BREAKING GOSSIP
Birmingham manager Alex McLeish has admitted that his chances of signing Tottenham striker Roman Pavlyuchenko are all but over. (Sunday Mercury)
Middlesbrough are bracing themselves for a second, take-it-or-leave-it £7m bid from Manchester City for winger Adam Johnson. (Sunday Sun)
TRANSFER GOSSIP
Spurs striker Robbie Keane could be on his way to Sunderland after Black Cats manager Steve Bruce made a £9m offer for the Tottenham forward.(News of the World)
Keane's arrival at the Stadium of Light could signal the departure of Sunderland striker Kenwyne Jones to Liverpool. (Sunday Mirror)
Liverpool midfielder Yossi Benayoun is set to quit Liverpool after becoming disillusioned with life at Anfield. (News of the World)
Wolves' £4m bid for Stephen Hunt has been rejected by Hull City who say the winger is staying put. (Sunday Mirror)
Wolves and Fulham are battling it out to sign Egypt striker Mohamed Gedo, who has impressed at the Africa Cup of Nations.(Sunday Mirror)
Manchester United striker Michael Owen could be on his way out of Old Trafford in the summer having failed to impress manager Alex Ferguson.(Sunday Mirror)
Manchester City are set to pip Inter Milan to the signing of Parma's £7m midfielder McDonald Mariga.(Mail on Sunday)
Sunderland are poised to sign Crystal Palace defender Nathaniel Clyne.(Sunday Mirror)
Wigan look to have won the race to sign Crystal Palace's £2.5m-rated striker Victor Moses.(Mail on Sunday)
Thierry Henry looks set to leave Barcelona in the summer with the Spanish giants tracking Valencia's David Silva or Bayern Munich's Franck Ribery to fill the left side of their attack. (Mail on Sunday)
Arsenal manager has revealed he has £30m to spend with Valencia's David Villa and Bordeaux's Marouane Chamakh on his wish list.(Mail on Sunday)
Wenger is also keeping tabs on Real Madrid winger Pablo Sarabia, who is a free agent at the end of the season. (News of the World)
Both of Barcelona's presidential candidates have put Arsenal midfielder Cesc Fabregas top of their wanted list.(News of the World)
Tottenham are trying to sign Manchester United keeper Ben Foster after a move for Portsmouth stopper Asmir Begovic fell through on Saturday. (News of the World)
Fiorentina are lining up a loan move for Tottenham striker Roman Pavlychenko.(News of the World)
West Ham are interested in taking Spurs right-back Alan Hutton on loan. (News of the World)
Rangers have rejected a £3.5m offer from Sunderland for Algeria defender Madjid Bougherra. (News of the World)
Celtic have upped their bid for Preston North End central defender Sean St Ledger by a third to £3m. (Sunday Mail)
Cardiff City sources say Celtic will have to pay more than £5m if they want striker Ross McCormack. (News of the World/Sunday Herald)
Cardiff City striker Ross McCormack says he would be interested in a switch to Celtic should the club he supported as a boy make an approach. (Sunday Mail)
Celtic are locked in talks with Real Mallorca over the transfer of defender Ivan Ramis after increasing their offer to £2m. (Sunday Mail)
Celtic are closing in on a loan deal for Fulham forward Diomansy Kamara, who worked with manager Tony Mowbray at West Brom. (Sunday Mail)
OTHER GOSSIP
Juventus have agreed terms with Liverpool boss Rafa Benitez for him to manage the Serie A club next season. (The Independent)
Manchester City defender Wayne Bridge is set to give up his England career following the John Terry allegations. (Sunday Mirror)
Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney is set to ignore interest from Spanish giants Barcelona and Real Madrid and sign a new four-year contract worth £24m in the summer.(Sunday Express)
Manchester United goalkeeper Edwin Van der Saar is closer than ever to his club after he was allowed three weeks off to care for his wife after she had suffered a brain haemorrhage just before Christmas.(Sunday Mirror)
Portsmouth narrowly avoided becoming the first Premier League club to go into administration after raising vital funds from the sale of defender Younes Kaboul to Tottenham on Saturday.(Sunday Mirror)
But Pompey chief executive Peter Storrie has revealed that the cash-strapped club are only weeks away from going bust.(News of the World)
Striker Robin van Persie is to hand Arsenal's title push a boost with a return to fitness from his ankle injury in March rather than April or May as feared. (Mail on Sunday)
West Ham midfielder Kieron Dyer has been given a month to prove his fitness or face being forced into retirement.(News of the World)
AND FINALLY
Wayne Rooney is at the centre of a legal battle over his future earnings and will appear in court on Monday to defend himself against a multi-million-pound lawsuit. (Sunday Mirror)
www.bbc.co.uk
Sunday's gossip column
Saturday's gossip column
BREAKING GOSSIP
Sunderland boss Steve Bruce has defended the club following Wigan counterpart Roberto Martinez's criticism of their pursuit of defender Maynor Figueroa. (Press Association)
TRANSFER GOSSIP
Liverpool winger Ryan Babel has been informed by manager Rafael Benitez that he will not be sold before the January transfer window closes on Monday.(The Times)
Birningham have, meanwhile, made a fresh inquiry for Babel and had an improved £9m bid for Roman Pavlyuchenko turned down by Tottenham.(Daily Mail)
Wigan chairman Dave Whelan will not prevent Maynor Figueroa leaving for "a good club" despite the Honduras international signing a new contract on Friday.(Daily Mail)
Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger has made a fresh offer for Marouane Chamakh in a bid to snap up the Bordeaux striker on a pre-contract.(Daily Mirror)
Manchester City have made a £7m move for Parma midfielder McDonald Mariga.(Daily Mail)
Wolves have held talks with Blackburn Rovers striker Jason Roberts and hope to conclude a £2m deal. (Daily Mail)
David Dunn has urged Blackburn to bring in James Beattie from Stoke as Benni McCarthy's replacement. (Daily Mirror)
OTHER GOSSIP
John Terry faces an anxious wait to discover if further damaging revelations regarding his private life will cost him the England captaincy. (Various)
Rafael Benitez has warned Liverpool that they must deliver on a string of promises if he is not to be lured away by Juventus in the summer.(Daily Mail)
Chelsea boss Carlo Ancelotti has suggested that the way he man-manages his thirtysomethings at the club will hold the key to the club's hopes of winning the Premier League title.(The Guardian)
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has warned his players to be wary of Wayne Rooney's gamesmanship in Sunday's league match between the Gunners and Manchester United at the Emirates Stadium.(Daily Mail)
Tottenham winger Aaron Lennon has suffered a fresh setback and could need a hernia operation only four months before the start of the World Cup.(Daily Mail)
Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson has demanded that the club's fans end their obscene taunts directed at Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger. (Daily Mail)
West Ham are to hand Tottenham a £5,000 bill for putting up Eidur Gudjohnsen in a plush London hotel and paying for a medical before he opted for a last-minute move to Spurs.(Sun)
Martin O'Neill is furious with Arsenal chief Arsene Wenger for labelling Aston Villa a long ball team after the goalless draw between the sides in mid-week at Villa Park.(Daily Mirror)
AND FINALLY
Boss Roberto Mancini is so sure about his Manchester City future he is looking for a house in the area.(Independent)
www.bbc.co.uk
Initial thoughts for Saturday
At the first glance,two games in England shouldn’t be overlooked.
