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Bundesliga Football Betting

Last night Norrkoping struggled to a 1-0 win over Osters to give us a nice
little win so hopefully I can keep the run going with tonight's offering.

Schalke to bt Bayer Leverkusen Bundesliga

After 3 games in the Bundesliga this season Schalke are in 6th position
with 1 win and 2 draws, whilst their opposition tonight Leverkusen are 7th
a point behind with 1 win 1 draw and 1 defeat.

Schalke`s only home game so far in the league was a 4-1 win against
Borussia Dortmund whilst Leverkusen`s only away game in the league to date
saw them lose 1-0 at Hamburg.

Schalke last season finished 2nd in the Bundesliga 2 points behind
champions Stuttgart and had a home record of W13 D2 L2 F30 A11.

Leverkusen ended last season in a creditable 5th position although they
were 17 points behind tonight's rivals and they had an away record of W7
D3 L7 F26 A26.

The head to head record makes for interesting reading for anyone who takes
that particular stat into consideration.

Feb 25, 07 1. Bundesliga FC Schalke 04 0 - 1 Bayer Leverkusen
Oct 1, 06 1. Bundesliga Bayer Leverkusen 3 - 1 FC Schalke 04
Jul 29, 06 Liga Pokal FC Schalke 04 P 1 - 1 P Bayer Leverkusen
Feb 11, 06 1. Bundesliga FC Schalke 04 7 - 4 Bayer Leverkusen
Sep 10, 05 1. Bundesliga Bayer Leverkusen 1 - 1 FC Schalke 04
Apr 30, 05 1. Bundesliga FC Schalke 04 3 - 3 Bayer Leverkusen
Nov 20, 04 1. Bundesliga Bayer Leverkusen 0 - 3 FC Schalke 04
Apr 17, 04 1. Bundesliga FC Schalke 04 2 - 3 Bayer Leverkusen

As the last 8 games shows the away side generally has the best of these
matches and with an average of just over 4 goals in those 8 matches these
games seem to have there share of goals but that figure is distorted by
the 7-4 win by Schalke in Feb 06.

As far as team news is concerned at this early stage it looks like Schalke
should be at full strength whilst Leverkusen will be missing Swiss
midfielder Pirmin Schwegler.

I am going for a Schalke win tonight at best price 5/6 with Pinnacle and
also I will be having a small stake on over 2.5 goals at 4/5 with Bet 365
and Paddy Power.

Finally at 11/1 with Expekt I think Schalke`s Gerald Asamoah is a good
price for first scorer tonight, he has been in good form at this early
stage of the season and though he has only 1 goal so far could be value to
add to that total tonight.

Good luck,

Silverfox.

Today I am returning to what has been for me been a profitable hunting
ground this season and that is the Swedish Superettan or 2nd division and
a game between leaders Norrkoping and 13th placed Osters.

Norrkoping top the table by 11 points from 2nd placed Sundsvall but lately
over the last 6 matches their form has dipped a little with 3 wins 1 draw
2 defeats 10 goals scored and 5 conceded but they have been in superb form
at home all term and are unbeaten in 10 games at home 8 of which were won,
also in that time they have scored 28 and conceded 6.

Their opponents tonight Osters are 13th in the 16 team league and only 1
point off a relegation place.

In their last 6 games they have won 2 drawn 2 and lost 2 scoring 8 and
conceding 7 and ironically they have a better away record in the league
then they do a home one with 3 wins 3 draws and 4 losses whilst scoring 10
and conceding 13.

However though I believe they will be a hard side to break down I cannot
see any further then another home win for Norrkoping as they go towards
the title and a place in the top division.

The Head 2 Head record between these 2 sides in recent times would tend to
bear this out with Norrkoping winning 4 of the 5 games played since the
turn of the century.


May 17, 07 Superettan Osters IF Vaxjo 0 - 1 IFK Norrkoping
Jul 23, 05 Superettan IFK Norrkoping 0 - 1 Osters IF Vaxjo
Apr 16, 05 Superettan Osters IF Vaxjo 1 - 2 IFK Norrkoping
Aug 16, 04 Superettan IFK Norrkoping 3 - 0 Osters IF Vaxjo
May 24, 04 Superettan Osters IF Vaxjo 1 - 2 IFK Norrkoping

At best price 3/5 with various bookies it may not be the value bet of the
day but in my opinion considering the gulf in class between the 2 teams
should be an even shorter price.

Good Luck and good punting as ever,

Silverfox.

Lorient to beat Valenciennes French Ligue 1.

Two of the surprise sides in the early stages of the French League take on
each other tonight.
Lorient in 2nd place take on Valenciennes who are in 5th.

Lorient are unbeaten after 5 games and are 2 points behind another
surprise side Nancy. They have won both their home matches 2-1 against
defending champions Lyon in their last home game and before that they had
another 2-1 win against Monaco.

Given these facts I feel that evens with several bookies is a decent price
for a Lorient win.

Valenciennes have themselves only lost once in the league so far but their
away form has been: won 0 drawn 1 lost 1 scored 1 and conceded 3 so no
prizes for where they get most of their points!

Both sides have forwards capable of getting goals, with Audel of
Valenciennes scoring 4 in 5 already,the same as the strike pairing of
Lorient Saifi and Vahirua and they not surprisingly are joint top scorers
at this early stage of the season.

The starts both teams have made this term are in stark contrast to how
they finished last term when Lorient finished 14th and Valenciennes finish
17th one place off relegation in the 20 team league.

Lorient were however a hard team to beat at home last season where they
only lost 5 games scoring 17 and conceding only 13 which was less then one
goal a game over the course of the term.

Valenciennes on the other hand were beaten 13 times on their travels and
conceded 32 goals in their 19 away matches.

So I am going for the home team tonight as I feel they will take
confidence from their 2 wins at homes so far especially the Lyon win which
is bound to have raised expectation levels.

The other bet I will be having in this game is over 2.5 goals, this is
going against the bookies who have under 2.5 goals as the favourite but I
feel that with both sides in good form and with neither having the safest
of defences that at best price 13/10 with Bet365 it is a reasonable bet.

Good luck with whatever you go for,

Silverfox.

Everton to beat Blackburn Premier League @ 5/4 with Bet Direct.

To me David Moyes is the best British manager since Alex Ferguson. What he
has achieved at Everton is nothing short of a miracle and today he finds
himself up against another top British manager in Mark Hughes.

Moyes has been active recently in the transfer market with the addition of
Yakubu from Middlesbrough and Fernandes, but both will not take part in
todays game as the paperwork relating to their transfers did not get
through in time.

However Moyes can call on new signings Jagielka from Sheff Utd and Pienaar
who is on loan from Borussia Dortmund though Leighton Baines his capture
from Wigan may still miss out.

Blackburn's best signing in the summer has to be Roque Santa Cruz from
Bayern Munich, he has taken to life in the Premiership like a duck to
water and when added to the strike force of McCarthy and the promising
Derbyshire as well as the hard working Roberts goals should not be a
problem this term.

Everton have started the season with 2 wins from 3 games beating Wigan 2-1
at Goodison and Spurs 3-1 at the Lane whilst losing 1-0 to Reading at the
Madjeski last time out.

Blackburn has started the season well with a win at Middlesbrough and a
draw at home to Arsenal.

Head to head in all matches both sides are pretty level with Everton
having 55 wins and Blackburn 54 though as expected Everton have had the
better of the encounters at Goodison, this includes the last time the two
sides met at Goodison in February when Everton won by an Andy Johnson
goal.

Team news is that Everton should have Andy Johnson fit to play whilst
Blackburn will be without skipper Ryan Nelsen following his sending off in
the last game against Arsenal though Morten Gamst-Pedersen should recover
from the knock he received.

I am favouring the home team in what I expect to be a very tight game
played in a sombre mood after the tragic events that took place in
Croxteth this week.

I will also be having a bet today on the under 2.5 goals market as both
sides have solid defenses and will find it hard to break each other down
you can currently get 4/6 with various bookies on this market.

Good luck and good punting,

Silverfox.

Last night Sundsvall got a hard fought 1-0 against Hacken to give us
another winner and i hope some of you got on.

Today i am off to the Eircom League for my tip.

Galway v. Sligo Eircom Prem League.

10th placed Galway entertains 4th placed Sligo tonight and I am going to
have a bet on the away side to pick up all three points tonight.

Galway have yet to win a home game in the league this season in 11
attempts and their full record at home is won 0 drawn 4 lost 7 scored 7
conceded 15,and they have lost their last 3 home games scoring 2 and
conceding 5.

Sligo on the road this season have either won or lost with 5 wins and 6
losses as their record they are four points behind 2nd placed Shamrock so
have still got a chance of making a UEFA Cup place.

Form wise over the last 6 games they have won 4 drawn 1 and lost 1 scoring
11 and conceding 7 and only leaders Drogheda have a better record over the
same period.

As regular readers of my BLOG will know by now when I get to the great
bookies in the sky the words "value bet" will be on my headstone! But at
best price 5/4 tonight I feel Sligo over just that.

Team news at this early stage for Sligo is that new signings Matthew
Gordan and James Meredith are available for selection but Gavin Peers
(Defender) however, is a doubt and his chances are only rated at 50/50 -
he will undergo a late fitness test.

Galway tonight will be without Regi Nooitmeer (Knee) and Stephen O'Flynn
(Suspended) however John Russell is back in the squad after a bout of flu.

One note of caution is that this is a Derby match as both sides hail from
the county of Connacht and so like most games of this nature there will be
local pride at stake.

The head to head record in recent times favour Sligo but as you can see 3
of the last 4 have been drawn.

