The legendary strike partnership of Kevin Phillips and Niall Quinn were always going to be impossible to replace, but Sunderland fans probably hoped for better than Marcus Stewart and Tore Andre Flo. Although Stewart would go on to perform admirably in the Championship, scoring crucial goals to propel Sunderland back into the top flight, Flo was a major part of the reason they were relegated in the first place. Despite being criticised for his inflated deadline-day pricetag (£6.75 million), the Norwegian international almost endeared himself to the club with a début goal against Man United. This would prove to be a fluke however, as Flo's fitness was called into question throughout Howard Wilkinson's disastrous reign, and he found himself subsequently dropped and released by Mick McCarthy.
