Wilkinson in frame for FA job

Howard Wilkinson has re-emerged as a candidate for the post of technical director of English football, along with Jan Poulsen, a Dane filling a similar position with his own Football Association. Wilkinson was interviewed for the job more than a year ago but decided then that he wanted to see out the development programme he had planned with Leeds United. The club's new owners decided otherwise, however, and after his recent sacking by Leeds, he has again been talking with the FA.

"We did interview a candidate a week ago on Friday," the FA's chief executive, Graham Kelly, said, but he would not confirm that it was Wilkinson. I understand from a source close to the FA, however, that Wilkinson and Poulsen are the two people Kelly was referring to when he talked recently of potential interviewees. The Crewe Alexandra manager Dario Gradi also still interests the FA.

Wilkinson confirmed he had met Kelly. "I spoke to him in my capacity as chairman of the League Managers' Association about football in general. It is a very important job. Given the right circumstances it has to be the biggest around for years in this country."

Poulsen, 47, manages Denmark's Under-21 team as well as overseeing a scheme which sends club coaches and managers to England for training courses. He has a degree in physical science and is said to be a good communicator well respected within Uefa. He has also been assistant to two Danish national team managers in Richard Moeller Neilsen and Bo Johansson and was his association's observer at Euro 96. As a player Poulsen was a striker in Denmark's First Division and as a manager had a spell with Malmo in Sweden.

One of the FA's first choices for the job - which involves liaising with the England coach Glenn Hoddle and administering a long-term coaching programme for the development of the English game - the Frenchman Gerard Houllier, did indicate that he would be interested but not until after the 1998 World Cup in his country. The FA is unlikely to be prepared to wait that long. "I believe we are making progress in this country but not fast enough," Kelly said. "We have waited two years and to wait two more would give out all the wrong signals.

"There are all sorts of things bubbling with talk of academies and national technical centres and we need the right person to oversee it all, a man who has the respect of the professional game."

Meanwhile, the Football League has made a last-ditch attempt to avoid a players' strike over the television revenue dispute with the Professional Footballers' Association. The results of a union ballot on the issue - a traditional agreement that entitled the union to 10 per cent of any TV deal - were due to be announced yesterday, and were believed to have been heavily in favour of a strike.

But League officials are ready to make the union a new offer early next week and the PFA chief executive, Gordon Taylor, has agreed not to announce the result. Taylor said: "It's an encouraging development but there is the worry that we've been asked to delay in the past and nothing has been forthcoming so we are a bit wary. We hope they're not crying wolf."

A League spokesman said: "Our door has always been open to the PFA. We have tried to provide consultation rather than confrontation and it appears the PFA are coming round to our way of thinking."