Jul 14, 07 Premier League Sligo Rovers 1 - 1 Galway United
Mar 9, 07 Premier League Galway United 0 - 2 Sligo Rovers
Oct 15, 05 Division 1 Sligo Rovers 1 - 1 Galway United
Aug 5, 05 Division 1 Galway United 1 - 1 Sligo Rovers
Jun 3, 05 Division 1 Sligo Rovers 4 - 1 Galway United
Apr 5, 05 Division 1 Galway United 0 - 2 Sligo Rovers
Sep 18, 04 Division 1 Sligo Rovers 3 - 1 Galway United
Jun 11, 04 Division 1 Galway United 3 - 1 Sligo Rovers
Mar 27, 04 Division 1 Sligo Rovers 3 - 1 Galway United

However I fancy Sligo to win tonight and hopefully keep us in the black.

As always good luck and happy punting,

Silverfox.

Not much to choose from today but one bet does stand out as a good bet
considering the price.

Sundsvall to beat. Hacken Superettan Division best price 23/20 with
various bookies.

Sundsvall are 2nd in the league but they are 15 points behind runaway
leaders Norkopping with a game in hand and their form over the last 6
games is won 3 drawn 1 lost 2 scored 11 conceded 9.

However their home form is 2nd only to the leaders having won 6 drawn 3
lost 0 for 16 and conceding only 1.

Their opposition today Hacken are 6th in the league but only 4 points
behind Sundsvall and are in reasonable form lately with 4 wins and 2
defeats in their last 6 away from home this season though they have won 3
drawn 2 lost 4 for 13 against 13 and is the main reason I am favouring the
home side today.

Head to head over the last 6 games seems to favour Sundsvall with 4 wins
from the 6 games played.

Jun 20, 07 Swedish Cup: BK Hacken Goteborg 0 - 2 GIF Sundsvall
May 8, 07 Superettan BK Hacken Goteborg 1 - 2 GIF Sundsvall
Oct 3, 05 Allsvenskan GIF Sundsvall 3 - 0 BK Hacken Goteborg
Apr 18, 05 Allsvenskan BK Hacken Goteborg 1 - 0 GIF Sundsvall
Oct 21, 01 Allsvenskan BK Hacken Goteborg 2 - 1 GIF Sundsvall
Apr 16, 01 Allsvenskan GIF Sundsvall 1 - 0 BK Hacken Goteborg

So though the home side is not in the best of form i am going for them
hoping Hacken have one eye on the return UEFA Cup match against
Dumfermline in which they have a good chance of progress having got a well
earned draw in Scotland last week.

Good luck,

Silverfox.

Cam Utd to beat Farsley Celtic Blue Square Premier League @4/5 with
various bookies.

Cambridge had a disappointing season last term finishing 17th and losing
11 games at home,but started the new season off with two wins against pre
season favourites for promotion.

In their first match they beat York away 2-1 and followed that result up
with a fine win at home to Oxford Utd again by a 2-1 scoreline.

Farsley finished 5th in the Conference North last season and went up by
winning one of the promotion play offs 4-3 against Hinckley.

They have started their season with a 1-0 home win against Stafford and
losing 1-0 at Dagenham and Redbridge.

A win tonight win put Cambridge top of the league and maintain the only
100% record left in the division.

At 4/5 I feel Cambridge over value for the win in what I feel will be a
tight contest as Farsley will look to take at least a point by defending
in depth.

Early team news from the BBC website is that Cambridge Quinn could have
captain Danny Brown back after missing the match with Oxford through a ear
infection.

Brown could be back in the starting line-up but Mark Convery (hamstring)
and Dan Chillingworth (ankle) are out for a few more weeks.

Farsley Celtic should have a full squad to choose from with James Knowles
being added to the squad after missing the defeat to Rushden through
suspension.

One trivia note is that this game should have been played on Sunday but
apparently they could not find a doctor in Cambridge who would work on
Sunday in the area so the match was postponed for health and safety
reasons till tonight!

As always good luck

Silverfox.

Cam Utd to beat Farsley Celtic Blue Square Premier League @4/5 with
various bookies.

Cambridge had a disappointing season last term finishing 17th and losing
11 games at home,but started the new season off with two wins against pre
season favourites for promotion.

In their first match they beat York away 2-1 and followed that result up
with a fine win at home to Oxford Utd again by a 2-1 scoreline.

Farsley finished 5th in the Conference North last season and went up by
winning one of the promotion play offs 4-3 against Hinckley.

They have started their season with a 1-0 home win against Stafford and
losing 1-0 at Dagenham and Redbridge.

A win tonight win put Cambridge top of the league and maintain the only
100% record left in the division.

At 4/5 I feel Cambridge over value for the win in what I feel will be a
tight contest as Farsley will look to take at least a point by defending
in depth.

Early team news from the BBC website is that Cambridge Quinn could have
captain Danny Brown back after missing the match with Oxford through a ear
infection.

Brown could be back in the starting line-up but Mark Convery (hamstring)
and Dan Chillingworth (ankle) are out for a few more weeks.

Farsley Celtic should have a full squad to choose from with James Knowles
being added to the squad after missing the defeat to Rushden through
suspension.

One trivia note is that this game should have been played on Sunday but
apparently they could not find a doctor in Cambridge who would work on
Sunday in the area so the match was postponed for health and safety
reasons till tonight!

As always good luck

Silverfox.

Newcastle to beat Aston Villa Premiership best price evens with Skybet.

Both these teams have made good signings over the summer and I expect them
both to be challenging for a UEFA Cup place come the end of the season.

Newcastle were impressive in the first half of the game against Bolton
last week though to be honest Bolton looked a shadow of the side "Big Sam"
left behind.

Aston Villa was in my opinion unlucky not to get a point against Liverpool
in their first game going down in the end to a Steven Gerrard cracker.

As I said earlier both teams have been busy in the transfer market over
the closed season.
Newcastle have brought in Viduka (Mid),Rosenthal (PSG),Geremi
(Chelsea),Smith (Man Utd),Cacapa (Lyon),Jose Enrique (Villareal) and Joey
Barton Man City but for me the best signing was Allardyce from Bolton.
He now has the chance to wake a sleeping giant in Newcastle and given time
I am sure he will.
The fact that Martins resisted overtures from Arsenal say a lot about Stan
as he is a great motivator and I am sure will get the best out of him.

Villa have an equally talented manager in Martin O`Neill and towards the
end of last season they showed signs of what they are capable of
achieving.

They have been less busy in the transfer market with the addition of
Reo-Coker and Harewood both from West Ham but it is the players that
O`Neill bought last season such as Ashley Young and John Carew who could
shine this term as they have now bedded into the team.

Team news at this early stage is that Newcastle will be without Shay Given
in goal so Steve Harper will deputise, whilst Damien Duff, Joey Barton and
Babayaro will all miss the game due to injury.

Villa too has their goalkeeping problems with Sorensen out and Taylor
doubtful loan signing Scott Carson is on standby to make his debut. The
other absentee is Berger with a hamstring problem though on the positive
side Gardner, Carew and Laursen are all fit and in the running for
selection.

Head to head favours the home side with Villa only win 2 of the last 14
games played at St James Park and the meeting in January this year ended
3-1 to Newcastle with goals from Milner, Dyer and Sibierski whilst Ashley
Young replied for Villa.

I am going for a Newcastle win today as I was impressed by Martins against
Bolton and the way he took his chances, his pace and power will be a force
today.

Add the fact that Viduka and Owen are fit and in the squad and they will
not lack fire power, and Smith and Geremi look like they have been in the
side for some time which gives the side a good balance.

I am also going for Martins to be the first goal score at best price 11/2
with various bookies, he is a forward I rate highly and in my opinion has
everything to be a major success in the premier league.

The final bet will be over 2.5 goals as both teams have the players to
open up defences and neither team have defences that can keep to many
clean sheets. You can get 4/5 generally on this market.

So to recap:

Newcastle to beat Villa @ best price Evens with Skybet.

Martins first goal scorer @ best price 11/2 various.

Over 2.5 goals @4/5 various.

Good Luck,

Silverfox.

Rangers to beat Red Star Champions Lge 3rd Qual Rnd 1st Leg at best price
8/11 with Betfred.

Rangers have started the season well in the league with 2 wins from 2
games a 3-0 away win at Inverness and a 2-0 home win on Saturday against
St Mirren.

They also had a comfortable win 3-0 on agg against Zeta in the previous
round.

Rangers seem to be a more solid outfit then last season and could launch a
real challenge for the title this season.

With a host of new signings including
Cuellar,Darchville,Gow,Beasley,McCulloch and Whittaker amongst others they
have cover in all departments.

Red Star are not the force they once were but are not a side to under
estimate.

They played their first league game on the season on Saturday which ended
in a 1-1 home draw against Cukaricki,and in the previous round only just
got past Levadia Tallinn of Latvia on the away goals rule after a 2-2 agg
draw.

Early team news for Rangers is that Sasa Papic could miss out due to an
ankle knock but Hemdani is due back into the squad after missing out at
the weekend.

Red Star will be without a trio of midfielders in Basta (Suspended) and
Burzanovic and Lucas injured
though Lucas does have a chance of playing if he passes a late fitness test.

The two sides have met before in the old European Cup in season 1990/91
the year Red Star won the competition,on that occasion Red Star won 4-1 on
agg but they are far from that side these days.

At 8/11 best price with Betfred i think Rangers will get the win they need
to take a lead to Serbia and hopefully will keep a clean sheet.

The other bet i will have is a small investment on Barry Ferguson to score
the first goal.

Ferguson has scored 3 in 2 games so far and at 12/1 is a good value price.

Good luck and good punting,

Silverfox.

