If the Tigers beat Toulouse in the Heineken European Cup semi-final at Welford Road on Saturday week, the final, scheduled for 25 January, will force a postponement. Newcastle, a real danger if their demolition of West Hartlepool last Sunday was anything to go by, will expect to see off London Scottish while Wakefield, who gave Bath a torrid time at the last-16 stage last season, should pack too much attacking weaponry for Moseley.Bath-Leicester is a certain sell-out, but there is a degree of doubt over the date. Not even Northampton will feel confident at home to Derek Eves' awkward squad from League Two, Coventry, in a Midlands derby. With two all-Second Division ties, a couple of dark horses are certain to make the quarter-finals. After pairing Sarries with their north London neighbours Wasps, Lynagh wreaked havoc by sending Leicester to Bath for a repeat of last season's final, Bristol to Gloucester and Sale to Orrell. Lynagh spared only one of the Cup favourites in concocting the most competitive sixth-round draw imaginable - Harlequins, 5-2 front runners for the knockout title, will visit rank outsiders Rotherham on 25 January Most of the remaining ties will be pure theatre. Australia's former captain not only gave his club, Saracens, a Pilkington Cup headache yesterday but inflicted a similar condition on almost every other team with a realistic chance of reaching Twickenham in May. Michael Lynagh may be able to control a rugby ball better than virtually anyone in the world, but when it comes to picking numbered balls out of a hat he is just as susceptible to the fates as the rest of us.

Murphy and Thompson are the sixth managerial casualties in Pavis's nine-year reign. The move comes after Forest handed the responsibility for team affairs to Stuart Pearce last Friday, after Frank Clark had resigned.. The chairman, Derek Pavis, who has dismissed reports that the Plymouth manager, Neil Warnock, was to return to Meadow Lane, promoted the captain, Gary Strodder, who will link with the club's record signing, Tony Agana. County, next to bottom of the Second Division, have sacked the managerial pair of Colin Murphy and Steve Thompson. Notts County yesterday followed the lead set by their Premiership neighbours, Nottingham Forest, by appointing their captain as their caretaker manager. The 29-year- old midfielder, on loan at Loftus Road for the past month, has signed for a fee of pounds 800,000, which will rise to pounds 1m after a certain number of appearances.The Everton defender Matt Jackson has rejoined his former manager, Mike Walker, by making a pounds 450,000 move to Norwich City, who have conceded 11 goals in their last two matches.Bobby Williamson, Kilmarnock's caretaker manager, will remain in charge of team affairs at Rugby Park until the end of the season.Sepp Blatter, the secretary-general of Fifa, football's world governing body, has urged Terry Venables' Australia to bid against England, among others, for the 2006 World Cup.. One of his duties will be to help recruit players for Rangers.Gavin Peacock has joined Queen's Park Rangers from Chelsea.

Dalglish was appointed business development manager for Carnegie Sports International, a company run by the Rangers chairman, David Murray. The Romanian midfielder is reported to have agreed a pounds 1m move to the Mexican side, America, but the deal has still to be finalised.Kenny Dalglish was yesterday confirmed as a scout for Rangers, but he will not be on the Ibrox payroll. Eric Cantona was seventh.Ilie Dumitrescu's unhappy stay at West Ham appears to be over. But he said he would be prepared to look at the video, providing the request came from the FA.After a poll of European football writers for France Football, Alan Shearer was yesterday placed third behind the winner, Germany's Matthias Sammer, and Barcelona's Brazilian international Ronaldo in the Golden Ball award for the European Footballer of the Year Sammer gained 144 points, Ronaldo 141 and Shearer 107. The referee, Stephen Lodge, and his assistant, John Holbrook, will now be sent a video of the incident, in which the Arsenal striker barged into the Forest defender Nikola Jerkan, who then fell to the ground. An FA spokeswoman said: "We will be asking for their observations before deciding what action to take." Lodge dismissed Wright for violent conduct, which carries an automatic three-match ban. The club has made a claim of "wrongful dismissal" to Lancaster Gate.

Arsenal have submitted an official complaint to the Football Association about Ian Wright's sending-off at Nottingham Forest on Saturday. "They've offered a lot of money for Nadal, but I don't know if Barcelona will accept the offer, or if it interests Nadal," the former England manager said.. We have to find a way out of this situation."No one at Middlesbrough was available yesterday to comment on Ravanelli's remarks.The Barcelona coach Bobby Robson has said Middlesbrough had increased their offer for the Spanish international defender Miguel Angel Nadal. Before signing with Middlesbrough, promises were made to me and they have not been kept."Now we have to regroup and I have to bring the mentality I learned at Juve. But he is now clearly unhappy at being dragged into the relegation quicksand after a bright beginning.The White Feather has been linked with Manchester United and he admits: "I want to win again We are in a difficult situation and one I did not expect. In soccer you have to do more than run."Ravanelli, the Premiership's top earner on a reported pounds 42,000 a week, has scored 16 goals so far after marking his debut with a hat-trick against Liverpool. English players have a natural gift for running but as for explosiveness and reaction time they can't match the Italians.

I am forced to train by myself, using charts that the Juve trainer faxes to me. The stadiums are nice but the rest is just not there."For example, there are no gyms and you don't practice very much. The English have tons of money but they lack the organisation of Italian soccer."His remarks on an Italian TV sports show are certain to enrage his manager Bryan Robson, who is anxious to maintain dressing-room harmony after 12 League matches without a win.The 28-year-old Italian international, signed for pounds 7m in the summer, said: "The training facilities are not adequate. Middlesbrough's expensive Italian import has taken a swipe at English football in general and his own club in particular, claiming he has to train alone, using charts supplied by Juventus. Ravanelli said: "Here there is a different culture and a different mentality. Fabrizio Ravanelli has accused Premiership clubs of having inadequate training facilities and substandard coaching methods. Substitutes not used: Matteo, Berger, Kennedy, L Jones, Warner (gk).Referee: P Alcock (Redhill).Last night's results, page 19.