Can’t see how Newcastle can lose at Walkers.Haven’t checked team news,but even 20 injuries wouldn’t change my opinion.Odds look generous.Will decide between dnb and away win.
Everton on the road against Wigan.Good thing about Toffees is their results follow the trend.When they have injuries and start sinking,run away from them.When start improving then should be backed.They have very good dressing room atmosphere that wasn’t shook with Cup exit.Although Sunderland’s performance is really awful in these days,I think Everton definitely have enough strength to defeat Wigan.The fact first goalie for Latics will be again Stojkovic suggests a big possibility of goals.Away win and over in this one.
Again it’s my initial thoughts,take it with caution.But it worth a small bets for me.
.
Available free bets, bonus offers and promotions:
Expekt - First deposit bonus up to €35 / £25 for all new customers
Make your first deposit at expekt.com and we will immediately double your money up to max €35 / £25. Take these 3 easy steps to start profiting from sports betting: 1.Register an account with expekt.com here. 2.Deposit a minimum of €10 into your expekt.com account. 3.Send an email to 35eurbonus@expekt.com with your customer number and deposit amount included. The bonus amount up to €35/£25 will be added to your account within 48 h
Friday's gossip column
BREAKING GOSSIP
Arsenal have been told by Nice they must pay £13m if they want to sign France's 23-year-old striker Loic Remy.(Daily Mail)
Fulham's attempts to take on Al-Ittihad's Egyptian star striker Mohamed Nagy have ended in failure. (Sky Sports)
Birmingham are about to smash the club transfer record with the £11m signing of Estudiantes striker Mauro Boselli.(Daily Mirror)
.
Middlesbrough have placed a £9m price tag on Adam Johnson with Manchester City closing in on the winger. The former England Under-21 star requested permission to speak to the Eastlands club earlier this week.(Daily Express)
AC Milan are adamant striker Klaas-Jan Huntelaar will not be moving to the Premier League before the end of the month. Arsenal, Everton, West Ham and Tottenham had been interested in signing the Netherlands international. (The Sun)
Tottenham have rejected an £8m bid from Birmingham for striker Roman Pavlyuchenko. The north London club are keen to recoup as much of the £14m they paid for the Russia international.(Daily Mail)
Spurs have demanded £10m for the Russian, plus another £3m in add-ons with the Blues refusing to stump up the £13m being asked for in total.(Guardian)
Newcastle have joined the list of clubs wanting to sign Crystal Palace forward Victor Moses by matching the £1.5m bid being offered by West Brom. Nottingham Forest are also interested in the highly rated striker.(The Times)
Goalkeeper Asmir Begovic looks set to join Portsmouth team-mate Younes Kaboul at Tottenham as the south coast club attempt to raise funds to address their £60m financial crisis. (Daily Mail)
Sunderland have made a £1.5m move for Manchester City striker Benjani after the Zimbabwe centre-forward had looked close to sealing a transfer to West Ham.(Daily Mail)
Birmingham are keen on securing the services of Aruna Dindane on loan from Lens after the move of the Ivory Coast striker to Bolton fell through. The French club are eyeing a £4m deal.(Daily Mail)
Celtic are planning to add a defender and a striker before the transfer window closes, with the club set to increase their £2.5m offer for Preston North End centre-back Sean St Ledger.(Guardian)
OTHER GOSSIP
Manchester City's owners in Abu Dhabi are considering offloading chief executive Garry Cook in the summer having become increasingly frustrated over his leadership style and publicity gaffes.(The Guardian)
Hull City are desperate to address their £10m debt and rising wage bill and chairman Adam Pearson has said the club will listen to offers for all of his players.(Daily Star)
Portsmouth boss Avram Grant is considering walking out at Fratton Park after defender Younes Kaboul and Asmir Begovic were sold to help raise funds. The Israeli insisted last month no player would be sold without his prior approval.(Daily Mirror)
Tottenham winger Aaron Lennon faces another three weeks on the sidelines because of a groin strain. The England international has not played since 28 December.(Guardian)
Despite loaning Robinho to Brazilian club Santos, Manchester City must pay about £70,000 to fund the striker's wages, with Santos searching for sponsors to help fund the remaining £35,000.(The Times)
www.bbc.co.uk
Inter 2-1 Juventus
Inter moved into the semi-finals of the Coppa Italia with a win over Juventus, but they had to come from behind after Diego had given the Bianconeri the lead. Goals from Lucio and Mario Balotelli in the second half gave the Nerazzurri a deserved win.
Balotelli threatened as he broke into the penalty area early on before Amauri tried to catch Francesco Toldo out with a shot from range in a lively start to the game.
The first goal of the evening game in the 10th minute when Toldo allowed a shot from Diego to squeeze past him after some fine build up play by Antonio Candreva and Momo Sissoko.
With a third of the game to go, Inter were beginning to show signs of desperation. Balotelli threw himself to the ground after Chiellini eased him off the ball in the penalty area, but moments later he forced Buffon into a smart save after finding himself in all sorts of space on the left side of the penalty area.
Felipe Melo then picked up a yellow card for a foul on Maicon on the edge of the area, and it proved to be a costly one. Sneijder stepped up to take the free kick and Lucio stabbed the ball past Buffon for the equaliser.As the clock ticked towards full-time, Inter grabbed a deserved winner as Juventus played for extra-time. Thiago Motta's shot was saved by Buffon, and Balotelli pounced on the loose ball to put the Nerazzurri ahead in the 89th minute.
www.goal.com
Italian Cup
Inter - Juventus
Strong eleven are expected for Inter, including Eto'o. Juve will miss several keys and some youngsters will appear. At the same time, players have expected Benitez or Hiddink but will get Gentile as new boss. Seems their nightmare never ends. Mourinho smells the blood. Home win and over.
.
I'm going on the road tonight. Thinking to take a weekend off, too much stress since December. However, will post gossips and will be back with new picks soon.
Cheers lads,
Dule
.