Senegal international El Hadji Diouf could be leaving Bolton Wanderers after being left out of Sammy Lee's starting line-up for Saturday's 3-1 home defeat to Newcastle United. Diouf still has two years to run on his Reebok Stadium contract but has hinted he could be moving before the transfer window closes at the end of August. "Right now, this is my club, this is my crowd," he said. "But tomorrow is another day. Maybe after tomorrow I will go, I don't know. I have two more years at Bolton Wanderers and I am working hard for this club. I am trying to do everything for this club and, if I go tomorrow, I will not forget this club. But I just want everything to be clear in my head. I want to talk with the chairman, the manager. I want everything to be clear. I think the best thing for Sammy Lee and for me is to tell me I have his confidence. If he tells me he has confidence in me, I will do well, if he doesn't say that, I don't think I can stay here."

Headline of the day...



ROONEY IN RUINS
The Daily Mirror report on the opening weekend of the Premier League season and already there's bad news for Steve McClaren, with Wayne Rooney breaking his foot, which should rule him out for two months, meaning he'll miss England's Euro 2008 qualifiers against Israel and Russia next month.

Hold the back page...

ROO HELL
The Sun also report on this story, throwing England's Euro 2008 campaign into turmoil. Of course, Manchester United might also be a little concerned...

FOOT AND OUT
Foot And Out. That sounds like Foot And Mouth doesn't it? What an amazing headline from the Daily Star about the Rooney story! Oh wait, actually Foot And Out sounds nothing like Foot And Mouth, and it's a rubbish headline from a rubbish newspaper.

ROONEY STRUCK AGAIN BY METATARSAL CURSE
Of course, this whole injury thing is nothing new to Rooney, as The Guardian explain. Maybe he should get steel-reinforced boots to stop people breaking his feet everytime they stand on them?
Article continues below

IS THERE MUCH MORE OF THIS?
A star-studded line-up in the crowd at Old Trafford in the Daily Mail, with Carlos Tevez, Anderson, Owen Hargreaves, Louis Saha, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Gary Neville all watching on while Sam Allardyce and Sven Goran Eriksson also take a peek at United and Reading.

CHELSEA SURPASS LEGENDS
Yesterday's other main football news was that Chelsea are now the greatest team in the history of the world. The Daily Express report on the news that Jose Mourinho's team broke Liverpool's unbeaten home record of 63 games.

Other top stories...

NIKE'S CELEBRATED CLIENT RULED OUT AGAIN
With Wayne Rooney's broken foot problems returning again the Daily Telegraph blame Nike and their lightweight boots.

WILD LUNGE PUTS KITSON IN UNWANTED SPOTLIGHT
At least Rooney got to play for 45 minutes yesterday, Dave Kitson only lasted 37 seconds before being sent off, but an interview in The Times reveals him to be one of the more down-to-earth and likeable footballers around.

TEVEZ UNDER STARTER'S ORDERS FOR SEQUEL TO RESCUE ACT
The short-term effect of Rooney's injury is that Carlos Tevez's debut will come a few days earlier, against Portsmouth rather than Man City at the weekend, reveals The Independent.

HLEB LATE SHOW LETS JENS OFF THE HOOK
The weekend's most amusing moment came at the Emirates, where Jens Lehmann took barely a minute to provide entertainment and a goal for David Healy, though it all worked out in the end for Arsenal, reports the Daily Mail.

IT'S ALL LOOKING SHIPSHAPE NOW FOR MOURINHO
The Daily Express report on an unusually exciting afternoon at Stamford Bridge and fill it with lots of really bad nautical puns because Claudio Pizarro once 'dreamed of becoming a naval captain'.

ELANO MAKES ERIKSSON'S CITY SLICKER THAN HIS ENGLAND
The Guardian report on Sven Goran Eriksson's impressive first game in charge of Manchester City, providing more slick football and quality than in all his years as England boss. So THAT's why he bought a load of foreigners...

HELLO EVERYONE... IT SEEMS I'M BACK
According to Brian Woolnough in the Daily Star, Sven gave his pre-match talk in five different languages. Show-off.

I'VE HADJI ENOUGH SAMMY
And we finish with a wonderful pun (ahem) from The Sun. Who has Hadji enough? Well, it's El Hadji Diouf of course, who wants to leave Bolton Wanderers after being left out of the opening game.

Hoping to keep the run going for a little longer with what i think is a
good value bet though i doubt the price will hold for long.

Djurgardens in 4th take on Hammarby in 7th in a Stockholm derby which gets
bigger every time the sides meet.

A win tonight will put Djurgardens in a fine position to challenge for the
title, likewise a win for Hammarby will bring them into the title race so
a lot rides on the game.

Djurgardens home record in the league is W7 D0 L1 F15 A6 the only blot on
their otherwise perfect home record was a 1-0 defeat to 10th placed GAIS
earlier in the season.

Hammarby on the road this season in the league have a record of W0 D3 L5
F7 A15 and if their away form were anywhere as good as their away form
they would be closer to top of the table Halmstads.

Over the last 6 league games Djurgardens have the best record with 3 wins
and 3 draws with the 3 wins coming at home.

Hammarby over the same period have won 3 and lost 3 losing all 3 road
trips scoring 3 and conceding 9.

Djurgardens are at present 13/10 with Ladbrokes which i think is a good
price when taking into consideration the form of the two sides.

The last 7 head to head games are:

Jun 19, 07 Allsvenskan Hammarby IF 2 - 0 Djurgardens IF
Aug 28, 06 Allsvenskan Hammarby IF 0 - 3 Djurgardens IF
Apr 10, 06 Allsvenskan Djurgardens IF 0 - 0 Hammarby IF
Aug 4, 05 Allsvenskan Djurgardens IF 2 - 2 Hammarby IF
May 18, 05 Allsvenskan Hammarby IF 2 - 1 Djurgardens IF
Sep 11, 04 Allsvenskan Djurgardens IF 1 - 0 Hammarby IF
Jul 19, 04 Allsvenskan Hammarby IF 3 - 0 Djurgardens IF

So in general the home sides tend to come out on top, which i hope will be
the case tonight.

So Djurgardens to win tonight.

Good luck,

Silverfox.

Who? - Aiyegbeni Yakubu - Speculation
Where is he? - Middlesbrough
Who is he linked with? - Everton

Middlesbrough manager Gareth Southgate has confirmed that Everton have made an approach for the Teessiders' leading scorer Yakubu. The 24-year-old Nigeria international is a reported 10million target for the Toffees, despite Boro being insistent that they do not want to sell the former Portsmouth frontman. Southgate told Sky Sports News: "I haven't had any contact from Everton, I know there's been contact at higher levels. I don't know the exact ins and outs of whether there was anything written or anything else, but it's irrelevant because he's not for sale. Whatever the form of the contact was, we're trying to build a team and we feel that Yakubu is an important part of our team. As I say he is very happy. I have a good relationship with him, he's focused on what he wants to do and he's looking forward to this weekend. He's very happy, he's been excellent especially the last couple of weeks as we get towards the start of the season, he's looking sharper and sharper. We're not welcoming any bids, particularly 24 hours before the start of the season to take one of our best players away."

WHO WILL BE TOP SCORER?
Didier Drogba Golden Boot 2007 feature size
DIDIER DROGBA

Didier Drogba finished last season with the Golden Boot after another impressive campaign from the Ivorian striker who seems to keep on getting better and better. However, will he be able to see off the competition this time out? For one thing, he'll miss some of the season to play in the African Cup Of Nations, while his team-mate Andriy Shevchenko will surely rediscover his goal touch in his second season...

There could be plenty of competition from Old Trafford too, with Wayne Rooney in free-scoring form in pre-season, while Cristiano Ronaldo was smashing them in with regularity in 2006/07 and will be hoping to improve on that tally. There's also Carlos Tevez, who was prolific after settling in at West Ham and will surely flourish when he eventually gets cleared to play for United.

For Liverpool, all eyes will be on the summer's big signing Fernando Torres to see if he can be the man to lead them to glory, but his record is hardly prolific in Spain, so can he bang the goals in for the Reds? If not, the likes of Dirk Kuyt and Peter Crouch will under pressure to compensate but could either of them steal Drogba's boot? How about Robin van Persie, Emmanuel Adebayor or Eduardo da Silva at Arsenal?

Beyond the big four, there's the likes of Darren Bent and Dimitar Berbatov from Spurs and Benni McCarthy and Roque Santa Cruz at Blackburn who will be pushing the front-runners hard. So, who do you think will be the Premier League's top scorer of 2007/08?

Headline of the day...
wtps 100807 feature size

ARSENAL JUST A SELLING CLUB
With all he's achieved at Arsenal, you'd think that Arsene Wenger would get the benefit of the doubt from fans and pundits, but not even his former players seem to be cutting him any slack. In the Daily Mirror, Manu Petit has a pop at the Gunners for their transfer activity this summer: "How long will it take for these young players to be ready to really challenging for the league?" Has no-one learned anything from Alan Hansen's famous comments about Man United back in 1995?

Hold the back page...

LAMPARD: IT'S NO DEAL
On the day that he launched Frank TV (we're literally speechless) for mobile network Orange, Frank Lampard also announced that he'll wait until next summer to sign a new deal with Chelsea, reports the Daily Star.

BLUES SWEAT AS LAMPARD PARKS CONTRACT TALKS
The Guardian report on the news, which leaves Chelsea wondering if Lampard actually wants to stay at the club or not. Of course, it's not about the money, like we would ever have considered such a thing. Mind you, we're still in shock about Frank TV.

I'LL GO IF ROY GOES
Showing rather more loyalty, The Sun report on Niall Quinn's claim that if Sunderland fans ever drive Roy Keane out of the club (they'd have to be brave to do that) Quinn would follow him out.
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SPEND SPEND SPEND
Not just because he looks like an evil goblin, we can't imagine Eggert Magnusson saying similar things about Alan Curbishley. The Daily Express report on how he'll keep giving Curbs money to spend, but won't accept failure to convert cash into success.

BERNIE BUYS QPR
Speaking of which, Formula 1 chief Bernie Ecclestone is apparently doing to buy QPR along with Renault boss Flavio Briatore, according to the Daily Mail. Well, one has to have a football club in one's portfolio nowadays, doesn't one?

