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.
Wednesday, December 26, 2007
Week 8 Boavista v Sporting Lisbon 5th January 2008
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.
Profit €275.25
Result Sunderland 0 Manchester United 4(Rooney 20,Saha 30,86p,Ronaldo 45)
Only a small profit this week of €12 with €20 on over 3.5 goals at 3.1,€30 wasted on over 4.5 goals.In retrospect I should have stuck the lot on the former rather than split it between both bets but hindsight is a wonderful thing,not when your gambling though!United 3-0 up at halftime I'd be lying if I didn't say I was counting the top dollars but alas one Louis Saha penalty was all United could add to their first half tally.
Next up so is first goalscorer Ronaldo's first team and United's feeder club Sporting Clube De Portugal aka Sporting Lisbon.The Lions are away to Porto team Boavista this evening and I fancy a draw with few goals 0-0 or 1-1.On this basis I am going to go for a Halftime-Fulltime bet of draw-draw at a nice price of 4/1.I had one look at the home and away stats this year(see below) and decided €50 on this for my first bet of the new year.
The Portugeuse League is all about the big three; Lisbon's Sporting and Benfica and then Porto.The three teams have an amazing 71 league titles out of 73 between them with Benfica as the most successful club with 31 titles.Two clubs have interrupted the big three's League winning exploits and that was Belenenses in 1946 and Boavista in 2001.
Boavista are currently 14th in the League,one spot above relegation and are desperate for points.They have drawn half their games this season and another draw against Sporting hopefully is on the cards.
Sporting's prestigious youth academy in recent years has produced many top players including home bred players such as Figo,Ronaldo and Nani.Other players who also attended the academy were Simao,Viana and Quaresma.However they are all gone now.
Best of the Hoops(unfortunely does not include Phil Babb and Alan Mahon)
Portugal's Superliga is ranked the sixth highest league in Europe and therefore holds three Champions League spots.No need to guess who is holding those three places in January.It is astonishing that a country that is reknown as futebol mad and that a country that has had a UEFA Cup and Champions League winner this decade struggles to put bums on seats.Attendances last year for the top three averages 30,000 plus ,outside of these attendances are so poor that last year's eight team ,Nacional only averaged 1,920 and past Champions League club Boavista averaged under 5,000.Dalymount doesn't compare so bad to these!
So why are attendances so low?
One reason is cable station SportTv gives blanket coverage of the Superliga,a dream for armchair fans and a nightmare for attendances.Stadia shouldn't be a problem after Euro 2004 with new grounds rebuilt and existing grounds modernised.It is an age old excuse here in the Eircom League that dismal facilities keep the crowds away.Would a spanking new stadium,say beside the airport have them coming in their droves,probably not.Definitely not for União de Leiria whose Estádio Municipal de Leiria Dr. Magalhães Pessoa purpose built for Euro 2004 with a capacity of 30,000 seats but this years average attendance is only less than four thousand.
The real reason for the poor averages is not unlike football in Ireland with it's fascination with a different product,the only difference here is that the product involved is actually in Portugal.Most Portuguese football fans would rather support one of the big three than their local club,sad but true.
http://www.european-football-statistics.co.uk/attn/current/avepor.htm
STATS
Boavista at home this season
P7 W2 D3 L2 F10 A11 Pts 9
Sporting away this season
P7 W2 D3 L2 F5 A6 Pts 9
TRIVIA
Which legendary Real Madrid player managed Sporting Lisbon in the 70s?
Last weeks answer Oldham Athletic 6-3 at Boundary Park.
Wednesday, December 19, 2007
Week 7 Sunderland v Man United 26th December 2007 WINNER!
Balance
Profit €263.25
Result Panionios 2(Djebbour 5p,Markos 19) Bordeaux 3(Cavenaghi 38,Tremoulinas 75,Moimbe 86)
Panionios threw away a two goal lead to crash out of the UEFA Cup and hand me €250; even at 2-2 it looked as though they would pip Galatasaray for third place in Group H and go into the draw for the last 32 of the UEFA Cup but a late Wielfried Moimbe goal gave the Turkish team the favour they needed.Plenty of goals in this game and I will be hoping for the same in my choice of game today.Laurent Blanc has begun well at Football Club des Girondins de Bordeaux,they are currently six points behind Lyon in third place in Ligue 1 and cruised into the next round of the UEFA Cup.
