Friday's gossip column

TRANSFER GOSSIP

Chelsea have given up on signing Franck Ribery and will concentrate on signing his £25m-rated Bayern Munich team-mate Bastian Schweinsteiger in January instead.(The Sun) 
Atletico Madrid striker Sergio Aguero expects to complete a £32m move to Chelsea next month.(The Sun) 
Chelsea are also considering a £20m swoop for Wolfsburg striker Edin Dzeko. (Daily Telegraph) 
Tottenham have made an £8m move for West Ham defender Matthew Upson but face competition for the England defender from Manchester City.(Daily Mirror) 
Manchester City could also renew their attempts to sign Hammers midfielder Scott Parker, one of their transfer targets last January, and are also eyeing Barcelona duo Carlos Puyol and Eric Abidal. (The Independent) 
City boss Mark Hughes will also target Fulham defender Brede Hangeland and out-of-favour Tottenham winger David Bentley in January.(The Times) 
Crystal Palace forward Victor Moses has attracted attention from Barcelona and German side Hoffenheim but wants to stay in England, with Tottenham keen on the £5m-rated teenager.(The Sun) 
Burnley manager Owen Coyle asked Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger if he could sign teenage Gunners midfielder Jack Wilshere on loan when they spoke just before kick-off at Turf Moor on Wednesday.(Daily Mirror) 
Nottingham Forest are set to make a £3m bid for Tottenham's Welsh defender Gareth Bale and will spend the same amount to turn Nicky Shorey's loan move from Aston Villa into a permananent move. (Daily Mirror) 
Wigan have opened talks with Argentine side Velez Sarsfield about signing Chilean defender Waldo Ponce.(Daily Mirror) 
Derby boss Nigel Clough has been told he will have to pay £800,000 for Bournemouth striker Brett Pitman. (The Sun)
Blackburn are leading the chase to sign 16-year-old Bosnian midfielder Marko Maletic from Dutch side De Graafschap, with Celtic also interested.(Daily Mirror) 
Ipswich hope to beat Wolves, Newcastle and Middlesbrough to the £2.5m signing of Derby striker Rob Hulse. (The Sun)
Charlton will take Livingston winger Andrew Halliday on trial in January with a view to signing him but face competition for the 18-year-old from Sunderland, Wigan, West Ham, Fulham, Rangers, Hearts and Hibs. (Daily Record) 

OTHER GOSSIP

Manchester City boss Mark Hughes needs good results in his side's fixtures over the festive period - against Sunderland, Stoke and Wolves - to be sure of keeping his job.(The Guardian) 
City have already approached Guus Hiddink about replacing Hughes, according to the former Chelsea manager's agent.(Daily Telegraph) 
Manchester City want Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger as their next manager. (Daily Star) 
Dundee United boss Craig Levein says he won't become Scotland's new manager unless he is convinced he is the right man for the job.(Daily Record) 
Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher turned down an invitation from England boss Fabio Capello to reconsider his decision to retire from international football. (The Times) 
Chelsea midfielder Frank Lampard has warned his side that they need to rediscover their killer instinct if they are to hold off a title challenge from champions Manchester United. (Daily Mirror) 
Former England manager Steve McClaren, currently in charge of Dutch side FC Twente, does not want his next job to be in the Premier League and would prefer to work in another foreign country, preferably Spain, next. (Daily Mail) 
Liverpool have insisted they are willing to invest the estimated £15m needed to upgrade Anfield to a World Cup venue for 2018 or 2022, should the club's proposed new stadium fail to materialise.(The Independent) 
Former Peterborough boss Darren Ferguson is favourite to become Reading's next manager following the departure of Brendan Rodgers. (Daily Mail) 
Premier League clubs will face a pre-World Cup fixture backlog if the weather causes postponements in the next few weeks as there are few free midweek slots to fit in rearranged games and the end of the domestic season has already been brought forward.(The Guardian)

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AND FINALLY

Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson served Christmas dinner to the club's youth team at their Christmas panto, which saw United's youngsters mock their superstar club-mates in the senior squad.(The Sun) 
Wayne Rooney's in-laws are being tormented by their pet parrot, who keeps squawking the name of Rooney's son after the Manchester United and England striker taught the African Grey to say "Kai Wayne Rooney" for a laugh.(The Sun)

