Rovers widen search

Blackburn Rovers are to seek permission to approach three managers - Howard Kendall, Bruce Rioch and Peter Reid - about the Ewood Park vacancy.

The Rovers owner, Jack Walker, and their chairman, Robert Coar, who want the new man in position by the home game against Chelsea on 16 November, have shortlisted the trio for the job, which could carry a pounds 500,000 a year salary, after being turned down by Terry Venables.

Sheffield United, Queen's Park Rangers and Sunderland are to be asked to give the go-ahead for negotiations to begin. Kendall, who has managed Rovers before, has a release clause in his contract should a Premiership side show interest in his services. Rioch works without a contract at Loftus Road, where he is Stewart Houston's No 2; while Reid, the outsider who has turned Sunderland around on a shoestring budget, is expected to be attracted by the chance to work with virtually unlimited funds.

A former Rover, Kenny Dalglish, who led the club to the championship in 1995, has been asked by Rangers to help them become one of the foremost clubs in Europe. The former-Celtic and Liverpool forward has been offered a high-profile position to help to lure the Continent's top players to Ibrox.

Rangers' manager, Walter Smith, who rebuffed suggestions that Dalglish's arrival could put his own position under threat, said: "We had a meeting with Kenny Dalglish before the Ajax match last week. We have yet to arrange another meeting but that will be done shortly and hopefully we will be able to make an announcement."

Tottenham are reported to be on the verge of paying the Norwegian club Rosenborg Trondheim pounds 1.75m for the 19-year-old striker Steffen Iversen. Aston Villa are confident that Savo Milosevic's pounds 4.5m transfer to Perugia will go ahead next week.

Hartlepool, second from bottom in the Third Division, have sacked their manager, Keith Houchen. Their player-coach, Mick Tait, has taken over as caretaker, but the club are to advertise the position.

Ian Wallace, the former Scotland striker, has been appointed manager of Dumbarton, the Scottish Second Division side. He takes over from Jim Fallon, who resigned at the weekend after the 5-0 defeat at Livingston. Wallace once commanded a pounds 1m transfer fee when he moved from Coventry to Nottingham Forest.

Stoke yesterday completed the temporary signing of the Napoli defender Mirko Taccola, who last month marked George Weah in a match against Milan. On "indefinite loan", he is set to play in tomorrow's reserve match at Bolton.

Port Vale have borrowed Jan Jansson, a midfielder with seven caps for Sweden, from Norrkoping and may use him in tonight's Coca-Cola Cup replay at Oxford United if they receive international clearance in time.

West Ham will today complete the signing of the 22-year-old Bournemouth midfielder, Scott Mean. A knee ligament injury put a stop to the deal in the summer, so Mean will move without a fee but the Upton Park club will pay up to pounds 100,000 depending on appearances made.