This is his first managerial post since finishing his playing career at Manchester United in 2003.Blanc is definitely a manager to look out for in the future.He finished his career at Man Utd with a Premier league title under his belt to add to World Cup and European Cup winners medals.He has also picked up other titles at Montpellier,Auxerre and Barcelona during his illustrious career.Eyebrows were raised when he signed for Manchester United to replace Jaap Stam in 2001 but after a trophy less first season the gamble paid of for the Red Devils as 'Larry White' helped United win the League in 2003.Also like Larsson last season his contribution in the background with younger players was of great value.
Another player who has represented Bordeaux and Manchester United is current Bordeaux striker David Bellion who was a flop at United but is enjoying better days back in France and is currently behind Karim Benzema in the Ligue 1 top goalscoring charts.
Two other players have represented United and Les Girondins;Jesper Olsen who is no longer involved in football after last year suffering a brain haemorrhage and of course United legend Eric Cantona.Cantona had a loan spell at Bordeaux during his indifferent club career in France before he came to world prominence playing for Leeds and Manchester United.Cantona had many spats with authorities whilst in France.In 1989 he was banned from international football for insulting the national coach on TV, a few months later Marseille banned him for a month for throwing his jersey away after being substituted in a friendly game against Torpedo Moscow.He went to Montpellier on a year long loan and whilst there he was involved in a fight with team mate Jean-Claude Lemoult and threw his boots in Lemoult's face. A group of players demanded that he be sacked.However a group of players including Blanc supported Cantona and retained his services.Back at Marseille he was at odds with manager Raymond Goethals and Bernard Tapie.He was transferred to Nimes and it was there when he threw a football at a referee having being angered at one of his decisions.He was banned for a month at a resulting disciplinary hearing by the FFF.His response was to walk over to each member of the hearing committee in turn and call him an "idiot". His ban was increased to 2 months.This was the last straw for Cantona and he walked away from French club football forever to become probably one of Manchester United's most influential players of the modern era.Cantona the philosopher..
Another player who has earned that tag is Roy Keane whose Sunderland are struggling at the moment.Keane is for the first time as a manager feeling the heat as his team are stuck in the relegation zone.A couple of last minute decisions may have not gone their way in recent weeks,right or wrong but it is clear that the players at his disposal are not good enough.Keane struggled to add quality players to his Championship winning squad and it will be interesting to see if he can sign quality in January.If not I think they could down alongside Derby and Fulham.Today they have to face Man United and I can't see anything other than a convincing win for the Red Devils who again are looking scary.Bad news for ABU's like myself!
Stephen's Day games are notoriously goal fests and with Aston Villa and Chelsea drawing 4-4 this morning and Spurs beating Fulham 5-1 I am going for a goal fest at the Stadium of Light also. I am putting €30 on over 4.5 goals in this game at 7.2 and €20 on over 3.5 goals at 3.1.
A Christmas feast of goals hopefully.
STATS
Manchester United on St. Stephen's Day under Alex Ferguson
P20 W15 D2 L3 F47 A19
TRIVIA
Manchester United shared 9 goals away from home with their opposition on St. Stephen's Day in 1991.Who did they beat and what score did they beat them?
Last weeks answer Mark Robbins.
Profit €263.25
Result Panionios 2(Djebbour 5p,Markos 19) Bordeaux 3(Cavenaghi 38,Tremoulinas 75,Moimbe 86)
Panionios threw away a two goal lead to crash out of the UEFA Cup and hand me €250; even at 2-2 it looked as though they would pip Galatasaray for third place in Group H and go into the draw for the last 32 of the UEFA Cup but a late Wielfried Moimbe goal gave the Turkish team the favour they needed.Plenty of goals in this game and I will be hoping for the same in my choice of game today.Laurent Blanc has begun well at Football Club des Girondins de Bordeaux,they are currently six points behind Lyon in third place in Ligue 1 and cruised into the next round of the UEFA Cup.