FIFA BOSS TURNS ON 'IRRITANT' ENGLAND
Also in the Mail is FIFA vice-president Jack Warner's claim that: "Nobody in Europe likes England. England invented the sport but has never made any impact on world football. England at no time has had the love and support of Europe. For Europe, England is an irritant." Crikey...

Other top stories...

ERIKSSON STEPS UP KEEPER SEARCH AS DEADLINE LOOMS
The Independent report on Sven Goran Eriksson's increasingly desperate search for a goalkeeper ahead of the first Manchester City game of the season, with Andreas Isaksson out for six weeks and no recognised replacement available.

AGENT URGES HEINZE TO STAY AWAY FROM UNITED
Meanwhile, Gabriel Heinze has been told by his agent that he shouldn't go to Manchester United on Sunday in case anyone there doesn't like him, says The Times. With the Argentinean defender still trying to force through a move to Liverpool, we can't see why that would be the case...

LEEDS' PENALTY APPEAL REJECTED
The Daily Telegraph meanwhile report on the latest disaster for Leeds United, who had their appeal against a 15-point deduction rejected by the Football League yesterday.

HONEYMOON OVER FOR THE GHETTO BOY
In the Daily Mail, Kevin-Prince Boateng talks about his love life, having got married this summer: "My honeymoon was in a hotel and at Tottenham's training ground. Next summer we will have our honeymoon. She had the worst honeymoon as she had to do all the paperwork in Germany." Lucky girl.

DON'T MENTION THE H-WORD AS VAN PERSIE FILLS HIS BOOTS
Thierry Henry is fast becoming the Voldemort of the Emirates Stadium it seems, with the The Guardian reporting on how no-one there is talking about the departure of 'he who cannot be named'.

QUINN: I DO AS ROY SAYS
Is your boss nice to you? Do you often wish you could tell him what to do rather than vice versa? Well, that's no fantasy for Roy Keane, with the Daily Express reporting on Niall Quinn's revelations about his curious chairman-manager relationship with Keano. Mind you, would YOU tell Keano what to do?

BAD EGGS HAD TO GO
The Sun decorate this story with images of Nigel Reo-Coker, Marlon Harewood and Paul Konchesky as eggs, with Eggert (get it!) Magnusson saying why they were sold. They were not good eggs.

SIGNING TEVEZ WAS WRONG
And in the Daily Star he says that West Ham United shouldn't have broken the rules by signing Carlos Tevez and that he will never get involved in third-party ownership again. Still, your club would probably be in the Championship if it wasn't for him, eh Eggy?

Drogheda (1st) v. St Patrick`s Ath (2nd) Eircom Prem Div.

Tonight see the match of the season so far in the Eircom league with
leaders Drogheda taking on 2nd placed St Pats.

St Pats are 5 points behind Drogheda with and have paid one game more then
their rivals so this is a crucial match for both sides.

A win for Drogheda tonight will take them to within touching distance of
the title.

Drogheda have a home record in the league this season of W6 D2 L1 F19 A9
compared to St Pat`s away record of W4 D3 L3 F11 A8.

The 6 game form figures favour Drogheda who in that time have won 5 games
and drawn 1 scoring 11 and conceding just 2.

St Pat`s have seen their form slip in the same period with figures of W1
D4 L1 F7 A6 and in the 3 away games in that time have drawn 2 and lost 1
scoring just 1 and conceding 2.

Drogheda are best price 21/20 at the moment with Bet365 which is for me a
good price for a team in form as they are.

The only note of caution is how much the players will be thinking about
their upcoming UEFA Cup match next week at home to Swedish side
Helsingborg, but i am sure manager Paul Doolin will have them fired up for
tonights match.

As far as team news is concerned Drogheda have Ollie Cahill (Midfield) and
Jason Gavin (defender) back from injury and ready to take their place in
the squad but defender Damien Lynch is due to miss out with an injury.

St Patricks will be without the injured trio of Foley (midfield),Ndo
(midfield) and O`Neill (forward).

The head to head record in recent years have been close encounters
generally as the list below shows

21/05/2007 League: St. Patrick's Athletic 1 v 0 Drogheda United

23/04/2007 Setanta Cup S-F:St. Patrick's Athletic 0 v 1 Drogheda United

06/10/2006 League:St. Patrick's Athletic 3 v 0 Drogheda United

07/07/2006 League:Drogheda United 2 v 1 St. Patrick's Athletic

07/04/2006 League:St. Patrick's Athletic 0 v 1 Drogheda United

16/09/2005 League:Drogheda United 1 v 1 St. Patrick's Athletic

24/06/2005 League:St. Patrick's Athletic 0 v 2 Drogheda United

So for be Drogheda to win a tight tense match with and to take a huge step
towards the title.

I also think it will be a very low scoring affair so under 2.5 goals could
also be a saver bet.

Good Luck and happy betting,

Silverfox.

Last nights tip saw Mitjylland beat AaB 2-0 to keep my current run going,
hoping that tonights effort will be equally profitable.

Sundsvall (2nd) to beat Enkopings (11th) Superettan Div. best price 8/15
with various bookies.

Since being relegated from the Swedish Premier league, Sundvall have
improved greatly and are set for a return to the top division. Their home
form is very good so far this season in the league, winning 6, drawing 2,
losing 0. They are the only team to have not conceded a goal at home
whilst at the same time scoring 15. Their main strike force of Johan
Patrikkson and Tarmo Neemelo have scored 13 goals between them, Patrikkson
in particular is the form striker. They are also picking up goals from
midfield too, players like Bayat, Hellenius and Erikkson all weighing in
with goals this season.

Enkopings were promoted from div 3 last season and they play an attacking
4-3-3 formation but seem unable to score goals and have struggled at this
level. They have plenty of shots at goal but lack the class striker to
finish these attempts off.

Enkoping`s away record in the league this season is W0 D5 L3 F3 A9. and
have scored just once in their last 3 away games.

Sundsvall have ambitions to play in the Swedish Premier League next season
while Enkopings will be happy to avoid the drop back down.

as always good luck and good punting

Silverfox.

CHELSEA IN 'DOING SOMETHING NICE' SHOCKER

Chelsea aren't particularly well known for their acts of kindness or good-heartedness, least of all since Roman Abramovich, Peter Kenyon and Jose Mourinho arrived at the club, but in a dream come true, leading national five-a-side organiser Pitch Invasion has arranged for Lucy Darling and her amateur five-a-side team Los Amigos to play a match against their heroes Chelsea Ladies. The match, which is kicking off at 7:45pm on Wednesday 22 August at Brighton's Stanley Deason leisure centre, is to help raise awareness of women's football at all levels.

Women's and Girls Operations Manager at Chelsea FC Ladies, Ben Bartlett, explains: "We need more people like Lucy and organisations like Pitch Invasion actively encouraging women into football at local grassroots level." Ben heard about Lucy from Pitch Invasion, who explained that Lucy had contacted various football clubs, organisations and businesses in the Sussex area, looking for female teams, and how from this the Pitch Invasion female five-a-side league started.

In a unique show of solidarity, Ben agreed to bring the Chelsea Ladies team down to play. Ben continues: "It's going to be a fun evening. We're really looking forward to playing this game of five-a-side and meeting Lucy and the rest of the players in Brighton. We're glad to help Lucy and Pitch Invasion and wish them every success in getting more women and girls playing football."

Lucy is understandably nervous but excited about playing Chelsea, one of the top ladies' teams in the country, filled with international players: "They're very good, full of great players and ability. They're top athletes. I hope we don't embarrass ourselves, but it will certainly be something to tell the grandchildren about one day. Playing Chelsea is a wonderful opportunity; we're very lucky, it is the sort of thing all footballers dream about, so we are going to enjoy it, and by seeing the Chelsea team in action, maybe others will be inspired to join us."

Lucy's league has also received the backing of Deb Browne, former General Manager of Women's and Girls Football at Charlton Athletic FC. Deb, who enjoyed great success with the Charlton ladies team before it was disbanded earlier this summer, had this to say about Lucy and Pitch Invasion's efforts: "Five-a-side is great fun to play and an ideal way for women to get involved with football.
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"What Lucy and Pitch Invasion are doing in Brighton is very positive and I hope it works and spreads across the country. The more women we have playing football the better it is for the overall game. More girls are learning football at school and it is important to keep their interest after they have left, and what Pitch Invasion are doing is providing a way for girls to stay involved."

Can you imagine Jose taking his team down to play against your local five-a-side team? Nah...

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DON'T SWEAR, YOU'RE AT A FOOTBALL GAME

Barcelona's pre-season trip to China might have just been a mixture of a warm-up and a money-spinner for them, but for their hosts it was the perfect chance to prepare for next summer's Olympic Games by getting tough on loutish behaviour at major sporting events. Authorities in Beijing have been cracking down on swearing, spitting, etc in the city to try and avoid national embarassment when the eyes of the world are on it in 2008.

When Barca played Beijing Guoan on Sunday, there were police filming each section of the crowd to keep an eye out for 'inappropriate' behaviour, which is basically anything that would happen at your average English football ground. Swearing, fighting and littering were all crimes that would lead to being detained by the police as well as getting a 12-month ban from attending footy matches.

"It is just way out of line to have 30,000 people shouting and swearing en masse," police spokesman Liu Chunjiang was quoted as saying. "What we are trying to do is to give the right guidance in how to view a football match, not to impose anything on the spectators." Well of course. However, such draconian measures haven't dampened the enthusiasm of the locals for this tour by one of the world's most famous clubs.

At the weekend, there was an auction of Barca merchandise in Beijing to raise money for disabled Chinese children. Amongst the special items on sale were a lock of Ronaldinho's hair, the shirt Thierry Henry wore at his unveiling by the club earlier this summer and the boots Leo Messi used to score his famous 'Maradona goal' against Getafe last season, which went for £2,700.

