All change at the Bridge: Dutchman ditched as breakdown in pay talks opens player-manager's door for Italian striker Vialli

Most Chelsea supporters who gathered at Stamford Bridge yesterday were bewildered by Ruud Gullit's departure. However, Gianluca Vialli's appointment was generally well received.

Number 14 down in yesterday's crossword was "prophesy for heretic with ecstasy" (13). Solve it, and then try to say correct spelling does not matter. It's not "ecstasy" that is the test. Getting its three tricky consonants right is not ultimately a matter of life and death. Ecstasy is only the current settled spelling of a word that has historically bounced around. If all those who ingest the fashionable drug were to decide to spell it once again with an "x", doubtless in time the convention would change and nobody would be the worse for it. One of the delights of English is its malleability. "Prophesy" however is different matter. For a start, the crossword clue does not work unless you know that prophesy is a verb - "prophecy" (the noun) would have given a different solution. Here is a prime instance where conservatism is the friend of precision, where linguistic laxity leads to loss of meaning. And to those who failed to complete the crossword, the answer is the verb "prognosticate".

On 17 January 1996, Newcastle United, playing at home, were knocked out of the FA Cup by Chelsea.

Ruud Gullit learned the hard way yesterday that Manchester United are on a different planet. So different, says Ken Jones that winning the FA Cup, European Cup and Premiership this season is well within their sphere.

Our top 20 Premiership players of 1997

Boyd Tonkin looks for the publishing highlights of early 1998, with a glimpse of six new novels to watch

THE GAFFER TAPES

...as imagined by the Evening Standard's Peter Bradshaw who is, in turn, parodied by our own Kathy Marks

Four of the Premiership's top five meet today in a programme that will help define who are best suited to challenge Manchester United. Guy Hodgson looks at the weekend ahead, while Nick Harris (below) analyses the programme match by match.

Politics is an unforgiving game. One day you are changing history, overseeing the end of the Cold War, bringing down the Berlin Wall and getting to keep the nuclear button by your bed. Next thing you know you're lining up with the likes of Pamela Anderson and Gareth Southgate to appear in a fast-food commercial.

Tottenham Hotspur have found a replacement for their underachieving manager, Gerry Francis.

Mike Rowbottom

When he was a member of the Crazy Gang Dennis Wise revelled in his image as a cheeky Cockney chappy who was always in the thick of the action. And he continued to live up to his wild reputation when he left Wimbledon for Chelsea.