The Guardian from London, Greater London, England • 14

14 SPORTS MEWS THE GUARDIAN Monday May 25 1992 Taylor in a hole after untimely dig at Lineker David Lacey lines, Taylor's remarks about Lineker's performance were relatively mild. However, the timing of their publication, only four days before the squad fly to Finland for pre-champion-ship training followed by a last warm-up match in Helsinki on Wednesday week, is less than happy and gives the media a juicy bone to gnaw on. England will now enter the final phase of preparation for their first major tournament under Taylor with the press less concerned about the state of Stuart Pearce's knee or John Barnes's groin than the health of the manager's relationship with his captain. Lineker could say that goals are his business and that he does not heed Piatt or anybody else cluttering up the penalty area and attacking the same space. If he is wise, however, he will keep his own counsel and respond to the criticism in kind, namely by adding to the 13 goals he has scored for Taylor in 18 matches.

Should this happen Taylor's little dig will not have been wasted. In the meantime Barnes, who has scored once in three years for England, has been given a last chance to prove himself on the broader international stage by being included in the party for Sweden after coming through a match at Lilleshall on Saturday. Thus there is no place for QPR's Andy Sinton. Yugoslavia, England's first opponents in Sweden, will announce their squad today but have tost their manager Ivica Osim, a Croat bom in Sarajevo, who resigned on Saturday to show solidarity with his besieged birthplace. Ivan Cabrino vic, Osim's assistant steps in.

France are worried about their main goalscorer Jean-Pierre Papin, who has an ankle injury and may miss Wednesday's friendly against Switzerland in Lausanne. eker stemmed not from the fact that the England captain missed a penalty in the Brazil game, and with it a chance to equal Bobby Charlton's international record of 49 goals, but from his overall performance. He thought Lineker had an indifferent game You could argue that we played Brazil with 10 men" with the result that David Piatt, the other front player, was left to do a lot of work on his own, including picking up opponents when England lost the ball. For some time now it has been Taylor's contention that England forwards do not work hard enough to regain possession but this is the first tune the finger has been pointed directly at Lineker. When the Tottenham striker was left on the bench at the start of the friendly against France, Taylor said he needed to look at alternative strikers in view of Lin-eker's decision to retire from international football after the European Championship.

Lineker had announced his multi-million-pound move to the new Japanese League next year shortly after scoring the late goal in Poznan that gained England the point they needed to qualify for Sweden. Grateful though Taylor was, you had the feeling that he was rankled by the glibness of the exit scene scripted for Lineker: beat Charlton's record, play in the European Championship, bow out, make millions To Lineker's popularity as a player must be added the general respect he has won with the way he has conducted himself after learning that his baby son George had leukaemia. Taylor's observation that "it's almost as if Gary is a national institution who cannot be touched" is another way of saying that icons do not necessarily win matches. Despite the hell-fire head GRAHAM TAYLOR'S criticism of Gary Lineker's performance for England against Brazil in his last appearance at Wembley bears strong echoes of the way Sir Alf Ramsey used to feel about Jimmy Greaves: he scores goals but does not work hard enough for the team. The crucial difference is that when he was England manager Ramsey never went public if he felt this way about one of his players.

On the contrary, he was fiercely protective of his sauad and treated media criti cism with contempt He also haaGeoB Hurst Recently a member of the 1986 World Chip-winning team said he thought that for thoroughness of planning Taylor was the most impressive national manager since Ram sey. However, he md add that whether Taylor would win similar affection from his players remained to be seen. Taylor gives every impres sion that he would prefer the relationship to be purely pla- tome. "You don't fall in love with players," he said recently when asked how difficult it would be to tell certain mem bers of the squad they would not be going to the European Championship. "You respect then: ability but you don't fall in love with them because when it comes to making a choice they'll look after themselves.

Whatever happens in the European Championship they'll come back and get on with club football. I'll have to live with the consequences and take a team into the World Cup." Taylor remarks about Lin- Swimming Going up the Stockport captain, David Frain, watches bis Peterborough counterpart, Mick Halsall, rise to the occasion at Wembley League play-offs, Third Division: Peterborough United 2, Stockport County 1 Sterling's wriggling and twisting became more significant for Peterborough after the break. Barnes won a corner On the right and delivered it to the near post where Charlery rose above two defenders to glance the ball on to the underside of a post It bounced down and, after a moment's uncertainty, the linesman ruled it had crossed the line. Francis appeared to have equalised 15 minutes later when he stooped at the far post, to bury a header after Preece had nodded on, but the linesman flagged for a dubious offside. tormenting the left-back Lee Todd, with one ferocious shot deflected just wide.

