Football

Bournemouth midfielder Scott Mean, whose pounds 750,000 move to West Ham collapsed in the summer through injury, faces six months on the sidelines after undergoing surgery to reconstruct his knee. The 22-year-old suffered serious ligament damage in training and returned to Dean Court where he is now on a week-to-week contract.

Alloa, the Scottish Third Division side, have moved their Coca-Cola Cup tie against Celtic on 4 September to Partick Thistle's Firhill stadium in Glasgow. The proceeds from a capacity crowd of around 21,000 will help Athletic to almost wipe out the transfer fees which they had been told to pay for four close-season out-of-contract signings.

Plymouth Argyle's Second Division match against Preston North End, originally scheduled to be played on Saturday 31 August, will now take place on Friday 30 August at 7.45 and will be televised by Sky TV.

Cesar Luis Menotti, the former manager Argentina, is to return to football after an absence of nearly two years to take charge of Buenos Aires club Independiente. Menotti, who currently works for a local television station, led Argentina to World Cup victory when they hosted the event in 1978.