Manchester United – Hull City

United come into this game after a slap from City in Carling Cup and to make the things even worse both goals were conceded from top enemy at present. So, Sir Alex is very annoyed by that game, but also with whole season as well. United have noticed some very surprising defeats lately (four in last nine competitive games, Villa, Fulham, Leeds and City). Big debt of the Glazer family caused team probably can’t be strengthened during the winter market. Injury crisis also didn’t help. However, with a win today United would occupy top of the table (Chelsea and Arsenal play FA Cup). Defender John O'Shea is set to miss the rest of the season after suffering a blood clot problem, while Vidic remains sidelined with a calf complaint. But, long waited return of Rio Ferdinand should happen today and Berbatov has recovered from a dead leg. United have won their last six league and cup matches against Hull.

 

Hull occupy the 18 place at the table with the second worst away record with just four points (four draws) from eleven games (first is Burnley)! Hard times are in front the Tigers and they look like serious contender for moving in the second tier. Big blow for their Premier League hopes is injury of their “key of the keys” man, Jimmy Bullard (will return probably next weekend against Wolves). Without him, Hull usually look harmless and focused only on defending their own goal. To change it, boss Phil Brown has brought Amr Zaki (played for Wigan previous season), but he’s totally unfit and won’t appear today. In previous round, Hull make the biggest upset of the round keeping a goalless draw at White Hart Lane thankfully to wonder game of goalie Boaz Myhill, but also to huge amount of luck. Defender Kamil Zayatte will face a late fitness test, but Brown has no other injury concerns.

 

United feel humiliated and this game should heal the wounds. Ferguson wants a win by few goals margin which would be a nice introduction to re-match vs. City. So far, United haven’t had any problems with the clubs of Hull’s level (Wolves 3-0,Wigan 5-0 and Burnley 3-0 in last three home games). And last, I think Hull spent the luck against Spurs and don’t expect them to be such fortunate again. Home -2.5 handicap win looks like a nice bet.

.

Available free bets, bonus offers and promotions:
Expekt - First deposit bonus up to €35 / £25 for all new customers
Make your first deposit at expekt.com and we will immediately double your money up to max €35 / £25. Take these 3 easy steps to start profiting from sports betting: 1.Register an account with expekt.com here. 2.Deposit a minimum of €10 into your expekt.com account. 3.Send an email to 35eurbonus@expekt.com with your customer number and deposit amount included. The bonus amount up to €35/£25 will be added to your account within 48 h

Thursday's gossip column

TRANSFER GOSSIP

Manchester United's financial problems may result in them having to sell star asset, striker Wayne Rooney. (Daily Express) 
Stoke manager Tony Pulis is battling to seal a shock season-long loan move for Portsmouth and England goalkeeper David James.(Daily Mirror) 
Former Wigan striker Amr Zaki, who currently plays for Egyptian side Zamalek, is set to join Stoke in a £1m deal. (The Sun) 
Liverpool have made a shock offer for Reading goalkeeper Adam Federici, who played in the Royals' 2-1 FA Cup victory at Anfield on Wednesday. (Daily Mail)
Manchester City, Arsenal and Liverpool are all chasing Racing Santander's 18-year-old striker Sergio Canales. (The Independent) 
Brazil midfielder Sandro has claimed his £6m move to Tottenham is a "dream come true". Sandro, 20, has agreed to move to White Hart Lane but his club Internacional want to keep him until they finish their Copa Libertadores campaign, which is South America's equivalent of the Champions League, in the summer. (Daily Mirror) 
Tottenham have been offered the chance to sign Legia Warsaw keeper Jan Mucha, who is also attracting the interest of of Stoke. (The Sun)
Spurs are also keeping tabs on midfielder Joe Cole's contract negotiations with Chelsea. (The Independent) 
Portsmouth are trying to sign Egypt striker Emad Moteab. The 26-year-old scored in his country's 3-1 victory over Nigeria at the Africa Cup of Nations on Tuesday.(Daily Mail) 
Birmingham manager Alex McLeish is considering a fresh approach for Red Bull Salzburg striker Marc Janko. The 26-year-old, who is 6ft 5in and has scored 67 goals in 92 games for his Austrian club, is available for £6.5m. (Daily Mail) 
Birmingham are also chasing Tottenham striker Roman Pavlyuchenko, 28, after Liverpool forward Ryan Babel, 23, refused to move to St Andrew's.(Daily Mirror) 
Blackburn are leading a quartet of Premier League clubs in the chase for Aston Villa midfielder Nigel Reo-Coker. Bolton, Wigan and Hull are also interested in the 25-year-old, who could leave Villa for £5m.(The Times) 
But midfielder Reo-Coker is set to reject an approach from Blackburn.(The Sun) 
Arsenal are looking for a Spanish club to loan their new Bolivian attacking midfielder Samuel Galindo to. The 17-year-old will struggle to get a work permit to start playing in England.(Daily Mirror) 
Burnley boss Brian Laws is going back to his old club Sheffield Wednesday with a £1.5million bid for keeper Lee Grant. (Daily Mirror) 
Fulham will tie up the loan signing of exciting young Roma striker Stefano Okaka Chuka, 20, next week.(Daily Mirror) 
Former England manager Steve McClaren wants to take Arsenal midfielder Jack Wilshere, 18, on loan to his FC Twente side in the Netherlands.(Daily Mail) 
But new Bolton manager Owen Coyle is also attempting to take Wilshere to the Reebok Stadium in a loan deal. (The Independent) 
Hull are lining up a £1.25m bid for Derby winger Kris Commons.(The Sun) 
The arrival of Commons could signal the departure of Hull midfielder Stephen Hunt to Wolves, with manager Mick McCarthy upping his offer for the Irishman to £3.5m. (The Sun) 

