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    Stoke line up Daniel Farke as emergency replacement if Michael O’Neill leaves after poor season

    DANIEL FARKE is on an emergency hit-list of bosses if Michael O’Neill leaves Stoke.The former Norwich chief is a free agent after leaving his job in Russia.
    Stoke are eyeing Daniel Farke as a potential replacement for Michael O’NeillCredit: AFP
    O’Neill has struggled at Stoke with his side 15th in the ChampionshipCredit: Getty
    Farke, 45, wants to return to England and his name is being whispered in the Potteries where O’Neill has had a poor season.
    Pressure is growing on the owners, the Coates family, with Blackburn’s Tony Mowbray and Derby’s Wayne Rooney on the radar if they act this summer.
    O’Neill finished mid-table with Stoke last year and after a promising start to the campaign this season they find themselves 15th in the Championship.
    Meanwhile former boss Nathan Jones has taken Luton Town all the way up to third playing an entertaining brand of football.

    Farke employed a similar style at Norwich which saw him gain promotion to the Premier League twice before being sacked earlier this season.
    The Canaries won the Championship with ease last season gaining 97 points in the process.
    And although Farke has never quite cut it in the top-flight, Stoke will be happy as long as he takes the club back there.
    Stoke have struggled since relegation from the Premier League in 2018 with a highest placed finish of 14th, which came last season.
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    The Coates family could struggle to attract Rooney to the club after he turned down a move to his beloved Everton.
    The Derby boss stated that he wants to finish the project he has started at Pride Park, with the club’s immediate future still uncertain. More

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    Sheff Utd star George Baldock looks to switch nationality from English as he emerges as shock Olympiacos transfer target

    SHEFFIELD UNITED ace George Baldock is being targeted by Olympiacos while trying to get a Greek nationality, reports suggest.Baldock, who is of Greek descent through his grandmother, has spent three years liaising with the Greek football federation to sort out his paperwork that would allow him to play for the national team.
    Sheffield United ace George Baldock has been linked with a move to OlympiacosCredit: Alamy
    George Baldock has been trying to gain Greek citizenship in recent yearsCredit: Getty
    According to Gazzetta, Olympiacos have been keeping tabs on the right-back for quite some time and were reportedly considering a swoop last summer.
    And the Greek champions are reportedly still keen on a potential deal involving the 29-year-old.
    Manager Pedro Martins is short of quality full-backs ever since the departures of Kostas Tsimikas and Omar Elabdellaoui to Liverpool and Galatasaray respectively in 2020.
    Eight players since tried to fill in that void but none of them managed to meet expectations in the last two seasons.
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Sun;font-size:24px;line-height:1.1666666666666667;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:0%;font-stretch:semi-condensed;padding:1px 0px;}.css-1x7hydu::before{content:”;display:block;height:0;width:0;margin-bottom:calc(-0.24520833333333342em + -0.5px);}.css-1x7hydu::after{content:”;display:block;height:0;width:0;margin-top:-0.2333333333333334em;}.css-1lobn43{display:inline;font:inherit;margin:0;color:rgba(0,0,0,1);}.css-1lobn43 svg{fill:rgba(0,0,0,1);}Read More on 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.nk-headline-heading{color:rgba(71,30,121,1);}.css-1uyse24:before{content:”;top:0;right:0;bottom:0;left:0;overflow:hidden;position:absolute;z-index:1;}.css-n392go{border-width:0 1px 1px 1px;border-style:solid;border-color:rgba(155,201,183,1);padding:12px;max-height:104px;min-height:98px;}.css-1p5s3t0{padding:0;border-width:0 1px 1px 1px;border-style:solid;border-color:rgba(155,201,183,1);padding:12px;max-height:104px;min-height:98px;}.css-124tga5{overflow:hidden;-webkit-line-clamp:3;-webkit-box-orient:vertical;display:-webkit-box;word-wrap:break-word;line-height:1;}.css-5jzxpx{overflow:hidden;-webkit-line-clamp:3;-webkit-box-orient:vertical;display:-webkit-box;word-wrap:break-word;line-height:1;}.css-i1acvs{margin:0;padding:0;color:rgba(34,99,73,1);text-transform:uppercase;-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;font-family:The Sun;font-size:18px;line-height:1.333;font-weight:700;letter-spacing:0%;font-stretch:normal;display:inline;}.css-i1acvs:hover:not(:disabled){-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;}CHELTENHAM FESTIVAL .css-8h3gc3{margin:0;padding:0;color:rgba(34,37,38,1);-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;font-family:The Sun;font-size:18px;line-height:1.333;font-weight:700;letter-spacing:0%;font-stretch:normal;display:inline;}.css-8h3gc3:hover:not(:disabled){-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;}Sun shining on St Patrick’s Day as punters pour in for more action
    Martins now has Kenny Lala and Thanasis Androutsos at right-back, but both have struggled so much that the Portuguese tactician had to recently call in on winger Marios Vrousai to fill in.
    Oleg Reabciuk has been established as the team’s starting left-back but recent performances left much to be desired.
    Reabciuk’s cover Michal Karbownik also failed to live up to expectations ever since he signed on loan from Brighton last summer.
    Baldock joined Sheffield United in 2017 from MK Dons and has since scored five goals and provided 12 assists in 159 games.
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    CHELTENHAM FREE BETS AND SIGN UP OFFERS – ALL THE LATEST DEALS FOR THE RACING THIS WEEK
    The Buckingham ace has made 20 appearances in the Championship this season.
    The defender proved to be essential during United’s recent Premier League stint as he played 70 times in the top flight. More

