Air Force One to strike

Morning everyone, hope you've had a good week keeping warm and studying the form.

I was very interested to read Paul Nicholls' Stable Tour in the Racing Post and I am keeping my fingers crossed that Denman does indeed tackle the Grand Steeple-Chase de Paris next May. It's a great race and if you've never been to Auteuil I'd suggest a trip across The Channel is well worthwhile.

As for Saturday's selection I've decided to put my faith in Charlie Mann's Air Force One (Ascot 2.05pm).

The Brian Walsh-owned six-year-old rounded off last season by winning at the Punchestown Festival and updates from Whitcoombe House Stables suggest he will be ready first time out to deliver.

That's good enough for me and I'll be having £20 win at the opening price.

Of course there are a number of leading horses in action over the weekend and Kauto Star should get back to winning ways at Down Royal in the JNwine.com Champions Steeplechase.

I'll be keeping an eye on Mobaasher (Wetherby 3pm), mentioned here in my Monday bulletin for the Stayers' Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival.

Good luck if you're going racing over the coming days. 

All-time record: Bets 79; Winners 25; Losers 53; Non-runners 1; Profit £950.43.

Worst ever Premier League manager...Your views

In our occasional series of 'bests and worsts', we have decided to pick our ten most fruitless Premier League bosses since 1992-93.

Almost 150 managers have tried their luck at the top but for many, their experience has been short-lived and far from successful.

Many clubs have found first-hand that for every Fergie there is a Christian Gross (left) and for every Wenger, there is sadly a Les Reed.

You can read our list of useless gaffers by clicking here. Have we missed anyone out? Who do rate as the worst manager in the history of the Premier League? Send us your comments (no abuse please) in the boxes below.

From the Touchlines: Make or break for England

The month of November really is crunch time for England.

Despite the fact the team have won just three of their last seven games, two of which saw them trounced by New Zealand in the summer, there is massive expectation over Martin Johnson's first matches in charge of the squad. And as baptisms of fire go, there are few tougher than taking on Australia, South Africa and New Zealand in back-to-back weekends.

Worryingly for England, the signs don't immediately look good. Their squad is immensely young and inexperienced. Only one player in the squad, Phil Vickery, has over 50 caps while the next most capped player is captain Steve Borthwick (pictured left), who has just 39 caps to his name.

Between them, expected half-back pairing of the two Dannys, Care and Cipriani, have just five caps, while predicted inside centre Riki Flutey will be making his debut.

However, Johnson is used to shining against adversity and he'll relish the chance to do so. There's genuine optimism among the squad, there's no bickering among his coaching staff - a past problem for England bosses - and a belief he's building something special. It remains to be seen how the building work goes during November.

How do you think England will fare in the November internationals and what would be your starting line-up? We want to hear your views...

F1 gossip column... Your view

Our F1 insider is back with more whispers ahead of this weekend's season-ending Brazilian GP.

There is plenty of gossip to discuss with Nelson Piquet junior's future in jeopardy at Renault and Honda quietly building a formidable machine for a rejuvenated tilt at the title next year.

Read more on these revelations, as well as all the other rumours, by clicking here and as usual you can add your thoughts in the boxes below.

Pompey to appoint Adams...Your views

Harry Redknapp out and Tony Adams in - can things get any worse for Portsmouth?

They say bad things come in threes and Pompey fans must now be fearing for their Premier League future. What qualifications does Adams have in being handed a job managing a top flight team who are the current FA Cup holders?

It certainly can’t be his CV. The only experience Adams has of being in the hot seat was a disastrous spell in charge of Wycombe Wanderers.

Adams failed to prevent the Chairboys from being relegated to League Two when he took over in November 2003. One year later, the former Arsenal defender resigned after the club plummeted down the table. Statistics don’t lie and in 53 games, Adams won a measly 12. That equals a 23% win record.