OTHER GOSSIP

Liverpool's shock FA Cup defeat by Reading on Wednesday has put manager Rafael Benitez on the brink of losing his job. (Daily Mail)
Manchester United may be forced to sell Old Trafford to help reduce the club's reported £700m debt.(Daily Mail) 
Manchester United are also exploring the possibility of selling their training base at Carrington.(Daily Telegraph)
Chelsea will discover at a Premier League tribunal on Thursday how much they must pay Manchester City for signing Daniel Sturridge. The 20-year-old striker clinched a four-year deal with the Blues last summer, with City wanting £10m and Chelsea offering £3m.(The Times) 
Blues boss Carlo Ancelotti is prepared to do nothing in the January transfer window - after being told by the club board they will win their appeal against the Fifa transfer ban, which is currently in place until June 2011. (Daily Mirror) 
Paul Hart is fighting to save his job as QPR manager after falling out with midfielder Adel Taarabt. The 56-year-old only took over as boss in December. (Daily Mirror) 

AND FINALLY

Manager Roberto Mancini plans to overhaul his Manchester City players' pre-match meal, introducing pizza and wine to the menu. "You need chicken, pizza, carbohydrates, even a glass of wine, but they are not on the table," he said.(Daily Mirror)

www.bbc.co.uk

Monday's gossip column

TRANSFER GOSSIP

Chelsea are lining up a bid to sign Brazil Under-15 skipper Lucas Piazon, who is seen as the new Kaka, from Sao Paolo. (Daily Mirror) 
Egypt striker Amr Zaki, who spent last season on loan at Wigan, is wanted by Portsmouth and could join the Premier League club in January. (Daily Mirror) 
Newcastle are monitoring the form of versatile Portugal winger Ukra, who currently plays for Olhanense and was in action against England Under-21s on Saturday. (Daily Mail) 
Championship strugglers Reading want to sign Huddersfield striker Jordan Rhodes and are prepared to pay £600,000 for the player, who joined the Terriers for half that amount from Ipswich in the summer. (Daily Mirror) 

OTHER GOSSIP

England coach Fabio Capello will not select David James for his World Cup squad unless the 39-year-old keeper is fully fit.(Daily Mail) 
Arsenal's England Under-21 defender Kieran Gibbs says he has not even thought that he could yet become a surprise late selection in Capello's World Cup squad. (The Sun) 
England skipper John Terry insisted his team will fear nobody at the World Cup despite watching his side lose against an under-strength Brazil. (The Sun) 
Manchester United defender Gary Neville has called for an elite pool of referees to take charge of high-profile Premier League fixtures.(The Times) 

