THE SUN: Alan Smith is to meet Leeds chairman Peter Ridsdale next week for heart-to-heart talks.

DAILY MIRROR: Terry Venables demanded his Leeds players pull together last night after admitting the strain of their desperate run is damaging the club.

DAILY MAIL: Alf-Inge Haaland has appealed for calm ahead of today's potentially explosive Manchester derby, saying: "This is not a war."

DAILY EXPRESS: Geoff Thompson broke cover yesterday in Copenhagen to reveal the truth about his talks on Sven-Goran Eriksson's future at the FA.

DAILY STAR: Arsene Wenger last night vowed to fight the latest FA rap to hit Arsenal after striker Dennis Bergkamp was charged with violent conduct.

THE TIMES: Sven-Goran Eriksson was in his office at Soho Square yesterday saying farewell. Not to the Football Association, as some may have feared after an unsettling week for the England head coach, but to Adam Crozier, the chief executive, who was spending an emotional day clearing his desk.

THE GUARDIAN: It is a measure of Andrew Caddick's role in lifting England's bowling attack from its opening-day doldrums that he even drew praise from the opposition camp.

THE INDEPENDENT: For the second day in a row at the Gabba a side bowled indifferently, fielded poorly, missed chances and was generally outplayed by their opponents. Fortunately for the many England supporters in Brisbane and those interested in following a competitive first Test it was not on this occasion Nasser Hussain's side.

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Not a single sage outside a dwindling band of wishful thinkers at the Football Association believes that Sven-Goran Eriksson will still be the England manager on Christmas Day.