Balance
Profit €275.25
Result Sunderland 0 Manchester United 4(Rooney 20,Saha 30,86p,Ronaldo 45)
Only a small profit this week of €12 with €20 on over 3.5 goals at 3.1,€30 wasted on over 4.5 goals.In retrospect I should have stuck the lot on the former rather than split it between both bets but hindsight is a wonderful thing,not when your gambling though!United 3-0 up at halftime I'd be lying if I didn't say I was counting the top dollars but alas one Louis Saha penalty was all United could add to their first half tally.
Next up so is first goalscorer Ronaldo's first team and United's feeder club Sporting Clube De Portugal aka Sporting Lisbon.The Lions are away to Porto team Boavista this evening and I fancy a draw with few goals 0-0 or 1-1.On this basis I am going to go for a Halftime-Fulltime bet of draw-draw at a nice price of 4/1.I had one look at the home and away stats this year(see below) and decided €50 on this for my first bet of the new year.
The Portugeuse League is all about the big three; Lisbon's Sporting and Benfica and then Porto.The three teams have an amazing 71 league titles out of 73 between them with Benfica as the most successful club with 31 titles.Two clubs have interrupted the big three's League winning exploits and that was Belenenses in 1946 and Boavista in 2001.
Boavista are currently 14th in the League,one spot above relegation and are desperate for points.They have drawn half their games this season and another draw against Sporting hopefully is on the cards.
Sporting's prestigious youth academy in recent years has produced many top players including home bred players such as Figo,Ronaldo and Nani.Other players who also attended the academy were Simao,Viana and Quaresma.However they are all gone now.
Best of the Hoops(unfortunely does not include Phil Babb and Alan Mahon)
Portugal's Superliga is ranked the sixth highest league in Europe and therefore holds three Champions League spots.No need to guess who is holding those three places in January.It is astonishing that a country that is reknown as futebol mad and that a country that has had a UEFA Cup and Champions League winner this decade struggles to put bums on seats.Attendances last year for the top three averages 30,000 plus ,outside of these attendances are so poor that last year's eight team ,Nacional only averaged 1,920 and past Champions League club Boavista averaged under 5,000.Dalymount doesn't compare so bad to these!
So why are attendances so low?
One reason is cable station SportTv gives blanket coverage of the Superliga,a dream for armchair fans and a nightmare for attendances.Stadia shouldn't be a problem after Euro 2004 with new grounds rebuilt and existing grounds modernised.It is an age old excuse here in the Eircom League that dismal facilities keep the crowds away.Would a spanking new stadium,say beside the airport have them coming in their droves,probably not.Definitely not for União de Leiria whose Estádio Municipal de Leiria Dr. Magalhães Pessoa purpose built for Euro 2004 with a capacity of 30,000 seats but this years average attendance is only less than four thousand.
The real reason for the poor averages is not unlike football in Ireland with it's fascination with a different product,the only difference here is that the product involved is actually in Portugal.Most Portuguese football fans would rather support one of the big three than their local club,sad but true.
http://www.european-football-statistics.co.uk/attn/current/avepor.htm
STATS
Boavista at home this season
P7 W2 D3 L2 F10 A11 Pts 9
Sporting away this season
P7 W2 D3 L2 F5 A6 Pts 9
TRIVIA
Which legendary Real Madrid player managed Sporting Lisbon in the 70s?
Last weeks answer Oldham Athletic 6-3 at Boundary Park.
Wednesday, December 26, 2007
Wednesday, December 19, 2007
Week 7 Sunderland v Man United 26th December 2007 WINNER!
Balance
Profit €263.25
Result Panionios 2(Djebbour 5p,Markos 19) Bordeaux 3(Cavenaghi 38,Tremoulinas 75,Moimbe 86)
Panionios threw away a two goal lead to crash out of the UEFA Cup and hand me €250; even at 2-2 it looked as though they would pip Galatasaray for third place in Group H and go into the draw for the last 32 of the UEFA Cup but a late Wielfried Moimbe goal gave the Turkish team the favour they needed.Plenty of goals in this game and I will be hoping for the same in my choice of game today.Laurent Blanc has begun well at Football Club des Girondins de Bordeaux,they are currently six points behind Lyon in third place in Ligue 1 and cruised into the next round of the UEFA Cup.
This is his first managerial post since finishing his playing career at Manchester United in 2003.Blanc is definitely a manager to look out for in the future.He finished his career at Man Utd with a Premier league title under his belt to add to World Cup and European Cup winners medals.He has also picked up other titles at Montpellier,Auxerre and Barcelona during his illustrious career.Eyebrows were raised when he signed for Manchester United to replace Jaap Stam in 2001 but after a trophy less first season the gamble paid of for the Red Devils as 'Larry White' helped United win the League in 2003.Also like Larsson last season his contribution in the background with younger players was of great value.
Another player who has represented Bordeaux and Manchester United is current Bordeaux striker David Bellion who was a flop at United but is enjoying better days back in France and is currently behind Karim Benzema in the Ligue 1 top goalscoring charts.