Perhaps Redknapp’s glowing reference was enough to secure Adams the role although I’m not sure how you can trust anything Harry has to say after he ‘promised’ Portsmouth they would be his last club before retiring.

It’s not as if Pompey are forced to go with the cheap option. As Harry constantly reminds us, Spurs coughed up £5million for his services. That would have been plenty to reel in an experienced manager currently on the unemployed list. Sam Allardyce and Alan Curbishley are two that immediately spring to mind.

Perhaps Adams and Joe Jordan will prove people wrong and continue Portsmouth’s run of success. They have an excellent squad of players which they have helped Harry build. However, this is a huge gamble. There is no doubt Adams has been a successful number two at Fratton Park but he has only been in the role for a little over two years. Just ask Sammy Lee how easy the step up is.

What do you make of Adams’ appointment? Is he the right man for the job or is it the wrong move for Pompey? Send us your comments in the boxes below.

Lineman lands double

Morning everyone, another successful weekend with Tatenen (4/7) and Witchita Lineman (3/1) both winning to land our £25 win double to secure another £132.14 for the pot.

There was a feast of National Hunt action on Saturday and Sunday with quality performances on show. I saw enough from Voy Por Ustedes (general 5/1 chance) to suggest a huge run in the King George VI Chase at Kempton Park.

Exotic Dancer also ran a blinder and has seen his odds slashed (10/1 from 20/1) for the Boxing Day clash.

AP McCoy was seen at his vintage best in getting our selection Witchita Lineman first past the post at Chepstow, while Ruby Walsh enjoyed a far easier ride aboard Tatenen.

I wasn't too impressed with the jumping of Witchita Lineman and he'll need to fence a lot smarter if he is to take his chances in the top novice chases this season.

Tatenen, however, was very, very impressive. The Arkle at the Cheltenham Festival is his number one target.

Paul Nicholls' Stable Tour in the Racing Post makes for interesting reading and Mobaasher is an interesting one which he has picked out as a 'dark horse' always highly regarded when under the care of Charlie Mann, I reckon a small each-way interest in the Stayers' Hurdle (general 20/1chance) at Cheltenham could be worthwhile.

All-time record: Bets 79; Winners 25; Losers 53; Non-runners 1; Profit £950.43.

Redknapp's right for Spurs

Harry Redknapp has been named Spurs boss after Juande Ramos got the chop - and he's just the man to dig the once-proud club out of their current plight.
Spurs' decline has been of their own making. Sacking Martin Jol, who guided them to two fiith-place finishes, was lunacy. Flogging your two main strikers? Well done! Bringing in a multi-layered continental management structure? Fergie and Wenger seem to manage just fine on their own.
Now they've turned to good old 'Arry, and I reckon this time they've got it right. He's leaving Portsmouth with the best group of players the club has ever had, having brought them a real trophy in the FA Cup (the Carling Cup doesn't count, Spurs fans...) and enhancing his reputation no end.
If Spurs finish anywhere above the bottom three, it'll be an achievement. Performances this season have been staggeringly woeful ("apart from 20 minutes against Stoke!", I hear you cry) culminating in Uefa Cup defeat at Udinese which was the last straw for the Spurs board.
Survive, and next season Harry's just the man to kick on and lift the club back to former glories.

What do you think about Redknapp's appointment? Send in your views below.

Place your faith in novices

Morning everyone, hope you've had a good week - after just missing out with French Saulaie we're gunning for two winners on Saturday.

I don't know about you, but for me it's been a real struggle flicking through the endless column space dedicated to the bells and whistles that is the Breeders' Cup (yawn, yawn).

Now we've got Newmarket out of the way (he says checking his diary) perhaps the real focus can turn to everything National Hunt.

There are a couple of cracking cards on Saturday Aintree and Chepstow which really, really does signal the start of the jumps' season.

I'm going to put my faith in a couple of novice chasers which I'm more than confident will pay their way as they switch from hurdles to the chasing game.