AND FINALLY

There has been a rush for tickets for the final of the Major League Soccer Cup after David Beckham's LA Galaxy defeated Houston Dynamo 2-0 to qualify for next Sunday's match, when they will take on Real Salt Lake. (Daily Telegraph)

www.bbc.co.uk

Friday's gossip column

TRANSFER GOSSIP

Liverpool midfielder Javier Mascherano is a target for Juventus and the Italian club are preparing a £23m January transfer window bid for the Argentine.(The Sun) 
Portsmouth want to bring striker Amr Zaki, who was on loan at Wigan last season, back to the Premier League.(The Sun) 
Fulham are ready to make a £2m move for Legia Warsaw midfielder and Poland Under-21 international Ariel Borysiuk.(Daily Mirror) 

OTHER GOSSIP

England striker Wayne Rooney will be "not bothered" if former Manchester United team-mate Cristiano Ronaldo does not qualify for the 2010 World Cup with Portugal. (Daily Mirror) 
Former Portsmouth boss Tony Adams insists the return of Avram Grant as the south coast outfit's director of football is good for the club. (Daily Express) 
Marcel Desailly claims England are missing a star striker, but in his former AC Milan boss Fabio Capello have a manager capable of leading them to 2010 World Cup glory.(Daily Mirror) 
David Beckham will attend the 2010 World Cup draw in December to help improve England's bid to host the 2018 tournament.(The Sun) 
Saudi Arabian businessmen are targeting takeovers at up to 10 clubs in the Premier League and Championship.(Daily Mail) 
Manchester United midfielder Owen Hargreaves claims he is over the knee injuries which have seen him out of action for more than a year.(Daily Mirror) 
Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher admits he needs to improve after a start to the season which has seen some of his performances criticised.(Guardian) 
England centre-back Gary Cahill diplomatically said "everybody makes mistakes" referring to Aston Villa boss Martin O'Neill's decision to offload him to Bolton for £5m in January 2008.(Independent) 

AND FINALLY

Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand and keeper Edwin van der Sar will join chef Marco Pierre White in a special episode of Hell's Kitchen, helping cook a three-course meal for guests.(The Sun) 
Coach Fabio Capello has invited striker Michael Owen - and every other player selected by him during his time in charge of England - to Wembley for the World Cup qualifier against Belarus next Wednesday.(Guardian)
www.bbc.co.uk

Tuesday's gossip column

TRANSFER GOSSIP

Defender Joleon Lescott will write to Everton chairman Bill Kenwright and ask to join big-spending Manchester City. (Daily Mirror)
However, Lescott has been told that despite his desire to leave Goodison Park he will not be allowed to move to Eastlands. (Daily Star) 
Manchester City will call a halt to their pursuit of Lescott if they cannot get him to Eastlands by the end of the week. (The Sun) 
With Xabi Alonso's departure to Real Madrid imminent, Liverpool will replace the midfielder with Roma's Alberto Aquilani. (Daily Mirror) 
The Reds have agreed a deal in principle with Roma and will splash out £20m on the Italian 25-year-old. (The Sun) 
Arsenal are on the verge of signing Chelsea's Ivory Coast forward Salomon Kalou for £8m. (The Sun) 
Chelsea have moved closer to the £8m signing of AC Milan midfielder Andrea Pirlo, who could arrive in time for Sunday's Community Shield clash with Manchester United. (Daily Mirror)
The Blues, meanwhile, have dismissed speculation linking midfielder Joe Cole with a move to London rivals Tottenham. (The Independent) 
Having completed a medical on Monday, Tottenham striker Darren Bent is expected to finally seal his £12m transfer to Sunderland on Tuesday. (Daily Express) 
Bent's departure will pave the way for Spurs to step up their pursuit of Real Madrid striker Klaas-Jan Huntelaar. (Daily Express) 
Everton are preparing a £12m bid for Standard Liege midfielder Steven Defour. (Daily Mirror)
However, Defour is also on Liverpool's wish list as they look to bolster their midfield options. (Daily Mail) 
West Ham are confident they can persuade right-back Lucas Neill to remain at the club.(The Independent) 
Bolton are looking to sign Valencia midfielder Miguel Angel Angulo on a free transfer. (The Sun) 
Hull will turn their attentions to Tottenham full-back Pascal Chimbonda, if their bid for Newcastle defender Habib Beye fails.(The Sun) 
Newcastle defender Sebastien Bassong is ready to hand in a transfer request in order to get a move to Tottenham or Manchester City. (Daily Mirror) 
Hull will battle it out with Fulham for Villarreal striker Jozy Altidore. (Daily Star)
Nottingham Forest have launched a £2m bid for Bolton defender Danny Shittu. (Daily Star) 
Striker Amr Zaki could join Portsmouth on a season-long loan from Egyptian side El Zamalek.(The Independent) 
Hamilton Accies are close to deals for Leicester midfielder James Wesolowski and Spanish defender Luis Rubiales. (Various) 
Frozen-out Rangers forward Alan Gow is a target for Plymouth. (Daily Star)

