Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ

Remember Freddy Adu? Of course you do. In 2004, he was the 14-year-old who was seen as the future of the game in the United States and a potential new global star. The subject of gargantuan hype when he made his Major League Soccer bow in April of that year for DC United, Adu still holds records as the youngest player and goalscorer in the MLS's short history and is also the youngest player to appear for the senior US team.

The chances are you caught more than a fleeting glimpse of Adu in those early days. His name was everywhere on the internet, as were highlights of his goalscoring exploits for DC and for the US in Fifa youth tournaments. On the pitch, he was raw but also fast and skilful - off it, he was commercial gold and a $1m sponsorship deal with Nike was among several endorsement deals that swiftly followed.

Five years on, it is an awful lot harder to see him in action, unless you fancy a replay of those clips. Cruelly dubbed 'Freddy Adieu' by some, Adu has had a frustrating time since moving to Europe two years ago but, as I found out, any shortcomings he might have as a player are not the only reasons why his career has stalled.

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FA Cup first round, Underhill

If ever a man was in need of some of the fabled to rub off on him and his team, it was boss Steve Staunton at Underhill on Saturday.

Sadly for Staunton, who is just a month into his rescue mission to try to keep the Quakers in the , the only thing that could be conjured up on a cold autumn afternoon in north London was a disappearing act by his defence. - only a long, hard winter awaits.

I watched the former Republic of Ireland boss cut a frustrated figure on the touchline during the game, his fourth defeat in five games in charge, and heard him display similar emotions afterwards. You sense that, if he was ever in doubt about the size of the task in front of him, he is fully aware of it now.

You might wonder what Staunton is doing at Darlington in the first place. If , was a surprise choice as a rookie international boss when he took the reins of the Republic in January 2006, then it was an even bigger shock to see him .

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Local, loyal, likeable... and loaded. In many ways self-made Geordie millionaire Graham Wood would have been the perfect choice of owner by many disaffected fans fed up of life under .

But, sadly for Magpies supporters, Wood is already following his dream of bringing back the glory days to another famous name in north-east football. He is chairman of , who play just a couple of miles away from St James' Park but on the .

I spoke to Wood last week and could not help but be impressed by his ambition and his genuine love for his club, not to mention his pragmatic approach to improving Gateshead on and off the pitch or his willingness to spend his own money to see those plans come to fruition.

And you would not begrudge him bringing success back to 'The Heed' either; as I found out, he has had a long enough wait.

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