Avram Grant has three games to avoid West Ham sack
Portsmouth
Chelsea
Sunderland
Tottenham
West Ham United
Avram Grant has three games to save his job at West Ham United.
The Sunday Mirror says the Hammers are pointless and bottom of the Premier League after their opening three matches of the new campaign.
It has led to growing unrest among supporters who are fast running out of patience with Grant, who was appointed on a four year contract in June.
Co-owners David Sullivan and David Gold are also targets for the fans’ fury.
The West Ham fans’ internet message boards are laden with criticism and furious fans are bombarding radio stations.
Grant, who resigned from relegated Portsmouth at the end of last season, has become agitated by West Ham’s failure to sign key players.
As the transfer window closed last week he claimed the Hammers’ financial position put paid to several proposed deals at the last minute.
After inheriting a spendthrift club following the days of Icelandic ownership, the Gold-Sullivan hierarchy have insisted on bringing a hard-headed business approach.
But it’s likely to be the Israeli coach’s head on the block if the club fail to get points and goals in their next three fixtures.
And even though his contract runs to 2014, there is a specified pay-off within the deal.
The next visitors to Upton Park are free-scoring Premier League leaders Chelsea, followed by a tough trip to Stoke. They then face Sunderland in the Carling Cup before the visit of Tottenham on September 25.
Click here for the best West Ham United coverage on the 'net. All your Hammers news and gossip in one spot.
Bruce: Sunderland striker Bent just needs fair England chance
Sunderland boss Steve Bruce insists Darren Bent is England class.
Bruce is desperate for Bent to see action for England after his squad recall.
He said: “When the final World Cup squad came out, he was bitterly disappointed at missing out after doing so well last season.
“Everyone at the club had to try and pick him up a bit.
“But Mr Capello put him in the squad for the friendly against Hungary last month and, while he had to pull out through injury, he is in the squad for the qualifiers.
“If he gets a proper chance and a fair crack of the whip, who knows?”
Need your Sunderland news fix? Click here for all Black Cats news and transfer rumours.
Sunderland boss Bruce: We were close to signing Man City winger Johnson
Manchester City
Sunderland
Sunderland boss Steve Bruce admits regrets missing out on Manchester City winger Adam Johnson.
Johnson scored his first goal for England on Friday night.
Bruce revealed: “Adam is a terrific player and we would have loved to have had him here.
“We were incredibly close in getting him on board last season.
“We spent months working on the deal, and for a while I was convinced we had him – the lad himself was convinced he was coming here.
“Then you have a club like Manchester City coming in and it is always going to be difficult to compete with that.
“In the end, they blew us out of the water, but you cannot be bitter about these things.
“I have been at Sunderland a year and Johnson was one of four or five big players we were within a whisker of getting, only for it to fall through.”
Need your Sunderland news fix? Click here for all Black Cats news and transfer rumours.
Newcastle striker Xisco hit by three-match ban
Blackpool
Chelsea
Everton
Newcastle United
Sunderland
Xisco's chances of re-establishing himself at Newcastle United have been dealt a blow with a three-match suspension.
Newcastle have confirmed Spanish forward Xisco will serve a three-match ban following his sending-off in Tuesday night's reserve clash with Sunderland.
The 24-year-old was shown a straight red card for flicking out his foot at Black Cats youngster Jordan Cook in an off-the-ball incident as the Magpies' second string won 3-1 at the Stadium of Light.
He will now miss first-team games against Blackpool and Everton in the Barclays Premier League and Chelsea in the Carling Cup.
Need your Newcastle United news fix? Click here for all Toon news and transfer rumours.
Sunderland’s Waghorn grateful for Leicester chance
Martyn Waghorn claims he wasn't given a chance at boyhood club Sunderland and aims to start afresh with Championship Leicester.
The 20-year-old striker joined the Foxes in a £3million deal on transfer deadline day last week, returning to the club where he finished as 12-goal top scorer at the end of a season-long loan spell last term which saw the Championship side reach the play-off semi-finals.
"It wasn't that much of a wrench having to leave," the South Shields-born frontman told the Newcastle Evening Chronicle. "It was just sad they didn't give me a chance and I didn't get a fair crack of the whip.
