Week 4 Marseille v Monaco 8th December 2007

Balance
Profit €13.75

Result Rosenborg 0 Chelsea 4 (Drogba 7,20,Alex 40,J.Cole 73)

So easy was Chelsea's win that the next bet was already picked at halftime after the Blues cruised to a 3-0 lead.The main man during the game was Didier Drogba;with the ex Marseille man scoring two early on to overhaul the handicap of -1.A further two goals from Alex and Joe Cole to made the win certain at 11/8 to give a small overall profit of €13.75.
Drogba first came to prominence playing for Marseille in the 2004 UEFA Cup run that ended in defeat to Valencia in the final.The towering striker was so impressive that Chelsea smashed their club record to pay £24m to bring him to the Bridge.Since he has left ,theyhaven't put a good European run together and this season they have been very poor domestically and lie currently 16th in the league.Next Tuesday they have a massive game against Liverpool in the Champions League but before that this weekend they play Monaco at the Stade Vélodrome,who are 8th in Ligue 1.
I fancy a draw here but instead of lashing the full €50 at 2/1 I have split the bet in three to try and get more value.So, I have gone €10 HT Marseille FT Draw at 19s,€10 HT Monaco FT Draw at 16s and €30 Draw/Draw at 4.8.Hopefully Marseille will have one eye on Tuesday and the teams cannot be seperated by the end of the game.
It has been a topsy turvy last decade for Marseille; runners up in the UEFA Cup twice and the French League once whilst twice surviving relegation by the skin of their teeth(One season by 3points and the other by 2 goals).Domestically they are looking like again being in a relegation dogfight if they don't pick up points quickly.If they go down who will save them from obscurity this time?
The last time Marseilles were in the second tier of French football was when they were administratively relegated to Ligue 2 in 1994 ,due to a bribery scandal involving then President Bernard Tapie.Cash strapped and in need of a quick return to the top tier who could they turn to?
None other than adopted(in more ways then one) Irishman Tony Cascarino.After a few crappy seasons at Villa,Celtic and Chelsea the big man decided to try and relive his Millwall glory days in the more salubrious settings of Southern France. Aged 32 now ,he decided to look after his body a lot better than he had done in his English playing days.Though back in England his diet didn't always hinder his football as he once scored for Gillingham a few hours after eating a double wimpy and chips followed by a knickerbocker glory.
The new lean mean Italian scoring machine kicked into gear and within two seasons Marseille were back in Ligue 1 thanks to Cas's amazing tally of 61 goals in 84 games. A true Marseillais legend.Cas went on to enjoy an indian summer with Nancy,playing on until he was 38.Enjoy the goals below,don't mind the bagpipes???

For more Cascarino tales I would highly recommend the following book Full Time: The Secret Life of Tony Cascarino. A critically acclaimed and honest autobiography,one of the best football reads around.
Who knows, he maybe commentating on a certain draw this weekend on Setanta's french football coverage, he has appeared before.Maybe I should be backing how many times he starts a sentence off with 'When I played for.......'

STATS
Marseille v Monaco at the Stade Vélodrome in Ligue 1
P38 W19 D11 L8

TRIVIA
Who scored the only goal in the 1993 European Cup final between Marseille and AC Milan?
Last weeks answer Skonto Riga FC.