OTHER GOSSIP

Chelsea striker Didier Drogba is set to commit himself to the Blues by signing a new three-year contract. (Daily Express)
Tottenham defender Jonathan Woodgate may need another hernia operation, ruling him out of the first month of the 2009/10 Premier League season. (Daily Mail) 
Inter Milan midfielder Patrick Viera, who is wanted by both Arsenal and Tottenham, has been told he will need to resolve his future if he is to win back his place in the French national side.(Daily Mail) 
Portsmouth have warned they may have to sell more players to survive their financial troubles. (The Sun) 
Veteran winger Ryan Giggs has revealed how training ground bust-ups are a regular occurrence at Manchester United, but help combat fatigue and keep the squad competitive.(Daily Mirror)

AND FINALLY

Former Manchester United winger Cristiano Ronaldo's legs have been insured for £90m by his new club Real Madrid.(The Sun) 
Meanwhile, Ronaldo's old house in Alderley Edge, Cheshire has been snapped up by new Manchester City striker Emmanuel Adebayor for £5.5m. The former Arsenal striker beat off competition from team-mates Kolo Toure, Gareth Barry, Carlos Tevez as well as Manchester United winger Antonio Valencia. (The Sun) 
Derby County midfielder Robbie Savage has revealed he has a sleepwalking problem that once resulted in him dragging a team-mate out of bed, having imagined a train was going to hit the building.(Daily Star) 
Russia fans have been told to drink whisky on their trip to Wales for September's World Cup qualifier to avoid catching swine flu. (Daily Express)
www.bbc.co.uk

Egypt - USA

This is the last game in the group. The propositions say Egyptians are definitely through if they better Italy's result. Should the Azzurri win, the Egyptians can overtake them if they beat the USA by a bigger margin. Before the start of competition, Egypt was rated as a third selection in the group, but after two games played they deserve a title of biggest surprise. In the first game, they were equal against World Champions-Brazil, loosing the game in the last moments (from controversial penalty kick). Players’ confidence raised rapidly and that was more than obvious in the second game, where Pharaons made a historic victory over Italy. They played tactically perfect and score from the only good opportunity. But, while the lads were beating Italy, five of the players were the victims of burglary, with thieves breaking into their hotel rooms in Johannesburg. That has done little to dampen the Pharaohs' spirits, with the squad confident they can record a convincing win against the USA. Bad news is Egypt could be without striker Mohamed Zidan after he picked up a hamstring injury in the win against Italy. The Pharaohs are short of experienced strikers, with Amr Zaki injured before the tournament began and Mido out of favour with coach Hassan Shehata.

Oposite from Egypt, before the start of Confederations Cup USA was declared as the group outsider. And in the first two games they proved that status. The only good thing was the first half in the opening game against Italy. They scored, even with a player less and were equal on the pitch. But, till the game end conceded three times. Second game didn’t bring anything good. Another three hits, from Brazil (with mixed starting eleven) this time, and another red card. The USA squad records an obvious improvement in last couple of years, but it seems they’re still far from the best world teams. Even at competition such as Confederations Cup. The players are certainly disappointed with two convincing defeats and the question is will they be able to recover mentally for the Pharaons. However, USA is not without the chance for progress. They have to win by at least three goals and Italy to lose. Ricardo Clark is back after a ban but Sacha Klejstan is suspended. Watford's Jay DeMerit may again deputise for Carlos Bocanegra if the former Fulham defender fails to recover from a hamstring problem.