Available free bets, bonus offers and promotions:
Expekt - First deposit bonus up to €35 / £25 for all new customers
Make your first deposit at expekt.com and we will immediately double your money up to max €35 / £25. Take these 3 easy steps to start profiting from sports betting: 1.Register an account with expekt.com here. 2.Deposit a minimum of €10 into your expekt.com account. 3.Send an email to 35eurbonus@expekt.com with your customer number and deposit amount included. The bonus amount up to €35/£25 will be added to your account within 48 h
Thursday's gossip column
BREAKING GOSSIP
Fulham's hopes of signing FC Basel striker Marco Streller, 28, have ended. The Cottagers were rumoured to be lining up a £6m bid for the Swiss international, but he has opted to stay in his homeland. (IM Scouting)
TRANSFER GOSSIP
Owen Coyle is set to make his third signing as Bolton manager by winning the race to sign Arsenal midfielder Jack Wilshere on loan. (The Sun)
Manchester City have bid for Middlesbrough's highly rated winger Adam Johnson. (Press Association)
Or Johnson will reject a move to the Premier League to help Boro win promotion from the Championship this season.(Daily Mirror)
Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp is lining up goalkeeping cover for Heurelho Gomes, even though the Brazilian has been given the all-clear after a shoulder problem. Coventry's Kieren Westwood, Watford's Scott Loach and Peterborough's Joe Lewis are all in the frame.(Daily Mirror)
Marlon Harewood will become a free agent in the summer, with Aston Villa allowing the striker to see out the remainder of his contract, which ends in June.(Daily Mirror)
Tottenham and Birmingham have opened talks over the sale of Spurs striker Roman Pavlyuchenko.(Daily Mirror)
West Ham are furious with Tottenham for beating them to the signing of Monaco striker Eidur Gudjohnsen.(The Sun)
Birmingham central defender Martin Taylor, 30, is in talks to join Newcastle on loan for the rest of the season. (Daily Mirror)
Middlesbrough have made a £3.5m offer to Celtic for Australia striker Scott McDonald. (The Sun)
Celtic are in a four-way fight with Blackburn Rovers, Everton and Sevilla to land Barcelona winger Jeffren Suarez. (Daily Express)
Pedro Mendes' proposed transfer to Sporting Lisbon has collapsed because of the Rangers midfielder's £25,000-per-week wage demand. (The Sun)
Southampton are in transfer talks with Falkirk after increasing their offer for Bairns midfielder Scott Arfield by a third to £400,000 rising to £1m with add-ons, but Preston and Huddersfield are also interested. (Daily Express)
Blackpool have failed in a £70,000 bid for Motherwell defender Steven Saunders, with the Scottish Premier League club putting a £500,000 price tag on the 18-year-old's head. (Daily Express)
OTHER GOSSIP
Manchester United midfielder Anderson is set to be fined after missing training on Monday.(Daily Mirror)
However, Anderson could be heading for the exit door at Old Trafford after it was claimed he also flew back home to Brazil without club permission.(Daily Mirror)
Juventus are to appoint Claudio Gentile as interim manager before they step up attempts to persuade Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez to join them in the summer. (Daily Mail)
Former England Under-21 manager Peter Taylor is being lined up as the next Notts County manager. (The Sun)
AND FINALLY
Tottenham midfielder John Bostock is at the centre of a row with his club after his father rang a radio station to criticise Spurs manager Harry Redknapp.(Daily Mirror)
www.bbc.co.uk
Newcastle 2-0 Crystal Palace
Newcastle pulled clear at the top of the Championship with a hard-fought win over crisis-club Crystal Palace.
A day after going into administration, Palace were a goal down after 20 minutes when Shaun Derry diverted Andy Carroll's header past his own keeper.
Even so Palace, who could only named three substitutes, had a string of fine chances to level with Danny Butterfield and Darren Ambrose going close.
Nile Ranger's cool finish on the break finally sealed the win in injury time.
It was a deflating end to a spirited display from the beleaguered visitors, whose highly-rated striker Victor Moses was pulled out of the game by the club's administrators.
Yet they started the game in fine style and created two early opportunities to take a surprise lead.
First, lone striker Calvin Andrew narrowly failed to round Steve Harper after being fed by Ambrose and minutes later, the unmarked Butterfield somehow headed Nick Carle's cross wide from point-blank range.
Newcastle then fortuitously took the lead when Palace midfielder Derry unwittingly guided Carroll's header past keeper Julian Speroni.
The Magpies began the second half strongly with Peter Lovenkrands firing wide on the turn and Carroll blasting an effort across the face of goal.
Neil Danns and Carle then had shots blocked in quick succession as the visitors fought vainly for an equaliser.
With 20 minutes remaining, the Eagles went desperately close to a leveller when Ambrose's shot came back off the post and Tamas Kadar managed to get a block on Danns' follow-up.
But their pressure counted for nothing and St James' Park breathed a sigh of relief four minutes into stoppage time when Ranger raced on to Wayne Routledge's pass and beat Speroni with ease.
Newcastle boss Chris Hughton:
"With a game in hand, we have stretched that lead again.
"And probably more importantly with West Brom's result yesterday (1-1 at Ipswich), we have managed to stretch that lead between ourselves and third.
"But I expect highs and lows, good form, bad form, wins and losses through to the end of the season."
www.bbc.co.uk
Newcastle - Crystal Palace
Considering sport’s aspect, Warnock’s side has been doing well in past few weeks (months, in fact). They’re without a defeat in last six competitive games, four in the league. But more important for this game is outside aspect as Palace went into administration because big debt (evaluated on 30 mill. pounds) and will get 10 points penalty. First, this causes Palace won’t fight for play-off, but to avoid relegation as they’re now just three points above the relegation zone! I can not see different effect than big shock in the dressing room. Next thing, all players are on transfer market from now. It means, they can not see the future in the club. Good side for Palace is all of them will try to represent themselves in the best shape in front the scouts and will put the maximum effort. But, at the same time they will hardly look like a squad. And last, biggest star Victor Moses, has been pulled out from the squad as administrators don’t want him injured. Defenders Davis and Hill are doubtful.
There are two sides for this game. On the one is
.
