The Guardian du lieu suivant : London, Greater London, England • 29

SPORT 1 29 The Guardian Thursday November 6 1997 Football Tennis Henman sets up Rafter clash Evans has job for life at Anf field Ian Ross says Liverpool's manager will stay on even if he is replaced by the club TIM HENMAN set up an intriguing first date with the US Open champion Pat Rafter by beating Magnus Gustafsson 6-3, 2-6, 6-4 yesterday in the Stockholm Open. jjM 1 jillS pbB not possibly be ousted from a major competition by a team who continue to flirt with relegation from the French First Division. True, Liverpool had lost the first leg 3-0 with a performance of gross ineptitude, but the consensus was that the match had been a one-off or, for those who remembered April's equally dismal showing against Paris St-Germain, another one-off. Come 10pm on Tuesday, Anfield was awash with crumpled betting slips. Typically Evans, rather like those punters his side had frustrated by managing no more than two goals, was disappointed but anxious to promote the feeling that the dark clouds had boasted a silver lining.

"Football can be strange sometimes," he said. "Our performance this week could well turn out to be some sort of turning point for us. It could be the moment when the lads knuckled down and decided to change things for the better. "If we keep working as hard as we did in the Strasbourg game I know we can go on to better things in the league." "The players are disappointed in the fact that we can be so inconsistent. But if they work like that on a regular basis, they might not always play as well but 99 times out of 100 they would get a result." lOY EVANS has been hold he has a job for i life at Liverpool even lif, as seems probable.

he is replaced as manager next summer. Speculation about Evans's long-term future at a club he has served diligently as man and boy has been rife because of his expensively assembled team's poor opening to the new season so far. On Tuesday night Liverpool's fortunes took another turn for the worse when they were knocked out of the Uefa Cup by the French club Strasbourg. Although Liverpool are expected to break with tradition and install a top-class foreign coach to oversee team affairs, Evans will be invited to stay at Anfield in some capacity. He has spent more than 30 years with Liverpool, filling many roles between the end of his brief playing career in the late Sixties and his appointment as manager in January 1994.

Evans might be the first to agree that when it comes to football there is none so blind as those who will not see. On Tuesday night a lot of money was going on Liverpool beating Strasbourg 4-0 at odds of 20-1. The optimistic and the devout formed an orderly queue at the bookmaker's makeshift stand outside the directors' lounge and bets were laid in the almost childlike belief that a club of Liverpool's immense stature could PHOTOGRAPH: DAVID ROGERS Business before pleasure off the field, Rob Andrew has shown a ruthless streak as director of rugby at Newcastle Falcons feel the chill of hard times Cup Winners' Cup, 2nd rnd, 2nd leg Chelsea (2) Tromso (3) Gullit stalls on plans for future Michael Prestage says Tim Stimpson may be one of many to leave Newcastle THE decision by Newcastle to transfer-list the England and Lions full-back Tim Stimpson marks the end of Sir John Hall's willingness to throw cash around like a Lottery winner. The cold wind of austerity is set to sweep over Kingston Park. With the other big-spending club Saracens announcing a 2.23 million deficit on the year to April 1997 and four other Premiership clubs also running up hefty losses, the millionaire backers who flocked to the sport when it went professional may now be having second thoughts.

Stimpson, one of the Lions' successes in South Africa last "summer, was hoping to negotiate a new three-year contract worm his current two- year deal, which expires at the end of this season, would net him 150,000 over the same period if it were extended. It does not appear an outrageous demand, given his recent successes, and not just at international level; he has already scored 127 points this season for Newcastle and played a major part in their unbeaten Premiership record. Yet Stimpson has found himself marginalised. He was dropped for a game against Sale three weeks ago, has not played since then he has a long-standing thigh injury and is not expected to take part in Newcastle's European Conference match with Castres this weekend. What one senior player believes is behind the Stimpson affair, and is likely to be a salutary lesson for others, is that the club are not making the money expected.

