CELTIC'S HOOP SCHEMES
Celtic are trying to tempt Craig Brown to quit as Scotland boss after the World Cup and lead them into next season's Champions League. Brown's contract with the SFA runs for another two years but, depending on events in France, he could feel he has gone as far as he can go after four years in charge and may be tempted by the Bhoys' offer. He knows he would be given a stack of cash to continue the job that Wim Jansen started and, having had so much European experience at national level, he would surely love a crack at winning club football's biggest prize.
Another manager possibly on the move is Sammy McIlroy, the former Manchester United midfielder has worked wonders to take Macclesfield from the Vauxhall Conference to the Second Division in just two years, but is known to be unsettled and could end up at Burnley as Chris Waddle's replacement.

RETURN OF THE MACS
Two of Scotland's biggest names of the past decade could be set to quit the high life and return to their roots. These sort of moves are always dubbed as ‘emotional homecoings', but whether Stuart McCall and Brian McClair will view them quite like that is anyone's guess. After all, McCall could be heading from Rangers to Bradford, while ‘Choccy' McClair may be poised to swap Manchester United for Motherwell, where he learned his trade. The 35-year-old is available on a free and bigger fish could still come in for him.
McCall has a year to run on his Ibrox contract and new manager Dick Advocaat has told him he can stay. But the little ginger battler isn't likely to fancy his role as that of nothing more than a squad player, and Bradford have been locked in talks with Rangers, who quoted an initial fee of £300,000. If the clubs can agree a price, and McCall can negotiate personal terms, he could be back in Yorkshire by early next week.
But there could be other offers in the pipeline. Apparently, a well-known girl band are looking for a feisty little red-head!

HOU'S THE NEW TARGET FOR WEDNESDAY?
Sheffield Wednesday are ready to follow Arsenal's lead by going French in their search for a new manager. Having seen the Gunners sweep all before them this season, the Wednesday board believe that the key to success is a Frenchman at the helm and they have targeted former national manager Gerard Houllier as that man.
Obviously there's a bit more to it than that - like having good players - which might be where the Hillsborough masterplan starts to unravel, but they are pushing ahead anyway, and Houllier certainly has impressive credentials. He is currently technical director in the French national set-up, having coached the side between 1982 and 1994, and previously steered Paris St Germain to the French league title in 1986. He also speaks fluent English having been a schoolteacher in Liverpool, although that sounds like a contradiction in terms to The Knowledge! He is said to be keen to test himself in the Premiership and Wednesday are ready to give him his chance.
The Owls do have a target slightly closer to home in case their bid to lure Monsiuer Houllier across the channel fails - Charlton's Alan Curbishley. However, he has been offered a hefty new deal to stay and an £8m transfer kitty and help the freshly-reported Londoners avoid an instant return to the Nationwide.

FLO TO GO
Tor Andre Flo has a case of the blues after hearing that Chelsea have added Pierluigi Casiraghi to the Stamford Bridge strike force. The big Norwegian was looking forward to really establishing himself at the Bridge next season, especially if, as seems likely, Mark Hughes does leave. But after Casiraghi's arrival he fears he could be left out in the cold. One possible escape route would take him to Hertha Berlin, where his Norwegian international teammate Tjetl Rekdal is assistant manager. Rekdal said: Yes, we want him and we will pay up to £4m for him.

GREGORY GOES BRUSSELS SCOUTING
Aston Villa are chasing Belgian defender Gordan Vidovic as a replacement for Bosman free agent Steve Staunton, but face opposition from West Ham. The Mouscron centre-half, 29, has a clause in his contract enabling him to leave his club for only £1.25m during the summer, and
Villa boss John Gregory was expected to be in Casablanca to watch him deal with the England attack in last night's friendly. West Ham look likely to lose homesick David Unsworth this summer and see Vidovic as a capable replacement.

CAMACHO'S THE MAN
Real Madrid are lining up their former defensive hero Jose Antonio Camacho for what is surely the toughest job in world football. As was widely expected, coach Jupp Heynckes has been sacked despite winning the European Cup, his failings in the League Madrid finished a mere fourth - cost him dearly and president Lorenzo Sanz said the decision had been taken before the final in Amsterdam, regardless of the result .
Now Camacho, who is currently in charge at Espanyol, is tipped for the position, although other candidates are said to include Lazio's Sven Goran Eriksson, Morten Olsen of Ajax and Arsenal's double-winning boss Arsene Wenger. Mind you, whether any of them would be too keen to give up secure jobs to join such an organisation must be open to question.

BERGER TO GO FOR BENFICA
Benfica boss Graeme Souness is poised to spend some more dosh even though the Portuguese giants still haven't coughed up the last lot they ‘spent'. President Joao Azevado has now raised the funds to pay Manchester United the money he owes them for Karel Poborsky, and to pay Sheffield United for Brian Deane.
That means Souness can start spending again, and he'll back in England to do it. He'll be able to get on his target for nothing, Leeds striker Rod Wallace is available on a Bosman free transfer, but the Portuguese giants will have to hand Liverpool a cheque for several millions to land the unsettled Patrick Berger. And The Kopites will want to be sure that they get their money up front, too.