Wednesday's gossip column

TRANSFER GOSSIP

Liverpool have beaten off their rivals by securing the signature of striker Marouane Chamakh for £25m. Arsenal, Inter Milan and Juventus were all after the Bordeaux man, who is out of contract at the end of the season.(Daily Mirror) 
Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp is keeping a close eye on Stamford Bridge following reports that Joe Cole's contract negotiations at Chelsea are stumbling. The England midfielder is out of contract at the end of the season.(Daily Star) 
Chelsea may be about to lose out to AC Milan in the battle to sign Wolfsburg forward Edin Dzeko but the London club are about to turn their attentions to Everton midfielder Marouane Fellaini. Fellaini's father said: "Marouane belongs at a really top club and will only get better."(Daily Mail)
Tottenham forward Roman Pavlyuchenko looks set to end his White Hart Lane nightmare by joining Zenit St Petersburg, who have tabled a £10.2m bid for the Russia striker. (Daily Mirror) 
Tottenham have agreed personal terms with Internacional's 20-year-old midfielder Sandro and are set to complete a £6m deal for the Brazilian.(The Guardian) 
Aston Villa striker Marlon Harewood is being lined up for a move to Leeds United, with boss Simon Grayson looking for a short-term replacement for Jermaine Beckford, who looks set to depart Elland Road.(The Sun) 
Tottenham are set to make a shock move to bring former Arsenal midfielder Mathieu Flamini, who is currently at AC Milan, back to north London.(Daily Mirror) 
Arsenal look to have beaten Everton to the signing of Real America's Bolivian attacking midfielder Samuel Galindo.(Daily Mirror) 
Portsmouth have rejected Sunderland's bid of £5m, plus Anton Ferdinand, for French defender Younes Kaboul.(Daily Mail) 
Galatasaray have tabled an £800,000 offer for defender Lucas Neill who joined Everton on a free transfer less than four months ago.(The Times) 
Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez has received assurances that he will be able to reinvest some or all of the money raised by the potential sale of forward Ryan Babel.(The Times) 
Newcastle United want to sign Bolton defender Danny Shittu - after missing out on Sheffield United's Matthew Kilgallon. (Daily Mirror) 
Middlesbrough manager Gordon Strachan is keen on QPR winger Wayne Routledge. (Daily Mail) 
Routledge's arrival could signal the departure of Middlesbrough winger Adam Johnson to Sunderland. (Daily Mail) 

OTHER GOSSIP

Kilmarnock want Tommy McLean to take over as interim boss following the departure of Jim Jefferies.(Daily Record) 
England manager Fabio Capello is set to give a full international debut to Joe Hart in the friendly against Egypt at Wembley on 3 March. The Manchester City goalkeeper is currently on loan at Birmingham.(The Times) 
England's 2018 World Cup bid team will tread cautiously when they set off on a mission to Angola to lobby African football officials after tensions were raised by the instant reaction of figures in the English game to the gun attack on the Togo team that resulted in the death of three people.(The Times) 
Liverpool are set to ditch Anfield's heritage and sell naming rights for the new stadium in Stanley Park. (Daily Mail) 
Former Birmingham City owners David Sullivan and David Gold are closing in on a £50m takeover of West Ham.(Daily Mirror) 
Under-fire Blackburn manager Sam Allardyce has two games to save his job, with growing unrest from the fans and the club's board. (Daily Mirror) 