This is his first managerial post since finishing his playing career at Manchester United in 2003.Blanc is definitely a manager to look out for in the future.He finished his career at Man Utd with a Premier league title under his belt to add to World Cup and European Cup winners medals.He has also picked up other titles at Montpellier,Auxerre and Barcelona during his illustrious career.Eyebrows were raised when he signed for Manchester United to replace Jaap Stam in 2001 but after a trophy less first season the gamble paid of for the Red Devils as 'Larry White' helped United win the League in 2003.Also like Larsson last season his contribution in the background with younger players was of great value.
Another player who has represented Bordeaux and Manchester United is current Bordeaux striker David Bellion who was a flop at United but is enjoying better days back in France and is currently behind Karim Benzema in the Ligue 1 top goalscoring charts.
Two other players have represented United and Les Girondins;Jesper Olsen who is no longer involved in football after last year suffering a brain haemorrhage and of course United legend Eric Cantona.Cantona had a loan spell at Bordeaux during his indifferent club career in France before he came to world prominence playing for Leeds and Manchester United.Cantona had many spats with authorities whilst in France.In 1989 he was banned from international football for insulting the national coach on TV, a few months later Marseille banned him for a month for throwing his jersey away after being substituted in a friendly game against Torpedo Moscow.He went to Montpellier on a year long loan and whilst there he was involved in a fight with team mate Jean-Claude Lemoult and threw his boots in Lemoult's face. A group of players demanded that he be sacked.However a group of players including Blanc supported Cantona and retained his services.Back at Marseille he was at odds with manager Raymond Goethals and Bernard Tapie.He was transferred to Nimes and it was there when he threw a football at a referee having being angered at one of his decisions.He was banned for a month at a resulting disciplinary hearing by the FFF.His response was to walk over to each member of the hearing committee in turn and call him an "idiot". His ban was increased to 2 months.This was the last straw for Cantona and he walked away from French club football forever to become probably one of Manchester United's most influential players of the modern era.Cantona the philosopher..
Another player who has earned that tag is Roy Keane whose Sunderland are struggling at the moment.Keane is for the first time as a manager feeling the heat as his team are stuck in the relegation zone.A couple of last minute decisions may have not gone their way in recent weeks,right or wrong but it is clear that the players at his disposal are not good enough.Keane struggled to add quality players to his Championship winning squad and it will be interesting to see if he can sign quality in January.If not I think they could down alongside Derby and Fulham.Today they have to face Man United and I can't see anything other than a convincing win for the Red Devils who again are looking scary.Bad news for ABU's like myself!
Stephen's Day games are notoriously goal fests and with Aston Villa and Chelsea drawing 4-4 this morning and Spurs beating Fulham 5-1 I am going for a goal fest at the Stadium of Light also. I am putting €30 on over 4.5 goals in this game at 7.2 and €20 on over 3.5 goals at 3.1.
A Christmas feast of goals hopefully.
STATS
Manchester United on St. Stephen's Day under Alex Ferguson
P20 W15 D2 L3 F47 A19
TRIVIA
Manchester United shared 9 goals away from home with their opposition on St. Stephen's Day in 1991.Who did they beat and what score did they beat them?
Last weeks answer Mark Robbins.
Friday, December 14, 2007
Week 5 Rangers v Lyon 12th December 2007 WINNER!!
Balance
Loss €36.25
Result Marseille 2 (Rodriquez 52,Cana 70) Monaco 0
Well the draw never happened and now I was briefly back with a loss after ex Rangers player Julien Rodriguez and Albanian captain Lorik Cana scored two second half goals.I write briefly because I decided to back against Rodriquez's old club Rangers,against Lyon in the Champions League on Wednesday. My bet was a €50 asian handicap bet on Lyon 0 & -0.5 at odds of 1.99.I'm a busy man these days so never got to preview my decision and to prove I'm not a spoofer here's the bet!
