A Gambling Journey

Moving Home!

2008-04-08T00:47:00.004+01:00

Profit €72.75

Result Palestino Santiago 2(Saez 18,Maldonado 84p) Union Espanola 3(Gutierrez 77,Canales 82,90)

What a way to finish this blog off with a last minute goal and after 19 weeks we managed to make a small profit of €72.75.This blog is moving home and hopefully the new journey makes more cash,enough for a trip to Africa in 2010!

follow it here.....

www.bohs.ie/agamblingjourney

Week 19 Palestino Santiago v Union Espanola 23rd March 2008

2008-03-23T10:15:00.003Z

Balance
Loss €8.25

Result Inter Milan 2 (Viera 5,Jiménez 36) Palermo (Materazzi OG 25)

So we are back to square one more or less after being unable to capitalise on the Bordeaux win back in December.An uninspiring performance from Ibrahimovic last weekend didn't stop Inter from collecting the vital three points they needed after a winning goal from Chilean international Luis Antonio Jiménez.After a small stint following Italian football it is time to take this blog elsewhere and with a degree of caution it is Jiménez place of birth Chile.Now I know nothing about Chile domestic football so I am relying on stats totally.Jiménez began his career at a curious little club in Chile;Palestino from Santiago,a club founded by Palestinian immigrants.This weekend they take on another club that takes it's name from the birthplace of it's immigrant forefathers;Unión Espanóla.Both teams are in poor form,Palestino have lost their last three games while Espanola have won just one game in eight.Espanola have won four times this season and three of those have been on the road,one of those wins coming in their last match.Espanola may have a turned the corner and armed with their decent away form a win/draw not bet punt on the away team is my choice at 2.62 with Bet365.
more to follow..

Week 18 Inter Milan v Palermo 16th March 2008

2008-03-16T10:43:00.002Z

Balance
Profit €41.75

Result Albinoleffe 1 (Conteh 94) Messina 0

Not the goal fest I predicted last week but Sierra Leone defender Kewullay Conteh scored a late late goal to keep the Seriani dream alive.After a defeat yesterday to Pisa they remain one point beind top team Chievo in what promises to be an exciting finish in the race for promotion with four points covering first to sixth.Also heading for an exciting and surprising climax is the race to win the Italian title.It was only a couple of weeks that this blog wrote off the run in for the Scudetto as more or less over with Inter leading by nine points at the time but after Roma beating AC Milan yesterday the gap is only three points now.Inter today take on one of Kewullay Conteh's ex clubs Palermo today.It is sure to be a tense affair and with Inter licking their wounds after a midweek exit to Liverpool in the Champions League expect the Nerazzurri to bounce back today if they of course can keep their discipline.They will be boosted by Mancini's decision to change his mind about stepping down at the end of the season.My choice this week is to put €40 on Zlatan Ibrahimovic to score at 7/5 and €10 on him to bag the first goal at 9/2 both with Paddy Power.The Swede had a great chance on Tuesday night which he hit wide and with Mancini picking five strikers in his squad for the Palermo game he will be looking to hit the net today to keep his fellow strikers behind him in the pecking order.
Inter's opposition today are best known for their colourful attire,the hard men from Siciliy wear pink shirts,a unique colour in sporting clothing.Why pink?No the shirts didn't run in the wash.The club originally wore red and blue but in 1905 club member Giuseppe Airoldi in a letter to club chairman Joesph Whitaker suggested that the club change their colours to pink and black as red and blue was already used by many teams.He wrote that pink and black were the colours of 'bitter and sweet' and because Palermo's results were 'as alternate as a Swiss clock' the new colours would be apt.Not everyones cup of tea on choice of colours.A little in the feminine side but there have been worse.
Footballpunts three least attractive kits ever are as follows
3. Chelsea away 2007-2008.
The official colour is electric yellow,to me it looks like ugly luminous green.Abrahomvic would do anything to get his hands on the Champions League,trying to blind the opposition is taking it to new levels!They look more like men at work than professional footballers.
2. Republic of Ireland France 1998 qualifiers.
The orange jersey wore in a game remembered as one of Ireland's all time lows.Two penalties given away for handball ,Jason McAteer sent off for impersonating Bruce Lee and of course the ugly orange jersey never to be wore again.The game became a benchmark for bad and in training a player would receive a 'I had a Macedonia bib' if they had poor session.
1.Norwich City 1993
In 1993 Norwich City knocked Bayern Munich out of the UEFA Cup in what is known as their finest hour.They done it in style winning in Munich with a Jeremy Goss screamer however their jersey wasn't stylish at all in the fashion sense of the word.The ugliest jersey I have seen has to be that 'bird shit' shirt that the canaries wore that season.Decide for yourself below!