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    Watch Folarin Balogun score stunning second Middlesbrough goal to leave Arsenal fans dreaming of his return

    FOLARIN BALOGUN curled in a beautiful goal for Middlesbrough – much to the delight of fans at Arsenal.The 20-year-old Gunners striker joined the Championship club on loan in January until the end of the season.
    Folarin Balogun’s 2nd goal for Middlesbrough was a worldie!! Flo hit the curler sweetly and found the corner of the net. He truly is growing every game. It’s wonderful to watch. pic.twitter.com/m8fI6wgOot— Hale End Productions (@Balogunner14) March 15, 2022

    Folarin Balogun joined Arsenal’s youth ranks at the age of eightCredit: Getty
    And the England Under-21 star underlined his potential with a stunning strike in Boro’s 2-0 win at Birmingham on Tuesday evening.
    The Arsenal academy product – who is known as Flo – cut inside his marker on the edge of the box before shaping a right-foot curler past keeper Joe Lumley and high into the net.
    It was his second goal in three games for Chris Wilder’s side and his best moment so far in a Boro shirt.
    Former Arsenal winger Sanchez Watt was among those who took to Twitter to say well done.
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    Watt tweeted: “Watched him train at Hale End… different breed. #Baller”
    Arsenal fan @RuPops1 also posted his views on Twitter, adding: “We’re all fully invested in this kid.
    “He appears to have all the raw ingredients to make it into our first team.”
    Championship sides Bournemouth, Sheffield United and Swansea were also keen on taking Balogun on loan before he opted for the Riverside.
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    French giants Saint-Etienne also sent their top scout to watch him late last year.
    But with Gunners forwards Alexandre Lacazette and Eddie Nketiah both out of contract in the summer, Balogun may have a role to play in Mikel Arteta’s Champions League chasing side next season. More

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    Keith Curle looks back at Battle of Bramall Lane 20 years on – the only English game ever abandoned for lack of players

