Chelsea rule out an inside job as search for Vialli's successor begins

Chelsea have launched a Europe-wide search for an experienced new manager afterabandoning their policy of promoting from within and admitting they had no successor lined up to replace Gianluca Vialli.

The Italian was sacked on Tuesday after only five Premiership games in a meeting lasting 20 minutes at Stamford Bridge with chairman Ken Bates and managing director Cohn Hutchinson. The exact reasons for his dismissalremain something of a mystery, although the fact that there is no ready-madesuccessor seems to indicate that his sacking was a hastily-made decision.

And that would appear to lend weight to the theory that dressing-room unrest amid a series of poor early season results played its part in his downfall. The U-turn in the club's promotion policy appears to an admission thatthrowing a player into the managerial deep end is not the way to achieve Premiership and European success. That means striker Glanfranco Zola andcaptain DennIs Wise, as well as coaches Ray WilkIns and Graham Rix, are not in the running for the vacant post.

Hutchinson insisted he would not be hurried into a "hasty decision" while Rixand Wilkins take temporary control of the team. The leading home-grown candidates would seem to be former England coach Terry Venables - who is now the clear favourite with the bookmakers - former Chelsea manager Glenn Huddle andTottenham boss George Graham. The other option is to look overseas tothe likes of DIno Zoff and Frank Rijkaard, who were released by their countries after Euro 2000, or Sven Goran Erlksson, in whom the Blues have shown past interest, and Aime Jacquet.

Inter Milan defender Laurent Blanc admitted he turned down a fresh advancefrom Manchester United days before France's friendly against England. United boss Alex Ferguson admitted in July he had been unsuccessful with threebids for the veteran centre back and the latest rejection could spell the end of United's interest.

Blanc (34) hung up his international boots after the Stade de France friendly but is under contract with the San Siro side until the end of this season."I was contacted by Manchester United two weeks ago, just before the France-England friendly," Blanc revealed in L'Equipe yesterday. "But it's over now. Icould have sealed a very good financial deal with them or even asked Inter to pay me more, but I feel very happy here in Milan."

Middlesbrough supporters yesterday united to express their outrage atthe people who sent death threats to former defender Christian Ziege.The German international's house on Teeside was also pelted with rotten eggsfollowing his acrimonious transfer to Liverpool.

Rangers officials had to hide boxfuls of gimmick hats from a Champions Leaguesponsor on Tuesday, because they were in the colours of Scottish rivals Celtic.The hats, a free gift from brewers Amstel, were meant to be distributed beforeRangers' 5-0 Group D victory over Sturm Graz at Ibrox Stadium.

Republic Of Ireland under-16 team manager Brian Kerr has handed PaulMcGrath's son, Chris, his first call-up for international duty. The defender is included in a squad of 19 for a friendly international against England at Walsall Football Club on Friday week (8 pm).

Kerr continues his preparation for the under-16s European Championship mini-qualifying tournament in Latvia at the end of next month. They meet Latvia onOctober 27th and Spain thereafter, hoping to qualify for the finals of a tournament they won in Scotland in 1998.