Adams' Counsellor On World Cup Standby
Shearer's Not For Sale, Claim Newcastle
Durie Out Of Friendly
Hoddle's Playing By Numbers
Shilton: 'Play Gazza'
Owen Pays Tribute To Shearer
All The Premiership News
Division One News
Divisions Two And Three
Scottish News Round-Up
Hagi: Romania Can Win
Japan Fly Out
Croatia Draft Fresh Faces
Del Piero 'On Course'
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Friday 29 May 1998
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 News 4 
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FOOTBALL SHORTS
All The News From Your Club
PREMIERSHIP
PREMIER CLUBS 'WANT PAY-PER-VIEW' SAYS MAN UNITED CHIEF
THE introduction of pay-per-view broadcasting to Premiership football next season is set to receive a collective thumbs-up from the chairmen of Premiership clubs, who are discussing the proposals from BSkyB at their annual two-day meeting in Leicester. And Manchester United chairman Martin Edwards has carried out his own telephone straw poll of chairmen which he claims indicates that most are in favour of the idea.
Under BSkyB's plan, five Premiership fixtures would remain on Saturdays, with four moving to Sundays and one, as usual, on Monday nights. Games would cost roughly £10 to watch, and clubs are projected to earn up to £1.2m each season from the scheme, depending on how often they are featured.
Of the four games on Sundays, three would be screened on a pay-per-view basis. These games will feature the cream of each weekend's action with the result that the likes of United, Arsenal, Liverpool and Chelsea will find themselves playing even more games on Sundays. Edwards said: "I'm confident that the proposals will go through. My own research shows that the majority of clubs are in favour of the idea." The Football Supporters Association has already attacked the proposals, while the Independent Manchester United Supporters Association (IMUSA) is also against the plan.
The system is already in place in France, where the fixture schedule is less split up than in England, meaning that every team's games can be watched on pay-per-view. When one game is moved to a different day, it is shown on Canal+, the equivalent of Sky. In Italy, only one fixture each week is moved by pay TV to a different time, played on Sunday night rather than the afternoon, while in Spain the major games are spread across the weekend by Canal+.
CHARLTON ATHLETIC
The Premier new boys have appointed Keith Peacock as assistant manager to Alan Curbishley. Peacock spent his entire playing career at Charlton and was reserve team boss, leading the team to their first Avon Combination title for more than 40 years this season.
LEEDS UNITED
Club chairman Peter Ridsdale yesterday urged Bolton to sit down and thrash out a deal for wantaway midfielder Alan Thompson. Ridsdale has already handed Bolton a written bid for the 24-year-old, believed to be around £3.5m, which falls a long way short of manager Colin Todd's £5m evaluation.
Thompson has also expressed his interest in moving to Elland Road, with the lure of UEFA Cup competition next season a major incentive for the former England Under-21 international.
Although Leicester and Aston Villa are also apparently keen to sign Thompson, Leeds are believed to be the only club who have so far tabled an offer. This has led Ridsdale to issue a 'let's talk' plea over a player who has activated a clause in his contract allowing him to leave following the club's relegation to the Nationwide League and has another clause which would let him leave the Reebok Stadium for a maximum £3.5m from September 1.
Ridsdale said: ''We have put in a written offer and, to the best of my knowledge, we are the only ones that have done so. But we have heard nothing back from the club or the player.
''It doesn't meet their evaluation, but, in our opinion, it meets ours and they are very clear that we are interested. I wouldn't expect them to talk to anybody else without talking to us again. We are led to believe he is interested in playing for a club that's playing in Europe and I would like to think we are a big enough club to attract someone like Alan Thompson.
''My message to them is: We have made an offer, if we are the only ones who have done so, let's sit down and talk. If they require some sort of flexibility, lets talk about that and see where we get to."
LEICESTER CITY
Captain Steve Walsh has slammed speculation that he could replace Martin O'Neill in the Filbert Street hotseat. O'Neill is planning crisis talks with the club's hierachy in the next few days after expressing serious concerns about the sweeping boardroom changes that have been made. Walsh is among the names being touted to succeed O'Neill if he decides to quit but the 33-year-old defender insisted: "It's all nonsense. I wouldn't take the job even if it was offered."
