Today's Papers / Top Dog / 14 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

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:

Frank Lampard knows the right time to try to push for negotiations on his contract after scoring four goals against Derby on Wednesday night! He's told all the papers this morning that he's fed up waiting for talks on a new deal to start and wants to get on with it. He also says a break from injury has left him feeling fresh for the run-in. He's joint favourite with Steven Gerrard on [3.55] to be top English goalscorer in the Premier League even though he's now got one goal more - 11 against Gerrard's ten. Wayne Rooney on eight is [3.7]. The Mail, incidentally, had to print an apology to Michael Owen for claiming he'd asked Newcastle for contract talks and a pay rise.

Cruft's:

Daily Mail - Keegan crisis - Matt Lawton's record of well informed stories has been outstanding and Top Dog trusts his revelation that Mike Ashley will shift Kevin Keegan upstairs if he doesn't start winning games. Newcastle could be in the bottom four by the time they play Birmingham on Monday night. Chairman Chris Mort is playing down the story, but as Lawton points out he said the same thing before they sacked Sam Allardyce. Keegan is [3.7] in the managerial change market, with Newcastle [3.35] to win at St Andrew's

Pedigree Chum:

Daily Mail - Ten 4 x 4's, 30 bank accounts, but Eric lost it all - Really interesting and different piece from Ian Ladyman picking over the story behind Eric Djemba Djemba's fall. He earned a basic £75,000 a month at Manchester United and it all went on paying debts and interest.

Daily Express - Lippi: Arsenal can rule Europe - Frank Wiechula pulls off a bit of good old fashioned journalism by doorstepping Marcello Lippi on his way to collect an award in London's docklands. The Italian World Cup winning manager names Arsenal as his favourites to win the Champions League. They are [6.4] in advance of today's draw with Manchester United still [4.5] favourites

Daily Express - Mascherano hailed as little giant - Fernando Torres and Steven Gerrard get all the headlines but according to Inter Milan's Javier Zanetti it is Javier Mascherano who is the real driving force for Liverpool in Europe. Torres, incidentally, is [7.4] to be the competition's top goalscorer, second favourite behind Cristiano Ronaldo [2.66]

The Sun - Carvalho up four a new deal - Frank Lampard will doubtless be very pleased for his team mate Ricardo Carvalho to learn that while nothing's happening on his contract, the Portuguese defender is close to signing a new four-year deal. Antony Kastrinakis' story looks to have come from Carvalho's agent Jorge Mendes.

The Sun - the gold one two - Ryan Giggs reckons he and Paul Scholes will have a key role in United's Champions League hopes, even though the veteran pair were both subbed during the first leg in Lyon and were left out of the starting side in the return.

Dog' s dinner:

Daily Mirror - Marek in 'selfish' outburst - Czech midfielder Marek Matejovsky is supposed to have accused the club's strikers of being selfish, but this looks like one of those 'lost in translation' interviews that will inevitably be followed by a denial today! Reading are an amazing [16.5] to win at Anfield tomorrow

Today's other headlines:

The Sun - Lamps: Don't mess with me! - I've started to fear that Chelsea don't really want me - English teams are world-class penalty losers - Fans fury at Malbranque dodging shootout - Kewell heading for Kop exit - Megson braves floored by Bruno blow

Daily Express - No one will stop Kop - Lampard is four-midable - Barry spot on to rescue lax Villa - Defoe's double puts paid to battling Brum - Arteta pputs Everton in with a shout - Berbatov goes the extra mile - League must come first says Megson - Pat on the back for Gerrard boys

Daily Star - Sort my deal now says Lamps - Hleb: We can win it - Megs eyes real prize - Cap Defoe again, Fab - I want a Mell of a finish

Daily Mirror - Join us Frank says Ronaldinho - Make me an offer I can't refuse says Lampard - Champions League draw preview - Bruno KO for Megson gamble

Daily Mail - Andy Townsend Euro files - Megson stand-ins meet their match - Neville: toughen up or pay penalty

Tags: Champions League draw, Djemba-Djemba, Frank Lampard contract