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Thursday's gossip column

TRANSFER GOSSIP

Barcelona have stated they will "fight" to sign Arsenal midfielder Cesc Fabregas next season and are ready to bid £40m for him.(The Sun) 
Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp is set to make a £6m bid for Wigan left-back Maynor Figueroa, and will raise the funds by selling Gareth Bale. (Daily Mirror) 
Redknapp is also poised to make a move for Chile's highly-rated striker Humberto Suazo, who plays for Mexican side Monterrey.(Daily Mirror) 
Everton are weighing up a cut-price deal for Atletico Madrid midfielder Maxi Rodriguez. (Daily Mirror) 
The Toffees are also close to securing a loan deal for LA Galaxy striker Landon Donovan. (The Independent)
Former Chelsea striker Eidur Gudjohnsen is looking for a return to the Premier League after falling out with his boss at Monaco. (The Sun) 
Bolton boss Gary Megson is still unsure whether to pay £1.4m to make Ivan Klasnic's loan move from Nantes a permanent deal. (Daily Mirror) 
Hull boss Phil Brown has been told to slash £6m of the club's wage bill be selling players during the January transfer window. (The Sun) 
Alex McLeish has told Birmingham owner Carson Yeung that signing "galaticos" next month could wreck City's brilliant form.(Daily Mirror) 
On-loan winger Jerome Rothen wants to quit Rangers and return to Paris St Germain in January. (Various) 
Jerome Rothen will be told by Rangers he no longer figures in their plans and that he can return to Paris St Germain in January as the on-loan winger returns from a bout of reported swine flu. (Daily Record)
West Ham are set to bid for 18-year-old Belgian winger Geoffrey Hairemans, who plays for Royal Antwerp. (Daily Mirror) 
Former Bolton defender Ivan Campo is having a trial at Cypriot club AEK Larnaca. (Daily Mirror)
Crystal Palace have given a trial to Dutch side Heerenveen's Bonavnture Kalou, the brother of Chelsea striker Salomon. (The Sun) 

OTHER GOSSIP

The Scottish FA has approached Dundee United for permission to speak to Craig Levein about the Scotland manager's vacancy. (The Guardian)
Dundee United chairman Stephen Thompson is unlikely to reject the Scottish Fa's request to speak to Craig Levein about the national manager's job. (Daily Record) 
Wolves fans who travelled to see their weakened side lose at Manchester United on Tuesday have bombarded the club with demands for their money back.(Daily Mirror) 
Former Portsmouth boss Paul Hart will be appointed as the new manager of QPR on Thursday, with Mick Harford as his assistant. (Daily Mirror) 
Reading have put ex-Middlesbrough manager Gareth Southgate at the top of their wish list of names to fill their vacant manager's position.(The Sun) 
Or, Reading are pondering a move for former Peterborough manager Darren Ferguson to take over from sacked boss Brendan Rogers. (Daily Mirror) 
Alternatively, Steve Coppell is in line for a return as Reading manager. (Daily Star)
Former Watford boss Graham Taylor has revealed he fears for the club's future as the Hornets veer towards administration.(Daily Mirror) 
Real Zaragoza want Gus Poyet to become their new manager, despite the Uruguayan having signed an 18-month deal at Brighton just over a month ago.(The Sun) 
Hearts midfielder Laryea Kingston is on a collision course with his club again after ruling himself out of action for seven weeks, saying he has another hamstring strain while set to report for African Cup of Nations duty with Ghana. (Daily Record) 

AND FINALLY

David Beckham is hoping AC Milan draw Manchester United in the Champions League knockout phase so he can return to Old Trafford with the Italians, whom he joins on loan in the new year, and knock out his old team.(The Sun) 
Wigan boss Roberto Martinez has compared defender Maynor Figueroa to France legend Zinedine Zidane after the left-back scored a 60-yard free-kick last Saturday. (The Sun)

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Wednesday's gossip column

TRANSFER GOSSIP

Manchester United are keen on Serbian defender Uros Cosic, who is tipped by his club CSKA Moscow as a potentially bigger talent than Nemanja Vidic.(Daily Mirror) 
Sunderland manager Steve Bruce is planning a January bid for Wigan's £4m-rated defender Maynor Figueroa, who scored a stunning long-range goal against Stoke at the weekend.(The Sun) 
Arsenal are concerned that defender Mikael Silvestre could leave the club on a free transfer at the end of the season.(Daily Mirror) 
Wigan boss Roberto Martinez is considering a move for Chile defender Waldo Ponce, who plays for Velez Sarsfield in Argentina.(Daily Mail) 
Aston Villa's Spanish defender Carlos Cueller has attracted the interest of Real Madrid.(Daily Mirror) 
Leicester boss Nigel Pearson could make a £750,000 offer for Arsenal defender Kerrea Gilbert.(The Sun) 

