Lawrenson doubts Houllier return

Mark Lawrenson has questioned whether Liverpool manager Gerard Houllier will ever be able to take up his post again following heart problems.

The Liverpool boss is not set to return to the club until next month following heart surgery and former Anfield defender Lawrenson doubts whether the Frenchman will be able to retake the reins.

"I would seriously wonder whether he would actually ever come back in the same capacity that he left at Liverpool," Lawrenson told the BBC.

Aston Villa have confirmed that Stuart Gray and John Deehan will remain as joint care-taker bosses until a permanent successor to John Gregory is announced. There had been speculation former England and Villa manager Graham Taylor would be taking charge on a temporary basis.

Newcastle United are considering the financial implications of Kieron Dyer's stress fracture in his left foot after it emerged yesterday that Dyer's injury came to light the day after he did a special fitness test at Newcastle University at the behest of the England manager Sven-Goran Eriksson.

Dyer will miss up to eight weeks at a time when Newcastle are challenging for a lucrative Champions League place. Should they fail the club will miss out on millions of pounds.

Jeff Kenna has joined Birmingham from Blackburn on a free transfer. The Republic of Ireland international, who has sealed a two-and-half-year deal, completed his month's loan with Birmingham on Tuesday in the 1-0 defeat by West Brom.

Everton expect to complete the signing of Coventry's Lee Carsley early next week. An offer of £1.5 million was rejected by the First Division club yesterday but has triggered a get-out clause in the Irish international midfielder's contract.

The Wolves winger Mark Kennedy has been banned from driving for three years after being found guilty of failing to supply a breath specimen in an incident last September. Kennedy, who denies that he was over the drink-drive limit, was also fined £1,500 and ordered to pay £1,000 costs.

Russia coach Oleg Romantsev has named a strong 20-man squad for the friendly clash with the Republic of Ireland in Dublin.

Russian squad: A Filimonov (Dinamo Kiev), R Nigmatullin (Verona); Y Kovtun (Spartak Moscow), I Chugainov (Uralan Elista), V Onopko (Real Oviedo), D Khlestov (Besiktas), Y Nikiforov (PSV Eindhoven), V Daev (CSKA Moscow); E Titov (Spartak Moscow), S Semak (CSKA Moscow), A Smertin (Bordeaux), A Mostovoi (Celta Vigo), V Karpin (Celta Vigo), D Alenichev (FC Porto), R Gusev (CSKA Moscow), D Khokhlov (Real Sociedad), A Kariaka (Krylia Sovetov Samara); V Beschastnykh (Spartak Moscow), A Panov (Dinamo Moscow), M Izmailov (Lokomotiv Moscow)