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WACKY SHORTS

Fed up of the wild lifestyles led his players, the president of Romanian second division club FC Botosani has rented a villa on the edge of town for them to stay in on the nights before matches, along with coach Leo Grozavu and his assistant Giani Florian. "The guys are young and healthy and they want to have a nice life, but too nice is not good," club president Valeriu Iftimie said.

***********

And finally, some wishful thinking by Manchester City striker Rolando Bianchi when he turned up at Carrington to start training with his new team-mates on Saturday. Unfortunately, he was soon informed that he doesn't actually play for Manchester United and was directed to City's training ground just down the road. Nice try Rolando...

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VIDEO OF THE WEEK

The new season is just around the corner and Rafa Benitez must be busy plotting Liverpool's rise to glory as Premier League champions. But you'd think it would be easy for a man with the kind of magical powers shown in this clip...

On Saturday 28 July, Great Britain's National Deaf Football team faced the US Deaf Soccer team in the final match of the visitors' UK tour. Starting at 3pm, the match took place at the Hadley Disabled Sports Association Sports Ground, in Brickfield Lane, Arkley, Hertfordshire.

US team member Scott Rinehart said: "It was a good game, pretty even on both sides. The game ended 0-0, after we failed to capitalize on a couple of scoring opportunities but managed to control the defense and prevented scoring opportunities for Great Britain. Our team captain, Mike Lawson did a great job of controlling the midfield despite only being 75% fit due to a groin injury.
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THE GB DEAF TEAM

"The play was physical and GB defender Jason Corbett was sent off after retaliating due to frustration. All in all, it was great experience for our team and we look forward to playing again in the 2008 Deaf World Football Championship and 2009 Deaflympics."

Now 27, Scott's deafness was diagnosed when he was two and a half years old. Like many kids, his parents introduced him to football at the age of four as a way to burn off all his energy, but as his hearing loss became more profound, the game became Scott's sanctuary.

In 2005 Scott had an operation to fit a Nucleus cochlear implant - a surgically implanted electronic device that converts sound waves into electrical impulses and directly stimulates the inner ear. Since then, his work and social life has improved enormously and Scott has found it much easier to pass on his football skills to the kids he coaches now that he can understand their questions.

Scott says: "I love soccer. It has a language of its own - one that I could always understand no matter how good or bad my hearing was. It's such a simple game with simple rules, simple equipment, and simple concepts, but impossible to master. I love the challenge and the team camaraderie. The US Deaf Soccer team has brought another dimension of soccer to me.

"Where I used to be the only one on the field with hearing loss, now everyone on my team has hearing loss. When I've played with hearing footballers in the past, some have got frustrated when they were yelling for me to pass the ball and I didn't hear them. I learned quickly to make sure and tell the referee before the game that I have hearing loss. More than once I've been given a card for play after a whistle."
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US Coach Ken MacDonald says: "I've been trying for over a year to make this happen. Great Britain are by far the best Deaf football team in the world, it's an honour for me as an Englishman to be taking part in this game."

Yesterday`s tip went in with Dundee picking up a comfortable 2-0 win in
the League Cup match against Morton, so hopefully i can continue in that
vein.

I am avoiding today`s Champions League games as they are either priced to
high so as to be of no value or they are to close to call.

Instead i am going to Denmark and the Super League game between
Midtjylland and AaB Aalborg.

For convieniance i will refer to them as Midt and AaB from now on!

The Danish league is in the early stages as so many are at the moment with
most teams having only played 4 games so far.

This match is the 2 sides game in hand and i think that Midt at best price
evens with various bookies is a value bet today.

They have won 2 and lost one of their 3 games so far with the 2 wins
coming at home, 5-0 against 7th placed Brondby and 1-0 against bottom side
Viborg and they are currently 6th in the 12 team league though a win
tonight would put them up to 2nd place at this early stage of the season.

AaB on the other hand have 2 draws and 1 defeat to show for their efforts
so far and their to away games have seen them lost 5-0 to top of the table
Randers and draw 1-1 at 3rd placed Horsens so the fixture computer has
done them no favours so far.

I cannot see them improving their away record tonight and the head to head
over the last 6 games goes some way to support that especially over the
last 3 matches.

May 24, 07 Superligaen FC Midtjylland 2 - 1 AaB Aalborg
Apr 5, 07 Superligaen AaB Aalborg 0 - 2 FC Midtjylland
Aug 12, 06 Superligaen FC Midtjylland 1 - 0 AaB Aalborg
May 7, 06 Superligaen FC Midtjylland 2 - 4 AaB Aalborg
Oct 19, 05 Cup AaB Aalborg 2 - 1 FC Midtjylland (after extra time).
Oct 2, 05 Superligaen AaB Aalborg 2 - 2 FC Midtjylland

So for me Midtjylland to win.

Good punting,

Silverfox.

Headline of the day...
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COME BACK SOL
The story that dominates most of the papers this morning is of another humiliating climbdown for poor Steve McClaren. The Sun say that he is ready to ask Portsmouth defender Sol Campbell to come back from the international wastelands and partner Rio Ferdinand in the crucial Euro 2008 qualifiers, having put him out to pasture when he took charge a year ago. Like he did with David Beckham earlier this summer...

Hold the back page...

COME BACK SOL
According to the Daily Star, it's not just Campbell who will get a reprieve from McClaren, but also David James, who could get into the squads because of the injury to Ben Foster.

DON'T BANK ON ME
All of this is because, as the Daily Mail report, Jamie Carragher is standing firm on his decision to quit international football, rather than go running back to Macca at the first opportunity.

MAC SOS FOR SOL
And the same story again in the Daily Express.
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BALLACK: GIVE ME REAL DEAL
Despite releasing a statement yesterday about how much he wants to stay at Chelsea, in the Daily Star they reckon that Michael Ballack has said that he'll join Real Madrid if the Blues pay for him to go. Well, that sounds fair.

HEINZE IN TRANSFER HEARING
The Daily Telegraph report on Gabriel Heinze's attempts to move to Liverpool, and say that a Premier League arbitration hearing will decide his fate as he still wants to make the move against the wishes of his club.

DROGBA STRUGGLING TO BE FIT FOR KEY LIVERPOOL CLASH
Bad news for Jose Mourinho in The Guardian, as he looks likely to be missing Didier Drogba for Chelsea's early-season trip to Anfield.

Other top stories...

FOOTBALL REALLY DID STINK THIS SUMMER
The new season is coming and Des Kelly is back in the Daily Mail, and he isn't happy with what's been going on this summer. He hits out at the duplicity of the Carlos Tevez affair and the way that Thaksin Shinawatra has been allowed to take control of Manchester City without any real analysis of whether he's a 'fit and proper' person.

PLATINI FEARS FOR FUTURE OF CLUBS AMID SPREAD OF FOREIGN OWNERS
More doom and gloom in The Times, where Michel Platini warns that these new foreign owners are going to be bad for the English game: "They could be rich people coming to help English football and develop it, but they may just want to make money. I fear your clubs will lose identity."

WAGES SPIRAL OUT OF CONTROL
Ditto in the Daily Telegraph where financial analysts warn that many English clubs are flirting with disaster as wage bills soar into the stratosphere. And it's all that flippin' Roman Abramovich's fault.

MAVERICK SET FOR LATEST TWIST IN CAREER OF MANY SURPRISES
In The Independent they report on the life and times of Sol Campbell, not your average predictable footballer by any means...

READING AIM TO SIDESTEP PERIL OF NOT-SO-NEW BOYS
Meanwhile, The Guardian analyse Reading's situation as they look to avoid becoming the latest victims of 'second season syndrome'.

LET'S GET READY TO RUMBLE
According to the Daily Mirror, Steven Gerrard's fisticuffs in Rotterdam are a sign that he is ready to fight for the title.

FANS RAP BECKS
Bad news for David Beckham in The Sun, because American football fans are getting a little tired of waiting for him to actually play some games, with banners mocking him on display in Toronto.

A last minute goal by Drogheda last night gave us a winning bet yesterday
and restored my faith in the power of prayer!

Today in the hope of keeping my run going I am going to Scotland and the
1st round League Cup match between Dundee and Morton.

Both teams are in the Scottish 1st division and both started their league
campaigns with wins.

Dundee won 2-0 at Livingston and Morton had a 3-2 win at home to Clyde.

Early team news is that Dundee will have three players from suspension for
the game tonight Derek Lyle, back-up keeper Craig Samson and
player/manager Alex Rae all come back into contention after missing
Saturday's win over Livingston whilst the visitors Morton will be without
injured players Scott McLaughlin, David McGregor and Bobby Linn.

The head to head record over the last six games is:

Mar 14, 98 First Division Dundee FC 2 - 0 Greenock Morton
Jan 17, 98 First Division Greenock Morton 0 - 0 Dundee FC
Nov 22, 97 First Division Dundee FC 0 - 1 Greenock Morton
Sep 27, 97 First Division Greenock Morton 0 - 2 Dundee FC
May 3, 97 First Division Greenock Morton 1 - 1 Dundee FC
Feb 22, 97 First Division Dundee FC 1 - 0 Greenock Morton

But as the last meetings between the sides was over 9 years ago I feel not
much can be taken from this.

Dundee finished last season 3rd although they were in the end 13 points
behind league winners Gretna, whilst Morton were Champions of Division 2
finishing 8 points clear of 2nd placed Stirling Albion.

Dundee are one of the favourites for promotion to the Scottish premier
league this season along with Dunfermline and St Johnstone and I am going
for them to win tonight at best odds 4/5 with various bookies.

I feel home advantage will tell for them and they should progress to round 2.

Good luck as always,

Silverfox.