"It was sad to be leaving after 13 years at the club but it has happened and I have to move on now. That's football.
"I am at Leicester now and I'm there for the next four years, so hopefully I can do a job for the club. Steve Bruce called me and told me what was going on so it was nice to get that phone call.
"It is nice to have heard that the fans cared - it is a shame I didn't get to show them an awful lot."
Need your Sunderland news fix? Click here for all Black Cats news and transfer rumours.
Man Utd striker Welbeck enjoyed beating Man City with Sunderland
Manchester United
Manchester City
Sunderland
Manchester United striker Danny Welbeck enjoyed helping Sunderland defeat Manchester City on Sunday.
Welbeck caught the eye as a second-half substitute in the 1-0 win.
“I’ve made a few substitute appearances for Sunderland and played pre-season at United, so I’m feeling good. Going out on loan to Sunderland will hopefully give me a chance of regular football,” he told TheFA.com.
“I came on for Fraizer (Campbell) at the weekend and feel I did pretty well. It was good playing against a big team like Manchester City and everyone was delighted about getting the right result.
“When you’re playing well for your club you grow in confidence, so playing more games gives you that spring in your step.”
Need your Manchester United news fix? Click here for all United news and transfer rumours.
Blackburn chairman happy to settle on Benjani as striker signing
Blackburn Rovers
Chelsea
Manchester City
Sunderland
Blackburn Rovers chairman John Williams says they're pleased to have snapped up former Manchester City striker Benjani Mwaruwari.
Benjani was signed as a free agent in the final days of the summer market.
Williams told the Lancashire Telegraph: " Back in January when we sold Benni for £2m we looked at an immediate replacement – Sam (Allardyce) was keen to get Benjani but Sunderland stepped in, so we decided to go with Franco (Di Santo), Niko (Kalinic) and Jason (Roberts).
"It worked for us. We had a good second half, seeing a 10th place finish.
"With Franco returning to Chelsea and effectively down to two strikers, our summer focus was to bring one, preferably two in.
"We have achieved this with Mame Diouf and Benjani. Our four strikers give a good balance of playing options, age and experience.
"We still had a balance of Benni’s fee available (less Mame Diouf’s loan fee) although phasing is an issue.
"Over a month ago we made a bid for a Premier League striker who we were told was available but he was withdrawn from the market.
"Subsequently we made bids in Sweden and Bulgaria but initially in both instances valuations were greater than ours.
"They were different types of players, both for the future, and on balance Sam opted for the experience of Benjani, following extensive ‘testing’ at Brockhall."
Need your Blackburn Rovers news fix? Click here for all Rovers news and transfer rumours.
Liverpool attempted to scupper Sunderland Gyan deal
Fulham
Liverpool
Sunderland
Liverpool made a deadline day attempt to trump Sunderland for their new signing Asamoah Gyan.
The Reds attempted to make a move for Gyan, who went on to become Sunderland's record transfer fee in the closing hours of the window.
The Rennes striker's move to the Stadium of Light appeared to be stuttering late in the day, and the former Fulham boss reportedly considered out-bidding the Black Cats in his desperate attempts to sign a striker.
Need your Liverpool news fix? Click here for all Reds news and transfer rumours.
Murphy pleased to open Celtic account with penalty
Daryl Murphy was relieved to opening his goalscoring account for his new club Celtic.
The Irish striker converted from the penalty spot to claim the only goal of the game in last weekend's Clydesdale Bank Premier League game at Motherwell.
Speaking on Channel 67, he said: "Before the game I said to Scott Brown, 'If we get a penalty today I am taking it and that's it'.
"As soon as it was given, I looked straight for the ball, to see who had it.
"Thankfully Sami (Georgios Samaras) was off the pitch at the time, because I think he would have fancied it as well.
"It gives you a lift when you score early in your career at a club and I think it's important for any striker to get off the mark as soon as they can at a new club."
However, Murphy - who joined from Sunderland in the summer - refused to bask in the glory of his winner afterwards, despite the players being given the following day off.
He added: "I don't think you have time to celebrate goals.