Two other players have represented United and Les Girondins;Jesper Olsen who is no longer involved in football after last year suffering a brain haemorrhage and of course United legend Eric Cantona.Cantona had a loan spell at Bordeaux during his indifferent club career in France before he came to world prominence playing for Leeds and Manchester United.Cantona had many spats with authorities whilst in France.In 1989 he was banned from international football for insulting the national coach on TV, a few months later Marseille banned him for a month for throwing his jersey away after being substituted in a friendly game against Torpedo Moscow.He went to Montpellier on a year long loan and whilst there he was involved in a fight with team mate Jean-Claude Lemoult and threw his boots in Lemoult's face. A group of players demanded that he be sacked.However a group of players including Blanc supported Cantona and retained his services.Back at Marseille he was at odds with manager Raymond Goethals and Bernard Tapie.He was transferred to Nimes and it was there when he threw a football at a referee having being angered at one of his decisions.He was banned for a month at a resulting disciplinary hearing by the FFF.His response was to walk over to each member of the hearing committee in turn and call him an "idiot". His ban was increased to 2 months.This was the last straw for Cantona and he walked away from French club football forever to become probably one of Manchester United's most influential players of the modern era.Cantona the philosopher..
Another player who has earned that tag is Roy Keane whose Sunderland are struggling at the moment.Keane is for the first time as a manager feeling the heat as his team are stuck in the relegation zone.A couple of last minute decisions may have not gone their way in recent weeks,right or wrong but it is clear that the players at his disposal are not good enough.Keane struggled to add quality players to his Championship winning squad and it will be interesting to see if he can sign quality in January.If not I think they could down alongside Derby and Fulham.Today they have to face Man United and I can't see anything other than a convincing win for the Red Devils who again are looking scary.Bad news for ABU's like myself!
Stephen's Day games are notoriously goal fests and with Aston Villa and Chelsea drawing 4-4 this morning and Spurs beating Fulham 5-1 I am going for a goal fest at the Stadium of Light also. I am putting €30 on over 4.5 goals in this game at 7.2 and €20 on over 3.5 goals at 3.1.
A Christmas feast of goals hopefully.
STATS
Manchester United on St. Stephen's Day under Alex Ferguson
P20 W15 D2 L3 F47 A19
TRIVIA
Manchester United shared 9 goals away from home with their opposition on St. Stephen's Day in 1991.Who did they beat and what score did they beat them?
Last weeks answer Mark Robbins.
Profit €263.25
Result Panionios 2(Djebbour 5p,Markos 19) Bordeaux 3(Cavenaghi 38,Tremoulinas 75,Moimbe 86)
Panionios threw away a two goal lead to crash out of the UEFA Cup and hand me €250; even at 2-2 it looked as though they would pip Galatasaray for third place in Group H and go into the draw for the last 32 of the UEFA Cup but a late Wielfried Moimbe goal gave the Turkish team the favour they needed.Plenty of goals in this game and I will be hoping for the same in my choice of game today.Laurent Blanc has begun well at Football Club des Girondins de Bordeaux,they are currently six points behind Lyon in third place in Ligue 1 and cruised into the next round of the UEFA Cup.
This is his first managerial post since finishing his playing career at Manchester United in 2003.Blanc is definitely a manager to look out for in the future.He finished his career at Man Utd with a Premier league title under his belt to add to World Cup and European Cup winners medals.He has also picked up other titles at Montpellier,Auxerre and Barcelona during his illustrious career.Eyebrows were raised when he signed for Manchester United to replace Jaap Stam in 2001 but after a trophy less first season the gamble paid of for the Red Devils as 'Larry White' helped United win the League in 2003.Also like Larsson last season his contribution in the background with younger players was of great value.
Another player who has represented Bordeaux and Manchester United is current Bordeaux striker David Bellion who was a flop at United but is enjoying better days back in France and is currently behind Karim Benzema in the Ligue 1 top goalscoring charts.
Two other players have represented United and Les Girondins;Jesper Olsen who is no longer involved in football after last year suffering a brain haemorrhage and of course United legend Eric Cantona.Cantona had a loan spell at Bordeaux during his indifferent club career in France before he came to world prominence playing for Leeds and Manchester United.Cantona had many spats with authorities whilst in France.In 1989 he was banned from international football for insulting the national coach on TV, a few months later Marseille banned him for a month for throwing his jersey away after being substituted in a friendly game against Torpedo Moscow.He went to Montpellier on a year long loan and whilst there he was involved in a fight with team mate Jean-Claude Lemoult and threw his boots in Lemoult's face. A group of players demanded that he be sacked.However a group of players including Blanc supported Cantona and retained his services.Back at Marseille he was at odds with manager Raymond Goethals and Bernard Tapie.He was transferred to Nimes and it was there when he threw a football at a referee having being angered at one of his decisions.He was banned for a month at a resulting disciplinary hearing by the FFF.His response was to walk over to each member of the hearing committee in turn and call him an "idiot". His ban was increased to 2 months.This was the last straw for Cantona and he walked away from French club football forever to become probably one of Manchester United's most influential players of the modern era.Cantona the philosopher..
Another player who has earned that tag is Roy Keane whose Sunderland are struggling at the moment.Keane is for the first time as a manager feeling the heat as his team are stuck in the relegation zone.A couple of last minute decisions may have not gone their way in recent weeks,right or wrong but it is clear that the players at his disposal are not good enough.Keane struggled to add quality players to his Championship winning squad and it will be interesting to see if he can sign quality in January.If not I think they could down alongside Derby and Fulham.Today they have to face Man United and I can't see anything other than a convincing win for the Red Devils who again are looking scary.Bad news for ABU's like myself!
