Gus Poyet has taken his seat. In fact here's the proof.

Image source, Twitter

The Sunderland boss is asked about opponents Aston Villa and says: "The two games they have won are derbies so they're totally different - they are unique games.

"I played with [Villa boss] Tim Sherwood and he has a strong footballing character. He's a winner and what you see is what you get with him and his teams."

We have our first winner of a soggy final day at the Cheltenham Festival.

The 2-1 favourite Peace and Co, ridden by Barry Geraghty, has won the Triumph Hurdle. AP McCoy's mount, Hargam, was third.

Top Notch came home in second place, making it a 1-2-3 for trainer Nicky Henderson.

Who will join Chelsea and Man City in the Premier league's top four this season?

Max Baggins-Craig: My predictions: Chelsea, City, United, Arsenal, Liverpool, Saints, Spurs (Europa, League Cup runners up), Swansea, Hammers, Stoke.

Aashish: It is hard to disagree with Mr Savage's top-four selection, given his analysis of the run-in with the teams and their respective schedules. So Arsenal third, and Liverpool fourth.

MyChemicalGaming: Look at Spurs' run-in. If they perform against Man Utd and Southampton; they will get fourth easy. Third will be Arsenal.

Rikki Burns: Better than the race for fourth spot is the battle for 10th place between Newcastle and West Ham.

Would that be a touch of sarcasm Mr Burns?

A little team news ahead of the Magpies clash with Everton.

"Remy Cabella and Rob Elliot are back in the squad following injury. They are raring to go," says Carver.

"Massadio Haidara had an injection in his knee and it hasn't settled down so he won't be fit for the weekend."

Like Alan Pardew earlier, John Carver is another manager trying to shift the onus on to the opponents.

Image source, Getty Images

"Everton have 12 or 14 extra games than us and it's draining from a physical and injury point of view," the Magpies boss said.

"All the pressure is on them on Sunday. There is none on us and we have to go there and express ourselves."

Hull City striker Jonathon Margetts has been rewarded for scoring a hat-trick in each of his last three matches by being offered a first shot at league football with Cambridge United.

The 21-year-old heads to the League Two side on a deal until the end of the season having scored 14 goals in just 13 games for the Under-21s this season.

He hit trebles in reserve games with Mansfield, Hartlepool and Scunthorpe prior to sealing his move to the Abbey Stadium.

Frank Keogh at Cheltenham
BBC Sport

The scene at Cheltenham, and the weather doesn't look too hot...

Image source, Getty Images

A classic case of trying to shift the pressure on to Palace's Saturday opponents now from Pardew.

"The game is more important for QPR, it's probably a must-win," he says. "We have to pick up points when we can and we'll be OK.

"My team is very focused, they're terrific to work with and have had a good week's work ahead of a local derby.

"We want to get our stadium rocking and we need wins to do that."

Pellegrini's agent this week raised the prospect of his client joining Napoli at the end of the season amid speculation the Chilean's position at City is under threat.

"My future is very easy," Pellegrini said. "I have a contract here until June 2016 and I will finish my contract here. And if I can extend my contract I will. When I sign a contract I always try to finish it.

"If I'm not happy, maybe you try to finish before, but I'm very happy."

Alan Pardew is next up and he arrives with some team news.

"Yaya Sanogo is available but Marouane Chamakh is not," he tells the media.

The manager will also have striker Glenn Murray back after suspension.

Image source, Getty Images

Pardew is next asked about keeper Julian Speroni, at fault for a couple of goals of late.

As you'd expect, the boss is supportive of his player. "He has been brilliant for this football club and a few have gone in off him recently but he's been great apart from that," Pardew says.

And continuing the theme of the last post... Man City manager Manuel Pellegrini is talking to journalists, and the first question is about that alleged half-time bust-up at Liverpool last time out.

Image source, Getty Images

"Inside the dressing room we didn't have any problem," says Pellegrini, though he doesn't seem entirely comfortable talking about it.

"There was no bust up, and it is not important to talk about something that happened 20 years ago."

Asked what the spirit inside the camp is like, he gives a one-word answer: "Normal".

Manchester City midfielder Fernandinho has denied that he had a half-time fight with skipper Vincent Kompany during the recent Premier League defeat at Liverpool, according to the Manchester Evening News, external.

Image source, Getty Images

The paper reports that instead it was simply "a conversation".