Available free bets, bonus offers and promotions:
Expekt - First deposit bonus up to €35 / £25 for all new customers
Make your first deposit at expekt.com and we will immediately double your money up to max €35 / £25. Take these 3 easy steps to start profiting from sports betting: 1.Register an account with expekt.com here. 2.Deposit a minimum of €10 into your expekt.com account. 3.Send an email to 35eurbonus@expekt.com with your customer number and deposit amount included. The bonus amount up to €35/£25 will be added to your account within 48 h
Wednesday's gossip column
BREAKING GOSSIP
Tottenham to have talks with Eidur Gudjohnsen. The Icelandic striker, who plays for Monaco, is also the subject of a bid from West Ham. (Sky Sports)
Santos midfielder Paulo Henrique Ganso has said he is not keen on joining Manchester City as part of the deal that could take Robinho back to the Brazilian club. The 20-year-old said: "I don't want to play for Manchester City. I'd prefer to play for a big club in Europe such as Milan, Real Madrid or Barcelona." (Globo Esporte)
TRANSFER GOSSIP
Tottenham are set to usurp West Ham's bid for Monaco's Icelandic forward Eidur Gudjohnsen after meeting him at Stansted Airport on Monday.(Daily Mirror)
Arsenal teenager Jack Wilshere's proposed loan move to Bolton is back on, despite the two clubs' managers falling out after their fiery match last week.(Daily Mirror)
Tottenham midfielder Jamie O'Hara will be Avram Grant's first loan signing following the Premier League's decision to lift Portsmouth's transfer embargo, although the south-coast club will only be able to acquire players on free or loan deals.(Daily Mirror)
David Bentley also looks set to leave Spurs, with West Ham interested in taking the midfielder, who scored in Tuesday's 2-0 victory over Fulham, on loan for the rest of the season.(Daily Mirror)
Wolves manager Mick McCarthy is set to make a third and final offer of £3.5m for Hull winger Stephen Hunt.(Daily Mirror)
Sunderland boss Steve Bruce is set to renew his interest in Liverpool's out-of-favour Dutch forward Ryan Babel.(Daily Mail)
Fulham plan to pip Sunderland and Celtic to sign Egypt's attacking midfielder Mohamed Gedo, who plays for Al-Ittihad Al-Sakndary.(Daily Mail)
The Cottagers are also trying to resurrect a loan deal for Roma striker Stefano Okaka. Stoke manager Tony Pulis is also monitoring developments concerning the 20-year-old, whose original switch to Fulham fell through because Roma were demanding a £250,000 loan fee. (Daily Mirror)
West Brom boss Roberto Di Matteo is preparing a £750,000 bid for Stoke defender Leon Cort. The Baggies will face competition from Newcastle, Middlesbrough and Ipswich for the 30-year-old.(Daily Mirror)
OTHER GOSSIP
Crystal Palace defender Matt Lawrence has revealed the players found out the club is in administration via the social networking site Twitter.(Daily Mirror)
AND FINALLY
Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini reckons Carlos Tevez and Manchester United's Gary Neville are good friends, despite their much-publicised rift last week. Mancini also urged his players "don't look back in anger" - in reference to a song written by City-supporting band Oasis - as they prepare to take on United in Wednesday's Carling Cup semi-final second leg at Old Trafford.(Daily Mirror)
www.bbc.co.uk
Tuesday brought a profit
Tottenham 2 - 0 Fulham
Tottenham reignited their push for a top-four spot with a clinical victory over Fulham at White Hart Lane.
The hosts, searching for a first league win since December, took the lead when Peter Crouch capitalised on some poor defending to clip in from close range.
And David Bentley made the most of a rare Tottenham start when his free-kick was deflected home on the hour mark.
The Cottagers offered little in attack, though Bobby Zamora brought a brave save out of Heurelho Gomes early on.
However, the victory was all too comfortable for a Tottenham side that rarely had to get out of third gear as the hosts kept hold of fourth spot in the league, three points ahead of Liverpool, who were held to a goalless draw by Wolves.
It was a far from fluent victory for Spurs, though, who have lost an element of attacking swagger of late with winger Aaron Lennon injured.
But they had far too much for a Fulham side whose performances away from Craven Cottage could hardly be more of a contrast with their impressive home form.
With just one league win on their travels all season, Fulham's gameplan was clearly to keep things tight early on - and they were grateful to Mark Schwarzer's smart low stop from Tom Huddlestone's drive in the first minute amid a typically sharp start from the hosts.
.
Bolton 1 - 0 Burnley
Owen Coyle was subjected to a barrage of abuse from the Burnley fans who once idolised him - but his discomfort was eased as Bolton secured a vital victory that sent his former club into the Premier League's bottom three.
Coyle was the hero of Turf Moor less than a month ago after guiding them to the top-flight, but his defection to nearby Bolton has soured the relationship forever and he received a fiercely hostile reception from 5,000 travelling fans inside The Reebok stadium.
Bolton answered the taunts aimed at their new boss by giving him his first league win as Chung-Yong Lee's goal, scored off the underside of the bar after 35 minutes, secured a crucial three points to leave Coyle's Turf Moor successor Brian Laws still searching for his first victory. 606:
The Burnley supporters made their feelings clear about their one-time manager even before kick-off, with chants of "Judas" and a succession of banners - none of them flattering. One read "Never Forgotten Never Forgiven" and another was laced with Monty Python humour with the message "He's Not The Messiah. He's A Very Naughty Boy."
Coyle emerged to a dazzle of flashlights from cameramen gathered around his technical area - then kept a low profile as Bolton went about the main business of securing the result that moved them out of the relegation places at Burnley's expense.
And it was a win Coyle's side deserved as they achieved their first clean sheet in the league this season and left Burnley with only one point from a possible 36 on their travels.
Coyle, perhaps unwisely, ventured on to the pitch at the final whistle to sympathise with his beaten former players and applaud the Burnley fans - to suggest the gesture was not appreciated is a masterpiece of understatement.
Bolton created the better opportunities, while Burnley failed to make the most of any possession they enjoyed, their plans admittedly not helped by the early loss of Chris McCann and Graham Alexander to injury.
It was clear long before the start that Coyle would be on the receiving end of a fearsome reception from a welcoming committee of away fans packed into one end of The Reebok Stadium intent on venting their fury. And so it proved.
www.bbc.co.uk
Bolton - Burnley
Six points game.
Coyle knows everything about
.
Available free bets, bonus offers and promotions:
Expekt - First deposit bonus up to €35 / £25 for all new customers
Make your first deposit at expekt.com and we will immediately double your money up to max €35 / £25. Take these 3 easy steps to start profiting from sports betting: 1.Register an account with expekt.com here. 2.Deposit a minimum of €10 into your expekt.com account. 3.Send an email to 35eurbonus@expekt.com with your customer number and deposit amount included. The bonus amount up to €35/£25 will be added to your account within 48 h
Tottenham - Fulham
After three competitive games without a win (Hull 0-0 at home, Liverpool 0-2 away and Leeds 2-2 home), Spurs have made a run for the 4th place much more interesting as they now have M.City (same points) and Liverpool (a point less) on their back. This run has two sides. First, missing of Lennon. Without him, Defoe and Crouch don’t get much crosses and that has a big impact on Spurs’ scoring potential. Modric and Kranjcar are great technician, but their inability to win a tackle against much physically stronger midfielders makes from them a big cost for the team, especially against stronger rivals (
Fulham hold 9th position with decent results so far. Main problem for boss Hodgson is their away form. They have only one win in eleven games on the road (four draws) and scored same number of goals. Even against low division
Spurs will play 6 encounters in 19 days. Sharing the effort is very important, but same as a good start of those run. Defoe said this game could define the whole season and I agree with that. They’re tired, but not more than Fulham are. Will miss Lennon, but Fulham will miss both side-backs. Instead Lennon’s crosses, I expect some creativity from Modric and Kranjcar that will provide some chances for Defoe – Crouch. Also, expected from Palacios to score from a distance. Sixth sense. Home win and very probably with few goals margin.
.