Stephen's Day games are notoriously goal fests and with Aston Villa and Chelsea drawing 4-4 this morning and Spurs beating Fulham 5-1 I am going for a goal fest at the Stadium of Light also. I am putting €30 on over 4.5 goals in this game at 7.2 and €20 on over 3.5 goals at 3.1.
A Christmas feast of goals hopefully.
STATS
Manchester United on St. Stephen's Day under Alex Ferguson
P20 W15 D2 L3 F47 A19
TRIVIA
Manchester United shared 9 goals away from home with their opposition on St. Stephen's Day in 1991.Who did they beat and what score did they beat them?
Last weeks answer Mark Robbins.
Friday, December 14, 2007
Week 5 Rangers v Lyon 12th December 2007 WINNER!!
Balance
Loss €36.25
Result Marseille 2 (Rodriquez 52,Cana 70) Monaco 0
Well the draw never happened and now I was briefly back with a loss after ex Rangers player Julien Rodriguez and Albanian captain Lorik Cana scored two second half goals.I write briefly because I decided to back against Rodriquez's old club Rangers,against Lyon in the Champions League on Wednesday. My bet was a €50 asian handicap bet on Lyon 0 & -0.5 at odds of 1.99.I'm a busy man these days so never got to preview my decision and to prove I'm not a spoofer here's the bet!
Fixtures 12 December / Rangers v Lyon / Asian Handicap
Lyon 0 & -0.5
Back
10-Dec-0722:59 1.99 50.00
1.99 49.50
No more aftertimers I hope.The reason I backed against Rangers- the french connection,bad one at that and because they're Rangers in europe.
Rangers love affair with France hasn't really worked out with quite a few flops,none more so than Paul le Guen who had a disasterous spell in charge of the club.There was also the not so prolific World Cup winner Stéphene Guivarc'h(he is not alone Djimi won a Champions league medal in 2005),rubbish.Boumsong was promising but went too soon .Vignal scored in an Auld Firm then disappeared.Others like last weekends goalscorer Rodriquez,Letizi and Fanfan made little or no impact.
Then you had Basile Boli with a massive reputation and wage packet who just didn't do it and once said of his team's approach to a defeat against AEK Athens "You cannot go about winning such an important game when you are having a laugh in the dressing room half an hour before kick-off."They were probably having a laugh over this Basile,priceless video.Diamond Lights hasn't got a patch on it!
After nearly making the Champions League final the year Boli won it for Marseille, Rangers have done nothing in Europe with Smith who only took Rangers twice past Christmas in eight seasons and at the same time spending buckets of cash.
So has Smith learned anything from Europe from all those years ago.Well to be in the driving seat in this group and to throw it all away against a French club obviously not and once again a French man plays his part.Claude Darcheville the villain - missing the sitter of the season and then stamping on a player to earn a red card.
Alex Mc Leish was hounded out of the club the season he got Rangers to the last 16;a mistake?
STATS
Rangers in Europe
P 280 W125 D62 L93 F442 A 346
TRIVIA
Lyon retired the number 17 jersey in recognition of who?
Last weeks answer Basile Boli
Loss €36.25
Result Marseille 2 (Rodriquez 52,Cana 70) Monaco 0
Well the draw never happened and now I was briefly back with a loss after ex Rangers player Julien Rodriguez and Albanian captain Lorik Cana scored two second half goals.I write briefly because I decided to back against Rodriquez's old club Rangers,against Lyon in the Champions League on Wednesday. My bet was a €50 asian handicap bet on Lyon 0 & -0.5 at odds of 1.99.I'm a busy man these days so never got to preview my decision and to prove I'm not a spoofer here's the bet!
Fixtures 12 December / Rangers v Lyon / Asian Handicap
Lyon 0 & -0.5
Back
10-Dec-0722:59 1.99 50.00
1.99 49.50
No more aftertimers I hope.The reason I backed against Rangers- the french connection,bad one at that and because they're Rangers in europe.
Rangers love affair with France hasn't really worked out with quite a few flops,none more so than Paul le Guen who had a disasterous spell in charge of the club.There was also the not so prolific World Cup winner Stéphene Guivarc'h(he is not alone Djimi won a Champions league medal in 2005),rubbish.Boumsong was promising but went too soon .Vignal scored in an Auld Firm then disappeared.Others like last weekends goalscorer Rodriquez,Letizi and Fanfan made little or no impact.
Then you had Basile Boli with a massive reputation and wage packet who just didn't do it and once said of his team's approach to a defeat against AEK Athens "You cannot go about winning such an important game when you are having a laugh in the dressing room half an hour before kick-off."They were probably having a laugh over this Basile,priceless video.Diamond Lights hasn't got a patch on it!
After nearly making the Champions League final the year Boli won it for Marseille, Rangers have done nothing in Europe with Smith who only took Rangers twice past Christmas in eight seasons and at the same time spending buckets of cash.
