Kevin Ball must be wondering why the gods seem to be working so much against him by setting such missions impossible. When he was appointed caretaker manager back in 2006, Sunderland's fate was all but sealed, having accumulated just 10 points from 28 games. In his current predicament, he was given the herculean task of inheriting another demoralised squad again on an interim basis with just one point from the first five matches. [More]

After a very hectic and somewhat relieving week, Sunderland churned out a performance full of endeavour and expression. However, the reality is we still only have one point from a possible eighteen, and are seemingly unable to find the so-called winning formula. Maybe unsurprisingly, Kevin Ball picked the same starting eleven which disposed comfortably of Peterborough on Tuesday. [More]

It's hard to be confident going into this weekend's game against Liverpool, but the regime change and a more relaxed atmosphere around the Academy is surely a huge boost. Life under Paolo Di Canio doesn't seem to have suited our squad and if some of the stories I have heard about him are true I'm not surprised. Hopefully they enjoy life a bit more under Kevin Ball and we can start picking up points sooner rather than later. We are still bottom of the league, let’s not forget that! [More]

What do you get when you pit one team who has just lost against a hated rival, and another that had just fired their manager? You get the Sunday match between Liverpool v Sunderland. Just like anything else, the game of football doesn’t level boring matches out there. Oh and for American fans, since NBC in the States shows ALL THE MATCHES for each round, Jozy Altidore gets to play a league match without the manager who brought him in. Then add to the mix that Luis Suarez gets to play his first match since he took a bite out of the Chelsea defender. Fun times, YAY? [More]

It was fascinating to read that in the recent revolt, players reportedly had to go to Sunderland's chief executive Margaret Byrne and director of football Roberto De Fanti to air their grievances. Seems there was little choice. Previously they would have gone to Niall Quinn, when he was chairman or even in his temporary role of international development. Since his sad departure, the whole structure seems to be lacking in what the club is supposed to be about. [More]

“I can let the team do the talking for me.” It is a quotation obvious never learnt by Paolo Di Canio or seemingly able to understand. It comes from one of the most unlikely football legends, whose name stands at the summit of managerial achievements in British football - a stunning array of 20 trophies in nine seasons, which will never be equalled. Despite this, he brought humility, not seen or ever likely to be seen any more, to the game. [More]