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Alan 9:29 Wed Apr 11
Wednesday newspapers (includes West Ham)
DAILY MIRROR

AC Milan and Inter are preparing to slug it out this summer to take troubled striker Mario Balotelli back to Italy.

Andy Carroll's late winner against Blackburn sent Liverpool into Saturday's FA Cup semi-final on a high - even though they have a keeper crisis following Alexander Doni's red card.

Fabrice Muamba is being fitted with a special heart device to help his Bolton comeback.

Sunderland keeper Craig Gordon is a summer target for Celtic.

Norwich are leading the race to sign West Brom's Chris Wood this summer.

Jonas Olsson could quit West Brom this summer, with Atletico Madrid keen on capturing the Swedish star.

Leeds boss Neil Warnock will meet Ken Bates this week seeking assurances Robert Snodgrass will not be sold this summer.

Swansea are set to make a £6million summer move for Ivory Coast striker Lacina Traore.

THE SUN

Roberto Mancini has ordered his Manchester City side to win their last six games.

Jermaine Pennant is ready to fight for his place at Stoke - and insists he is going nowhere this summer.

Spurs are waiting on Younes Kaboul's fitness for Sunday's FA Cup semi-final against Chelsea.

Shaun Derry's red-card appeal has been thrown out by the FA.

Steve Coppell has made a shock return to football to get Crawley promoted from League Two.

DAILY MAIL

Arsenal are determined to sign Fulham's Clint Dempsey this summer after recent scouting reports convinced Arsene Wenger he would fit perfectly into their system.

DAILY STAR

Terry Connor insists his baptism of fire at Wolves will make him a better manager.

Everton's Jack Rodwell is likely to miss the rest of the season after picking up yet another hamstring injury.

DAILY EXPRESS

Tottenham have called a team meeting to try to save their season ahead of the FA Cup semi-final against Chelsea on Sunday

Chelsea's bid to qualify for next season's Champions League has taken another blow after the FA confirmed Branislav Ivanovic faces a three-game ban.

DAILY RECORD

Celtic will make a swoop for Craig Gordon if they can't secure Fraser Forster on a permanent deal.





WHAT THE PAPERS SAY

THE SUN: Brad Jones paid an emotional tribute to his sons on another Premier League night of raw emotion at Ewood Park. Also: Roberto Mancini has ordered his Manchester City side to win their last six games.

DAILY STAR: Roberto Mancini has told his shell-shocked players: 'Don't let Manchester United win the title on our ground.' Also: Liverpool's third-choice keeper Brad Jones paid a poignant tribute to his son last night.

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: After this madcap match, the club that once boasted the illustrious goalkeeping likes of Tommy Lawrence, Ray Clemence and Bruce Grobbelaar go into Saturday's FA Cup semi-final against Everton with their third-choice, Brad Jones, between the famous Wembley sticks and the England Under-17 goalkeeper, Tyrell Belford, likely to be on the bench. Also: England's Euro 2012 plans suffered another blow with the news that Jack Rodwell, the Everton midfielder, requires extensive treatment for a chronic hamstring condition and is unlikely to play until next season.

DAILY EXPRESS: Kenny Dalglish was plunged into an FA Cup goalkeeping crisis last night as Andy Carroll snatched a last-gasp winner for Liverpool as Blackburn. Also: Tottenham have called a team meeting to try to save their season ahead of the FA Cup semi-final against Chelsea on Sunday.

THE INDEPENDENT: English football reacted with surprise and dismay yesterday when Mario Balotelli was given a reprieve for his stamp on Alex Song, meaning he will face no retrospective action for the foul but Shaun Derry's soft red card against Manchester United was allowed to stand. Also: Kenny Dalglish returned to Blackburn talking darkly of refereeing conspiracies. He would have left Ewood Park wondering whether Howard Webb would be warming up for Saturday's FA Cup semi-final from behind a grassy knoll.

