Sunderland striker turns his back on PES 2010

Sunderland striker rubs it in

New evidence comes to light after Sunderland v Liverpool goal fiasco

Chelsea have six points out of six and yet they have stuttered in beating Hull and Sunderland - God help their rivals if they start playing to their potential. Darren Bent put Sunderland ahead last night to fuel hopes of a minor shock, but Chelsea got their act together in the second half. The visitors’ fightback [...]

Not sure why Chelsea’s bus didn’t make it all the way into the Stadium of Light. Perhaps their driver is Deco’s dad and the little Portuguese playmaker was embarrassed: “Drop me off here Dad, I’ll walk the rest of the way. Pick me up later, same place at 10…” Always good to see professional footballers [...]

“Do I wanna go Hull City NO. Do I wanna go stoke NO do I wanna go sunderland YES so stop f****** around levy.” Dazza Bent’s already infamous Tweet seems to have had a positive effect. The striker did get his “dream” move to Mackemland, and so avoided a one-way trip to hell Hull/Stoke. And [...]

Crouchinho, an artist’s impression… @ Fulham: @ Sunderland: @ Spurs: (Yes, my PhotoShop skills are strong today.) I’ve read reports that Sunderland have agreed a £12m fee with Pompey for Crouchy. I’ve also heard that the player himself would rather go to Fulham or Spurs, but that Fulham might not be able to match his [...]

Place your bets… All bets are off on Kaka and Cristiano Ronaldo, but there are still many star names whose futures remain unclear. Join Pies for a game of Transfer Roulette:

Who do you want to go down? And who do you think will go down? “Ah, I’ve made a right balls-up of this…” West Brom (definitely) and Boro (99% certain) are down, but which one from Newcastle Utd, Hull City and Sunderland will join them in the Championship next season? Vote after the jump…

Boo, life’s not fair Happier days for West Brom’s skipper 1. Jonathan Greening (West Bromwich Albion) West Brom’s bearded captain, who never quite made the grade at Man Utd, has been the driving force for his team this season. His mental strength is admirable (his head rarely drops), and he can play a bit too. [...]

Man Utd play Boro this lunchtime, but it won’t be a full-strength United who run out at the Riverside. Alex Ferguson has said he will rotate his squad, so one of Cristiano Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney will be absent from the starting XI, possibly both. Kiko Macheda might start in Ronaldo’s place, for example.

Come to Wearside, my pretties

These days Roy Keane and Sunderland seem to be taking a Panini sticker approach to the transfer market (“got, got, got, need, got”). Either that or they have drafted in Barry Fry to work behind the scenes because the Black Cats seem to be assembling a HUGE squad. If you believe the papers, there is barely a footballer in the Northern Hemisphere who Collector Keane hasn’t got an eye on. And if they are Irish that’s even better.

Who’s going where, and who’s not going anywhere… Baked-bean head Mikael Silvestre was reportedly undergoing a medical at Man City when he was informed that Arsene Wenger wished to sign him. ‘Silvestre immediately abandoned the medical and hurtled down the M1 to meet Gunners boss Wenger and discuss terms,’ The Sun claims. Hope he stuck [...]

Who’s done the best business in the off-season? Here’s who… 10 Brad Friedel (Blackburn to Aston Villa) He’s not far off 40 years old, but Hellboy is still one of the best ‘keepers around. The rest of the list after the jump…

The best pics from the weekend’s friendly action

More pics of new boys (check out part one) Click on the image below to launch the gallery…

Something about seeing the words “Reg Vardy” in this environment made me laugh Childish, yes. Funny, ditto.

Thursday’s loveliest links WIll Ferrell hearts Chelsea The American funny man was spotted on Jon Stewart’s Daily Show (there to promote new movie Step Brothers) wearing a Chelsea shirt. Go figure. [Unprofessional Foul] Safe soccer Some Cape Town footballers are putting condoms on their feet, so that their socks can stay up longer during matches. [...]

Finding the Lonely Hearts of Euro 2008 the perfect home in the Premier League

Arsenal – Artur Boruc
Poland’s keeper was in top form during the competition and a move to a top four club could be enough to tempt him away from Celtic. The Gunners – with Jens Lehmann on his way out – could be interested.