After two excellent games, Egyptians proved their confidence wasn’t uncovered. Win over Italy and Brazil game put them in the position of big favorites against USA and missings in attacking lines won’t change it too much. Americans are discouraged after two defeats and six goals conceded. In the last game will play “for the fans” and I can’t see any different epilogue, than Egypt’s victory.Pinnacle offers 1.81. Home win and little gamble on x-1, again.

.

Available free bets, bonus offers and promotions:
"William Hill Exlusive £100 freebet, All Countries!!!" 1. Click here to open your account, Sign up("Join now") using promo code F100, 2. When you place your first bet, we will give you a free bet of the same value up to a max of £50, 3. As you place more bets you can earn up to another £50 in free bets. (Moneybookers available for this offer, You can choose Euro as a currency.)

Tuesday's gossip column

TRANSFER GOSSIP

Inter Milan and AC Milan are set to battle it out over signing Arsenal striker Emmanuel Adebayor.(Daily Mail) 
Manchester City are stepping up their bid to take on former Manchester United striker Diego Forlan for £20m from Villarreal.(Daily Mirror) 
Wigan have lined up a deal with Real Madrid to receive £21.5m for Latics winger Antonio Valencia. (Daily Mail) 
Liverpool midfielder Xabi Alonso could be on his way to Real Madrid for £21m if Florentino Perez returns as club president. (Daily Star) 
Tottenham are targeting Lazio striker Goran Pandev. (Daily Mirror)
Spurs are lining up a bid for Wolfsburg's Bosnia striker Edin Dzeko. (Daily Mail) 
Tottenham are weighing up an £8m offer for Celtic midfielder Scott Brown. (Daily Express)
Rangers midfielder Barry Ferguson is poised for a £1m summer move to West Brom. (The Sun) 
Celtic are hoping to sign Barcelona forward Bojan Krkic on loan. (The Sun)
Bruno Aguiar's agent says the midfielder will leave Hearts, with Ajax, Celtic and Rangers showing interest. (Various) 
Swindon Town have told Celtic to double their bid for striker Simon Cox after offering £1.2m for the striker and defender Sean Morrison. (Daily Mail) 
Crystal Palace are ready to move for Derby's Jamaica defender Claude Davis, who has been on loan at Selhurst Park. (Daily Express)
Bolton are keen on signing West Brom full-back Paul Robinson. (The Sun) 
Portsmouth's Sean Davis has turned down a new contract, with Wigan and Wolves set to move in on the midfielder. (Daily Mirror) 
Wolves are set to swoop for Standard Liege centre-half Oguchi Onyewu. (Daily Mirror)

OTHER GOSSIP

Arsene Wenger's future as Arsenal manager has come under more scrutiny. The Frenchman has been stung by criticism in the recent shareholders' meeting. He is also annoyed by the news that striker Adebayor is set to quit. (Various)(The Sun) 
AC Milan coach Carlo Ancelotti's proposed move to the Chelsea managerial helm has taken a twist, with the London club reluctant to employ the Italian's assistants Mauro Tassotti and Filippo Galli.(The Times) 
Carlos Tevez's exit from Old Trafford looks sealed after the Argentine forward failed to attend Manchester United's player of the year dinner. (The Sun) 
England's World Cup-winning legend Geoff Hurst, attending his country's bid to stage the 2018 World Cup, is a big fan of striker Wayne Rooney. He said: "Winning the World Cup in your own country is huge and I think Rooney can do it." (Various) 
Midfielder Stewart Downing, forward Tuncay, striker Afonso Alves and defender Robert Huth will leave if Middlesbrough are relegated at the weekend. (Daily Mail)
Willie Miller has called for urgent action by the Scottish Football Association. Aberdeen's director of football is unhappy after Rangers striker Kyle Lafferty feigned injury on Saturday which led to the sending off of Aberdeen defender Charlie Mulgrew.(Daily Record) 
Manchester City's Stephen Ireland is set to leave Eastlands with the midfielder upset with contract negotiations stalling. (Various)(The Sun) 
Investors from the United States and the Middle East are lining up a £140m offer for Newcastle United - but it all hangs on the club remaining in the Premier League. (The Guardian) 
Wigan striker Amr Zaki, who is on loan from Zamalek, insists he was the one to pull the plug on a permanent move. (Daily Mirror)
Everton defender Phil Jagielka is to be rewarded for his efforts this season by being given a new contract, despite a bad knee injury. (The Sun) 
England's 2018 World Cup bid may rest on the Premier League accepting Fifa and Uefa regulations stipulating that a side must contain a minimum of six home-grown players and a maximum of five foreigners. (Daily Express)

