Football: Worthington walks out on Blackpool

NIGEL WORTHINGTON has resigned as manager of Second Division Blackpool after indicating that he had taken the struggling side as far as he could.

The former Northern Ireland defender believed he could not improve his playing staff with the resources he had at his disposal and so has chosen to leave Bloomfield Road.

Blackpool, beaten 2-1 at Arsenal in the FA Cup last week and third from bottom in their division, are expected to name a temporary manager - probably from within the club - while they seek a successor.

West Bromwich have taken "strong" internal disciplinary action against full-back Jason van Blerk and goalkeeper Alan Miller after they were involved in an after-match fracas at Ipswich last Saturday. Van Blerk and Miller fought in the tunnel as they left the pitch following a warm-down session in the wake of Albion's 3-1 defeat at Portman Road.

"The matter has been dealt with," Albion's manager, Brian Little, said. "Strong action has been taken and the players have accepted the discipline and the incident is behind us now." Little stressed that central defender Paul Raven, who was linked with the incident, was acting as a peacemaker.

The Football League has appointed John McKeown as its new chief executive. The 49-year-old joins the League after 25 years' experience in the leisure industry.

In 1987 he joined the board of Allied Breweries as marketing director and was managing director of Allied Domecq Inns until October. McKeown, who has a Leicester City season ticket, was responsible for the team's first shirt sponsorship deal, in 1983.