    FORMER England international Keith Curle has done more than most in the game – but there is one infamous match that he was involved in that stands out more than most.The ex defender was captain of Neil Warnock’s Sheffield United when a Championship game against West Brom exactly 20 years ago was called to a halt after it descended into chaos.
    Keith Curle, centre, was captain of Sheffield United during the Battle of Bramall LaneCredit: Trevor Smith
    It still remains the only professional match in English football history to be abandoned because one team didn’t have enough players to continue.
    Reflecting on a piece of football folklore, Curle told Sun Sport previously said: “When you look back on it now, it’s surreal. It was farcical.
    “In the dressing room after there was just sheer disbelief about what had happened.”
    Widely known as the ‘Battle of Bramall Lane’, United hosted high-flying Baggies who were pushing for promotion under boss Gary Megson.
    Megson had previously managed fierce rivals Sheffield Wednesday while there was history between Sheffield United’s Georges Santos and West Brom’s Andrew Johnson.
    The season prior, then-Nottingham Forest player Johnson had clashed with Santos leaving him with a fractured cheekbone in which he refused to apologise.
    Warnock’s side were off to a disastrous start when keeper Simon Tracey was sent off in the ninth minute for a deliberate handball.
    It got worse nine minutes later when Scott Dobie fired the visitors ahead to set up a long afternoon for the Blades.
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    With 63 minutes gone, McInnes smashed home a terrific strike to give Albion a 2-0 lead.
    Warnock responded instantly by bringing on Santos and forward Patrick Suffo.
    It proved to be the catalyst to mayhem and Santos instantly spotted an opportunity for revenge – flying into a horror challenge on Johnson leaving him in agony on the turf.
    Curle said of the tackle: “Looking back on it now it was horrendous. It was difficult to put into words because there was obvious pent up frustration and resentment from Georges.
    “If you know Georges he’s not like that, that’s not him as a person. He obviously felt that the injury caused to him was done with malice. The melee that happened afterwards was mindless.”
    Georges Santos lunged in with a horrendous tackle on Johnson
    The incident sparked a huge melee on the fieldCredit: PA:Press Association
    A straight red followed and it sparked a huge brawl among both sets of players that resulted in Suffo head-butting McInnes.
    Suffo was also handed his marching orders leaving United with just eight men.
    Curle recalls: “The game became farcical. It became a game of damage limitation.”
    Minutes later it was three when Dobie had his second.
    West Brom could have gone on to score a boatload if it wasn’t for what happened next.
    Michael Brown walked off the field with injury before Rob Ullathorne apparently pulled his hamstring.
    Sheffield United were down to six and referee Eddie Wolstenholme had no choice but to abandon the game on 82 minutes.
    Curle adds: “The referee said Ullathorne had to stay on. They were both injuries. Ullathorne got cramp and did his hamstring, Michael Brown tried to be substituted earlier but we didn’t have any subs left, so for fear of injury he just walked off.”
    Sheffield United were reduced to eight men before two more came off injuredCredit: PA:Press Association
    It remains the only game to be abandoned over a lack of playersCredit: PA:Press Association
    Curle disputed claims that Warnock asked him to get more men off the field
    Megson was absolutely fuming with their behaviour and said after the game: “Everybody’s heard it; everybody knows what was going on.”
    Curle, who was lucky not to see red for an apparent punch on McInnes, still disputes Megson’s claim to this day.
    He also laughed off suggestions that a touchline conversation with Warnock at 3-0 was a ploy to have the game abandoned.
    Curle added: “I still get mentioned in the game. A lot ask if it was calculated. Was it set up? No. Was it set up for Warnock to bring Georges on to get revenge? No.
    “They got lip-reading experts to try and pick up the conversation I had with Neil. There was a debate about what Neil had said to me, whether I instructed to get another man sent off or get another man off the pitch? It was nowhere near the case.
    “I can’t remember what Warnock said. In no way shape or form was it to get the game abandoned.”
    The victory was awarded to West Brom while Sheffield United were fined £10,000, Suffo £3,000 with both he and Santos awarded six-game bans.
    Megson accused Warnock of deliberately getting the game abandonedCredit: Getty Images – Getty More

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    ‘Extremely ironic’ – Middlesbrough savage Chelsea in damning statement for demanding to play FA Cup game without fans