Sir John, the club's owner, is starting to acknowledge that his rugby experiment is not working, and Stimpson ap the form and fitness of his elite players during the buildup at Bisham Abbey, which begins on Monday evening. There are some sound practical reasons for delaying England's team announcement. It is touch and go whether the Wasps fly-half Alex King's knee injury will allow him to turn out in the European Cup quarter-final against Brive on Sunday, let alone play for England if chosen. If King withdraws, Woodward will face a tricky choice between the contrasting talents of Mike Catt and Paul Grayson which could have a severe knock-on effect on other selections in the back division. Tim Stimpson, the transfer- Boxing The British No.2's third successive victory over the Swede earned him a quarterfinal against the Australian, whom he has never played.

The world No. 3 sailed through the second round by beating Belgium's Johan Van Herck6-3, 6-4. Rafter said: "I have a lot ot respect for Tim's game. I'd say it's a 50-50 match, straight down the middle. I'm niore motivated now than at any other time during the indoor season; I've struggled on the surface in the past three or four weeks." Greg Rusedski, the man Rafter beat In the Flushing Meadow final, has spent the past two days in bed with suspected food poisoning but expects to be able to play his second-round match today against the Frenchman Lionel Roux.

Henman. the No. 8 seed, got off to a flying start against Gustafsson with an early break and held his serve to lead 5-2 after saving a break point with an ace. He had three set points in the ninth game but the 30-year-old Swede saved the first two, with Henman double-faulting on the first and being neatly lobbed on the second. However, Henman closed out the set In 27 minutes with an ace.

Gustafsson, the local favourite, kept his composure as the second set went with serve, the Swede winning the third and fifth games on aces. Henman lost the next game as Gustafsson recovered from two overheads from the Briton and finally took a 4-2 lead with a heavy smash. He held for 5-3 and broke Hen man again to level after an hour. But Gustafsson dropped serve at the start of the third set and as several line-calls went against him he had no answer as the Briton served out the match. The Slovaklan Karol Ku- cera beat the No.

5 seed Thomas Muster 4-6, 6-3, 6-3, which seriously dented the Austrian's chances of reaching next week's ATP finals in Hanover. Muster, the former world No. 1, angrily smashed his racket on the court after double-faulting on match point and may be fined. Squash Marshall beats his fatigue to shut out seed Richard Jago PETER MARSHALL eliminated a seed In his first World Open match for three years, beating the Australian Brett Martin In Kuala Lumpur yesterday. The former World and Brit ish Open finalist, who Is making a comeback after the chronic fatigue syndrome that threatened his career, de feated the No.

8 seed 15-10, 11-15, 15-13. 11-15, 15-12 after coming through a spell of extreme tiredness during which he lost a lead of 8-4 In the fourth game. Marshall 90-minute win, which followed two victories in the qualifying competition, may affect England's order when they defend their world team title next week. It earned the Nottingham player a second-round match against another of the Australia squad, Dan Jenson. Three other seeds, Eng- land's Del Harris, Pakistan's Zubalr Jahan and Ireland's Derek Ryan, also fell.

Harris, the No. 7 seed and 1995 World Open finalist, was upset by the conditions during his defeat, 15-13, 17-14, 9-15, 15-12, by the improving Canadian Graham Rydlng. Harris was disturbed by a dusty court floor, and after slipping in the second game he shouted: "This court is an absolute disgrace." He led 11-9 in the first game but lost concentration when Rydlng Insisted on leaving the court for attention to a cut In his mouth. At 11-12 in the second Harris received a stunning jab in the chest from the butt of his own racket when Rydlng backed sharply out of the top right corner. Zubalr, the No.

