Today's Papers / Top Dog / 17 October 2007 / Leave a comment " class="free-bet-btn" rel="external" onclick="javascript: pageTracker._trackPageview('/G4/inline-freebet');" target="_blank">Free 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:

Top Dog has been on more than a few foreign trips and knows how tempting it can be not to bother watching training on the pitch the night before a big game and head into town for a good meal instead. Yesterday was one of those nights when the assembled England hacks were glad they resisted the call of a warm Moscow restaurant as John Terry's fresh knee injury at the end of a session on the plastic pitch handed everybody a back page lead. England minus their inspirational skipper are still favourites to win this afternoon but have drifted slightly to 2.54.

Cruft's:

Daily Mail - Hiddink magician or myth? - Neil Ashton takes a fascinating look at the records behind Russia coach Guus Hiddink's status as one of Europe's top coaches and finds he's never won a match against English teams in nine attempts. Russia are 3.25 to make that tenth time lucky! Or you can get a tempting 28 for England to repeat their 3-0 Wembley scoreline!

Pedigree Chum:

Daily Express - Toshack accuses pampered players - John Wragg in Cyprus hears Wales boss John Toshack accuse his players of being too spoiled by luxury living to care about playing for their country. Sounds like a man who has lost his dressing room - but makes it worth backing the one player who does care, Craig Bellamy, to score a goal against San Marino at odds of 1.8.

Daily Star - Giggs has Sir Bobby in sights - Ryan Giggs will be 34 next month and has just signed another 12 months contract and needs to play 32 more games to break Sir Bobby Charlton's United record of 759 first team appearances.

Daily Star - Chim: Count me in - Pascal Chimbonda, on the other hand, is highly unlikely to break any Tottenham appearance records! But the Star reveals he has agreed a new deal after a summer move to Chelsea fell through. Signs that things are settling down in the Spurs camp. You can back them at 7 to be the top club outside the Premier League's big four for the third season running.

Dog' s dinner:

Daily Express - Sam wants Owen fit for a new deal - Read between the lines of North East man Niall Hickman's interview with Sam Allardyce and it's clear there's still friction with Michael Owen. "I'd like to see him fit for 20 games on the trot and then we'll talk about a new contract," says Big Sam. With talk like that he's more likely to get fit, stay fit, then walk out for free in 20 months time to join a manager who values the best goalscorer of his generation.

Today's other stories:

The Sun - McClaren's cursed - I need heroes says Steve - Ian Wright on Frank Lampard - Joleon Lescott spotlight - Ryan Giggs tracks Charlton record

Daily Express - We can walk through storm says McClaren - Wayne dodges blame game - Noble stars for U21s - Wily Hiddink plots another famus win - McLeish ready for cold war

Daily Star - Dodgy pitch KOs Terry - Three lions and 11 lionhearts - Terry must beat his curse says Bryan Robson - Dalglish hails Scots - Tosh rips into flops

Daily Mirror - Russian roulette - Hiddink vows to break bad run - Dalglish on Scotland hopes - Toshack's pampered pets fury

Daily Mail - Holding on for a hero - Russia put the fix in fixtures - Graeme Souness on the Scotland revival - Players don't care says Toshack

Tags: England, Euro 2008 qualification, football betting, John Terry injury