Friday, August 27, 2010

UEFA Super Cup 2010-11 : Inter Milan - Athletico Madrid goals

For Live scores - Livescore

Inter Milan 0-0 Athletico Madrid

(Goals to be posted as they are scored)

EPL 2010-11 : Manutd - West Ham goals

For Live scores - Livescore

Manchester United 3-0 West Ham United

1-0 - Rooney





2-0 - Nani





3-0 - Berbatov




Enjoyyyy

Harrington shows the importance of personality in golf

Whilst golf is traditionally thought of as a very individual sport, the Ryder Cup is a tournament that goes against the norm by demanding a team performance from talented individuals. In that sense, it is also unique in the world of Golf betting.

With the ability to work together and share tips being key to success for any player in the competition, the Irishman Padraig Harrington has failed to show he is prepared to do anything to work towards a united cause that is focused on regaining the Ryder Cup for the European team.

Competition for places in the European team is intense, so the decision by several of the top European players, including Harrington, to search for mega bucks rather than Ryder Cup glory has left many fans and fellow players disappointed, so much so that many players are rumoured not to want Harrington anywhere near the Ryder Cup.

With the European team expected to do their utmost to regain the illustrious trophy, especially at Celtic Manor in front of their own fans, any inkling of a lack of passion is likely to be met with disdain from European fans who are paying high prices for tickets in the expectation that they will see the stars try their hardest to ensure European success. The Golf odds suggest this will be the case but then anything can happen in sport.

Midday the one to beat in Saturday’s Nassau Stakes

Tremendously popular senior racehorse trainer Henry Cecil has been riding the crest of a wave this season, and having landed the Group 2 Lennox Stakes with Lord Shanakil on the opening day of Glorious Goodwood he could well round off the meeting with an even bigger prize with Midday in Group 1 Nassau Stakes on Saturday, writes Elliot Slater.

Cecil has his string in fine form and Midday has been targeted at the top grade mile-and-a-quarter event since landing the contest 12 months ago in a memorable defeat of the smart Rainbow View. The daughter of Oasis Dream went on to run third in the Prix de l’Opera in France before a famous success in the US when coming with a swooping run down the home to straight to land the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup filly & Mares Turf in November at Santa Anita.

Seen only once this season, (when chasing home Sariska in the Group 2 Middleton Stakes at York in May), Midday looks to have an outstanding chance of landing the Nassau Stakes for a second time, especially if the anticipated rain showers in the south of England do materialise and take the sting out of the Goodwood turf.

It looks very much as though the biggest York Ebor festival odds dangers to Cecil’s filly will be the high-class French pair of Stacelita and Rosanara. Stacelita, a multiple Group 1winner trained by Jean-Claude Rouget, has already shown herself to be in good heart this term with a smooth success at Longchamp last time out, whilst Rosanara, a very close fourth in the French 1000 Guineas before filling the runner’s up spot at Chantilly last time out in the Prix de Diane, is certain to be a big threat if she manages to travel over without panicking on the plane, as happened recently when an intended runner at Ascot.

With Rumoush and Strawberrydaiquiri also intended York Ebor 2010 meeting runners, Saturday’s Nassau Stakes promises to be a cracker, but Midday looks the one they all have to beat.

Tragic loss of star US filly Tuscan Evening

What terribly sad news to read off the sudden death of Irish racing bred filly Tuscan Evening, who collapsed with a suspected heart attack after a routine exercise gallop at Del Mar racetrack in California on Sunday morning, writes Elliot Slater.

Owned by William de Burgh, those analyzing horse racing tips note that the daughter of Oasis Dream had rocketed to prominence Stateside after a stunning run of success this term, winning her last six races all in graded company, including the Grade 1 Gamely Stakes at Hollywood Park at the end of May.

The winning streak of the Jerry Hollendorfer-trained five-year-old mare had catapulted Tuscan Evening to stardom in the US, following a frustrating career in Ireland where she displayed a great deal of ability for trainer John Joseph Murphy, but never quite managed to fulfill her potential, leaving her native land as an 11 race maiden despite having finished second to Halfway to Heaven in the 2008 renewal of the Irish 1000 Guineas before being demoted by the stewards for causing interference in the closing stages.