9 seed, went down 17-15, 15-7, 15-10 to South Africa's Craig Wap- nick, who now meets the top-seeded Rodney Eyles. Ryan lost 9-15, 12-15, 15-10, 15-10, 15-12 to Amjad Khan, the 17- year-old nephew of the absent 1996 champion Jansher Khan. Amjad earned a second-round match against one of the favourites, Canada's Jona than Power. Robert Armstrong on the injur crisis threatening Clive Woodward's plans for the match against Australia England face countdown meltdown Martin Thorpe IF CHELSEA'S forwards can dance round the Tromso defence with- the dexterity shown by their manager yesterday in dodging questions about his future, then Stamford Bridge will be celebrating a place in the quarter-finals tonight. Ruud Gullit's side need to score' one goal and concede none in order to secure victory over their Norwegian visitors and banish memories of the Arctic snowstorm that so nearly blew away their European season in the first leg.

Only two late goals from Gian-luca Vialli averted the embarrassment of a 3-0 defeat. If Chelsea do progress, that success alone will not be enough to entice the Dutchman to commit himself to a new contract at the end of the season. His delay in signing, his decision to take exams at the end of the season for the full coaching badge mandatory for a coach working in Holland or Italy, plus speculation linking him with managerial moves to Feyenoord and Milan, have sparked questions. Yesterday he was not giving many answers. "Talks with Chelsea about a new contract are ongoing," he said.

"There are good reasons to stay here. But it's not just about me getting 30 million and I'll do the job. ternational Doddie Weir has been declared injured when it comes to playing for his country yet is deemed fit enough to repre sent the club; lawyers have been called in to try to overturn a suspension dealt out to the captain Dean Ryan; and Sir John, in his dealings with the RFU, has never put the good of the game before self-interest. Andrew, always so per sonable in his television appearances, was unwilling to comment about events unfolding at Newcastle, but Stimpson may not be the only big-name departure. There is certainly a ques tion mark over bis fellow Lion John Bentley; the wing's contract ends this season and there has been no move to negotiate a new one.

Stimpson may be the most high-profile player transfer-listed by his club in English rugby but he may be the first of many as the euphoria of the early days of professionalism wears thin. opener against Llanelli at Stradey Park. The World Cup wing is still some way short of full match fitness after receiving prolonged medical treatment for a serious kidney complaint. Sean Fitzpatrick leads what is in effect a shadow Test lineup for next week's international against Ireland in Dublin. NEW ZlALANDl Cullen (Central Vikings); Wllaon (Otago).

Bunoa (North Harbour). A leremla (Wellington), a Oeboms (North Harbour); A Mehrtens (Canterbury), Marshall (both Canterbury); Dowd. FlUpatrlok (capt), Brown (all Auckland), I Jonas (North Harbour), Brooke (Auckland), Kronfeld (Otago), A Blowera (Auckland), Randall (Otago). Replacements Praston (Wellington), Stanley (Auckland), Brooks (Auckland), at Cooksley (Walkato), A Oliver (Otago). Allan (Central Vikings).

Moorer menacing not been one day in eight weeks he's stepped out of line. "Teddy Atlas had a style of being the general and screaming and yelling at Michael; I can get far more out of him being his friend rather than his enemy." Moorer reluctantly pulled back the towel to answer questions. If he won, would he fight the World Boxing Council champion Lennox Lewis? possible." What about his weight? "When you get older It's harder for weight to come off. I'm not a bodybuilder like Evander, I'm a boxer." As he spoke there was no hint of a smile, no humour or charm. Moorer's public persona hovers near Tyson levels of Ilkeability, and in a sport which needs positive role models he remains an inadequate example.

have such a secure future. Everybody is aware that the game is not making the money some of the backers felt it would. Newcastle is very much a soccer city." His prediction is that before long the 30-strong squad at Newcastle will move from being professional to largely semi-pro. Stimpson is merely the first in line in a cost-cutting exercise. For the full-back the timing is particularly bad because it puts in jeopardy his England career on the eve of games against Australia, New Zealand and South Africa.

The timing of the decision to transfer-list him shows a hard streak in the director of coaching Rob Andrew. "Andrew is a shrewd businessman," said the senior player. "That is what he is there to do. He is in charge and will make those strong decisions." The club have already shown themselves willing to take on all comers when it comes to getting their own way. The Scotland in wing positions, one of which may well be filled by a new cap, David Rees of Sale.

