Balance
Profit €125.25
Result Athletic Bilboa 1 (Llorente 78) Barcelona 1 (Bojan 35)
So very close to the cleansheet on Sunday night but unfortunately it was soiled by Llorente with 12 minutes to go.Llorente was credited with the goal but it was clearly an own goal from Lilian Thuram which gave a deserved draw to the Basque side.Thuram is seeing out the end of his career at Barcelona after an amazing career in which he has won pretty much every national and club honour available to him.He has won a World Cup and European Championship with France.He has won league titles with Juventus,he won national cups in France and Italy with Monaco and Parma respectively and he has won the UEFA Cup also with Parma.He probably chose Barcelona as his last club to have a good go at the missing medal,the Champions League.They still have a chance this season in that competition but with last weeks results La Liga will surely not make his impressive CV and my balance has sadly taken another hit.So where to now?The last three weeks in Spain haven't been a success so a change of league is needed,Italy it is.
The Coppa Italia medal is on Thuram's CV,not won with his last club though,Juventus.Again like the Copa Del Rey in Spain the Italian version is seen as a hindrance for the top clubs as they have bigger fish to fry in Europe.Juventus unfortunately didn't have Europe this season after coming back from Serie B after the Moggiopoli scandal.To win the cup so will be high on The Old Lady's' agenda this year.They currently have the record number of cups with nine and one more will see them get a silver star for being the first club to reach the milestone of ten cups.In the first leg of the quarter finals they drew 2-2 with league leaders Inter Milan and with Inter heavily involved in the Champions League and the title run in against Roma I fancy Juventus to win tonight at 3.3 with Bet365.
Inter haven't lost since September in all competitions so the run must end sometime,hopefully tonight top scoring partnership Trézéguet and Del Piero can finish the job off in this fascinating second leg tie.Players who went down with the Old Lady and will be hoping to get one over on their ex mates Ibrahimovic and Viera who like Thuram jumped ship from I Bianconeri when the shit hit the fan after the match fixing scandal.So after Calciopoli there is so much at stake in the Derby d'Italia for Juve and they will be hoping they can get one over their old rivals.Whether they ever deserve to win another title is a matter of opinion,I'm just hoping they can take one step closer in this competition to end what has been a bleak January.
STATS
Juve in cup this season P4 W2 D1 L1 F11 A8
Inter in the cup this season P3 W2 D1 L0 F9 A3
TRIVIA
Who won last season Copa italia beating Inter Milan 7-4 over two legs?
Last weeks answer Walter Zenga Italia 90
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
Sunday, January 27, 2008
Week 11 Athletic Bilboa v Barcelona 27th January 2008
Balance
Profit €175.25
Result Barcelona 0 Sevilla 0
Sevilla disappointingly gave up their Kings Cup throne in a dull 0-0 draw at Camp Nou losing on the away goal rule.In a game in which they needed to score opportunities were scarce and Barcelona had no worries keeping the clean sheet they needed to go through to the next stage.They kept most of the possession throughout the game and it wasn't until the last 10 minutes that Sevilla really began to go for it.Alves clipped the top of the crossbar with a few minutes to go from a free kick and Sevilla even had the ball in the net from Navarro but the goal was rightly ruled offside.So the draw wasn't the worst result in the world as my €50 was refunded with the draw no bet.
Last week we touched on the Pichichi,this week it is the Zamora Trophy we will focus on,an award given to the keeper with the lowest goals to game ratio.Although cup clean sheets do not contribute to the Zamora,Victor Valdes kept another shut out and since the Sevilla game he has kept two more to record four clean sheets on the trot in league and cup.I am going for a €50 bet on a Barcelona clean sheet against recent perennial strugglers Athletic Bilbao at the Cathedral 'San Mames'.The lions have drawn blanks in their last two games and will struggle to score against the best defence in the league.Barca have only conceded 13 goals in 20 league matches this season which has them on course to be the meanest defence in Spain for the second year running(they conceded 33 last season with Getafe).Not bad for a team that is usually labelled with the cliche 'dodgy at the back' by lazy Champions League pundits.
Valdes is currently leading the way in this years Zamora Trophy with a goal conceded per game ratio of 0.65,Spain's number one Casillas is breathing down his neck at 0.70.It should be a fascinating battle from now until the end of the season as Valdes goes for his second Zamora and Casillas his first.The Madrid man may be the best keeper in Spain but winning the Zamora trophy also depends on the quality of defending in front of him and we all know about Los Galácticos past problems in that department.
