Today's Papers / Top Dog / 04 September 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.

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:

The set piece England interviews will start today when Steve McClaren's squad meets up and the FA start organising press conferences. But this morning it's every man for himself to find an angle on the big Euro qualifiers and the Mirror comes up trumps with an exclusive Guus Hiddink interview. The Daily Star leads on Rafa Benitez warning about the dangers of giving Steven Gerrard pain killing injections (and he should know because that's exactly what Liverpool did)!

Cruft's:

Daily Mirror - England are too scared to win - The Mirror jump ahead of the game by getting Dave Lewis in Moscow to talk to Guus Hiddink. The Dutchman who missed out on bossing England gives a frank account of what Steve McClaren's problems are and why his Russian side can qualify ahead of us.

Pedigree Chum:

Daily Star - I'll give Drog boot - Fernando Torres is backing himself to win the Premiership's golden boot. Betfair punters agree by making him 7.8 favourite, but will he play enough games with Rafa's rotation policy?

The Sun - Staying - Manchester man Neil Custis with another exclusive that United have opened talks on a new two-year deal for Ryan Giggs. Quitting international football has helped lengthen his club career, but left Wales an 8.8 shot to beat Germany at home.

The Sun- Going? - All the papers speculate on the reasons behind Michael Ballack's absence from Chelsea's official Champions League squad, but Dave Kidd spells it out most brutally. The £130,000 a week midfielder now won't be cup-tied in January when he's recovered from injury.

Dog' s dinner:

The Sun - Macca I won't quit - Shaun Custis quotes an unnamed source at the FA insisting Steve McClaren won't resign even if England lose to both Israel and Russia. The point is he wouldn't have to resign, his P45 would be waiting!

Daily Mirror - Dowie the man for Mandaric - Chief gossip monger Alan Nixon reckons Leicester's unpredictable chairman now fancies stealing Iain Dowie from down the road. Leicester is further north than Coventry by a few miles, but surely a few months after paying out £1million in compensation not even Dowie would change clubs again?

Today's other stories:

The Sun - Big Alan Smith interview - Ian Wright column - Arjen Robben interview on why he's happy to be away from Chelsea - Peter Schmeichel fails in bid to take over Brondby

Daily Express - Joe Cole's Engand SOS - John Terry on Chelsea - Robbie Savage says Blackburn are the best of the rest - Sam Allardyce on Tal Ben Haim - Danny Fiszman says he won't sell Arsenal shares

Daily Star - Allardyce on Owen - John Terry on Shaun Wright-Phillips - Brooking fears for England - Gilberto on Arsenal's home record - Matthew Etherington interview

Daily Mirror - Hit or Miss? Emile Heskey analysis - Matthew Etherington on his gambling days - Jamie Carragher on Liverpool's title dreams

Daily Mail - Big Emile Heskey interview - O'Neill's English lesson - Is Scott Carson the England answer? - Adriano pays for party lifestyle

Tags: Betfair's Top Dog, Guus Hiddink, Jamie Carragher, Steve McClaren