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DAVID PLATT was confirmed in the post of Sampdoria coach yesterday, in fact if not in name. The former England captain has signed a two and a half year contract as "Supervisor in charge of all Sampdoria teams", a job title necessary because he does not have the qualifications to be the official coach. Giorgio Veneri, 59, who has coached Serie C sides Leffe and Prato, will nominally be in charge of the team, although Platt will be in charge of team affairs, making him the youngest "coach" in Serie A."I am so happy to be here because ever since leaving Samp-doria four years ago I have never given up hope of returning," Platt said yesterday "Of course I sense an enormous pressure... There have been two failed attempts to stage the third-round tie - the floodlights failed at Terriers' Welfare Ground on both Saturday and Wednesday.FA CARLSBERG VASE Fourth-round draw: Sudbury Wanderers v Garforth Town; Clitheroe v St Helens Town; Bedlington Terriers or Mickleover Sports v Banstead Athletic; Sudbury Town v Northwood; Wick v Vauxhall GM; Warrington Town v Thame Utd; Camberley Town v Tooting & Mitcham; Goole v Bemerton Heath Harlequins; Harlow Town v Taunton Town; Ash Utd v Tiverton Town; Bedford Utd v Wroxham; Ford Utd v Kidsgrove Athletic; Lymington & New Milton v Mossley; St Blazey v Dunston Federation Brewery; Bowers Utd or Diss Town v Woodbridge Town; Barkingside or Oldbury Utd v Workington (Ties to be played Saturday 9 January).. Dunston Federation Brewery, from Newcastle-upon-Tyne, will have to travel all the way to Cornwall on 9 January to take on St Blazey.Bedlington Terriers, who made the headlines when they beat Colchester United in the first round of the FA Cup, will be at home to Banstead Athletic if they can overcome Mickleover Sports. Allner also took Harriers to Wembley three times in the FA Trophy, which they won in 1987.This week's draw for the fourth round of the FA Carlsberg Vase emphasised the fact that the tournament is a truly national competition. Without a shadow of doubt he is the best man in the business, but nothing is forever and there has been a growing realisation that there was a need for change." Kidderminster's assistant manager, Jim Conway, has been put in temporary charge of team affairs.Allner guided Harriers to the fifth round of the FA Cup and the Conference title in 1994, but they were denied promotion to the Football League because they failed to meet the League's deadline for ground improvements.Three years later the Aggborough side finished second to Macclesfield after throwing away a commanding lead in the championship race. "We have had some brilliant times here and this has been the best 15 years of my life.

But I now feel that both myself and the club need a change of direction."Colin Youngjohns, a Harriers director, said: "We have only had two managers in the last 22 years, so whoever comes in knows he will be given every chance to build on the stability created by Graham and John Chambers."This is a sad day, but we feel this decision is best for both Graham and the club. "I still have ambitions and, without blowing my own trumpet, I could manage a Football League club standing on one leg with a patch over my eye."It was also the end of an era at Aggborough this week as the Conference's longest-serving manager called it a day.Graham Allner resigned on Tuesday after 15 years in charge of Kidderminster Harriers, who have been unable to challenge for the Conference title this or last season and have been knocked out of the FA Cup, the FA Trophy and Endsleigh Trophy (the Conference League Cup) in recent weeks."I am very proud of what I have achieved both on and off the pitch," Allner said. "The new job they have offered me is exactly what I have been doing at the moment, apart from actually picking the team and being in the dug-out," Fairclough said. They think I have lost the plot." The assistant manager, Noel Blackwell, takes caretaker charge of team affairs.Green has offered Fairclough a role as director of football, but such a move seems unlikely. "I walked into this club as a football manager in the morning and I leave it after being sacked, feeling like a leper."I see this decision as a massive vote of no-confidence in my ability as a football manager. "We have had to make a very difficult decision," he said, "but it is one we believe is in the best interests of the club."Fairclough, who took Stevenage to the Conference title in 1996 and has lifted the club to third place this term, was shocked by his sacking "I am staggered by the decision," he said.

