Sunderland headlines: Everton striker reveals what Tony Mowbray said to him as Alex Neil hits out

Here are the latest headlines from Sunderland and around the Championship.

Ellis Simms on his conversations with Sunderland boss Tony Mowbray

Simms had formed a promising strike partnership with Ross Stewart in the early weeks of the season, yet the Scot has also been unavailable due to a thigh issue.

At times the pair have been training in the gym at the same time during their recovery sessions, while Black Cats boss Tony Mowbray has kept track of their situations.

Asked about his conversations with Mowbray, Simms replied: “He was just asking me day to day how I was feeling and just the progressions really.

“Me and Ross have been out and there has been no real recognised striker, so for him he probably wanted a striker to come back quick to help the team.

“In the gym me and Ross are together and sometimes we do the same sessions.

“Sometimes I’ll do what I need and he’ll do what he needs because no specific injury is the same.

“The injured lads are all kind of together and you are kind of at different stages as well.”

Stoke City and ex-Sunderland boss Alex Neil hits out

Alex Neil says he has no regrets about leaving Sunderland for Stoke City despite the indifferent form of his new club.

Neil was asked whether he had any regrets in the pre-match press conference that preceded Stoke's 2-0 defeat to Carlos Corberán's rapidly-improving West Brom.

"That's an absolutely ridiculous thing to say, really," Neil responded.

"I've got absolutely no regrets about coming here. I came here because there's massive scope, owners that really want the club to do well and will do everything in their power to help you as a manager. They let me make key decisions as to what the next stage of the club is going to look like, and a lot of the time you don't get that type of scope.

"I've been here 15 games, and a lot of those things that you can shape take time. It's not just going to happen overnight. I came here not for a short period, I came here to build something over a long period of time. It's naturally going to take a bit longer than it would in some other circumstances.

"There are some squads where you come into a job where for example, you know you've got until the end of the season to get them out of a league, because that's where the squad is, how much money has been put in and that's how everyone deems it [the ambition].

"I don't think anyone looks at us like that, I think they look at us as having underachieved for a number of years, we need to steady the ship, steadily improve and then build something that lasts a period of time. We're only at the start of that process."

Cardiff City name new boss

Cardiff City have confirmed interim boss Mark Hudson has been appointed first team manager until the end of the season – with ex-Sunderland midfielder Dean Whitehead retained as coach.

Reflecting on the news, Hudson said: “I’d like to take the opportunity of thanking Tan Sri Vincent and the board for putting their faith in me and my backroom team. I’d also like to thank the City fans for their support, as passionate and committed as I always remembered them being during my time as a player.

“It’s an honour to be back here as manager and I’ll be doing my utmost to take this club forward, as I always have.”

Having spent five years with the Bluebirds as club captain between 2009 and 2014, Hudson returned to the club’s coaching staff in November 2021.

"Tom Ramasut will continue in his post as assistant manager, alongside newly appointed first team coach Dean Whitehead and goalkeeping coach, Graham Stack,” a club statement added.