Sunday's gossip column

TRANSFER GOSSIP

West Ham want to sign David Beckham should he consider a return to England after his recovery from injury.(News of the World) 
Manchester United are leading the chase to sign Spanish striker David Villa for about £35m after the World Cup.(Daily Star on Sunday) 
Arsenal are keeping a close eye on Wigan midfielder James McCarthy. Gunners boss Arsene Wenger has sent chief scout Steve Rowley to watch the 19-year-old Republic of Ireland player.(News of the World) 
Liverpool are prepared to replace Ryan Babel, Albert Riera and Alberto Aquilani with top new players in a bid to keep Fernando Torres at the club.(Mail on Sunday) 
Chelsea are set to pip Manchester City to the signing of 18-year-old Brazilian striker Neymar from Santos.(News of the World) 
Arsenal are planning an £8m bid for AZ Alkmaar goalkeeper Sergio Romero, who has impressed Wenger during the Dutch side's European campaign.(News of the World) 

OTHER GOSSIP

Jose Mourinho is very interested in becoming the next Liverpool manager, but would only take the job if American co-owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett leave.(News of the World) 
Manchester City will ask Mourinho to name his price to become their manager in the summer.(Sunday Express) 
Liverpool's Javier Mascherano is looking for a hefty pay rise of around £1m-a-year to stay at Anfield.(Sunday Mirror) 
Juventus could look to Manchester City boss Roberto Mancini to restore their club to its former glory following their exit from Europe.(Sunday Mirror) 
German midfielder Michael Ballack has been offered a new contract at Chelsea, which could keep him at the club until 2012.(IM Scouting) 
Dozens of English footballers are missing out-of-competition drug tests, while QPR and Bradford City have been fined for failing to provide accurate information to sampling officers over their players' whereabouts.(Sunday Times) 

AND FINALLY

Chelsea skipper John Terry admits that the club's top players fear the drop following the defeat by Inter Milan in midweek.(Sunday Mirror) 
Gareth Barry bemoans the loss of David Beckham to the England squad saying that the injured star is a "good bloke to have around".(Sunday Telegraph)

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decent profit

Everton 2-0 Bolton

The simplest of Mikel Arteta free-kicks and a late Steven Pienaar strike handed Everton a seventh successive home league win as 10-man Bolton crumbled.
Bolton's Kevin Davies came closest in an uneventful first half but Tim Howard bravely saved after a flowing move. 
The game turned with the 70th-minute dismissal of Gretar Rafn Steinsson, who bundled over Yakubu as the last man. 
Arteta looped the resulting free-kick home and Leon Osman hit the post before Pienaar's powerful, decisive second. 
With both teams in good form, neither manager saw fit to make changes to their starting line-up, but Everton boss David Moyes soon found his hand forced.
Everton manager David Moyes:
"We had the best of the play and we controlled most of the ball in the first half without being able to create in the final third. 
"We needed a good Tim Howard save in the first half but we needed to be patient and we got our reward in the end. 
"It was a great pass by Steven Pienaar to get Yakubu away - scoring the goal as well was a double whammy for Bolton, and it was a great free-kick. 
"In the last few games, Mikel Arteta has been getting back to his best. He's nursing a couple of minor strains but he's so keen to keep going." 
Bolton manager Owen Coyle:
"Yakubu took a great touch across Gretar Rafn Steinsson and invited Steinsson to come onto him. If there's a collision there's not a lot of contact, but Mr Wiley deemed it a red card. 
"To rub salt into the wound, because I believe it was a contentious decision, Mikel Arteta was allowed to take the free-kick four yards closer than he should have been. 
"I don't agree with the decision and with then allowing Arteta to bring the ball forward to the arc, with the quality he's got. 
"We carried on the fight, accepting that Everton had chances, but I'm disappointed to leave with nothing. I felt we offered an awful lot to the game."
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Sunderland 3 - 1 Birmingham