The trophy is named after legendary goalkeeper Ricardo Zamora who played for both Catalan teams Espanyol and Barcelona before joining Real Madrid where he enjoyed his most successful period of his career winning the Spanish championship twice and the cup twice.El Divino which he was nicknamed played 46 times for his country with his most memorable game being a 4-3 win against England.This was the first time that a team outside Britain and Ireland had beaten the English and the achievement was made even more remarkable by the fact that Zamora played on after breaking his sternum during the game.Those were the days of brave goalkeepers;Man City's goal keeper Bert Trautmann played on in a cup final in 1956 with a broken neck.A couple of years after Zamora's injury, Celtic goalkeeper John Thomson died in action after fracturing his skull when bravely contesting a ball with Rangers player Sam English.Brave men indeed,these days keepers look for free kicks for any contact at all,even with their own team mates!
Broken neck no bother.
Even though he turned out for a Catalan XI he spent most of his career at clubs that would not be identified with Catalan nationalism,Madrid and Espanyol.Outside of football he was arrested by Republicans during the Spanish Civil War but was released and fled to France to finish his playing career with OGC Nice in France.It was rumoured that Republicans had killed the popular goalkeeper but this was untrue and was seen as propaganda by the Spanish Nationalists.After he fled he did return to Spain again to play in a benefit match for Franco's nationalists in 1938.The Civil War though effectively ended his playing career and he went on to become an accomplished coach winning two league titles with Atlético Aviación(former name of Atlético Madrid) and a Generals Cup with Celta Vigo.Recognised as one of the greatest goalkeepers of all time it is fitting that the honour was named after him.The winner of most Zamora trophies is 1950s Barca goalkeeper Antoni Ramallets with five titles.Still playing with four titles is Santiago Canizares with four trophies but looks as though he may have to leave Valencia if he is to equal Ramallets' record as he is currently out of favour with Ronald Koeman.This year however a Valdes win will do me and a clean sheet tonight will go along way to securing it.
STATS
Barca goals conceded away in the league this year. Played 9 Conceded 8.
Bilbao goals scored at home in the league this year.Played 10 Scored 9.
TRIVIA
Which player holds the record for the longest unbeaten run in World Cup history.He went 517 minutes without letting in a goal.
Last weeks answer Juande Ramos was hit by a bottle from the crowd.
Profit €175.25
Result Barcelona 0 Sevilla 0
Sevilla disappointingly gave up their Kings Cup throne in a dull 0-0 draw at Camp Nou losing on the away goal rule.In a game in which they needed to score opportunities were scarce and Barcelona had no worries keeping the clean sheet they needed to go through to the next stage.They kept most of the possession throughout the game and it wasn't until the last 10 minutes that Sevilla really began to go for it.Alves clipped the top of the crossbar with a few minutes to go from a free kick and Sevilla even had the ball in the net from Navarro but the goal was rightly ruled offside.So the draw wasn't the worst result in the world as my €50 was refunded with the draw no bet.
Last week we touched on the Pichichi,this week it is the Zamora Trophy we will focus on,an award given to the keeper with the lowest goals to game ratio.Although cup clean sheets do not contribute to the Zamora,Victor Valdes kept another shut out and since the Sevilla game he has kept two more to record four clean sheets on the trot in league and cup.I am going for a €50 bet on a Barcelona clean sheet against recent perennial strugglers Athletic Bilbao at the Cathedral 'San Mames'.The lions have drawn blanks in their last two games and will struggle to score against the best defence in the league.Barca have only conceded 13 goals in 20 league matches this season which has them on course to be the meanest defence in Spain for the second year running(they conceded 33 last season with Getafe).Not bad for a team that is usually labelled with the cliche 'dodgy at the back' by lazy Champions League pundits.
Valdes is currently leading the way in this years Zamora Trophy with a goal conceded per game ratio of 0.65,Spain's number one Casillas is breathing down his neck at 0.70.It should be a fascinating battle from now until the end of the season as Valdes goes for his second Zamora and Casillas his first.The Madrid man may be the best keeper in Spain but winning the Zamora trophy also depends on the quality of defending in front of him and we all know about Los Galácticos past problems in that department.
