPR, fresh under the guidance of Ha...

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Sunderland: Why O'Neill will beat Pardew's Newcastle

I’ll leave the logistics and statistics of the Tyne-Wear derby up to Newcastle United fan Greg Hall - Why Newcastle will beat Sunderland - and worry more about winning and shutting the big gobs of those mad-hatter Geordies … for a few months anyways. Bottom line is … we need to win this g...

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Sunderland: Is O'Neill doing better than Steve Bruce?

So we’re seven (or six if you’re Reading or Sunderland) games into the 2012/2013 Premier League season and despite the usual suspects leading the way (ie Chelsea, Man Utd and Man City) it’s too early to predict what will happen, especially with Everton starting off magnificently and curr...

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Sunderland: Should O'Neill keep faith or get rid of Lee Cattermole?

With Lee Cattermole picking up his fifth red card in only three years with the Black Cats, questions are being asked about how much of Martin O’Neill’s patience does the snappy midfielder have left? O’Neill conceded that he was growing weary of the Stockton-born player’s abject discipl...

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MLS: Spotlight falls on Seattle Sounders and Real Salt Lake

The play-offs are a mere four games away and the fight for the top five spots in the Eastern and Western Conference are hotting up with Sporting KC, Chicago Fire, NY Red Bulls, DC United and Houston Dynamo currently leading the way in the East, and San Jose Earthquakes, LA Galaxy, Real Sa...

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Sunderland: No need to panic at the Stadium of Light

After four draws from four for Martin O’Neill’s plucky Black Cats the usual suspects of fans and pundits alike are already laying into the side’s lack of goalscorers, inconsistency and failure to register three points. But let’s take a look at the season so far for Sunderland, and let ...

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Sunderland: Who Sunderland should sign before the transfer window closes

With a little under 10 hours left until the transfer window shuts Martin O’Neill has been coy over the possibilities of bringing in any of the previously mentioned players (Can Fletcher, Johnson Saha shine?). While he admitted that the club had made an enquiry for Clint Dempsey he avoid...

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Sunderland: Can Fletcher, Johnson and Saha shine at the Stadium of Light?

What an insane couple of days it’s been for the Black Cats. Not only did Martin O’Neill finally land his man in the shape and form of Scottish striker Steven Fletcher, but the Ulsterman also pulled off an amazing coup with the acquisition of arguably the best winger in the country Adam Joh...

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Sunderland: O'Neill's starting XI for 2012/13

The 2012/13 Premier League season is almost upon us and the Black Cats kick off the new campaign with a visit to Arsenal. Martin ONeill has only managed to recruit Carlos Cuellar from Aston Villa so far but he is in hot pursuit of Wolves striker Steven Fletcher. Other than that it looks as though ...

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Sunderland: The five worst Black Cat signings ever

Following the success of my recent article, Sunderland’s five greatest ever strikers, I’ve decided to have some fun and document arguably the five worst signings made by the club, in recent times anyways. 5. Lilian Laslandes When the Black Cats announced that they had snapped up the pivotal ...

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MLS transfer trade: Who holds the cards?

With the European transfer window in full swing, many much-anticipated moves are coming to fruition with the likes of Andy Carroll, Brazil’s Oscar and Robin Van Persie expected to leave for pastures new in the next three weeks. But things are really heating up on the other side of the pond too...

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Sunderland: The Black Cats all-time top five forwards

It’s a dry week on the Sunderland front, with the squad set to jet out to South Korea for the Peace Cup, albeit without their sole Korean player Ji-Dong Won - as baffling as that sounds. The rookie is on international duty with his country and will miss the chance to impress against two of th...

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MLS: No quick-fix for Canada's youth

Vancouver-born Jacob Lensky is currently awaiting clearance to sign with Vancouver Whitecaps after a number of years in Holland with FC Utrecht and Feyenoord. The 23-year-old began his career with Belgium’s Anderlecht, before joining the youth teams of Sparta Prague, Blackburn Rovers and Celt...

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