Sunderland will open talks with Sam Allardyce today as they attempt to fill their vacancy for a new head coach.

Sunderland 2 West Ham 2: Former Sunderland defender Sam Allardyce, who has been taking a break since leaving his post at West Ham at the end of last season, is the early favourite to take over from Dick Advocaat, who left his job as head coach yesterday just four months after being persuaded to delay his retirement plans for a year.

The highlights, talking points and gaffes from the football weekend

First there was the Great Escape, then last season an almost equally implausible sequel.

Sunderland head coach Dick Advocaat admitted there was “something wrong” with his team after seeing them slip to a second comprehensive defeat in as many weeks.

LEICESTER CITY 4 SUNDERLAND 2:

Dick Advocaat has revealed he wants up to four more summer signings as he attempts to rebuild his Sunderland team.

“Lee is the controller of the side. He is a motivator, a leader and central to the success of our team."

Dick Advocaat changed his mind over returning to Sunderland after owner Ellis Short refused to leave him alone.

Sunderland midfielder Seb Larsson hopes the Wearside club can move on to better things next season after the club secured their Premier League survival on Wednesday night.

Dick Advocaat has challenged Sunderland to build on their successful survival battle in the Barclays Premier League next season – whether he is in charge or not.

Arsenal 0 Sunderland 0: Arsenal needed a point to all but confirm third place in the Premier League; Sunderland needed a point to escape relegation; three of the last six games between the teams at the Emirates had ended goalless. Can you guess what the score was yet?

Manager Arsene Wenger expects to add to Arsenal’s “core” this summer, but believes if Francis Coquelin had cost £40m (€55.6m) in January rather than coming back from loan at Charlton, there would be little criticism of the squad’s depth.

Head coach John Carver admitted he was "embarrassed" by Newcastle's capitulation at Sunderland after seeing his side slip to a fifth successive derby defeat.

Sunderland 1 Newcastle United 0: Jermain Defoe is a quick learner. Sunderland’s recent acquisition has spent the last fortnight taking a crash-course in Wear-Tyne derby history, and it took him less than 45 minutes to write his name indelibly into its latest chapter.

West Ham striker Diafra Sakho scored a late winner to inflict defeat on new Sunderland head coach Dick Advocaat in his first match in charge and finally bring some cheer back to Upton Park.

West Ham v Sunderland

Dick Advocaat is looking forward to the challenge that lies await at Sunderland after agreeing a short-term deal to become the embattled club’s head coach.

Sunderland have appointed Dick Advocaat as head coach until the end of the season, the Barclays Premier League club have announced.

Dick Advocaat was travelling to Sunderland last night to discuss replacing Gus Poyet as the club’s manager.

FAI chief executive John Delaney has heaped praise on Martin O’Neill as both a man and a manager, but stopped short of confirming his candidacy for the Ireland job.

Former Tottenham boss Harry Redknapp appears not to have ruled out the possibility of becoming manager of Russia.

Former England boss Fabio Capello and Harry Redknapp have been included on a wish list of candidates to become the new Russia manager.

Russia’s media have shown little mercy for national manager Dick Advocaat and his players after what they said was a “disgraceful” defeat by Greece to send them out of Euro 2012.

Russia fitness coach Raymond Verheijen believes his side deserved to bow out of Euro 2012 after the surprise 1-0 defeat by Greece in the final Group A clash on Saturday ended their involvement.

Greece 1 Russia 0

Polish head coach Franciszek Smuda admits the pressure of opening the tournament on home soil took its toll on his players.

Polish head coach Franciszek Smuda admits the pressure of opening the tournament on home soil took its toll on his players.

Russia 4 Czech Republic 1

Russia head into their Euro 2012 Group A opener against the Czech Republic with coach Dick Advocaat warning their rivals they are “a dangerous team”.

Fulham manager Martin Jol has revealed he took the advice of fellow Dutchmen Guus Hiddink and Dick Advocaat before signing striker Pavel Pogrebnyak from Stuttgart.

Russia coach Dick Advocaat is confident his players will seal their place at Euro 2012 when they take on Andorra tomorrow night, but is aware they cannot afford to start the celebrations just yet.

HE may have called a halt to the celebrations at the end of last night’s win in Zilina — but Russia coach Dick Advocaat must know Euro 2012 qualification is all but certain now.

Slovakia 0 Russia 1

GIOVANNI TRAPATTONI’S worst instincts were all but confirmed in Zilina last night — the Russians are to blame for his mountain hike in Andorra.

“NICE media facilities,” quips Shay Given as we seek shelter from a stiff sea breeze in the tiny groundsman’s hut at Gannon Park in Malahide.

MORE than the luxury hotels, upmarket stores, eye-popping skyscrapers, top-of-the-range cars and crippling prices, perhaps the most dramatic measure of how much Russia has changed over the past 20 years is that Moscow is a tough place for an atheist like myself to be these days.

Giovanni Trapattoni is confident the Republic of Ireland’s hopes of Euro 2012 qualification remain alive after a battling draw in Russia.

LIKE Giovanni Trapattoni, Dick Advocaat is a manager of habit.

Russia boss Dick Advocaat will not take a depleted Republic of Ireland lightly as he attempt to kill off their Euro 2012 hopes.

RUSSIA manager Dick Advocaat has revealed he will tell his players to shoot at every opportunity in tomorrow’s crucial Euro 2012 qualifier against the Republic of Ireland.

RUSSIAN coach Dick Advocaat was not worried about his side’s 0-0 draw away to Armenia on Saturday.

Republic of Ireland boss Giovanni Trapattoni insisted last night’s 3-2 defeat by Russia was not a major blow to their Euro 2012 qualifying hopes.

THE state-of-the-art stadium is up and running, the world-class manager in situ but behind the fashionable facade remains an Irish side that, like its predecessors, leans heaviest on character and commitment.

IRELAND versus Russia — more than most, it’s a tricky one to call.

DICK ADVOCAAT has admitted his surprise at how well Aiden McGeady had settled in at Spartak Moscow.

Dick Advocaat admits Aiden McGeady has surprised him by the speed with which he has settled into Russian club football - but he is determined the Republic of Ireland winger will not be given the chance to show that form tomorrow.

RUSSIA will be looking to target Kevin Kilbane in tomorrow night’s European championship qualifier.

THE bad news was all on the Russian front yesterday as Spurs striker Roman Pavlyuchenko was ruled out of Friday’s European Championship qualifier in Dublin.

RUSSIAN FA president Sergei Fursenko has given new coach Dick Advocaat a vote of confidence as the pressure mounts on the Dutchman before Friday’s Euro 2012 qualifying tie in Dublin.