Sunderland claimed their second win in three games with a hard-fought victory over a spirited Birmingham.
The Black Cats were ahead as early as the fifth minute courtesy of a neat finish from Darren Bent from six yards. 
The England striker made it 2-0 just six minutes later, finishing well after being fed in by Steed Malbranque. 
Birmingham rallied well and on the hour Cameron Jerome ran clear to pull a goal back, but late on Fraizer Campbell's sliding finish sealed the home victory. 
Having finally claimed their first win of 2010 with a 4-0 thrashing of Bolton on 9 March, Sunderland have, by the admission of manager Steve Bruce, begun to play with a greater freedom and style than at any other time during his tenure. 
One of the chief individual beneficiaries of this has been striker Bent, who has recaptured his goalscoring touch in spectacular fashion to reinvigorate Sunderland's season and boost his chances of making Fabio Capello's squad for the World Cup this summer.
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Sunderland - Birmingham

Sunderland made a furious start of the season announcing maybe even a battle for Europe (!), but then dropped in the crisis. Lack of results and noticed points was caused mainly with crisis of their best scorers Bent and Jones (and disaster shape on the road, of course). Recently those duo has woken up, Sunderland defeated Bolton 4-0 (three times Bent) and drew vs. Man City 1-1 (Jones) and in both games they played very well. At the same time, defense look stronger than usual (with goalie Gordon in a sensational shape), while forced midfield duo Meyler - Kieran Richardson brought more creativity than first option Cana – Cattermole had. Mentioned Cana is suspended, Cattermole is doubtful. Sunderland have lost only one of their last seven league games and see their uptrend in the finish of the season that could be ended few places upper.

 

Alex McLeish has been doing a great job in Birmingham. With limited resources and a team without big names, they hold (in my opinion) very high 8^th place. Fanatical spirit, tough defending and fast passing are their main characteristics. The biggest problem for McLeish is a small number of players in the squad which limits rotation options and has brought some fatigue. Also, defense is consisted from the players in late football years which don’t help as well. Their advantage today will be tradition, Blues usually like to play with today’s opponent. Defender Stuart Parnaby should be on the bench after recovering from an ankle injury, while midfielder Teemu Tainio is ineligible (loaned from Sunderland). Birmingham have kept 10 clean sheets this season, but have managed only one in their last nine league games.

 

I’ve been thinking a lot about this game. Sunderland  attack will have advantage against Brum’s defense, that’s for sure. Midfield looks fine for me, but my concern was a defense line. However, following their improvement (Gordon’s particularly) and foreseen uptrend in the finish, I think we’ll see a narrow home win. 888sports offer 2.25. 

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Everton - Bolton Wanderers

Considering recent form (especially at home), Everton are one of the top teams in Premier. When their injury crisis started to decrease, team’s shape improved and I fancy them to have a strong finish of the season. At home they’re unbeaten in eight league matches, winning the last six, including top sides like Man City, Chelsea and Man Utd. At last round, Everton lost 2-0 lead on the road vs. Brum, but display they showed was more than decent. David Moyes has no fresh injury concerns, but has to make at least one change following the expiry of Landon Donovan's loan. Everton have won their last three home league matches against Bolton without conceding a goal (scored six).

 

Since he became a manager, Owen Coyle made an excellent progress in the club and Bolton aren’t in the dangerous zone any more. Margin is eight points and Trotters probably will play last eight games without too much pressure. They’re in a decent shape, won three of last four games, but all three wins came against bottom sides (Wolves, West Ham and Wigan) and a defeat was vs. Sunderland 0-4. However, they’re poor travelers (trend that Coyle had in Burnley as well) with just one win (West Ham 2-1), one draw (Wigan 0-0) and five defeats under Coyle. Four goals scored and 16 conceded. Big boost could be a possible comeback of key defender Gary Cahill after six weeks. Another defender, Sam Ricketts is available after serving a one-match ban, while midfielder Mark Davies has recovered from injury.

 

Everton are in uptrend, they overcame the injury crisis, possess quality for top six in my opinion and they especially have big inspiration when play at Goodison. Bolton don’t have anything to lose in this encounter, but I think the difference in quality is too big and don’t expect anything less than a win with few goals margin. My bets are -1 ah (1.85 at Pinnacle) and Over 2.5 (1.83 at 888sports). 

