Wednesday's gossip column

TRANSFER GOSSIP

Manchester City are tracking Sporting Lisbon defender Daniel Carrico as cover for first-choice pair Kolo Toure and Joleon Lescott but he is also interesting Atletico Madrid and Valencia.(Daily Mirror) 
City scouts are also impressed with Sampdoria midfielder Andrea Poli but striker Emmanuel Adebayor wants to stay at Eastlands, despite interest from AC Milan. (Daily Mail) 
Manager Mick McCarthy has conceded that Wolves have little chance of keeping £6.5m striker Kevin Doyle if they are relegated from the Premier League. Aston Villa, Fulham, Everton and Sunderland are all set to battle to sign the Republic of Ireland international if his side slip into the Championship. (Daily Mirror) 
Wilson Palacios has stunned Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp by admitting he is using Spurs to get a move to Real Madrid. The Honduran midfielder has been a key player for Redknapp's side following his £12million move from Wigan last January. But Palacios, 25, reckons he has bigger fish to fry. (The Sun) 

OTHER GOSSIP

Four years after arriving at Chelsea on a £121,000-per-week contract, German midfielder Michael Ballack has been offered a new one-year deal at half that salary. (The Sun) 
Chelsea have reopened negotiations with striker Nicolas Anelka over a contract extension that may result in the France international staying at Stamford Bridge until 2013. Anelka's deal was set to expire in 2012 but there is still no sign of a new contract for Joe Cole, whose current contract expires in the summer.(Daily Mail) 
England will step up their security as they attempt to hunt down and identify the culprits behind the security breach at their team hotel in Hertfordshire. A six-hour recording of team meetings is said to be in existence and has been offered to media outlets. (Daily Mail) 
Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard is set to escape disciplinary action after he appeared to aim a V-sign at referee Andre Marriner during Monday's defeat by Wigan. (Daily Telegraph) 
Stoke full-back Andy Griffin, currently on loan at Reading, has laughed off suggestions he could snatch a World Cup berth with England after some impressive performances that have guided the Royals away from the Championship relegation zone. (Daily Mirror) 
Wigan's Victor Moses could be set for a World Cup appearance with Nigeria after he invited officials to watch him play and train for the club. Moses, born in Lagos, has represented England at youth level but could be tempted to switch allegiances. (Daily Mirror) 

AND FINALLY

Fabio Capello's biggest World Cup selection headache is over the goalkeeping position - according to tennis legend Boris Becker. After a recent dinner with the England coach, Becker said: "I understand why the players are a little bit afraid of him because he's a very serious guy who doesn't joke around much. We talked about goalkeepers and Capello was just smiling so we didn't get into that." (Press Association)

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Crystal Palace 0-1 Bristol City

Chris Iwelumo's moment of magic proved the difference between the sides as Bristol City saw off fellow strugglers Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park.
The striker, on loan from Wolves, struck a stunning volley on the turn from inside the area 17 minutes from time to settle a dour encounter. 
Jamal Campbell-Ryce came close to a second but an out-of-sorts Palace could not muster a response at the other end.
The defeat leaves Palace outside the drop zone on goal difference alone.

www.bbc.co.uk

Crystal Palace - Bristol City

Thankfully to 10 points penalty, Palace are fighting to avoid relegation instead for play-off. They’re 21^st with same number of points as first under the line Sheff.Wed. (Palace have one game more to play). Ex-boss Warnock, left the club (to QPR) and it was a big hit, but club’s management (their PR office) did an excellent job showing him as a traitor who looks for more money. So, dressing room atmosphere is good again and after three consecutive defeats (all at home), Eagles noticed a hard fought draw on the road vs. Doncaster and in last round home win against play-off contenders Sheff.Utd.. The morale has been boosted, but  they have to continue winning. New manager, Paul Hart, has one injury doubt, midfielder Neil Danns. Palace have won their last four home league games against Bristol City.