STATS
Ibrahimovic league goals this season 15.Nine of those have been first goals.

TRIVIA
Why do Italy play in blue despite the colour not featuring in the national flag?
Last weeks answer Filippo Inzaghi.

Week 17 Albinoleffe v Messina 8th March 2008

2008-03-08T13:11:00.003Z

Balance
Profit €91.75

Result Livorno 1(Diamanti 62) Catania 0

Last weekend was a good one thanks to Serie A newcomer Alessandro Diamanti's wonder goal to give Livorno the three points that this blog predicted.I'm quite enjoying following the mixed bag that is Italian football and this weekend I am taking my journey down to Serie B,to one of Diamanti's former clubs Albinoleffe who are currently flying high in the race for promotion to the top division.Albino who?More on that later,let's try to make some cash for now.Today it's the team known as the Seriani versus Messina,second versus tenth.When evaluating what is a good bet plain old number crunching has to be taking into account and this week I am relying on this facet of the bet alone as I am not what you would say 'in the know' on either side.So on pure maths overs is my bet this weekend.In the last four matches involving the home team the goal has been breached 12 times,so far so good and Messina,the last four matches involving the team from Sicily has yielded a whopping 21 goals.To get anything over evens on the overs I'd take as great value considering this form and the 2.16 on betfair is the bet for me.Before more on Albinoleffe check out Diamanti's goal against Catania,top notch.

So Albinoleffe,who are they?Not exactly a household name but if they can keep their form between now and the rest of the season we will hear a lot more about this fairytale story,another Italian football miracle.Castel Di Sangro's promotion to Serie B in 1996 was hearalded as a miracle,Albinoleffe if the can make Serie A it will be just as great as one.The club was formed in 1998 with the merger of two Serie C2 sides Albinese and Leffe.The two teams were from neighbouring towns in Bergamo,Albino and Leffe with a combined population of 23,000.Despite Albinoleffe's lofty position in Serie B they only average crowds of under 3,000 people.From the beginning both sets of fans were not happy with the idea of their clubs amalgamating and support for the new club has never taken off the ground.Leffe fans had the biggest gripe as they viewed themselves as the bigger club having become something of a fixture in C1 and they've even had Filippo Inzaghi and Giuseppe Signori on their books early in their careers.Albinese had been a fifth tier side(Serie D) for most of their history so a big fan base was never on the cards.This hasn't perturbed the players at all and straight away they went about their business.In the 1998-1999 season they were promoted to C1 under coach Oscar Piantoni but it was his successor Elio Gustinetti who began to write the first chapters of the fairytale.Gustinetti assembled a side of local talent and lower division journey men and todays squad still has that look about it.He led the club to promotion in 2003 through the playoffs overcoming Pisa at Bergamo's communal Atleti Azzurri d'Italia stadium where the Seriani play all their home games.The crowd that day was 11,000,one thousand of those home supporters.
In Serie B the aim has been 50 points every season,the figure normally needed to survive in the second tier.The first couple of seasons the Favola continued but Gustinetti parted company with the club to coach Arezzo.The new man Vincenzo Esposito found the burden of keeping the story going too much and after a bad start in their third season in Serie B Emiliano Mondonico stepped in to rescue the club from relegation after a playoff win against Avellino.Last season they came 10th under Mondonico which was seen as an amazing achievement,along the way twice holding the mighty Juventus to two draws.There was clearly something special going on at the club but in a suprise move their coach decided to drop a division and take over Cremonese.They say you should never go back but this cliche has so far been made redundent by Elio Gustinetti who has comeback as Albinoleffe's knight in shining armour and who has so far this season guided the Sariani to second playing swashbuckling football by all accounts.With big city clubs - Brescia,Chievo,Pisa and Lecce breathing down their necks there is still a massive battle on to guarantee that promotion spot.Even though they are close to completing a dream season the local apathy still exists,if they make the big league maybe this apathy will be lifted but there is still a long way to go.