The trophy is named after legendary goalkeeper Ricardo Zamora who played for both Catalan teams Espanyol and Barcelona before joining Real Madrid where he enjoyed his most successful period of his career winning the Spanish championship twice and the cup twice.El Divino which he was nicknamed played 46 times for his country with his most memorable game being a 4-3 win against England.This was the first time that a team outside Britain and Ireland had beaten the English and the achievement was made even more remarkable by the fact that Zamora played on after breaking his sternum during the game.Those were the days of brave goalkeepers;Man City's goal keeper Bert Trautmann played on in a cup final in 1956 with a broken neck.A couple of years after Zamora's injury, Celtic goalkeeper John Thomson died in action after fracturing his skull when bravely contesting a ball with Rangers player Sam English.Brave men indeed,these days keepers look for free kicks for any contact at all,even with their own team mates!
Broken neck no bother.
Even though he turned out for a Catalan XI he spent most of his career at clubs that would not be identified with Catalan nationalism,Madrid and Espanyol.Outside of football he was arrested by Republicans during the Spanish Civil War but was released and fled to France to finish his playing career with OGC Nice in France.It was rumoured that Republicans had killed the popular goalkeeper but this was untrue and was seen as propaganda by the Spanish Nationalists.After he fled he did return to Spain again to play in a benefit match for Franco's nationalists in 1938.The Civil War though effectively ended his playing career and he went on to become an accomplished coach winning two league titles with Atlético Aviación(former name of Atlético Madrid) and a Generals Cup with Celta Vigo.Recognised as one of the greatest goalkeepers of all time it is fitting that the honour was named after him.The winner of most Zamora trophies is 1950s Barca goalkeeper Antoni Ramallets with five titles.Still playing with four titles is Santiago Canizares with four trophies but looks as though he may have to leave Valencia if he is to equal Ramallets' record as he is currently out of favour with Ronald Koeman.This year however a Valdes win will do me and a clean sheet tonight will go along way to securing it.
STATS
Barca goals conceded away in the league this year. Played 9 Conceded 8.
Bilbao goals scored at home in the league this year.Played 10 Scored 9.
TRIVIA
Which player holds the record for the longest unbeaten run in World Cup history.He went 517 minutes without letting in a goal.
Last weeks answer Juande Ramos was hit by a bottle from the crowd.
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
Week 10 Barcelona v Sevilla 15th January 2008
Balance
Profit €175.25
Result Malaga 1(Ballesta 14) Granada 74 1(Guerra 22)
With Futbol24 livescoring running on Saturday night when I heard the first BLEEP after 14 minutes I thought I was quids in but unfortunately eight minutes later the second bleep was to signal a 74 GOL! and disappointingly my computer remained silent for the rest of the evening.I will have one more go at a value bet this evening before I will tighten up on my weekly shouts.
Ballesta,goalscorer on Saturday is a former Pichichi Trophy winner(top scorer in Spain).He scored 27 goals in 1999-2000 season for Racing Santander to take the prestigious trophy.His one goal on Saturday wasn't enough for my handicap bet but hopefully tonight current Pichichi standings leader Luis Fabiano and his club Sevilla can beat Barcelona in the Copa del Rey.I am placing €50 on a Sevilla win draw no bet at 4/1.The Spanish cup is a trophy that has not been a priority for Barca in recent years,they haven't won it or featured in a final since 1998.The first leg finished one-one and this game should be tight.Barca only need a 0-0 so expect all the attacking to come from Sevilla who look to bounce back from defeat last weekend in the league.Sevilla are the holders and with the last two UEFA Cups in their trophy cabinet they are definitely cup specialists.Draw no bet gives me my money back if they can't break Barca down.Sevilla I hope though can pull off a shock even though I am a big fan of Barcelona;bet with the head not the heart.
So the Pichichi, why has it got this strange name?Well,the Trofeo Pichichi is named in honour of Rafael Moreno Aranzadi,a prolific goalscorer who played for Athletic Bilbao and Spain in the 1910s and 1920s.Pichichi was his nickname and he scored the first ever goal San Mamés,went on to play and score for Spain when they reached the semis of the 1920 Olympics before dying tragically in his prime of typhus,aged 29 in 1922.During his time with Athletic he won four Copa Del Rey titles scoring a hat-trick in the 1915 final.
Profit €175.25
Result Malaga 1(Ballesta 14) Granada 74 1(Guerra 22)
With Futbol24 livescoring running on Saturday night when I heard the first BLEEP after 14 minutes I thought I was quids in but unfortunately eight minutes later the second bleep was to signal a 74 GOL! and disappointingly my computer remained silent for the rest of the evening.I will have one more go at a value bet this evening before I will tighten up on my weekly shouts.
