Championship

FORMER Leeds owner Massimo Cellino has recalled the time he accidentally sacked Brian McDermott following a miscommunication.Cellino, 67, took over at Elland Road in January 2014 and immediately made his presence known.
Massimo Cellino sacked ex-Leeds boss Brian McDermott by accident in 2014Credit: PA:Empics Sport
McDermott had been Leeds manager for under a yearCredit: PA:Empics Sport
Just shortly after arriving the Italian sacked then-manager McDermott, who previously played for Arsenal, by accident – all because he didn’t like the colour of a couch.
In an interview with the Daily Mail, Cellino said: “I was a mess when I got there.
“My English was very poor. My pronunciation was terrible. When I got there, there was a velvet bloody couch in the suite at Elland Road.
“It was purple. I said, ‘Change the bloody couch, I don’t want to see it anymore’. And then they fired the bloody coach!
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“They said, ‘Who is taking the team tomorrow?’
“I said, ‘Why? We don’t have a manager?’
“They said, ‘You fired him’. ‘I fired the manager? S***’.
“It was 10 at night and there were 2,000 people at the stadium who wanted to kill me. They hid me in the stadium and then took me out in a police car. They said, ‘It is better if you don’t go to the game tomorrow’… Bloody purple!”
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McDermott’s assistant, Nigel Gibbs, went on to take over as caretaker manager and oversaw a 5-1 win against Huddersfield Town.
Cellino added: “Sometimes the big mistake becomes the best thing you do. That’s bloody football.”
Despite his initial success, Gibbs was sacked by the owner just four months later.
Cellino eventually sold his shares in Leeds to Andrea Radrizzani in 2017 and returned to Italy to buy Serie B side Brescia. More

ANYONE going to Turf Moor on Saturday expecting a footballing spectacle between Burnley and  Sheffield United, think again.This will be an old-fashioned slogger of a match. It will be about grinding it out, however ugly.
Burnley boss Vincent Kompany can turn things around if he beats Sheffield UnitedCredit: Getty
It’s the old cliche of a six-pointer and this is the ultimate definition of one.
To get a three-point gap over your rivals at the bottom is huge but I feel it’s bigger for Burnley.
While they haven’t been great, we can see how they want to play and they have been close in a few games but the pressure will soon start to crank up on boss Vincent Kompany, especially if they lose this one.
I don’t think he is going to be out of a job — he has achieved so much at that club in such a short space of time.
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But everyone expects Sheffield United and Luton to go down.
Burnley’s owners will be thinking: “I thought we had a better team than them? We won the Championship. Why are we below both of them? Why are they winning and we’re not?”
In those sorts of games, as a player, you should be really excited. For these clubs, they are always the underdogs. There aren’t many games where you go into matches thinking you should win in the Prem. This is one of them.
All it takes is one victory. You would be surprised how just one good result can springboard your entire season, especially if it is against a rival or it comes at a pivotal time.
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In my first season up with Watford in the Prem in the 2015-2016 campaign, we drew our first three games and then lost away to Manchester City.
Our next game at home to Swansea felt big. They were a good team but we needed a first home win and we got it — a scrappy 1-0 down to ten men for most of the second half.
From our next 13 games, we picked up 23 points, which basically kept us up.
I remember at training in the days that followed, there was a feeling of “We belong here. We’ve made it”. All that self-doubt and insecurity was gone.
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Troy Deeney doesn’t expect Kompany’s future as Burnley boss to be in dangerCredit: Getty
Burnley haven’t had that feeling yet. Their only win came at Luton in October and it’s been an uphill struggle since.
Beating the Blades could be season-defining. Kompany and those players will feel like their season has been kick-started.
Don’t underestimate how this one result could also determine whether Burnley’s owners spend in January. A few more good results before Christmas and the mood changes. The trust in the current crop of young players returns. Lose, and desperation may creep in.
The one question that will be going around Vinny’s head is: Can this team win at all costs? Win ugly. Burnley have their style of play, but there comes a time when results matter.
They got so used to winning last year that they were never really under pressure.
Turf Moor used to be the stage for so many niggly, gritty sort of games.
That’s changed — they have made improvements to the stadium. The dressing rooms have been revamped.
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When Sean Dyche was there, they used to let the grass grow in the corners of the pitch to try and trap opponents there and so the ball would hold up more.
Vinny has changed that and you have to respect it but the Clarets are definitely not as intimidating as they once were. More

FORMER Sunderland star Greg Halford received two red cards in two Premier League games under Roy Keane.And the defender revealed he smashed up the changing room after he was sent off twice for the Black Cats in the 2007-08 season.
Greg Halford spoke about the time he received two cards when he played for SunderlandCredit: youtube – Under The Cosh
Halford said he smashed up the changing after being sent off when playing under Roy KeaneCredit: PA:Press Association
Halford, 38, has spent his senior career at several clubs across many of England’s football leagues.
But one unforgettable part of his journey was his short two-year stint at Sunderland for which half of it he played under Man Utd legend Keane.
And the Essex-born star spoke about the time he was sent off in two Premier League games for the Black Cats.
After the second red card incident the former Brighton player smashed up the dressing room.
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He said on the Under The Cosh podcast: “I got two red cards in two games. It wasn’t even aggression.
“One was pulling a shirt against Fulham and the second was a handball against Luton – which wasn’t even a handball.
“And I have just come into the changing room and I have demolished that changing room.
“Like I put my studs through the doors and walls thinking this isn’t right.”
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Keane in his first season at the club during the 2006-07 term led them to promotion into the Premier League.
And shortly after Halford made his debut for Sunderland in August 2007 in a 2–2 draw with Birmingham City at St Andrew’s.
He played in the next three matches, but was sent off in the third game after a 3–0 defeat to Luton Town.
Having returned from suspension he made three more appearances and was again sent off.
In the 2008 new year Halford was sent on loan to Charlton followed by a season-long loan to Sheffield United before leaving for Wolves in 2009.
Since then, Halford has played for numerous teams including Nottingham Forest, Brighton, Cardiff City, Southend United and Billericay. More