Sunderland boss Sam Allardyce is set to be confirmed as England manager on Thursday, according to Sky sources. Sky Sports News HQ understands the 61-year-old will be ratified as Roy Hodgsons replacement during Thursdays two-part FA board meeting in London, which is due to start at 10am. How England made decision Who picked Sam Allardyce as manager and why? Sunderland responded on Wednesday night with a statement that Allardyce was still in charge at the Stadium of Light, and he was in the dugout for the first half of their friendly with Hartlepool. They said they shared in the anger and frustration of our supporters but Sky Sports News HQ understands David Moyes is already being lined up as a replacement for the former Bolton and West Ham boss. Sunderland for Moyes Sunderland in talks with David Moyes to replace Big Sa Allardyce and Hull manager Steve Bruce emerged as the two main candidates to take over from Hodgson, with both having spoken to the Football Association over the last week. Chief executive Martin Glenn said the FA are looking for a long-term England boss and not a short term mercenary Allardyce was in the running to become England manager 10 years ago but lost out when Steve McClaren was appointed.FA chief executive Martin Glenn revealed that the 12-man FA Board would be updated with details of the manager search at Thursdays meeting. There will also be discussions over who will replace chairman Greg Dyke who is standing down after three years. Former Bolton captain Kevin Davies thinks Sam Allardyce will bring a winning mentality, pride and passion to the England job Glenn, vice chairman David Gill and technical director Dan Ashworth were given the job of recommending a new manager in the wake of Hodgsons departure at the end of Englands Euro 2016 campaign. What of Englands DNA? England to appoint Sam Allardyce: Time for the FA to stop DNA talk? Hodgson stood down after the 2-1 defeat by Iceland in the last-16 tie in France.Its been three weeks since the hunt started and were making good progress, said Glenn. Were clear about what were looking for and weve interviewed a handful of people. Roy Hodgsons four-year reign as England boss ended after the Euro 2016 defeat by Iceland Were after the best man for the job and weve got to get that right. Weve got to have covered all of the alternatives before we make our decision.Everyone we have spoken to about the job has been massively enthusiastic. We dont want a short-term solution for a couple of years, we want someone to work alongside the development teams in terms of giving them a ladder.England play their opening 2018 World Cup qualifier against Slovakia in September. Also See: How England made the decision What of Englands DNA? England fixtures Roy Hodgson bids farewell Cheap Colorado Rockies Jerseys . Next years tournament is also within sight for Bosnia-Herzegovina, which has never played in a World Cup, but Cristiano Ronaldo looks destined for the playoffs with Portugal after a night when the qualifying picture in the nine groups became much clearer. Cheap MLB Jerseys Authentic . Ellis had a season-high 37 points and two key assists late, Dirk Nowitzki led a fourth-quarter rally with 14 of his 35 points, and the Mavericks spoiled Howards best offensive night in Houston with a 123-120 victory over the Rockets on Wednesday night. http://www.cheaprockiesjerseys.com/?tag=cheap-ian-desmond-jersey . Hall joined Bengals teammates for a voluntary workout on Monday. Hes got his mobility back and is on schedule to be ready for the season. CINCINNATI - Bengals cornerback Leon Hall is happy with his recovery from a torn Achilles tendon and expects to be ready for the start of training camp in July. Wholesale Rockies Jerseys . - Skiing far more aggressively than in her season debut a day earlier, Lindsey Vonn was in provisional 10th place after the first 45 skiers in a World Cup downhill on Saturday. DJ LeMahieu Jersey . Since coming to the big leagues in late May, La Stella is 6 for 7 with the bases loaded, driving in 13 runs in those at-bats.BOSTON - First, a warning: There will be no in-depth statistical analysis here of what happened at Fenway Park on Sunday night. There will be no attempt to affirm, or deny, the existence of the clutch hitter in baseball and whether David Ortiz fits the bill. Instead, there will be the celebration of a moment, or a series of moments, in an epic game of what has the makings of being an epic American League Championship Series. The