So has Smith learned anything from Europe from all those years ago.Well to be in the driving seat in this group and to throw it all away against a French club obviously not and once again a French man plays his part.Claude Darcheville the villain - missing the sitter of the season and then stamping on a player to earn a red card.
Alex Mc Leish was hounded out of the club the season he got Rangers to the last 16;a mistake?
STATS
Rangers in Europe
P 280 W125 D62 L93 F442 A 346
TRIVIA
Lyon retired the number 17 jersey in recognition of who?
Last weeks answer Basile Boli
Week 6 Panionios V Bordeaux 19th December 2007 WINNER!!!
Balance
Profit €13.25
Result Rangers 0 Lyon 3(Govou16,Benzema85,88)
Claude Darcheville blamed himself for Rangers exiting the Champions League and falling into the UEFA Cup.They will join Darcheville's ex club Bordeaux in this competition as Laurent Blanc and his team have qualified for the next round already with one game left. This game is away to Greek team Panionios who need the win as Turkish giants Galatasaray are breathing down their necks one point behind.Bordeaux have won three out of three in Group H and are massive odds to win this game at 5/1.Even though they are through and have won the group i've already got stung once this season backing a sure thing this season,Milan and Celtic to draw??I've also landed Getafe and Hapoel Tel Aviv at great odds already this season in this competition so going to put €50 on a Bordeaux win.
Like its wine Bordeaux had a very good year in 1996 in this competition.They qualified by beating Karlsruhe in the Intertoto Cup final,one of their opponents on the way to that final were Dublin giants Bohemian FC.In the UEFA Cup they then disposed of FK Vardar,SC Rotor Volgrograd,Real Betis,AC Milan with an amazing 3 goal second leg comeback and finally Slavia Prague in the semi final to set up a meeting with Franz Beckenbauer's Bayern Munich.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ukDJVqB01kY
Panionios have a bit of European pedigree also,making the Quarter-Finals of the European Cup Winners Cup in 1999 managed by our own Ronnie Whelan.Ronnie didn't last much longer there when results started to go wrong and things began to get nasty.If they make the next round of the UEFA Cup and stop Galatasaray it will be their best achievement in Europe since 1999,i'm with the Turks this week though!
STATS
Panionios in Europe
P30 W13 D1 L16 F34 A50
TRIVIA
Ronnie Whelan brought an English striker and ex Manchester United player with him to Panionios.Who?
Last weeks answer Marc Vivien Foé
Profit €13.25
Result Rangers 0 Lyon 3(Govou16,Benzema85,88)
Claude Darcheville blamed himself for Rangers exiting the Champions League and falling into the UEFA Cup.They will join Darcheville's ex club Bordeaux in this competition as Laurent Blanc and his team have qualified for the next round already with one game left. This game is away to Greek team Panionios who need the win as Turkish giants Galatasaray are breathing down their necks one point behind.Bordeaux have won three out of three in Group H and are massive odds to win this game at 5/1.Even though they are through and have won the group i've already got stung once this season backing a sure thing this season,Milan and Celtic to draw??I've also landed Getafe and Hapoel Tel Aviv at great odds already this season in this competition so going to put €50 on a Bordeaux win.
Like its wine Bordeaux had a very good year in 1996 in this competition.They qualified by beating Karlsruhe in the Intertoto Cup final,one of their opponents on the way to that final were Dublin giants Bohemian FC.In the UEFA Cup they then disposed of FK Vardar,SC Rotor Volgrograd,Real Betis,AC Milan with an amazing 3 goal second leg comeback and finally Slavia Prague in the semi final to set up a meeting with Franz Beckenbauer's Bayern Munich.
Some of the greatest names probably ever to grace an UEFA Cup final .Bordeaux had Lizarazu,Zidane,Dugarry.Bayern Munich had Kahn,Matthaus,Babbel,Scholl,Hamann,Ziege,Klinsmann,Papin and Kostadinov.The Germans over the two legs showed their quality and experience winning 5-1 on aggregate .It wouldn't be the last we heard of Zidane and company though.The two legs-
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qS1HuK11dkk&feature=relatedhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ukDJVqB01kY
Panionios have a bit of European pedigree also,making the Quarter-Finals of the European Cup Winners Cup in 1999 managed by our own Ronnie Whelan.Ronnie didn't last much longer there when results started to go wrong and things began to get nasty.If they make the next round of the UEFA Cup and stop Galatasaray it will be their best achievement in Europe since 1999,i'm with the Turks this week though!
STATS
Panionios in Europe
P30 W13 D1 L16 F34 A50
TRIVIA
Ronnie Whelan brought an English striker and ex Manchester United player with him to Panionios.Who?
Last weeks answer Marc Vivien Foé
Saturday, December 1, 2007
Week 4 Marseille v Monaco 8th December 2007
Balance
Profit €13.75
Result Rosenborg 0 Chelsea 4 (Drogba 7,20,Alex 40,J.Cole 73)
So easy was Chelsea's win that the next bet was already picked at halftime after the Blues cruised to a 3-0 lead.The main man during the game was Didier Drogba;with the ex Marseille man scoring two early on to overhaul the handicap of -1.A further two goals from Alex and Joe Cole to made the win certain at 11/8 to give a small overall profit of €13.75.