Yesterday Fairclough discovered the unpredictable nature of football fame and fortune as he was sensationally sacked as the manager of the Football Conference club. Speaking to the Independent last night, Victor Green, the Hertfordshire club's chairman, revealed little in the way of reasoning behind the dismissal. LAST SEASON Paul Fairclough was a hero as he steered his Stevenage Borough side to the fourth round of the FA Cup. A victory over Swindon Town and a fourth-round draw against Newcastle United ensured that the former school-teacher was regularly in the spotlight. P&O Christmas Tree Challenge: 1 Champion de Lys (L Beerbaum, Ger) clear, 33.86secs; 2 Virtual Village Welham (J Whitaker, GB) clear, 35.02; 3 V&L de Sjiem (J Dubbeldam, Neth) clear, 36.20. P&O Christmas Stakes: 1 Virtual Village Twostep (M Whitaker, GB) 42.92secs; 2 Valiska Forever (P Lejeune, Bel) 44.41; 3 Equity (D Lampard, GB) 44.48..

"It's like kids, they know me so well that they're aware of little things that they can get away with," he said.OLYMPIA SHOW JUMPING CHAMPIONSHIPS: Petplan Stakes: 1 Virtual Village Grannusch (J Whitaker, GB) clear, 47.40sec; 2 Bim II (L McNaught, Swit) clear, 48.11; 3 Virtual Village Hilton (M Whitaker, GB ) clear, 48.59. Petplan Family Pair Relay Final: 1 Comex (W Funnell) and Henkie (P Funnell) clear, 70.17sec; 2 Kildalton Lad (P Barker) and Townhead Karibund (J Andrews) 4 faults, 72.30; 3 Virtual Village Heyman (J Whitaker) and Livingston II (L Whitaker) 8 faults, 76.28. Whitaker, who has a reputation for keeping elderly horses in winning form, is well aware of the chestnut gelding's limitations."He's such a trier, I don't like stretching him to his limits," Whitaker said after yesterday's victory. "Sometimes I think Grannusch struggles over the bigger fences, so I'll probably ride Welham in the World Cup qualifier."Welham is only a year young-er than Grannusch and Whitaker, who knows both horses so well, wonders whether his two veteran mounts might be a little bit too well aware of their rider's way of doing things. She eventually stood second in the line-up, between Whitaker and his younger brother, Michael, on eight-year-old Hilton, with whom he was third in the World Cup qualifier at Millstreet in Ireland in October.Grannusch, who won the first two legs of this year's Volvo World Cup final in Helsinki before dropping back to ninth place in the overall placings, has kept his form remarkably well with his advancing years. He was, he says, able "to take a bit of a pull" coming in to the last of the 10 fences, which was on an awkward turn and was the undoing of some of his opponents - notably Robert Smith, who was the last to go on Senator for the Best.Lesley McNaught, the British-born rider who represents Switzerland, had been first to go when she raced round on Bim II. Though Whitaker said that his winning round was "not break-neck stuff" it looked fairly spectacular to those watching another superb perfor- mance from the Yorkshireman.

"I never even kicked the ball, I was injured when I made a sliding tackle," he said. The pairs relay was eventually won by the show jumper William Funnell and his eventing wife, Pippa, who had also been victorious two years ago.John Whitaker and his fleet-footed 19-year-old partner, Virtual Village Grannusch, sped their way to an opening day victory when winning the Petplan Stakes. Michael should have dismounted to pick up the bear, but has "a dodgy knee", so his nephew leapt off and unwittingly incurred elimination.Michael's knee has been a problem ever since playing in a football match at the Pavarotti Horse Show in June. Earlier he had been eliminated when partnering his 15-year-old nephew, Robert (the son of his brother John), in the Petplan Family Pairs Relay after they dropped the teddy bear which was used instead of a baton. Welham, who sustained a tendon injury when winning this class last year, is Whitaker's probable mount for tomorrow's Traxdata World Cup qualifier. Michael Whitaker had kept the family name to the fore when riding Twostep to win the P&O Christmas Stakes. LUDGER BEERBAUM, the European champion from Germany, put paid to the probability of a John Whitaker double and a family treble when he rode Champion de Lys to win last night's P&O Christmas Tree Challenge at the Olympia Show Jumping Championships.