Who? - Ahmed Hossam Mido - Speculation
Where is he? - Tottenham Hotspur
Who is he linked with? - Sunderland

Sunderland manager Roy Keane has confirmed that his club are in the hunt to sign Tottenham Hotspur striker Mido. The 6million-rated Egypt frontman had been expected to join Birmingham City earlier this summer before a deal fell through and Keane is closely monitoring the situation. He told The Newcastle Journal: "We have made an offer to Spurs for Mido. He is a player I would like to speak to and to bring to this club. Trying to get these sorts of quality players is a challenge, but all I want is the opportunity to speak to the lad. If it doesn't work out then we will move on. But I would like a chance to speak to him because he would provide a challenge to the strikers we have at the club. I believe you can't have enough strikers at your club. We've talked during pre-season about what we might be lacking here and what we might need and Mido's a player I'm well aware of. But this is a long way off from being a done deal, far from it. You see deals falling through all the time." Mido, 24, has been at White Hart Lane since January 2006, scoring 19 goals in 61 appearances for Spurs.

Headline of the day...


WE'RE EVEN BETTER NOW
The Daily Mail report on the Community Shield, which Manchester United won on penalties against Chelsea. Sir Alex Ferguson says that it's just the start of something special and his team are better than they were last season, yadda yadda yadda. Of course, they may have only won on penalties in a match that wasn't exactly thrilling, but hey, the papers need something to write about don't they?

Hold the back page...

VAN DER STAR
The hero of the game for United was keeper Edwin van der Sar, who made the penalty shoot-out one of the least tense ever by simply batting away all three Chelsea spot-kicks that he faced, reports The Sun. Fergie says: "He knew the penalties were coming and prepared himself." Surely his visions of the future are even more impressive than his penalty-saving skills?

GAB D-DAY
Fergie will be less happy today though when bothersome defender Gabriel Heinze turns up (or not as the case may be) for training and tries to convince his boss that he should be allowed to join United's most hated enemies, reports the Daily Mirror. Good luck!

MAC PRAYS FOR TERRY
The other major story of the day involved John Terry, who didn't play at Wembley because of a knee injury that will keep him out of the first month of the season, which is bad news for Steve McClaren, says the Daily Star
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TERRY IN DOUBT FOR ENGLAND'S EURO QUALIFIERS
The Guardian report on the potentially serious implications of Terry's injury for England's hopes of qualifying for Euro 2008, as he could miss crucial games against Israel and Russia.

CARRAGHER TO BE ASKED TO RETHINK AFTER TERRY INJURY
The Independent say that this may lead Steve McClaren to go crawling to Jamie Carragher, begging him to reconsider his 'retirement' from international football.

GERRO LET OFF AFTER BUST-UP
Hopefully Carragher will react less violently than Steven Gerrard did during a 'friendly' against Feyenoord yesterday, with the Liverpool skipper slapping an opponent in the face, but only getting a yellow card for it, reports The Sun.

Other top stories...

REF BLAMED AS GERRARD LOSES COOL
In the Daily Mail, Rafa Benitez says that Stevie G lashing out wasn't his fault at all, but was the ref's fault. The same ref who let him off with just a booking...

RIP-OFF IS NO FUN IN THE SUN
Mick Dennis from the Daily Express is feeling very grumpy after the low-key Community Shield, but at least his complaints are more on behalf of the people who had actually paid to get into the game.

WINNING REMAINS BE-ALL AND END-ALL FOR 'MELLOW' MOURINHO
The Times analyse Jose Mourinho's attempts to be mellow as well as his continued dedication to grinding out results with tactics that leave the rest of us contemplating going and getting a book to read.

ROON'S REVENGE
Luckily Wayne Rooney wanted to liven things up a bit, and The Sun report on his celebration after scoring the winning penalty, as well as his newly-waxed chest. On reflection, maybe that's why he was a bit moody, because that's got to sting...

SAM'S RAP FOR CURBS OVER DYER
Also getting a bit tetchy is the relationship between Sam Allardyce and Alan Curbishley after the transfer of Kieron Dyer to West Ham fell through at the last minute, reports the Daily Mirror.

OW NO... NOT AGAIN
Oh, and Michael Owen is injured, much to the dismay of Brian Woolnough in the Daily Star.

SMITH MARKS NEWCASTLE DEBUT BY SINKING SAMPDORIA
Luckily, Alan Smith gave Newcastle United fans something to cheer by scoring the winning goal on his debut against Sampdoria, says The Independent.

TEVEZ MUST BE FORGOTTEN HERE, ASHTON TELLS HAMMERS FANS
Meanwhile, Dean Ashton has asked the West Ham United fans to forget about Carlos Tevez and focus on supporting the players who are still there, reports The Guardian.

A quick word on Saturdays efforts and I was pleased with my 2 out of 3
strike rate, though I was disappointed that St Johnstone were held to a
3-3 draw.

Today`s tip is: Bray Wanderers v Drogheda Utd Eircom Prem. @4/5

Drogheda top the league 3 points ahead of 2nd placed St Patrick`s whilst
Bray are 9th in the 12 team league.

Bray have had a very average season, but their recent form is woeful. they
have won 2 out of their last 5 games but that was against lowly Galway
(11th) and Waterford (10th). They have just been beaten at home by bottom
of the table Longford Town (3-1) so confidence in the Bray camp will be at
a low.

There are also five injuries to first team regulars and there could be as
many as seven out for this game so youth team players may have to be
drafted in.

Drogheda will be on a high after beating AC Libertas at Dalymount Park in
the UEFA Cup. The Drogs are looking forward to playing Helsingborgs in the
next round. This will be a tough game for them but it is over a week away
and they will be able to focus on extending their lead at the top of the
table.

Drogheda over the last 6 games have won 5 and drawn 1 scoring 10 and
conceding only 1 and in that time have won the last 3 at home.

Hopefully this should be a straightforward win for Drogs (if there is such
a thing!).

The head to head record over the last 11 games does not give Bray much
hope either with only 1 win in the last 11 in league and cup,and that win
came in August 2002 at Bray.

At best price 4/5 with various bookies I think the price is good though I
doubt it will hold for long.

A not of caution for those wanting to place a bet, get on quick as this
game is scheduled for a 3:00pm kick off BST.

Good luck,

Silverfox.

Saturday 04 Aug 2007..

4th August
James Beattie (Everton - Sheffield United, £4million);
Adrian Leijer (Melbourne Victory - Fulham, undisclosed);
David Carney (Sydney FC - Sheffield United, undisclosed);
Claudio Cacapa (Lyon - Newcastle United, free);
Andy Cole (Released by Portsmouth);
Collins Mbesuma (Released by Portsmouth);

3rd August
Alan Smith (Manchester United - Newcastle United, undisclosed);
Stephen Wright (Sunderland - Stoke, loan);
Franck Queudrue (Fulham - Birmingham, £2million);
Gareth Whalley (Swindon - Altrincham, free);
Kevin Lisbie (Charlton - Colchester, free);
Cavell Coo (Crewe - Altrincham, free);
Matthew Berkeley (Gretna - Altrincham, free);
Lee Bell (Burton - Mansfield, free);
Mustapha Carayol (Swindon - Milton Keynes Dons, free);
Stephen Connor (Everton - Partick, loan);

2nd August
Javier Garrido (Real Sociedad - Manchester City, £1.5m);
Youssef Safri (Norwich - Southampton, undisclosed);
Elano (Shakhtar Donetsk - Manchester City, £8m);
Emerse Fae (Nantes - Reading, £2.5million);
Bela Balogh (MTK Hungaria - Colchester], loan);
Trevor Benjamin (Peterborough - Hereford, free;
Bostjan Cesar (Marseille - West Brom, loan);
Tamas Vasko (Ujpest FC - Bristol City, loan);
Jack Haverson (Bournemouth - Grays, free);
Justin Lawson (Southend - Grays Athletic, free);
Jack Haverson (unattached - Grays Athletic, free);

1st August
Giuseppe Rossi (Man United - Villarreal, undisclosed);
Andy Griffin (Portsmouth - Derby, free);
Eric Lichaj (unattached - Aston Villa, free);
Colin Cameron (Coventry - MK Dons, free);
Gary Smith (MK Dons - Brentford, free);
Chris Zebroski (Millwall - Torquay, loan);
Dennis Souza (unattached - Barnsley, free);

Gretna -v- Falkirk: Falkirk @ 2.75 Various Scot Prem

Falkirk have won 7 of their last 10 games towards the end of last season.
Not much to assess as the season is yet to start and Gretna have obviously
never played this high before. Gretna have performed miracles to reach the
Premier league as not so long ago they were playing in the lower levels of
English football, but i think Falkirk have that extra experience and class
to win it. Gretna's first ever game at this level could go one of two
ways; they could put on a quality showing and take the match, or they
could be over-awed or outclassed. With their home games being played at
Motherwell i think that may go against them as well. A long season ahead
for Gretna i fear, starting on Saturday.

Gretna will be without two first-team players for the club's first match
in the Premier League.
Midfielder Ryan McGuffie and defender Martin Canning are both recovering
from knee injuries.
Falkirk striker Graham Barrett may make his competitive debut a year after
joining, following his recovery from a cruciate ligament injury.
Defender Dean Holden is set to miss the opening game of the season and
forward Carl Finnigan has a hamstring strain.


Queen o' South v St Johnstone: St Johnstone (11/10) Various Scot Div 1

I am quite confident about Saints seeing off Queen of the South today.
They showed last season what a good team they are by knocking a good few
premier teams out of the cups...... St johnstone have a fully fit squad
whereas Queens are without five players through suspension, Stevie Tosh,
Jim Lauchlan, John O'Neill, Jim Thomson and Jamie Adams all banned.