STATS
Goals scored in Albinoleffe home fixtures 39 in 14 games
Goals scored in Messina away fixtures 34 in 13 games

TRIVIA
Who scored both goals against Liverpool in the 2007 Champions League final?
Last weeks answer Cristiano Lucarelli(he actually plays for Parma now after leaving the Ukranians in January.Nobody told me!)

Week 16 Livorno v Catania 2nd March 2008 WINNER!!

2008-03-01T19:54:00.012Z

Balance

Profit €22.75

Result Cagliari 1(Matri 87) Lazio 0

So very close to a much needed win last week.The game was heading for a stalemate until substitute Alesandro Matri guided a fine header towards Marco Ballotta's far post and into the net to earn a vital three points for the Islanders in their battle against relegation.Despite another loss at least last weekend I got a bit of value out of the draw bet and if relegation dogfights are your thing then you will be guaranteed plenty of value following the Italian league scrap for survival.With only nine points separating bottom club Cagliari and Torino in 13th place the fight for survival promises to be captivating unlike the top of the table with Inter cruising to another title with the same nine points between the Nerazzurri and their nearest rivals Roma.This weekend I am following the relegation battle and I will have a look at the third from bottom Livorno versus fourth from bottom Catania,two teams squaring up to each other from both sides of the relegation zone.My choice this week is to go for the team on the wrong side; Livorno to win at 2.38 with betfair.

With two successive trips to the San Siro; the first a draw against AC then a defeat against Inter followed by two narrow defeats at home to Napoli and away to Fiorentina,Livorno should relish easier opposition with the visit of Catania to Stadio Armando Picchi.Catania won the reverse fixture one nil back in October but they have not got a point on the road since November and they are one of three clubs not to have won on their travels this season.Don't be fooled by the midweek draw at home to AC Milan as the Champions League holders started with out Nesta,Oddo,Kaka,Pirlo and Gattuso.It is a Livorno win for me this weekend to send the Sicilian team into the drop zone.Livorno need to hit some form soon and with most of their fellow stugglers still to come to the Picchi they should be confident of picking up some more vital points in the six pointer games.The Amaranto also have a goalscorer,Francesco Tavano in double figures this season,a stat that the teams around them cannot claim.If Tavano keeps scoring Livorno can stay up.Francesco 'Ciccio' Tavano currently wears the number 10 shirt for Livorno after a brief retirement of the jersey.

Livorno's number 10 jersey was retired in 2005 after Igor Protti retired.Protti became a Livorno legend after he joined them for a second spell(his first spell was in the 80's) in Serie C1.He guided and captained them to Serie A on the way becoming capocannoniere in CI and B resulting in him becoming the first player to be top scorer in all top three divisions.Protti ended the 1996 season joint top goalscorer with Giuseppe Signori whilst playing for Bari,a feat made all the more remarkable as Bari were relegated that season.Protti had short spells with Lazio,Napoli and Reggianna before heading to Livorno for a second time in 1999 and the rest is history.He may have never won an Italian cap or the hearts of the nation but he will always be in the hearts of the Livorno fans and he himself retired a supporter.After receiving the freedom of the city Protti unretired the jersey in 2007 announcing that he wanted to give back the dream of wearing the number 10.