Ballesta,goalscorer on Saturday is a former Pichichi Trophy winner(top scorer in Spain).He scored 27 goals in 1999-2000 season for Racing Santander to take the prestigious trophy.His one goal on Saturday wasn't enough for my handicap bet but hopefully tonight current Pichichi standings leader Luis Fabiano and his club Sevilla can beat Barcelona in the Copa del Rey.I am placing €50 on a Sevilla win draw no bet at 4/1.The Spanish cup is a trophy that has not been a priority for Barca in recent years,they haven't won it or featured in a final since 1998.The first leg finished one-one and this game should be tight.Barca only need a 0-0 so expect all the attacking to come from Sevilla who look to bounce back from defeat last weekend in the league.Sevilla are the holders and with the last two UEFA Cups in their trophy cabinet they are definitely cup specialists.Draw no bet gives me my money back if they can't break Barca down.Sevilla I hope though can pull off a shock even though I am a big fan of Barcelona;bet with the head not the heart.
So the Pichichi, why has it got this strange name?Well,the Trofeo Pichichi is named in honour of Rafael Moreno Aranzadi,a prolific goalscorer who played for Athletic Bilbao and Spain in the 1910s and 1920s.Pichichi was his nickname and he scored the first ever goal San Mamés,went on to play and score for Spain when they reached the semis of the 1920 Olympics before dying tragically in his prime of typhus,aged 29 in 1922.During his time with Athletic he won four Copa Del Rey titles scoring a hat-trick in the 1915 final.
It is fitting that the player with the most Pichichis is a Athletic Bilbao player,Telmo Zarraonaindiá,better known as Zarra.Zarra has a record six trophies and along with Hugo Sanchez he holds the record for most goals in a season,38.Mexican Sanchez has five trophies,all won while at Real Madrid and this makes him along with Di Stéfano as the most successful foreigner,well maybe he is out on his own as Di Stéfano represented Spain along with country of birth Argentina.Real Madrid have had most Pichichi title holders with 24,miles ahead of the rest as next best is Athletic Bilbao with 12 title holders.Other Pichichi holders include Puskás,Rexach,Quini,Kempes,Krankl,Butragueno,Bebeto,Romário,Ronaldo,Vieri,Raúl,Makaay,Ronaldo,Eto'o and van Nistelrooy.Can Luis Fabiano become the fifth Brazilian to take the title?He faces some stiff competition with some top players breathing down his neck.
STATS
Copa Del Rey titles
Barcelona 24
Sevilla 4
TRIVIA
Why was last seasons Copa Del Rey quarterfinal between Sevilla and Real Betis abandoned?
Last weeks answer Livingston.
Wednesday, January 9, 2008
Week 9 Malaga v Granada 74 13th January 2008
Balance
Profit €225.25
Result Boavista 2(Marcelao 40,Jorge Ribeiro) Sporting Lisbon 0
Not a good weekend with Boavista beating favourites Sporting 2-0 at a big price of 4/1.Goalscorers were Brazilian Marcelao from a corner and a nice finish from journey man Jorge Ribeiro after a quick break against the run of play.Sporting had plenty of chances in the second half to draw the match.An equalizer would have been no use anyway for the HT FT bet I placed.Ribeiro aged 26 had played for seven clubs before he joined Boavista.He has appeared for Benfica and Dynamo Moscow and has had loan spells with Santa Clara,Varzim,Gil Vicente,CD Aves and Spanish club Malaga.
Nice goal
Malaga this weekend take on Liga BBVA (Segunda) new boys Granada 74.Malaga are currently on top of Liga BBVA and are looking good for promotion back to La Liga after relegation two seasons ago.At home they have won seven,drawn one and lost one with a plus 14 goal difference.Granada 74 are currently in ninth position and recently only lost 3-2 on aggregate to Atletico Madrid in the Copa Del Rey but the top teams treat that competition in a similar vain to the way the top teams in England treat the League Cup.Malaga's last home game in the league was a three nil win against Sevilla Atlético Club(Sevilla FC's reserve team) who lie in fourth position.Malaga should be good enough to beat Granada 74 with the -1 handicap.Bet365 offer 3/1 on this and I'll have €50 on Malaga to beat Granada by more than one goal.
Granada 74 so who are these new boys?It sounds like a TV station.Well football purists will be sad to hear that they are a sort of footballing franchise.Yes, franchising football teams has hit Europe.This is the Andalusians first season in Liga BBVA and they didn't even get promoted or relegated;they bought their place in Spain's second tier of football.New rules in Spanish football allow purchased clubs to change name and move home.So when Ciudad de Murcia's(a relatively new club) owner had enough of the day to day struggle of keeping his club afloat in a city were Real Murcia have a stronghold he decided to put his club up for sale.