"I know we had a day off, but I am still up every morning, dropping the kids off at school, so I thought there was no point going home to go back to bed.
"I thought I might as well come in and do a bit."
Need your Celtic news fix? Click here for all Hoops news and transfer rumours.
Sunderland keeper Gordon remaining patient as he recovers from a broken arm
Craig Gordon insists he will not risk further damage to his broken arm by rushing his recuperation.
The Sunderland keeper and Scotland international, who broke his left arm for what was the second time in eight months in a freak training accident in July, has been sidelined for the Black Cats' Premier League campaign so far.
"I'd like to return to full training as quickly as possible but I will not take any chances because this is the second time I've suffered this injury," the 27 year old told the Daily Record.
"I'm already doing little bits of handling and work in the gym. I've come back from this before and I'll come back from it again.
"It's tough to watch from the sidelines with Sunderland and I'm so disappointed to miss these games for Scotland."
Gordon has had a titanium plate reinserted into his arm to aid the repair of the broken bone.
The keeper admits the metal support could be a long-term fixture, but does not expect it to hinder his performance when he makes his eventual return.
He said: "It has been a frustrating period because I had the plate in my arm removed earlier in the summer and everything was going really well until five or six days into pre-season training when the injury went again.
"The plate has been put in my arm again. I imagine it will stay in for a few years now, possibly even until the end of my career.
"It didn't cause me any problems to play with it last season and I'm sure it won't again in future."
Need your Sunderland news fix? Click here for all Black Cats news and transfer rumours.
Sunderland outcast Healy fed-up with knockers
Sunderland striker David Healy hopes to prove his doubters wrong in action for Northern Ireland.
The 31-year-old Sunderland forward is no longer an automatic starter for NI and he has failed to score for Nigel Worthington's side since October 2008.
"I'm desperate to play and desperate to score goals," said Healy. "People are always sharpening their knives so it would be nice to show I'm not finished by a long way."
He added: "People are always going to doubt you, questioning your ability or fitness.
"It hurts, it annoys you but people have to sell newspapers or get their face on television - it is cut-throat from journalism, managers and players.
"People will always have that question mark beside your name if you haven't scored for six games or 10 games, if you have scored 12 to 13 goals in a campaign but don't score in the next one.
"I've learnt to live with that, I've had many, many highs with Northern Ireland and some lows.
"It is about character and I've been around long enough to block it out of my mind."
Need your Sunderland news fix? Click here for all Black Cats news and transfer rumours.
Portsmouth signing Lawrence: So difficult leaving Stoke
Portsmouth
Stoke City
Sunderland
Portsmouth signing Liam Lawrence admits it was a wrench leaving Stoke City.
The 28-year-old signed by fax from his Republic of Ireland training camp in Dublin on deadline day as part of a deal which also saw Dave Kitson move to Pompey and Marc Wilson come the other way.
"I did have to think about it," he confessed to The Sentinel, "and it took me to the last few minutes of the transfer window for me to do it.
"Stoke has been the best four years of my career.
"I came down here from Sunderland and listened to the manager talk about what he wanted to do with the club, and to be fair it's turned out how he wanted it to.
"It's been an absolute thrill and privilege for me to have helped the club push on to being a top-10 club for the next 10 years at least.
"I wish I could have played a bit more over the last year, it's just a shame these things don't always work out.
Need your Stoke City news fix? Click here for all Potters news and transfer rumours.
Charismatic Gyan will settle quickly at Sunderland
Asamoah Gyan is expected to quickly become a big influence inside the Sunderland locker room.
As part of the Ghana squad which reached the last eight of the World Cup in South Africa, Gyan was an integral part of maintaining the Black Stars' famous team spirit.
He revealed the group of players did this through singing, which formed a major part of their preparations whether in the dressing room, the team hotel or even on the pitch.
Gyan explained to safc.com: "Singing is very important to us. With Ghana I am the leader of the songs.
"When we are in training camp we try to psyche the players up by singing. They think I have a good voice to boost the confidence of the team.
"John Mensah can tell you more about that!
"Our mentality is very united. We like to sing all the time in camp.
