That was the weekend that was: Blues see red over programme notes

AS IF watching the match turn against him on a dodgy refereeing decision were not enough, Birmingham's manager Trevor Francis had more than the usual reasons to be fuming after Saturday's defeat at Norwich.

Indeed, his anger reached boiling point even before kick-off after he decided to pass a few moments reading the match programme. Francis was astonished to find himself and his players the butt of a series of jokes purporting to be pen pictures of the Birmingham squad.

The goalkeeper Ian Bennett was likened to "Dracula... because he doesn't like crosses" while the midfielder Martin Grainger was ribbed for "finding space, then putting a telling ball right to the feet of the opposition."

The injured striker Paul Furlong - dubbed "sick note" - was applauded for having private medical insurance "otherwise he'd bankrupt the National Health Service."

The most insensitive joke was aimed at Chris Holland, who was almost blinded in one eye when attacked by ammonia-spraying thugs while playing for Newcastle. After signing for Birmingham, the author remarked, "it appeared his other eye failed to focus."

Amazingly, the writer - Dave Small - is a Birmingham City fan, who edits the Blues fanzine "The Zulu" and was invited by Norwich to provide a run- down on the opposition team.

A radio reporter, Tom Ross, whom Francis invited into the dressing-room, said that the manager was furious at the tone of the article.

"He said the players were sitting round fuming about the article when they should have been preparing for the game," Ross said. "He was not happy at all and can't understand why a Birmingham fan would want to criticise the players in this way."

Leeds spell it out on the Net

THE LEEDS supporters who chanted "stand up, if you want the truth" at White Hart Lane on Saturday might do well to turn to the Internet for clues as to how their club really feels about the prospect of losing George Graham.

While club chairman Peter Ridsdale was insisting - or so one Sunday newspaper would have us believe - that Tottenham would not be allowed to talk to his unsettled employee, the Official Leeds United Website seemed curiously resigned to Graham's departure and, indeed, sympathetic towards his homesickness for London.

Referring to Graham's comments in The Observer, the website said: "After George's admission that he is happy at Leeds United but not settled in Harrogate, separated from his fiancee, family and new grandchild 200 miles away, there now seems to be no way that Leeds United will be able to, or indeed should, hang on to a manger who, talented as he is, would rather be elsewhere."

There were clues about the likely timescale, too... "If Leeds do conclude a deal with Spurs it is likely to happen on Wednesday or Thursday"... and about who will go with him. "With George understood to be keen to enlist the services of another London emigre, David O'Leary, as his No 2, the attention of Chairman Peter Ridsdale and Chief Executive Jeremy Fenn is already focused on gaining compensation, and the recruitment of the next manager."

RUMOURS

In search of the Graham reality

MOST OF the tabloids remain convinced that George Graham is about to be named manager of Tottenham Hotspur, with the News of the World taking the story a stage further and venturing that Graham will want to take David O'Leary as his second-in-command.

Stepping out of line, however, the Mail on Sunday runs a story that the Graham deal is off, extensively quoting the Leeds chairman, Peter Ridsdale, who says that the managerial situation at Tottenham was not discussed during Saturday's visit by Leeds to White Hart Lane and that he has not spoken to his counterpart, Alan Sugar, since last Tuesday. "The time has come to formally state that Spurs cannot speak to George," Ridsdale says.

Arsenal, meanwhile, have their sights on Merseyside, according to both the Mirror and the People, the former suggesting that Arsene Wenger is wondering whether he can tempt Liverpool with pounds 5m plus David Seaman in exchange for Robbie Fowler. The People reckons Wenger's target at pounds 4m is Everton's 18-year-old wing-back Michael Ball but also carries a story that Liverpool, desperate to cut out their defensive howlers, have asked Arsenal about the 36-year-old Steve Bould.

The Express floats the idea that Ruud Gullit might consider swapping his misfit Frenchman Stephane Guivarc'h for the missing Forest forward Pierre van Hooijdonk, despite insisting on another page that Guivarc'h is "almost certain" to leave Newcastle for Paris St-Germain.

