"The more I think about it, the more I get mad."Last week, he was turning out before 200 spectators for Southampton's reserves. Little wonder he was delighted when Bristol City stepped in to sign him on a month's loan last week, a second chance he intends not to waste."I don't have much time to settle in and prove myself but I hope it won't take me long," he said. "I would be happy to play football in the First Division next season and I'm sure that is where Bristol City are going to be, otherwise I would not have moved."John Ward, the City manager, has clearly done his homework on Johansen, who may have had a minimal impact on the Premiership but boasted a useful scoring record in Norway, with 68 goals in just two and a half seasons.He will want to see quick results, however, before meeting Southampton's asking price of pounds 200,000 to make the deal permanent. And he will have hoped Johansen's debut on Saturday might have gone better.Short of match fitness, Johansen failed to solve City's current goal crisis as Ward's side, who have taken just two points from the last five matches, slipped up at home to Gillingham.Missing...David Rocastle(Chelsea)Will a new manager mean a new chance for David Rocastle? Does Gianluca Vialli even know who he is? Without a first-team start at Chelsea since October 1995, no player can be more desperate for a break than the 30- year-old former England international. Signed for pounds 1.25m by Glenn Hoddle in August 1994, he never felt he was given a chance under Ruud Gullit, despite proving his fitness in the reserves, where he is still a regular.
Spent two months on loan at Norwich last season and nearly three at Hull City this season - when his first appearance brought his first senior goal for three-and-a-half years - but neither club could afford to take him on full-time.Richard Naylor(Ipswich)The 20-year-old Leeds-born striker might have made a name for himself already had he not been struck down with tendinitis in both knees last March. Highly-rated by manager George Burley, Naylor made his first appearance of the year and only his fourth this season against Huddersfield on Saturday - and was on the scoresheet within 10 minutes.A Hot Chocolate revival? A hot Dion Dublin revival, more like. After an England debut at 28, the Coventry striker may well believe in miracles. Has he been borrowing the comeback crooner's longevity pills? Or do he and Errol have something more in common?RumoursFact and ction from the Sunday papersRumour and counter-rumour abounds in the wake of Ruud Gullit's departure from Chelsea.The Mail on Sunday says Feyenoord, the club he holds most dear, are ready to lay out the red carpet for the dreadlocked one when current coach Leo Beenhakker's contract runs out at the end of the season but that the Dutch FA is ready to pay him pounds 700,000 a year to take over as national coach after the World Cup.The News of the World reckons he could instead end up at Crystal Palace, reporting that Palace director Mel Goldberg, who wants to take over the South London club, has met Gullit's agent with a view to offering him a job as player-manager, believing his prospective appointment would clinch the backing he needs to oust Ron Noades.The Mirror speculates that Gianluca Vialli's first target as Chelsea's new manager will be Arsenal's David Platt, with whom he developed a close friendship in Italy. Platt, they say, could become the Italian striker's deputy.Elsewhere, the People reports that another troubled soul, Aston Villa's disaffected Yugoslav Sasa Curcic, may give up football altogether after seeing a proposed move to Crystal Palace break down, believing he could make a living instead as a professional magician.The Express, meanwhile, says Rob Lee is keen to make himself disappear from St James' Park in the summer, convinced that Newcastle will not make him the contract offer he wants. And they reckon there will be another name on Kenny Dalglish's payroll this week when German defender Markus Babbel signs for pounds 4.5m from Bayern Munich.Liverpool could solve their defensive problems by signing Chilean international Javier Margas for pounds 3.5m, according to the People, while Leicester will have to pay more than that for Southampton striker Egil Ostenstad, if the News of the World's information is correct.The People says Sheffield Wednesday and Blackburn are keen on Parma's pounds 5m-rated Argentinian striker Hernan Crespo.The First XIEleven teenagers, Michael Owen apart, who played in the weekend's top matchesSteve Simonsen (Tranmere) 18Alan Maybury (Leeds) 19Rio Ferdinand (West Ham) 19Michael Ball (Everton) 18Lee Naylor (Wolves) 17Gavin Strachan (Coventry) 19Frank Lampard (West Ham) 19John Oster (Everton) 19Damien Duff (Blackburn) 18Harry Kewell (Leeds) 19Lee Hodges (West Ham) 19FA CUP TEAM OF THE WEEKENDMARK BOSNICH ASTON VILLASTEPHANE HENCHOZBLACKBURNADRIAN MOSESBARNSLEYJOHN McGREALTRANMEREGEORGE BOATENGCOVENTRYJOHN McCARTHYBIRMINGHAMALESSANDRO PISTONENEWCASTLEEMMANUEL PETITARSENALPAUL KITSONWEST HAMCHRIS SUTTONBLACKBURNROD WALLACELEEDSGOOD BOYS.
NEWCASTLE moved back to the top of the Allied Dunbar Premiership table with a victory yesterday that was never in doubt after a burst of three tries in seven minutes before the break. Newcastle regained the lead from Saracens on points difference and Rob Andrew's team also have a game in hand. It took a while for the Falcons to get going but they were still able to build a 10-3 lead through a Jim Naylor try and a conversion and penalty from Andrew before their purple patch.Tony Underwood raced over after linking with Stuart Legg and Pat Lam; Dean Ryan, the Newcastle captain, rounded off a drive by the pack and Alan Tait was on hand after Lam had carved open the Quins defence. The Canadian is a ringer for Alan Rickman and the dwindling band of pessimists inhabiting the Memorial Ground terraces would not put it past their management board to have signed the actor by mistake. Al Charron, the Canadian Test flanker and one of the refugees attempting to escape the fall-out from the financial collapse at Moseley, was conspicuous by his presence in the Memorial Ground stand and if, as expected, he agrees terms tomorrow, he will add some much-needed ballast to the Bristol back row.However, Bristol's notoriously farcical track record on player recruitment suggests it will be a minor miracle if the Charron deal goes through without a hiccup or two. Saracens: Tries R Wallace 3, Sella, Bracken; Conversions Lynagh 3; Penalties Lynagh 2.Bristol: J Lewsey; D Tiueti, A Larkin, K Maggs (S Martin, 23), P Hull; P Burke, R Jones (capt, G Baber, 71); M Morgan (A Collins, 48), F Landreau, K Fullman, C Eagle (P Adams, 73), T Devergie, D Corkery (S Pearce, 55), E Rollitt, C Short.Saracens: M Singer; R Constable, P Sella, S Ravenscroft, R Wallace; M Lynagh, K Bracken; R Grau, G Chuter (B Reidy, 81), P Wallace, P Johns, D Grewcock, F Pienaar, A Diprose (capt), R Hill.Referee: C Rees (London).. Happy days.Bristol: Tries Larkin, Lewsey; Conversions Burke 2; Penalties Burke 2.