"When we are there we forget about the game and don't put pressure on ourselves.
"We crack jokes and sing all the time - this is our way of psyching ourselves up."
Need your Sunderland news fix? Click here for all Black Cats news and transfer rumours.
Sunderland keeper Mignolet relives amazing Man City save
Emmanuel Adebayor
Manchester City
Sunderland
Sunderland goalkeeper Simon Mignolet admits he's proud of his wonder save in victory over Manchester City.
With just five minutes remaining, Emmanuel Adebayor flicked Micah Richards' knock-down towards goal, only to be denied by a flying save from Mignolet, who somehow turned the ball over the crossbar.
Sunderland, of course, went on to win the game thanks to Darren Bent's penalty, leaving Mignolet to reflect on a satisfying afternoon.
"It is a dream come true for me at 22 years of age to come in and win a game like this," he told safc.com.
"It was a great day for me. I had some saves to make and one difficult one as well.
"I saw the ball at the last minute so I didn't have much time to think about it. The ball came towards me and all I could do in the time was try to get something on it.
"Sometimes you do something you're not aware of and I think that save was one of those times.
"It was one of the most important saves I have ever made. If that ball had gone in we would not have won that game.
"To see your team creating chances after that and going on to win is the most amazing feeling you can imagine as a goalkeeper."
Need your Sunderland news fix? Click here for all Black Cats news and transfer rumours.
Sunderland keeper Gordon will not rush injury return
Sunderland goalkeeper Craig Gordon will not rush his recovery from a fractured arm.
The 27-year-old, who will also miss his country's forthcoming Euro 2012 qualifiers against Lithuania and Liechtenstein, is hoping to return to training soon, but knows he cannot afford to hurry his recovery.
"I'd like to return to full training as quickly as possible but I will not take any chances because this is the second time I've suffered this injury," Gordon told the Daily Record.
"I'm already doing little bits of handling and work in the gym. I've come back from this before and I'll come back from it again.
"It's tough to watch from the sidelines with Sunderland and I'm so disappointed to miss these games for Scotland."
Need your Sunderland news fix? Click here for all Black Cats news and transfer rumours.
Avram Grant has three games to avoid West Ham sack
Portsmouth
Chelsea
Sunderland
Tottenham
West Ham United
Avram Grant has three games to save his job at West Ham United.
The Sunday Mirror says the Hammers are pointless and bottom of the Premier League after their opening three matches of the new campaign.
It has led to growing unrest among supporters who are fast running out of patience with Grant, who was appointed on a four year contract in June.
Co-owners David Sullivan and David Gold are also targets for the fans’ fury.
The West Ham fans’ internet message boards are laden with criticism and furious fans are bombarding radio stations.
Grant, who resigned from relegated Portsmouth at the end of last season, has become agitated by West Ham’s failure to sign key players.
As the transfer window closed last week he claimed the Hammers’ financial position put paid to several proposed deals at the last minute.
After inheriting a spendthrift club following the days of Icelandic ownership, the Gold-Sullivan hierarchy have insisted on bringing a hard-headed business approach.
But it’s likely to be the Israeli coach’s head on the block if the club fail to get points and goals in their next three fixtures.
And even though his contract runs to 2014, there is a specified pay-off within the deal.
The next visitors to Upton Park are free-scoring Premier League leaders Chelsea, followed by a tough trip to Stoke. They then face Sunderland in the Carling Cup before the visit of Tottenham on September 25.
Click here for the best West Ham United coverage on the 'net. All your Hammers news and gossip in one spot.
Bruce: Sunderland striker Bent just needs fair England chance
Sunderland boss Steve Bruce insists Darren Bent is England class.
Bruce is desperate for Bent to see action for England after his squad recall.
He said: “When the final World Cup squad came out, he was bitterly disappointed at missing out after doing so well last season.
“Everyone at the club had to try and pick him up a bit.
“But Mr Capello put him in the squad for the friendly against Hungary last month and, while he had to pull out through injury, he is in the squad for the qualifiers.
“If he gets a proper chance and a fair crack of the whip, who knows?”
Need your Sunderland news fix? Click here for all Black Cats news and transfer rumours.