Available free bets, bonus offers and promotions:
Expekt - First deposit bonus up to €35 / £25 for all new customers
Make your first deposit at expekt.com and we will immediately double your money up to max €35 / £25. Take these 3 easy steps to start profiting from sports betting: 1.Register an account with expekt.com here. 2.Deposit a minimum of €10 into your expekt.com account. 3.Send an email to 35eurbonus@expekt.com with your customer number and deposit amount included. The bonus amount up to €35/£25 will be added to your account within 48 h
Tuesday's gossip column
TRANSFER GOSSIP
Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney has pledged his future to the club after being linked to Barcelona and Real Madrid in recent weeks. (The Sun)
But Rooney's team-mate, midfielder Anderson, looks to be heading out of Old Trafford after recent poor performances for United.(The Sun)
United have joined the race for Fulham's £7m-rated defender Chris Smalling, who is also attracting the interest of Arsenal. (The Independent)
Manchester City forward Robinho will have to take a pay cut amounting to £80,000 a week if he wants to join Brazilian club Santos. (Daily Mail)
City, meanwhile, have had a £12m bid for Real Madrid midfielder Fernando Gago turned down, with the Spanish club after at least £17.5m for the Argentine. (The Sun)
Arsenal are set to revive their interest in AC Milan's Dutch striker Klass Jan-Huntelaar and may seek to bring him in on loan until the end of the season.(Daily Star)
But Everton are also showing an interest in Huntelaar, who has also played for Real Madrid. (The Times)
Birmingham are set to step up their pursuit of Tottenham striker Roman Pavlyuchenko.(Daily Mirror)
Sunderland are preparing a £10m move for Portsmouth centre-back Younes Kaboul. (Daily Mirror)
Blackburn manager Sam Allardyce is setting up a loan move for Monaco forward Eidur Gudjohnsen. (Daily Mirror)
Hull want to sign Egyptian striker Mido, who is still registered with Middlesbrough, so he can team up with countryman Amr Zaki.(Daily Mail)
Stoke goalkeeper Thomas Sorensen looks set to leave the club, with manager Tony Pulis closing in on Portsmouth's David James.(Daily Express)
Middlesbrough manager Gordon Strachan is weighing up QPR's £1.75m-rated winger Wayne Routledge. (The Sun)
Strachan is also set to sign Celtic's central defender Stephen McManus. (The Guardian)
Stuttgart's Turkey midfielder Yildiray Basturk is flying in for talks with Blackburn over a potential loan deal. (Daily Mail)
Burnley boss Brian Laws is interested in Celtic left-back Danny Fox. (Daily Mail)
Everton are ready to offer Leeds the chance to cash in on striker Jermaine Beckford and are preparing a £2m bid.(Daily Mirror)
Argentine striker Marco Ruben has agreed to join Wigan, according to his Spanish club Villarreal. (Press Association)
OTHER GOSSIP
Under-fire Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez is a target for Italian club Juventus. (The Times)
The son of Libyan leader Colonel Gaddafi, Saadi Gaddafi (on photo), is in talks to become Portsmouth's new owner. (Daily Mirror)
Sven-Goran Eriksson will walk away from his role as Notts County director of football if the Magpies fail to secure funding to stave off their huge tax bill. (Daily Mirror)
Manchester City striker Emmanuel Adebayor looks set to return to action in Wednesday's Carling Cup derby with Manchester United - 19 days after the Togo team bus in Angola was ambushed by gunmen. (Daily Mail)
Former Liverpool striker Robbie Fowler is to remain at Australian side North Queensland Fury, despite falling out with manager Ian Ferguson. (Daily Mirror)
AND FINALLY
Former Manchester United winger Cristiano Ronaldo, who was sent off for violent conduct in Real Madrid's 2-0 win over Malaga at the weekend, says he was educated not to dive and cheat in England. (The Sun)
And ex-Manchester United forward Carlos Tevez, now at neighbours Manchester City, has again hit out at his former employers by saying that he is at "the right club, with the right players and the right boss".(Daily Mirror)
www.bbc.co.uk
Monday's gossip column
BREAKING GOSSIP
Valencia forward David Villa has given the clearest indication yet that he is prepared to move to the Premier League. Manchester United and Liverpool have both been linked to the Spain striker. (Spanish Newspaper AS)
"I like the Premier League a lot. There are a lot of very important teams in England, who play very good football," said Villa.
"It's the league I follow the most, along with La Liga - and I've got a lot of friends playing there."
Manchester City have made a bid of about £15m for Real Madrid's Argentine midfielder Fernando Gago, 23. (Spanish newspaper Marca)
TRANSFER GOSSIP
A delegation from Santos, Robinho's former club in Brazil, is set to meet Manchester City officials in England this week and several other clubs, led by Benfica, have registered an official interest in the former Real Madrid player.(The Guardian)
Robinho says he is leaving Manchester City to return to Brazil in an attempt to save his World Cup dream.(Daily Mirror)
The 26-year-old will take a pay cut from the reported £100,000-a-week he is on at City to join the Brazilian outfit. (IMScouting)
The deal that will result in Robinho returning to Santos gives Manchester City first refusal on two of the club's hottest prospects - forward Neymar, 17, and attacking midfielder Paulo Henrique Ganso, 20. (IMScouting)
Liverpool have offered Standard Liege striker Milan Jovanovic, 28, a three-year deal, with the option for a further 12 months, in a bid to land the Serbian on a free transfer this summer. (Daily Express)
Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp is ready to make a last-minute swoop for Palermo's 20-year-old Danish defender Simon Kjaer.(Daily Mirror)
West Ham are set to end James Beattie's Stoke nightmare by jumping in with a £3m offer for the former England striker.(The Sun)
French striker Toifilou Maoulida, 30, has hinted he could be set to leave Lens for the Premier League, with West Ham, Wigan and Stoke interested.(Daily Mail)
Preston boss Darren Ferguson hopes to complete the loan signing of striker Danny Welbeck from his father's club Manchester United.(Daily Mail)
Newcastle's plans to sign Marlon Harewood on loan once again from Aston Villa have suffered a blow after the striker broke a bone in his foot in training last week.(Daily Mirror)
Manchester City are weighing up the prospect of a loan deal to sign Roma right-back Marco Motta, who has fallen out of favour with manager Claudio Ranieri. ( Daily Mail)
Blackburn manager Sam Allardyce is chasing Hadjuk Split's highly rated Bosnian midfielder Senijad Ibricic for a second time. (Daily Mirror)
Dynamo Moscow want to sign Liverpool's Israeli midfielder Yossi Benayoun and are prepared to pay £7m for the 29-year-old.(Daily Mail)
Zimbabwe striker Benjani, 31, is set to complete his £3m move from Manchester City to West Ham on Monday. (Daily Mirror)
Villarreal's Argentine striker Marco Ruben, 23, is set to arrive in England on Monday to clinch a £7m switch to Wigan Athletic.(Daily Mirror)
Everton boss David Moyes has confirmed he would be interested in signing AC Milan's Dutch striker Klaas-Jan Huntelaar if he became available.(Daily Mirror)
While Everton look at ways to raise Huntelaar's £65,000-a-week wages, the Dutchman is also interesting Tottenham, Arsenal and Liverpool.(Daily Mail)