AND FINALLY 

England midfielder David Beckham, on loan at AC Milan from Los Angeles Galaxy, has warned Chelsea about their potential new boss Carlo Ancelotti. Beckham said of the Milan coach: "While I have never had the hairdryer treatment from him I have seen it from him."(The Sun)
www.bbc.co.uk

Stoke City – Wigan Athletic

This will be the game between two clubs from middle of the table, with the same number of points. Potters were moved into Championship, even before the season start. Team without a leader and the big names was declared as luck in quality. But, with fighting attitude and frenetic crowd at their Brittania Stadium, they made solid record and Saturday's 2-1 win at Hull guaranteed that they would retain their place in the Premier League next year. Stoke has a strong and very well organized defense line and they’re very dangerous from set-plays (who said Delap?). They have just one defeat from last eight home games(West Ham United, 0-1). And very interesting data is, Stoke didn’t lost at home from a bottom-half club. Their four home losses have been against Manchester United, Chelsea, Everton and West Ham. Now, they’ll play without a pressure, just for fans. Tony Pulis has all team available, except on-loan striker Henri Camara, who is ineligible to face his parent club. Full-back Andy Wilkinson is likely to be involved, after having sugar injections (hm…what?) as a remedy for a slight back strain. Excellent performances at home ground set Potters as the favorites, today. 

.

Wigan is finishing a very good season. Steve Bruce did an excellent job at the club who was at one moment (at the end of previous year), even contender for European competition, next year. Then club’s management sold Heskey and Palacios, clearly announced avoiding relegation as a main season objective. Bruce had a lots of problems with motivating his players in the previous weeks. But in the last game, against Manchester United at home, lads responded well. Wigan took a lead, but first Tevez and five minutes before the end Michael Carrick scored and left Wigan empty handed. Now, additional problem for Bruce is how to rest players for just three days. It is clear, visitors are in a bad shape with five defeats from last six competitive games and a draw (Bolton, at home 0-0), three away defeats in a row. Goalkeeper Chris Kirkland missed the United match because of a back injury and Richard Kingson is set to deputise for him again. Prince of Egypt, Amr Zaki is in doubt, while the rest of crew is available.

.

This game won’t decide too much. Both clubs will stay where they are. For home side this game is enjoy, for visitors one less before summer holiday. Hosts are in excellent mood, visitors feel tired and indifferent. I expect another home win, with a storming from the crowd. Pinnacle offers 2.31, 888sport 2.25. Home win.

.

Available free bets, bonus offers and promotions:
First deposit bonus up to €35 / £25 for all new customers. 1. Register an account with expect.com, here, 2. Deposit a minimum of €10 into your expekt.com account, 3. Send an email to 35eurbonus@expekt.com with your customer number and deposit amount included. The bonus amount up to €35/£25 will be added to your account within 48 h.

Monday's gossip column

TRANSFER GOSSIP 

Blackburn will renew their interest in Schalke's German striker Kevin Kuranyi this summer after provisionally lining him up in January as a potential replacement for Roque Santa Cruz. (Daily Mail) 
Loan striker Jay Simpson will not remain with West Brom next season as he wants to return to parent club Arsenal to fight for his place. (The Sun) 
Hearts midfielder Bruno Aguiar has hinted he may leave Tynecastle under freedom of contract at the end of the season. (Scottish Daily Express) 
Celtic target Jordi Gomez, currently on loan at Swansea from Espanyol, will wait until the summer before deciding his next move. (Scottish Sun) 