Firstly Paul Nicholls' Tatenen (Aintree 1.35pm) looks a sound bet.

The four-year-old has only run twice over hurdles and has smart form with the well-regarded Franchoek.

The French-bred is bound to have been well schooled at home and the only danger is Howard Johnson's Striking Article.

The other to watch out for is Jonjo O'Neill's Witchita Lineman (Chepstow 2.20pm), who is also taken to score at the first time of asking over the bigger obstacles.

The JP McManus seven-year-old has very smart staying hurdle form and given a different challenge, I feel fences could be the making of him. Big Fella Thanks will surely follow our selection home. 

I can't see either being particluarly big prices, but they both should be a shade of odds-against. I'm going to put them in a £25 win double.

Good luck if you're going racing this weekend.

All-time record: Bets 78; Winners 24; Losers 53; Non-runners 1; Profit £818.29.

From the Touchlines: Our England XV

It was hardly breaking news on Tuesday when Danny Cipriani was called up to England's 32-man squad for the November internationals.

Cipriani had claimed in the preceding weeks that all he cared about was getting back playing for club side Wasps - that is until he was called up by Martin Johnson, after which he said getting back in the England squad had been the real driving force in his remarkable recovery from injury.

The 20-year-old looks certain to be England's first-choice fly-half for the four Tests against the Pacific Islands, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand.

But what of the other 14 selections? In the backline, it seems impossible to overlook Toby Flood on current form while Nick Abendanon, who, like Cipriani, was a new call-up on Tuesday, deserves a chance at 15.

Elsewhere in the backs, Harlequins' Danny Care is the star scrum-half in the Guinness Premiership and, if Johnson is true to his word of picking on current form and not reputations, then he deserves the nod. Jamie Noon has done little wrong at outside centre for Newcastle this season and, as for the two wings, Wasps duo Paul Sackey and Josh Lewsey have the experienced heads England require.

Up front, captain Phil Vickery ought to keep his place for at least 60 minutes, with Matt Stevens coming on as a supersub. Dylan Hartley has been the pick of the hookers on Northampton's return to the Premiership and man mountain Andrew Sheridan is a guaranteed front-row starter.

The stunning line-out combination of Steve Borthwick and Nick Kennedy ought to trouble opponents while the backrow is a tighter call.

Michael Lipman's been in fine form as Bath captain and clearly caught Johnson's eye so he is worthy of a slot in the pack while Wasps duo Tom Rees and James Haskell should also get a chance to shine.

Here's our England line-up for the November Tests: Abendanon; Sackey, Noon, Flood, Lewsey; Cipriani, Care; Sheridan, Hartley, Vickery; Borthwick, Kennedy; Lipman, Rees, Haskell.

Do you agree with our selections? We want to hear your starting XVs so post them below...

Becks to join Milan... Your views

It seems as though the rollercoaster career of David Beckham has taken yet another dramatic twist with the revelation that the England international is set for a shock loan switch to AC Milan.

Becks is expected to join the Italian club in January to keep himself in shape during the close of the MLS season as he looks to prolong his international career.

But is this the right move for Becks? Do you think that a few months in Italy will help him add to his 107 caps?

At the age of 33 and the emerging talent of young Theo Walcott, there are questions over whether Beckham should even be considered for the international side. After all, England look a far more balanced and complete team with Becks on the bench given their recent performances.

Beckham may not even figure in the Milan team when you glance at their talented midfield which consists of Kaka, Seedorf, Gattuso, Pirlo, Flamini, Emerson and Ambrosini. That makes you wonder whether Milan actually want Becks for his ability or whether that plan on exploiting his marketable commodity to boost sales in the club shop.

What do you make of Beckham’s expected switch to Milan? Is it a win-win situation for the former Manchester United and Real Madrid star? Do you think this will help him near Peter Shilton’s record as England's most capped player? Have your say in the boxes below.