BLACKBURN Rovers are backing "unhappy" record signing Kevin Davies to come good and help them mount a promotion challenge next season.

Davies has endured a torrid time since his £7.25 million signing from Southampton last summer with just two goals to show for Roy Hodgson's massive outlay.

His advisers have reportedly told Rovers he isn't happy at Ewood Park and he was recently fined two weeks' wages by manager Brian Kidd for attending a nightclub two days before the game against Manchester United which confirmed Rovers relegation.

"With hindsight, Blackburn wasn't right for Kevin. Yet at the time the set-up there seemed ideal," said David Manasseh of leading football agency Stellar Promotions and Management, which handles Davies' affairs. "We've spoken to Blackburn and told them Kevin's not happy but he's under contract and they paid a lot of money for him."

Davies is not currently a very saleable asset unless Rovers are prepared to drastically cut their losses and the former Chesterfield striker is ready to take a massive pay cut to play elsewhere - if there are any takers.

Rovers therefore expect the 22-year-old to start the new season with them and chief executive John Williams is hoping that the goals will flow again in Division One.

"It was a good move for Kevin Davies and Blackburn at the time," said Williams.

"It would be silly to pretend it was a fantastic year for Kevin but he had a couple of bad bouts of quinsy and had his tonsils out.

"And next year in the Nationwide we are hoping he will show his true colours."

One Rovers striker almost certain to be heading out of Ewood this summer is Chris Sutton, who has again been linked with a move to Chelsea. Gianluca Vialli is in the market for a goalscorer to mount a more sustained Premiership challenge next season and the big-spending Londoners are reported to be ready to pay around £9 million for the player who has been valued at £12 million by Blackburn.

However, there has been no approach from Chelsea and Rovers confirmed again today that they have received no offers for the England striker, who wouldn't be allowed to leave for as little as Chelsea are reputed to be prepared to pay.

Meanwhile, former Rovers boss Kenny Dalglish was expected to be installed as Celtic's first technical director today.

Dalglish confirmed he had been involved in "extensive talks" with Hoops chairman Allan MacDonald and Dalglish was due to be unveiled at an afternoon Press conference as the man to guide Celtic back to the top of the Scottish game.

Dalglish, who has been out of the football since being unceremoniously dumped by Newcastle last August, has been MacDonald's number one target since he took over the day-to-day running of the club from owner Fergus McCann earlier this year.

His success as a player with Celtic and Liverpool, plus title-winning stints as manager of Liverpool and Blackburn, make Dalglish the ideal man to bring trophies back to the Parkhead cabinet after a barren year following the title success of 1998.

And Dalglish, who had previously fronted a big-money bid to wrest control of the Parkhead outfit from McCann, is expected to name John Barnes as his new head coach.

Dalglish' arrival looks likely to signal the departure of current team boss Jozef Venglos.

And another former Blackburn manager in the running for a new job is Hodgson.

The man who was replaced at Ewood park by Kidd last November, expects to have talks with Soccer Australia officials over the next few days about coaching the national team.

The former Swiss national coach is preparing a World Stars XI to face Australia in a match to officially open the Olympic stadium in Sydney on Saturday. Hodgson said he had had contact from Soccer Australia officials and expected to meet them while in Australia.

The 51-year-old coach added that he knew nothing about reports linking him with the vacant Wales managerial position following last week's resignation of Bobby Gould. BLACKBURN Rovers are backing "unhappy" record signing Kevin Davies to come good and help them mount a promotion challenge next season.

Davies has endured a torrid time since his £7.25 million signing from Southampton last summer with just two goals to show for Roy Hodgson's massive outlay.

His advisers have reportedly told Rovers he isn't happy at Ewood Park and he was recently fined two weeks' wages by manager Brian Kidd for attending a nightclub two days before the game against Manchester United which confirmed Rovers relegation.

"With hindsight, Blackburn wasn't right for Kevin. Yet at the time the set-up there seemed ideal," said David Manasseh of leading football agency Stellar Promotions and Management which handles Davies' affairs.

"We've spoken to Blackburn and told them Kevin's not happy but he's under contract and they paid a lot of money for him."

Davies is not currently a very saleable asset unless Rovers are prepared to drastically cut their losses and the former Chesterfield striker is ready to take a massive pay cut to play elsewhere - if there are any takers.

Rovers therefore expect the 22-year-old to start the new season with them and chief executive John Williams is hoping that the goals will flow again in Division One.

"It was a good move for Kevin Davies and Blackburn at the time," said Williams.

"It would be silly to pretend it was a fantastic year for Kevin but he had a couple of bad bouts of quinsy and had his tonsils out.

"And next year in the Nationwide we are hoping he will show his true colours."

One Rovers striker almost certain to be heading out of Ewood this summer is Chris Sutton, who has again been linked with a move to Chelsea.

Gianluca Vialli is in the market for a goalscorer to mount a more sustained Premiership challenge next season and the big-spending Londoners are reported to be ready to pay around £9 million for the player who has been valued at £12 million by Blackburn.

Chelsea are reported to have contacted both Sutton's advisers and Rovers, although there have been no bids lodged at Ewood for the England striker.

Meanwhile, former Rovers boss Kenny Dalglish was expected to be installed as Celtic's first technical director today.

Dalglish confirmed he had been involved in "extensive talks" with Hoops chairman Allan MacDonald and Dalglish was due to be unveiled at an afternoon Press conference as the man to guide Celtic back to the top of the Scottish game.

Dalglish, who has been out of the football since being unceremoniously dumped by Newcastle last August, has been MacDonald's number one target since he took over the day-to-day running of the club from owner Fergus McCann earlier this year.

His success as a player with Celtic and Liverpool, plus title-winning stints as manager of Liverpool and Blackburn, make Dalglish the ideal man to bring trophies back to the Parkhead cabinet after a barren year following the title success of 1998.

And Dalglish, who had previously fronted a big-money bid to wrest control of the Parkhead outfit from McCann, is expected to name John Barnes as his new head coach.

Dalglish' arrival looks likely to signal the departure of current team boss Jozef Venglos.

And another former Blackburn manager in the running for a new job is Hodgson.

The man who was replaced at Ewood park by Kidd last November, expects to have talks with Soccer Australia officials over the next few days about coaching the national team.

The former Swiss national coach is preparing a World Stars XI to face Australia in a match to officially open the Olympic stadium in Sydney on Saturday.

Hodgson said he had had contact from Soccer Australia officials and expected to meet them while in Australia.

The 51-year-old coach added that he knew nothing about reports linking him with the vacant Wales managerial position following last week's resignation of Bobby Gould.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.