STATS

Livorno at home W2 D5 L5 F13 A19

Catania away W0 D5 L8 F9 A23

TRIVIA

Which Livorno fans favourite now plays for Ukranian side Shakhtar Donetsk?Last weeks answer 1990,England 1-1.

Week 15 Cagliari v Lazio 24th February 2008

2008-02-23T13:54:00.008Z

Balance
Profit €72.75

Inter Milan 2 (Suazo 14,18) Livorno 0
Juventus 1 (Del Piero 45) Roma 0

Last Saturday after 18 minutes in the San Siro my overs bet was looking home and hosed but with a combination of Inter with one eye on Anfield and a resilient Livorno display in the second half my third goal just didn't appear and with bated breath I waited for the result to come through in Turin later that evening.Thankfully only one Del Piero goal separated the sides and I was quids in on my unders.A great free kick from the Italian dead ball specialist.

The width of a post denied me maximum profit last week as Livorno hit the left stick in the second half with a free kick.So despite the best efforts of Honduran international David Suazo it was not to be.This week I am visiting Suazo's previous club Cagliari who find themselves rooted to the bottom of Serie A.They play Lazio at the Stadio Sant'Elia and I am predicting a draw here.Since the islanders came back up to Serie A in 2004 four of the seven games played between the two teams have ended in draws.There has been six league matches played in Sardinia between the two sides since 1997 and five of them have ended as a stalemate.On league form Lazio would be favourites but they have only won away once so far this season and look set to finish mid table.With all their European eggs in a Copa Italia basket they are probably wishing away the rest of a disappointing league season.So with Cagliari rock bottom and hungry for points and with Lazio going through the motions in the league my advice is €50 on the draw which is a popular result in this fixture at 3.2(betfair).Whether this point will save the red and blues is doubtful as Cagliari have struggled since selling the Honduran goalscoring machine.
David Suazo may be one of Honduras' most famous football sons but Caribeen country is more known for a 'football war' rather than the players it has produced.The truth be told that it is a myth that the war was caused by rioting at a World Cup qualifier between Honduras and El Salvador.The match was merely a spark that contributed to the six day war in 1969.The background of the war was caused by immigration problems between the two countries.Honduras had economic problems which the Honduran government blamed on Salvadorian immigrants in Honduras ;thought to be in the region of over 300,000.The government began to associate the Salvadoran immigrants with illegal land invasions and in 1969 the Honduran government refused to renew the 1967 Bilateral Treaty on Immigration with El Salvador and a land law reform was passed that took away land from Salvadoran immigrants and redistributed this land to Honduran born citizens.Just before the qualifiers Salvadorans began to stream out of Honduras back to an overpopulated El Salvador after attacks on immigratnts.The first game was in Tegucigalpa,Honduras on the sixth of June in which disturbances broke out during a game in which the home side won 1-0 but tensions got worse during the second game in San Salvador.Before the game the Honduran players were kept awake all night by disturbances outside the hotel.The Honduran anthem was insulted and the flag was burnt and replaced by a rag by the hosts.Emotions began to run high for both nations and after a 3-0 win for El Salvador, Honduran fans were attacked on the streets.In retaliation actions against Salvadorans in Honduras became increasingly violent resulting in tens of thousands fleeing the country.In an atmosphere of hysteria created by the media and governments of both countries Honduras broke diplomatic relations with El Salvador.
Two weeks later on the 14th July 1969,a couple of weeks after El Salvador won the playoff game in Mexico 3-2 after extra time the real war began as El Salvador invaded Honduras.Six days later after pressure from the Organisation of American States the war ended after a cease fire was enforced.Some 2,000 people were killed during the conflict known as the football war which ended in a stalemate, a draw but really both sides effectively lost.
On a football note El Salvador went to Mexico and lost their three games to Belgium,Mexico and the USSR conceding nine goals and scoring none.