After five minutes it was Barnes's cross, headed on by Sterling, which was chested down by Charlery but blasted over. But the flying boots took over, the ball was pumped down the channels and the game was in a rut Stockport, possessor of the 6ft 7in Kevin Francis, should have benefited from the shift; he won a succession of corners before half-time and, from one of them, he saw the ball taken off his head by a team-mate Tony Barras as he lurked behind. The ball went a foot wide. John Duncan at Wombtoy HE Red Devils dropped on the centre circle before battle was joined. Then the airborne divisions of Peterborough United and Stockport County took over.

Peterborough eventually hit their target, a late gust carrying them into next season's new First Division. A frantic start full of passion and crunching tackles at least offered some excitement Peterborough's Bobby Barnes offered the prospect of some wing play amid the aerial combat, Purvis catches up Second Division: Blackburn Rovers Leicester City Premier prize losing its gloss before the final confrontation Fourth Division: Blackpool 1, Scunthorpe 1 (aet, Blackpool won 4-3 on penalties) Baroiber answers the challenge Dsvfd Hopps In Sherfftstd ITTLE more than a year ago Samantha Purvis feared she would have to retire for medical-reasons; Her doctor advised the Stockton swimmer to take a complete rest after she finished a poor world championship trial on the point of exhaustion with no feeling in her hands and pins and needles in her arms. Purvis at least retained her memories of the 1984 Los Ange les Games where, as a 17-year-old, she qualified for the final of the 200-metres butterfly as third fastest only to finish fifth. Last September, when her fiance returned to the United States, she took to the pool again to "occupy the The startling conclusion of that was yesterday's unchallenged victory in the Uncle Ben's Olympic trials here that will take her to Barcelona. Purvis, who failed to qualify for Seoul four years ago, remains more than two seconds outside her own British record but in at least one respect she has improved.

"For years I FRANK BARON dent man, Turner. "Fifteen or sixteen months ago we were nothing, we're not the best team, we don't play the best football, but we have a go. Stockport's Danny Bergara was less pleased with the out come, "it's goodbye to 61 games and a whole season of sweat and hard work. It's just not fair, that's thousands of pounds in money and thousands of ounces of pride and two decisions go arid ruin a whole season." Peterborouoji United) Barter; Luke, Robinson, Halsall, Robinson. Welsh (Howartti, 7Smin), Sterling, Ebdon, Adcock, Charlery, Barnes.

ttockpert Cmmlm 1 Edwards; Knowles. Todd, Fraki, Barras, Williams, Gannon. Ward (wneeter nl, i-rancts, Beaumont, preece. uooennam "What's to do, they want all the money, that's what's to do," declared the late Bill Fox, the Blackburn chairman and presi dent of the Premier League, when the Premier League row reached its height last summer. He is still being proved right Football faces another long.

hot and acrimonious summer of arguments among accountants, lawyers, businessmen and tele vision executives. This after noon, at least belongs to those who play, manage and watch the game, with Blackburn seeking to justify the 5.5 million spent on players since Kenny Dalglish came out of premature retirement last October to take over at Ewood Park with the multi-million-pound backing of jacK waixer. It is no small irony that the player Dalglish will be counting on for goals today was not regarded as one of his happier buys at Liverpool. David Spee-die was signed by Dalglish's Blackburn predecessor, Don Mackay, last summer when Graeme Soilness off-loaded the abrasive former Chelsea and Coventry striker. Leicester have beaten Blackburn twice in the League this season and under Brian Little have developed the attractive style of passing and movement set up by David Pleat They could defeat Blackburn for pace and organisation but Rovers have better potential match-winners in Speedie and Mike Newell.

mouth's Sheffield-born defender John Beresford. The 25-year-old, who has always wanted to play for his hometown club, has asked for more time to consider a 700,000 move to Liverpool. "I haven't agreed anything with John Beresford," said Francis. "I haven't made him an offer. I made an inquiry a couple of weeks ago, then Liverpool came in with an offer and that was me finished." But he added he might be interested if the Liverpool move collapsed.

