Phil Parkinson is poised to become the new manager of Sunderland. The 51-year old, who resigned as manager of crisis torn Bolton in August, is expected to be confirmed within 24 hours.

The Black Cats have appointed former Bradford boss Parkinson on a two-and-a-half year deal after he left Bolton Wanderers in August - he took the squad for training on Thursday.

Wycombe closed on Sky Bet League One leaders Ipswich with a 1-0 victory over Sunderland at Adams Park. Defender Darius Charles struck the 34th-minute winner.

Manchester City host Southampton at the Etihad Stadium on Tuesday night in the Carabao Cup as they look to add to Saints' misery after Leicester's nine goal thrashing of them last Friday.

Jack Rodwell has reportedly entered talks with Parma regarding a surprise switch to Italian football. The free agent looked on course to sign for Roma, but the deal ultimately fell through.

TOM FARMERY: For many it is a time to celebrate, rejoice and enjoy all that Christmas brings. The same can be said in the Premier League unless, of course, if you are bottom of the table.

Some caretakers managers have proved successful and gained the job permanently. Others have proved disastrous. Sportsmail take a look at some of the best and some of the worst.

IAN LADYMAN: David Moyes was a very good football manager when he was at Preston and Everton. Since then, it has been harder to say. Manchester United was too big for him.

Jordan Henderson has emerged as a key part of Jurgen Klopp's Liverpool side as they steam towards the Premier League title. Now he has been compared to Kevin De Bruyne.

Former Manchester United defender Phil Bardsley admits he still gets the 'hairdryer' treatment from old boss Sir Alex Ferguson - a dozen years after being sold by the Old Trafford side.

Manchester United will make a decision on the future of midfielder James Garner this week amid interest from League One Sunderland.

The 16-year-old is turning heads after some impressive displays for the Black Cats' youth teams, and now the Red Devils want to secure his signature as they look to build for the future.

CHRIS SUTTON - FA CUP VERDICT: People from the North East live and breathe football. Walk around Newcastle city centre on any given day, and you'll see black and white stripes aplenty.

Three of the most memorable football matches of my youth were all very different. All are linked by one thing. On each occasion, a ticket was purchased on the day of the game.

With football currently suspended indefinitely due to the coronavirus pandemic, fans are left without a fix. However, as of Wednesday there will be some small respite.

Henderson has lifted the Champions League and is on the verge of winning the Premier League and Bruce insists he saw Henderson's devoted attitude and sense of authority straight away.

KIERAN GILL: If only those Netflix cameras were stationed at Sunderland in 2007-08. Oh to be a fly on the wall for Roy Keane's first season as a manager in the Premier League.

I doubt that Tomas Berdych will be saying anything to Andy Murray again on court in a hurry after the Scot was riled by the World No 7 into an emphatic four-sets victory in their tense semi-final.

BRAD GILBERT: The attention on Jo Konta will only multiply if she takes what I think is a realistic opportunity to beat Angelique Kerber and make the Australian Open final.

BRAD GILBERT: Playing a long match against Rafael Nadal can be like drinking eight pints of Guinness - you can feel it for quite a long time afterwards.

MATT LAWTON IN PARIS: Wiggins and Thomas believe Team Ineos will continue to dominate the Tour de France with a young Colombian cyclist who could turn out to be the greatest in history.

He is one of a select few holding two of most coveted prizes in British sport - the BBC Sports Personality of the Year award and a knighthood - but Sir Bradley Wiggins 'smashed' them up.

MARTIN SAMUEL - CHIEF SPORTS WRITER: It is a very peculiar form of racism that affects Mo Farah. It is the same racism suffered by Bradley Wiggins, by Galen Rupp, or even Maria Sharapova.

CHIEF SPORTS WRITER: There are certain people whose position of trust is so great that lying in a professional capacity is unacceptable. And Freeman was acting in a professional capacity.

MIKE KEEGAN: Questions over the 'integrity and credibility' of former Team Sky head coach Shane Sutton will be used as part of Dr Richard Freeman's defence over the delivery of banned testosterone.

In a profanity-laden tirade from one of TV's most famous liaisons of science and learning, viewers were dealt a stark warning about the disastrous effects of climate change.

The Mrs Doutbfire actress seemed positively thrilled by her own civil disobedience, flashing a smile as she triumphantly raised her cuffed hands in the air.

A survey found that the Colorado River's flow has decreased by 20 percent over the past century and climate change is the cause of more than half of the loss, as less snow is falling in the region.

Former Australian prime minister Kevin Rudd has given an explosive interview in which he claims Scott Morrison is 'unfit for office'. 

The American bank said huge numbers of people may have to leave their countries because of rising sea levels or farmland left barren by sweltering heat.

Malena Ernman has told of her daughter's struggle with autism and an eating disorder in a new book written by the Thunberg family.

The Handmaid's Tale author Margaret Atwood, 80, from Canada, told France24 that those who 'want to suppress women' are the same people who often 'want to pretend there is no climate crisis'.

Asking the prime minister if this is 'the sort of world' he wants for his daughters, the campaigners said the country had been hit by 'unprecedented' disasters.

Software giant Atlassian paid no income tax despite making more than $1billion in one financial year. Its co-founder Mike Cannon-Brookes also has a penchant for preaching about climate change.

Joe Biden tossed out red meat to Democratic voters in South Carolina Monday night, but, again, pumped the brakes on attacking Bernie Sanders head-on.

Naomi Seibt, a 19-year-old German YouTube 'influencer' claims to promote 'climate realism' over 'climate alarmism' on YouTube. She will be speaking at CPAC in Washington D.C. this week

The government has effectively washed its hands of the battle for the £14billion Heathrow project after the Court of Appeal ruled that it had not yet met environmental standards.

Warwick District Council wants to become carbon-neutral itself by 2025, and make the entire district carbon-neutral by 2030.

A Russian scientist reveals the animals are feeding on each other in the Arctic as melting ice and fossil fuel extraction companies are forcing the animals out of their traditional hunting grounds.

ALEX BRUMMER: The fact is that, as Britain looks to become more global in the post-Brexit era, it desperately needs more runway capacity in the prosperous south-east if we are not to lose out.

The emergency service heroes of Australia's devastating bushfire crisis will have a moment in the spotlight during this year's Sydney Mardi Gras.

The Cairngorms Sleddog Centre, in Scotland, has decided to close its doors after 20 years in business as rising temperatures turn the once snow-covered mountains to a barren muddy landscape.

Married At First Sight star Connie Crayden has revealed she will be adopting rather than having biological children due to concerns over climate change.

At-risk areas include Surfers' Paradise in Queensland, St Tropez, Honolulu, Copacabana, the Costa del Sol and Weymouth, the study reveals.

Greenhouse gas emissions need to be slashed by more than 7 per cent a year for the next decade to avoid 'climate disaster', warns a new study of 10 years of UN climate reports

Experts from the University of Reading found that cutting pollution in areas with heavy industry would lead to short term temperature spikes and heavier rainfall.

Climate change has revealed a Viking's missed shot that laid hidden in Norway's the Jotunheimen glacier, a glacier for 1,500 years. Made of iron, it is seven inches long and weighs just over an ounce.

Boffins at the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation have developed FutureFeed, an additive made from a red seaweed called asparagopsis.

An increase in wooded plants in both savanna and tundra regions is caused by increased rainfall and temperatures that can be attributed to climate change, UK ecologists have concluded.

Researchers from Bangor University in Wales used computer models to discover that ecosystems were collapsing at a 'significantly faster rate' than first thought.