Drogba first came to prominence playing for Marseille in the 2004 UEFA Cup run that ended in defeat to Valencia in the final.The towering striker was so impressive that Chelsea smashed their club record to pay £24m to bring him to the Bridge.Since he has left ,theyhaven't put a good European run together and this season they have been very poor domestically and lie currently 16th in the league.Next Tuesday they have a massive game against Liverpool in the Champions League but before that this weekend they play Monaco at the Stade Vélodrome,who are 8th in Ligue 1.
I fancy a draw here but instead of lashing the full €50 at 2/1 I have split the bet in three to try and get more value.So, I have gone €10 HT Marseille FT Draw at 19s,€10 HT Monaco FT Draw at 16s and €30 Draw/Draw at 4.8.Hopefully Marseille will have one eye on Tuesday and the teams cannot be seperated by the end of the game.
It has been a topsy turvy last decade for Marseille; runners up in the UEFA Cup twice and the French League once whilst twice surviving relegation by the skin of their teeth(One season by 3points and the other by 2 goals).Domestically they are looking like again being in a relegation dogfight if they don't pick up points quickly.If they go down who will save them from obscurity this time?
The last time Marseilles were in the second tier of French football was when they were administratively relegated to Ligue 2 in 1994 ,due to a bribery scandal involving then President Bernard Tapie.Cash strapped and in need of a quick return to the top tier who could they turn to?
None other than adopted(in more ways then one) Irishman Tony Cascarino.After a few crappy seasons at Villa,Celtic and Chelsea the big man decided to try and relive his Millwall glory days in the more salubrious settings of Southern France. Aged 32 now ,he decided to look after his body a lot better than he had done in his English playing days.Though back in England his diet didn't always hinder his football as he once scored for Gillingham a few hours after eating a double wimpy and chips followed by a knickerbocker glory.
The new lean mean Italian scoring machine kicked into gear and within two seasons Marseille were back in Ligue 1 thanks to Cas's amazing tally of 61 goals in 84 games. A true Marseillais legend.Cas went on to enjoy an indian summer with Nancy,playing on until he was 38.Enjoy the goals below,don't mind the bagpipes???
For more Cascarino tales I would highly recommend the following book Full Time: The Secret Life of Tony Cascarino. A critically acclaimed and honest autobiography,one of the best football reads around.
Who knows, he maybe commentating on a certain draw this weekend on Setanta's french football coverage, he has appeared before.Maybe I should be backing how many times he starts a sentence off with 'When I played for.......'
STATS
Marseille v Monaco at the Stade Vélodrome in Ligue 1
P38 W19 D11 L8
TRIVIA
Who scored the only goal in the 1993 European Cup final between Marseille and AC Milan?
Last weeks answer Skonto Riga FC.
Profit €13.75
Result Rosenborg 0 Chelsea 4 (Drogba 7,20,Alex 40,J.Cole 73)
So easy was Chelsea's win that the next bet was already picked at halftime after the Blues cruised to a 3-0 lead.The main man during the game was Didier Drogba;with the ex Marseille man scoring two early on to overhaul the handicap of -1.A further two goals from Alex and Joe Cole to made the win certain at 11/8 to give a small overall profit of €13.75.
Drogba first came to prominence playing for Marseille in the 2004 UEFA Cup run that ended in defeat to Valencia in the final.The towering striker was so impressive that Chelsea smashed their club record to pay £24m to bring him to the Bridge.Since he has left ,theyhaven't put a good European run together and this season they have been very poor domestically and lie currently 16th in the league.Next Tuesday they have a massive game against Liverpool in the Champions League but before that this weekend they play Monaco at the Stade Vélodrome,who are 8th in Ligue 1.
I fancy a draw here but instead of lashing the full €50 at 2/1 I have split the bet in three to try and get more value.So, I have gone €10 HT Marseille FT Draw at 19s,€10 HT Monaco FT Draw at 16s and €30 Draw/Draw at 4.8.Hopefully Marseille will have one eye on Tuesday and the teams cannot be seperated by the end of the game.
It has been a topsy turvy last decade for Marseille; runners up in the UEFA Cup twice and the French League once whilst twice surviving relegation by the skin of their teeth(One season by 3points and the other by 2 goals).Domestically they are looking like again being in a relegation dogfight if they don't pick up points quickly.If they go down who will save them from obscurity this time?
The last time Marseilles were in the second tier of French football was when they were administratively relegated to Ligue 2 in 1994 ,due to a bribery scandal involving then President Bernard Tapie.Cash strapped and in need of a quick return to the top tier who could they turn to?
None other than adopted(in more ways then one) Irishman Tony Cascarino.After a few crappy seasons at Villa,Celtic and Chelsea the big man decided to try and relive his Millwall glory days in the more salubrious settings of Southern France. Aged 32 now ,he decided to look after his body a lot better than he had done in his English playing days.Though back in England his diet didn't always hinder his football as he once scored for Gillingham a few hours after eating a double wimpy and chips followed by a knickerbocker glory.
The new lean mean Italian scoring machine kicked into gear and within two seasons Marseille were back in Ligue 1 thanks to Cas's amazing tally of 61 goals in 84 games. A true Marseillais legend.Cas went on to enjoy an indian summer with Nancy,playing on until he was 38.Enjoy the goals below,don't mind the bagpipes???