    MIDDLESBROUGH slammed Chelsea’s “grossly unfair” request to play their FA Cup quarter-final behind closed doors at the Riverside Stadium.The Blues are banned from selling tickets as part of sanctions imposed on owner Roman Abramovich by the UK government, although the situation regarding away games has yet to be cleared up.
    Chelsea want their FA Cup game with Middlesbrough to be played behind closed doorsCredit: Getty
    Abramovich, 55, has had his assets frozen following Russia’s unjust invasion of Ukraine due to his alleged ties to president Vladimir Putin.
    Sanctions mean that, until the club is sold, Chelsea cannot sell any new tickets to fans.
    Blues chiefs had pleaded with the government to let them have some some supporters at the game on Teeside.
    Once that request was rebuffed they instead demanded the match go ahead without fans “for matters of sporting integrity”.
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    Furious Boro insisted they will resist that suggestion “in the strongest terms” as they described Chelsea’s request as “bizarre” and “ironic in the extreme”.
    That is why Boro released a statement insisting that they will resist that suggestion “in the strongest terms”.
    The statement read: “We are aware of Chelsea’s request to have Saturday’s Emirates FA Cup sixth round tie played behind closed doors and find their suggestion both bizarre and without any merit whatsoever.
    “All concerned are well aware of the reasons Chelsea have been sanctioned and that this has nothing to do with Middlesbrough Football Club.

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    “To suggest as result that MFC and our fans should be penalised is not only grossly unfair but without any foundation.
    “Given the reasons for these sanctions, for Chelsea to seek to invoke sporting “integrity” as reason for the game being played behind closed doors is ironic in the extreme.
    “We currently await formal notification from the FA of the next steps but rest assured MFC will resist Chelsea’s actions in the strongest terms.”
    SunSport understands the FA will reject Chelsea’s demand, with the West London outfit already set to have around 500-600 supporters – who bought their tickets before Abramovich was sanctioned – in attendance.
    According to talkSPORT’s Simon Jordan, Middlesbrough owner Steve Gibson won’t agree with Chelsea’s request.
    In fact, Jordan spoke to Gibson, who believes “sporting integrity and Chelsea are words that don’t go together”.
    Middlesbrough owner Steve Gibson is unlikely to accept Chelsea’s requestCredit: Getty Images – Getty
    Jordan said on White and Jordan: “It makes no sense. How do you possibly, even in the most obtuse and opaque way, read a room like this if you’re Chelsea?
    “Everybody in football right now is looking at you like a pariah, you’re a toxic brand, your own sponsors don’t want anything to do with you and your way of dealing with that is to take a great bit dump in someone else’s pocket financially by saying we don’t want any gate receipts for you in the FA Cup.
    “I’ve just spoken to Steve and his expression was that ‘sporting integrity and Chelsea are words that don’t go together’, that’s his reaction.
    “They’ve got a playing squad that is worth about £1billion and Middlesbrough have got a team that’s worth a packet of gobstoppers by comparison, so the sporting integrity can even up there.
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    “You don’t need your fans in the stadium to have your big-time players overcome Middlesbrough.
    “It’s an ill-formed, Ill-mannered, ill-educated, uncouth, unedifying response from Chelsea and it just goes to the heart of why people are going to take exception.” More

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    Carlos Corberan’s passion and Sir Alex Ferguson documentary driving unbeaten kings Huddersfield’s bid for Premier League

    CARLOS CORBERAN is sitting in his office speaking passionately about managing Huddersfield.He is one of the most animated coaches I’ve spoken to.
    Carlos Corberan has got plenty to shout about at Huddersfield