OTHER GOSSIP

The ruling family of the United Arab Emirates want talks with Liverpool's owners to discuss possible investments.(Daily Mirror) 
And Liverpool's co-owners George Gillett and Tom Hicks are closing in on a deal that will see them sell a share in the club to a new investor for around £124m.(Daily Telegraph) 
Jose Mourinho's troubles at Inter Milan have increased the likelihood of the former Chelsea boss returning to England, with Liverpool and Manchester City touted as possible destinations.(The Sun) 
Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger's attempt to get compensation from the Dutch Football Federation over the injury picked up by Robin van Persie while on international duty last month has been dismissed by Fifa.(The Independent) 
Former Portsmouth manager Tony Adams is set to return to management with French side St Etienne.(Daily Mail) 
Coventry boss Chris Coleman has been given until the new year to save his job at the Ricoh Arena.(The Sun) 
Nottingham Forest have blocked an approach from another unnamed Championship club to speak to manager Billy Davies. Davies has been linked with the vacant jobs at Queens Park Rangers and Sheffield Wednesday.(The Sun) 
Sheffield United are leading the chase for Peterborough striker Aaron McLean. (The Sun) 

AND FINALLY

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger admits his half-time rant during the game against Liverpool was a risk, and says football management is like "living on a volcano". He said: "I was many times very angry but sometimes you're angry but do not show it. The problem with anger, you can create some damage that you cannot repair."(Daily Telegraph)

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Tuesday's gossip column

TRANSFER GOSSIP

Chelsea are planning a January move for West Ham goalkeeper Robert Green as manager Carlo Ancelotti has lost patience with Petr Cech.(Daily Express) 
Tottenham winger David Bentley, who was left out of the squad that played Wolves at the weekend, wants Spurs to let him leave in the January transfer window.(The Mirror) 
Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez will try and exploit the uncertainty at West Ham by making a £6m bid for midfielder Scott Parker.(The Sun) 
Barcelona could make a shock £3.5m move for Crystal Palace forward Victor Moses in the new year. The 19-year-old has also attracted the interest of Sunderland, Wigan and Tottenham. (Daily Star) 
Arsenal and Manchester United have been warned off signing Standard Liege's £15m midfielder Steven Defour in January, although the player's agent says he would be interested in coming to England.(The Sun) 
Real Madrid want to sign Chelsea defender Ricardo Carvalho and could use striker Ruud van Nistelrooy as bait. (Daily Star) 
Manchester United have been linked with moves for AC Milan striker Klaas-Jan Huntelaar and Cardiff defender Adam Matthews.(Daily Mail) 
Stoke manager Tony Pulis is preparing to make a £4m offer for Newcastle forward Andy Carroll.(Daily Mirror) 
Blackburn manager Sam Allardyce has told striker Benni McCarthy that he can leave Rovers in the new year. (Daily Telegraph)
And Allardyce has been given permission to sign Chelsea striker Franco di Santo on loan for the rest of the season. (Daily Mirror) 
Charlton midfielder Therry Racon is wanted by West Brom, Leicester and Nottingham Forest.(The Sun) 
Reading midfielder Brynjar Gunnarsson wants to leave the club in January.(The Independent) 
Coventry manager Chris Coleman is lining up a £1m move for Nottingham Forest midfielder Lewis McGuigan.(The Sun) 

OTHER GOSSIP

Chelsea manager Carlo Ancelotti will drop some of his star players for Wednesday's home game with Portsmouth following the 3-3 draw with Everton at the weekend. Defender Ricardo Carvalho and midfielder Michael Ballack are in the firing line.(The Sun) 
David Gold and David Sullivan have pledged a £25m January transfer kitty as part of their £50m takeover of West Ham.(Daily Mirror) 
However, the Icelandic bank that controls West Ham is set to reject the bid from the former Birmingham owners.(The Independent) 
The city of Liverpool could lose out in the race to host 2018 World Cup matches, with Milton Keynes a possible inclusion in England's final bid to Fifa.(The Times) 
Chelsea have turned down Portsmouth's request for more time to pay the £750,000 owed from Glen Johnson's move to Fratton Park.(The Sun) 
Inter Milan boss Jose Mourinho has been accused of "physical and verbal aggression" towards a journalist after Sunday's 1-1 draw at Atalanta.(The Times) 
Manchester United midfielder Owen Hargreaves is on the verge of making a comeback from two knee operations, but is struggling to overcome the psychological hurdle of playing again for the first team.(The Sun) 