DAILY MIRROR: AC Milan and Inter are preparing to slug it out this summer to take troubled striker Mario Balotelli back to Italy. Also: Andy Carroll's late header sent Liverpool into Saturday's FA Cup semi-final on a high - even though they have a keeper crisis.

THE TIMES: The debate over the competence of Barclays Premier League match officials escalated last night after Mario Balotelli escaped a six-match suspension for a dangerous challenge that his own manager felt deserved a red card. Also: It was hard to work out what was the most curious aspect of this topsy-turvy game: the sight of Liverpool rushing into a 2-0 lead, the turn of events that will see their third-choice goalkeeper play at Wembley on Saturday or the unexpected re-emergence in stoppage time of Andy Carroll as an aggressive centre forward, which deepened Blackburn Rovers' fear of relegation.

THE GUARDIAN: Mario Balotelli escaped a nine-match ban for his dangerous challenge on Arsenal's Alex Song on a farcical day for the Football Association's disciplinary procedures, which caused disbelief within the game and left many elite match officials disillusioned at the disquiet directed at their fraternity. Also: Wasps, one of the most successful clubs in the professional era, need to find £2m by the middle of next month or face going into administration after the eleventh-hour collapse of a takeover deal.

DAILY MAIL: English football's disciplinary system was shown to be a joke after Mario Balotelli escaped punishment for a horror tackle - minutes after Shaun Derry's appeal against a controversial red card was thrown out. Also: Arsenal are determined to land Fulham forward Clint Dempsey this summer after regular scouting reports since the turn of the year convinced Arsene Wenger he would fit perfectly into their system.





BBC

TRANSFER GOSSIP

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger is monitoring Fulham's in-form United States striker Clint Dempsey, 29, who has a year left on his contract at Craven Cottage.

Full story: Daily Telegraph

French starlet Paul Pogba, 19, is no closer to signing a new contract with Manchester United with his agent Mino Raiola reportedly lining up a move to Juventus.

Inter Milan and AC Milan lead the chase to take Manchester City striker Mario Balotelli back to Italy with the pair ready to launch £20m bids.

Full story: Daily Mirror

Robin van Persie is planning to snub a £200,000 a week offer from Manchester City and stay with Arsenal.

Full story: The Times (subscription)

AC Milan's Italian striker Stephan El Shaarawy, 19, is wanted by Arsenal and could be allowed out on loan next season.

Full story: Metro

Swansea are closing on a £6m move for Ivorian striker Lacina Traore, 21. The forward, who has been compared to Emmanuel Adebayor and was previously tracked by Arsenal, is desperate to leave Russian club Kuban Krasnodar.

Full story: Daily Mirror

Real Madrid want Chelsea defender Branislav Ivanovic, 28, after the Serbian's outstanding campaign.

Celtic are interested in Sunderland goalkeeper Craig Gordon. The 29-year-old Scotland international is out of contract in the summer.

Full story: The Sun
OTHER GOSSIP

The Football Association is under fire after Mario Balotelli escaped a retrospective ban for his studs-up tackle on Alex Song in Manchester City's defeat at Arsenal on Sunday. The FA upheld the red card decision on QPR's Shaun Derry who appeared to be harshly sent off against Manchester United.

Full story: The Guardian

Frank Lampard reckons Chelsea lack the killer instinct after a 1-1 draw against Fulham hampered their hopes of a Champions League slot.

Full story: The Sun

Anthony Pilkington says Norwich are now gunning for Manchester City, Arsenal and Liverpool after the promoted East Anglians beat Champions League-chasing Tottenham on Monday.

Full story: Norwich Evening News

Faltering Tottenham have called a team meeting to try to save their season ahead of Sunday's FA Cup semi-final with Chelsea.

Full story: Daily Express

Michael Carrick has hailed the contribution of Paul Scholes to Manchester United's title charge after the veteran midfielder decided to come out of retirement.

Full story: Manchester Evening News

West Brom have slashed season ticket prices across the board by £50 for next season to try to entice new support to the Hawthorns.