Her record of 9 wins from 13 starts in the US and her great partnership with jockey Rafael Bejarno showed what a shrewd move it had been to transfer Tuscan Evening who soon reveled on the fast ground in California and seemed ideally suited by the generally small fields that faced the starter for the graded action.

Her sudden loss to US racing and in particular to the de Burgh family who had great hopes for her at stud after retirement, once again shows the fragility of thoroughbred racehorses and the fine line between tremendous success and sudden tragedy, making it all the more important for owners and breeders to really savour the good times when they come along.

Thursday, August 26, 2010

Have Barca met their match?

If anyone is going to be able to end Barcelona’s dominance of La Liga, it is going to be Jose Mourinho. Real Madrid’s new coach will be going all out to return the La Liga trophy to the Bernabeu after two seasons at the Camp Nou - and the Spanish La Liga odds suggest it will be a close-run thing.

Real president Florentino Perez has once again been throwing the cash around this summer. The recent capture of Mesut Ozil from Werder Bremen took the total spent to £61million. Whilst this is not in the same league as Manchester City, it is still a lot more than their rivals in Spain.

Perez couldn’t buy success last season but will be hoping to see some return this time around. German Ozil will join fellow countryman Sami Khedira, as well as Argentine winger Angel di Maria, as the club’s summer signings.

Mourinho has also brought in one of his favourite players in Ricardo Carvalho from Chelsea. The two worked together at both Porto and Chelsea and enjoyed a successful relationship. The new signings will join the Kakas and Ronaldos in a team desperate to win some silverware this season after a barren campaign last time around.

Barcelona on the other hand have spent relatively sparingly this summer - the only real noticeable signing so far has been that of Spain’s World Cup hero David Villa.

Despite the lack of big name signings, it has to be said they still look to have the better squad. Perhaps not man for man, but as a team there are few more settled and tighter units in world football.

This means Pep Guardiola will be confident his side can retain their position at the top of the table and he will be expecting another season of success.

Meanwhile, Ozil’s former club Werder Bremen got off to a disastrous start on the opening weekend of the Bundesliga season after losing 4-1 to TSG Hoffenheim. This has left them bottom of the league but this could just be a minor setback. Check out the German Bundesliga odds to see if backing Bremen could give you value.

Wednesday, August 25, 2010

Is Hernandez hype just hyperbole?

Despite being this summer’s major new signing for Manchester United, and with the press already having decided he is the best thing since sliced bread, is it just possible that the hype surrounding United new boy Javier Hernandez is just hyperbole?

OK, he has made one starting appearance for United and, granted, Craven Cottage against a tough to beat Fulham side is not the ideal place to make your debut, but does anyone else think that young Hernandez, the man who will need to step up to the plate should Wayne Rooney succumb to injury this season, isn’t quite as good as we all thought?

Having endured a virtually anonymous performance until his withdrawal by Sir Alex Ferguson, United fans will be aware that should their new hero perform poorly again, they may well have another Djemba-Djemba on their hands, rather than another Ronaldo.
With Craven Cottage being the first (and almost certainly not the last) time that United have had to perform without Wayne Rooney this season, the fact that Hernandez failed to step up to the plate has worrying implications for those who have backed the Red Devils to be this year’s Champions.

Sir Alex and Premier League betting pundits are all too aware of the need to have back-up in attack (and if he doesn’t, he may want to have a word with old foe Arsene Wenger about what losing your top striker for the season can do) and he clearly has faith that this weekend was a one off, rather than a glimpse into future performances from the young Mexican.

Should Ferguson be wrong, though, that all important 19th title – of which Chelsea are favourites to win with the latest football betting prices - may well elude United for another season.

Tuesday, August 24, 2010

Giggs wants slip-ups off the agenda

Ryan Giggs has called on his Manchester United team-mates to eradicate mistakes from their game if they want to win the Premier League title this season.