AND FINALLY

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Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher admits his side need divine intervention to help their title ambitions following another defeat at the weekend. "We've got to get through it and, as I'm doing, pray to God that at the end of season there will be something worthwhile for what we've gone through," he said.(The Independent)

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West Brom 2 - 2 QPR

Simon Cox scored an equaliser deep into injury time to salvage a deserved draw for West Brom against QPR.
The visitors, with Steve Gallen and Marc Bircham in charge, went ahead when Jonas Olsson's attempted clearing header looped into his own net. 
Kaspars Gorkss doubled the lead with a simple header after a mistake by Dean Kiely but Jerome Thomas pulled one back with a swivelling shot. 
And Cox snatched a point when he tapped in a rebound in the 94th minute. 
The result will be hard to take for Rangers' novice managerial duo, who took charge with Jim Magilton suspended following his alleged altercation with Akos Busaky after the defeat against Watford. 
West Brom, meanwhile, may have missed the chance to make up genuine ground at the top of the table but manager Roberto Di Matteo will be relieved to have taken anything from a game they seemed destined to lose.

West Brom manager Roberto Di Matteo:
"The way the game went a point is better than nothing. I'm trying to look at the positive side of it.
"The players fought really hard for the point. I thought we deserved a little bit more as well, we had some very good chances but didn't quite manage to score. 
"We've definitely been leaking too many goals in the last three games." 
QPR temporary manager Steve Gallen:
"I don't know what is going to happen. I just got told last week and it feels like the longest week ever.
"I don't know if I'm charge for Saturday's game (at home to Sheffield United). 
"I don't know when I'll find out. I saw something yesterday and it said the club are meeting with Jim and something will be decided over the next 48 hours. 
"I welcome that, definitely. I'm sure people on the outside at QPR want to see things resolved quickly - we all do on the inside. 
"I also saw some things during the week about chaos at QPR - that's absolute nonsense. I've not seen any chaos at the training ground."

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West Bromwich A. - Queens Park R.

WBA ended their unbeaten run of six games with defeat against Cardiff, last weekend. Decent display stayed unrewarded and I don’t think they could fall into crisis of results. Goalkeeper Scott Carson is suspended because the red card and will be replaced with veteran Dean Kiely.

 

Rangers are in big problems. Club’s owner is under the investigation, manager has been suspended for hitting midfielder Akos Buzsaky who is one of the key players and he has been ruled out of the game. They have three defeats in last four games. First, lost in Doncaster. Than were defending a draw at home against weak Coventry, than were humiliated at home against Boro 1-5 and in last game another defeat against Watford.

 

Over the years WBA have excellent home record. Tonight’s opponent is perfect for bouncing back and returning self confidence. Home handicap win.

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Monday's gossip column

TRANSFER GOSSIP

Blackburn winger Morten Gamst Pedersen has his heart set on a January move to Scottish Premier League side Celtic as he is desperate to play in the Champions League. (Daily Mail) 
Aston Villa are leading the chase to sign £4m-rated Scottish midfielder Graham Dorrans from Championship outfit West Brom. Birmingham City, Everton, Sunderland and Stoke City have also shown an interest in the 22-year-old.(The Mirror) 
Fulham manager Roy Hodgson is preparing a £3m January bid for Wigan midfielder Paul Scharner.(The Mirror) 
West Ham boss Gianfranco Zola is hoping to sign Brazilian striker Adriano on the cheap in January in a bid to help lead his team away from the relegation zone.( The Sun) 
Former France international midfielder Camel Meriem is hoping to swap Monaco for Blackburn Rovers in January - as long as he can prove his fitness in a trial at the club this week.(The Mirror) 

