Today's other stories in brief

Lee the man, says Gartside

Bolton chairman Phil Gartside believes Sammy Lee is better equipped to take the club forward than Sam Allardyce. Former England and Liverpool coach Lee has been appointed manager for "as long as he wants" after stepping up from his role as assistant boss.

Bolton moved swiftly to promote the 48-year-old after Allardyce's shock decision to quit after seven-and-a-half years in charge.

Gartside is convinced the right man is in place. He said: "You take a key man out of a team but you replace him with someone who is even better. That's where I am at. I have known Sammy a long time. He is a good coach with great contacts. If you look at his credentials to what Sam's were when he joined they are better.

"It is a better job today and I am not sure you would have given it to Sam Allardyce now. Sammy has a reputation beyond where Sam was in terms of his international playing career.

"People do not get rewarded with coaching jobs like the one's Sammy's had unless you are good at what you do. He is very professional and a real players' man with a fantastic reputation."

Lee was also instrumental in former Liverpool strikers Nicolas Anelka and El-Hadji Diouf signing long-terms contracts at the Reebok Stadium, according to Gartside.

Allardyce, meanwhile, has been linked to Manchester City. When asked if he would be surprised if the former Bolton boss turned up at Eastlands, Gartside said: "I would not be pleased. We would have to look at the circumstances."

Earlier Allardyce revealed he had hoped to announce his decision to quit at the end of the season, but had gone two games early after the information found its way into the public domain.

Allardyce told Sky Sports News: "I would have liked it to be at the end of the season but it wasn't to be. The speculation carried on so we decided yesterday was a good time to get all the press out of the way and let the team and Sammy focus on the last two games without any more speculation."

Leeds look for investors

Leeds chief executive Shaun Harvey has urged would-be investors to contact the club and prove they have the funds to help them bounce back to the Championship.

Speculation is gathering pace regarding the future of Leeds, all-but relegated to League One on Saturday, with some reports claiming the club could go into administration within seven days.

There are also rumours of various consortia lining up with takeover offers, while chairman Ken Bates has yesterday insisted plans were already in hand for manager Dennis Wise to get Leeds back up at the first attempt.

Harvey said: "There will be (and has been) a significant amount of speculation as to what the future holds for the club financially, particularly from would-be investors who want to become involved/own Leeds United.

"This type of speculation is rife both at Leeds United and in football in general, but our message remains consistent in so much as anyone interested in becoming financially involved should contact us with full details of who they are and proof of funds to show they are able to assist us."

BBC Radio Five Live this morning reported that a well-placed source had told them the club could go into administration within a week.

Barthez quits over attack

Veteran goalkeeper Fabien Barthez has confirmed he will not play again for French Ligue 1 strugglers Nantes.

The 1998 World Cup winner was attacked by a group of Les Canaris fans on Saturday night, hours after a 2-0 home defeat to Rennes.

The 35-year-old was forced to stop his car as he was driving out of the club's training ground, and ended up trading blows with a supporter who had attempted to get inside the Porsche. Other fans were seen punching and kicking the vehicle.

Barthez told radio station France Info yesterday he was quitting the club for safety reasons. "I will not play for Nantes again," he said. "What happened went beyond the scope of sport. It has nothing to do with football. I no longer feel safe there and it's better for me to leave."

Barthez came out of retirement in December to sign a short-term contract with Nantes, tying him to the club until the end of the season.

But he has made some errors in his five months there and has been barracked by fans. His most high-profile gaffe came on April 1st when he spilled a seemingly harmless cross into his own net to hand relegation rivals Sedan a 1-0 victory at the Stade de la Beaujoire.

FAI fund Waterford plan

The FAI have agreed to provide 750,000 of funding for a 2.7 million development at Waterford Regional Sports Centre which will see the ground's seated capacity reach 3,000 and bring the facilities in to compliance with the requirements of Uefa. Waterford City Council will now proceed with the project which has also secured 1m in funding from the Department of Sport .

Tonight's fixtures

(7.45 unless stated)

UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE - semi-final (second leg): Liverpool v Chelsea. SCOTTISH SECOND DIVISION - play-off semi-final (first leg): Queen's Park v Arbroath.