Savage attack by Robbie on Toshack's qualification chances

Today's Papers / Top Dog / 11 September 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:
England's Euro 2008 hopes still dominate the back pages, and the press conference interviews with Steven Gerrard and Shaun Wright-Phillips take up the bulk of the space. Everybody knows Gareth Barry will play - but the Mail's Matt Lawton is the first to stick his neck out and forecast Wednesday night's entire team.

Cruft's:

Daily Mirror - I've got more chance of flying to the moon on Concorde then Wales have of qualifying for the World Cup says Robbie Savage - The Mirror is the only paper to confront the reality of John Toshack's Wales side. Savage fell out with Tosh so take his bitter criticism with a pinch of salt, but clearly other Welshmen feel the same. Just 25,000 turned up for their qualifier against Germany. Slovakia, who won 5-1 in Cardiff, are 1.73 to stick another hiding on Tosh's team tomorrow. Sounds like free money.

Pedigree Chum:

Daily Mail - McClaren keeps faith - Matt Lawton says Steve McClaren will keep Emile Heskey in an unchanged side. The other papers all confirm Gareth Barry stays in because Owen Hargreaves isn't fit, but Lawton goes a step further - although he's cleverly left himself an out by saying the players haven't been told the team yet and are guessing from how they've worked in training.

The Sun - Rooney: I'm read y to play - While chief football writer Shaun Custis is busy with England his brother Neil has been hard at work checking his Manchester contacts and says Wayne Rooney has told Sir Alex Ferguson he'll be fit to face Everton. Could make United at 1.88 better value to beat the Toffees.

The Sun - Robbo's your weakest link - Pat Sheehan scores an exclusive interview with Russia skipper Andrei Arshavin who says they will be targeting Paul Robinson because he is still a disaster waiting to happen for England. The out of form Tottenham keeper was never tested on Saturday but is still 1.96 to keep a clean sheet.

Daily Star - Adebayor wants ToGo - Only a tiny piece in the Star's soccer shots column but it will have big impact at The Emirates. Emanuel Adebayor has made himself available for Togo again after a row over bonuses, which means he could miss six matches if they reach the African Nations Cup final. Bad news for the Gunners who are still 1.27 a top four finish.

Dog' s dinner:
Daily Express - Guus was never in England running - Harry Harris has dug up an unnamed FA source who claims Guus Hiddink was never a contender to replace Sven Goran Eriksson - except they rang his agent asking if he would talk about it. The same mystery man says Steve McClaren's job is safe as long as he qualifies for Euro 2008. A bit like Martin Jol's job is safe as long as he gets Spurs in the top four, presumably.

Daily Mail - Guus will fear a ghost of Euro past - Veteran writer Jeff Powell is one of Fleet Street's legends, but also allows his long and close friendship with Terry Venables to colour his writing too often. So no surprise that he's reminding the world of El Tel's finest hour when England walloped Hiddink's Dutch side 4-1 during Euro 96.

The Sun - This lot are our best ever - can't help feeling that Shaun Custis has got over excited by Saturday's Wembley win. The Sun leads the back page on Steven Gerrard's view that the current England squad has more quality than any before it. "I know it sounds like cheap talk", says Gerrard. Absolutely. On that basis England at 11.5 to win the whole Euro 2008 tournament would be a steal, but I think I'd rather lay it, thank you.

Today's other stories:

The Sun - Hargreaves out again - At last I've a boss with faith in me says Gerrard - Ian Wright column on Michael Owen - Russia claim Robinson is the weakest link - io Ferdinand sets a four wins target - Has to be Heskey - Robbo's glove affair Wales, Scotland and Ireland coverage - Leeds spotlight

Daily Express - Barry's chance of a lifetime - Alan Curbishley column - Gerrard and Shaun Wright-Phillips interviews - Rob Earnshaw's revenge mission - Healy injury scare

Daily Star - Barry gets nod - Gerrard interview - Shaun Wright-Phillips interview - Gareth Bale on Welsh hopes - Russie striker Aleksandr Kerzhakov interview

Daily Mirror - Pressure's on England says Hiddink - Gerrard on McClaren - eneration Xcellent - Now for the real test - Emile's on wheels - Stan Collymore column - two page focus on Leeds -

Daily Mail - Shaun plays it straight - Gerrard interview - Bellamy back for Wales

Tags: Betfair's Top Dog, John Toshack, Robbie Savage, Steven Gerrard injury