Turkish giants Galatasaray are on the brink of agreeing a deal to sign Tottenham's Mexican forward Giovani dos Santos on loan. (The Times)
OTHER GOSSIP
Manchester United are set to make Wayne Rooney their highest-paid player on £150,000 a week to fend off interest from Spanish sides Barcelona and Real Madrid. (Daily Mirror)
Rooney, who scored four times in the win over Hull on Saturday, will shred England boss Fabio Capello's nerves by refusing a break between now and the end of the season.(Daily Star)
The Glazer family are planning to spend another £54m of Manchester United's cash to fight their huge debt.(The Sun)
Manchester United defender Gary Neville - who was involved in a spat with Manchester City's Carlos Tevez last week - has added fuel to the fire ahead of their Carling Cup semi-final, second leg on Wednesday by claiming City did not deserve to win the first game at Eastlands.(The Sun)
Portsmouth could anger even more of their fans by naming only three substitutes for Tuesday's Premier League relegation showdown with West Ham.(The Sun)
Former Manchester United striker Ruud van Nistelrooy says he has joined Hamburg from Real Madrid to win back his place in the Holland team before this summer's World Cup in South Africa.(Daily Telegraph)
Barcelona's Brazilian right-back Dani Alves, 26, is in talks over an extension to his current deal at the Camp Nou, although Chelsea and Manchester City are monitoring developments.(IMScouting)
AND FINALLY
Although Liverpool co-owner Tom Hicks is close to completing the sale of the Texas Rangers baseball team for a fee in excess of $500m (about £310m), none of the proceeds are expected to be ploughed into the Anfield club.(The Times)
Plans for TV election debates have been thrown into doubt by the Champions League semi-finals. Gordon Brown, David Cameron and Nick Clegg were set to debate on the three Wednesdays before 6 May but Manchester United, Chelsea and Arsenal could be playing on those nights, causing a scheduling clash.(The Sun)
Transworld - who published Jamie Carragher and Steven Gerrard's big-selling autobiographies - have won the race to publish the official life story of Manchester United club captain Gary Neville. However, the book will only come out when Neville leaves Old Trafford. (Daily Mail)
www.bbc.co.uk
Saturday's results
Man Utd 4 - 0 Hull
Wayne Rooney scored all four goals to send Manchester United top of the Premier League after victory over Hull.
Rooney opened the scoring when he slotted in a rebound after Paul Scholes' shot was beaten away.
After Nani's free-kick was pushed on to the woodwork by keeper Boaz Myhill, United worked the ball to Rooney who smashed in a drive to make it 2-0.
Rooney headed in Nani's cross to complete his hat-trick and fired in a low shot to cap his superb performance.
It is a result that means United leapfrog title rivals Arsenal and Chelsea, who do not play in the league this weekend because of their involvement in the FA Cup.
But while all seems to be coming together on the pitch for United - Rio Ferdinand was impressive on his return after three months out injured - there was disquiet off it.
Home fans voiced their anger at United's owners, frequently chanting "Glazers out" in protest at the scale of the club's debt and their perception the Americans are preventing new signings.
Whether that is the case, there does appear to be a need for United to boost their firepower to ease the burden on Rooney.
Michael Owen's finishing was well below the required standard, the former England man doing nothing to dismiss critics who suggest his best days are long gone.
And while Rooney looked sharp, he looked equally frustrated at times - once even aiming a verbal volley at Darren Fletcher for a poor throw-in.
But United will be delighted with Rooney's form and with the return of Ferdinand, who belied his three-month absence with an assured display - although Hull rarely tested the home defence.
redevilmatth
Other than a Nick Barmby effort that Edwin van der Sar turned wide, there was little threat from the visitors.
.
Southampton 2 - 1 Ipswich
Wayne Thomas scored a stunning 20-yard half volley as League One Southampton shocked Championship side Ipswich to move into the FA Cup fifth round.
Saints debutant Lee Barnard tested Town keeper Arran Lee-Barrett with a volley before Thomas smashed in from the right corner of the box to open the scoring.
Michail Antonio tapped in a second when Lee-Barrett spilt Rickie Lambert's free-kick with 15 minutes remaining.
But Pablo Counago's late goal for Town ensured a frantic finish to the tie.
However Roy Keane's side were unable to score an equaliser in the five minutes of added time as the 1978 FA Cup winners went out to a club who won it two years earlier.
Ipswich manager Roy Keane:
"The players know they have wasted a good opportunity to go further in the competition.
"I did not think we deserved to lose the game but we certainly did not do enough to win it.
"The starting 11 was very good so nobody can accuse us of taking Southampton lightly."
Southampton manager Alan Pardew:
"It was a hotly contested tie between two evenly matched teams and we had to dig deep.
"Ipswich have got some good young players, who get around the pitch very well and we struggled to cope with that in the first half.
"Wayne's goal was a bit of a surprise to me but he played well and deserved his moment of glory."
www.bbc.co.uk
Southampton - Ipswich Town
Thankfully to 10 points deduction, Saints hold 13th place in the third tier with just three points more than teams from relegation zone. Lately they play very well at their St Mary's Stadium as they’ve noticed six games without a home defeat (four wins, two draws). However, boss Alan Pardew has some problems regarding starting eleven for today’s game. Two regular midfielders are out. Morgan Schneiderlin is suspended, while Dean Hammond is injured. Defenders Danny Seaborne and Jon Otsemobor are Cup tied, while another two from back line Radhi Jaidi and Graeme Murty are long term absentees. However, Saints haven’t lost in six at St Mary's, since
Alan Pardew is doing very well at Southampton as they still carry the hopes about play-off spot, but they already had too much problems against top League One sides (defeats vs. Leeds and Colchester), will have to overcome some important missings and I simply can’t see them winning today.
.
Available free bets, bonus offers and promotions:
Expekt - First deposit bonus up to €35 / £25 for all new customers
Make your first deposit at expekt.com and we will immediately double your money up to max €35 / £25. Take these 3 easy steps to start profiting from sports betting: 1.Register an account with expekt.com here. 2.Deposit a minimum of €10 into your expekt.com account. 3.Send an email to 35eurbonus@expekt.com with your customer number and deposit amount included. The bonus amount up to €35/£25 will be added to your account within 48 h
Manchester United – Hull City
United come into this game after a slap from City in Carling Cup and to make the things even worse both goals were conceded from top enemy at present. So, Sir Alex is very annoyed by that game, but also with whole season as well. United have noticed some very surprising defeats lately (four in last nine competitive games, Villa, Fulham,
United feel humiliated and this game should heal the wounds.
.