Southampton, with the worst disciplinary record in the League last season, have signed the 17-year-old defender Gary Ferguson, who was dismissed four times while playing in Reading's reserve and youth sides. The springboard siren sinks But with three minutes left and promotion within Peterborough's grasp, Preece hit a rising right-foot shot from 15 yards which slipped through Barber's hands, and Francis, haunting the far post as ever, pounced. No flag: 1-1. Peterborough struck back within a minute. Ebdon's long pass into Charlery's path was headed on by Peterborough's leading scorer and he charged past Barras to unleash a shot which left the keeper helpless.

His manager, Chris Turner, showed less confidence. "Hand on heart I was definite he wouldn't score." Never a confi a distillation of the old Football League, complete with power struggles, self-interest jealousy and greed. The 1991-92 season is ending as it began, with the Premier League in the High Court Tomorrow ITV, who have enjoyed exclusive live coverage of League games for the last four years, will seek an injunction to stop the 304 million deal between BSkyB and the Premier League going ahead until it has had an opportunity to present a final bid. ITV will have the silent support of the six leading clubs who voted against BSkyB a week ago Arsenal, Aston Villa, Everton, Leeds, Liverpool and Manchester United and who stand to gain more from a renewal of the present arrangements. Weekend reports suggested the onset of a campaign to bad-mouth the Premier League chairman, Sir John Quinton, and its chief executive designate, Rick Parry, who recommended the BSkyB offer to the clubs.

Thousands of words have been written on the controversy but what it boils down to is that Greg Dyke, chairman of the ITV council, claims someone moved the goalposts when his back was turned, while the clubs who thought they would gain most from a breakaway league now find they are in danger of having to share more of the latest television windfall than they had bargained for. have to give an answer to the problems and we will do that when we look to see how the knee reacts to an examination under strain tomorrow." He was unsure if a slight reaction in the knee could nave been caused by Gas-coigne's rigorous training last week. Dr Jim Andrews, the American orthopaedic specialist employed by Lazio to give the final verdict today, had changed his tune last night after saving earlier in the day that "everything looks Andrews now admits: "It's fair to say we are undecided." Trevor Francis, the Sheffield Wednesday manager, has denied reports that he has made an offer for Ports David Laesy TODAY the 104-year-old Football League fulfils its last official function as the cornerstone of the English professional game when Blackburn Rovers meet Leicester City at Wembley. The winners will go into the new Premier League next season, a land not so much flowing with milk and honey as devoted to milking money from television, sponsors and, not least the fans. Whoever win could be forgiven a degree of trepidation, diffidence even, as they approach this high-flying world of super powers and big dealers, the world of the executive box and the debenture-holder, the world of Arsenal's vice-chairman David Dein who, when the Premier League was given the go-ahead, declared it "a historic day for As we know now, that particular piece of history was indeed bunk.

Leicester City were playing First Division football as recently as 1987, but even that was two television rows ago. Blackburn Rovers were relegated in 1966, a date which now belongs to pre-history when television football was black-and-white and Jimmy Hill's beard ruled. Whoever join Ipswich and Middlesbrough, the clubs already promoted, in the Premier League next season will be comforted to know that it is simply with a page-three splash JUSTICE can be a peculiar creature. Blackpool claimed her favours on Saturday, their defeat on penalties in last year's play-off final writes John Duncan. But, if truth be told, Scunthorpe were denied a victory that would have been equally just after they out-played Blackpool for long stretches and their twin towers, Humphries and Elliott, blocked everything thrown at them.

Blackpool took the lead in the first half through Dave Bamber, the man whose head was bowed in shame and dismay after last year's final following his decisive miss in the penalty shoot-out. This time he stooped at the far post to nod home after Rodwell had dispossessed the dithering left-back Longden and crossed. From an improbable angle, the ball crept through the keeper's legs and trickled across the line. "I didn't know I'd scored," said Bamber afterwards, smiling, "until I heard the crowd." Until then, Scunthorpe had had the better of it A minute earlier Hamilton had sliced over from eight yards in a superb passing movement, perhaps the only time in his career when he will ever remind anyone of Gianluca Vialli. But Scunthorpe deservedly equalised soon after the break with another neat movement Martin played a low ball into with rest man's astounding world record only a further second away.

OLYMPIC TUMi Mm OOm freeatytw Ftbbena. Foster (both Bamet Cootnell). loom Aram Fibbens. Howe (C of Birmingham). MOi ftnrP Palmer.

of Lincoln). 400M fret Palmer, Alters (C ol Leeds). 1MM froat 'I -Wilson (B of Sunderland). Akera. 100a baoatsrnfcw Harris (Bamet CopthaH).