AND FINALLY

Former Arsenal defender Martin Keown has backed his Gunners team-mate Sol Campbell to win an England recall. Campbell is set to return to Arsenal on a free transfer after leaving Notts County in September after only one game.(Daily Mail)

www.bbc.co.uk

Newcastle 2-0 Watford

Ten-man Newcastle extended their lead at the top of the Championship after a tough win over a spirited Watford team.
Newcastle went ahead in the 20th minute when Craig Cathcart's weak backpass allowed Marlon Harewood to set up Peter Lovenkrands for a simple opener. 
But the hosts lost Kevin Nolan when he was shown his second yellow card for a foul in the 49th minute. 
But as Watford pushed forward, Fabrice Pancrate sealed the win with a stunning left-footed strike in the 83rd minute. 
Although not one of their most convincing performances of the season, Chris Hughton's side managed to earn their sixth successive victory of the campaign.
Newcastle manager Chris Hughton:
"There will be bad times to come, I am sure, but we have shown a lot of resilience and that is the mark of any side which is doing well, that resilience resulting in clean sheets. 
"I am absolutely delighted with that. 
"What we do know is we are going to have good days and bad days, and what we have so far shown is a resilience to cope with the bad days and, at times, get something from them. 
"There are times when you can't speak highly enough of the group of lads you have, and that applies today. 
Watford boss Malky Mackay:
"Being clinical is maybe the difference. 
"Their guy gets a chance with a couple of minutes to go and puts the ball in the top corner. 
"But that's where we are at and that's the group we have got."

.

Blackpool 1 - 2 Barnsley

Derby County 2 - 2 West Bromwich A.

Ipswich Town - Newcastle United

After eight rounds, Tractor Boys still don’t have a win and from pre-season play-off contenders became a team that probably will struggle to avoid relegation. Popular Keano entered the season with very solid team, but also faced with the riot in the dressing room and some players are written off. Lately, team has been showing the signs of progress, but it seems they still play under the pressure of big expectations, especially at their Portman Road. At their home, three draws (Leicester, Preston and N.Forest) and one defeat (C. Palace), so far. From these clubs, only Preston perhaps could be considered as a top Championship team. Today’s opponent is the strongest so far, pressure permanently raises and in case of convincing defeat Keano’s position would be everything but safe. Midfielder Jack Colback and striker Tamas Priskin are pushing for starts after coming off the bench to score in last weekend's 3-3 draw at Doncaster. Defender Gareth McAuley is back after a ban but is doubtful with a calf injury. The Blues have only won one of their last nine games against Newcastle in all competitions and if lose they will have made their worst ever start to a Football League season.

Newcastle came in the season with big turbulences within the club. One period nobody knew who will be the club’s owner, manager or which players remain in the club. But all these concerns haven’t affected the players too much. Magpies have noticed six wins (draw and a defeat) in opening eight rounds and occupied a spot that guarantees a direct promotion. Beside that, they made the best defense record in league, keeping five clean sheets and leaking only four goals. However, team noticed two consecutive defeats on the road. First, faced with big injury problems, Newcastle weren’t capable to resist against Blackpool (1-2), than in Cup encounter with just two regular players lost vs. Peterborough (0-2). Those two games showed it won’t be as easy as it seemed in one moment. Players are fully focused again and situation with the injuries becomes better. Marlon Harewood came from Aston Villa on loan deal to substitute long time injured key striker Shola Ameobi. Excellent Argentinean Jonas Gutierrez won’t be in action for a while. Midfielders Joey Barton (foot) and Danny Guthrie (one-game ban) also won’t appear today, while full-back Danny Simpson is doubtful with an ankle injury. But, manager Chris Hughton has a “long bench” and these missings should be adequate covered. 

For home side it is obvious even now, there won’t be any promotion race this season and the middle of the table could be the highest achievement. Some improvements are visible, but I doubt it can be upgraded against maybe the best league team. For me, Newcastle are the big favorite here. Away win should be treated as a gamble bet, but additional covering a draw seems as a very safe option. High stake.

