News: Furious row between manager and chairman ended John Gregory's reign at Aston Villa yesterday and opened the door for George Graham's return to top-flight club management.

The Villa manager had the last word in his often tempestuous relationship with Doug Ellis last night by tendering his resignation. A Villa statement said Gregory's departure after four years in charge had been amicable and that the 46-year-old needed a break from the pressures of football management.

Rows between the pair were nothing new, of course. Indeed, Gregory's frequent public criticisms of Ellis plus at least one dismal sequence of results from his team per season always made him a likely candidate for the sack from a chairman infamous for parting company with his managers.

But Gregory's decision to leave, especially with Villa beginning to mount a realistic challenge to qualify for European competition, came as a huge shock to the club.

Gregory had been due to attend an FA disciplinary hearing yesterday afternoon in connection with his sending off during the match at home to Liverpool on St Stephen's Day when he had taken issue with the officials' decisions.

In the event he cancelled his appearance at short notice citing sickness at home. The real reason only began to emerge during the evening.

The players reacted to his departure with equal measures of shock and disappointment. The club captain, Paul Merson, said: "A friend rang me and said 'put on the text' and that's how I found out about John going. It's a big surprise and John has not given the impression of being unhappy.

"Is it frustration at things at the club? You'll have to ask him (Gregory) and the chairman those sort of things. All I know is that I am sad to see him go because he has been a brilliant manager for me."

In a statement released by the club, Ellis said that he wished his erstwhile manager all the best and added that he would "always be welcome at Villa Park".

In resigning, it seems that Gregory has effectively written off the rest of his £31.5 million sterling contract. That had 18 months to run and the fact that Villa had yet to open negotiations with Gregory over renewing it was another source of speculation that his days were numbered.

Further fuel was added to the uncertainty over his job prospects recently when a story appeared that Ellis had approached the former Holland manager and Barcelona coach Louis Van Gaal to take over from Gregory. Ellis immediately rang his manager to refute the story.

In the meantime Villa, who do not gave a game until next Wednesday after being knocked out of the FA Cup by Manchester United, will be under the charge of Gregory's assistant John Deehan and first team coach Stuart Gray.

Meanwhile, the Rangers director of football Dick Advocaat will be named today as Holland's new manager, two weeks after he was forced to turn down the post to remain in Glasgow.

But confusion surrounds exactly what his role will be, as Rangers insisted last night that he will remain in his position for the foreseeable future while sources in Holland claimed that he is to give it up.

Lazio defender Jaap Stam, has been banned for five months for failing a drug test. The Dutch international intends to appeal but it is another setback in his career, following his acrimonious exit from Old Trafford.

Stam was found guilty by the Italian FA of taking the banned steroid nandrolone. He was also fined €50,000.

But the ruling body rejected an Italian Olympic Committee (Coni) recommendation of an eight-month ban.

David Ginola's miserable season continued when the Aston Villa midfielder was banned for two matches and fined £22,000 sterling by the English FA after a touchline confrontation in the defeat by Leicester last month.