Aiden McGeady has been told to stay away from Sunderland's first team by manager Phil Parkinson because of his negative influence on the squad. He has been told to find a new club ahead of January.

TOM FARMERY: For many it is a time to celebrate, rejoice and enjoy all that Christmas brings. The same can be said in the Premier League unless, of course, if you are bottom of the table.

Some caretakers managers have proved successful and gained the job permanently. Others have proved disastrous. Sportsmail take a look at some of the best and some of the worst.

The last decade has seen plenty of high-profile signings - and Sportsmail has already picked out the very best. Now it's time to go through the very worst. From 20 to 1, here's the full rundown.

Sunderland have confirmed that owner Stewart Donald is actively trying to sell the League One club after being urged to go by disgruntled fans.

Jordan Henderson has emerged as a key part of Jurgen Klopp's Liverpool side as they steam towards the Premier League title. Now he has been compared to Kevin De Bruyne.

Sunderland have described a social media post about new signing Kyle Lafferty which inadvertently referred to loyalist pipe bands as a 'genuine mistake'.

Former Manchester United defender Phil Bardsley admits he still gets the 'hairdryer' treatment from old boss Sir Alex Ferguson - a dozen years after being sold by the Old Trafford side.

CHRIS SUTTON - FA CUP VERDICT: People from the North East live and breathe football. Walk around Newcastle city centre on any given day, and you'll see black and white stripes aplenty.

Three of the most memorable football matches of my youth were all very different. All are linked by one thing. On each occasion, a ticket was purchased on the day of the game.

EXCLUSIVE: Stewart Donald was targeted by Sunderland supporters as he left Fratton Park with his young son following Saturday's 2-0 defeat, before a group of Pompey fans came to his aid.

Former England captain Dave Watson has a neurodegenerative disease that was 'most likely' brought on by head injuries and repeated heading of the ball during his playing days.

EXCLUSIVE BY CRAIG HOPE AND DAVID COVERDALE: It was the moment when The Office met The Wolf of Wall Street - and the makers of Sunderland 'Til I Die had their opening scene.

Sunderland have placed its first-team players, contracted academy players and backroom staff on furlough leave due to coronavirus.

In his teen years, a professional deal at Sunderland was in the balance, but it was Henderson's well-known dedication and attitude which swung the decision in his favour.

Henderson has lifted the Champions League and is on the verge of winning the Premier League and Bruce insists he saw Henderson's devoted attitude and sense of authority straight away.

Ghana were on the verge of becoming the first African team to reach a World Cup semi-final when they were awarded a penalty in added time of extra time after a Luis Suarez's handball.

The first thing Andy must do is forget the Verdasco match: it’s ancient history. Tennis is a problem-solving game and Andy successfully solved the problem. What was it? Maybe he played a little too defensively in the first two sets and, not unreasonably, expected the Spaniard to miss more than he did.

Andy showed a lot of class and a lot of fight on Sunday. His dismantling of Novak Djokovic was a thing of beauty to watch. From the first ball, the crowd was engaged. I thought that was the most important factor.

Andy Murray's former coach Brad Gilbert tells you all you need to know on the top women's seeds at this year's Wimbledon Championships.

BRAD GILBERT: I had Novak Djokovic as strong favourite for the Australian Open title but now I am not so sure. I am feeling increasingly good vibes about Andy Murray. Djokovic has struggled.

BRAD GILBERT INSIGHT: Wednesday's French Open men's quarter-finals will see two tantalising battles with Andy Murray up against David Ferrer, while Rafael Nadal faces Novak Djokovic.

BRAD GILBERT: Two aspects of Murray’s play in this tournament have impressed me: the way he is being more aggressive on his second serve and his aggression on his backhand.

BRAD GILBERT: The attention on Jo Konta will only multiply if she takes what I think is a realistic opportunity to beat Angelique Kerber and make the Australian Open final.

BRAD GILBERT: The former top-five player and coach of Andre Agassi and Andy Murray, picks nine players who may seal Wimbledon glory and looks at the tournament’s bolters.