OTHER GOSSIP 

Manchester City manager Mark Hughes claims he was right to rest Brazilian striker Robinho for the side's 3-1 home defeat to Fulham after fans subjected the Welshman to chants of "you don't know what you're doing". (Various) 
Liverpool striker Fernando Torres has fired a warning to Chelsea that the Reds are ready to pull-off another sensational European comeback in the second leg of their Champions League quarter-final at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday. (Daily Express) 
However, Chelsea's players are planning to convince temporary manager Guus Hiddink to stay with the Blues beyond the end of the season by winning all their remaining games, says midfielder Michael Ballack. (Daily Express) 
Aston Villa boss Martin O'Neill is also targeting a 100% winning run-in to the season for his side in a last-ditch bid to claim a top-four finish after Sunday's 3-3 draw with Everton extended their run without a win to 10 games. (The Times) 
Newcastle caretaker boss Alan Shearer was unhappy with the lateness of Obefami Martins' withdrawal from the squad for Saturday's 1-1 draw with Stoke because of a sore groin, after the striker had trained the two previous days. (Various) 
Teenage striker Federico Macheda's stunning start to his Manchester United career is set to be rewarded with a new £10,000-a-week contract this summer. (Daily Mail) 
Former Newcastle executive director Dennis Wise is poised for a swift return to football as manager of QPR after holding talks with Hoops co-owner Flavio Briatore and chairman Gianni Paladini. (Various) 
West Ham manager Gianfranco Zola is set to sign a new four-year deal with the club, doubling his salary to around £1.5m-a-year in the process. (Daily Star) 
Wigan striker Amr Zaki faces further disciplinary action after being spotted coming out of a Manchester nightclub in the early hours of Friday morning - just 13 hours before the Latics were beaten 4-1 by Arsenal. (Daily Mirror) 
Rangers playmaker Pedro Mendes has been branded a diver by furious Motherwell defender Brian McLean. (Various) 
Scotland legend Kenny Dalglish has urged Barry Ferguson to grow up and apologise to Rangers boss Walter Smith. (Scottish Sun) 
Hibs defender Ian Murray reckons the SPL split is 'crazy' and would like to see it abolished as of next season. (Various) 
Watford manager Brendan Rodgers says a new pitch rather than new players would help him develop his desired passing game at Vicarage Road. (Daily Express) 

AND FINALLY 

Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp says Russian striker Roman Pavlyuchenko will have to work harder to improve his English after revealing his translator gets in the way during training sessions. (Daily Telegraph)
www.bbc.co.uk

Tuesday's gossip column

TRANSFER GOSSIP 

Tottenham are lining up a bid for Wigan striker Amr Zaki, who missed the defeat by Everton at the weekend after failing to return from international duty with Egypt. (Daily Mirror) 
Spurs are set to offload striker Darren Bent in a summer shake-up. (Daily Mirror) 
Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp is also tracking Serbian international left-back Ivan Obradovic, who plays for Partizan Belgrade. (Daily Express) 
Portsmouth midfielder Nico Kranjcar is being lined up for a £10m move to Greek side Panathinaikos. (The Sun) 
Pompey are set to offload striker Theofanis Gekas at the end of the season, with Zenit St Petersburg interested. (Daily Mirror) 
Fulham will battle it out with Celtic for Coventry midfielder Aron Gunnarsson. (The Sun) 
Everton are keen on Huddersfield goalkeeper Alex Smithies. (The Sun) 
Wolverhampton Wanderers are lining up a £1m bid for Bristol Rovers' 26-goal striker Ricky Lambert. (Daily Mirror) 
PSV Eindhoven hope landing Celtic striker Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink's former coach Frank Rutten will help persuade the Dutch start to return to Holland. (Daily Star) 
Dundee have targeted Queen of the South's Stephen Dobbie to spearhead their attack next season. (Daily Express) 