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Wednesday's gossip column

BREAKING GOSSIP

Brazilian star Ronaldinho denies he is thinking of retiring before his AC Milan contract expires in 2011, and adds he is "very happy" at the Italian club.Marca (Spanish) 

TRANSFER GOSSIP

Tottenham striker Giovani Dos Santos is being offered a move to Deportivo La Coruna as he pursues a bid to play for Mexico in the World Cup. (Daily Mirror)
Aston Villa are keen to loan striker Marlon Harewood to Newcastle for three months. (Daily Mirror) 

OTHER GOSSIP

Former Tottenham and Arsenal defender Sol Campbell has quit Notts County after only one game, having agreed a £40,000-a-week deal at the end of August.(Daily Mail) 
Former Newcastle manager Kevin Keegan is on track to win his legal battle with Magpies owner Mike Ashley, which could net the ex-England boss £8m compensation. Keegan is seeking constructive dismissal after quitting his St James' Park role a year ago.(Daily Star) 
Everton are furious after Blackburn's El Hadji Diouf, in an interview on Senegalese radio, claimed their fans hurled bananas at him on Sunday. Police are investigating the striker for alleged racial abuse of a ball-boy in Rovers' 3-0 defeat.(The Sun) 
Former Republic of Ireland boss Steve Staunton has emerged as favourite for the Rotherham managerial post. (Daily Mirror) 
Manchester United goalkeeper Ben Foster may be dropped for Saturday's match at Stoke City, with Tomas Kuszczak set to be given a starting place. (The Sun)

AND FINALLY

The football "yob" look of the 1980s is making a big comeback following the release of hooligan flick The Firm, with sales of sportswear brands such as Fila and Sergio Tacchini soaring.(Daily Star)
www.bbc.co.uk

Monday's gossip column

TRANSFER GOSSIP

Derby County boss Nigel Clough wants to sign Welsh right-back Ryan Shotton on loan from Stoke City.(Daily Mirror) 
Sheffield United are set to hold talks with French winger Fabrice Pancrate, who is a free agent after leaving Paris St Germain.(Daily Mirror) 
Portsmouth and Notts County are battling it out to sign former Manchester City defender Michael Ball, who is without a club after being released by the Eastlands club in July.(Daily Mail) 
Newcastle are set to sign Aston Villa striker Marlon Harewood on loan for three months as replacement for Shola Ameobi, who has a broken foot.(Daily Mail) 
Coventry are lining up a loan move for out-of-favour Sunderland striker David Healy.Daily Mail 

OTHER GOSSIP

Aston Villa midfielder Nigel Reo-Coker will face boss Martin O'Neill on Monday to find out if he still has a future with the club following their training ground bust-up last week. (Daily Star)
Another Villa player hoping for good news regarding his future is winger Stewart Downing, who will today have an operation to remove a pin from his broken foot and is targeting a return to action in November.(Daily Mail) 
The Football League has confirmed they are looking into the recent takeover of Notts County by Munto Finance and said: "We have received fit and proper persons documentation. Discussions are ongoing with regard to the club's ownership structure."(The Sun) 
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger believes sides are getting away with cynical fouls against his side and has urged the FA to investigate the matter. (Daily Star) 
Liverpool's Spanish striker Fernando Torres has declared that he wants to face club-mate and England midfielder Steven Gerrard in next summer's World Cup final.(Independent) 
Burnley midfielder Chris McCann is set for scan on the knee he damaged against Sunderland on Saturday and could face a lengthy spell on the sidelines.(Daily Mirror) 
Former skipper Gary McAllister is expected to replace Steven Pressley in George Burley's Scotland coaching set-up.(Herald)

AND FINALLY

Bolton were only able to complete the season-long loan signing of striker Ivan Klasnic from Nantes with the help of his wife's German passport. The Croatian was born in Germany but opted to represent Croatia and as such does not have a passport for the former. Unfortunately, he has not played the required number of games for his adopted country but the Trotters got round the problem by flying in his wife.(Daily Mirror) 
Newcastle defender Steven Taylor has revealed the reason behind his X-Factor sign celebration on Saturday. He has been receiving stick from his team-mates for his white teeth, which they say make him look like Simon Cowell.(Daily Mail)
www.bbc.co.uk

