EVERTON WERE in turmoil yesterday after their lengthy search for a manager went back to square one. Just 24 hours before he was scheduled to be named as their fifth manager in just seven years, the club's former player Andy Gray unexpectedly announced he was to remain with Sky Television.

At present Gray earns £180,000 a year from Sky, a salary which was due to rise to £250,000 per year on August 1st. The offer which Gray found himself unable to refuse on Sunday night was that of a new, four year deal worth £2 million.

Had Gray taken the Everton job he would have earned around £2.5 million over the same four year period but, significantly, there would have been no guarantee of him seeing out his term in office.

"In my heart I wanted to manage Everton," said Gray. "In many ways it would have been the realisation of a dream but, increasingly over the weekend, my head had been telling me different things."

Predictably, Everton chairman Peter Johnson was furious yesterday. "I simply cannot believe that people are prepared to behave in this manner," he said.

Meanwhile, Southampton yesterday named Stockport's Dave Jones as their new manager.