Sunderland boss Bruce: We were close to signing Man City winger Johnson
Manchester City
Sunderland
Sunderland boss Steve Bruce admits regrets missing out on Manchester City winger Adam Johnson.
Johnson scored his first goal for England on Friday night.
Bruce revealed: “Adam is a terrific player and we would have loved to have had him here.
“We were incredibly close in getting him on board last season.
“We spent months working on the deal, and for a while I was convinced we had him – the lad himself was convinced he was coming here.
“Then you have a club like Manchester City coming in and it is always going to be difficult to compete with that.
“In the end, they blew us out of the water, but you cannot be bitter about these things.
“I have been at Sunderland a year and Johnson was one of four or five big players we were within a whisker of getting, only for it to fall through.”
Need your Sunderland news fix? Click here for all Black Cats news and transfer rumours.
Newcastle striker Xisco hit by three-match ban
Blackpool
Chelsea
Everton
Newcastle United
Sunderland
Xisco's chances of re-establishing himself at Newcastle United have been dealt a blow with a three-match suspension.
Newcastle have confirmed Spanish forward Xisco will serve a three-match ban following his sending-off in Tuesday night's reserve clash with Sunderland.
The 24-year-old was shown a straight red card for flicking out his foot at Black Cats youngster Jordan Cook in an off-the-ball incident as the Magpies' second string won 3-1 at the Stadium of Light.
He will now miss first-team games against Blackpool and Everton in the Barclays Premier League and Chelsea in the Carling Cup.
Need your Newcastle United news fix? Click here for all Toon news and transfer rumours.
Sunderland’s Waghorn grateful for Leicester chance
Martyn Waghorn claims he wasn't given a chance at boyhood club Sunderland and aims to start afresh with Championship Leicester.
The 20-year-old striker joined the Foxes in a £3million deal on transfer deadline day last week, returning to the club where he finished as 12-goal top scorer at the end of a season-long loan spell last term which saw the Championship side reach the play-off semi-finals.
"It wasn't that much of a wrench having to leave," the South Shields-born frontman told the Newcastle Evening Chronicle. "It was just sad they didn't give me a chance and I didn't get a fair crack of the whip.
"It was sad to be leaving after 13 years at the club but it has happened and I have to move on now. That's football.
"I am at Leicester now and I'm there for the next four years, so hopefully I can do a job for the club. Steve Bruce called me and told me what was going on so it was nice to get that phone call.
"It is nice to have heard that the fans cared - it is a shame I didn't get to show them an awful lot."
Need your Sunderland news fix? Click here for all Black Cats news and transfer rumours.
Man Utd striker Welbeck enjoyed beating Man City with Sunderland
Manchester United
Manchester City
Sunderland
Manchester United striker Danny Welbeck enjoyed helping Sunderland defeat Manchester City on Sunday.
Welbeck caught the eye as a second-half substitute in the 1-0 win.
“I’ve made a few substitute appearances for Sunderland and played pre-season at United, so I’m feeling good. Going out on loan to Sunderland will hopefully give me a chance of regular football,” he told TheFA.com.
“I came on for Fraizer (Campbell) at the weekend and feel I did pretty well. It was good playing against a big team like Manchester City and everyone was delighted about getting the right result.
“When you’re playing well for your club you grow in confidence, so playing more games gives you that spring in your step.”
Need your Manchester United news fix? Click here for all United news and transfer rumours.
Blackburn chairman happy to settle on Benjani as striker signing
Blackburn Rovers
Chelsea
Manchester City
Sunderland
Blackburn Rovers chairman John Williams says they're pleased to have snapped up former Manchester City striker Benjani Mwaruwari.
Benjani was signed as a free agent in the final days of the summer market.
Williams told the Lancashire Telegraph: " Back in January when we sold Benni for £2m we looked at an immediate replacement – Sam (Allardyce) was keen to get Benjani but Sunderland stepped in, so we decided to go with Franco (Di Santo), Niko (Kalinic) and Jason (Roberts).
"It worked for us. We had a good second half, seeing a 10th place finish.
"With Franco returning to Chelsea and effectively down to two strikers, our summer focus was to bring one, preferably two in.