NEWCASTLE UNITED
Kenny Dalglish has agreed to sign the 26-year-old Panathinaikos midfielder Yorgos Yoryadis for a reported fee of £420,000. According to sources in Greece, the attacking right-sided midfielder has already been over to England, passed a medical and committed himself to the Magpies next season. Yoryadis, who scored nine goals in 31 appearances last season for his club, is a talented attacking player who has an eye for a goal. He'll join fellow Greek international Nikos Dabizas on Tyneside. Dalglish has already been all over Europe looking at players to strengthen his squad. He was in Denmark at the weekend, watching Danish
Under-21 defender Martin Laursen playing for his club Silkeborg, while he is also believed to be ready to move for Sheffield United's £1.5m-rated Wayne Quinn, a player who shone in the FA Cup semi-final clash between the two clubs at Old Trafford.
NOTTINGHAM FOREST
The club will break the £10m wage barrier for the first time next season after negotiating new contracts with skipper Colin Cooper, Chris Bart-Williams, Kevin Campbell and Scot Gemmill. The club hope to make three or four new signings during the summer as they prepare for a return to the top flight. This, along with the salaries already enjoyed by top players like Steve Stone, one of the club's top earners, will see the players' wage bill rocket from £7.5m last season to £10m.
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DIVISION ONE NEWS
GRIMSBY TOWN
Mariners boss Alan Buckley has released four players as the club prepares for the new season in Division One. Full back Kevin Jobling, striker Neil Woods, keeper Jason Pearcey and utility player Ashley Fickling have all been shown the door. Jobling, 30, has played around 250 league games for the Mariners and was on the bench for the Division Two Play-Off Final victory over Northampton at Wembley
SUNDERLAND
Manager Peter Reid is planning to offer new contracts to the young players who helped take the club to the brink of promotion. Reid wants to secure the futures of players such as Jody Craddock, Darren Williams, Darren Holloway and Allan Johnston. He said: ''I've assembled a good squad and want to be involved with the majority of them for a long time.''
WOLVERHAMPTON WANDERERS
Robbie Keane is hoping to be given the green light to miss part of the club's pre-season build-up. Keane wants to play for the Republic of Ireland in the European Youth Championships in Cyprus in July although it will cut across Wolves' pre-season programme. Keane, 17, has rapidly developed cult status in the Republic after the stunning start to his senior international career with Mick McCarthy's side. Ireland's youth teams have had such success in the last year that Keane wants to be part of another serious challenge for honours.
MOLINEUX will have a reduced capacity for high profile games next season. The police have asked that the front row of 250 seats in the upper tier of the John Ireland Stand be kept empty when visiting supporters are seated below. Managing director John Richards said: ''Concern has been expressed at away fans being spat at or having objects thrown at them.''
DIVISIONS TWO AND THREE NEWS
DIVISION TWO
GILLINGHAM
Chairman Paul Scally says up to £800,000 will be available for new players following the sale of Ade Akinbiyi and Jimmy Corbett. The Gills have already secured the services of Plymouth midfielder Mark Saunders on a free transfer, but are talking to a clutch of players who they hope will sign in the next few weeks. Boss Tony Pulis has been linked with transfer-listed Brentford striker Robert Taylor and his former Griffin Park team mate Carl Asaba, now at Reading.
MANCHESTER CITY
Defender Kit Symons has pulled out of Wales' trip to Malta and Tunisia after his wife gave birth to their first child. Symons became a father just hours after being called up by Wales manager Bobby Gould because of the injury to Mark Bowen. ''He is very excited and naturally we have released him from next week's matches,'' said Gould.
NORTHAMPTON TOWN
Dutch striker Ray Van Dullemen has parted company with the Division Two play-off finalists. Boss Ian Atkins has allowed Van Dullemen to leave the club after making only two early-season appearances as a substitute during his one season at Sixfields. Van Dullemen had a spell on loan to Kettering Town.
DIVISION THREE
BRIGHTON & HOVE ALBION
Manager Brian Horton has signed a new one-year contract with the club. The former Hull, Oxford, Manchester City and Huddersfield boss took over from Steve Gritt 13 weeks ago. ''We've done a 12-month deal because it's a big year for the club. Not only do we need to get back to Brighton, at Withdean Stadium, we need to get some new players in and also make the club a lot better than it has been over the last couple of years,'' said Horton. When Horton replaced Gritt he made it clear the key to his future with the club lies in the club winning permission to return to play in Sussex next season.
THOSE chances were boosted when Brighton directors told campaign group WISH fans camapigning for Albion to play at Withdean - on Wednesday night that they have found half the funding needed to build a new ground. Supporters' spokesman Paul Whelch said: "The club identified ways in which they would expect to fund the new stadium development once they moved out of Withdean. That's very good news." The club are hoping to build a new sports complex with Sussex County Cricket Club.
