Leeds hike season ticket cost: Leeds United have gone down but there is no chance of their ticket prices doing likewise. As if it were not galling enough that Manchester United, Arsenal and Chelsea have been replaced by Plymouth, Rotherham and Crewe on next season's fixture list, some fans face a 27.1 per cent hike in season-ticket prices for the privilege of watching First Division football.
Despite the poorer quality of opposition, not to mention the fact that Alan Smith, Mark Viduka and most of the other star names will be plying their trade elsewhere, season-ticket holders in parts of the West Stand will have to pay £669, compared with the £550 it cost them for the current campaign.
Reid goes to Coventry: Former Leeds United, Sunderland and Manchester City boss Peter Reid was confirmed as the new manager of English first division club Coventry City yesterday. Reid will replace Eric Black, who was sacked earlier this week because of what the club described as his team's inconsistent results. "The only way we could think of going forward was . . . going for a manager of the calibre of Peter Reid," Coventry chairman Mike McGinnity said.
McCarthy linked to Korea post: Sunderland manager Mick McCarthy is a surprise entry on a list of 10 foreign coaches drawn up by the Korea Football Association (KFA) as potential candidates to fill the shoes of Humberto Coelho, who left last month. The list released yesterday also includes Portugal coach Luiz Felipe Scolari, former Turkey coach Senol Gunes and Bruno Metsu, who led Senegal to the quarter-finals of the 2002 World Cup. Tunisia coach Roger Lemerre, former Brazil coach Vanderley Luxemburgo and former Argentina captain Daniel Passarella are also on the list of prospective candidates the KFA intends to approach. Former Real Madrid coach Vicente Del Bosque and Fatih Terim, who resigned from Turkish side Galatasaray earlier this year, complete the list.
Larsson back in the fold: Henrik Larsson's return to the international fold was confirmed yesterday when he was named in the Sweden squad for Euro 2004. The Celtic striker announced last week he would make himself available for the summer tournament after a campaign led by UEFA president Lennart Johansson. Larsson has not played for the Scandinavians since a Euro 2004 qualifier against Hungary last April.
Sweden squad for the Euro 2004 finals: Isaksson (Djurgarden), Kihlstedt (FC Copenhagen), Hedman (Celtic), Svensson (Southampton), Mellberg (Aston Villa), Lucic (Bayer Leverkusen), Edman (Heerenveen), Mjallby (Celtic), Jakobsson (Brondby), Wahlstedt (Helsingborg), Hansson (Heerenveen), Ljungberg (Arsenal), Kallstrom (Rennes), Svensson (Southampton), Linderoth (Everton), Wilhelmsson (Anderlecht), Nilsson (Halmstad), Andersson (Belenenses), Farnerud (Strasbourg), Larsson (Celtic), Ibrahimovic (Ajax), Allback (Aston Villa), Jonson (Brondby)
In brief . . . Lazio's Dutch international defender Jaap Stam has agreed to join Italian champions AC Milan, the player's agent said . . . Blackpool have parted company with manager Steve McMahon by mutual consent. The former Liverpool midfielder, who had been in charge at Bloomfield Road since January 2000, is leaving to pursue a fresh challenge .