Fixtures 12 December / Rangers v Lyon / Asian Handicap
Lyon 0 & -0.5
Back
10-Dec-0722:59 1.99 50.00
1.99 49.50
No more aftertimers I hope.The reason I backed against Rangers- the french connection,bad one at that and because they're Rangers in europe.
Rangers love affair with France hasn't really worked out with quite a few flops,none more so than Paul le Guen who had a disasterous spell in charge of the club.There was also the not so prolific World Cup winner Stéphene Guivarc'h(he is not alone Djimi won a Champions league medal in 2005),rubbish.Boumsong was promising but went too soon .Vignal scored in an Auld Firm then disappeared.Others like last weekends goalscorer Rodriquez,Letizi and Fanfan made little or no impact.
Then you had Basile Boli with a massive reputation and wage packet who just didn't do it and once said of his team's approach to a defeat against AEK Athens "You cannot go about winning such an important game when you are having a laugh in the dressing room half an hour before kick-off."They were probably having a laugh over this Basile,priceless video.Diamond Lights hasn't got a patch on it!
After nearly making the Champions League final the year Boli won it for Marseille, Rangers have done nothing in Europe with Smith who only took Rangers twice past Christmas in eight seasons and at the same time spending buckets of cash.
So has Smith learned anything from Europe from all those years ago.Well to be in the driving seat in this group and to throw it all away against a French club obviously not and once again a French man plays his part.Claude Darcheville the villain - missing the sitter of the season and then stamping on a player to earn a red card.
Alex Mc Leish was hounded out of the club the season he got Rangers to the last 16;a mistake?
STATS
Rangers in Europe
P 280 W125 D62 L93 F442 A 346
TRIVIA
Lyon retired the number 17 jersey in recognition of who?
Last weeks answer Basile Boli
Loss €36.25
Result Marseille 2 (Rodriquez 52,Cana 70) Monaco 0
Well the draw never happened and now I was briefly back with a loss after ex Rangers player Julien Rodriguez and Albanian captain Lorik Cana scored two second half goals.I write briefly because I decided to back against Rodriquez's old club Rangers,against Lyon in the Champions League on Wednesday. My bet was a €50 asian handicap bet on Lyon 0 & -0.5 at odds of 1.99.I'm a busy man these days so never got to preview my decision and to prove I'm not a spoofer here's the bet!
Fixtures 12 December / Rangers v Lyon / Asian Handicap
Lyon 0 & -0.5
Back
10-Dec-0722:59 1.99 50.00
1.99 49.50
No more aftertimers I hope.The reason I backed against Rangers- the french connection,bad one at that and because they're Rangers in europe.
Rangers love affair with France hasn't really worked out with quite a few flops,none more so than Paul le Guen who had a disasterous spell in charge of the club.There was also the not so prolific World Cup winner Stéphene Guivarc'h(he is not alone Djimi won a Champions league medal in 2005),rubbish.Boumsong was promising but went too soon .Vignal scored in an Auld Firm then disappeared.Others like last weekends goalscorer Rodriquez,Letizi and Fanfan made little or no impact.
Then you had Basile Boli with a massive reputation and wage packet who just didn't do it and once said of his team's approach to a defeat against AEK Athens "You cannot go about winning such an important game when you are having a laugh in the dressing room half an hour before kick-off."They were probably having a laugh over this Basile,priceless video.Diamond Lights hasn't got a patch on it!
After nearly making the Champions League final the year Boli won it for Marseille, Rangers have done nothing in Europe with Smith who only took Rangers twice past Christmas in eight seasons and at the same time spending buckets of cash.
So has Smith learned anything from Europe from all those years ago.Well to be in the driving seat in this group and to throw it all away against a French club obviously not and once again a French man plays his part.Claude Darcheville the villain - missing the sitter of the season and then stamping on a player to earn a red card.
Alex Mc Leish was hounded out of the club the season he got Rangers to the last 16;a mistake?
STATS
Rangers in Europe
P 280 W125 D62 L93 F442 A 346
TRIVIA
Lyon retired the number 17 jersey in recognition of who?
Last weeks answer Basile Boli
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
