No place like home for Spurs as they run out of alternatives

Still looking for their first victory in the Premier League, Tottenham are close to ending another desperate search by settling on plans for a new home. Having spent the last seven years considering a range of options including Wembley, Stratford's Olympic Stadium, Enfield and other parts of Haringey, it is understood that the club now intend to stay at White Hart Lane. The decision would mean a major redevelopment of the ground and surrounding land — most of which is owned by Spurs — in a bid to raise the current capacity to around 55,000. The pitch would need to be moved and existing stands demolished and rebuilt, but transport problems remain an issue.

Wales fans swear by Setanta

New England broadcaster Setanta made a rookie blunder during its live coverage of the Under-21s' 2-2 draw against Wales. To illustrate the colour and passion of the Villa Park crowd, Setanta's cameras honed in for a close-up of a Welsh supporter carrying a cuddly sheep stood in front of a national flag. Emblazoned on the flag was the slogan, “Twll Din Bob Sais".

All bets are on for boss Ling

Match-fixing is under investigation in the Football League, but anyone looking for legitimate inside information should check out Leyton Orient manager Martin Ling's betting column in the Racing Post. Punters learned on Tuesday that “confidence is low” among Ling's Orient players and they duly lost 2-1 at Leeds that night. Football Association rules ban players and managers from betting on all matches in competitions involving their teams and prohibit the passing of information for gambling use which is not “publicly available”. As Ling's column is published in a newspaper, the governing body has no problem with him giving his insight into football.

Catering to big Dean's tastes

Pizza is the order of the day at West Ham under Gianfranco Zola's new Italian regime. After a recent home match, striker David Di Michele was spotted taking four 12-inch boxes into the home dressing room. Such deliveries will be most welcomed by striker Dean Ashton, who famously lists Domino's pepperoni variety as his favourite food. It is a similar Jamie Oliver nightmare at Watford, where away teams' post-match meals regularly consist of battered fish, fried chicken and chips ordered from a takeaway.

Water lot of Italian cheek

For decades, England suffered from the hooligan reputation of causing havoc across Europe, but now the tide has turned and we are being criticised for not being lively enough. Ahead of Roma's trip to Chelsea yesterday, Italy's leading sports newspaper La Gazzetta dello Sport advised travelling fans: “London is still England. Don't get annoyed if you can't find anywhere open — even to sell you water — after three in the morning.”

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