Mauricio Pochettino is the next manager up to speak. 

He has some bad news regarding Danny Rose's knee injury. 

"Danny had a scan yesterday now we need to wait until Monday to see the specialist".

It is thought he will be out for a month but we are told Jan Vertonghen is better and starting to run. 

Hugo Lloris trained yesterday and today and will be available to face Middlesbrough on Saturday. 

Pochettino adds, "Erik Lamela's progression is good. Day by day he's getting there. It's important to be cautious but positive."

Image source, Getty Images

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This is the first time that Sam Allardyce has been the highest spending manager in the League during a transfer window. 

"Are you going to sing that song to me? "Hey Big Spender..."  he jokes.

Can we expect another sideline dance if you win this weekend Sam? 

"It went viral that one! 

"It took far too long for a win & sometimes you have to release that emotion" he explains...

Some things, you can't explain Sam...  

Luka Milivojevic is away sorting his visa ("and bringing his family over. It's  disappointing that it's going to take a bit longer than we thought") and Mamadou Sakho is "lacking match sharpness, so will only make the bench while we get him up to speed" says Allardyce.

The Palace boss also says they "can't afford a single slip with Jermain Defoe about. 

"We have to be very sharp defensively to try to nullify him. I have great admiration for him."

"It's the ultimate six-pointer again. It is a big boost psychologically if you climb out of the bottom three. The pressure is relentless at this level". 

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Palace boss Allardyce says they have massive pressure on them at the moment.

"We'll be expected to win this game. We had that against Swansea, have to deal with it.

"For the players it's about making sure we focus. I'd hate to see the type of performance we gave against Swansea.

Allardyce is facing his former club for the first time since he left last year to take the England manager position. 

"I don't really know. No way I could turn the England job down so I'm sure they'll be okay."

New £14m signing, Patrick van Aanholt will also face his former club for the first time but Big Sam says he will be "okay". 

"He's a professional, he chose us and very quickly he's playing his old club. We will want to give a good performance". 

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Sam Allardyce has been chatting with the press. 

Palace, in 18th position, face bottom side Sunderland on Saturday - three points would take the home side out of the relegation zone... 

The gaffer starts with some team news. 

"All players who were involved in the win at Bournemouth on Tuesday are fine. We've gained a bit of confidence and need that level of performance Saturday.  

"Jeffrey Schlupp won't be fit for this weekend and Bakary Sako has come back from Africa Cup of Nations with a hamstring problem".

Allardyce says that the club's reduction of injuries is down to "us re-addressing processes and the cryotherapy unit".... where players are essentially put in a freezer for a few minutes to help in the repair and recovery of muscle tissue by reducing inflammation. 

Sounds awful... 

We have asked four wise old heads (which I'm sure they will love being called), what they expect to happen over the next seven weeks in the Six Nations.

Jeremy Guscott, Jonathan Davies, Keith Wood and Andy Nicol have 191 Test caps - including 13 for the British and Irish Lions - between them.

They will be on your televisions and radios analysing all the action from the 2017 tournament - but we've nabbed them first to find out who they expect to win, and plenty more besides.

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Judy Murray knows a bit about how to succeed on a tennis court.

After all, sons Andy and Jamie finished 2016 ranked number one in the world in singles and doubles respectively.

And she's long been an advocate for the women's game, both at the elite end - as Fed Cup captain until last year - and as a coach at grassroots level.

The latter is where she is currently focusing her attention, teaming up with the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) to launch a coaching initiative called She Rallies, which kicks off in Birmingham from 3-5 February.

Put simply, the idea is to coach the next generation of female coaches, which will help raise standards of tennis provision across the country and attract and retain women and girls as active participants in the sport.  

You can read more about it here. 

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Atletico Madrid defender Lucas Hernandez was arrested in the early hours of Friday on suspicion of assaulting his girlfriend.

The 20-year-old France Under-21 international was involved in a domestic dispute, according to Spanish police.

He is due to appear in front of a judge in Madrid later on Friday.

Hernandez last played for Atletico in a 2-2 draw at Eibar in La Liga on 25 January.

Image source, Get

Ryder Cup team-mates Martin Kaymer and Rafa Cabrera Bello set the early clubhouse target before play was suspended in the Dubai Desert Classic.

Several trees were blown over by the strong winds at Emirates Golf Club, prompting tournament officials to halt play at 2:25pm local time (10:25 GMT).

Kaymer and Cabrera Bello had earlier defied the conditions to card second rounds of 69 and reach four under par, with South Africa's George Coetzee leading on nine under after eight holes when the sirens sounded.

Simon Stone
BBC Sport

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Manchester United have recalled goalkeeper Dean Henderson from his loan spell at League Two Grimsby.

As Henderson was playing regularly, it suggests Jose Mourinho has suffered an injury amongst his three main goalkeepers.

David de Gea played against Hull on Wednesday, with Sergio Romero on the bench.