Available free bets, bonus offers and promotions:
Expekt - First deposit bonus up to €35 / £25 for all new customers
Make your first deposit at expekt.com and we will immediately double your money up to max €35 / £25. Take these 3 easy steps to start profiting from sports betting: 1.Register an account with expekt.com here. 2.Deposit a minimum of €10 into your expekt.com account. 3.Send an email to 35eurbonus@expekt.com with your customer number and deposit amount included. The bonus amount up to €35/£25 will be added to your account within 48 h
Saturday's gossip column
TRANSFER GOSSIP
Manchester United have joined Tottenham in the race for £18m-rated Toulouse midfielder Moussa Sissoko - as they prepare to let winger Zoran Tosic join Cologne. (Daily Mail)
But United face the prospect of losing Wayne Rooney to Real Madrid, who have hired super-agent Pini Zahavi to negotiate a deal for the striker.(The Sun)
Manchester City have had a £2m bid for Victor Moses turned down - and Arsenal may step in for the Crystal Palace forward.(Daily Star)
City have also missed out on Racing Santander midfielder Sergio Canales, who has agreed a £5.5m move to Real Madrid. (Daily Mail)
Meanwhile, Robinho is close to leaving Eastlands for Brazilian club Santos - who sold the 25-year-old to Real Madrid in 2005 - in a loan deal until the end of the season.(The Sun)
Chelsea manager Carlo Ancelotti says that midfielder Joe Cole, who is out of contract at the end of the season, will remain at the club next term. (The Guardian)
Sunderland manager Steve Bruce has admitted that Aston Villa's Habib Beye is on his radar after a deal to sign Hamburg defender Guy Demel broke down.(Daily Mirror)
Blackburn are keen to sign Barcelona forward Eidur Gudjohnsen on loan and are also interested in Stuttgart's Turkish midfielder Yildiray Basturk. (Daily Mail)
West Ham are set to sign South Africa striker Benni McCarthy from Blackburn Rovers on loan for 18 months to get around work permit issues. (Daily Mirror)
Blackburn Rovers winger Morten Gamst Pedersen is in talks with Turkish giants Fenerbahce over a January move. (Daily Mirror)
Fulham have made a bid for FC Basle's £6m-rated Switzerland striker Marco Streller.(Daily Mail)
Burnley defender Clarke Carlisle is a cut-price target for both Bolton and West Ham. (Daily Mirror)
OTHER GOSSIP
New Bolton boss Owen Coyle and keeper Jussi Jaaskelainen have been involved in a training-ground bust-up after former Burnley goalkeeping coach Phil Hughes was appointed at the expense of Jaaskelainen's mentor Fred Barber. (Daily Mail)
Birmingham boss Alex McLeish has tipped Everton manager David Moyes to take over from Sir Alex Ferguson at Manchester United once the Scot decides to leave Old Trafford. (Daily Mirror)
Michael Owen has asked Manchester United team-mate Wayne Rooney for advice on how to get back into Fabio Capello's England squad.(The Guardian)
AND FINALLY
New West Ham vice-chairman Karren Brady has suggested the team could be renamed "West Ham Olympic" if they move into the London 2012 stadium. (The Sun)
Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson has cranked up the tension with neighbours City yet further ahead of next Wednesday's second-leg Carling Cup tie by insisting the Blues do not have the mental strength to win the tie. (Daily Mirror)
The Football Association is sending back thousands of World Cup tickets they failed to sell to their official supporters club. Fans have not taken up 6,000 of the 29,000 tickets allocated by organisers to the FA. (Daily Mirror)
Manager Darren Ferguson has refused to let his Preston players watch a DVD of Chelsea's 7-2 drubbing of Sunderland, in the run-up to their clash with Carlo Ancelotti's side in the FA Cup.(Daily Telegraph)
www.bbc.co.uk
Friday's gossip column
BREAKING GOSSIP
Wigan are in talks with Villareal about signing Argentine international striker Marco Ruben, who is thought to be keen to move.(skysports.com)
Manchester City have offered £15m for West Ham's Swiss midfielder Valon Behrami.(Daily Telegraph)
West Ham have offered £2m for Blackburn striker Benni McCarthy, but the Lancashire side want more to part with the South African.(skysports.com)
Striker David Nugent is happy to extend his loan spell from Portsmouth to Burnley until the end of the season but does not want to decide on his long-term future until then.(skysports.com)
Fulham boss Roy Hodgson says he has had no contact with Arsenal about £7m-rated former non-league defender Chris Smalling, and he would expect Arsene Wenger to get in touch personally if they were interested.(The Independent)
Hamburg have joined West Ham and Tottenham in the race to sign striker Ruud van Nistelrooy from Real Madrid.( imscouting.com)
Manchester City boss Roberto Mancini is interested in Real Madrid's Argentine midfielder Fernando Gago.(Itv.com)
TRANSFER GOSSIP
New West Ham owners David Gold and David Sullivan have made a sensational swoop for Real Madrid striker Ruud van Nistelrooy, offering him £100,000-a-week to move to Upton Park. (The Sun)
However, Tottenham are now favourites to sign Dutchman Van Nistelrooy after the former Manchester United player rejected a big-money offer from the Hammers.(Daily Mail)
Tottenham, Sunderland and Manchester City are all chasing Portsmouth defender Younes Kaboul, with Spurs putting together a £10m bid.(Daily Mail)
Spurs are closing in on a £11m swoop for Palermo central defender Simon Kjaer, but the player's wage demands are proving to be a problem.(Daily Mirror)
Portsmouth goalkeeper David James's loan move to Stoke is back on as the clubs have renewed talks.(The Guardian)
Manchester United and Manchester City are both interested in Juventus defender Giorgio Chiellini. The 25-year-old's agent says he is also talking to Tottenham.(Daily Mail)
Bordeaux striker Marouane Chamakh has promised Arsenal and Liverpool that he will make a decision about his future by the end of the month.(Daily Mirror)
Aston Villa have played down reports saying they are close to signing Rangers striker Kris Boyd.(The Independent)
West Ham and Birmingham are both keen on signing AC Milan striker Klaas-Jan Huntelaar on loan.(Daily Mirror)
Sunderland are set to complete a £1.8m move for 32-year-old Aston Villa defender Habib Beye.(The Sun)
Manchester City are weighing up a £5m move for Middlesbrough winger Adam Johnson. Sunderland, Chelsea and Wolves are also interested in the 22-year-old.(The Sun)
Burnley manager Brian Laws is hoping that Portsmouth see "common sense" and allow David Nugent to stay on loan at Turf Moor until the end of the season. (Daily Express)
Wigan are looking to spring a surprise signing with a £5m bid for 23-year-old Villarreal striker Marco Ruben. (Daily Mail)
Former England manager Sven-Göran Eriksson will finally walk away from Notts County next week if the club cannot find fresh investment to stave off a winding-up order.(The Times)
OTHER GOSSIP
Arsenal defender William Gallas will not receive any punishment for his challenge on Mark Davies in the 4-2 victory over Bolton on Wednesday. After the game, angry Bolton boss Owen Coyle said the challenge "was closer to an assault than a tackle".(The Times)
Bolton's anger over the tackle and the fact that the ball was not put out of play is showing no signs of diminishing, with Wanderers defender Paul Robinson saying: "It was a disgusting tackle. He's lucky he hasn't broken his leg. We deserved better and are disappointed not to have got anything."(Daily Telegraph)
Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson has warned his players: "If anyone steps out of control, that's them dead." The Scot was talking at a lecture in Dublin. (The Sun)
Cash-strapped Derby have placed every member of the squad on the transfer list as they try to raise £8m by the end of the month.(Daily Mirror)
AND FINALLY
So what did Carlos Tevez really say about his former Manchester United team-mate Gary Neville in a South American radio interview? He's a "moron" (Daily Mirror and Daily Express), "idiot and creep" (Daily Star and Daily Mail), "stupid bootlicker" (The Sun) and a "bootlicking moron" (Guardian, Independent and The Times) are the general themes.