Froome stands to become Britain's first Grand Tour winner and add a seventh title to his collection after 2011 Vuelta a Espana champion Juan Jose Cobo was found guilty of a doping violation.

Sir Bradley Wiggins, from London, has revealed he won't be pushing his 'very talented' son into becoming a professional cyclist - claiming that doing so to bask in the reflected glory would be 'cruel'.

MARTIN SAMUEL - CHIEF SPORTS WRITER: It is a very peculiar form of racism that affects Mo Farah. It is the same racism suffered by Bradley Wiggins, by Galen Rupp, or even Maria Sharapova.

Sir Bradley Wiggins has launched a bizarre foul-mouthed tirade at Mickey Mouse during a recent trip to Disneyland Paris. In the clip, the Olympic legend can be seen shouting obscenities at the resort.

The UK's departure has left the bloc with a €75billion (£63billion) hole in its finances and the budget battle has exposed bitter divisions between EU members.

Former Australian prime minister Kevin Rudd has given an explosive interview in which he claims Scott Morrison is 'unfit for office'. 

Cable channel Fox, has adapted HG Wells' classic sci-fi novel The War Of The Worlds, months after a BBC1 series. Nicole Lampert, reveals how the latest adaptation set in Britain and France differs.

Malena Ernman has told of her daughter's struggle with autism and an eating disorder in a new book written by the Thunberg family.

The Handmaid's Tale author Margaret Atwood, 80, from Canada, told France24 that those who 'want to suppress women' are the same people who often 'want to pretend there is no climate crisis'.

The Monkeyface prickleback, scientific name Cebidichthys violaceus, swims in the rocky waters off the West Coast of the USA.

The Labour leader has been praised across the world for acting on issues of climate change, social justice, equality and how she handled the Christchurch terror attack and White Island tragedy.

Bristol City Council and Avon and Somerset Police cautioned the public not to 'underestimate the scale of this protest' in Bristol where Greta Thunberg is due to speak.

A Russian scientist reveals the animals are feeding on each other in the Arctic as melting ice and fossil fuel extraction companies are forcing the animals out of their traditional hunting grounds.

ALEX BRUMMER: The fact is that, as Britain looks to become more global in the post-Brexit era, it desperately needs more runway capacity in the prosperous south-east if we are not to lose out.

The emergency service heroes of Australia's devastating bushfire crisis will have a moment in the spotlight during this year's Sydney Mardi Gras.

The Arora Group said it lodged appeal papers in the Supreme Court in a bid to 'put Heathrow expansion back on track' as the airport's owner also stated it will appeal.

Hedgehogs have not hibernated this winter because of unprecedented mild weather caused by climate change, according to a UK animal rescue centre.

Dr Liam Fox, former Secretary of State for International Trade, said the Prime Minister was making a serious error by allowing the legal system to hijack policy.

At-risk areas include Surfers' Paradise in Queensland, St Tropez, Honolulu, Copacabana, the Costa del Sol and Weymouth, the study reveals.

Ivanka Trump publicly confirmed that she'd switched her voter registration from Democrat to Republican so she can vote for her father Donald Trump in the New York state primary next month.

Climate change has revealed a Viking's missed shot that laid hidden in Norway's the Jotunheimen glacier, a glacier for 1,500 years. Made of iron, it is seven inches long and weighs just over an ounce.

Orange Is The New Black star Yael Stone recently returned to Australia over concerns about the carbon footprint she was creating by travelling to the US to work. 

Climate neutrality by 2050 is unlikely for the UK without drastic technological and societal changes including limiting aviation and halving meat production, a report has found.

An increase in wooded plants in both savanna and tundra regions is caused by increased rainfall and temperatures that can be attributed to climate change, UK ecologists have concluded.

Two Russian pranksters Alexei Stolyarov and Vladimir Kuznetsov 'tricked' Prince Harry into believing they were climate change activist Greta Thunberg and her father Svante.