Cut-price Palmer becomes Stockport manager

Carlton Palmer has taken a huge gamble to start his career in management at struggling Stockport County after standing by his promise of taking a pay-cut to get the post. Palmer agreed a contract with the First Division's bottom club yesterday, but has the job only until the end of the season. He was on contract with Sheffield Wednesday, but was on "leave" until the end of the year after a dispute. He replaces Andy Kilner, who left on 30 October.

"It's a difficult situation, but it is a well-run football club," Palmer said. "I like the chairman, I get on very well with him."

The former England international will have Colin Murphy as director of football and Kevin Richardson, who played with Palmer at Southampton, as coach. Murphy has been out of work since being sacked by Leicester where he was Peter Taylor's No 2. He managed Stockport twice in the 80s. The Stockport captain, Mike Flynn, admitted he and his team-mates were surprised by the appointment. "I thought we'd go for someone with more experience," he said.

Mick Wadsworth will be named as Oldham's Director of Football today and hopes to bring in Ian Dowie to run the first team. Wadsworth has been offered the post a couple of weeks after being sacked at Southampton.

Wadsworth was also in the running for the Barnsley job, but the Oakwell club are now poised to approach Rochdale for their young manager Steve Parkin. Parkin also spoke to Stockport about their vacancy, but was overlooked in favour of Palmer and Murphy.

The Bolton manager Sam Allardyce is ready to make a move for the £4m-rated Argentinian striker Diego Klimowicz. Allardyce is due to fly to South America this weekend to watch the Lanus forward, 27, who is keen to come to England

Ipswich have been linked with a move for the Greece striker Angelos Charisteas, who scored the first goal in his country's 2-2 draw with England in the World Cup qualifier at Old Trafford last month. Ipswich have been tracking the 21-year-old Aris Salonika player but want to see him play two or three more times before decidig whether to make an offer.

The Leeds striker Michael Bridges is to undergo treatment on his knee from Richard Steadman, the surgeon in Colorado who helped to resurrect the careers of Ruud van Nistelrooy, Alan Shearer and Jamie Redknapp. Bridges sustained an achilles injury against Besiktas in the Champions' League last September and made a comeback in Leeds's reserves at the end of last season, but broke down again with his knee problem.

Middlesbrough are giving a trial to Verona's striker Adailton. The 24-year-old Brazilian has scored 11 goals in 46 games for the Serie A club.

In the wake of Arsenal's Worthington Cup victory over Manchester United on Monday, in which both played weakened teams, the Football League said that there was no question of Premiership clubs being allowed to opt out of the Cup.

Several club chairmen believe the cup should only be for those sides who have not qualified for Europe. But a League spokesman said: "The clubs are all signed into the Premier League's agreement to play in the Worthington Cup and they do not have an option to pull out of the competition. The Worthington Cup is worth around £80m to the Nationwide League clubs every year and the presence of the leading Premiership clubs is a large part of the attraction of the competition."

The Bolton striker Ian Marshall, 35, has joined Second Division Blackpool on a month's loan.

The former Argentina and Uruguay coach Daniel Passarella was named as Parma's new coach yesterday.