 

The Robins are five points far from relegation zone, they have only one win in last ten games, while on the road have a winless run of seven games (just two wins in total this season). In those seven games, they scored just once! They’re typical home side and away City play very defensively trying with counter-attacks and individual efforts of Nicky Maynard (who is usually cut off from the play). The problem for this game is defensive line which is a base of they play suffered a disaster in previous round at home vs. Doncaster and conceded five goals (2-5). So, confidence won’t be on the highest level. They’ll also fight against statistics which say City haven’t won at Selhurst Park since December 1961. Boss Johnson can not count on forward Evander Sno and midfielder Elliot. Midfielder Brian Wilson, defenders Jamie McCombe and Jamie McAllister also continue to struggle with the injury problems.

 

This will be a hard battle and I don’t expect too many goals. Who score first will probably win. Team quality, current shape, motivation, and a manager are the main factors here (beside home ground). Don’t think visitors can resist. Home win. 1.95 at 888sport.

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Tuesday's gossip column

TRANSFER GOSSIP

Birmingham are keen on signing Portsmouth striker Frederic Piquionne after failing to land the Frenchman in the January transfer window.(Daily Mirror) 
Egypt and Borussia Dortmund star Mohamed Zidan was watched by Arsenal scouts in the 3-1 defeat to England, according to the 28-year-old striker. Zidan, who scored their only goal at Wembley, said: "My agent told me about Arsenal's interest. He asked me to try to impress them and become the first Egyptian to play for the Gunners.(imscouting.com) 
Sunderland are keeping tabs on Tottenham midfielder Jamie O'Hara, who is on loan at Portsmouth, with a view to making a summer swoop for the 23-year-old.(The Times) 
Lokomotiv Moscow will resume their efforts to prise striker Roman Pavlyuchenko away from Tottenham in the close season. (Daily Mail) 
Everton are hoping to extend American Landon Donovan's loan deal, which is set to expire after Saturday's match at Birmingham but will not pursue the matter if it threatens to upset their good relationship with the forward's team Los Angeles Galaxy. (The Times) 
Chelsea midfielder Miroslav Stoch is a target for Dutch giants Ajax and PSV Eindhoven. The 20-year-old is currently on loan with Steve McClaren's side Twente Enschede and has impressed with 10 goals in 36 appearances this season.(imscouting.com) 
Fulham are eyeing Shakhtar Donetsk centre-back Yaroslav Rakytskyi as a possible summer target after the 20-year-old impressed against the London side in their recent Europe League clash.(imscouting.com) 

OTHER GOSSIP

Arsenal defender William Gallas could face another month on the sidelines after the former captain, out since mid-February, injured his calf muscle in training. (Daily Mail) 
Gallas, meanwhile, will have to accept a drop in wages if he wants to extend his Gunners contract beyond the summer.(The Times) 
Middlesbrough striker Jeremie Aliadiere is in danger of missing the remainder of the season as he recovers from a broken toe suffered in the weekend defeat by Cardiff. (Daily Mail) 
Premier League managers are preparing for action in protest at the recent decision by football's international governing body Fifa to drop experiments with goal-line technology.(Daily Mirror)

www.bbc.co.uk

Monday's gossip column

TRANSFER GOSSIP

Bayern Munich midfielder Franck Ribery admits Chelsea are "very interested" in him and expects his future to be decided before the end of March. (Daily Mail) 
Wigan are weighing up a move for Egypt's right-back Ahmed Al-Muhammadi after he impressed against England last week.(Daily Mail) 
Aston Villa are the latest club to monitor Cardiff City full-back Adam Matthews, with Tottenham, Manchester United and Arsenal also interested in the 18-year-old.(Daily Mail) 
Rochdale can look forward to a predicted £1m windfall from the sale of centre-half Craig Dawson, who is being tracked by Tottenham and Fulham.(Daily Mirror) 

