CRAIG HOPE AT BRAMALL LANE: Jack Ross must be wishing Sunderland could play away at Premier League opposition every week, not that this felt like a shock result.

EXCLUSIVE BY MATT HUGHES AND CRAIG HOPE: Florida-based GACP Sports, who already own Bordeaux, are said to be interested in buying Newcastle in a £300million deal.

SAFC chairman Stewart Donald said: 'This is a decision that has been made with a heavy heart.' The Black Cats sit in sixth place in League One, four points behind second-placed Wycombe.

Club legend Kevin Phillips 'is the early frontrunner to replace Jack Ross as Sunderland manager.' Phillips, who scored 130 goals for the club, has coaching experience at Derby and Stoke.

Kevin Phillips went on to score 189 career goals - 93 of those in the English top-flight - while Jeffers managed a measly tally of four strikes in three years for the Gunners.

Even Liverpool fans might laugh about it now. When your side is top of the league with eight wins from as many games, what really do you care about the past?

When Jordan Henderson leads Liverpool out at Old Trafford on Sunday to the sound of This Is The One by the Stone Roses, he finds himself in an exclusive club. He played in their last win there.

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.

The Carabao Cup returns on Tuesday and League Two Crawley (left) will look to continue their unlikely run to the latter stages, while Frank Lampard (right) will eye revenge against Man United.

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.

ON THE ROAD: At what point did Sunderland go from being a big club that accidentally found themselves in League One, to becoming a genuine lower league outfit?

Simon Mignolet has revealed he left Liverpool because he didn't believe he could compete with Alisson for a starting spot. The 31-year-old left the Reds to join Club Brugge in a £6.4m deal.

Aiden McGeady has been told to stay away from Sunderland's first team by manager Phil Parkinson because of his negative influence on the squad. He has been told to find a new club ahead of January.

The 25-year-old left-handed Brit, who made the world's top 30 as a teenager, revealed she has had more surgery, having not been able to play since April.

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.

The last decade has seen plenty of high-profile signings - and Sportsmail has already picked out the very best. Now it's time to go through the very worst. From 20 to 1, here's the full rundown.

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.

The 28-year-old striker underwent his medical at the Serie A side earlier this week before the move confirmed by AC Milan on Tuesday afternoon.

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.

Sheffield United's latest win leaves them just two points off a Champions League spot, but how do they compare to other Premier League sides to have taken the top flight by storm following promotion.

Former England captain Dave Watson has a neurodegenerative disease that was 'most likely' brought on by head injuries and repeated heading of the ball during his playing days.

EXCLUSIVE BY CRAIG HOPE: A former Sunderland academy physio has been released with no further action after an investigation following his arrest on suspicion of sexual grooming.

The early risers from Coventry City and Sunderland were able to compete for sob stories heading up Kingston Road to St Andrew's for League One's noon kick-off.

EXCLUSIVE BY DAVID COVERDALE: Producers Fulwell 73 had planned for series two to be the last. But the suspension of this season may open the door for them to revisit their Sunderland story.

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.

Ghana were on the verge of becoming the first African team to reach a World Cup semi-final when they were awarded a penalty in added time of extra time after a Luis Suarez's handball.

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.

Andy Murray's former coach Brad Gilbert tells you all you need to know on the top women's seeds at this year's Wimbledon Championships.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

The Monkeyface prickleback, scientific name Cebidichthys violaceus, swims in the rocky waters off the West Coast of the USA.

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 Labour leader has been praised across the world for acting on issues of climate change, social justice, equality and how she handled the Christchurch terror attack and White Island tragedy.

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.

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.

The Court of Appeal ruled that the £14 billion expansion of Heathrow airport was illegal - because the Government failed to take into account its legal duty to curb climate change.

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.

Consumer experts at Which? found the latest generation of cars being sold to UK consumers emit more CO2, which is associated with climate change.

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

Hedgehogs have not hibernated this winter because of unprecedented mild weather caused by climate change, according to a UK animal rescue centre.

Dr Liam Fox, former Secretary of State for International Trade, said the Prime Minister was making a serious error by allowing the legal system to hijack policy.

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

Ivanka Trump publicly confirmed that she'd switched her voter registration from Democrat to Republican so she can vote for her father Donald Trump in the New York state primary next month.

Experts led from the University of Leeds found that drought and higher temperatures are reducing the amount of carbon dioxide being stored in trees.