MOm baafa O'Connor (C ol Leeds), A Ruckwood (C of Birmingham). 100m butterfly! LeWiman (C ol Leeds). MOm ImUerByi 8 WalnwrigM (C of Lincoln). 100m liiuaanjlmaiii A Moorhouse (C of Leeds). Gillingham (C of Birmingham).

lOOm laaiiati Gillingham, Hender (C of Leeds). MOm mdlmiial nwasyi Oavey (Rochdale Aquabeara). 400m midHyi A Rolley (Portsmouth Northsea). 4x1 OOm fiatyhi Fibbens, Howe, Foster, Lee (Nova Centuriana). 4iU0m freeatytei Howe.

Palmer. Akera. MeHor (Satellite). x100m nwdieyi to be selected later. Worn 90m fresscytai Pickering (Ipa-w(ch).

A Sheppard (Mllngavte and Beare-den). 100m Ureas Pickering. MOm fram Pickering. 400m ma Foggo (C of Newcastle). MOm frees Arnold (Nova Centur-lan).

100m baofcatwfcei Read (Bamet Copthall). MOm baam Read, Oeaklns (Gloucester C). 100m twMerfhR Cams-bell (Portsmouth Northsea). MOm buMer-flyf Purvia (Stockton Aquatic). 100m bseaatalrnfcei King (Thamesdown), Brownsdon (C ol Coventry).

MOm breaasi Brownsdon. MOm MMdual medteyl Oavies (Portsmouth Northsea), Manor (Warrington Warriors). 40Om mtJHyi Slat-tar. x100m frMstytai no selection. 4al00m meMatfi team to be selected later.

loarcnltni Shack lock, Vakil (both Rushmoor). Haynea (Bristol Central). M. Morgan to at Sheffield). 10m Morgan.

Bishop (OMham). 10m Ward (C of Sheffield). Allen (Ryl Tunbridge W). spread in the Sunday People last winter led to an anonymous death threat that police did not dismiss out of hand. She has been interviewed by Kilroy, and has auditioned as a presenter for Channel 4's The Word, both of which are as close to real hardship as it is possible to be.

"The daftest thing I've been asked was whether I was allowed sex before I dived," she said, incredulously. "Would you believe that?" Well, yes, actually. Even Don Revie, former manager of Leeds United, insisted on banning that Miles has worked in a Brixton building society she claims it was held up three times in nine months and as a barmaid and a bookbinder. For the future, she talks of "releasing a record and going into This, she says, "is where I feel my talents naturally She has presented a video on dinosaurs for the Natural History Museum and refused an offer of 15,000 from a girlie magazine. She also kissed John Major good luck at the Conservatives' final election rally for the enlightenment of Sun readers.

Sex appeal is not transferred that easily. In the opinion of this 20-year old, sport must be fun. She watched her younger brother, Marcus, compete in swimming galas at six years old, thrashing kids four years older. The enjoyment departed and he now prefers life in front of a computer. Tracey might not be going to Barcelona, but by comparison she has been having a ball.

have been racing she said. "Now I realise the importance of rest" Mark Foster also took a year off from, swimming, although that was because of disenchantment with training routines, and he has been only in light training for a few months. It was enough. Foster's time of 22.4sec in the final of the 50m freestyle represented a British and Commonwealth record and the third fastest time in the world this year. In tandem with the Mike Fibbens he makes up one of Britain's strongest challenges.

Notwithstanding Sharron Davies, the trials belonged to Nick Gillingham. The 25-year-old from Walsall began by deposing Adrian Moorhouse as Britain's leading 100m breast-stroker and advancing to within 0.04sec of Norbert Ros-za's world record. Two days later, at his better distance, he twice broke Ros-za's European 200m record, swimming almost a second faster than he ever has before. His 2min 11.62sec was the second fastest time ever recorded, leaving Mike Barrow- to Barcelona, but Hopps reports tense, dedicated training schedules necessary to compete at national level. She was once taken to hospital, coughing up blood, after bitting the water flat at about 70 mph.