OTHER GOSSIP

Chelsea captain John Terry's celebration of his goal against Stoke, in which he rolled up his shirt sleeve and pointed to his captain's armband, dominates the back pages. Selections include: "Terry Up In Arms" (Daily Star), "Barmy Army" (Daily Mirror) and "Listen To The Band" (The Sun).
Manchester United defender Wes Brown fears his World Cup dream is over after breaking a bone in his left foot.(Daily Mail) 
Manager Rafael Benitez has assured Alberto Aquilani that he is not the "forgotten man of Liverpool", despite having to sacrifice the Italian midfielder's adjustment to English football in the race for a critical place in next season's Champions League.(The Guardian) 
AC Milan midfielder David Beckham believes the Italian club can cause a surprise at Old Trafford on Wednesday and knock Manchester United out of the Champions League, despite losing the first leg 3-2 in the San Siro. (Daily Mail) 
The battle for control of Manchester United is expected to intensify this week with the appointment of official banking advisers to the Red Knights, the group of City financiers who are trying to seize control of the club.(The Guardian) 
Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp believes all Premier League managers will eventually be foreign.(Daily Telegraph) 
The Football Association may withhold the £600,000 prize money and television income that Portsmouth have earned by reaching the FA Cup semi-finals, then divert it to pay off some of the £3m in transfer fees Pompey owe to other clubs.(The Times) 
That, however, may be the least of Portsmouth's problems. The FA may dump the club out of the entire Cup competition as a result of their debts.(Daily Express) 
Wigan's Victor Moses may opt to join Nigeria's World Cup squad after being overlooked by Stuart Pearce for the England Under-21 team.(Daily Mirror) 
West Ham's new owners will offer goalkeeper Robert Green an improved contract in a bid to keep the England player at Upton Park.(Daily Mirror) 

AND FINALLY

Fabio Capello's love of golf is one of the reasons the Italian wants to stay on as England coach for the next two years. The former AC Milan boss has become addicted to the sport since arriving in the country and now plays a couple of times a week.(Daily Mirror) 
Arsenal midfielder Theo Walcott has explained that his goal celebration against Burnley, which involved pointing to an imaginary watch on his wrist, was an attempt to dodge a fine for missing the team bus. "I was late for the bus the night before, so that's why I was pointing to a watch," he said. "I probably will get a fine but I'll take it. I shouldn't be late but I just got caught in traffic. Maybe it will be forgotten about now!"(The Sun)

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Sunday's gossip column

TRANSFER GOSSIP

England midfielder Joe Cole is poised for a summer move to long-time admirers Manchester United if there is no agreement on a new contract at Chelsea.(Sunday Express) 
Manchester City are planning to take striker Gonzalo Higuain away from Real Madrid this summer after the Argentine international turned down the La Liga club's latest improved contract offer. (News of the World) 
Liverpool will offer Fernando Torres substantially greater rewards on his image rights to fend off bids from Manchester City and Barcelona. (News of the World) 
Everton plan to splash the cash this summer by offering current Goodison Park stars improved contracts, as opposed to spending their money on big name transfers.(News of the World) 
Tottenham midfielder Jermaine Jenas has started taking Italian lessons as he prepares for a move to Inter Milan in the close-season.(Sunday Mirror) 

OTHER GOSSIP

Portsmouth fans are lining up launching a new side to groundshare with Havant & Waterlooville if their club go under. (The Observer) 
Wayne Bridge will not end his self-imposed England exile, dashing manager Fabio Capello's hopes of changing the Manchester City defender's mind before the World Cup.(Sunday Mirror) 
Capello will tell the seven players who have failed to make his final 23-man World Cup squad the bad news at a sudden-death team meeting in Austria following the friendly against Japan in Graz on 30 May.(News of the World) 
European football chiefs have vowed to ban clubs who consistently make a loss and only survive because of subsidies from their billionaire owners.(Daily Mail) 
Liverpool will delay talks over a new contract with defender Jamie Carragher, who has just over a year left on his current deal, until next year. (News of the World) 
Fabio Aurelio, though, is unlikely to remain at Anfield beyond the summer when his deal expires after a season dogged by injuries. (News of the World) 
Manchester United defender John O'Shea is poised to make a miraculous return to action, possibly within the next couple of weeks, after originally being ruled out for the remainder of the season with a blood clot last November.(News of the World) 
Manchester City striker Robinho, now on loan at Brazilian side Santos, has taken a swipe at Eastlands manager Roberto Mancini, claiming the Italian "has a lack of ability". (Sunday Mirror) 
City are set to unveil plans for a £50m training ground as part of a £500m development of the land surrounding their Eastlands stadium. (Sunday Mirror) 

AND FINALLY

A new Premier League-endorsed scheme aimed at teenage football talent hopes to eradicate the 'spoilt rich kid' image of England's top footballers following the recent headline-grabbing antics of Ashley Cole and John Terry.(News of the World) 
England striker Peter Crouch has ruled out marrying girlfriend Abbey Clancy this summer because "the World Cup is the most important thing".(News of the World)

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success!

