Today's Papers / Top Dog / 26 March 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

• 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:

Rio Ferdinand will captain England for the first time tonight and the papers take varied views on how to treat the story. Some concentrate on Fabio Capello's explanation that the Manchester United defender is now a role model - others deal with what that means for John Terry who has lost the job. Terry's part in the Ashley Cole incident at Tottenham is highlighted and it does seem that it influenced the England boss. Yet if you look at the film he was actually pulling other Chelsea players away from referee Mike Riley. Either way it means the figurehead for Capello's moral crusade on respect and being a role model is now the man who got banned for six months for missing a drugs test!

Cruft's:

The Sun - Passion thriller - Wayne Rooney gives Shaun Custis an exclusive interview (with a deal to plug his new Nike boots) on Fabio Capello's qualities. He's a winner just like Sir Alex Ferguson, he says. Betfair punters are starting to think so - England have shortened to [3.15] to win in Paris tonight with France drifting to [2.68] Rooney is [3.9] to score

Daily Star - Fab shows soft side - Fabio Capello talks about his long term plans for David Beckham and guarantees that, even if he doesn't start, old Goldenballs will definitely be on the pitch at some stage tonight. Given the way Beckham's scripts are normally written for him, that makes [7.0] for him to get a goal (probably one of those trademark free kicks to win the game in the last minute) a great value bet.

Pedigree Chum:

Daily Mail - What a Lotto QPR have got - Fitting that Lotto are QPR's new kit sponsors, fans of the West London club must think they've won the jackpot with their new Formula One owners. If you followed Top Dog's advice to lay them for relegation when they were odds on back in November your winnings are a few weeks away. Matt Barlow's piece today gives a good few clues on why they will be favourites to go up next year.

Daily Express - Striking case of déjà vu for Owen - John Dillon puts the spotlight on Michael Owen who'll be on the subs bench in Paris tonight. He looks out of favour under Capello but you wouldn't write him off from coming back, Beckham style, and joining the 100 cap club. He's [4.0] to get a goal if he gets on tonight

The Sun - Rafa wants ref summit - Rafa Benitez says he wants to meet Keith Hackett to discuss the sending off of Javier Mascherano so he can hear 'a solution'. Top Dog hopes Hackett will suggest a very simple solution: Stop his players from running 25 yards to question a referee's decision.

Daily Star - Kev: We'll blitz flop Gunners - Kevin Davies warns Arsenal that their bogey team Bolton are about to give them another blow. 'It's a good time to be playing them' he reckons. Meanwhile Gael Clichy has admitted that the title has gone if Gunners don't win their last seven games. Bolton are [5.6] to win on Saturday.

Daily Star - Av's G-rant lifts Blues - Gossip from behind the scenes at Stamford Bridge says Avram Grant got angry with Chelsea's superstars last Friday and told them he wouldn't 'babysit' them any more. Insiders reckon that helped inspire the revival against Arsenal. Chelsea as short as [1.34] to follow that up with a win over Middlesbrough on Sunday

Daily Star - £50m Toon refit - Sir Bobby Robson reckons it will cost a minimum of £50million to turn Newcastle into a potential Champions League side again. Not good news for Mike Ashley if he's just lost £129million gambling on shares!

Dog' s dinner:

The Sun - Real plot Xabi swap - Real Madrid are plotting to swap Ruben de la Red for Xabi Alonso according to Antony Kastrinakis. Except de la Red is playing for Getafe at the moment because he was sold for £2m last summer. Madrid have an option to buy him back for £3m which they might do so they can then send him to Anfield. Confused? Top Dog is too!

Daily Mirror - Eduardo exclusive - The Mirror claim an exclusive interview with Arsenal's Eduardo. But if John Cross had really talked to the Gunners' injured star he would surely have got more than eight paragraphs of quotes from him!

Daily Mirror - I am the law - A Dog's Dinner double for the Mirror. Their normally excellent picture desk have produced a mock up of Fabio Capello in Judge Dredd outfit and it looks utterly daft. Poor Martin Lipton then got asked to produce the words to justify the picture, and that hasn't worked either.

Today's other headlines:

The Sun - Clean up your act - Becks is Fab for 2010 - Rio's Learned it - JT is ANel of a captain - Psycho has Pole trance

Daily Express - Rio's my role model - Hoddle backing Beckham for 2010 World Cup - Brave new world is right for Rio - Pearce remains unbeaten - Unlucky Toshack under the Hammer - Healy lands UEFA award

Daily Star - Terry feels Fab's force - Masch faces FA rap - Rio's ready for biggest test of all - Pearce fails to melt Poles - Toshack in sweat over crock stars

Daily Mirror - My role model - Wenger tribute to Beckham - Rio: I've grown up - FA ready to bash Masch

Daily Mail - Terry dumped - Rio's road to respect - Sir Bobby Charlton on Beckham's 100 caps - Interview with Lord Triesman - Toshack fears for fitness of big four - England U21s match report

Tags: Beckham 100 caps, John Terry, Michael Owen, Rio Ferdinand captain