For more Cascarino tales I would highly recommend the following book Full Time: The Secret Life of Tony Cascarino. A critically acclaimed and honest autobiography,one of the best football reads around.
Who knows, he maybe commentating on a certain draw this weekend on Setanta's french football coverage, he has appeared before.Maybe I should be backing how many times he starts a sentence off with 'When I played for.......'
STATS
Marseille v Monaco at the Stade Vélodrome in Ligue 1
P38 W19 D11 L8
TRIVIA
Who scored the only goal in the 1993 European Cup final between Marseille and AC Milan?
Last weeks answer Skonto Riga FC.
Monday, November 26, 2007
Week 3 Rosenborg v Chelsea 28th November 2007 WINNER!!
Balance
Loss €55
Result Arsenal 2 (Gallas 83,Rosicky85) Wigan 0
The Gunner's left it very late on Saturday with Rosicky guaranteeing some payback(€45) when he made it 2-0 late on.This was after captain William Gallas scored Arsenal's 600th premiership home goal. Chelsea famously accused Gallas of threatening to deliberately score own goals if he wasn't allowed to leave after a contract dispute.The only own goal that was scored was by Chelsea;letting him go to one of their main rivals.
Chelsea without Gallas this week travel to Trondheim(Gilroys goodtimes)to take on Rosenborg in the Champions League.I'm going for a handicap bet again with €50 on Chelsea -1 at 11/8.With the Norwegian League finished since the 3rd November I'm hoping Rosenborg are a little rusty.Chelsea seem to have settled into their stride under Grant and have won three out of their last four league games by 2 goals or more.John Terry back fit is also a plus.
If I was to go on past games against Norwegian opposition I probably wouldn't be on this bet. Chelsea have actually lost two matches to Norwegian teams in Europe .The first was in the 97-98 Cup Winners Cup winning season against Tromso when they lost 3-2 in the home leg but hammered the Gutans(the boys) 7-1 in the return to make the quarter finals.On the way to the final that year they also beat Slovan Bratislava,Real Betis and Vicenzia.A Zola goal in Stockholm against Stuttgart won the final.
The following year they didn't retain the trophy but did beat Oslo side Valerenga in the quarter finals 6-2 .They have been knocked out of Europe by Viking FK in the 02-03 UEFA Cup first round losing 4-5 on aggregate after winning the home leg 2-1,Vikings most famous European victory.
You see there haven't been many Norwegian club victories over English teams in Europe down the years.There has been a few draws and a number of heavy defeats.Rosenborg beat Southampton 1-0 in a home leg in the Fairs Cup in 1969 but went out on aggregate and that has been it.The same has been the case on the national team scene with few victories against the English whom the Norwegians have always considered to be one of the best in the world.So for a country obsessed by the English league a victory over the Three Lions is huge.The greatest victory over the English has to be in 1993 when they beat them 2-0 to qualify for USA 94 but the most memorable was in September 1981 when Norway bet England in a World Cup qualifier 2-1. Nobody remembers the goalscorers but everyone remembers the famous speech from Norwegian commentator Bjorge Lillelien.Here it is translated in all its glory!
"We are best in the world! We are best in the world! We have beaten England 2-1 in football!! It is completely unbelievable! We have beaten England! England, birthplace of giants. Lord Nelson, Lord Beaverbrook, Sir Winston Churchill, Sir Anthony Eden, Clement Attlee, Henry Cooper, Lady Diana--we have beaten them all. We have beaten them all. Maggie Thatcher can you hear me?"
"Maggie Thatcher, I have a message to you during your election campaign. I have a message to you: Your boys took a hell of a beating! Your boys took a hell of a beating!"
Priceless.
That's all history though,hopefully Chelsea get the win they need on Wednesday and do it comfortably to send me into profit.
STATS
Chelsea against Norwegian opposition
P 7 W4 D1 L2 F20 A12
TRIVIA
Rosenborg 13 League titles in a row is second in the world to which team,who won 14 in a row?
Last weeks answer West Ham.
Loss €55
Result Arsenal 2 (Gallas 83,Rosicky85) Wigan 0
The Gunner's left it very late on Saturday with Rosicky guaranteeing some payback(€45) when he made it 2-0 late on.This was after captain William Gallas scored Arsenal's 600th premiership home goal. Chelsea famously accused Gallas of threatening to deliberately score own goals if he wasn't allowed to leave after a contract dispute.The only own goal that was scored was by Chelsea;letting him go to one of their main rivals.
Chelsea without Gallas this week travel to Trondheim(Gilroys goodtimes)to take on Rosenborg in the Champions League.I'm going for a handicap bet again with €50 on Chelsea -1 at 11/8.With the Norwegian League finished since the 3rd November I'm hoping Rosenborg are a little rusty.Chelsea seem to have settled into their stride under Grant and have won three out of their last four league games by 2 goals or more.John Terry back fit is also a plus.
If I was to go on past games against Norwegian opposition I probably wouldn't be on this bet. Chelsea have actually lost two matches to Norwegian teams in Europe .The first was in the 97-98 Cup Winners Cup winning season against Tromso when they lost 3-2 in the home leg but hammered the Gutans(the boys) 7-1 in the return to make the quarter finals.On the way to the final that year they also beat Slovan Bratislava,Real Betis and Vicenzia.A Zola goal in Stockholm against Stuttgart won the final.
