NEU » ofessor Thomas Curran, University

Christmas cheer is in short supply at the Stadium of Light.Sunderland (3-2-11) are rooted to the foot of the table and in desperate need of results heading into Saturdays match with Watford.But the festive fixture list hasnt been kind.A 1-0 defeat to table-toppers Chelsea in midweek is soon to be followed by tricky fixtures against Manchester United and Liverpool over the festive period… and that doesnt coexist comfortably with coach David Moyes 2016 target for his team.Ive been saying that its important to win three or four games before Christmas -- that would be a real big thing, Moyes said. If we could be in a position after winning four or five games, then I could say OK, I fancy my chances of getting us out of it in the homeward stretch. But we need to get to that point by January.Were back on the bottom, but weve been there for most of it so its not something new to us. But we arent back at square one, because weve got ourselves back in with a fighting chance. Were going to have to make sure that were stuck together, and thats why Ive been saying that winning a few games now is so important.Hope for the Black Cats comes in both their home form and the managers attacking tactical switch in recent weeks.The introduction of Victor Anichebe alongside Jermain Defoe in attack has added thrust and variety to the Sunderland forward line, helping spark a run of three wins in the last six games that gives them a chance of avoiding relegation.But there is still much work to do.In contrast, Saturdays visitors Watford (6-3-7) can be confident of finishing in mid-table, despite inconsistencies that are limiting the clubs chances of challenging for the European places.The Hornets have a squad of unfulfilled quality -- or overhyped journeymen -- which is perfectly encapsulated in the shape of Troy Deeney.An unfashionable striker who never scores huge numbers of goals but has done enough to hold off bigger named competition for his place, Deeney is a player whose career could disappear without a trace, but could just as easily see him rise into contention for England selection.Deeney is special, ex-Watford boss Quique Sanchez Flores said. I know hes special. Hes really lovely. The work of the player at the club is amazing. He knows every one of the players by name -- not just the first team, but the academy too.Hes a good player and the style of this player is very British. I think maybe one day he will be ready for the national team.Unfortunately for Deeney, he will be denied assistance against Sunderland due to injury concerns for a number of his Watford cohorts, including Stefano Okaka, Adrian Mariappa, Brice Dja Djedje, Valon Behrami, Roberto Pereyra and Craig Cathcart.Sunderland have a host of injury problems to contend with themselves. Paddy McNair, Duncan Watmore, Brad Jones, Jack Rodwell and Lee Cattermole are all out. Stephen Pienaar and Victor Anichebe are doubts. Alex Tuch Jersey . Pedro scored from a pass by Lionel Messi in the 33rd minute and added two more goals in the 47th and 72nd after Valdes saved his second penalty in four days following his stop in Wednesdays 4-0 over Ajax in the Champions League. 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Leicesters fairytale year continued after it was ranked as the UKs Greatest Sporting City for 2016, according to research from ESPN and the University of Bath.Propelled by a historic Premier League title for Leicester City FC, the city beat the likes of London and Manchester to the award after it scored highly in the most of the 12 factors fans were asked to identify as key to a great sporting city.The city climbed 17 places from 18th last year and earned a maximum score in five factors -- success, matchday atmosphere, local talent, community and social.Leicester City captain Wes Morgan said: Its hard to explain exactly what impact last season had on this city but just by walking around the streets you can see theres blue in almost every shop window, which just goes to show the support the people of Leicester have given to us.To see 250,000 people turn out for our Premier League trophy parade was a moment I and every person there will never forget and I know the pride the people of Leicester showed at our title win extends across the citys rugby, cricket and basketball teams too.Here at the football club, I know there are lads who regularly attend Tigers games and we often see players from the Foxes and Riders at King Power Stadium, which shows what a brilliant sporting city this is.Im involved in a tattoo shop in the city centre and since we won the league Id say around 70 per cent of the tattoos we do are LCFC-themed. That underlines just how much the people of Leicester love sport and their teams, so its great to see the city recognised for that.Leicester is followed in the rankings by 2015s top two -- Manchester dropping from first to second and London from second to third. Liverpool in fourth and Leeds in fifth rounds out the top five.At the other end of the table, Blackpool ranked bottom for the second year in a row, behind York in 48th, Luton in 47th and Bournemouth in 46th. Full results for the research, conducted in collaboration with the University Bath, are available here.Leicesters City mayor Sir Peter Soulsby said: Leicester Citys success last season has given the whole city a huge boost, and that positivity is clearly reflected in this research. Were obviously enormously proud of our football club, but Leicester is also home to one of Englands most successful rugby clubs, the countrys oldest basketball club, an ambitious cricket club, and a very successful womens hockey club.I think its fair to say that, when it comes to sport, Leicester -- a city of just 330,000 people -- enjoys punching above its weight. Being recognised as the best place in the country to be a fan is a huge accolade, so I am delighted that ESPNs research has confirmed Leicester as the UKs Greatest Sporting City.This year, ESPN also divided the research into individdual sports to reveal the best places to be a fan of football, cricket, rugby union and rugby league.dddddddddddd. On the back of Leicester Citys historic title-winning season, Leicester received the accolade of the best city to be a football fan. Leeds ranked as the best city for both cricket and rugby league fans, while Cardiff is the top town for rugby union lovers.Leicester Tigers director of rugby Richard Cockerill said: This has always been a sporting city, with great local support for all of our teams and sportspeople, and it is good to see that status earning recognition from a wider audience.Our neighbours at Leicester City have obviously enjoyed a memorable year and all of the citys sports have been extremely proud of each others achievements in representing this part of the country in major competitions in the UK and further afield.At Tigers, we have enjoyed consistent success over very many years backed by a very committed and loyal support. It is always our ambition to be at the forefront of our sport while also recognising and cheering the successes for our teams and sportspeople across the county.Wasim Khan, CEO, Leicestershire County Cricket Club, added: The recent successes of Leicester City FC, coupled with the significant progress made by Leicester Tigers and the Cricket Club, further illustrates the heritage and pedigree of sport in the city. The sporting family in Leicester has some of the most passionate and loyal collective fans in the country and this recognition is for them as much as the clubs themselves.As part of the research, ESPN asked fans to rank 12 factors that help make up a great sporting city, in order to provide weightings for each citys results. This year, fans ranked Value for Money as the most important factor, as it received 19% of the vote. A citys Matchday Atmosphere was ranked by 17% of fans as the most important, while Club Success for a citys professional teams received 15% of the votes.Commenting on the research, Professor Thomas Curran, University of Bath, said: It is not easy to earn the accolade of ESPNs Greatest Sporting City, so the city of Leicester deserves all the congratulations it receives. To rank highly, a city must perform well in a variety of key factors which rely on a combination of fan opinion and third party data. To score top marks in five factors is a great achievement.Steven Saunders, Senior Editor of ESPN.co.uk, said: Leicester topping the rankings as ESPNs Greatest Sporting City 2016 is another amazing achievement for the city, especially considering the traditional sporting powerhouses such as London and Manchester that it has beaten to the top spot. ' ' '