Third choice Joel Perreira, who made his first-team debut in the FA Cup win at Wigan on Sunday, featured for United’s Under-23 team in their defeat by Everton on Tuesday.

Richard Wilford
BBC WM

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West Brom boss Tony Pulis says he does not "give a damn" about Saido Berahino's future because the Stoke City striker is no longer his problem.

Potters boss Mark Hughes confirmed Berahino, who joined the Potters in January, had served an eight-week suspension when he was at West Brom.

His comments follow newspaper reports Berahino was banned after failing an out-of-competition drugs test.

"Anything Stoke asked for, we told them the truth," Pulis told BBC WM Sport.

"We never picked him again because his fitness levels, mental levels, were never what we wanted.

"This club has been absolutely fantastic towards Saido. The way it's protected him, the way it's looked after him. He should be really, really grateful."

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Slaven Bilic has had some lovely words to say about about his former team-mate Frank Lampard, who retired from football yesterday. 

"Frank is one of the biggest legends in the Premier League. I know him well as he started when I was playing for West Ham.

"I use his example many times and what he achieved is purely unbelievable. He's a top player, top gentleman and top everything.

"After every session he was doing shooting practice or doing sprints to improve. He is the greatest example to young players.

"Frank is always welcome in our Club and I'm sure he is going to be as serious in coaching and management as he was as a player."  

That's all from Bilic today.

Next manager to speak should be Sam Allardyce at Crystal Palace, but you never know with these Premier League clubs... 

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Following reports in the tabloids this morning that the club are looking to sign Manchester City keeper Joe Hart once his loan spell at Torino is up, (see 08:44), Slaven Bilic was asked if there was any truth to the rumour... 

"We are heavily linked with every player looking for a move! I rate Joe Hart really highly as a great goalkeeper and personality. On the other hand, if there is one position that I am not even thinking of changing it is goalkeeper because I have two great ones". 

Well that's shut those rumours up hasn't it...

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West Ham's Slaven Bilic has been chatting to the press ahead of the weekend's tie away to Southampton. 

Blilic says Jose Fonte is looking forward to facing his former club for the first time since joining the Hammers. 

"Fonte is a very experienced player and is focused. He has nothing but good memories of Southampton". 

Bilic also brings us some team news, and says they have "nothing serious" to report. 

"Sam Byram has a hamstring [issue] but we hope he will be OK".  

Former New Zealand captain Richie McCaw - in the UK for the premiere of his film Chasing Great - has some advice for the Six Nations' leaders ahead of the 2017 tournament, which kicks off with Scotland v Ireland on Saturday.  

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Ross McCormack has admitted he missed training at Aston Villa because his electronic gate was stuck but says reports manager Steve Bruce jumped a fence to confront him are false.

Villa disciplined the Scottish striker more than once for failing to attend training, with one excuse that a faulty gate, external prevented him leaving his house.

McCormack, 30, moved to Nottingham Forest on loan following the incident.

"The fence was taller than me and I'm not 4ft 6in," McCormack told BBC Sport.

"It was icy and raining. What if I'd rolled my ankle?

"It sounds far fetched but the gate was stuck... I had to wait for the company," he added.

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Unfortunatey he is not coming out of retirement to play again... now that WOULD be a story.

Basketball great Magic Johnson has returned to the Los Angeles Lakers as an adviser to owner Jeanie Buss.

The Lakers are struggling again this season after three years of decline in which they have posted the worst results in their history.

Three-time Most Valuable Player Johnson spent his entire 13-year career with the Lakers, winning five championships with the franchise.

"I'm overjoyed to be back home with the Lakers," Johnson said.

"I will do everything in my power to help return them to their rightful place among the elite teams of the NBA," added the 57-year-old.

Simon Stone
BBC Sport

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Burnley midfielder Joey Barton has accepted a Football Association charge that he placed 1,260 bets on matches over the past 10 years.

Barton, who was charged in December, has requested a personal hearing before being sanctioned for breaking FA rules by betting on "matches or competitions" between 26 March 2006 and 13 May 2016.

It is expected Barton will offer mitigation for the breaches.

Image source, Gett

Britain's Luke Rowe claimed his first solo win in more than four years to win stage two of the Herald Sun Tour.

The Welshman raced clear in the 165.6km stage from Mount Beauty to Beechworth in Australia to win by 33 seconds.

Defending champion Chris Froome, a Team Sky team-mate of Rowe, dropped a place to sixth overall, one minute 12 seconds behind overall leader Damien Howson.

"When we hit that final climb the legs felt good, I attacked and rode home solo," Rowe told BBC Radio Wales Sport.

Ominous but it's a rugby kind of war - don't panic...............yet.

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England head coach Eddie Jones has warned France to expect another "war" when they visit Twickenham in their Six Nations opener on Saturday.

It is the 103rd meeting between the sides, with England sealing the Grand Slam with a win in Paris last March.

Elliot Daly starts on the wing for the hosts, while Maro Itoje will start a Test for the first time on the flank.

"It's always a historic game, certainly there is history between France and England," explained Jones.