Margaret Byrne has resigned from her role as Sunderland CEO

Pundit Alan Shearer could have arguably featured in the list they offered

BBC's poll about bad Premier League managers was in very poor taste

Nike missed out on previous deals for Manchester United and Arsenal

Tottenham are understood to be deep in discussions for Nike to become their next kit suppliers in what would be at least a £30million-a-year deal.

The current contract with American giants Under Armour, whose football expansion in the UK has not happened as quickly as expected, expires at the end of next season and Spurs will want a new mega shirt agreement in place for when they move into their new ground in 2018.

Certainly, a shirt deal with Spurs is high on the Nike wish-list, especially as they lost Manchester United to adidas and Arsenal to Puma in recent times and do not supply a major London club.

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Tottenham striker Harry Kane celebrates scoring in the 2-2 draw with north London rivals Arsenal

Equally, Tottenham's hard-bargaining chairman Daniel Levy will demand a price befitting a top four or better Barclays Premier League club, which Spurs are set to become this season.

Levy is sure to insist that Nike pay more than the £30m-a-year Chelsea receive from adidas, although even he will not get near the £75m annually that adidas pay Manchester United. Under Armour signed up with Spurs in 2011 for £10m-a-year.

It is pretty low rent for BBC Sport to resort to asking on Twitter this week: 'Who has been the worst Premier League manager ever and why?', then adding: 'A few for you to think about,' with pictures of Roy Keane, Gary Megson, Steve McClaren, Brian Laws and Juande Ramos.

It raises the question why BBC Match of the Day pundit Alan Shearer is not included in that gallery having won one, drawn two and lost five of his eight games in charge of Newcastle in 2009 that ended in relegation.

A BBC spokesman said it was a topical issue and their list was not exhaustive.

Under-pressure Newcastle manager Steve McClaren has won just six Premier League games this season

Channel 4 have promised a modern, youthful approach to covering Formula One this season but it includes keeping Fleetwood Mac's The Chain as the iconic intro music and having 92-year-old Murray Walker on their team to conduct special interviews.

The voice of F1's staggering enthusiasm for motor sport has not been dimmed by age as he watched 'every second of every race on both channels' last season.

Ex-McLaren driver David Coulthard is set to become an analyst for Channel 4's Formula One coverage

The C4 programming looks like it will be built around David Coulthard, co-founder of hired production company Whisper Films.

But Coulthard, who looks to have found a major asset in co-analyst Mark Webber, says: 'I've no problem being told what to do. I had to obey race orders and let team-mates through.'

Global healthcare provider Randox Health contacted the Jockey Club direct to offer themselves as sponsors of the Grand National when they found out current backers Crabbie's were unlikely to renew.

This approach allowed the fortunate Jockey Club to agree a multi-million five-year deal from 2017 for the flagship race that will keep its £1m prize-money without having to pay an outside agency.

Co Antrim-based Randox will also become official healthcare partner for the Jockey Club, whom they have already rescued from a huge stress load as they no longer need to search for a blue-chip non-bookmaker Grand National sponsor.

T20 delay a big blow

However it is dressed up by the England Cricket Board spin doctors, the decision to postpone the start of a new T20 tournament until 2020 is a considerable setback for top brass Colin Graves and Tom Harrison, who made it crystal clear during the South Africa tour there was no time to waste with the Big Bash in Australia attracting crowds of 80,000 at the MCG.

But the pair have discovered the wheels of English county cricket move slowly, with the major sticking point being the compensation Yorkshire and Lancashire wanted for losing guaranteed T20 Roses games. An ECB spokesman, always on message, said: 'There's been no let-down.'

Giles Clarke and Colin Graves (right) attend England's Test match against New Zealand in May last year

It is ironic that the downfall of Margaret Byrne, the £700,000-a-year Sunderland chief executive, stemmed from her keeping quiet.

Byrne, who resigned before she was sacked for not revealing to the rest of the board crucial evidence she knew about the Adam Johnson case, has been tight-lipped since becoming CEO in 2011 and a Premier League representative on the FA Council. She rarely said a word to the press if she could avoid it.