Croatia puns all the rage again after World Cup 2010 qualifying draw1

Today's Papers / Top Dog / 26 November 2007 / Leave a comment Free £25 Bet

Top Dog sniffs out 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:

Tough on the headline writers. They had used up every Croatia pun you could imagine last week and then had to think of some more when the World Cup draw got made. But a group without one of the super powers should give whoever does take the England job some grounds for thinking he can qualify for South Africa 2010. The World Cup draw means international matters still dominate the agenda despite a busy Premier League weekend. FIFA have just announced the 11 squad men who didn't play in 1966 can now have winners' medals. Top Dog's worried they may be the last Englishmen ever to get one!

Cruft's:

Daily Mail - Doom laden Derby ready to axe Davies - The Mail's John Edwards says Derby have lost patience with Billy Davies and will sack him in the next 24 hours. Edwards spent most of his early career in Yorkshire which means he's likely to have good contacts into former Leeds commercial boss Adam Pearson who is now Derby chairman. Davies is quoted in other papers complaining the new owners haven't talked to him about transfer budgets. Could be he's about to find out why. Derby, just four points from safety, are [1.1] to lay for relegation if you think a management change might help.

Pedigree Chum:

The Sun - Say sorry Rafa or you are out - Wild differences in this morning's papers over the future of Rafa Benitez. Some, like the Star, say he's already as good as sacked, others like the Mail give more credence to the statement from American owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett that he still has their backing. The Sun's Mersey man Phil Thomas is probably about right - he's doomed unless he says sorry to them when they fly in on December 16 for a planning meeting. Liverpool are now out to [8.2] to win the title despite staying unbeaten. They are [1.47] to win Wednesday's vital home Champions League clash with Porto, and [11] to be the longest surviving British club in the competition.

Daily Mirror -- I'll help save England - Arsene Wenger is the man being accused of ruining England by recruiting too many foreigners, but he says he's ready to talk to the FA about what they need to change things round. Brian Barwick could do worse than listen.

Daily Mirror - I could have saved England - David James was the first player to break ranks on the England regime at the weekend and savage Steve McClaren's treatment of himself and the younger goalkeepers who have been in and out of the squad.

Daily Express - O'Neill still top of the list - The Mirror's Harry Harris is strong on FA politics and says Brian Barwick, who used to work at the BBC with Martin O'Neill, will have one big attempt to convince Aston Villa's manager he should take the England job. O'Neill's insistence he wants to stay at Villa haven't pushed his odds out any further than [8.8]. Fabio Capello remains [4.5] favourite.

Dog' s dinner:

Daily Mirror - Stan Collymore column - Big Stan can be entertaining, controversial and funny, but somebody at the Mirror needs to sit him down and talk about the choice of subjects for his Monday morning column. This one covers old ground about the FA suits, Sam Allardyce and Rafa Benitez. Good columns raise new issues.

Today's other stories:

The Sun - Are you sure? (Owen's dig at Croatia) - New coach must banish the pain - 28 page Super Goals pull-out - Ramos raps ref - Lovely glovely - Fans mock Toon flops

Daily Express - Oh no not you again - Inspired Green wins spot prize - Owners lose faith in Rafa - Big Sam hits Rock bottom - Redknapp in with a shout for top job - William's a winner - Keane will not hide.

Daily Star - Here we Cro again - Ramos is reffin' mad - Copello: England aren't Fab - Rafa set to Kop it - No heaven 17 for Sanchez - 20 page Seriously Football pull-out

Daily Mirror - Cro no, not you again - Rafa's left to sweat - Anfield crisis deepens - Fans' abuse doesn't bother me says Allardyce - 20 page Football Mania pull-out

Daily Mail - It's them again - No joking it's Bilic and Borat - Green party time - Kranjcar backs Redknapp for England - Evra rattled by football in the raw - Americans offer ray of hope to Benitez