Should Lee Johnson start Sunderland new boys Danny Batth and Trai Hume on Saturday?

There are many facets to this, and ultimately, I’m reluctant to start showering praise on the man, regardless of the fact we’ve been promoted. Obviously, the full facts around the departure of Lee Johnson and then the way he was replaced haven’t been fully established, but I can’t help feeling that Speakman has been incredibly lucky - lucky that Alex Neil is so good, for one, and lucky that Roy Keane was a mean negotiator, because things could have gone differently.

After an uncertain start, Alex Neil turned out to be exactly what Sunderland needed!. Back in February, Sunderland flirted with the idea of rehiring Roy Keane, in a managerial appointment process that saw the club gift away six points and really lose track of the automatics. At the time of...

Got something you’d like to get off your chest? Send us an email, and we’ll publish your thoughts here on the site!. Now that the dust is starting to settle on the 21/22 season - being a bit of a stats geek I decided to have a look back through the rollercoaster 9 months that we have had.

It was a weekend where many of us found emotions that we thought we had lost; it was a weekend many of us discovered emotions we never knew we had. This was so cathartic in so many ways. If you ever are stuck trying to explain to someone just what...

Newcastle United is one of the final teams expected to offer a deal to Burnley’s central defender James Tarkowski, who will be available on a free once his current contract runs out in a few weeks. While the first whispers regarding this potential interest from Newcastle in the soon-to-be...

Newcastle has a great history; the town, and the club. But what happened at the beginning? Why is Newcastle the way it is? What is in the name, and how did the land get the way it is?. Under Norman rule in 1080, the city gained its name. Difficulties between...

“One thing I learned this season is that everyone in whatever walk of life is fighting battles you know nothing about, and there is no shame in finding someone to talk to and being open and honest with yourself about how you really feel. To all the young kings suppressing emotion I advise you to talk, to a friend, family member or someone that will listen, talking saved my life. It will make you realise things are never as bad as they seem, and you’ll discover that the paradox of true strength is being able to face your weaknesses.” - Dominic Calvert-Lewin shares a very personal message with the fans. [Instagram]

Stamford Bridge was in a celebratory mood for the final game of the 2014/15 season against Sunderland because, in an impressive showing, José Mourinho had achieved the title comfortably with eight points to spare over Manchester City. It led to a carnival atmosphere inside the ground with fans not...

Award season is in full swing and it’s time to hand out our Rookie of the Year accolade, which is given to the young player who enjoyed the best breakthrough campaign. This award serves to celebrate the fantastic work that the club’s academy does in producing players ready for first team football, with the list of previous winners as follows: Tom Holmes, Tom McIntyre, Andy Rinomhota, Omar Richards, Liam Kelly, Aaron Tshibola and Jake Cooper.

People overuse the word “ruthless” when it comes to transfer dealings. “[club] need to be ruthless in the market.” “Look at how Chelsea sell players, even talented ones, they’re ruthless.” You get the picture. There is, has been, and always will be a...

The reported crowd of Sunderland supporters present inside Wembley on Saturday afternoon was 47,000 - that’s around 17,000 more than our average gate last season. 17,000 extra supporters who found a reason to believe. 17,000 extra supporters who were reminded of why they love this club. In truth, there...

Arsenal have made their “final” contract offer to Eddie Nketiah, per Sami Mokbel of the Daily Mail. Mokbel reports that prevailing sentiment among the clubs hoping to sign Nketiah on a free transfer, including Crystal Palace and West Ham, is that the Hale End product is likely to sign the deal and remain in North London. That’s good news for Mikel Arteta, who has consistently expressed his admiration for the striker and his desire to keep him at the club.

‘Close but no cigar’ is what my mother says about situations like these. I have absolutely no idea what this colloquialism means and I doubt that she does either. But regardless, on Sunday, Liverpool came close but no cigar in their quest to usurp the Premier League title holders Manchester City.

Welcome to another Manchester City transfer update! This time we take a look at the younger players futures as five players have been linked with moves fairly recently. Bazunu is a player of interest to Southampton, however it is not yet known whether any move from Man City this summer would be a loan or permanent. The keeper has done excellent in lower league play and is due a move to a higher club as his form increases.

As is tradition, the end of the season means it’s time to revisit our Fosse Posse preseason predictions. This year we actually did ok (if you ignore everything about Leicester City). Who will win the Premier League?. Good teams put away the easy chances. Michael, Jake, Helen, Tanner and...

After winning the Premier League, we Manchester City fans are excited to see how we play next season. Amid the latest signings of Erling Haaland and Julian Alvarez which will join our squad for next season. Plus, we have been linked with Kalvin Phillips, Mateus Nuñes, Marc Cucurella, over the...

Promotion to the Championship means a great deal to Sunderland. One of the biggest positives is, of course, that we won’t need to endure a fifth consecutive campaign in League One - something which even the most hardened fan would surely wince at the prospect of. Another bonus is...

Tuesday evening saw Jurgen Klopp presented with the LMA Manager of the Year award after another remarkable season in charge of Liverpool FC. The award is voted for by fellow professional managers and can be awarded to any coach in England’s top four tiers. This is the second time the Liverpool boss has won the award. Previously, he was also recognised for his efforts during the 2019/20 season after ending Liverpool’s 30-year wait for the top-flight title.

RBM’s Tom reflects on the ups and downs of an extreme rollercoaster of a season. [RBM]. Agent Cenk Tosun tried convincing the club to sign promising Turkish youngster Arda Guler, but the Toffees were reportedly not interested in pursuing. [HITC via Ajansspor]. Youngster Isaac Price talks about his debut...