The following year they didn't retain the trophy but did beat Oslo side Valerenga in the quarter finals 6-2 .They have been knocked out of Europe by Viking FK in the 02-03 UEFA Cup first round losing 4-5 on aggregate after winning the home leg 2-1,Vikings most famous European victory.
You see there haven't been many Norwegian club victories over English teams in Europe down the years.There has been a few draws and a number of heavy defeats.Rosenborg beat Southampton 1-0 in a home leg in the Fairs Cup in 1969 but went out on aggregate and that has been it.The same has been the case on the national team scene with few victories against the English whom the Norwegians have always considered to be one of the best in the world.So for a country obsessed by the English league a victory over the Three Lions is huge.The greatest victory over the English has to be in 1993 when they beat them 2-0 to qualify for USA 94 but the most memorable was in September 1981 when Norway bet England in a World Cup qualifier 2-1. Nobody remembers the goalscorers but everyone remembers the famous speech from Norwegian commentator Bjorge Lillelien.Here it is translated in all its glory!
"We are best in the world! We are best in the world! We have beaten England 2-1 in football!! It is completely unbelievable! We have beaten England! England, birthplace of giants. Lord Nelson, Lord Beaverbrook, Sir Winston Churchill, Sir Anthony Eden, Clement Attlee, Henry Cooper, Lady Diana--we have beaten them all. We have beaten them all. Maggie Thatcher can you hear me?"
"Maggie Thatcher, I have a message to you during your election campaign. I have a message to you: Your boys took a hell of a beating! Your boys took a hell of a beating!"
Priceless.
That's all history though,hopefully Chelsea get the win they need on Wednesday and do it comfortably to send me into profit.
STATS
Chelsea against Norwegian opposition
P 7 W4 D1 L2 F20 A12
TRIVIA
Rosenborg 13 League titles in a row is second in the world to which team,who won 14 in a row?
Last weeks answer West Ham.
Friday, November 23, 2007
Week 2 Arsenal v Wigan 24th November 2007 WINNER!
Balance
Loss €50
Result Wales 2 (Koumas23,89p) Rep Ireland (Keane 31,Doyle60).
So close to getting off to a winning start, denied by a debatable penalty after the Ukrainian referee Oriekhov judged that Paul McShane had hauled down David Cotterill inside the box. Wigan and Wales midfielder Koumas showed his nerve to score his second from the spot and give Wales the draw.
As I stated there will be a continuous theme to this blog and this week we are following Welsh man Koumas and his club team Wigan to the Emirates Stadium or Ashburton Grove; as a lot of Arsenal fans like to call their home ground. The bet this week will be €40 on Arsenal -2 to beat Wigan at evens and €10 on Arsenal -2 to draw against Wigan at 7/2 as insurance.
The Gunners are without Cesc but surely will have enough quality to beat a Wigan side who are to be still without a manager by kick off tomorrow.There has been a delay on Steve Bruce taking over caused by a row with Birmingham over monies(a few hundred thousand pounds) owed to them over image rights.I kid you not;Steve Bruce and image rights,they should be paying him to go if that is the case! They have reached a compromise and he should begin work at Wigan next Monday.So Frank Barlow's two games in charge will have been against the two North London clubs and won't relish Arsenal after losing 4-0 to Spurs.
Arsene Wenger is going for his 4th Premiership title ' the most impressive being his 3rd title in 2003/2004.There were so many highlights that season such as the opening fixture at home to Everton when Sol Campbell got sent off in first half hour and still they still won 2-1,hammering Middlebrough 4-0 away,Portsmouth 1-1 at home with a dive from Pires winning the Gunners a peno, Van Nistelrooys injury time missed penalty at Old Trafford and Martin Keowns reaction,Henry's hatrick when beating Liverpool 4-2, then his 4 goals away to Leeds and of course the final game coming from behind to beat relegated Leicester 2-1. The Premiership is lucky to have Wenger and for me that team are the best footballing team I have seen in the Premiership(not the English League mind you pre 92 which a lot of people and Skyports tend to ignore).An amazing season with quality football and one that may never be topped.
Arsenal however this season are looking to do that and with nearly a third of the season gone they remain unbeaten.They are currently 9.4 on Befair to go unbeaten for the rest of the season and if this years class do so it will be some achievement with such a young squad.Already the Emirates has become a fortress with only one competitive defeat to West Ham last season and with home wins of 7-0 ,5-0 and a couple of 3-0s this season the future looks bright for the Gunners again and hopefully for my blog balance.
Football will always win.
STATS
League record at Emirates
P26 W18 D7 L1 F61 A22
Competitive record at Emirates
P38 W26 D11 L1 F88 A 27
TRIVIA
Who were the last team to beat Arsenal at Highbury in a competitive fixture?
Last weeks answer Dalymount Park,Tolka Park,RDS,Lansdowne Rd and Croke Park.
Loss €50
Result Wales 2 (Koumas23,89p) Rep Ireland (Keane 31,Doyle60).