"We have achieved this with Mame Diouf and Benjani. Our four strikers give a good balance of playing options, age and experience.
"We still had a balance of Benni’s fee available (less Mame Diouf’s loan fee) although phasing is an issue.
"Over a month ago we made a bid for a Premier League striker who we were told was available but he was withdrawn from the market.
"Subsequently we made bids in Sweden and Bulgaria but initially in both instances valuations were greater than ours.
"They were different types of players, both for the future, and on balance Sam opted for the experience of Benjani, following extensive ‘testing’ at Brockhall."
Need your Blackburn Rovers news fix? Click here for all Rovers news and transfer rumours.
Liverpool attempted to scupper Sunderland Gyan deal
Fulham
Liverpool
Sunderland
Liverpool made a deadline day attempt to trump Sunderland for their new signing Asamoah Gyan.
The Reds attempted to make a move for Gyan, who went on to become Sunderland's record transfer fee in the closing hours of the window.
The Rennes striker's move to the Stadium of Light appeared to be stuttering late in the day, and the former Fulham boss reportedly considered out-bidding the Black Cats in his desperate attempts to sign a striker.
Need your Liverpool news fix? Click here for all Reds news and transfer rumours.
Murphy pleased to open Celtic account with penalty
Daryl Murphy was relieved to opening his goalscoring account for his new club Celtic.
The Irish striker converted from the penalty spot to claim the only goal of the game in last weekend's Clydesdale Bank Premier League game at Motherwell.
Speaking on Channel 67, he said: "Before the game I said to Scott Brown, 'If we get a penalty today I am taking it and that's it'.
"As soon as it was given, I looked straight for the ball, to see who had it.
"Thankfully Sami (Georgios Samaras) was off the pitch at the time, because I think he would have fancied it as well.
"It gives you a lift when you score early in your career at a club and I think it's important for any striker to get off the mark as soon as they can at a new club."
However, Murphy - who joined from Sunderland in the summer - refused to bask in the glory of his winner afterwards, despite the players being given the following day off.
He added: "I don't think you have time to celebrate goals.
"I know we had a day off, but I am still up every morning, dropping the kids off at school, so I thought there was no point going home to go back to bed.
"I thought I might as well come in and do a bit."
Need your Celtic news fix? Click here for all Hoops news and transfer rumours.
Sunderland keeper Gordon remaining patient as he recovers from a broken arm
Craig Gordon insists he will not risk further damage to his broken arm by rushing his recuperation.
The Sunderland keeper and Scotland international, who broke his left arm for what was the second time in eight months in a freak training accident in July, has been sidelined for the Black Cats' Premier League campaign so far.
"I'd like to return to full training as quickly as possible but I will not take any chances because this is the second time I've suffered this injury," the 27 year old told the Daily Record.
"I'm already doing little bits of handling and work in the gym. I've come back from this before and I'll come back from it again.
"It's tough to watch from the sidelines with Sunderland and I'm so disappointed to miss these games for Scotland."
Gordon has had a titanium plate reinserted into his arm to aid the repair of the broken bone.
The keeper admits the metal support could be a long-term fixture, but does not expect it to hinder his performance when he makes his eventual return.
He said: "It has been a frustrating period because I had the plate in my arm removed earlier in the summer and everything was going really well until five or six days into pre-season training when the injury went again.
"The plate has been put in my arm again. I imagine it will stay in for a few years now, possibly even until the end of my career.
"It didn't cause me any problems to play with it last season and I'm sure it won't again in future."
Need your Sunderland news fix? Click here for all Black Cats news and transfer rumours.
Sunderland outcast Healy fed-up with knockers
Sunderland striker David Healy hopes to prove his doubters wrong in action for Northern Ireland.
The 31-year-old Sunderland forward is no longer an automatic starter for NI and he has failed to score for Nigel Worthington's side since October 2008.
"I'm desperate to play and desperate to score goals," said Healy. "People are always sharpening their knives so it would be nice to show I'm not finished by a long way."
He added: "People are always going to doubt you, questioning your ability or fitness.