"I have seen a few things about this, and people are creating and telling stories, even though it didn't happen that way," said the midfielder

England beat Afghanistan at the Cricket World Cup today. Here are some of the messages you've been sending...

Glenn: England's batting line-up should've been... Hales, Ali, Taylor, Bell, Root, Morgan, Butler, Woakes, Broad, Tredwell, Anderson.

Steve Handicott: Knighthood for Peter Moores?

Ian Lamerton: Wow! How bad must Afghanistan be?

We'll leave that there I think.

Image source, Getty Images

Jose continues to be a tad prickly with the media…

"The nature of a journalist's job is to go with the wind. If the wind blows one way, you go that way. If it blows another, you go the other way.

"I'm not like that with my players. I trust them whether we win or we lose. I support my players. We win together and we lose together."

A final line from the Blues boss: "The future now is to try in the Premier League and if we finish the season winning the PL and the League Cup, then that is a brilliant season."

And with that, he's gone.

Award-winning stuff from the Portuguese. He could have only topped that performance by swirling a cape over his shoulders and scattering bystanders with a cane as he left the room.

Another question about his players surrounding the referee is too much for Jose to bear it seems.

Get ready for a long reply, in which he accuses Graeme Souness and Jamie Carragher - pundits very critical of his team on Sky - of "envy".

Image source, Getty Images

"One by one in the tunnel after the PSG game, I shook the hands of not just their players but the coaches and everyone else from PSG. I told them they deserved to win and good luck for the future.

"This is the way we behave after a defeat. I am not like the way people sometimes like to describe me.

"The world is a bit strange, maybe because of diets and the quality of the products we are eating, I think memories are getting shorter. Because when Carragher and Souness speak about it, it is because they are having a problem for sure.

"Carragher stopped playing two years ago and it seems he's forgotten everything on the pitch. Mr Souness has also forgotten, though he stopped playing a long time ago. He also forgets that I know so much about him, because he left Benfica as coach.

"But I prefer to laugh and to say the envy is the biggest thing that the shadows do to the man."

That's told them then.

Asked about the spotlight on his team after claims they tried to pressurise the referee into dismissing PSG striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic in midweek, he said:

"If my players surround the referee, we are charged. We have to pay a fine and if we do that, the players pay the fine. At this moment we have eight months of competition, we have been charged once and we paid for that. It's as simple as that.

"Go to the Premier League and see how many teams are charged. The only thing I know is Chelsea were charged once. It is my responsibility to train the players and help them cope with the pressure.

"The people that were out of the Champions League on Wednesday are the same people that won the League Cup and the same people that are going to win the Premier League. It is the same people."

After further questioning from a persistent journalist over the Champions League exit:

"Why are you so pessimistic in life? It is more difficult to succeed. Maybe you are a guy with great potential and you don't move on because you are a pessimist. Believe in yourself, be positive.

"We have 11 matches to play, We have an advantage of five points with a match in hand. We cannot promise we will win every game but we are optimistic.

"You look very pessimistic. You have to enjoy life in a different way. So move on with your questions man."

That told him...

Image source, Getty Images

Jose Mourinho is in one of his moods today and doesn't want to share details of the inquest into Chelsea's Champions League exit with the assembled media.

"I reflect on the game with the players, but not with you," he told the media above the loud clatter of what sounds likes dozens and dozens of cameras.

"I had a meeting with the players, I am working for the future. I don't have to share that with you."

Did the players react well to that meeting?

"Everybody spoke. It was very interactive. It was good. But I don't share that with you."

England's Holly Clyburn carded a second-round 65 to move within a shot of the lead in the World Ladies Championship at Mission Hills.

Clyburn carded nine birdies and one bogey on the Blackstone Course to finish eight under par, one behind defending champion Inbee Park of South Korea who had a second successive 69.

Wales' Becky Morgan, who held a share of the lead with Park overnight, could only manage a one-over-par 74 to drop back into a three-way share of fourth place on three under.

We brought you the news earlier that Manor Marussia may have to skip Sunday's season-opening due to computer problems.

Their woes could well make an already bleak situation worse for McLaren-Honda, who had a troubled pre-season and looked off the pace in today's practice sessions.

Image source, Getty Images

McLaren's Jenson Button was 3.69 seconds slower than Nico Rosberg's pace-setting Mercedes, while team-mate Kevin Magnussen suffered a crash early in FP2.

"I'm hoping it won't be last row of the grid," Button said when asked about his predictions for qualifying. "Hopefully 20 cars will run."