Hoddle, sacked as Spurs boss last month, worked under Pleat at White Hart Lane but accused the director of football of undermining his position at the club.

"Shafted," is The Sun's no-nonsense take on the row, focussing on Hoddle's claims that this was the second time that Pleat had made damning criticisms in the media, the first being when Hoddle left Spurs as a player 13 years ago.

The Daily Mail leads with the same story, and reports on Hoddle's claims that Pleat should be given the Spurs job on a permanent basis "because no-one else could work with him."

Liverpool's Harry Kewell's first reunion with Leeds since his transfer also offers up the potential for some decent aggro, with the Daily Express reporting that Elland Road chairman Professor John McKenzie will stay away from the match in protest.

Kewell's claim in The Sun that Leeds fans "don't think I'm a greedy git" remains to be seen.

BACK PAGE HEADLINES The Times: Facing up to a few home truths [RWC preview] The Guardian: Confident Kewell happy and hopeful at Liverpool The Daily Telegraph: THG: Korchemny plays it cool in waiting game The Independent: Wales confront weight of a glorious history The Sun: Shafted: Pleat did me in twice says Hoddle Daily Express: It's Mad: Rooney overwhelmed by his rise to superstardom Daily Mail: Hod's revenge- Daily Star: Knife Guy Pleat Daily Mirror:Five players fail drug test

The Daily Mirror moves the all-engulfing controversy surrounding drugs in sport on with the news that five unnamed footballers have failed drugs tests for recreational substances over the past few months.

Away from football, England's cricketers embarrassing struggle to overcome Test minnows Bangladesh has also got the hacks sharpening their pens.

Michael Vaughan's men go into the final day in Dhaka trailing by 153 runs, running the risk of becoming the first team to fail to beat Bangladesh, with the exception of a rain-affected draw against Zimbabwe.

"England in final day struggle to avoid biggest humiliation," is The Independent's brutally forthright headline with columnist Angus Fraser (a former England fast bowler, so no stranger to the occasional sporting slip-up) blaming the top order batsmen.

In The Daily Telegraph the performance is described as an "unfolding fiasco" although it does concede that, should Bangladesh get themselves into a winning position, "they are quite capable of bottling it."

And finally, with all four home nations in action at the Rugby World Cup over the weekend, Wales' make-or-break match against Italy comes in for particular attention.

A win is likely to secure a quarter-final spot, but defeat will mean Wales will have to overcome the formidable All Blacks to make the last eight.

"Written in red - win or bust for Hansen," says The Guardian.