"It hurts, it annoys you but people have to sell newspapers or get their face on television - it is cut-throat from journalism, managers and players.
"People will always have that question mark beside your name if you haven't scored for six games or 10 games, if you have scored 12 to 13 goals in a campaign but don't score in the next one.
"I've learnt to live with that, I've had many, many highs with Northern Ireland and some lows.
"It is about character and I've been around long enough to block it out of my mind."
Need your Sunderland news fix? Click here for all Black Cats news and transfer rumours.
Portsmouth signing Lawrence: So difficult leaving Stoke
Portsmouth
Stoke City
Sunderland
Portsmouth signing Liam Lawrence admits it was a wrench leaving Stoke City.
The 28-year-old signed by fax from his Republic of Ireland training camp in Dublin on deadline day as part of a deal which also saw Dave Kitson move to Pompey and Marc Wilson come the other way.
"I did have to think about it," he confessed to The Sentinel, "and it took me to the last few minutes of the transfer window for me to do it.
"Stoke has been the best four years of my career.
"I came down here from Sunderland and listened to the manager talk about what he wanted to do with the club, and to be fair it's turned out how he wanted it to.
"It's been an absolute thrill and privilege for me to have helped the club push on to being a top-10 club for the next 10 years at least.
"I wish I could have played a bit more over the last year, it's just a shame these things don't always work out.
Need your Stoke City news fix? Click here for all Potters news and transfer rumours.
Charismatic Gyan will settle quickly at Sunderland
Asamoah Gyan is expected to quickly become a big influence inside the Sunderland locker room.
As part of the Ghana squad which reached the last eight of the World Cup in South Africa, Gyan was an integral part of maintaining the Black Stars' famous team spirit.
He revealed the group of players did this through singing, which formed a major part of their preparations whether in the dressing room, the team hotel or even on the pitch.
Gyan explained to safc.com: "Singing is very important to us. With Ghana I am the leader of the songs.
"When we are in training camp we try to psyche the players up by singing. They think I have a good voice to boost the confidence of the team.
"John Mensah can tell you more about that!
"Our mentality is very united. We like to sing all the time in camp.
"When we are there we forget about the game and don't put pressure on ourselves.
"We crack jokes and sing all the time - this is our way of psyching ourselves up."
Need your Sunderland news fix? Click here for all Black Cats news and transfer rumours.
Sunderland keeper Mignolet relives amazing Man City save
Emmanuel Adebayor
Manchester City
Sunderland
Sunderland goalkeeper Simon Mignolet admits he's proud of his wonder save in victory over Manchester City.
With just five minutes remaining, Emmanuel Adebayor flicked Micah Richards' knock-down towards goal, only to be denied by a flying save from Mignolet, who somehow turned the ball over the crossbar.
Sunderland, of course, went on to win the game thanks to Darren Bent's penalty, leaving Mignolet to reflect on a satisfying afternoon.
"It is a dream come true for me at 22 years of age to come in and win a game like this," he told safc.com.
"It was a great day for me. I had some saves to make and one difficult one as well.
"I saw the ball at the last minute so I didn't have much time to think about it. The ball came towards me and all I could do in the time was try to get something on it.
"Sometimes you do something you're not aware of and I think that save was one of those times.
"It was one of the most important saves I have ever made. If that ball had gone in we would not have won that game.
"To see your team creating chances after that and going on to win is the most amazing feeling you can imagine as a goalkeeper."
Need your Sunderland news fix? Click here for all Black Cats news and transfer rumours.
Sunderland keeper Gordon will not rush injury return
Sunderland goalkeeper Craig Gordon will not rush his recovery from a fractured arm.
The 27-year-old, who will also miss his country's forthcoming Euro 2012 qualifiers against Lithuania and Liechtenstein, is hoping to return to training soon, but knows he cannot afford to hurry his recovery.
"I'd like to return to full training as quickly as possible but I will not take any chances because this is the second time I've suffered this injury," Gordon told the Daily Record.
"I'm already doing little bits of handling and work in the gym. I've come back from this before and I'll come back from it again.
"It's tough to watch from the sidelines with Sunderland and I'm so disappointed to miss these games for Scotland."
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