Headline of the day...
IT'S SEMIS OR SACK
The Daily Express report on the latest goings-on in the England camp. The FA have told Fabio Capello he has to reach at least the semi-finals in the 2012 European Championships to keep his job. "It means that, in theory at least, the pressure is off Capello for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa," the paper reckons.
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TAKE US TO THE SEMI-FINALS, FA DEMANDS OF CAPELLO
Same story in The Independent, but they add that Capello will need to reach the semis in the World Cup 2014 finals as well.
CAPELLO: ENGLAND WILL HIT 2012 TARGET
Capello has his say in The Daily Telegraph. "The team is capable of reaching these targets," says the Italian rather uninspiringly.
PLAY ME OR ELSE I'M OFF
Peter Crouch makes a scary face on the back of The Daily Mirror as they report on the latest rumours surrounding the lanky striker's future at Liverpool. "What I have to do is speak to the manager," says Crouch. "When all is said and done, I don't think I can have another season like this year where I've started nine Premier League games."
WENG IN FIGHT TO KEEP FAB
Cesc Fabregas is also being linked with a move, as The Daily Star explain that the Spanish midfielder could leave Arsenal if Arsene Wenger doesn't improve his squad in the summer.
WENGER TAP-UP STORM
Fabregas is on the back of The Sun too. This time he's at the centre of a tapping-up scandal with Real Madrid. President Ramon Calderon said yesterday: "My policy is not to create a confrontation with other teams - but Cesc is No1 in his position. I would like to have him." Wenger has dubbed this behaviour "disrespectful".
SCOLARI GIVEN DEADLINE TO ACCEPT CITY JOB OFFER WORTH £3M A YEAR
Self-explanatory headline from The Times. Luiz Felipe Scolari is set to be offered a massive pay deal to take over from Sven-Goran Eriksson at Man City, but he'll have to answer before he takes charge of Portugal at Euro 2008.
AVRAM HAPPY TO STEP DOWN
As if the words 'Avram' and 'happy' being in the same sentence wasn't bizarre enough, The Sun reckon Avram Grant is going to willfully step down as Chelsea manager so Frank Rijkaard can take over in the summer. What's even odder, the paper's source is "Grant's close pal - Portsmouth player Richard Hughes". "This will take place with Avram's blessing," says Hughes, who is clearly an authority on the ins and outs at the London club.
ROMAN'S £14.5 MOSCOW CARROT
Staying at Stamford Bridge, and the poor, underpaid darlings that constitute the Chelsea team will get the cash windfall they so desperately need if they win the double. The Daily Mail report that Roman Abramovich will give each player a £600,000 bonus for Champions League and Premier League glory.
KEEGAN ON THE BRINK
The Mail also take a look at Kevin Keegan, who is apparently worried about his job. King Kev is rumoured to be getting paranoid about a treasonous attempt to depose him and install Dennis Wise as the St James' manager.
Other top stories...
IS IT BORING, BORING FOOTBALL?
Keegan's also in The Daily Telegraph, who attempt to get to the bottom of the Newcastle's manager's moaning yesterday about the Premier League being boring. "In one respect, Keegan is right," they argue. "Liverpool or Everton usually won the title [in the 1980s], but the remaining top place did not go to a self-perpetuating oligarchy funded by Champions League money."
TOP FLIGHT 'IN DANGER' OF BEING DULL, SAYS TRIESMAN
The Independent have an interview with FA chairman Lord Triesman, who has echoed Keegan's thoughts about the Premier League becoming boring. "An over-concentration of power and wealth is likely to make it a less exciting game overall," he says. "I don't think we have reached that point but there is a danger of it happening."
GOAL KING RONALDO IS THE REAL DIFFERENCE
Back to the title race in The Daily Mail, whose Paul Hayward believes the difference between United and Chelsea this season has been Cristiano Ronaldo and the goals he has helped his club score. "Chelsea have Lampard and Ballack and Joe Cole and Drogba, on a good day, but they don't have the pure invention, the audacity that yields 56 League goals from a trio of strikers. So that vast goal difference is no lie, no inquisitous device to divide two equal teams. Art will always stay a nose in front of organisation, unless United fall down one of Wigan's ruts."
I'VE LOST ON THE LAST DAY BEFORE BUT NOW PRESSURE IS ON FERGIE
Michael Ballack takes centre stage in The Daily Express. Ballack was a final day loser when he was at Bayer Leverkusen and they threw away a three-point advantage to concede the title to Bayern Munich. But Ballack believes it's Sir Alex Ferguson's men who can choke this time around as they have led the race for so long now and Chelsea have come from nowhere to be contenders.
FORGET THE SUNBEDS, MY TOWEL IS ON THE TROPHY
Staying with Ballack, The Sun have a contender for the most tenuous story of the week as they explain that the German has put his towel on the Premier League trophy. Well, he hasn't, but Germans are apparently known for putting their towels on sun loungers in holiday resorts early in the morning so they can reserve them for themselves. Ballack has staked his claim to the title by metaphorically putting a towel on it. Or something like that...
WIGAN'S CASH INCENTIVE
The Guardian reveals that Wigan will have an incentive to beat Manchester United on Sunday. If they win and Newcastle lose at Everton, the Latics will finish the season in 12th place, earning them £6.4million, £2.1million more than the pot they'd get if they lose and fall down to 15th.
UNITED IN SAHA AND CASH BID FOR KID VALENCIA
Staying at the JJB, The Daily Mirror speculate that Latics star Antonio Valencia will be on his way in the summer. The 22-year-old is rumoured to be the subject of a Luis Saha plus cash deal from Manchester United.
JAMO HAS CALF A CHANCE
Finally, Harry Redknapp tells The Star that David James will discover today whether or not he will be fit for the FA Cup final in 10 days' time. The most interesting aspect of this story, however, is that he said it from the deck of aircraft carrier the HMS Ark Royal. "The Navy is a massive part of Portsmouth's heritage and the city is proud of their Navy," Redknapp says. "Now I think the people of Portsmouth are proud of their football team as well." No, that's still not a good enough reason to explain this bizarre publicity ploy, Harry.
