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.

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.

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.

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

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!

TRIVIA

Wales have played against the Rep Of Ireland away in 5 different grounds.Name them.