Thursday's gossip column
TRANSFER GOSSIP
Liverpool will take Sunderland striker Kenwyne Jones on loan, with a view to a permanent transfer in the summer. This would enable both clubs to carry the impact of the transfer on their balance sheets into the next tax year, which begins in April.(Daily Mirror)
West Ham are set to make Blackburn striker Benni McCarthy the first signing of the David Gold/David Sullivan era after lodging a £1.2m bid.(Daily Star)
Chelsea and Manchester City have both made offers to 18-year-old Spanish midfielder Sergio Canales, who is out of contract and free to leave current club Racing Santander this summer.(www.imscouting.com)
Manchester City remain hopeful of signing Rubin Kazan left-back Cristian Ansaldi.(Daily Mail)
Celtic have intimated they are willing to sell winger Aiden McGeady to Birmingham but only if the Midlands club stump up £11m.(Daily Mirror)
Stoke have made a £2m bid for Real Madrid striker Ruud van Nistelrooy.(Daily Star)
However, West Ham have also made enquiries about former Manchester United striker Van Nistelrooy.(www.imscouting.com)
Bayern Munich midfielder Arjen Robben has advised teammate Franck Ribery not to join Real Madrid. Robben spent two years with Madrid before joining Bayern last summer.(www.imscouting.com)
Portsmouth goalkeeper David James' on-off move to Stoke is back on. The clubs have re-opened negotiations after the transfer collapsed on 15 January because the Potters were not prepared to pay the proportion of James's salary that Pompey wanted from them.(Daily Mirror)
Alternatively, Stoke boss Tony Pulis is keen to sign Sheffield Wednesday goalkeeper Lee Grant for £2m.(Daily Star)
Fulham boss Roy Hodgson has made a move to sign out-of-favour Stoke striker James Beattie.(Daily Mirror)
Everton boss David Moyes is ready to sell striker James Vaughan in the January transfer window.(Daily Mirror)
Moyes has resurrected a move to sign Arsenal defender Philippe Senderos on loan, six months after they pulled out of a deal to sign the Swiss international.(The Times)
Liverpool midfielder Ryan Babel is set to perform a u-turn and agree to a £9m move to Birmingham after initially rejecting a move to St Andrews.(The Sun)
Sunderland boss Steve Bruce is eyeing a £1.75m swoop for Sheffield United centre-back Matthew Kilgallon.(The Sun)
Bolton boss Owen Coyle wants to snap up Jamie O'Hara from Tottenham - but the move will require Fifa's permission as the move would mean the midfielder playing for his third club of the season, which is not allowed.(Daily Mirror)
Derby boss Nigel Clough is in talks with Arsenal to sign French striker Gilles Sunu on loan for the rest of the season.(Daily Mirror)
Derby are ready to snap up Millwall's highly-rated left winger Dave Martin in a £150,000 swoop.(Daily Mirror)
Wigan boss Roberto Martinez is ready to make a £4m swoop for Mallorca's highly-rated striker Aritz Aduriz to boost his attack.(Daily Mirror)
Hull are considering offering a lifeline to out-of-favour Sunderland striker David Healy.(Daily Mirror)
OTHER GOSSIP
Manchester City forward Robinho insists he has not fallen out with manager Roberto Mancini and has vowed to prove his worth at the club. The Brazilian was taken off during the 2-0 defeat at Everton on Saturday after having come on as a substitute.(Daily Mirror)
The agent of Russian national team manager Guus Hiddink says that a number of clubs, including Liverpool, have sounded him out about the availability of his client.(The Sun)
Portsmouth manager Avram Grant says the Premier League are going against the spirit of football by refusing to lift the transfer embargo imposed on the south-coast outfit because they have outstanding debts to other English clubs.(The Sun)
Everton midfielder Mikel Arteta hopes to make his comeback from a cruciate ligament injury in the Merseyside derby against Liverpool on 6 February. The Spaniard has been sidelined for a year.(The Sun)
Manchester United defender John O'Shea's season appears to be over because of complications to the leg injury he sustained playing for the Republic of Ireland in France two months ago.(Daily Mirror)
Manchester City striker Emmanuel Adebayor is set to return for the Carling Cup semi-final second leg at Manchester United next week, after being given compassionate leave since he was caught up in the gun attack on the Togo team bus at the Africa Cup of Nations. (The Sun)
Striker Daniel Cousin says he wants to quit Hull because he cannot stand manager Phil Brown. "The gaffer and I don't have a good relationship. It's difficult to stay. I want to leave," said Cousin.(The Sun)
AND FINALLY
Manchester City's Carlos Tevez claims his ear-cupping celebration after scoring against Manchester United in the Carling Cup was not a dig at Red Devils manager Sir Alex Ferguson for refusing to sign the striker last summer but was a tribute to a popular Argentine children's puppet Topo Gigio. (Daily Mirror)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Subscribe Now
Blogroll
My Blog List
Popular Posts
-
Kick-off at 4:00pm (CET time) Championship, Preston - Hull, Hull +0.25ah at 1.909 League One, Ipswich - Morecombe, Ipswich -1.0 at 2.16 Leag... -
Kick-off at 4pm (CET time) Premier League: Brighton - Leeds, Leeds +0.25ah at 2.13 (Pinnacle) League 1: Shrewsbury - Oxford, over 2.5 at 1.... -
Kick-off at 4:30pm (CET time) Sunderland - Lincoln City, Lincoln +0.25ah at 2.41 (Pinnacle) Sunderland were awful even before the first gam... -
Kick-off at 1:30pm (CET time) Premier League: Newcastle - West Ham, over 2.75 at 2.20 at (Pinnacle) League 1: Burton Albion - Plymouth, Burt... -
Leicester - Wolverhampton, Over 2.5 at 2.19 (Pinnacle) Leicester’s 9 out of last 13 EPL games ended with 3 or more goals. They’re now w...