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Saturday's gossip column

TRANSFER GOSSIP

Portsmouth's Serbia international Dusko Tosic is expected to join Swansea on an emergency loan after the FA and Premier League finally gave the 25-year-old clearance to play. Tosic's registration had been withheld due to Pompey's administration. (Daily Mail) 
West Bromwich Albion want to sign on-loan Auxerre defender Gabriel Tamas on a permanent basis, with the Romanian international available for £800,000. (Daily Mirror) 

OTHER GOSSIP

Liverpool boss Rafael Benitez says he would not swap Spanish striker Fernando Torres for Manchester United's in-form England forward Wayne Rooney. (The Sun) 
Liverpool keeper Pepe Reina is about to sign a deal worth £80,000-a-week that will keep him at Anfield for the next four years.(Daily Mail) 
Aston Villa are prepared to make James Milner one of their highest earners with a contract extension worth around £65,000-a-week.(Daily Telegraph) 
Manchester City boss Roberto Mancini will try to convince left-back Wayne Bridge to reconsider his decision not to play for England at the World Cup.(Daily Mail) 
Former West Ham star Paolo Di Canio dreams of one day taking over as manager of the London club.(Daily Mirror) 
Tottenham striker Jermain Defoe aims to return from his hamstring tear in just 10 days.(Daily Mirror) 
Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson tells Owen Hargreaves to forget the 2010 World Cup and concentrate on his club.(Daily Mirror) 
World football's governing body Fifa made a £130m profit in 2009 as the game's commercial appeal defied the global financial crisis. (The Sun) 
Newcastle striker Peter Lovenkrands has told Denmark coach Morten Olsen he will not be available to play for his country at the World Cup after the death of his father earlier this year. (Daily Mail)

AND FINALLY

Liverpool's Dirk Kuyt has admitted to employing an "orthomanual therapist" to hit him twice a year with a mallet in order to knock out the lumps and bumps he picks up over the season.(Daily Mail)

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Friday's gossip column

TRANSFER GOSSIP

Arsenal and Manchester City target Yaya Toure has ruled out a move to the Premier League. The midfielder insists he is settled at Barcelona.(Daily Mail) 
Bayern Munich midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger has dismissed press speculation that he might be heading for Chelsea in the summer.(IMscouting.com) 
Liverpool winger Albert Riera could leave Anfield within weeks after his outburst against manager Rafael Benitez. CSKA Moscow and Spartak Moscow are tracking the 27-year-old and may match Liverpool's £8m valuation.(The Times) 
Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich will invest in young talent rather than high-profile big names in the summer as he attempts to drive down the age of his ageing squad. (Daily Star)  
Sunderland manager Steve Bruce is keen to sign on-loan full-back Alan Hutton on a permanent £6m deal from Tottenham. The transfer may help rebuild the relationship between the two clubs after Darren Bent's protracted move to the Stadium of Light last summer.(Daily Mirror) 
Former Celtic midfielder Barry Robson has tipped winger Aiden McGeady to be the next high-profile star to follow him out of Parkhead.(Daily Record) 
Everton are readying themselves for a battle with Spanish side Sevilla for £8m-rated FC Twente striker Bryan Ruiz.(The Sun) 
Meanwhile FC Twente boss Steve McClaren is looking at a bid for Hull forward Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink as he attempts to bolster his fAorward line. (The Sun) 
West Ham owner David Sullivan wants Birmingham midfielder Sebastian Larsson and defender Liam Ridgewell, but Blues boss Alex McLeish has issued a hands-off warning over the pair. (Daily Mail) 

OTHER GOSSIP

Portsmouth manager Avram Grant has threatened to field weakened teams for the remainder of the season with his side all-but relegated following a nine point penalty for entering administration. (Daily Mail) 
Bristol City may approach former Ipswich and Scotland manager George Burley as they attempt to replace Gary Johnson who parted company with the club on Thursday.(The Guardian) 
Or sacked Hull boss Phil Brown will be offered an immediate return to management with the Ashton Gate side. (Daily Star)
Doncaster manager Sean O'Driscoll is another in the frame for the Bristol City position with City chairman Steve Lansdown impressed by Doncaster's performance in a 5-2 win over the Robins earlier this month.(The Sun) 
Forward Robinho could return to Manchester City this season because of a wage dispute at his loan club Santos. (Daily Mirror) 
But City feel under no obligation to take the playmaker back, and resume paying his salary, until their loan arrangement with the Brazilian side comes to an end on 4 August.(The Independent) 
Hull City must continue to pay Phil Brown as, although he is on gardening leave, he technically remains their manager. Iain Dowie has been appointed as "football management consultant". (Daily Mail) 

