Football: Ruling on Dalglish cash

THREE LEADING legal minds will decide if the former Newcastle United manager, Kenny Dalglish, resigned or was sacked. They will also rule on his claims for compensation.

Dalglish departed from Newcastle two games into the season, and is now demanding compensation for the remaining two years on his contract, believed to be worth around pounds 600,000, plus a pounds 2.5m bonus.

Shortly after his departure, the club insisted that Dalglish had stepped down, and that they were reluctant to lose him.

Oxford United's future is in doubt after John Gunn, the leader of a consortium looking to buy the club, withdrew from talks.

The consortium had signed a conditional contract to buy the 89.2 per cent shareholding belonging to the former Oxford chairman, Robin Herd, and were proposing to restart work on a stadium on the outskirts of the city.

A statement from Oxford United blamed "hostile local press coverage", but Gunn said, "I was told facts about Oxford United's financial position which were not correct."

Sheffield Wednesday are hoping to sign the Dutch striker, Michael Mols, for around pounds 3m. Wednesday's manager, Danny Wilson, watched and hopes to push through a movem for one of the most prolific forwards in the Netherlands.