STATS
Cagliari Serie A at home W2 D3 L6
Lazio Serie A away W1 D6 L4

TRIVIA
Ireland have played one game at the Stadio Sant'Elia.What year,against who and what was the result?
Last weeks answer Abédi Pelé

Week 13 and 14 Double week Inter Milan v Livorno/Juventus v Roma 16th February 2008 WINNER!

2008-02-16T14:12:00.010Z

Balance
Profit €75.25

Result Juventus 2(Del Piero 14,Iaquinta 31) Inter Milan 3(Balotelli 10,54,Cruz p39)

One thing you can be guaranteed when you are running a blog is the odd time you will get a bout of laziness and last week I got the dreaded lazyitis but now I'm back rejuvenated and hoping to tip up some winners after a dismal January.My last game didn't go to plan although it did have a bit of everything,five goals,a Del Piero freekick,a penalthy,a sending off and a couple of goals from Inters new star in waiting.AC Milan may have Alexandre Pato whom I had the pleasure of seeing make his debut but Inter have 17 year old Mario Balotelli Barwuah.Watch this kid.
Today I am going to make up for last week and tip a double punt on Juve and Inter again ,one an overs bet and the other an unders bet.Inter play Livorno and I will tip €50 on overs at 1.9 with Bet365.Juventus play Roma and i'll have a go at unders at 1.95.
Back to Balotelli,he has so far been used sparingly for Inter and has only played four games,three in the cup and a substitute appearance in the league.In those four games he has scored four goals,two in the cup game against Juventus.Mario has ambitions to play for Italy but his international career is currently in limbo as he has to wait until he is 18 before he can turn out for the Azzurri due to Italian citizenship law.
Mario was born in Italy of Ghanian immigrants and at a young age he was taken in by the Balotelli family but was not legally adopted therefore he has to wait until he is eighteen before he can obtain Italian citizenship.Ghana could have done with him in the recent African Cup of Nations but he turned them down when offered to join the squad in a friendly last year.Next April and October Balotelli could be a name we'll be very familiar with when Il Trap leads Ireland to play Italy in the 2010 World Cup qualifiers.Check out Balotellis handful of goals on his website below.A complete striker,tall,fast,strong and skillful he is definetly one to keep an eye on and Inter can be very happy that they have this young star on their books.
http://www.mariobalotelli.it/en/

STATS
Inter Milan have gone 28 games unbeaten since 19th September 2007 when Fenerbache beat them in a Champions league group game.

TRIVIA
It looks as though Ghana have missed out on striker Mario Balotelli Barwuah but whi is their all time leading goal scorer with 33 goals?Last trivia answer,Roma beat Inter Milan to win the Copa Italia in 2007.

Week 12 Juventus v Inter Milan 30th January 2008

2008-01-30T18:58:00.000Z

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

Week 11 Athletic Bilboa v Barcelona 27th January 2008

2008-01-27T14:54:00.001Z

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.

Week 10 Barcelona v Sevilla 15th January 2008

2008-01-15T18:30:00.000Z

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.

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.

Week 9 Malaga v Granada 74 13th January 2008

2008-01-09T22:07:00.001Z

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.

Week 8 Boavista v Sporting Lisbon 5th January 2008

2007-12-26T21:23:00.001Z

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.

Week 7 Sunderland v Man United 26th December 2007 WINNER!

2007-12-19T23:02:00.001Z

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.

Week 5 Rangers v Lyon 12th December 2007 WINNER!!

2007-12-14T22:58:00.002Z

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

Week 6 Panionios V Bordeaux 19th December 2007 WINNER!!!

2007-12-14T22:58:00.001Z

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.

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=related
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

Week 4 Marseille v Monaco 8th December 2007

2007-12-01T14:32:00.003Z

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.

Week 3 Rosenborg v Chelsea 28th November 2007 WINNER!!

2007-11-26T17:36:00.001Z

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!

2007-11-23T11:57:00.001Z

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?

2007-11-15T19:08:00.001Z

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.