Arsenal 3 - 1 Burnley

Arsenal drew level on points with Premier League leaders Chelsea after making hard work of beating Burnley.
Cesc Fabregas opened the scoring when he slotted in from close range but soon afterwards he was forced off injured. 
Burnley equalised when David Nugent latched on to Leon Cort's header and looped the ball over Manuel Almunia. 
Theo Walcott curled in a sublime shot to ease the embarrassment of Nicklas Bendtner's awful finishing before Andrey Arshavin rifled in a third. 
Denmark international Bendtner, who scored for his country in midweek, is in the running for miss of the season with at least three of his fluffed efforts on goal. 
Fortunately for Arsenal, the impressive Walcott was able to supply the cutting edge to his game that has often been lacking to keep the Gunners' title ambitions on track. 
The result lifted Arsenal to second in the table, only behind Chelsea on goal difference although the Gunners have played a game more. 
Manchester United, in third place have the chance to leapfrog both their rivals when they take on Wolves in Saturday's late kick-off. 
And while Arsenal's victory keeps the title race wide open, it also served to leave Burnley deep in relegation trouble. 
Brian Laws' side have now won only one of their last 17 league games - and it is hard to see how they will turn things around after another performance lacking guile and belief. 
In contrast, there was mental toughness in evidence from the hosts, who were determined to show that the horrific broken leg suffered by Aaron Ramsey against Stoke last weekend would not derail their season.
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Peterborough 0 - 1 Coventry

Jon Stead's first-half winner saw Coventry close in on the Championship play-off places as Peterborough slipped a step closer to relegation.
Stead looked second favourite when he broke through in the first half but shrugged off defender Craig Morgan and stabbed the ball past Joe Lewis. 
Tommy Rowe saw a powerful drive blocked as the hosts pushed for an equaliser. 
Charlie Lee and Lee Frecklington both shot over as Posh surged forward but Coventry held on to clinch the points. 
Posh are now 13 points adrift of safety with just 12 games remaining and their brief flirtation with second-tier football is rapidly coming to an end. 
The Sky Blues, meanwhile, are up to eighth and only three points off the play-off places.
www.bbc.co.uk

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QPR  3 - 1  WBA

1 - 0 J. Simpson  13.min.  
2 - 0 M. Connolly  18.min.  
2 - 1 C. Brunt  36.min.
3 - 1    A. Buzsaky  67.min.

Peterborough United - Coventry City

Peterborough are stuck for the bottom with big ten points less than the first club above the relegation line. They have two wins in last 11 league games, but both came in last two home encounters (QPR 1-0 and Ipswich 3-1). With 13 rounds left, it seems Posh are safe for dropping down to the third tier. They simply lack in quality and have noticed such number of points only thankfully to fanatic spirit and very bad home pitch (will be rain and again soiled surface). Club sent on loan to Nott.Forest best player, midfielder George Boyd and made real unrest in the dressing room. They’ll be without defender Ryan Bennett, midfielder Josh Simpson, while striker Reid and defender Geohaghon will have late fitness tests. New on-loan signing from Wolves, Mark Little should make his debut. All 5 of Posh's league wins this season have been at home, but none of them have been against sides currently in the top half of the table.

 

Coventry are in more than decent run of results with four wins (including Forest and Palace on the road) and a defeat (Newcastle, 1-4 on the road) in last five games. Defeat vs. Toons at the same time was the only one in last eight games. Boss Coleman said before last game (Scunny, 2-1 at home) it was the decisive moment in the season. Win would launch them into play-off contenders (3 points far, now), otherwise would be judged for middle-table fate. Won caused the team morale is higher than ever, fans support as well (3000 fans are expected today). Coventry are without defender Richard Wood and midfielder David Bell, while defender Leon Barnett is suspended. Midfielder Sammy Clingan will need to be assessed.

 

To stay in Championship, Peterborough  should make an incredible run of results. It’s impossible and they know it. One early conceded goal would mean surrender. City are flying high, no pressure, great manager, decent squad and current run of results make them the favorites today. Draw no bet on away side. 

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QPR - WBA, Over 2.5

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