Just to complicate matters, Catt is also under consideration as a possible centre and Perry has not been ruled out as a wing, which is where he began the season in the Bath line-up. The Australia squad will fly into Heathrow from Argentina on Monday morning and make the 30-minute trip to their Berkshire hotel, where they are expected to announce their team on Wednesday. The Wallabies are due to face Scotland on November 22. Meanwhile, there was no place for Jonah Lomu in the All Blacks side named yesterday for Saturday's tour proudest day of my life," said Moorer, "but it's over and done with now. I got the victory and I got two titles from it and I am going to do it again." Since then the 29-year-old has become best known for a disastrous first defence of his titles when he was knocked out by the 45-year-old George Foreman, whereas Holyfield has been given a clean bill of health and regained the world No.

1 billing with two victories over Mike Tyson. Moorer has won all four of his contests since the Foreman debacle but his unimpressive performances prompted his long-time trainer Teddy Atlas to walk away from an $800,000 (470,000) pay-day 10 per cent of Moorer's purse here. He has been replaced by the quietly-spoken Freddie Roach, who prepared Steve Collins for his recent fights. The contrast between the genial Collins and the taciturn, surly Moorer could scarcely be more pronounced, but Roach says he likes Moorer and added: "They told me he was lazy, difficult and unmotivated; untrue. There's pears to be the victim of the wage market finding an equilibrium.

"The top players who came here towards the end of their career will see out their contracts," said the senior player. "But younger players may not Stimpson out of favour listed Newcastle full-back, has lost a certain amount of competitive fitness after being dropped for recent Premiership games. And the Test hookers Mark Regan and Phil Greening have been unable to command first-team places with Bath and Gloucester respectively. Moreover, difficult choices will have to be made at scrum-half between Matt Dawson and Kyran Bracken, at lock between Simon Shaw and Garath Archer and at centre between Matt Perry and Will Greenwood, not to mention the former captain Phil de Glanville. If that were not enough, Woodward has also admitted to soul-searching over the Vegas on a champion prepares for Holyfield other side of the huge Mirage Hotel ballroom for his final work-out.

"He wasn't joking," said Saraceno. "He likes to act the bad-ass. If he'd bumped into me outside the hotel I'm pretty sure he would have hit me. I don't even know what I did to upset him." Moorer peeled off his T-shirt to reveal a fleshy torso markedly different from that of the chiselled Holyfield who sat 50 yards away, oblivious to the commotion. After his work-out Moorer slumped on a bench with a towel over his head, avoiding eye contact with the media who had gathered round with cameras, microphones and Here 3'A years ago he became one of only two men to defeat Holyfield Rld-dipk Bowe is the other though his victory was devalued when Holyfield's lacklustre performance was explained away by a heart abnormality and a shoulder injury.

"It should have been the TeaasHBsHBaBaHl It's also about the club. The structure here has to be solid so you can go on for 10 years, not only one or two; do we have a solid base, do we have the youth? So we have to talk about more global things." The door is still open for Gullit to stay or for other clubs to entice him away. Victory tonight will only enhance his desirability. Apart from the long-term injured, he has a full squad from which to choose in the hope of showing Tromso just how well Chelsea can play on grass. However, the Norwegians are a physical side who will seek to sit back and soak up pressure and in recent home games against Blackburn and Leicester, Gullit's side have struggled to score in such circumstances.

Moreover, Tromso are a team of skill and pace on the counter-attack. Vialli issued a warning, saying: "In trying to score, we need to be careful. We have to risk going for ward but not too much." However he was not unduly worried. "I know what will happen," he said with a twin kle in his eye. "This morning I had a feeling about the game.

I cannot tell you what it was be cause it might break the spell. But I've had similar feelings before and they came true 90 per cent of the time. Perhaps Ken Bates could ask him to divine whether the manager is staying. sisted he was not walking into the same situation as at Swan sea, where he fell out over transfer funds. "There's no hidden agenda here," he said.

