What the back pages of the papers say - April 30

14 April 2012
DAILY MAIL

Portugal coach Luiz Felipe Scolari is being lined up to take over at Manchester City by owner Thaksin Shinawatra despite the efforts of club executive Alistair Mackintosh to persuade him to keep Sven-Goran Eriksson.

• Read IAN LADYMAN'S report here

Also: ECB chairman Giles Clarke has called the idea of a city franchises in a Twenty20 English Premier League as "ludicrous" while England coach Peter Moores hinted that Andrew Flintoff has a chance of playing in the first Test against New Zealand.

• Read CHRIS FOY'S report here

THE GUARDIAN

Sir Alex Ferguson admitted steering Manchester United to a second Champions League final is a "magnificent feeling" and insisted his side "have a great chance" of winning the trophy whether they face Chelsea or Liverpool in Moscow.

• Read SPORTSMAIL'S report here

Also: Chelsea boss Avram Grant hit back at Rafael Benitez for his comments about striker Didier Drogba and claimed that the Liverpool manager is trying to "distract" from what happened in the first leg.

DAILY EXPRESS

Sven-Goran Eriksson's refusal to take a director of football position at Manchester City offered to him by owner Thaksin Shinawatra is one of the reasons for his impending departure from Eastlands. Shinawatra is keen to appoint Croatia coach Slaven Bilic as head coach and may even make a approach for former Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho.

Also: Chelsea goalkeeper Petr Cech said his side are determined not to miss out on a third Champions League final ahead of their semi-final second leg against Liverpool.

DAILY TELEGRAPH

Manchester United manger Sir Alex Ferguson hailed Paul Scholes for his winning goal against Barcelona in the Champions League semi-final and confirmed the midfielder will be in the starting line-up for the final in Moscow.

Also: Chelsea chairman Bruce Buck claimed the post-match brawl at Stamford Bridge between Manchester United players and Chelsea groundstaff was not a racist incident.

DAILY MIRROR

Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson hailed Paul Scholes as one of the club's "great players" after his goal earned the Red Devils a place in the first all-English Champions League final.

Also: Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez urged his players to become "legends" and reach their third Champions League final while captain Steven Gerrard has said this summer in transfer market will be important for the club to help take them to "the next level".

THE INDEPENDENT

Chelsea manager Avram Grant is keen for his players to play "like champions again" ahead of the second leg of their Champions League semi-final against Liverpool at Stamford Bridge.

Also: Wigan have put an end to the speculation about coach Brian Noble's future after they agreed to extend the contract of the former Great Britain coach with a new deal which will run for an extra 18 months with a further year's option.

DAILY STAR

Bolton manager Sam Allardyce has blamed chairman Phil Gartside for ripping Bolton to pieces which has left the Premier League survival and said he was upset that all his hard work had been undone.

Also: Tottenham want to offer striker Dimitar Berbatov to Barcelona as part of a swap deal for their Cameroon international forward Samuel Eto'o while defender Younes Kaboul has criticised Juande Ramos for "not talking" to the players.

THE SUN

Paul Scholes will be "the first name on the team sheet" after his superb long-range strike fired Manchester United to the Champions League final according to manager Sir Alex Ferguson.

Also: Ali Carter admitted he would buy a Ford Focus convertible after he made a 147 break World Championship 24 hours after Ronnie O'Sullivan had set his sights on a new Bentley with his maximum at the Crucible. The pair will now share the £157,000 prize money.

THE TIMES

Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson praised the Old Trafford crowd for their part in his side's 1-0 victory over Barcelona to secure their place in the Champions League semi-final and admitted the fans "saw us over the line".

Also: Supporters will have to dig deep if they want to attend the Champions League final in Moscow with a basic two-day trip estimated to cost around £2,000.

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