Tuesday's gossip column

TRANSFER GOSSIP

Manchester United are considering a fresh attempt to lure Benfica's £20m-rated winger Angel di Maria to Old Trafford.(Daily Mail) 
Aston Villa, Sunderland and Blackburn are eyeing up Wolves defensive midfielder and captain Karl Henry, 27.(Daily Mirror) 
Liverpool are offering key Argentine midfielder Javier Mascherano a two-year contract extension with a pay rise to keep him out of Barcelona's clutches. (The Sun) 
Blackburn are eager to sign Aruna Dindane - on loan at Portsmouth this season - in £2.5m deal from Lens.(Daily Mirror) 
Barcelona midfielder Alexander Hleb is desperate for a return to the Premier League, with Manchester City and Aston Villa standing by to sign him. (Daily Mirror) 
Michael Owen has dismissed the prospect of leaving Manchester United this summer by insisting he is happy to accept a reduced role at Old Trafford in exchange for silverware. (Daily Telegraph) 

OTHER GOSSIP

Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson made a personal phone call of support to Ryan Shawcross after the Stoke defender's tackle broke Aaron Ramsey's leg. (Daily Mirror) 
England boss Fabio Capello will turn to Tottenham's injury-plagued defender Ledley King as he attempts to solve his centre-back crisis. King, 29, won his last England cap almost three years ago.(Daily Mail) 
Neil Warnock joined Queens Park Rangers as manager after the club agreed a £400,000 compensation deal with Crystal Palace. Warnock will be paid £15,000 a week at Loftus Road.(Daily Mail) 
Meanwhile, Steve Coppell has turned down the chance of an emotional return to replace Warnock at Selhurst Park, leaving the manager's door open for Paul Hart to take charge.(Daily Mirror) 
Liverpool striker Fernando Torres has urged club manager Rafael Benitez to stop fretting about his fitness while he is away on international duty with Spain. (Daily Mirror) 
Liverpool defender Daniel Agger is to undergo treatment - but not surgery - for a bruised bone in his knee which he sustained against Blackburn on Sunday. The centre-back left Anfield on crutches after the match. (The Independent) 
Birmingham defender Liam Ridgewell will escape FA action for a lunge that took out a Wigan player, corner flag and linesman after referee Anthony Taylor cleared him. (The Sun) 
Manchester City goalkeeper Joe Hart believes he can answer the question at the heart of Fabio Capello's bid to win the World Cup. (Daily Express) 
Craig Bellamy's international future is in doubt after John Toshack, the Wales manager, refused to confirm that the Manchester City striker was part of his plans for the future. (The Guardian) 

AND FINALLY

Crisis-club Portsmouth are offering financial advice to supporters on their website. Pompey, who are in administration and have huge debts, are advertising PFC Financial Services division, which claims to bring everyday financial solutions to fans' families. One supporter said: "It's got to be a sick joke."(Daily Mirror)

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Veendam 0 - 1 FC Eindhoven

0-1 B.v.d. Eede  89.min.

How I tipped

Carlisle 1 - 3 Portsmouth 

Portsmouth came from behind to beat Carlisle and register a rare win which eases the pressure on boss Paul Hart.
Pompey's dreadful run of results looked set to continue when Ian Harte smashed home an early penalty following an Aaron Mokoena foul on Joe Anyinsah. 
But a great strike from Aruna Dindane on debut and a Danny Webber header turned things around for the visitors. 
Anthony Vanden Borre lost his marker to easily make it three but Carlisle can still be proud of a battling display. 
No-one will be more pleased with the display than Hart, who has watched his side start the Premier League with a record-breaking six consecutive defeats. 
His job is still anything but safe, but he will certainly be feeling more comfortable on the 300-mile journey back to the south coast than he did on the long trip north.

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Peterborough 2 - 0 Newcastle 

Peterborough dominated a much-changed and disappointing Newcastle side to reach the fourth round of the Carling Cup for the first time since 1994.
Craig Mackail-Smith put the hosts ahead early on with a sharp header before Tom Williams made it two from 18 yards. 
And it should have been a much greater margin, with Mackail-Smith and Aaron McLean both hitting the bar. 
Danny Guthrie saw red for a second yellow card after the break, allowing the hosts to ease to a comfortable win. 
It should have come as no surprise that the London Road crowd saw such a poor performance from the visitors after Chris Hughton made nine changes to the side that beat Plymouth. 
Steven Taylor and Peter Lovenkrands were the only survivors of that game for the Magpies, with four youngsters handed their debuts.
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