Luton, the Blues' weekend opponents, have sacked manager Mike Newell. The parting of the way ends a relationship between manager and board which had been fractious for some while.

The Hatters released a statement this afternoon: "Luton Town Football Club announce today that manager Mike Newell's contract has been terminated with immediate effect.

"There will be no further comment at present but there will be a statement in due course."

Earlier, Newell had questioned the board's running of the club: "The reason we're in this position is because we've sold our best players.

"Where's the £9 million [raised from player sales] gone? Give that to me and I'll get five experienced players in, I'll pay them fortunes and we'll get ourselves out of it.

"It takes three or four years to build a reputation as a decent manager and three months to lose that reputation. But if you take the four best players out of any team it will hurt them."

Meanwhile, the Football League have set up a working party to look at draws being settled by shoot-outs and other ways of potentially enhancing the game.

Chairman Lord Mawhinney, apparently the instigator of the idea of scrapping draws, said: "It's important to look from time to time at what we're offering and whether it's as good as it could be."

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