Everton focus on Leverkusen coach

Christoph Daum, a leading German coach, has emerged as a surprise candidate to become the new manager of Everton. Daum has helped Bayer Leverkusen contest the Bundesliga title race with Bayern Munich and German sources revealed that he has been in contact with Peter Johnson, the Everton chairman.

Daum is regarded as one of Germany's finest coaches. He has won the championship with Stuttgart and, significantly, he is on good terms with Jurgen Klinsmann, the world-class striker who is unsettled at Bayern Munich. Johnson is keen to recruit Klinsmann and the possibility of Daum being manager might help those negotiations.

Kenny Dalglish has assured Peter Beardsley he still has a future as a Newcastle United player, but has told the 36-year-old club captain not to expect to be involved in every game.Beardsley, who has another year to run on his contract has not started a game for Newcastle since he was substituted during the Uefa Cup defeat in Monaco in March.

Dalglish said: "Peter asked me recently if he still had a part to play as a player for Newcastle. I told him he had but that he would perhaps not be used as often as he would like. I'm certainly not going to tell him to pack in playing."

Mick McCarthy is prepared to call up Macclesfield's Chris Byrne for the Republic of Ireland's World Cup squad. McCarthy saw the midfielder score a hat-trick in the 4-1 victory at Kettering on Saturday that earned Macclesfield promotion to the Football League. McCarthy was impressed enough by Byrne to request paperwork that proves the 21-year-old is eligible.

Hereford's relegation into the GM Vauxhall Conference has been confirmed after the League's bottom side were briefly given hope of a reprieve. The Football League are expected to discuss recommendations to invite 16 Conference clubs into a regionalised Third Division, but a League spokesman said yesterday that nothing would be decided in time for the coming season.

Southampton's plans to move to a new pounds 30m stadium are in doubt after the Liberal Democrats, who approved the project, lost control of Hampshire County Council to the Conservatives at the local election. The new Tory leader designate, Fred Emery-Wallace, has ordered a full review of the plans as soon as possible.