CHESTER CITY
Striker John Murphy has pledged his immediate future to the club by agreeing a new one year deal. City boss Kevin Ratcliffe is now only waiting for Nick Richardson and Matt Woods to consider new offers, as he shapes his squad for next season. ''John has come on leaps and bounds and I want to start off with him up front next season. It's great he has signed,'' confirmed Ratcliffe.
SWANSEA CITY
Former Walsall player-coach Derek Mountfield is hoping to fill a similar position with Swansea. Mountfield has applied for the post as he seeks to find a new position after being axed by Walsall in the wake of their appointment of Ray Graydon as the club's new manager earlier this month. The former Everton and Aston Villa central defender hopes to combine a playing and coaching role and he has also applied for a number of other positions.
TORQUAY UNITED
Head coach Kevin Hodges has taken a giant strides in keeping his Wembley Third Division Play-Off Final side together. Hodges has been in contract talks with his senior players all week and has managed to secure the signature of five of them so far. Goalkeeper Ken Veysey, midfielders Gary Clayton and Chris Leadbitter, full-back Andy Gurney and targetman Andy McFarlane have all re-signed new one-year deals to stay at Plainmoor. Veteran keeper Veysey missed out on the Wembley final through suspension but Hodges has already signed teenage keeper Matthew Gregg, who played at Wembley and fellow youngsters Kevin Hill, Tony Bedeau, Leon Hapgood and Steve Tully.
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SCOTTISH NEWS
ROUND-UP
ABERDEEN
Stewart Milne has outlined his commitment by agreeing to become chairman of the Pittodrie club. The building magnate, who has been Executive Vice-Chairman for the past 18 months, replaces Ian Donald who reverts to Vice-Chairman. Milne was subjected to criticism last season as the club slumped badly under then manager Roy Aitken and supporters urged him to take a more active role. Following Aitken's dismissal however and the appointment of Scotland assistant boss Alex Miller as his replacement the team improved markedly to lift clear of relegation difficulty. Milne's first intention is to gain shareholders' agreement on June 19 for the raising of an extra £4m of equity share capital for the funds to make the club a force in the new Scottish Premiership. He said: "In order to compete at the highest level, it is vital we invest in the player squad we have here at Pittodrie and, equally importantly, in the infrastructure that supports performance on the field. On this front, we plan to commit more resources into our already successful youth development programme and into new training facilities to support football at all levels within the club."
CELTIC
Forgotten striker Tommy Johnson admitted yesterday that he would have left Parkhead if head coach Wim Jansen had stayed there. Now the Dutchman has quit, Johnson is hoping to start his Celtic career again from scratch. When asked to describe his year, Johnson, who cost £2.3m when Tommy Burns bought him from Aston Villa in March 1997, said: ''In a word, nightmare. I played the first game, got a hernia and it was no comment after that really. When I came back I had about six months playing for the reserves because the gaffer never fancied me and then I got a knee injury. When I got back to full fitness I had a few arguments with Wim about whether I was fit enough. He didn't rate me as a player, but that was his decision and we still won the League." Jansen left him on the sidelines until coming on as a substitute in the 5-1 win over Dunfermline on February 25. But to sum up his miserable campaign, Johnson collected a serious knee injury, ironically injuring himself as he was about to convert a near-open goal, and needed to be replaced within minutes of coming on. ''I want to stay as there is now a new man coming in," said Johnson. "If Wim Jansen had stopped there was there is no way I would have stayed. I will be starting from scratch again now. It looked best in all interests that I was going to leave and play somewhere else, but now Wim has gone I can start again.If the new manager does not like me then so be it I will go back down to England, but I want to show the supporters the best of my capabilities."
DUNDEE
The Dark Blues have joined their city neighbours, United, in the chase for Scotland Under-21 international Grant Brebner. St Johnstone are also after the Manchester United midfielder, who are open to offers. But Brebner is a lifelong Hibs fan and he must decide whether to return to Easter Road, where he spent a loan spell this year, and play First Division football or opt for one of three Scottish Premiership teams.
MEANWHILE, Rangers' Stephen Wright, one of the names linked with the Dark Blues, looks set to be heading, instead, for France. Two as yet unnamed clubs want to take the former Scotland and Aberdeen full back across the Channel and he is keen on the idea.
DUNDEE UNITED
France continues to look the likeliest destination for former United midfielder Ray McKinnon. Auxerre are prepared to offer him a contract without requiring a trial and a deal should be reached in the near future.
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