By Amanda Cornforth Last updated: 12th September 2007
Richardson: Injured
Sunderland midfielder Kieran Richardson will spend up to three months on the sidelines with a stress fracture of the back.
Richardson, who moved to the Stadium of Light from Manchester United in the summer, missed the Premier League clash at Old Trafford 10 days ago after complaining of the injury.
Tests have now revealed that the problem is worse than initially thought and he will be forced to sit out for the next few months.
Sunderland manager Roy Keane told the club's website: "We've had bad news on Kieran.
"He saw a specialist this week and he has a stress fracture of his back.
"We'll have more news after he sees a surgeon. I would have thought that he'll be out for two to three months.
"It's a major disappointment. Kieran was able to do elements of training but it affected him when he twisted or hit the ball hard."

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| Time | Fixture |
|---|---|
| Monday 9th November | |
| Barclays Premier League | |
| 20:00 | Liverpool vs Birmingham |
| Saturday 21st November | |
| Barclays Premier League | |
| 12:45 | Liverpool vs Man City |
| 15:00 | Birmingham vs Fulham |
| 15:00 | Burnley vs Aston Villa |
| 15:00 | Chelsea vs Wolverhampton |
| 15:00 | Hull vs West Ham |
| 15:00 | Sunderland vs Arsenal |
| 17:30 | Man Utd vs Everton |
| Sunday 22nd November | |
| Barclays Premier League | |
| 13:30 | Bolton vs Blackburn |
| 15:00 | Tottenham vs Wigan |
| 16:00 | Stoke vs Portsmouth |
| Wednesday 25th November | |
| Barclays Premier League | |
| 19:45 | Hull vs Everton |
| 20:00 | Fulham vs Blackburn |
| Saturday 28th November | |
| Barclays Premier League | |
| 15:00 | Blackburn vs Stoke |
| 15:00 | Fulham vs Bolton |
| 15:00 | Man City vs Hull |
| 15:00 | Portsmouth vs Man Utd |
| 15:00 | West Ham vs Burnley |
| 15:00 | Wigan vs Sunderland |
| 17:30 | Aston Villa vs Tottenham |
| Time | Result |
|---|---|
| Sunday 8th November | |
| Barclays Premier League | |
| Chelsea 1 - 0 Man Utd | |
| West Ham 1 - 2 Everton | |
| Wigan 1 - 1 Fulham | |
| Hull 2 - 1 Stoke | |
| Saturday 7th November | |
| Barclays Premier League | |
| Wolverhampton 1 - 4 Arsenal | |
| Man City 3 - 3 Burnley | |
| Tottenham 2 - 0 Sunderland | |
| Blackburn 3 - 1 Portsmouth | |
| Aston Villa 5 - 1 Bolton | |
| Wednesday 4th November | |
| Barclays Premier League | |
| West Ham 2 - 1 Aston Villa | |
| Sunday 1st November | |
| Barclays Premier League | |
| Birmingham 0 - 0 Man City | |
| Saturday 31st October | |
| Barclays Premier League | |
| Man Utd 2 - 0 Blackburn | |
| Sunderland 2 - 2 West Ham | |
| Portsmouth 4 - 0 Wigan | |
| Bolton 0 - 4 Chelsea | |
| Stoke 2 - 2 Wolverhampton | |
| Fulham 3 - 1 Liverpool | |
| Burnley 2 - 0 Hull | |
| Everton 1 - 1 Aston Villa | |
| Arsenal 3 - 0 Tottenham | |
| Pos | Team | P | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chelsea | 12 | 30 |
| 2 | Arsenal | 11 | 25 |
| 3 | Manchester United | 12 | 25 |
| 4 | Tottenham Hotspur | 12 | 22 |
| 5 | Aston Villa | 12 | 21 |
| 6 | Manchester City | 11 | 20 |
| 7 | Liverpool | 11 | 18 |
| 8 | Sunderland | 12 | 17 |
| 9 | Stoke City | 12 | 16 |
| 10 | Burnley | 12 | 16 |
| 11 | Fulham | 11 | 15 |
| 12 | Everton | 11 | 15 |
| 13 | Wigan Athletic | 12 | 14 |
| 14 | Blackburn Rovers | 11 | 13 |
| 15 | Birmingham City | 11 | 11 |
| 16 | Bolton Wanderers | 11 | 11 |
| 17 | Hull City | 12 | 11 |
| 18 | West Ham United | 12 | 10 |
| 19 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 12 | 10 |
| 20 | Portsmouth | 12 | 7 |
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