    Only Paolo Di Canio beats him in my personal list — although Antonio Conte did once sing to me in Los Angeles while on a Chelsea pre-season tour.
    But, literally you could ask ex-Sunderland and Swindon boss Di Canio a question and 15 minutes later he’d still be answering it although would’ve gone off on a tangent while reenacting every scene he was describing. 
    Corberan is not quite in that league — yet on the touchline he kicks every ball, wins every tackle and header, completes every pass and, as an ex-goalkeeper, makes every save. He lives and breathes every moment with his team.
    I often wonder how his players remain calm on the pitch because I’m sometimes a nervous wreck just watching him!
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    But Corberan tells me: “The day I lose this will be the day I lose my passion for football.
    “I love the game. I love all the people who are involved. I love to analyse every single thing that happens.
    “It’s of course important to control these emotions — everyone has a different personality.
    “Some people don’t express themselves a lot, some do, but it’s impossible to be calm without passion. 
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    CHELTENHAM FREE BETS AND SIGN UP OFFERS – ALL THE LATEST DEALS FOR THE RACING THIS WEEK
    “It’s easier how we manage this passion. Sometimes we manage it well, sometimes not but I do try to be calm.
    “Sometimes when I talk to my family after the game, I tell them I was calm but they say to me, ‘No way.’
    “We are so desperate to build a team that the fans are proud of and that’s why we care so much.”
    But — as Corberan explains — it is impossible to ever be completely calm. For all the work done behind the scenes preparing a team for a match, there is so much you cannot control — things you could not possibly predict or bargain for.
    Even if the game is seemingly in the bag at 2-0 up with six minutes left as it was at The Hawthorns on Friday night, the unexpected can happen.
    In this case, ref Matthew Donohue awarded West Brom a penalty when he wrongly adjudged that Sorba Thomas had caught Alex Mowatt with a high foot.
    Within a minute it was 2-2 and  the Terriers almost lost when Karlan Grant struck the bar.
    Football always keeps you on the edge.
    Corberan said: “What helps make me feel calm is knowing we’ve prepared properly for the game.
    “The more we make the team grow and work during the week, the more calm we can be on the touchline because we know we’ve done everything we can.
    “Imagine if you know the team only has the possibility to face one sort of situation then something else happens. You then don’t have a solution.
    Corberan is popular with his Huddersfield players
    “You can never be relaxed or think everything is under control. Other teams also have good players and good coaches. So you can never feel completely calm.”
    Corberan is endearing and I can imagine how the players must love playing for him.  
    I connected to him instantly because he has that true human quality.
    He is not some boring dullard who doesn’t really want to talk to you and trots out all the same boring stock answers to every question — although he did once mention something about taking each game as it comes!
    The Huddersfield boss loves reading books and watching real-life films and documentaries to understand and learn about human behaviour.
    One of the most recent movies he enjoyed was King Richard where Will Smith plays as Serena and Venus Williams’ father in a film that charts his life and determination to make the two sisters tennis greats.
    And he also loved watching Never Give In — a look at the life and career of Sir Alex Ferguson.
    Corberan said: “Football is full of human-beings. There are so many things out there that can make you understand people.
    “I like to analyse the behaviours of people and people who have achieved unbelievable things.
    “I love to know and understand their minds and the reasons behind their behaviour.
    “Real-life films are the ones you have to watch because you can get to see a different side to someone amazing — their true personality. You can take so much knowledge from this.”
    Corberan says he respects the modern-day footballer so much because of the demands that are placed upon them. He happily accepts he “did not have the skills or mindset” required to be a top goalkeeper when he was a kid on the books at Valencia.
    Some people don’t express themselves a lot, some do, but it’s impossible to be calm without passion.Carlos Corberan
    He said: “It’s so different to play a game on the training pitch and another in front of 20,000 people, especially away from home where all of them are against you. You must have the personality to make the right decision or brave decision.
    “That is why I didn’t play at a high level because I didn’t have either the right personality or set of skills. At this level, these players have to do this twice a week. I have a lot of respect for these players.”
    Despite Friday’s late wobble, Corberan’s team have now gone SEVENTEEN games unbeaten in the Championship – the best such run in the country – and he won the SkyBet manager of the month award for February.
    It is all a far cry from a difficult first season in charge. Having worked as an assistant to Marcelo Bielsa at Leeds for two seasons, he took over a side that had just escaped relegation — but a run of just one win in their final 25 games last term could easily have seen him sacked.
    Corberan is the SkyBet Championship manager of the month for FebruaryCredit: Not known, clear with picture desk
    Carlos Corberan worked with Marcelo Bielsa for two years at Leeds
    But the Yorkshire side are now reaping the benefits of sticking by their manager, who has slowly but surely built a team that like to play attractive attacking football.
    He said: “Our job depends a lot on results but I always try to be focussed on the things I can control. My control is preparing the team and preparing them in the best way we can and creating and executing the style we want to play.
    “I respect a lot the support of the club because they’ve supported me in complicated moments. I want to give back and compensate their backing.”
    IT’S NOT HUDD TO TELL, STEVE!
    STEVE BRUCE asked me if I was from Huddersfield after I suggested the penalty West Brom got at The Hawthorns was the wrong call by the referee on Friday.
    Yes, those Yorkshire twangs that I developed from my Kentish upbringing really gave me away there!
    GREAT COL BY U’S
    WELL done, Colchester United who are donating ALL gate receipts from their League Two game next Monday against Forest Green Rovers to the British Red Cross to help towards evacuating Ukrainian refugees fleeing Vladimir Putin’s barbaric invasion of their country.
    Every ticket will be priced at £10 regardless of concession and the team will wear the Ukraine national colours of yellow and blue and the kit will also be auctioned off to raise further funds.
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    Derby hit by new financial blow with instalments owed on sale of Kamil Jozwiak to MLS side Charlotte

