FOOTBALL: Jackson victim of Terriers' ambition

THE HUDDERSFIELD manager, Peter Jackson, was sacked by the club yesterday after 18 months in charge at the McAlpine Stadium.

Huddersfield, who finished 10th in the First Division this season, have been linked with moves for the former Liverpool manager, Roy Evans, and the Sheffield United manager, Steve Bruce, in recent months, but they will invite applications for the post.

Bruce has been told he has no money to spend at Bramall Lane and will have to sell, and the former Manchester United captain is disillusioned at having to work within a tight budget. However, Bruce would want a severance payment to go and could also be the target for other clubs.

Huddersfield aim to make the first move and offer Bruce a job with better prospects and money to invest in top players.

Barry Rubery took over as owner of Huddersfield in January and no sooner had he arrived than Jackson's job was said to be under threat.

A total of pounds 2.5m was believed to be available for new players initially, with the Nottingham Forest centre-half Craig Armstrong and the Bournemouth left-back Jamie Vincent signing for a combined amount of pounds 1.25m.

However, their arrival did not help Huddersfield's push for the play- offs and they finished the season with Sunday's goalless draw at home to Crewe.

Ian Ayre, who was named as the new Huddersfield chairman at the weekend, said:"Huddersfield Town have made no secret of their ambitions for the Premiership and in trying to achieve these goals we are keen to ensure that we do this with the highest confidence in all key positions. Under these circumstances we believe it is in the best interests of the club to appoint a new manager."

Jim Kerr, the lead singer of Simple Minds, claimed yesterday that nothing will persuade him to buy any shares in Celtic as long as the former managing director, Fergus McCann, is the man selling.

Part of the Kenny Dalglish-led consortium that attempted to take over the Parkhead club last year, Kerr said he was frustrated by McCann's reluctance to meet with the group and listen to their proposals.

McCann has now left the country, but the sale of his 51 per cent holding is set to take place this summer with his advisors told to make shares available to a broad base of existing shareholders and supporters.

Kerr and company were told by McCann before his departure that they would be welcome to join these investors, but this offer has now been rejected out of hand. When asked if he would be buying, Kerr said: "Absolutely not - not a thin dime. I'm not paying for his retirement. It's not bitter, it's a reaction. We were treated like the great unwashed."

Kerr also attacks the club's failings on the playing side this season with Rangers having regained the Scottish Premier League title. "I'm sitting here today and I'm not a happy man as a Celtic man," he said. "We're also- rans in Scotland in this tin-pot league."

Hugh Dallas, struck by a missile during the recent Old Firm title decider, has been confirmed as referee of tomorrow night's Uefa Cup final between Marseilles and Parma at Moscow's Luzhniki Stadium.

Because of travel arrangements, Dallas gave his evidence yesterday to the Scottish Football Association committee of inquiry into the violent scenes at Parkhead on 2 May which formally convenes in Glasgow today.