Championship

A NATIONAL LEAGUE side has been plunged into turmoil after its chairman withdrew ALL of its funding.Scunthorpe United are in dire straits after owner and CEO David Hilton withdrew all financial backing this week.
Scunthorpe United have been plunged into chaos. after their owner withdrew fundingCredit: Getty
The club is set to vacate its Glanford Park home due to a dispute with the landownersCredit: GETTY
Hilton – who bought the club in January – has decided to pull the plug due to a dispute with land owners Coolsilk.
And the dispute will have major implications for the club, which will vacate its Glanford Park home next month and play its fixtures at Gainsborough Trinity.
An excerpt of a club statement read: “The club owner and chairman has recently notified the Board of Directors of his decision to withdraw his funding from the club moving forward.
“He has also notified them that he feels his position at the club is untenable, and is actively seeking a way out.
READ MORE IN FOOTBALL
“Based on this information, both Ian Dawson and Tahina Akther have decided to resign from their positions with immediate affect.”
Hilton is looking to sell up shop but is being hampered by the ongoing land dispute, which has put off multiple suitors.

The club statement continued: “We can confirm that numerous parties have made contact with the club with a view to taking over.
“But faced with stadium issues, numerous litigation proceedings and winding up petitions no potential purchasers are looking to move forward.
Most read in Football
FREE BETS – BEST BETTING OFFERS AND BONUSES NEW CUSTOMERS
“This includes the consortium of local business people and supporters.
“The Chairman and remaining board members have now set out a plan in order to very quickly make the club sustainable.
“An outside company will be bought in to work closely with the club’s creditors to try and ensure all are paid in a timely and professional manner.
“The club will vacate Glanford Park after the Brackley Town fixture and fulfil the season’s fixtures across at Gainsborough Trinity.This is not a day-to-day cost-cutting exercise.
“This is due to Coolsilk refusing to engage with the club and demanding vacant possession before they will begin to do so.
‘This is also due to the risk the club faces of being liable for hundreds of thousands of pounds in legal fees and back-dated market rent, along with significant monthly legal costs of our own that will certainly impact any attempts to create sustainability.
“In any case, Coolsilk own the property and will undoubtedly get possession back at some point, and therefore it is no longer viable without the financial support of the Chairman to put the club at risk with such a gamble to merely guarantee a few extra months at the stadium.”
To make matters worse for Hilton, he’s currently being investigated by The FA after it emerged he’d previously been convicted of fraud.
“The club can confirm that Chairman David Hilton is under investigation by the FA for matters that were reported to them by The Athletic prior to releasing their article,” Scunthorpe said.
Scunthorpe owner David Hilton is under investigation by the FA
Dwindling attendances in recent years have well and truly hit the pockets of the club – which is anticipating more cost-cutting measures in the coming weeks and months.
“Moving forward, the club can progress and challenge for promotion as originally planned,” the club said.
“The playing side can be left relatively untouched and the debts cleared, but it will require supporters, sponsors and the community to be patient and continue to support the club the way they have done over the last few months.
“Falls in attendances will undoubtedly mean further cuts and this will inevitably impact the playing squad and promotion aims.
“We hope that the support continues regardless of how uncomfortable some of the decisions feel or the inconvenience those decisions will cause.”
READ MORE SUN STORIES
Scunthorpe currently sit in fourth place in the National League North with 18 points to their name after nine matches.
They’ll be back in action on Saturday afternoon, hosting Buxton for their penultimate fixture at Glanford Park. More

READING have been plunged into further turmoil after being slapped with yet another transfer embargo.The Royals have been hit with not one but two points deductions in what has been a difficult season on and off the pitch.
Reading are currently in turmoil on and off the pitchCredit: Getty
The League Two side are facing their second transfer embargo in two monthsCredit: GETTY
The club faces yet another points deduction if they fail to player players and staff on FridayCredit: REX
And their bid to avoid back-to-back relegations has taken a major hit after having another transfer embargo placed on them.
They’ve been hit with their second embargo in just over TWO MONTHS for failing to pay HMRC on time.
And they’re now facing an unprecedented FOURTH winding up order.
That’s according to The Telegraph, who claim the club has been hit with a second set of transfer restrictions after “missing another deadline for the tax bill to be paid”.
READ MORE IN FOOTBALL
Owner Dai Yongge is facing huge pressure from fans to sell the club after racking up a whopping 16 points in deductions for multiple breaches of the EFL’s financial rules.
And that pressure will increase on Friday if the club fails to pay its players and staff on time.
Failure to pay wages this week will lead to yet another points deduction – which will no doubt enrage the Madjeski faithful.
Royals fans are set to protest Yongge’s turbulent ownership ahead of Saturday’s home match against Burton Albion.
Most read in Football
FREE BETS – BEST BETTING OFFERS AND BONUSES NEW CUSTOMERS
Dai Yongge is facing strong calls from Reading fans to sell the clubCredit: Rex Features
Reading’s woes are the direct result of Yongge’s troubles funnelling his wealth into the country.
Government restrictions have hindered the Chinese multi-millionaire’s ability to move capital into the UK and have resulted in a major cash-flow problem.
The EFL directly charged Yongge earlier this month after he failed to deposit 125 per cent of the club’s wage bill into a specially allocated account.
Reading are currently 22nd in the League One table, one solitary point behind 20th-placed Albion. More