The Express also reports that Graham Taylor, who brought Dwight Yorke to England from Trinidad, is offering pounds 250,000 to bring Yorke's 21-year- old international team-mate Stern John, who plays in America's Major League Soccer with Columbus Crew, to Watford.

The People claims that Georgi Kinkladze wants to return to England after only three months with Ajax.

Premiership Team Of The Week

LEE BRISCOE

Sheffield Wednesday

JIMMY FLOYD HASSELBAINK

Leeds United

UGO EHIOGU

Aston Villa

ALAN SHEARER

Newcastle United

BRIAN LAUDRUP

Chelsea

GARETH SOUTHGATE

Aston Villa

KEVIN PRESSMAN

Sheffield Wednesday

JOHN COLLINS

Everton

NDY HUNT

Charlton Athletic

GARETH BARRY

Aston Villa

NOEL WHELAN

Coventry City

Manager of the weekend: George Graham - how clever of him to contrive a diplomatic draw at White Hart Lane.

Performance of the weekend: Bolton Wanderers - demolished erstwhile First Division leaders Huddersfield as if they belonged in another league.

KEY NUMBERS

21

The number of red cards shown in the English and Scottish Leagues on Saturday, 14 of them south of the border.

100

The Premiership wins clocked up by Newcastle with Saturday's Alan Shearer- led defeat of Nottingham Forest.

250

The milestone in League goals reached by Wolves talisman Steve Bull with the 66th-minute strike that beat Bury on Saturday.

750

The senior appearances reached by 39-year-old Forest goalkeeper Dave Beasant at St James' Park, 25 of them for Newcastle.

I TOLD YOU SO

"I want to play for the club. I'm happy in Sheffield."

Paolo Di Canio, before the rush of blood that may end his career in England, let alone Sheffield.

Missing... making it... and mistaken

Sean Dundee

Liverpool

RELEGATED TO fourth striker in the pecking order after Robbie Fowler's early recovery from injury, the South African might feel his pounds 2m summer move from Karlsruhe was a bit of an own goal but Dundee still sees a future at Anfield and rejected the chance to join Auxerre. "I feel down when I see the team bus set off for a match and I'm not involved but then Monday comes round and gives you the chance to start all over again," he said.

Andy Johnson

Birmingham City

HAILED AS the new Trevor Francis, the Bedford-born former Luton Town trainee is just 17 years old but already looks an outstanding prospect - after just four appearances, all as a substitute. Made an impressive debut against Bury earlier this month and has been training with the England Under-18 squad at Lilleshall.

Is punk dead? Not in Sweden, apparently, where Arsenal's new signing Fredrik Ljungberg appears to have modelled himself on the infamous bad boy of the Sex Pistols, Sid Vicious.

THE WEEK AHEAD

Today: Bottom-of-the-table Southampton face a difficult night at West Ham in the Premiership. Best outcome for Dave Jones might be a floodlight failure.

Tomorrow: In the Uefa Cup, tricky ties confront Aston Villa, who take a 3-2 lead to Stromsgodset, Leeds, who go to Maritimo 1-0 up, and Blackburn, faced with a 1-0 deficit in Lyons, but Liverpool, already 3-0 to the good, should cruise through against Kosice and Celtic, leading 2-1, ought to see off Vitoria Guimaraes. In the First Division, the ousted leaders Huddersfield try to bounce back at Stockport, the new leaders Sunderland may come unstuck at Norwich and Bolton should take three more points at home to managerless Swindon.

Wednesday: Arsenal should take three Champions' League points at home to Panathinaikos but Manchester United look vulnerable away to Bayern Munich.

Thursday: Chelsea, leading 1-0, and Newcastle, 2-1 ahead, defend slender Cup-Winners' Cup advantages away to Helsingborg and Partizan Belgrade respectively. Hearts take a 1-0 deficit to Real Mallorca. Rangers are at home to Beitar Jerusalem in the Uefa Cup, the tie level at 1-1.

Saturday: In the Premiership, Aston Villa may stretch their lead at the expense of struggling Coventry, Derby try to stay in touch at home to Tottenham, who may or may not have George Graham at the helm. If he stays put, Graham will turn out Leeds against Leicester.