SOCCER: With Sunderland now just two defeats away from equalling a 104-year record for the longest sequence (18) of consecutive league defeats - as "achieved" by Lancashire club Darwen in 1899 - Mick McCarthy, who has lost all 10 of his games since taking over as manager in March, might have thought things couldn't get much worse. He was wrong.
Leeds manager Peter Reid, who was sacked as manager of Sunderland early last season, confirmed yesterday that he is hopeful of signing Colin Healy, the Republic of Ireland midfielder who had agreed terms with Sunderland before a compensation dispute with Celtic delayed the deal going through.
Reid had intended playing Healy against Aston Villa and Shelbourne at Tolka Park over the weekend but the player was unable to make the trip. He will, though, arrive at Leeds today for a week-long trial and is likely to feature in tonight's reserve game against Harrogate Town.
Healy (23), whose contract with Celtic expired at the end of June, agreed a two-year deal with Sunderland last week after the newly relegated club was told by the player's agent that he was available on a Bosman free transfer.
Celtic, though, demanded compensation, citing an International Football League Board rule that says a fee must be paid for a player under the age of 24 who leaves a club under freedom of contract - Sunderland had assumed Healy was available for free. FIFA regulations introduced last December say the cut-off age for compensation is a player's 23rd birthday.
"We realise there is an anomaly between the long-standing IFLB rules and the new FIFA transfer regulations. We will be discussing the matter with our colleagues at FIFA in due course," said Scottish Premier League spokesman Stewart Thomson of the Healy dispute.
Given the dire nature of Sunderland's finances the club would be unable to pursue the deal if a fee were involved. Leeds's finances are hardly much healthier but Reid appears confident that the Premiership club can come to a satisfactory arrangement with Celtic.
"I still have to speak to Martin O'Neill," he said, "but I'm not expecting any problems."
On the evidence of their display against Nottingham Forest on Saturday, Sunderland, who haven't avoided defeat in a league game since drawing with Blackburn in January, could do with all the new blood they can get. Republic of Ireland under-21 international Seán Thornton should, though, return to the squad for tomorrow's League Cup game away to Mansfield after being dropped, along with Jeff Whitley, for Saturday's defeat by Nottingham Forest for sleeping in and missing the pre-match training session.
"There was a power cut in the hotel," said McCarthy. "They booked an alarm call, didn't get it and they slept in, but that's no excuse for me - everyone else was there. If you're not there, you're not involved. But it's done. They'll be involved in the next game."
Meanwhile West Ham manager Glenn Roeder is insisting David Connolly will stay at the club despite his outburst following Saturday's win at Preston, when he came on as a substitute to score the winning goal.
Connolly made public his fury at Roeder's decision to leave him on the bench, opting to start Neil Mellor, on loan from Liverpool, alongside Jermain Defoe. Less than a fortnight after his move from Wimbledon, the Ireland striker threatened to leave West Ham, saying he hadn't gone there "to sit on the bench".
But Roeder said: "I spoke to David on Sunday at the training ground and the matter is now closed. All I can say is how much I am looking forward to working with David, Neil, and Jermain this year - and I believe there are plenty of goals in the three of them."
Connolly's outburst had, meanwhile, caught the attention of Norwich manager Nigel Worthington.
"We're waiting on him, we're ready," he told a local Norwich newspaper yesterday, before conceding he didn't "expect anything to happen tomorrow or next week as far as David or West Ham is concerned. David has committed himself to West Ham, he has to live and die by that. It's between him and West Ham."
Another of Brian Kerr's forwards, Alan Lee, is waiting to see if Cardiff City up their bid to sign him from Rotherham United after an initial offer of £850,000 was turned down - Rotherham insist he will not leave for less than £1 million.
"No comment at the moment," said Cardiff manager Lennie Lawrence yesterday. "There may be something, we'll have to wait and see."
Thierry Henry has insisted the Arsenal squad will rally around Francis Jeffers after the striker's Cardiff red card as he claimed that Phil Neville was fortunate to escape the same punishment.
Jeffers kicked out at Neville while the Manchester United defender was lying on the ground after a tussle between the two players during the Community Shield match on Sunday.
Referee Steve Bennett immediately showed Jeffers the red card.
That means the former Everton forward now faces a three-match ban, starting in a fortnight, just when he is looking to prove that he still deserves a future at Highbury.
Henry said: "What happened to him could have happened to anyone. We are all with him and will wait for him to come back. We will all encourage him, that's the way it is at Arsenal."
