Pressure heaped on Mourinho's shoulders

Betfacts / Editor / 19 September 2007 / Leave a comment Free £25 Bet

Betfair's top dog sniffs around the truth behind the latest tabloid tales

Cruft's champion - Top stories that can dominate the news agenda
Pedigree chum - Insights that tell you something you don't know
Dog's dinner - Speculation, guesswork, or ideas that just don't come off

Top Dog says:
Several papers highlight Leicester's sporting decision to gift Forest a goal at the start of their Carling Cup tie - restoring the scoreline when the original game was abandoned after Clive Clarke's heart attack. The Sun reveals Leicester boss Gary Megson nominated goalkeeper Paul Smith as the scorer to avoid any betting suspicion. A canny decision - if he'd ordered one of his players to start the game with an own goal instead it would have meant everybody with first goalscorer bets would still have had a fair chance!

Cruft's:

Daily Mirror - Special One - Great back page picture picks out one steward at Stamford Bridge looking after no fans. The picture speaks a thousand words on why Mourinho is coming under pressure again. If you took Top Dog's tip to back him at 50 or more as first manager out a couple of weeks ago it might be time to lay it off at 16.5 to guarantee some winnings, or then again you could hang in and go for the jackpot! Brilliant headline inside by the Mirror production team who think Chelsea played like a pub side - Rose and Crown 1, Rosenborg 1.

Queiroz - I may quit - The Sun's Manchester man Neil Custis scores another top story by revealing that Sir Alex Ferguson's number two Carlos Queiroz is thinking over how long he wants to stay at Old Trafford. The quotes appear to be translated from a Portuguese interview so might have had a broader context, but it's one to keep an eye on, especially as the right number two has always been crucial to Fergie's success, and a mid season change would damage United - currently 3.5 favourites for the Premier League title.

Pedigree Chum:

Daily Mail - Bernie and Flavio walk out - Reporter Graham Otway spotted new owners Bernie Ecclestone and Flavio Briatore leaving stony faced ten minutes from the end of QPR's third home defeat of the season. Otway says this means more pressure on John Gregory and a lot of money coming in to reinforce the side. Rangers might be one off the bottom but laying them at 3.5 for relegation looks good value given the expected influx of new players.

Daily Mirror - Owen OK for Mac deciders - several papers report Michael Owen needing a scan on a groin injury, the Mirror's North East man Simon Bird has got the results. Owen won't need surgery and will be fit for next month's England qualifiers. England still 1.37 to reach the finals.

The Sun - West Ham put Egg in fryer - Hammers tried to play down the decision to strip Eggert Magnusson of executive status by releasing the news on a busy match night, but the Sun spots the significance. Owner Bjorgolfur Gudmundsson will be more hands-on and that might just stop the silly money being spent on salaries. Might also cause some backstage rumblings. Hammers a top six finish looks a very safe lay at 6.6.

Dog's dinner:

Daily Star - Kanoute Spurred on - Fredi Kanoute reckons he can put a smile on the faces of his old Spurs fans by scoring against Arsenal tonight. You can back him at 4 to do it, but if he performs like he did in a lot of Tottenham games it's a better lay at 5!

Today's other stories:

The Sun - Mourons - Owen scare - Egg in fryer - Champions League and Championship match reports

Daily Express - Egg on face for Jose - Liverpool and Championship reports - Arsenal and Manchester United previews

Daily Star - Rafa rage at Pennant red mist - Egg on face Mourinho - Fergie: Give Ron a break - Rooney's in a sweat - Irish Air Rage - Stick or Twist for McClaren - Owen interview - Megson on Leicester job - Jol on Spurs - Rafa's fixture moans

Daily Mirror - Rafa in a rage - My Fab is the new Platini says Wenger - Championship match reports - Danny Mills accused of cheating by Norwich boss Peter Grant

Daily Mail - Cracking up - Rafa rides the storm - Championship match reports

Tags: Premier League Betting, Sack Race