Peter Shreeves yesterday became the 15th manager to part company with the club where his season started when he resigned from Sheffield Wednesday after only six months in the job.

Shreeves (60), made the decision after Tuesday's 2-1 home defeat by Preston, their seventh loss of the season, and informed the club yesterday morning. His assistant, Terry Yorath, has taken charge for the immediate future.

In his time at Hillsborough, which included three months as caretaker from February, Shreeves won 14 of 43 games, with 16 losses and 13 draws. It will be the club's sixth change of manager in four years. Speculation about his successor will centre on the club's most successful recent manager, Trevor Francis, who left Birmingham on Monday, and the former Derby manager Jim Smith, who was born in the city. It is also expected that the Wednesday midfielder Carlton Palmer will apply for the post.

Meanwhile, former Leicester City manager Peter Taylor has been appointed Brighton boss on a three-year contract. Previous manager Micky Adams left Brighton last week to take up the post of assistant manager to Dave Bassett at Leicester.

Gerard Houllier may remain in intensive care at Liverpool's Broadgreen hospital, but his club are adamant that he will be able to re-take the reins at Anfield in the New Year.

The Liverpool manager continues to make steady progress following open-heart surgery to repair an acute aortic dissection on Saturday. But he has received visitors, including his chairman David Moores, prompting hopes that his absence may not be as prolonged as first feared.

"I expect Gerard to be back in two to three months," said the chief executive Rick Parry yesterday. "He's making very steady progress, which is encouraging."