"Swansea promised the earth but Brentford have not. We've discussed money; they told me it's available but they have not put an exact figure on it." Webb, who relinquished the manager's job in the summer, will stay on but only in an advisory role. "I've given four good years but the supporters' demands were too much." The FA is to investigate after Chester's manager Kevin Rat-cliffe was found guilty of racial discrimination by an industrial tribunal. It ruled he should have been disciplined by his club for verbally abusing the former apprentice James Hus-saney, who was awarded 2,500 for "injury to Kerry Dixon, who departed Doncaster just before the season started, has been lined up to return to the Belle Vue manager's post currently held by Danny Bergera if Anton Johnson's consortium, as is widely expected, takes control of the League's bottom club. "I would like to come back and finish a job that was not finished," said the former Chelsea and England striker, who has been promised money to spend.

Adams goes to Brentford as shake-up claims Webb Moorer on the offensive A COMBINATION of injuries and erratic form at club level have plunged England into a state of near crisis as they begin the count down to the most demanding autumn programme of Tests they have ever faced. Today the selectors are ex pected to announce a squad of about 40 players for the series of Tests and A internationals against the southern hemisphere nations. The team for the match against Australia at Twickenham on Saturday week is expected to be named next Tuesday but may be delayed to as late as 24 hours before the kick-off. Clive Woodward, the England coach, will make it his priority to monitor closely Cricket Pakistan out as Jayasuriya clears route to the final SANATH Jayasuriya scored 134 not out and Aravinda de Silva an undefeated 102 as Sri Lanka overhauled Pakistan's 280 all out with 10 overs to spare in Lahore. They earned a place in Saturday's final of the Golden Jubilee tournament against South Africa, whom they also meet today in the four-nation event's final pool match.

The pair put on a Sri Lankan record stand of 213 runs for the third wicket. Allan Lamb is set to return to Northamptonshire as a part-time consultant. "If I get involved it will be mainly working with batsmen," he said. -Australia are concerned by low ticket sales for the first Test against New Zealand tomorrow. "This series could be to cricket's box office what Attack Of The Killer Tomatoes was to the cinema industry, the worst ever," a Queensland official said.

Russell Thomas IICKY ADAMS yesterday I began his third manage rial job in 41 days, taking charge of Brentford after an upheaval that also claimed the chief executive David Webb. In comes Adams, fresh from Swansea and Fulham, and out go Eddie May, appointed manager at Griffin Park only in summer, his No. 2 Clive Walker and Webb, who is standing down immediately after being told his contract would not be renewed at the end of the season. May's departure came three days after he admitted his job was in doubt, with Adams strongly linked with it having left Swansea after only 13 days. The shake-up at the Second Division club was also foreshadowed by fans' calls for Webb's head after Tuesday's home defeat by Carlisle, which dropped Brentford to third from bottom.

"It's been a funny month," Adams said of his extraordinary autumn, then faced his immediate problems. "Brentford are a bad team but there is potential." Adams, who has taken his farmer Fulham colleague Glenn Cockerill as No. 2, in John Rawling in Las in fighting mood as he MICHAEL MOORER's eyes were cold and menacing; his body language spelled hatred. As the International Boxing Federation heavyweight champion pressed his face into that of one of the United States' leading boxing journalists, the threat of Detroit street violence was right here in the desert city where Moorer fights the World Boxing Association champion Evander Holyfield on Saturday. Flanked by his entourage and with the profanities of the murdered rap artist Tupak Shakur blaring from a ghetto-blaster, Moorer faced up to Jon Saraceno, who had dared to criticise him in USA Today.

"Hello Michael, are you all right?" Saraceno asked. Pause. "Yeah, I'm okay." Pause. "Stay healthy, have a good fight with Evander on Saturday." The seconds dragged endlessly to emphasise the inanity of the conversation, then Moorer turned and walked slowly back to the ring on the.