Bob Harris and Neil McGowan are both sidelined through injury and have
doubts over Neil McFarlane, Stephen Dobbie and Sean O'Connor who all have
knocks


Stranraer v Forfar: Stranraer win 1.95 @ William Hill Scot Div 3

I have had an anti post on Stranraer to win the Scot Div 3 today and their
first opponents are their fellow relegated side from last seasons Div.1.
Of the two Stranraer are mooted to be in a stronger position to mount a
promotion challenge for a immediate return to Division 2 and they finished
last season 20pts better off than their opponents. In the last 17 meetings
of the 2 here Stranraer have won 13 and drawn 3 losing just the once. The
last 7 have seen 6 wins and a draw so the home side look solid favourites
for this. As its the opening day of the season I`ll keep the stakes small
on this match..

Stranraer will be without Kevin Nicholl and Danny Mitchell for their
opener against Forfar through injury.
The two sides met in the Second Division last season before being
relegated and meet again at Stair Park.
Forfar boss Jim Moffat has his full 23-man squad to choose from.

Good luck, lets hope the start of the season is a profitable one for us all>

Silverfox.

Headline of the day...

IT'S OVER AT LAST
The Daily Mirror are delighted to report that the summer's most tedious transfer saga (which they call Tevezzzzzzzzzzzgate) is finally over. Apparently West Ham United and Kia Joorabchian have come to an agreement where the Hammers get £2m for letting Tevez join Manchester United, which should happen in the very near future, delighting him, United and Joorabchian, as well as the rest of us. What does it mean for the situation regarding his ownership? God knows, but it's Friday and it's all going to be over soon, so let's just forget about the complicated details, eh?

Hold the back page...

RED TEVIL
Unfortunately, The Sun must be so bored of this story that they couldn't even be bothered coming up with a decent headline, so they've just combined Tevez and Devil. Maybe they were too busy trying to stir up mass panic about sharks.

HE'S ALL YOURS FERGIE
The other good news is of course that the big court battle now won't happen, which would have been entirely irritating and tiresome, and the Daily Star are relieved that they won't have to start using any big 'legal' words.

PRICE IS RIGHT
Also chuffed today will be Richard Scudamore and the Premier League, who are expected to rubber stamp the arrangement with relief as it gets them out of a tricky situation, reports the Daily Mail.

NEWCASTLE SET TO SEAL A £6m SWOOP FOR SMITH
Another knock-on effect is that Alan Smith is now certainly free to join Newcastle United, a move that is expected to happen today, reports the Daily Express.

LAMPARD'S BROKEN TOE HAS CHELSEA IN TURMOIL
The Independent meanwhile write about a broken toe for Frank Lampard that adds even more injury problems for Chelsea ahead of the Community Shield on Sunday and the league kick-off next week.

LAMPARD: MY TOE'S BROKEN BUT I'LL PLAY AT WEMBLEY
But, like the trooper he is, Lampard has said that he'll battle through the pain barrier to play on Sunday, reports The Sun. Because, you know, the Community Shield is, like, SO important.

WENG SILVA LINING
The Daily Star report on Eduardo da Silva's impressive debut for Arsenal yesterday against Lazio, scoring on the day that he was finally given a work permit to play for the Gunners.

PEARCE TO BE WITNESS AS BARTON IS CHARGED
Meanwhile, the Daily Mail report on Joey Barton being charged with assault for his 'altercation' with Ousmane Dabo and the news that Stuart Pearce will be called as a witness.

Other top stories...

JOL FEELS WEIGHT OF EXPECTATION
The Guardian look at what each team has spent so far this summer and decide that Spurs are under pressure to achieve something this season after a busy summer in the transfer market. Can they challenge for the title?

FERDINAND LAMENTS SLUMP IN YOUTH DEVELOPMENT
All this money flying around means that young talent won't get properly nurtured and Rio Ferdinand bemoans the dearth in great British young players coming through the system in the Daily Telegraph.

ERIKSSON SPENDS £16.5m ON TRIPLE ADDITION
Not much chance of kids getting a chance at City this season, not with Sven Goran Eriksson signing three foreigners in a single day yesterday, reports The Independent.

BEATEN FINALISTS ENTER FRAY HOPING TO AVOID AN EARLY TRIP TO MOSCOW
The Champions League draw happens today and both Liverpool and Arsenal are involved as they seek to plot a path back the final of the competition that they have reached between them in each of the last three years, reports The Times.

WE'LL FIGHT OUT WAY TO EUROPE
The Daily Mirror report on West Ham United, who are aiming to qualify for Europe this season, with Craig Bellamy saying that the fact they'll be kicking lumps out of each other at every opportunity will work to their advantage.

ALVES UP FOR MOVE TO BRIDGE
Meanwhile, the Daily Star report on Dani Alves, who is still going on about being flattered to be linked with Chelsea and all that jazz.

AT LAST, ALEX IS CLEARED TO JOIN CHELSEA RANKS
Having 'signed' him in 2004 and 'parked' him at PSV since then, Chelsea finally 'got' Brazilian defender Alex yesterday, reports the Daily Express after he was given a work permit. Who says modern transfers are complicated?

I'LL PUT ROCKET UP UTD
In The Sun, Michael Essien says that he wants to score a wonder goal against Man United. He also wants to win trophies. Anything else?

Community shield...


Sure it can't be the Community Shield already can it? English football's 'traditional curtain raiser' (trademarked by every national newspaper) seems to have crept up on us this year, perhaps because neither of the teams involved in it actually seem remotely interested in it this time. It has always been a unique game in the footy calendar, because it's not quite a competitive game, but is slightly more than just a pointless friendly game. After all, when Manchester United and Chelsea meet, can it ever be dull?
Florent Malouda Chelsea 2007/08 profile size
FLORENT MALOUDA

Well, yes actually. Last season we were promised three TITANIC clashes between the two clubs to decide who would win the Treble/Quadruple, and instead ended up with two damp squibs. The league game at Stamford Bridge was no more competitive than this Community Shield will be, while the FA Cup Final set new standards for dull cup finals, almost reaching the levels of tedium usually reserved for Chelsea vs Liverpool Champions League matches.

So, if they can't bring themselves to entertain us in the biggest game in domestic football, can we expect much from this Sunday's game at Wembley, the first Community/Charity Shield to be held there since 2000 when Chelsea beat United 2-0? Well, you can bet that neither side will want to lose to their rivals even in a pre-season game, particularly with the importance of getting off to a good start in the title race. A crushing defeat hardly does much for spirits does it?

Mind you, losing the Shield has rarely been too much of an indicator of a team's chances of success in the coming season. Between 1998 and 2001, Manchester United played in and lost four successive Charity Shields and yet won three Premiership titles, one FA Cup and one Champions League trophy in the seasons that followed. The last two times they won it, they went on to fail to win the league. So, while pride might be dented by defeat, that's about it really.

Neither United nor Chelsea go into this game in perfect health, with plenty of injuries on both sides meaning that team selections will hardly be first choice, while both teams have also lost recent friendlies against Inter and Rangers respectively. New faces like Claudio Pizarro, Florent Malouda, Owen Hargreaves and Nani could be given run-outs, but it's unlikely the teams will start much different from those who played in that FA Cup Final.

The main difference between that game and this will be that the key figures will thankfully be less exhausted than they were at the end of a long, hard season, so hopefully there will at least be more energy about the match than there was in May. Judging by United's performance against Internazionale on Wednesday night, there should be plenty of goals, as they were flowing coming forward and chaotic in defence, and that can only be good news for the fans.
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On Chelsea's part, this game represents a chance to show that they are ready to bounce back from the disappointments of last season (ONLY winning both domestic cups) and reclaim the crown that they were starting to believe was their own. Jose Mourinho has promised to be mellow this year, and no doubt the relatively relaxed atmosphere at Wembley will help him maintain that composure on Sunday, but make no mistake, he'll be desperate to put one over on Fergie as soon as possible.

However, with so many key figures - not least Carlos Tevez - likely to be absent, there is no doubt that the Community Shield can only be a phoney war between these two giants. The very least we can hope for is that the relative lack of pressure allows some of the immense talents on display to feel free to express themselves and provide some entertainment. After all, they owe us that much...

Todays headline:


FIGHT CLUB
Yes, it seems that Alan Curbishley really does want to risk having Kieron Dyer and Lee Bowyer in the same team. In the Daily Express he gets a warning with a photo of their famous on-pitch fight at Newcastle United, but with Craig Bellamy and Anton 'facing trial on assult charges' Ferdinand also in the squad, things should certainly be interesting at West Ham United next season.

Hold the back page...

ENEMIES RE-UNITED
The Daily Mirror report on the story as well.

I NEED TO PLAY
The Daily Mail have Carlos Tevez pleading to be allowed to join Manchester United so that he can get fit and ready for the season: "We need a solution quickly so that I can get on with my career."

UNITED MOVE COULD KILL YOU
However, he's had a stark warning from countryman Juan Sebastian Veron, who tells him in the Daily Star that moving to United could be the end of his career: "The change will be enormous and if things do not go well he could suffer a mortal fail in fortune."
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BETRAYED BY RAFA
Meanwhile, Neil Warnock continues moaning in The Sun's serialisation of his book. This time it's Rafa Benitez, chastised for selecting an under-strength team against Fulham: "I never thought Benitez would stoop so low. What he did showed total contempt for us. I hated Benitez when I saw that Liverpool team. That's when I hoped AC Milan would win the Champions League final so Benitez would have some pain and hurt to gowith mine."

ERIKSSON'S SPENDING HITS £40m
The Times report on Sven Goran Eriksson's attempts to sign Valeri Bojinov, Javi Garrido, Vedran Corluka and Elano. Crikey...

CHELSEA MUST CONQUER EUROPE - KENYON
In The Guardian Peter Kenyon is talking world domination yet again, saying that Chelsea need to win the Champions League if they are going to be the biggest thing ever.

Other top stories...