OTHER GOSSIP 

Chelsea players are campaigning for the return of former manager Jose Mourinho, who is coach of Inter Milan, if interim Blues boss Guus Hiddink leaves Stamford Bridge in the summer. (Daily Express) 
But Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich has identified AC Milan manager Carlo Ancelotti as the next boss of the Blues if he cannot convince Hiddink to stay. (Daily Mail) 
Newcastle will pay former executive director of football Dennis Wise a £1.5m pay-off to leave the club. (Daily Mail) 
West Ham are set to claim compensation from the Football Association following Carlton Cole's groin injury while on England duty. (Daily Express) 
Manchester United have been accused of turning football into a "cattle market" by Lazio over the deal that brought striker Federico Macheda to Old Trafford as a 16-year-old in 2007. (The Times) 
Rangers' injury woes have worsened with Kirk Broadfoot and Lee McCulloch joining the Ibrox casualty list ahead of Wednesday's meeting with St Mirren. (Daily Star) 
Aberdeen manager Jimmy Caldwerwood has backed his keeper Jamie Langfield to take the Scotland jersey from banned Rangers goalie Allan McGregor. (Daily Star) 
Kilmarnock midfielder Allan Johnston has been told he needs an operation on his hamstring to save his career. (The Herald) 
The SFA have denied rumours that Celtic's Scott Brown was involved in the drinking session which cost Barry Ferguson and Allan McGregor their Scotland careers. (Daily Mail) 
Celtic midfielder Massimo Donati has appealed to Italian clubs to end his exile in Glasgow. (Daily Mail) 
St Mirren have handed a trial to French youth midfielder Malik Hioume. (Daily Express) 
Clyde are set to plunge into liquidation at the end of the month with mounting debts of almost £300,000. (Daily Express) 
Celtic's Scott Brown is at the centre of another public row after being warned by police over an incident on a train bound from Newcastle to Glasgow with his fellow team-mates. (The Sun) 
Rangers midfielder Barry Ferguson could escape his Scotland hell 10,000 miles away in Australia as three clubs down under bid for his signature. (The Sun) 
Former Rangers manager Dick Advocaat says he has no room for Barry Ferguson at Zenit St Petersburg. (Daily Record) 
Former Celtic hero Tommy Burns is to be immortalised with a permanent memorial at the club's stadium in Glasgow. (Daily Record) 
Rangers have missed out on the opportunity to sign Manchester United's hot-shot Federico Macheda on loan next season following his wonder goal against Aston Villa. (Daily Record) 

AND FINALLY 

It has been revealed that Manchester United's teenage sensation Federico Macheda earns 'only' £35,000 a year. (The Sun) 
The 17-year-old Italian was offered a job as a pizza delivery boy by a friend in Sale as a fall-back if his football career failed. (Daily Star)
www.bbc.co.uk

Monday's gossip column

TRANSFER GOSSIP 

Everton manager David Moyes is preparing a summer bid for Tottenham midfielder Jermaine Jenas. (Daily Mirror) 
Aston Villa are also interested in Jenas - if they lose Gareth Barry to Liverpool in the summer. (Daily Mirror) 
Newcastle have made a £6m inquiry about Wigan striker Amr Zaki. (Daily Mail) 
Stoke City are set to launch a new bid for Blackburn Rovers midfielder Aaron Mokoena. (Daily Mirror) 
Swindon striker Simon Cox is a £2m target for West Brom and Leicester. (Daily Mirror) 
Coventry keeper Dimi Konstantopoulos is being chased by former club Hartlepool. (Daily Mirror) 
Wolves captain Jody Craddock has rejected an approach from Australian side Perth Glory. (Daily Mirror) 

OTHER GOSSIP 

Mach of the Day, Mach the Knife, Teenage Kicks, Boy Wonder and Kiko the Kid are just some of the headlines in today's papers referring to Federico Macheda's late goal for Manchester United on Sunday. (Various) 
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has shelved contract talks with his players until the end of the season. (Daily Express) 
Cardiff chairman Peter Ridsdale has vowed to ban for life the supporter who threw a coin at referee Mike Dean in Sunday's south Wales derby against Swansea. (The Times) 
Former Newcastle manager Graeme Souness is ready to save his old club Southampton from going out of business. (Daily Mail) 
Liverpool striker Nathan Eccleston has signed a new two-year contract at the club. (Daily Mirror) 
Rangers manager Walter Smith has called for an end to the reporting on Barry Ferguson and Allan McGregor's drinking session and offensive gestures. (Various) 
Meanwhile, the Rangers manager insists his side are at full-stretch as they try to close the gap on Celtic at the top of the SPL table. (Scotsman) 
Worried Livingston fans have heard a radical rescue plan on for the cash-strapped club if it goes into administration. (Scotsman) 
Clyde could go bust in less than three weeks after being evicted from Broadwood stadium by North Lanarkshire Council. (Daily Record) 
Celtic are closing in on a player-exchange partnership with Hungarian league leaders Ujpest FC. (The Herald) 

AND FINALLY 

Triple Olympic champion Usain Bolt is to give Manchester United winger Cristiano Ronaldo running tips at a specially arranged training session at the club. (The Sun)