Wednesday's gossip column

TRANSFER GOSSIP

Newcastle hope to sign Fulham striker Diomansy Kamara on loan to cover for injured frontman Shola Ameobi, who is out until December with a stress fracture of the foot.(The Sun) 
Aston Villa striker Marlon Harewood is another loan target for Magpies caretaker boss Chris Hughton.(Daily Mirror)
Hull City striker Daniel Cousin is keen on a loan move to Newcastle after slipping down the pecking order at the KC Stadium.(Daily Mirror) 
Everton have given striker James Vaughan the go-ahead to join Middlesbrough on loan.(The Guardian) 
Bolton boss Gary Megson has agreed a deal with Wolves worth up to £1m for defender Mark Davies, who joined the Trotters in January. The two clubs opted to negotiate the fee rather than using a transfer tribunal.(Daily Mirror) 
Stoke defender Andrew Davies has rejected a loan move to Plymouth.(The Sun) 
Wigan manager Roberto Martinez has handed former Chelsea and Sunderland goalkeeper Jurgen Macho a trial following the Austrian's release by AEK Athens.(Daily Mirror) 
Sheffield United manager Kevin Blackwell hopes to beat Ipswich, Barnsley and Colchester to the loan signing of Bolton defender Danny Shittu.(The Sun) 
Australia striker Scott McDonald says he will not be quitting Celtic to join Wigan. (The Sun)
Hartlepool manager Chris Turner fears an approach from Celtic for midfielder Gary Liddle and striker James Brown. (The Herald) 

OTHER GOSSIP

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has reopened his feud with Manchester City boss Mark Hughes following Emmanuel Adebayor's alleged stamp on Robin van Persie on Saturday. Wenger, who used to accuse Hughes' Blackburn side of being too physical, said: "You ask 100 people, 99 will say it is very bad and the hundredth will be Mark Hughes." (The Sun) 
City are in talks with their legal team in a bid to save Adebayor from a potential four-match suspension following Football Association charges of violent conduct and improper conduct as a result of his actions against the Gunners.(Daily Telegraph) 
Inter Milan's former Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho says Fabio Capello "knows nothing about football" after the England coach said it was imperative for the Serie A champions to win the Champions League this season.(Daily Mirror) 
Barcelona's Spanish midfielder Xavi Hernandez admits England were missed at Euro 2008 and feels they are among the favourites to win the 2010 World Cup.(Daily Mirror) 
New Portsmouth owner Sulaiman Al Fahim is adamant the Fratton Park club will have money to spend in the January transfer window but Pompey's chief executive Peter Storrie says the club has had no new funds made available.(The Sun) 
Al Fahim says he will meet with Pompey boss Paul Hart on 21 November to discuss potential signings.(The Times) 
Former Scotland boss Alex McLeish has welcomed the decision not to axe national manager George Burley over the Scots' failure to qualify for the 2010 World Cup. (Daily Record)
George Peat's position as Scottish FA president is under threat after he criticised manager George Burley before the end of the World Cup qualifying campaign. (Daily Express) 
Tartan Army spokesman Hamish Husband says George Burley only kept his job as Scotland manager because other candidates rejected approaches to take over. (Various)
Liverpool striker Fernando Torres has hailed team-mate Steven Gerrard as "the greatest player in the world".(Daily Mirror) 
Liverpool's co-owner Tom Hicks is confident he can reduce the club's £250m debt and says boss Rafael Benitez can use some of the revenue from the Reds new £20m-a-year shirt-sponsorship deal with Standard Chartered Bank on strengthening his squad.(The Times) 
Liverpool midfielder Lucas, who has been heavily criticised by Reds fans, says he would have left Anfield if not for manager Rafael Benitez, who he says has given him "incredible support and confidence".(Daily Mirror)
Rangers midfielder Pedro Mendes has asked his best friend Fernando Meira for the lowdown on Stuttgart ahead of his side's Champions League clash with the Bundesliga outfit on Wednesday. Meira spent six years with Stuttgart from 2002 to 2008 and now plays for Zenit St Petersburg. (Daily Mirror)
Rangers could be forced to play Lee McCulloch as a makeshift centre-half against Stuttgart in the Champions League because of an injury to David Weir. (Various) 
Olympiakos have expressed an interest in appointing Bryan Robson as their new coach after sacking former Newcastle midfielder Temuri Ketsbaia.(Daily Mail) 
Former Republic of Ireland boss Steve Staunton has applied for the vacant manager's job at League Two side Rotherham.(Daily Mirror) 

.

