Capello's name dominates the news agenda

Today's Papers / Top Dog / 12 December 2007 / Leave a comment Free £25 Bet

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

Top Dog

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:

No need for Fabio Capello to do his press conference once he gets the England job - we know his views already! Having been given a pointer on what direction things were heading yesterday, the tabloids start getting into the Italian's background today. A bit of luck for everyone that Ruud Gullit was in London to do some promotional work for Sky. The Dutch maestro warns the new England boss will give us a boring - but winning - style of England team.

Cruft's:

Daily Mail - No one's safe from Capello - The Mail thought big and put Neil Ashton on a plane to Lugano in Italy the moment it was clear that Fabio Capello was going to become England boss. Capello wouldn't go on the record to him, but Ashton quotes somebody "close to" the 61-year-old Italian about his thoughts on how he'll handle the big names. Interesting stuff, all the more so because the "somebody close to" is almost certainly Capello himself.

Daily Express - Hornets fans backing Bangura - Top Dog nearly put this story in the Dog's Dinner section because the people who have decided Watford's Al Bangura must be sent back to Sierra Leone are barking! He's exactly the sort of role model we need to keep here, and hopefully newspaper coverage will convince somebody at The Home Office to change the ruling.

Pedigree Chum:
Daily Star -- Jens is back for one night only - Arsene Wenger will pick Jens Lehmann tonight but then axe him from Sunday's Chelsea showdown regardless. "I'm not here to sort out the problems of two rivals", he says. It's [1.93] for the unsettled German to make his point by keeping a clean sheet

Daily Star - Steven on the glory trail - The Star with it's Seriously Football motto is the only paper to give real space to the first of the Carling Cup quarter-finals. Everton's Steven Pienaar reckons it could be sweet for The Toffees at Upton Park. Top Dog loves a good chorus of 'I'm Forever Blowing Bubbles', but fears Everton on a ten match unbeaten run are value at [2.98] to win in 90 minutes, or [2.04] to qualify..

Daily Mail - Wayne leads the B team back to hell - Sir Alex Ferguson reveals that Wayne Rooney volunteered to play in Rome while the bulk of United's first team take a break. He'll wear the armband and Fergie says he's got the same potential captaincy qualities as Bryan Robson and Roy Keane. United a tasty [4.7] to win.

Dog' s dinner:

The Sun - Capello will not make you SEXY but he will make you winners - The Sun share the same interview that everybody else got, but then claim it's an exclusive! No need for that, it's a good enough read anyway

The Sun - FA top brass may dump Cap'n Terry - If The Sun's top brass really believed Ben Kinsella's story that FA board members want Fabio Capello to axe John Terry as England captain because of alleged off the field incidents it would have been back page lead. Instead it's five sentences on page 57. If they didn't believe it why did they bother to run it at all?

Today's other stories:

The Sun - Torr de France - Fergie 'n Wenger say he's Fab - Zola: he puts Jose in shade - No Drog, no bite - Reign Rooney - Arsenal's quality control - Championship match reports

Daily Express - Si Grazie - Torres to rescue for Rafa - Snub for Shev as Chelsea hit wall - Capello to dump sexy for ugly alternative - The cap fits for Zola's buddy - Wenger to rest his case - Bellamy in new hammer blow - Danny is the boy for Chasetown shock

Daily Star - Raf aces roar on - Fab here for glory - Avram boys no Can do - It won't be sexy under Fabio - Championship match reports - Roo can be my leader - Crock Craig faces new blow

Daily Mirror - Tor de France - Fab's way - Stamford Boreidge - Captayn Waynetastic - Mellberg to snub O'Neill for Juve - Howard the new Neville Southall - Championship match reports

Daily Mail - Fair Kop - Fabio flies in to seal deal for England - Benitez shows there's no need to get Lippi - Blues have Arsenal on their mind - I've never felt so humbled says Ryan Giggs OBE - Wenger's rest cure - No one's safe from Capello - Sexy football? You're joking - Hero Butcher gets the chop from Brentford - Aidy fury over Bangura ruling - Championship match reports

Tags: Bangura, Carling Cup football, Fabio Capello, next England manager