AND FINALLY

Ipswich boss Roy Keane has admitted he would rather throw punches than tea cups at underperforming players, adding that it is good "to go a bit mad".(Daily Mail) 
Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson will offer his sympathy to under-pressure Liverpool counterpart Rafael Benitez in his programme notes for the two teams' meeting on Sunday.(Daily Mirror)

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Fulham 4-1 Juventus (agg 5-4)

Fulham produced a stunning second-leg comeback against nine-man Juventus to make the Europa League quarter-finals.
David Trezeguet appeared to have ended the tie with an early goal for Juve but Bobby Zamora soon fired Fulham level. 
Fabio Cannavaro's sending off for a professional foul on Zoltan Gera swung the game in Fulham's favour before the Hungarian's neat finish put them ahead. 
Gera's penalty levelled the tie overall and substitute Clint Dempsey's chip won it before Jonathan Zebina was sent off. 
Fulham fans have been treated to some inspiring Europa League football this season, and their side did not disappoint, once again putting on a gripping and passionate display. 
The Cottagers, trailing 3-1 from the first leg at the Stadio Olimpico in Turin, still retained hope of reaching the last eight due to Dickson Etuhu's solitary away goal.
That Juventus did their utmost to extinguish such fragile belief by taking the lead inside three minutes and still failed is largely a testimony to the spirit and belief that permeates through Roy Hodgson's side, and partly owing to the controversial decision of referee Bjorn Kuipers to send off Cannavaro. 
The intent of Cannavaro's foul - the result of a clash with Gera as he eyed a clear route to goal - was uncertain and there was a likelihood that Zebina could have covered the Hungarian midfielder's run but Kuipers felt a goal-scoring opportunity had been denied and showed the Italian national captain a straight red.
The dismissal ended what had been an albeit brief mauling for Cannavaro at the hands of the Fulham front line, and England hopeful Zamora in particular, who made good on his pre-match promise to get the better of the World Cup winner.

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Fulham - Juventus

Fulham are two goals down (1-3) after the first game. Positive for them is scored away goal, but also not so bad and competitive display. They have good home record in Premier, but also in European competitions (9 wins, 4 draws). Many of those European games weren’t against the clubs of Juve’s calibre, but Cottagers have already beaten there Man Utd and Liverpool in Premier. However, boss Hodgson will be without his rock in the midfield and key player in my opinion, Danny Murphy, who is suspended. As well as Jonathan Greening. Andy Johnson and John Pantsil are injured, David Elm ill and Nicky Shorey and Stefano Okaka are both ineligible. It’s a total of 7 players who are usually in contention for the first team, but the true is Fulham used to play without most of them and only blow for them, beside Murphy, is doubtful appearance of key defender Brede Hangeland who will have a late fitness test.

 

Juve have two goals lead from the first game, possess more quality and much more experience playing in Europe. But, there’re also few facts that don’t go in their favor. First, they’re not so happy on English soil, 2 wins, 4 draws and 11 defeats so far (though most of them were played in Champions League). Then, their injury worries look more serious than hosts’. Gigi Buffon is injured, his replacement Manninger too. That gives Zaccheroni two choices. Old Chimenti (conceded 3 at Sunday vs. Siena at home 3-3) or youngster Pinsogliois. Also, block in front will be without key defender Chiellini and two more in back line, Legrottaglie and Caceres! This makes from a defensive attitude very risky approach.

 

Cottagers really believe (most important for this bet) they can progress. Smaller pitch gives the advantage to their aggression and decreases Italians’ technical superiority. Result from the first match won’t allow home side to give up, while on the other side Juve won’t defend 0-0. Also, Del Piero and Trezeguet can score at anytime. I see goals on both sides and see over 2.5 as a logic conclusion.

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