Football: Reading part with Quinn and Gooding

John Madejski, the Reading chairman, has pledged that his club's new manager will have to "go it alone'' when he is appointed.

The First Division side yesterday parted company with joint player-managers, Jimmy Quinn and Mick Gooding, after failing to agree new terms with the pair.

The two bosses took over at Elm Park when their former manager Mark McGhee, now with Wolves, left to join Leicester in December 1994 and they guided Reading to the brink of the Premiership after finishing second in the First Division in the year only the top side was automatically promoted.

The Birmingham manager, Trevor Francis, has put his entire staff - 28 professionals - up for sale after finding out that he is to receive less money than he anticipated to bring in new players.