AND FINALLY

Manchester City striker Emmanuel Adebayor appeared to recreate his controversial celebration from Saturday's 4-2 win over his old club Arsenal after scoring in training on Tuesday. The Togo striker, who has been charged with improper conduct for running down the pitch to celebrate in front of Gunners fans, smiled as he ran and slid to his knees in front of his team-mates. (Various)
www.bbc.co.uk

Monday's gossip column

TRANSFER GOSSIP

Manchester United will target Russia and CSKA Moscow goalkeeper Igor Akinfeev as they look to bring in a replacement for veteran Edwin van der Sar. (The Sun) 
Portsmouth could sign former Wigan striker Henri Camara, who is currently without a club, in time to face Bolton on Saturday following talks with the Senegal international. (Daily Mirror) 
Former Brazil left-back Roberto Carlos is available on a free transfer from Turkish club Fenerbahce and would consider a move to Notts County. (Daily Mirror) 
Newcastle have put the loan move for Aston Villa striker Marlon Harewood on hold as he recovers from a foot injury suffered during pre-season. (Daily Mirror) 
Australia defender Lucas Neill has agreed to join Atletico Madrid after turning down a new deal to stay at West Ham. (Daily Mail) 
West Brom are keen to bring striker Diomansy Kamara back to the Hawthorns by signing him on loan from Fulham. (Daily Mail) 

OTHER GOSSIP

Croatia coach Slaven Bilic has defended his striker Eduardo over the Arsenal forward's alleged dive against Celtic and says England captain John Terry's comments on the matter have an air of double standards. "I think we all agree that Eduardo was a dive," Terry said last week. "Do England players have an extra responsibility to stay on their feet? I think we all have a responsibility, not just the England players." (The Sun) 
Bilic also claims England coach Fabio Capello has eroded the 'Englishness' which typifies the national side. (The Guardian) 
England striker Emile Heskey says he would not complain if England manager Fabio Capello gave rival forward Jermain Defoe the nod ahead of him for Wednesday's World Cup qualifier against Croatia. (Daily Star) 
Steven Gerrard captained England when they missed out on a place at Euro 2008 after a 3-2 defeat by Croatia in November 2007 and he says he is out to avenge that loss when the two countries meet again on Wednesday. (Daily Express) 
Newcastle's prospective new owner Barry Moat will have a second round of talks in 24 hours with the club's owner Mike Ashley about buying the Tyneside outfit. (Daily Telegraph)
Birmingham manager Alex McLeish has been told Carson Yeung's takeover of the club will not put his position under threat. (The Independent) 

AND FINALLY

Argentina legend and national team boss Diego Maradona is facing the wrath of his critics after the 3-1 home defeat by Brazil left his side precariously placed in their attempts to qualify for the 2010 World Cup. (The Guardian)
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Thursday's gossip column

TRANSFER GOSSIP 

Everton manager David Moyes hopes to outbid Stoke in the battle to sign Cardiff's £6m-rated midfielder Joe Ledley, 22. 
Derby have put a £5m price tag on winger Kris Commons, 25, who is being targeted by Wigan. (Daily Mirror) 
Striker Marlon Harewood is looking for a new club after returning to Aston Villa from his loan spell at Championship winners Wolves, where he failed to score. (Daily Mirror) 
Sunderland are ready to bid £3m for highly-rated Cardiff City defender Roger Johnson. 

