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Stuart Rayner

Stuart Rayner

Express on track for Lord's

WITH the final of the Friends Provident Trophy a week-and-a-half away, the romantics might portray this as a last chance for Durham’s fringe players to earn a place at Lord’s.Read

Craig Gordon

Injury may scupper Gordon's big debut

HAVING completed the “hard deal” to sign him in time for the start of the new Premier League season, Sunderland may have to do without record signing Craig Gordon for the time being.Read

Kieran: I'm here to play matches

KIERAN Richardson will play anywhere for Sunderland so long as he can enjoy being part of a winning team.Read

Craig Gordon

Gordon in record move to Cats

SUNDERLAND have broken the British transfer record for a goalkeeper to sign Heart of Midlothian’s Craig Gordon and can expect to find out today if Mido will be joining him at the Stadium of Light.Read

Quinn thinks global for Cats

AFTER completing a successful pre-season tour of Ireland, Sunderland chairman Niall Quinn is weighing up possible venues for 2008 as he looks to establish the Black Cats as one of England’s “big clubs”.Read

Gretna find SPL is ‘unforgiving’

FAMOUS for its weddings, Gretna has also been the starting point for many a divorce. And while Raydale Park was the setting for one long fairytale these past five years, Fir Park threatens to be where nightmares come true.Read

Halford out to prove Coppell wrong

SUNDERLAND new boy Greg Halford is still coming to terms with being forced out of Reading after his dream move to the Premiership turned sour.Read

£16m step in right direction

THIS time last year Sunderland were two days away from the start of a new season and in total disarray.Read

Roy Keane

Mido and Gordon top Cats’ list

SUNDERLAND are edging closer to signing two of the three players Roy Keane has targeted before the end of the transfer window, but the Black Cats may be struggling to land either in time for tomorrow’s game against Juventus.Read

I won’t cling on like Doug – Niall

SUNDERLAND’S transfer deadline success of last year has been put into perspective by their struggles to attract top players since winning promotion, according to Niall Quinn.Read

Cats show their claws

Galway United 0, Sunderland 4. MICHAEL Chopra and Kieran Richardson scored their first goals for Sunderland as the Black Cats’ pre-season tour of Ireland ended on a high.Read

Craig Gordon

Fresh twist in Cats' bid

SUNDERLAND’S pursuit of Hearts’ Craig Gordon would appear to be back on, despite Roy Keane’s comments to the contrary.Read

We must be happy – Roy

Brian Clough and Sir Alex Ferguson were two greats of football management but the biggest lesson Roy Keane learned from both was a simple one – enjoy it. Stuart Rayner reportsRead

The race is on for a room

IT could just be the cynic in me, but the timing of Sunderland’s arrival in Galway seems a remarkable coincidence.Read

Leeson plan boosts Galway profits

THIRTEEN years after he infamously bankrupted the Queen’s personal bank, it is perhaps a bit late for Nick Leeson to be asking for financial favours, but the man behind the demise of Barings Bank revealed how Sunderland have provided a huge boost to the coffers of Galway United.Read

Roy Keane

Keane’s warning to strikers

SUNDERLAND’S misfiring strikers have been warned their Wearside futures are in danger if they do not start finding the back of the net.Read

Outburst sparks a new fanbase

ONE of Roy Keane’s most infamous outbursts has inspired a new enterprise in his home town of Cork. Keane won medals galore in a glittering playing career but one of the things he is most remembered for is his comments about apathetic fans.Read

Cats find goal to get out of gaol

WITH its star-shaped Charles Fort and imposing gaol, the city of Cork is well equipped to coping with sieges, but if the Rebel Army were bracing themselves for another determined rearguard action last night they needn’t have worried.Read

Roy Keane

Schedule takes its toll on tired Cats

ROY Keane blamed Sunderland’s off-the-field activities for a sluggish first-half display in Cork last night, but said he was proud of his players’ all-round contribution in his home city. Liam Miller’s 75th-minute goal was enough to earn the Black Cats a 1-1 draw at Turner’s Cross.Read

Sloppy Cats lack ruthless streak

THE difference between a good Premier League team and a good Championship team boils down to ruthlessness. So if the opening game of Sunderland’s pre-season tour of Ireland is any indication, the Black Cats are still no more than a good Championship outfit.Read

Author Profile

Stuart Rayner is a sports writer who covers a wide range of sports in the North East. Before heading to the region in February 2005, he worked for the Liverpool Echo.