Today's Papers / Top Dog / 10 January 2008 / 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:

A busy night in the newspaper offices. At about 5pm they'd have finished preparing Newcastle pieces quoting Sam Allardyce on his transfer plans. Twenty minutes later and news of his sacking came out. Big Sam learned it from a journalist before he was told by his own chairman! All the papers go with Harry Redknapp as the favourite, a story clearly leaked by the powers that be on Tyneside. But it may not be so simple (see below) - especially as Portsmouth are certain to try to block the move. It could well end up with Harry getting a pay rise and a few million to spend on transfers!

Cruft's:

Daily Express - No time, no help and no chance - Express Sports Editor Bill Bradshaw began his life on local papers in Newcastle and knows the Toon scene better than most. His background piece makes illuminating reading. He claims owner Mike Ashley and his chairman Chris Mort rowed with Sam Allardyce over transfer funds and sacked their boss without a plan for a replacement in place. It suggests that getting Harry Redknapp is far from a done deal and the hunt for a new Toon boss could be a saga. Redknapp's price has already drifted from odds on to as long as [2.4].

Pedigree Chum:

The Sun -

Tags: Harry Redknapp, next manager betting, Next Newcastle manager, Sam Allardyce