SUAZO'S DOUBLE SHOCK FOR UNITED
The Daily Telegraph Manchester United have a tricky friendly against Internazionale, losing 3-2 to the Italian champions despite taking the lead through Wayne Rooney. At least Adriano's own goal provided some entertainment for the 73,000 who turned up.

ROO CAN'T DO IT ALONE
The Daily Star pay tribute to Rooney's performance, but point out that the other ten players could do with stepping up their game ahead of Sunday's Community Shield clash with Chelsea.

FERGIE HAS NO DEFENCE
Some poor defending cost United last night, and he admits as much in the Daily Mail, though you would imagine the likes of Vidic, Ferdinand and Evra haven't all become rubbish over the summer, so he's not likely to be too worried.

SIR ALEX IS LIKE MY MUM
Whether he's quite so easy-going about being compared to Cristiano Ronaldo's mum is another matter, with the Portuguese star saying in the Daily Mirror: "He's like my mother or my father, he gives me limits and targets," he says. "Sometimes he shakes me, he shouts at me, it's normal."

FOOTBALL: WHAT THE HELL?
Meanwhile, John Dillon in the Daily Express is still complaining about the evils of modern football like he's the first person to have noticed, only now he's got some other moaners writing in. One of whom has even bothered to turn his ranting into a poem. Heaven help us.

UNITED SIGN BRISBANE BOY, 9, DUBBED 'THE NEW ROONEY'
Mind you, when you read nonsense stories like this one in The Times, you can see why these Express readers are so morbid. Apparently Man United have bought a nine-year-old from Australia. And we'll only have to wait a decade or so to see if he'll ever be any good.

CITY OPTIMISM LEAVES FANS HAPPY TO TURN A BLIND EYE TO THEIR NEW REGIME
Across town, the very masters of 'blind faith', Manchester City fans, are getting very excited that their team has spent a lot of money on players none of them have ever heard of, says The Independent. So much so that they don't even care where the money came from. Time to go write a poem we think...

Today i am delving into the UEFA Cup qualifiers for my tip and hopefully a
bit of value.

The game i am interested in is the one between Dynamo Minsk of Belarus and
Skonto Riga of Latvia.

The first leg in Latvia ended in a 1-1 draw so the tie is still very open.

Dynamo Minsk are currently 8th in their league and by their standards they
are having a bad season as they were runners up in the league last year.

Their home record in the league reads W3 D2 L2 F3 A5 so it is obvious that
a lack of goal power is one of their problems.

They are a hard side to beat however and over the last 6 games they have
W1 D4 L1 F4 A6 as their record and the worrying stat that in the 3 games
at home during that period they have not scored.

Skonto Riga are currently 3rd in the Latvian league and their away record
in the league is W4 D1 L3 F14 A11,as opposed to Minsk they are currently
top of the 6 game form table with 4 wins 1 draw and 1 lose whilst scoring
15 and conceding 9.

I am going to have 2 bets on this match,firstly i will be backing Skonto
on the Asian Handicap market with +0.5 goal which is currently best price
5/6 with Pinnacle,and also i will be playing the draw at best price 9/4
with Skybet with the intention of trading out during the game.

I base my tip on the fact that Minsk are having a poor season and are
struggling to get goals and Skonto know they have to score if they have
any hope of progressing as Minsk got an away goal in the first leg so they
cannot hope to sit back.

So to recap:

Skonto Riga +0.5 v. Dynamo Minsk on Asian Handicap market @ best price 5/6
with Pinnacle.

Draw @ best price 9/4 with Skybet.

Good Luck and Happy punting,

Silverfox.

Sadly Spirit of Shajah finished just out the money yesterday but as i am
not tempted by the soccer at the moment i am going for what i feel is a
value bet today in the 2.15 at Goodwood.

This race is run over 2m 5f which is at the very top end of the flat
racing distance scale and the horse i fancy is NOBLE MINSTREL @ 10/1 with
various bookies.

At the moment there are 16 runners so first 4 should payout but dont be
surprised if one drops out before the start,as our friend Mr Bookie hates
paying out 4 places.

Back to the race and Noble Minstrel he is a horse that will enjoy the
better ground and has a profile which suggests he can run a big race.

History is on the side of this 4 year old ridden today by Jim Crowley as
it would seem that these middle distance handicaps are dominated by 4yo
and 5yo horses. That is the case once again with the 4-5yo age group
taking 16 of the last 18 renewals. There are no handicap trends with past
winners carrying a wide range of weights but horses who have previously
won earlier in the year have won 13/14 renewals. The only occasion a horse
has triumphed in that period despite not recording a win earlier on in the
year was in 1997 when Cloud Inspector won. He was a career maiden coming
into the race and was a lightly raced 6yo so he was an extra ordinary
winner.

Noble Minstrel has the profile of a progressive stayer and may still be
one step ahead of the handicapper. He had been improving well on the all
weather winning 3 times from 1 mile 4 furlongs to 2 miles and showed the
switch to turf to be no problem. At Goodwood over 2m he finished 2nd
behind Full House but got no sort of run and had to weave between horses
before staying on well when the winner had flown. Not suited by the soft
going at Newmarket he ran no sort of race but back on a sounder surface
back at Newmarket last time out he bounced back to form in a race that
wasnt run to suit. The slow pace didn't suit Noble Minstrel but he still
finished 2nd.

He has good course form, nicely handicapped on a mark only 4lbs higher
than his Goodwood 2nd behind Full House. The further he has gone the
better he has looked so the trip shouldn't be a problem and he has his
ground.

So my main bet today will be on Noble House with the hope that he can go a
few places better then yesterday`s selection that ran a creditable race in
defeat.

As always good luck

Silverfox.

Headline of the day...

MY WAR ON WAR
Probably our favourite story of the summer (not that there's much competition), the battle between Neil Warnock and Sean Bean continues in the Daily Mirror, who give Bean the chance to answer back. He refutes Warnock's claims about deliberately swearing in front of his five-year-old son and gets wonderfully catty: "The story Warnock tells is not the one I remember and I was there. But perhaps when you spend so much time rehearsing to get picked for the next series of Strictly Come Dancing, it affects your memory." MIAOW!

Hold the back page...

I'M SORRY
Meanwhile, in The Sun, it's Sir Alex Ferguson who is feeling the wrath of Warnock for his understrength team selection against West Ham on the last day of the season. According to the former Blades boss, Fergie spoke to him after the game and said: "We f**king battered them, Neil. The team was good enough to win. I can't tell you how sorry I am." The promised tale of Warnock telling Fergie to 'f**k off' is rather more good-humoured than The Sun had made it seem like when previewing it yesterday...

DANGER SIGN
Quite what he would make of these latest schenanigans about Carlos Tevez remains to be seen, with the Daily Express (using a really old photo of him with short hair, for some reason) saying that there's a secret document that allows him to leave West Ham with no strings attached by the end of August.

THE HIGH COURT RIDDLE OF £100,000 TEVEZ
That was another Harry Harris EXCLUSIVE of course, but that doesn't stop the Daily Mail having the same story, saying that this document has the signature of Eggert Magnusson's deputy chief executive Scott Duxbury from 1st December, and that Tevez could leave for just £100,000.
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WEST HAM TELL COURT TEVEZ CONTRACT IS NOT AUTHENTIC
The Guardian however, report on West Ham's claims that this contract isn't actually authentic and that it was rescinded. Why can't it ever be simple?

FERGIE'S NEW HEINZE BLAST
Meanwhile, Sir Alex Ferguson has told Liverpool in the Daily Star that they can do 'whatever they like' to try and get Gabriel Heinze, because it will never happen. Neither of these stories seem like ending any time soon do they?

TOON FURY OVER DYER HATE MOB
The Daily Star also report on Newcastle chairman Chris Mort, who has hit out at the club's fans for driving Kieron Dyer away with a hate campaign. However, this campaign is because he wanted to leave the club already, so quite what the Star are talking about we can't be bothered to try and work out.

Other top stories...

THAKSIN LIKELY TO SURVIVE HUMAN RIGHTS CHALLENGE
According to the Daily Telegraph, Thaksin Shinawatra's takeover of Manchester City is likely to survive the challenge from leading human rights groups. Which is more than can be said for all those people who died under Thaksin's regime, eh? His lawyer Noppadol Pattama uses the best understatement of the year so far when he says: "We just tried to solve the drug problem in Thailand by getting tough with criminals." Indeed you did.

PREMIERSHIP INSIST THAKSIN IS 'FIT AND PROPER PERSON'
In The Independent, the Premier League also choose to turn a blind eye to Thaksin's reported human rights violations, seemingly because he hasn't actually been convicted of anything.

HUMAN RIGHTS GROUP VOICES ANGRY OPPOSITION TO THAKSIN TAKEOVER
In The Times, Brad Adams from Human Rights Watch says: "I feel sorry for Manchester City supporters. I know they want to be able to buy the best players and for their team to succeed, but they don't want this man's money to buy players and I don't think he is in it for the long haul."

HEINZE FACES LIFE IN THE RESEREVS AS FERGUSON'S PATIENCE RUNS OUT
In The Guardian, they say that Gabriel Heinze's attempts to engineer a move to Liverpool could cost him his place in the first team squad at Old Trafford, and that he could end up dumped in the reserves.

£6M BAINES AT GOODISON AS DEAL LOOMS
In the Daily Mail, Leighton Baines watches Everton play Werder Bremen from their directors' box, which could be taken as a hint that he might just be about to join them. Just maybe...

SHINING LIGHTS ECLIPSE LAMPS
In the Daily Express, Mick Dennis looks forward to the new season by having a pop at Frank Lampard's self-pitying whimpering, but also pointing out some of the good things that football organisations and clubs are doing with their money.

ROQUE 'N GOAL
The Sun go for a predictable headline for Roque Santa Cruz's arrival at Blackburn Rovers.