experience, sitting in the right field auxiliary press box, began before the first pitch. Flat-screen televisions are fastened to the top of the green beams supporting the second deck. Early arrivers sat, necks craned, glued to the last-minute, game-winning touchdown drive Tom Brady was completing down the road in Foxborough. When receiver Kenbrell Thompkins caught the pass to secure a 30-27 win over the New Orleans Saints, a raucous cheer went up, surely a strange scene for the handful of Detroit Tigers who remained on the field at the end of batting practice. Less than an hour later, Game 2 began. Mathematically speaking it wasnt a must-win game for the Red Sox, but Justin Verlander is on deck for the Tigers in Tuesdays Game 3 and to be down a couple and heading to Detroit, well, you get the picture. Having been one-hit by Anibal Sanchez and four Tigers relievers in a 1-0 loss to open the series the night before, Bostons hitters picked up where they left off. Detroits Max Scherzer was every bit the Cy Young Award winner hes likely to be. He struck out two Red Sox in each of the first three innings, racked up another strikeout and a double play in the fourth and another strikeout in the fifth. At that point, Scherzer had yet to allow a hit. In the meantime, the Tigers had scored a run in the second on a Victor Martinez double and Alex Avila RBI single. Then came the sixth, when Detroit batted around, scoring four runs on five hits and chasing Red Sox starter Clay Buchholz from the game. Detroit led 5-0. Scherzer was more than halfway toward a no-hitter. It was happening again, just like the night before, except the deficit was much larger. With no ghosts of Ruth, Gehrig, DiMaggio and Mantle to draw upon, Boston would later find out that the living, in this case the lone holdover from both the 2004 and 2007 championship teams, would create a special moment. The Red Sox got on the board with one out in the sixth when Shane Victorino singled, ending Scherzers no-hit bid, before Dustin Pedroia doubled him home. In thhe blink of an eye Boston had scored a run and pieced together two hits in a game – new ground for the home side in this young series.dddddddddddd And its worth mentioning, when Victorino singled the crowd roared. But they werent mocking the dry Red Sox offence; they were trying to spurn them on. As Pedroias at-bat played out, a hearty “Lets Go Red Sox” chant filled Fenway. Give the fans an inch and theyll attempt to take the mile, or at the very least remind the local heroes who has their backs. Scherzer worked a clean seventh, the score was still 5-1, and his night was finished. Cue the eighth, which proved to be the return of the Tigers not-so-vaunted bullpen. The four-headed monster of Joaquin Benoit, Drew Smyly, Jose Veras and Al Alburquerque did a fine job in Game 1. Sunday evening, not so much. Veras started the inning getting Stephen Drew on a ground out. But then, Will Middlebrooks doubled. Tigers manager Jim Leyland went into matchup mode, calling for the left-handed Smyly to deal with the left-handed Jacoby Ellsbury. Except, in what was the pivotal at-bat in the inning before the heroics, Smyly walked Bostons centrefielder. Alburquerque was summoned and struck out Shane Victorino but then allowed a single to Pedroia, loading the bases with two outs for Ortiz. Leyland had left-hander Phil Coke, who hadnt pitched in a big league game since September 18, and his closer, the right-hander Benoit, warming in the bullpen. Leyland elected Benoit. Benoits first pitch to Ortiz, a changeup, was sent on a line over the right-centerfield wall and into the Red Soxs bullpen. Ortizs good friend, Tigers right fielder Torii Hunter, launched himself over the short fence in an attempt to make the catch, but to no avail. The game was tied 5-5. The crowd erupted. Many more of them, and much louder, than had bellowed during batting practice when Brady launched his game-winning touchdown pass. Ortiz had authored yet another moment in his sparkling Red Sox career, cemented an inning later when Jarrod Saltalamacchias walk off single scored Jonny Gomes with the winning run. Again, pandemonium. After everything, boil it down and the series is tied at a game apiece with the venue shifting to Comerica Park on Tuesday afternoon. Much has been made of this first-ever playoff matchup between two of baseballs iconic franchises, these Red Sox and Tigers. Buckle up, its just getting started. Looks like the first times a charm. ' ' '