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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:

The News of the World set the weekend pace with a well sourced story from Jose Mourinho suggesting he's got what he wanted out of the FA - a big offer from a top European club. The Special One's odds for England are now as long as [5.2] with Fabio Capello favourite at [3.4]. Did you take Top Dog's advice on Friday to back Jurgen Klinsmann and Marcello Lippi at odds of more than 20? If so you can lock in a profit as they are now [14.5] and [8.4] respectively. The Express's Midlands man John Wragg, who has known Martin O'Neill [10.5] closely since his days as a Nottingham Forest player, says the Aston Villa boss could still be enticed if the FA are determined enough.

Cruft's:

Daily Star - Fergie to use rest in Rome - Tucked away on an inside page is an early pointer from Sir Alex Ferguson that he'll give some kids a game in the dead rubber trip to Roma on Wednesday, with China international Dong Fangzhou likely to get a debut. Roma are a fraction better than evens [2.02] a home win.

Pedigree Chum:

Daily Star -- Sven sees Red - Stephen Ireland has done the referees a favour. They can show his tackle on Young Pyo Lee at future meetings as the perfect example of a red card offence. Well done to Sven Goran Eriksson for not trying to pretend it was anything else. City will miss the youngster from next week's game with revitalised Bolton who are [5] to win at Eastlands.

Daily Star - Yak out for Africa - One off the top of the scoring charts after his treble against Fulham, but Everton's £11.5million striker Yakubu is still as long as [16] in the golden boot betting and this is why. He'll miss five Premier League games if he gets called up by Nigeria for the African Cup of Nations.

Daily Express - Madness of King Rafa - Mick Dennis best sums up the Liverpool manager's peculiar decision making. The next few days will decide if he's a courageous genius or foolhardy madman. Liverpool [1.7] for the win they need in Marseille. Top Dog fears that could be the best lay of the week

The Sun - Sheva ready to be Avram's top Drog - Didier Drogba's knee operation looked like bad news for Chelsea until Andriy Shevchenko turned up to get a goal against Sunderland. Can the Russian show the benefits of his personal sprint training? If so Chelsea's title odds of [4.9] could still be great value

Daily Mirror - Big Eck set for Boyd bid - Birmingham's new boss Alex McLeish will know the Scottish market well so it would be no surprise if he goes to Rangers to try to sign Kris Boyd, as Alan Nixon suggests. But Boyd won't leave if Rangers reach the Champions League last 16.

Dog' s dinner:

The Sun - Results page - Whoever keeps the Premier League top scorers table up to date needs to get his head out of the statistics and read the news pages. Everton's hat-trick hero Yakubu is listed as being a Portsmouth player!

The Sun - Klin's got Kop appeal - Shaun Custis says Jurgen Klinsmann wants to come back to Europe to work and will be in the frame if Liverpool go out of Europe and the American owners fall-out with Rafa Benitez gets worse. Too many ifs at the moment.

The Sun - Long ball label is unfair says sick Sam - Sam Allardyce is still moaning on about how nobody understands him and he doesn't play long ball football. Neither did Watford or Wimbledon.

Today's other stories:

The Sun - We won't quit - Wenger loses it! - 28 page Super Goals pull-out - Ash ain't half hot - Fergie's praise for ton up Giggs - Samtastic

Daily Express - Who needs Mourinho? - Ireland opens door for Defoe - Wenger's boys lose their way - Stoke kids for a quid were robbed!

Daily Star - FA sweet on Jose - Wenger is travel sick - Boro boys top Guns - Cap v Lip as Jose says no - Sam's Chris of life at Toon - 16 page Seriously Football pull-out - Hero Ash back in

Daily Mirror - Wenger's fallen idols - Lippi: come and get me - 20 page Football Mania pull-out - Ireland says sorry for red card - Ashton and Green look perfect for England - What Wigan a do asks Bruce - Stan Collymore column

Daily Mail - Arsenal take a wrong turn - For once Wenger gives no excuses - Defoe's a six minute hero - Curbs happy anniversary - Ryan 100 and far from out - Grant backing Sheva to roll back the years

Tags: Jose Mourinho, next England manager, Premiership betting, Yakubu goals