She has suffered a collection of cuts and bruises to make anybody blanche. These hardships have paled into insignificance alongside her other world. The Star sympathised with the fact that the sun turned her blonde hair green, because of the effects of chlorinated water. A fashion Miles waterproof mascara the edge of the box, Daws dummied over it and peeled away to meet Buckley's perfect touch with an unstoppable shot Fear echoed in the haunted silence of the Blackpool contingent Extra-time brought the usual last-ditch tackles and tired finishing, most notably from an exhausted Bamber, who clipped the ball past the keeper from six yards only to see it wobble past the post. Scunthorpe's Samways made a fine save from Rodwell, who ended a long run with a fearsome shot, his legs perhaps invigorated by the fear of penalties, one of which he also missed last year.

Scunthorpe's fresh legs, Alexander and White, played a decisive role though not the one which the manager Bill Green had envisaged. After six penalty conversions, the break came when Mcllhargey stretched to his right to grasp Alexander's low penalty one-handed; White followed, scooping his kick over. "Last year stood us in good stead," Bamber said. Their kicks, decisive and confident, demonstrated a determination not to suffer again. What number penalty was Bamber down for? "How low does it go?" Blackpool! Mcllhargey; Burgess, Cook, Groves, Davies (Murphy, 68mln), Gore, Rod-well, Horner (Sinclair, 90), Bamber, Gamer, Eyres.

Scunthorpe! Samways; Joyce, Longden, Hill, Elliott, Humphries, Martin. Hamilton, Daws (White, 106), Buckley (Alexander, 106). Helliwell. Roreraei Hacked (Sheffield) his last game for Bari yesterday. "I know the two presidents have talked over the phone about it and the papers have been saying Juventus all the time," said Piatt yesterday, "but I haven't signed yet It's a matter of waiting and seeing." AC Milan, the Italian League champions, became the country's first club to complete the 34-match First Division programme undefeated with an 8-2 winatFoggia.

Barcelona closed to within a point of Real Madrid yesterday with two games of the Spanish League season left The new European champions won 6-0 at Real Valladolid as the leaders dropped a point in a 1-1 draw at Osasuna. Ronald Koe-man, who cracked the winner last week at Wembley, scored two penalties. New doubt over Gascoigne Juvenilis 'agree' contract for Piatt after record deal for Vialli Sharron will be going Tracey will not. David BY HER own calculation, Tracey Miles has turned down promotional and modelling contracts worth 60.000 this year in her desire to dive for Britain in the Barce lona Olympics. It has been to no avail.

Tracey's sex appeal might have sent the newspapers swooning, but diving judges have a sterner, more puritanical nature. At the Olympic trials in Sheffield, Miles finished outside the top two in both high board and springboard. By deliberately allowing herself to be promoted as a bouncy blonde bimbo even in the Daily Telegraph, for whom she posed daintily on the springboard with dangling earrings, lipstick, mascara and carefully coifiured hair she has financed her training in a manner that sets her apart from the nation's impecunious top swimmers and divers. It cannot be denied. Miles life turned on one decision early last year.

One option was to join the RAF as a physical training instructor. The other was to pose topless for the Sun. She chose the Sun, and now her only connection with the armed forces is as an official Royal Navy pin-up. I did it to spark off a re action," said Miles. "It was exciting, not disgusting, and I needed to finance my training.

The sport has never had so much publicity. Miles has been diving for 11 years and has followed the in PAUL GASCOIGNE's expected transfer to Lazio was again in doubt last night after reports that a scan on his right knee had shown up a problem. The Tottenham midfielder's 5.5 million move had looked to be a near certainty after he had come through two days of rigorous examinations in Rome with flying colours. But last night the Lazio doctor Claudio Bartolini told Italian newspapers: "The images from the scan have underlined some problems." He explained that he remained "guardedly optimistic" that the deal would still go through after Gos-coigne's final physical examination today. But Bartolini added yesterday: "We WITH everybody expecting Juventus to sign Gianluca Vialli or David Piatt, the Italian club seem intent on reviving former glories by buying both.

Sampdoria will receive four new players plus a cash payment in the recent world-record-breaking 12 million deal which takes Vialli to Juventus. And yesterday Italian press reports said that Bari and Juventus had agreed a contract for Piatt's transfer, subject to final negotiations this week. Piatt has always had a preference for Juventus but it was thought that, if Vialli went from Sampdoria, the Genoese club would use the money from the sale to buy Piatt Nov, following the 27-year-old Vialli's move, speculation grows about Piatt's next club after playing what is probably.