OTHER GOSSIP

Manchester United owners the Glazers have issued a firm "not for sale" response to claims a Bangkok-based Chinese consortium were preparing a £1bn takeover bid.(Daily Star) 
Arsenal were spurred on to their come-from-behind victory over Liverpool on Sunday after being ripped into by "furious" manager Arsene Wenger at half-time, the Frenchman telling his players they were "not fit to wear the shirt". (Various) 
Tottenham defender Benoit Assou-Ekotto must offer an apology to the club and its supporters if he hopes to play for the Londoners again following an angry confrontation with a fan during Saturday's 1-0 defeat to Wolves.(The Sun) 
Former Burnley manager Steve Cotterill is the front-runner to succeed Brian Laws, who left the Owls over the weekend, as Sheffield Wednesday manager.(The Mirror) 
Chelsea keeper Petr Cech has hit out at the club's supporters after they jeered the players at the end of Saturday's 3-3 home draw with Everton. "I was very surprised to hear the boos because this was our first Premier League draw at home all season. I don't understand it."(The Sun) 
Manchester City boss Mark Hughes believes referee Mark Clattenburg's dislike of Craig Bellamy as a person influenced his decision to send the striker off in Saturday's 3-3 draw with Bolton.(The Mirror) 
League Two outfit Notts County could be forced to sell the likes of Kasper Schmeichel and Lee Hughes in January after their change of ownership, while uncertainty still surrounds the future of director of football Sven-Goran Eriksson.(Daily Mail) 

AND FINALLY

West Ham striker Carlton Cole has revealed how he flouted England coach Fabio Capello's strict dietary rules by sneaking a bottle of tomato ketchup into the national side's training camps. "Fabio is a disciplinarian. You need to live by his rules or you will not be involved. But I didn't know how strict the diet was. I was dying and needed something on my pasta."(The Sun)

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Saturday's epilogue

Bolton 3 - 3 Man City

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Carlos Tevez scored twice to salvage another draw for Manchester City in a thrilling game against Bolton.
Ivan Klasnic opened the scoring despite appearing to be offside before Tevez levelled with a deflected strike. 
Gary Cahill's curler put Bolton ahead before Micah Richards equalised - but Klasnic's swivelling shot made it 3-2. 
Craig Bellamy was controversially sent off after being booked for diving, but Tevez's long-range effort claimed a late draw in a memorable game. 
The result means City have now drawn their last four away matches and ensures questions remain as to whether Mark Hughes' side can produce the consistent form necessary to challenge for a top-four finish. 
Bolton, meanwhile, will feel frustrated that they failed to take all three points after an often-dominant display in which they took the lead on three occasions.
The hosts were much-improved from their loss at Wolves last week but that will come as little comfort to manager Gary Megson who is increasingly facing a relegation battle.

Bolton manager Gary Megson:
"We're delighted given how both football clubs are run. It's a decent result because of that but on the other side of the coin we took the lead three times.
"But in terms of what's been going on for us it's a great point. They've got quality all over the pitch and on the bench. Our lads played well and gave it everything. 
"Kevin Davies was right back to his best and I don't think we would have got that result without him. Zat Knight was excellent and so was Paul Robinson." 
Manchester City manager Mark Hughes:
"The first goal was clearly offside and how the hell the official couldn't see that was beyond me.
"I thought the officials were in general very poor. The decision to send Craig Bellamy off was quite honestly laughable. 
"My assistant has been in to ask and he thought Craig had tried to deceive him. I've known Craig for 15 years and I've never seen him dive. 
"If Mr Clattenburg feels he knows my players better than me then I would disagree."

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Watford 0 - 1 Derby

Substitute Chris Porter's second-half header earned Derby their first away win since April at Watford.
Lee Hendrie and Paul Connolly had Derby chances early on before Danny Graham went close for Watford following a poor clearance by Stephen Bywater. 
But the keeper made amends just before half-time, saving Heidar Helguson's shot through a crowded penalty area. 
Replacing DJ Campbell was a surprise move but it paid off when substitute Porter headed in Hendrie's free-kick. 
Watford manager Malky Mackay told BBC London 94.9:
"It was a disappointing afternoon for us. I think we need to make sure that we come here and do the basics. 
"There are going to be games were you go and break a team down and you have to do those basics properly, and Derby came here today and did that. 
"I think there is a patience needed at times, you've got to keep your decision making and your quality up." 
Derby manager Nigel Clough:
"It's been a long, long wait for it (a first away win) but for the three performances we've put in this week we've deserved to win at least one of those games. 
"We look solid, we restricted an extremely good attacking side to very few opportunities and then we looked relatively dangerous ourselves. 
"We just felt if we kept it at 0-0, put the ball in the right areas then on a very difficult surface we might just get some reward today."

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