Nathan Jones admitted he could lose his job if he fails to arrest Stoke's alarming slump. A classy display by Leeds kept them top of the Championship and piled more pressure on the beleagured Jones.

JASON MELLOR AT ELLAND ROAD: Danny Batth put Stoke into the lead before Sam Vokes doubled their advantage during the first-half of the second round clash at Elland Road.

Stoke City are facing a legal fight after failing to pay a mandated agent when they signed their former striker Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting.

Michael Owen has revealed he has not spoken to Alan Shearer since their Twitter spat concerning comments made in Owen's autobiography. 

Former Liverpool and England footballer Michael Owen has admitted he was staring 'into an abyss called divorce' as he struggled to come to terms with life after he hung up his boots.

PETER CROUCH: On the opening day of last season, when Tottenham headed to Newcastle with a dark cloud hanging over, I made a firm prediction. Mauricio Pochettino was the reason for that call.

The former England Under-21 international was due to appear at Willesden Magistrates' Court in north west London on Tuesday morning to answer the charge, but never turned up.

EXCLUSIVE: Stoke City HAVE FIRED manager Nathan Jones, after the club slipped to second bottom of the Championship following a dismal run of results.

Preston reacted angrily to widespread reports that Neil was Stoke's favoured choice and that he was ready to take on the challenge of resurrecting the Championship's bottom placed club.

PETER CROUCH: During a freak football accident, I knocked out a fellow pro. It was one of the scariest incidents I experienced on a pitch. For this reason, I know exactly how Son Heung-min must feel.

EXCLUSIVE BY MIKE KEEGAN: A small section of fans of the home club were heard to sing songs including the words 'f*** the Pope and the IRA' and 'f*** the IRA' a number of times.

Aston Villa are poised to step up their search for a goalkeeper and a striker with the club expecting Wesley and Tom Heaton face significant spells out of action.

The charge relates to chants heard during the Sky Bet Championship clash between Barnsley and Stoke at Oakwell on November 9, which the Potters won, in the run-up to Remembrance Sunday.

SIMON JONES: Manager Garry Monk is having to work on a tight budget but wants to strengthen his goalscoring options as he strives to make an impression on the play-off places.

Fulham took full advantage of Leeds' slip and closed the gap to the automatic promotion places with a 1-0 win at blackburn. Aleksandar Mitrovic's 20th league goal of the season fired them into third place.

Kenwyne Jones has lifted the lid on the 'deplorable' pigs head prank he was on the receiving end of at Stoke and had members of the Muslim community contacting him offering to 'handle the situation.' 

The sanction relates to chants heard during the Sky Bet Championship clash between the sides on November 9, which the Potters won 4-2.

He was forced off at half-time after an awkward landing having tripped over Hull's Daniel Batty and will miss the rest of the season before sitting out this summer's tournament in addition.

The nickname was a reference to a former team-mate who, rather than having a drinks break with the rest of the squad, would instead have a chat with the manager and coaching staff.

James McClean has been punished after posting an image of himself in a balaclava, accompanied by a caption that read 'today's school lesson - history', interpreted as a reference to the IRA.

The clamour for Mohamed Sankoh is growing after an impressive campaign at Stoke's academy, scoring nine goals and registering nine assists in his 16 appearances for the club's Under-18 side

Benik Afobe has opened up on having to bury his baby daughter last year after kissing her goodbye, and the outpouring of love his family has received since the tragic event.

Borja Baston's sixth goal of the season in the third minute looked to have won it for the Swans, but Andy Yiadom earned Reading a last-gasp point at the Liberty Stadium as they missed out on top spot.

Bowyer, 42, claimed after his side's 2-1 loss that 50/50 refereeing decisions had not gone their way, with two second-half penalty appeals waved away by referee Peter Bankes.

EXCLUSIVE INVESTIGATION:David Cotterill is facing legal action from at least seven former team-mates after being accused of cheating them out of a combined total of almost £400,000.

Swansea City's owners are looking to sell the club for £38 million, but could increase their asking price by £!5m if they're promoted to the Premier League at the end of this season.

Bowyer was charged following incidents which occurred during and after Charlton's 2-1 defeat to Swansea, when Bowyer's side squandered an early lead and had penalty appeals turned down.

Sheffield United striker Oli McBurnie has been charged with drink driving offences. The Scotland international was arrested in west Yorkshire on Friday morning.

The 19-year-old was diagnosed with the disease in February, immediately undergoing chemotherapy and responding well to treatment before returning to training in September.

Sheffield Wednesday halted Stoke's mini-revival and climbed to third in the Sky Bet Championship with a 1-0 victory over the Potters on Tuesday.

Norwich were interested in James but Farke admitted ahead of welcoming United to Carrow Road on Sunday that they stood no chance of signing James, against Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's financial firepower.

Swansea manager Steve Cooper revealed after the 1-0 win over Cardiff that the 22-year-old will be out for two months with an ankle tendon injury. Rodon will have surgery this week.

The 21-year-old joined United from Swansea in the Championship this summer in a £15million deal and has fast become one of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's go-to men this season.

Dan James admits he is still coming to terms with being a Premier League star at Manchester United and has to remind himself: 'I'm here for a reason'.

The youngster returned to training in September following his brave battle against the disease and featured for the club's U23 side the following month in a 4-1 win over Swansea.

RICHARD GIBSON AT THE HAWTHORNS: West Brom were on their best form as they embarrassed Swansea City by a 5-1 scoreline. Matheus Periera stole the show with an outstanding performance.

Since arriving from Swansea last summer, James has settled into life well at United but admits he often does his best to 'avoid' the Argentine centre back during training.

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW BY MATT BARLOW: When Steve Cooper pulls on his runners and lets the morning air of the Welsh coast declutter his mind, his thoughts drift back to the thrill of his first derby.

Oli McBurnie showed his true loyalties to Swansea on Sunday by cheering on his former team-mates in the away end during the South Wales derby against bitter rivals Cardiff.

The 31-year old is a free agent after leaving Swansea City last season and fellow Championship outfit West Brom have invited him in to train with their squad.

In-form Rashford had plenty of superlatives for the Welsh international, who signed from Swansea for around £15million, heaping praise on his attitude since he stepped foot on the training ground.

Frank Lampard opted to recall his young star, who has been training with the first team, but now he looks likely to be shipped out to the Championship again with promotion contenders Swansea.

It's time for another Hot or Not as Sportsmail's Riath Al-Samarrai reveals what's been making him feel warm and what's left him with a chill this week.

Club legend Gary Neville has brought the 21-year-old back down to Earth and believes he still has things he needs to work on if he is to become truly to draw and establish himself among the elite.

JAMIE REDKNAPP: For a while, we thought Traore was all pace and no end product. He is a different player these days, and Nuno Espirito Santo deserves great credit for this transformation.

The Championship promotion race is shaping up to be a classic as we head into the final months of the season with as many as 10 clubs still fancying their chances of going up automatically.

Former Swansea forward Wilfried Bony has ended his exile from football after signing for Saudi Arabian side Al Ittihad, six months after he was released by Swansea City.

Bruno Fernandes has been backed to thrive in the Premier League by one of his most influential coaches, former Swansea boss Francesco Guidolin.

Oli McBurnie has received a letter in which he is threatened with having his 'face kicked in' after taunting Cardiff supporters during the Welsh derby with Swansea earlier this month.

Midfielder Ki Sung-yueng has left Newcastle after his contract was torn up by mutual consent, the Magpies have confirmed. The 31-year-old has made just four appearances for the club this season.