    DERBY’S hopes of avoiding liquidation are being hit by a new  financial blow.County’s next owners will have to pay for Kamil Jozwiak — the Polish star who is being sold to MLS side Charlotte.
    Derby manager Wayne Rooney is facing more financial challenges for his clubCredit: Getty
    The transfer fee from the sale will go into the kitty, as the administrators try to get through to the end of the season. The sum is over £1million.
    However, Jozwiak’s former club Lech Poznan are still due instalments on the sale to Derby two years ago — also worth over £1m — and that has to be settled.
    So this deal helps prop up Wayne Rooney’s Rams for now but means an additional cost in the overall price of the club, for a player who will never play for the next owner.
    This football creditor goes on top of Arsenal, who are due a chunk of the transfer fee for Krystian Bielik.
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    And Derby are still facing a legal battle with Wycombe.
    The Rams will be hit with an official claim for compensation from owner Rob Couhig after a meeting with club administrators failed to find a solution.
    Wycombe want cash — between £6m and £14m — after Derby stayed up last season and they went down.
    The latest compromise number is set to be lower — but adds to the bills faced by the admins as they hunt a new buyer.
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    The EFL have already told Derby to sort out the claims of Wycombe and Middlesbrough, with the larger Boro case shelved after Steve Gibson and former Rams owner Mel Morris struck an undisclosed deal.
    It is a double concern in the hand-to-mouth existence at Derby, where the funds will run out at the end of next month — with no guarantee of cash for wages in May, June or July.
    The EFL have been told there is cash to fulfil fixtures up until the last match on May 7, this includes a loan facility from US financiers MSD Holdings.
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    Administrators Quantuma claim there is live interest. But it would be difficult to complete a sale by that date.
    If Derby go into liquidation, they could start again in League Two next season.
    But it is at the discretion of the EFL board, who are likely to go to a vote that would need 90 per cent of the EFL’s 72 clubs to let that happen.
    Derby’s next owners will have to pay for Kamil Jozwiak, who is being sold to CharlotteCredit: Rex
    So only EIGHT would have to object — and the Rams would be looking for a home well down the football pyramid.
    If Derby are liquidated, then one less team is relegated either in the Championship or League One — depending on when that decision is taken. More