OTHER GOSSIP 

Former England manager Steve McClaren, who is currently at the helm of FC Twente, has emerged as the front-runner to become Ajax's new coach following the departure of Marco van Basten on Wednesday. 
Park Ji Sung has been promised a place in Manchester United's line-up for the Champions League final against Barcelona in Rome on 27 May. Park was left out of the squad for United's victory over Chelsea on penalties last year. 
Fulham manager Roy Hodgson will earn a £750,000 bonus from owner Mohamed Al Fayed if he guides the Cottagers into Europe this season. 
Arsenal winger Theo Walcott has told England Under-21 manager Stuart Pearce that he wants to play in next month's European Championship in Sweden. 
Newcastle players have backed manager Alan Shearer over his feud with Joey Barton. Shearer has told Barton to stay away from the club until the end of the season. 
Sunderland chairman Niall Quinn has rubbished reports that Craig Gordon is not being picked to avoid paying a bonus of £330,000 to Hearts. The keeper has played 49 times for the Black Cats following his £9m move from Hearts and the bonus payment will be triggered when he plays his 50th game. (The Sun) 
Former Cheltenham and Carlisle manager John Ward is favourite to succeed Dean Glover as Port Vale boss. (Daily Star) 
Championship clubs will enjoy a £400,000 windfall following Birmingham's immediate return to the Premier League. By winning promotion at the first attempt, the Blues do not collect their second parachute payment of £11.2m and that money will now be split between the other teams. (Various) 
Scotland boss George Burley believes Uefa should change their rules to prevent the "injustice" of Manchester United midfielder Darren Fletcher missing the Champions League final. (Daily Record) 
And the Uefa general secretary David Taylor admitted an exception could be made so that Fletcher could play in the final in Rome. (The Sun) 

AND FINALLY 

West Brom supporters are to wear lifelike masks of boss Tony Mowbray in a show of support at the club's final Premier League game this season. Organiser Dean Walton will distribute 1,800 masks to Albion fans travelling to the match at Blackburn. (The Sun)
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Stressful Weekend-Relaxing Monday

I almost got the heart attack. I didn't make any profit, but thankfully to new kid in Premier (no, I won't put his third pic in a row on my blog, he-he) I cut my lost. It is interesting how missing of one player can change the game. If I knew Rio don't play (and Garry Nevile(!) will play central defender), I wouldn't put a cent on home win (but, increase bet on over). Feel very lucky at the end.

Big Championship game is tonight. Birmingham v Wolves, second against the first. With a win, hosts will secure direct promotion, visitors title. I can't imagine which side has advantage, will seat back and enjoy in game. And a minor gamble bet on 1-1 (ht/ft), just in case.:) Here is info about injuries and statements from Alex McLeish and Mick McCarthy (from my favorite resource-bbc).

Birmingham striker James McFadden is set to play for the first time since January after overcoming a knee injury. 
Marcus Bent is also in contention but Stuart Parnaby (thigh) and Kemy Agustien (groin) are still unavailable. 

Wolves forward Sylvan Ebanks-Blake (calf) and Chris Iwelumo (thigh) should be fit while on-loan Aston Villa striker Marlon Harewood could play. 
Winger Matt Jarvis is back from a knee problem but Michael Kightly will miss the rest of the season (broken toe). 

Birmingham City boss Alex McLeish told BBC WM: 
"If you're not looking forward to high profile games likes these, then you should be chucking it (in). 
"Wolves have a little bit of leeway at the moment and we've got to go all out to reduce that. I'd prefer to be in Wolves' position at the moment but there's no reason why we can't win this game and get to within two points." 

Wolves boss Mick McCarthy told BBC WM: 
"They (the players) can sense and see the importance of it better than anybody, because they're playing in it. 
"They are our nearest and dearest rivals and they are a good side. We know night games are something special and I just don't think there's a game of more significance this season with six games to go."