RUSSELL MARTIN keeps telling Southampton fans they must suffer pain before things get better … but they must be reaching for the morphine now at St Mary’s.Put simply: the Saints are the sick men of the Championship.
Russell Martin is trying to get Southampton through their pain
And although ‘Doc Martin’ has made the correct diagnosis, he is struggling to find the remedy.
Southampton are beginning to look like they need to be taken to A&E and if things get any worse it’ll be intensive care.
It was painful enough crashing out of the Premier League after finishing rock bottom last season.
Then they had a whole glut of stars like James Ward-Prowse, Romeo Lavia and Tino Livramento surgically removed from the squad in the summer to ease a cash trauma.
Read More Football
But to then haemorrhage NINETEEN goals — the worst in the Championship — and lose four on the spin, Southampton after eight games look in a critical condition.
Martin himself did not fully comprehend the enormity of the job he was taking on in July — but he certainly knows now.
The Southampton boss is trying to change the whole culture at the club — the way they train, the way they bond and interact with one another, the way they connect with the fans and of course the way they play.
Martin told me during the week that there is a lot of “scar tissue” at Southampton — more than he ever thought — and that when a group of players are used to continued disappointment it takes more time to lift them.
Most read in Championship
HOW TO GET FREE BETS ON FOOTBALL
Gutted Saints players react to their relegation from the Premier League
James Ward-Prowse was one of the prized assets to leave St Mary’s
It is known that the mood is far better around Southampton’s training ground than it has been in recent seasons. There is a lot more energy around the place — which is no surprise given Martin’s full-throttle way of doing things.
He always wants his teams to be brave on the ball, not be scared to make mistakes, be on the front foot, keep possession and score goals.
Not being able to call on his star signing — striker Ross Stewart — because of injury has not helped on the scoring goals front.
And the “being brave on the ball” bit is seriously hurting them right now because so many times when they are trying to do just that they are losing possession inside their own third, and getting ruthlessly punished for it.
I’ve not seen any other Championship team make so many elementary mistakes this season than the Saints … although Norwich ran them a close second with their horror show at Plymouth on Saturday.
But all this is because Martin wants his teams to play this way and, because they’re in transition, they haven’t yet got the hang of it.
Being without star signing Ross Stewart has not helped Saints’ cause
He wants time and patience to get it right.
But after the 2-1 loss at Middlesbrough on Saturday, he is now under huge pressure. 
The Southampton board want to make an immediate return to the Premier League and this current run of results will be alarming them.
So while Martin wants players to be brave on the ball, will the club’s hierarchy be brave in the boardroom and stick with him?
They should give him time because they were the ones who bought into his vision.
When a club has been on a tailspin like Southampton, it’s crucial to first make sure you stop the rot. You regroup in the Championship before looking upwards again. It’s an extremely tough process and one that can be hard for fans of relegated clubs to take.
If Saints were to part company with Martin and rip up everything they wanted the future to look like, they could then run the risk of sinking even further.
Russell Martin was successful with MK Dons and got Swansea motoring
Sunderland suffered back-to-back relegations from the Premier League to League One from 2017 to 2018. They let go of Simon Grayson in October before going for Chris Coleman. They could not stop losing and crashed into League One, which then took them four years to get out of.
Of course, it remains to be seen whether Martin can lead a club out of the Championship. 
So far in his managerial career he has won promotion out of League Two with MK Dons.
And he certainly looked like he was creating something exciting at Swansea. The seven wins and two draws from their last nine games saw them fall just three points short of making the Championship play-offs last season.
He should have stuck with the Swans given what he was doing there. 
Now he is in danger of losing his job already with the Saints.
But if they were to get rid of him now, it could leave the sick men of the Championship on life support and it could be touch and go if they would be able to make it through.
Giggs would be a ‘no-brainer’ for Salford
RYAN GIGGS has been getting tipped for a return to management with Salford — the club he co-owns with his Class of 92 pals.
League Two hasn’t proved to be the cakewalk they thought it was going to be with the club now in their fifth season in the EFL.
Ryan Giggs would be perfect manager for Salford
Paul Scholes gave it a go for a few weeks as a caretaker after Gary Neville bizarrely sacked Graham Alexander in 2000.
And now Giggsy is said to be ready to step into Neil Wood’s shoes after five straight defeats leaves Salford fourth from bottom.
It has surprised me that during all the time the club have been in the EFL that none of their owners have decided to take up the managerial role.
When you have David Beckham, Giggs, Gary and Phil Neville and Nicky Butt among your owners, it is surely a no brainer that one of them should be leading the team.
If Giggsy does take up the job, it will be the most sensible thing they have done since getting promoted.
Moore back but sad to see Warnock go
GREAT to see Darren Moore back in management at Huddersfield.
The way he was treated by Sheffield Wednesday’s mad-cap owner Dejphon Chansiri after winning promotion from League One was nothing short of shameful.
Wednesday fans certainly let their feelings known at Swansea as they chanted against their Thai businessman as they lost 3-0 — leaving them stranded bottom of the Championship with just two points from eight games.
Neil Warnock did a superb job keeping Huddersfield in the Championship
But while it is great to see Moore back in the dugout 25 miles up the road in Huddersfield, we’ll miss Neil Warnock … but no fear he will be back soon.
If anyone thinks the proud Yorkshireman is going to retire (again) after doing a superb job keeping the Terriers in the Championship, you can forget that.
READ MORE SUN STORIES
He will pop somewhere later this season … but where?
Maybe Chansiri should get on the blower.But, as Warnock is a boyhood Sheffield United fan and Bramall Lane legend, I think we all know what his answer will be! More