So close to getting off to a winning start, denied by a debatable penalty after the Ukrainian referee Oriekhov judged that Paul McShane had hauled down David Cotterill inside the box. Wigan and Wales midfielder Koumas showed his nerve to score his second from the spot and give Wales the draw.
As I stated there will be a continuous theme to this blog and this week we are following Welsh man Koumas and his club team Wigan to the Emirates Stadium or Ashburton Grove; as a lot of Arsenal fans like to call their home ground. The bet this week will be €40 on Arsenal -2 to beat Wigan at evens and €10 on Arsenal -2 to draw against Wigan at 7/2 as insurance.
The Gunners are without Cesc but surely will have enough quality to beat a Wigan side who are to be still without a manager by kick off tomorrow.There has been a delay on Steve Bruce taking over caused by a row with Birmingham over monies(a few hundred thousand pounds) owed to them over image rights.I kid you not;Steve Bruce and image rights,they should be paying him to go if that is the case! They have reached a compromise and he should begin work at Wigan next Monday.So Frank Barlow's two games in charge will have been against the two North London clubs and won't relish Arsenal after losing 4-0 to Spurs.
Arsene Wenger is going for his 4th Premiership title ' the most impressive being his 3rd title in 2003/2004.There were so many highlights that season such as the opening fixture at home to Everton when Sol Campbell got sent off in first half hour and still they still won 2-1,hammering Middlebrough 4-0 away,Portsmouth 1-1 at home with a dive from Pires winning the Gunners a peno, Van Nistelrooys injury time missed penalty at Old Trafford and Martin Keowns reaction,Henry's hatrick when beating Liverpool 4-2, then his 4 goals away to Leeds and of course the final game coming from behind to beat relegated Leicester 2-1. The Premiership is lucky to have Wenger and for me that team are the best footballing team I have seen in the Premiership(not the English League mind you pre 92 which a lot of people and Skyports tend to ignore).An amazing season with quality football and one that may never be topped.
Arsenal however this season are looking to do that and with nearly a third of the season gone they remain unbeaten.They are currently 9.4 on Befair to go unbeaten for the rest of the season and if this years class do so it will be some achievement with such a young squad.Already the Emirates has become a fortress with only one competitive defeat to West Ham last season and with home wins of 7-0 ,5-0 and a couple of 3-0s this season the future looks bright for the Gunners again and hopefully for my blog balance.
Football will always win.
STATS
League record at Emirates
P26 W18 D7 L1 F61 A22
Competitive record at Emirates
P38 W26 D11 L1 F88 A 27
TRIVIA
Who were the last team to beat Arsenal at Highbury in a competitive fixture?
Last weeks answer Dalymount Park,Tolka Park,RDS,Lansdowne Rd and Croke Park.
Thursday, November 15, 2007
Week 1 Wales v Rep Ireland 17th November 2007 A Cardiff Chance?
My first port of call would have been with my club Bohemians but the season has just ended so my first destination is Cardiff and my first gamble is Rep Ireland to beat Wales at 6/4.Not a bad price considering Wales main scoring threats Bellamy and Bale( from set pieces) are both out of the game.Ireland have been rocked by injuries at the back but Darren O'Dea has played in the San Siro for the Celts and should have no fears if needed to play at the Millennium Stadium.
Indeed,a fairly empty Millennium Stadium it will be; after both teams disastrous showings in the current qualifying campaign, surely a move to Swansea's Liberty Stadium or Wrexham's Racecourse Ground would have been a more suitable location and would have given the atmosphere this local derby deserves.
Ah yes, The Racecourse Ground,scene of one of our most convincing away wins ever in Feb 1991.Pitch covered in sleet,old fashioned orange ball and Quinny spending more time on his arse than usual. Quinn got off his arse to score 2 goals that night and an old favourite of mine Johnny Byrne got the other. John Byrne where is he now? Played for and scored bags of goal for QPR, Sunderland,Brighton and even played for windswept and interesting teams such as Le Havre and eh, Millwall.
Ah yes, The Racecourse Ground,scene of one of our most convincing away wins ever in Feb 1991.Pitch covered in sleet,old fashioned orange ball and Quinny spending more time on his arse than usual. Quinn got off his arse to score 2 goals that night and an old favourite of mine Johnny Byrne got the other. John Byrne where is he now? Played for and scored bags of goal for QPR, Sunderland,Brighton and even played for windswept and interesting teams such as Le Havre and eh, Millwall.
The following season Byrne nearly scored in every round of the FA Cup for Sunderland to equal Peter Osgood's record with Chelsea in 1970.Alas, he met the mighty reds(Liverpool) and he could not find the net in a 2-0 defeat. Although he did find a winners medal after the Duchess of Kent gave Sunderland the wrong medals,he was tempted to do a runner but sorted the Liverpool boys out under the tunnel.
Can we on Saturday sort the Welsh boys out on the pitch to earn the pot €75.Yes, I think we can.It is still a must win game with World Cup seeding points up for grabs and after the Staunton shambles we are owed a performance.
STATS
STATS
The record between Rep Ireland and Wales is P 1o W4 D1 L5 F11 A11. Hopefully we can make it all square this week and get off to a winning start!
TRIVIAWales have played against the Rep Of Ireland away in 5 different grounds.Name them.
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