Full Story: Birmingham Evening Mail

Bolton midfielder Fabrice Muamba, 23, will be fitted with a special heart device to aid his attempts to return to football.

Full story: Daily Mirror

Manager Roberto Mancini is refusing to give up on Manchester City's title chances despite them trailing United by eight points.

Full story: Guardian

Chelsea forward Salomon Kalou believes the Blues can still finish above Arsenal.

Full story: The Sun

Wolves manager Terry Connor insists he dropped Roger Johnson for footballing reasons at Stoke despite the defender's row with Wayne Hennessey during the 3-2 defeat by Bolton.

Full story: Express and Star

The Hillsborough Justice Campaign has refused a donation of £1,000 from comedian Alan Davies. The Arsenal fan had criticised Liverpool's refusal to play on the anniversary of the Hillsborough disaster.

Full story: Daily Mail

Everton midfielder Jack Rodwell will miss Euro 2012 after suffering yet another hamstring problem.

Full story: Daily Mirror
AND FINALLY

Newcastle's recipe for success in the Premier League is cooking a special Senegalese dish called Yassa for strikers Papiss Cisse and Demba Ba.

Full story: Daily Telegraph

Blackpool manager Ian Holloway was warned to stop swearing during Monday's 1-1 draw with Barnsley following a complaint from a supporter.

Full story: Daily Mirror

Ipswich - nicknamed 'The Tractor Boys' - have launched their new kit on a farm.

Full story: Metro




Guardian Rumour Mill

Sachin Nakrani

As anyone who has seen Kevin Bridges's 'Chad Hogan vs an Empty' routine will know, there is no such thing as a typical party. They can range from blissfully happy affairs in which paper-cup clutching teenagers scream "spring break, woo-hoo!" in the company of a hip band to dark, frightful evenings that end with a stranger walking out of the front door with the family microwave and somebody else's coat. The later should always be avoided but as Manchester City supporters have discovered, it is sometimes impossible to stop good times turning bad.

Sunday's 1-0 defeat at Arsenal has all but ended City's hopes of winning the Premier League title and, as such, the atmosphere is likely to be rather subdued at the Etihad Stadium this evening for the visit of West Bromwich Albion. Where once there was great excitement and joyous anticipation among the home crowd, there will now mainly be frustration and a sense of what might have been. Chad has left the building and been replaced by a man blowing smoke into a Labrador's face.

But the City faithful should not lose all hope, for today's newspapers brings them news of better times ahead. Yes, that's right, their club is planning to spend even more millions on players this summer with Roberto Mancini keen to sign the Benfica midfielders Javier García and Axel Witsel. According to The Times, the Italian sent his right-hand man David Platt to Portugal on Monday to watch the pair play in their side's 1-0 defeat to Sporting Lisbon and is keen on bringing them to Manchester before the new season, proving, of course, that he has not sacked beforehand.

Increasingly likely to be heading in the opposite direction is Mario Balotelli, with the Daily Mirror reporting that Milan have joined Internazionale in the race to sign the "troubled" Italian striker. Mancini loves Balotelli, we all know that, but the 21-year-old appears to have pushed his manager's patience to his limit with his ludicrously wild display at the Emirates Stadium and is now on offer for about £20m. Inter, who City signed Balotelli from in August 2010, showed their hand earlier in the week and have now been joined by their city rivals in making eyes at the man Noel Gallagher really wants as a younger brother.

Elsewhere, Arsenal are ready to make a £10m bid for Clint Dempsey. The Daily Mail reports that the USA forward, who has scored 22 goals this season, the most recent of which came against Chelsea on Monday, has been watched by Arsène Wenger's scouts for some time and, having impressed, is now wanted by the Frenchman. He may, however, face competition for Dempsey from Newcastle and Liverpool.

Celtic, meanwhile, want to make Craig Gordon their first signing of the summer. The Scotland goalkeeper is out of favour at Sunderland having moved their from Hearts for £9m five years ago and, with his contract expiring in a couple of months, the 29-year-old is set to be offered a route back to his homeland by the new SPL champions on a pay-as-you-play deal.