LEEDS UNITED manager Daniel Farke left fans stunned after showing off his skills on the touchline during Saturday’s match against Watford.Midway through the match, the 46-year-old plucked the ball from the air with a perfect touch.
Daniel Farke left fans stunned with his first touchCredit: Twitter @LUFC
He received a standing ovation from the crowdCredit: Twitter @LUFC
He then received a standing ovation from awestruck spectators behind the dugout, with many visibly stunned.
Fans also took to social media to react, with one person writing: “Nonchalant as! That’s our manager!”
Another added: “This is class. The touch. The fans reaction. His little knowing look.”
A third wrote: “Better touch than most footballers.”
Read More on Football
A fourth fan said: “Thought it was never going to be good again after Bielsa, but here we are!”
While a fifth made a joke at Chelsea’s expense, writing: “Get ready for a £100M offer from@ChelseaFC for him.”
Before becoming a manager, Farke played as a striker.
He spent the majority of his playing career with German side SV Lippstadt 08 and eventually went on to manage the club for six years.
Most read in Championship
FREE BETS – BEST BETTING OFFERS AND BONUSES NEW CUSTOMERS
Farke then took charge of Borussia Dortmund’s reserve team before being appointed as Norwich boss in 2017.
He helped the club get promoted to the Premier League during his second season in charge, but they were relegated the following year.
The German manager was sacked in 2021 and went on to take charge of Krasnodar and Borussia Monchengladbach before returning to England to join Leeds. More

JAMIE VARDY has broken the internet after his celebration against Bristol City.The Leicester City striker ran the pitch after scoring to celebrate in front of the Robbins supporters in a similar vein to Emmanuel Adebayor.
Jamie Vardy scored against Bristol City from the spotCredit: Twitter @AwayDays_
He then ran the pitch to celebrate in front of the opposition fansCredit: Twitter @AwayDays_
The celebration has been compared to Emmanuel Adebayor’s against ArsenalCredit: Getty
Vardy, 36, netted the game’s only goal to give the Foxes a 1-0 win over their Championship rivals.
But it was his celebration that caught the attention of fans online.
Vardy ran back down the pitch after converting his penalty to celebrate in front of Bristol City’s travelling supporters who were thought to be signing about his wife Rebekah.
They were reportedly chanting: “Jamie Vardy, your wife is a grass.”
READ MORE IN FOOTBALL
The former England international cupped his hand to his ear before gesturing to the name on the back of his shirt.
The moment has been compared to when Adebayor, 39, netted for Manchester City against his old club Arsenal, at the Etihad Stadium in 2009.
The Togolese striker sprinted to the Gunners’ travelling fans before sliding on his knees to celebrate.
And fans loved Vardy’s “top s***housery” as they flocked to social media.
Most read in Football
CASINO SPECIAL – BEST CASINO WELCOME OFFERS
One Tweeted: “Jamie Vardy ran the full length of the pitch to celebrate in front of the 3,300 Bristol City fans because they were singing about his wife all game. Top class s***housery.”
A second commented: “Jamie Vardy doing an Adebayor and sprinting right after scoring to the stand of Bristol fans who were chanting about his wife English football legend.”
A third wrote: “Adebayor 2.0.”
A fourth commented: “Absolutely thrives in that villain arc.”
A fifth said: “Jamie Vardy has to be the biggest s***house in football ever.”
Another added: “Vardy absolutely lives for being a s***house, gotta admire it.”
The three points were massive for the former Premier League champions as the club now sits top of the Championship. More