After negotiations with a number of potential buyers 74 won out and jumped from a regional league to Liga BBVA,bypassing third division team Granada Atlético and Segunda B team Granada CF.Granada 74 owner Carlos Marsá for a fee of around €20m has bought a club,changed it's name to his own clubs name and left Murcia with it's players(if they wanted to leave ,their option) to head to a multi-use stadium in Granada;there you have it a football franchise.
Or a safety net for the big clubs?Let's imagine Real Madrid had a Moggiopoli and like Juventus were relegated,there would be nothing to stop them trying to buy their way back into La liga.Hopefully common sense will prevail and the rule will be changed before clubs with tradition are tempted to throw in the towel and sell up to a franchise with a sugar daddy of an owner.
The last laugh could be on Granada 74,with average attendances of less than three thousand and with Granada CF the citys real club they could struggle just like the club they consigned to history Ciudad de Murcia.
http://www.european-football-statistics.co.uk/attn/current/aveesp.htm
STATS
Malaga in the Liga BBVA
P19 W12 D3 L4 F31 A14 pts 39
TRIVIA
Football relocation has happened in Scotland,Meadowbank Thistle changed name and relocated.Who are they now?
Last weeks answer the great Alfredo Di Stéfano.
Profit €225.25
Result Boavista 2(Marcelao 40,Jorge Ribeiro) Sporting Lisbon 0
Not a good weekend with Boavista beating favourites Sporting 2-0 at a big price of 4/1.Goalscorers were Brazilian Marcelao from a corner and a nice finish from journey man Jorge Ribeiro after a quick break against the run of play.Sporting had plenty of chances in the second half to draw the match.An equalizer would have been no use anyway for the HT FT bet I placed.Ribeiro aged 26 had played for seven clubs before he joined Boavista.He has appeared for Benfica and Dynamo Moscow and has had loan spells with Santa Clara,Varzim,Gil Vicente,CD Aves and Spanish club Malaga.
Nice goal
Malaga this weekend take on Liga BBVA (Segunda) new boys Granada 74.Malaga are currently on top of Liga BBVA and are looking good for promotion back to La Liga after relegation two seasons ago.At home they have won seven,drawn one and lost one with a plus 14 goal difference.Granada 74 are currently in ninth position and recently only lost 3-2 on aggregate to Atletico Madrid in the Copa Del Rey but the top teams treat that competition in a similar vain to the way the top teams in England treat the League Cup.Malaga's last home game in the league was a three nil win against Sevilla Atlético Club(Sevilla FC's reserve team) who lie in fourth position.Malaga should be good enough to beat Granada 74 with the -1 handicap.Bet365 offer 3/1 on this and I'll have €50 on Malaga to beat Granada by more than one goal.
Granada 74 so who are these new boys?It sounds like a TV station.Well football purists will be sad to hear that they are a sort of footballing franchise.Yes, franchising football teams has hit Europe.This is the Andalusians first season in Liga BBVA and they didn't even get promoted or relegated;they bought their place in Spain's second tier of football.New rules in Spanish football allow purchased clubs to change name and move home.So when Ciudad de Murcia's(a relatively new club) owner had enough of the day to day struggle of keeping his club afloat in a city were Real Murcia have a stronghold he decided to put his club up for sale.
After negotiations with a number of potential buyers 74 won out and jumped from a regional league to Liga BBVA,bypassing third division team Granada Atlético and Segunda B team Granada CF.Granada 74 owner Carlos Marsá for a fee of around €20m has bought a club,changed it's name to his own clubs name and left Murcia with it's players(if they wanted to leave ,their option) to head to a multi-use stadium in Granada;there you have it a football franchise.
Or a safety net for the big clubs?Let's imagine Real Madrid had a Moggiopoli and like Juventus were relegated,there would be nothing to stop them trying to buy their way back into La liga.Hopefully common sense will prevail and the rule will be changed before clubs with tradition are tempted to throw in the towel and sell up to a franchise with a sugar daddy of an owner.
The last laugh could be on Granada 74,with average attendances of less than three thousand and with Granada CF the citys real club they could struggle just like the club they consigned to history Ciudad de Murcia.
http://www.european-football-statistics.co.uk/attn/current/aveesp.htm
STATS
Malaga in the Liga BBVA
P19 W12 D3 L4 F31 A14 pts 39
TRIVIA
Football relocation has happened in Scotland,Meadowbank Thistle changed name and relocated.Who are they now?
Last weeks answer the great Alfredo Di Stéfano.
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