Also poised to escape life in the middle-reaches of the Premier League is Jonas Olsson, with Atlético Madrid keen on signing the West Brom defender. The Swede has been excellent for Roy Hodgson's side this season and, according to the Mirror, will not be allowed to leave for a penny under £4m.

And finally, Stoke want Matt Jarvis from Wolverhampton Wanderers and Matt Phillips from Blackpool. Should the pair arrive then Jermaine Pennant is likely to be nudged towards make the 758th transfer of his career. His is a party that never, ever ends.






OS

Hall at the double

Rob Hall scored twice in a 3-2 Development Squad defeat by Fulham on Tuesday afternoon

West Ham United's Development Squad lost a tight match 3-2 to Fulham on Tuesday at Little Heath.

The team, which included Papa Bouba Diop, Sam Baldock and Dan Potts, were beaten by a strong Fulham reserve side despite two excellent goals from Rob Hall.

Despite Hall's brace, manager Ian Hendon was left frustrated with the Hammers first half display. Fulham started much the brighter and took the lead after just two minutes when a through ball split the West Ham defence and striker Ronnie Minkwitz stroked the ball home.

Two minutes before the half, the scores were levelled when Sam Baldock chested the ball down on the edge of the area before Hall struck a wonderful half-volley into the top right-hand corner of the net.

"We made it tough for ourselves in the first 45 to be honest," said Hendon. "We didn't play as well as we know we can, we didn't get amongst them and we showed them too much respect. Because of that we got punished and we were lucky to end the half on level terms."

Hendon made changes at the break and the second half was a different story as the Hammers came out fighting - pushing Fulham back into their own half. The hosts got their reward when, 20 minutes into the second half, winger Blair Turgott won a penalty after latching onto Seb Lletget's through ball. Unfortunately for the Hammers, Hall's spot-kick was saved by Grant Smith in the Fulham goal,

Hendon said, "We made a few changes with Blair and Dom Vose coming on, which freshened things up a bit, and I did give the lads a little rocket at half-time. They played with more urgency in the second half, got amongst the Fulham boys a bit more, shut the ball down and pushed them into their own half for the first 15 minutes of the second half and we got our reward with the penalty."

The penalty miss seemed to take the wind out of the Hammers sails and three minutes later Fulham took the lead. A free-kick on the edge of the area was expertly dispatched into the top corner by Whites midfielder Alex Smith. Fulham then extended their lead just two minutes later with Buomesca Tue Na Bangna poking the ball home following a corner.

There was still time left for Hall to double his tally for the day with a free-kick from the right-hand side of the area that he curled brilliantly over the wall and into the top corner. Boss Hendon was impressed with Hall's overall performance.

"Rob's got that in his locker, he's a great ball striker which you can see from his goal and free kick today. He's got that ability to score goals which he showed and overall he did well today which is down to his hard work on the training pitch."

West Ham United XI: Cowler, Driver, Potts (Fanimo), Diop (Turgott), Wearen, K.Lee, Morrison (Ruddock), Lletget (Powell), Montenegro (McCallum), Hall, Baldock (Vose)


Replies - Newest Posts First (Show In Chronological Order)

Thanks Alan 8:33 Thu Apr 12
Re: Wednesday newspapers (includes West Ham)
jimbo2. 12:28 Thu Apr 12

jimbo2. 12:28 Thu Apr 12
Re: Wednesday newspapers (includes West Ham)
A very late "Thanks Alan"!

Westcliffhammer 11:02 Wed Apr 11
Re: Wednesday newspapers (includes West Ham)
Thanks Alan

tommythebubble 10:33 Wed Apr 11
Re: Wednesday newspapers (includes West Ham)
Thanks Alan

Irish bird 10:12 Wed Apr 11
Re: Wednesday newspapers (includes West Ham)
Tan Q

Kenkwondo 9:42 Wed Apr 11
Re: Wednesday newspapers (includes West Ham)
Cheers, Alan.





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