Today's Papers / Top Dog / 31 October 2007 / Leave a comment Free £25 Bet

Betfair's Top Dog sniffs around the truth behind the latest tabloid tales

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:

Hopefully there will be a day when a Spurs fan can feel happy picking up the papers, but it hasn't arrived yet. Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy gets dogs' abuse (and Top Dog knows just how that feels) for ducking out of the press conference to unveil new boss Juande Ramos and his number two Gus Poyet. The Star wins the prize for the most inventive headline: Absent without Levy. The Sun reveals Ramos didn't know where Blackpool is. Simon Grayson's Championship strugglers are 7.8 to put Spurs out tonight. Spurs are 9.6 for Ramos to win the Carling Cup this season.

Cruft's:

Daily Mail - Class Act - Not too many people noticed John Bostock make his Crystal Palace debut on Monday night aged 15 years and 287 days. The Mail's sportsdesk did and sent reporter Neil Ashton and photographer Graham Chadwick to find him at his school! Interesting read and a name to note for the future. Might not help Palace too much in the short term, though. Neil Warnock's side are somewhere between 20 and 200 to win promotion this season.

Pedigree Chum:

Daily Mirror - Roon bar Shep and Hall from their OWN box - Simon Bird reveals the row between new Toon owner Mike Ashley and old chairman Freddy Shepherd has got nasty. The man who sold Newcastle for £133million has now been banned from St James' Park.

Daily Star - Kaiser blasts Macca flops - The Star picks up an interview in which Franz Beckenbauer labels England as being "like a school team" in their recent friendly against the Germans. Not the sort of endorsement Steve McClaren needs, and more evidence that even if the Russians mess up they might not beat Croatia. Yet you can still lay England at 3.25 to qualify for Euro 2008.

Daily Star - I'd love Rob to score . . . when we're 3-0 up - Anfield legend Robbie Fowler returns tonight for Cardiff in the Carling Cup and even Rafa Benitez says he'd love the Kop god to get a goal - providing it's a consolation. With Liverpool's current form it could be more than that. Cardiff a healthy 10.5 to leave the Reds red-faced in 90 minutes, or 6.2 to win the tie.

Daily Mail - Wise calls up old boss Bassett - Gus Poyet's departure might disrupt the balance at Leeds but Dennis Wise has brought in the experience of Dave Bassett as his new number two. Leeds now 2.42 to win League One despite 15 point deduction.

Dog's dinner:

The Sun - Peter Ridsdale book extracts - Day Two of "Don't blame me I was only the chairman" reveals Ridsdale was offered a £300,000 bung by agent Pino Pagliari five years ago - but funnily enough doesn't explain why he didn't report it at the time but saved up the story to flog his book.

The Sun - Ron Tag is £70m - Antony Kastrinakis says Chelsea and AC Milan will slug it out to meet a £70m price tag on Ronaldinho because Barcelona have decided to sell - and then in the last paragraph says Milan can't afford his wages. Confused? Especially as Kastrinakis quotes only "a top Nou Camp source". Does that mean senior, or just the tour guide on the highest stand?!

Today's other stories:

The Sun - Cole fired Curbs - Spurs 3 Amigos - More Peter Ridsdale book extracts - Sven loses his cool - Roeder's Norwich revival plan - Avram warns Chelsea stars.

Daily Express - Daniel ducks Lions' den - Sven's second chance for City - Cole fires Hammers but injuries mount - Ramos needs quick lift-off - Grant wants to win by smiles - more Carling Cup previews.

Daily Star - Spurs chief is AWOL (absent without Levy) - Fergie: It's like the old days - Grant: we'll be showbiz kings - Sven on City's Stamford Bridge debacle - Cole steals the show - Carrow Roed to glory.

Daily Mirror - Where's Levy? - Juande's attack pledge - Curbs fears cost of Cup - Robbie's a Bluebird now - more Carling Cup previews.

Daily Mail - Desperate Dan ducks out - Tel blasts Kaiser 'school team' jibe - Carlton saves Curbs' blushes - Grant puts style ahead of silver.

Tags: Carling Cup Betting