The veteran midfielder saw his side lose early ground on last season's champions Chelsea when they were held to a late draw at Fulham.

A leveller from Brede Hangeland at Craven Cottage was enough to see United drop two points they should have won, especially as Nani missed a penalty in the dying minutes which would have given the Red Devils a 3-1 lead and effectively end the game.

37-year-old Giggs has won the Premier League title on 11 times with United and despite his years is still enthusiastic to see his side win the trophy back from Chelsea.

He told MUTV the experience if losing the title last season by just one point makes reclaiming it the "most important" thing this time out. The Premier League 2010/11 betting suggests they have a chance.

The veteran added that United should not be losing games, or even dropping points, in games they are "capable of winning" - like they did last season.

"You know you are going to slip-up during a season, and every away game is going to be tough, but you have to limit the mistakes," Giggs said.

The midfielder's words echo those said by Sir Alex Ferguson after the Fulham game, with the manager criticising his players for dropping "silly points" which could prove crucial in the Premier League title race.

He said the penalty miss by Nani was an example of them "throwing two points away", and those lost two could be vital when you consider they only lost out to Chelsea by one back in May.

Monday, August 23, 2010

Sunderland eye ex-Newcastle star

Sunderland manager Steve Bruce could be set to increase tension between the north-east's biggest clubs as he eyes up a deal for former Newcastle winger Charles N'Zogbia.

The Frenchman is currently at Wigan, but appears to have set his heart on a move elsewhere and given the financial climate at the north-west club, no reasonable offer will be refused.

Speaking about a potential swoop, Bruce said: "I like Charles, but I think it would be unwise of me to get involved with that one.

"We haven't had any contact or made contact with Wigan as such. It's certainly media fiction in a lot of respects."

Still, after selling Kenwyne Jones to Stoke for £8 million it would seem that Bruce has some money to spend and it wouldn't be totally surprising if he decided to bring in the former Newcastle man. The best football predictions suggest Sunderland will sign someone.

If it N'Zogbia, then the Sunderland boss could be taking something of a risk given he would be signing a player who has developed a reputation as something of a troublemaker in recent years.

Although he hasn't been involved in any high-profile bust ups on or off the field, he does seem to have something of an attitude problem and is willing to give up on clubs at the first sign of trouble.

He jumped ship when Newcastle looking likely to go down, and he now looks set to dessert a Wigan side who are playing poorly.

Given the latest football betting odds suggest Sunderland are highly unlikely to get things their own way in the Premier League this season, N'Zogbia may not be the best man for Sunderland.

Sunday, August 22, 2010

EPL 2010-11: Fulham - Manutd goals

For live scores - Livescore

Fulham 2-2 Manchester United

0-1 - Scholes



1-1 - Davies




1-2 - Hangeland (o.g)



2-2 - Hangeland




Enjoyyyyy

Wednesday, August 18, 2010

Kim looks to impress

Anthony Kim is one of a number of American golfers looking to impress Ryder Cup captain Corey Pavin enough to be rewarded with a wildcard pick for the Celtic Manor event.

Kim is on his way back from thumb surgery and will look to use this week’s Wyndham Championship as a chance to show that he can bring a great deal to the US team.
He certainly needs to start improving if he is to catch the eye of Pavin and PGA Tour Betting pundits. In his other two events back after injury, he finished 76th at the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational and missed the cut in the USPGA Championship last week.

This has resulted in him being overtaken in the Ryder Cup standings by Hunter Mahan, Bubba Watson, Dustin Johnson and Matt Kuchar to complete a disappointing turnaround for the American.

He was 2nd in the standings when he first became injured and was 5th when he returned recently with the Golf Odds backing him to make the US team, but the last two weeks have been disastrous for the man who played a big part in US victory two years ago.

Captain Pavin has admitted that the form of Kim has been a concern too, so it hasn’t gone unnoticed. He says that he will have to “wait and see how he's responding” before making a decision with regards to his selection.

This will add to the pressure on Kim in the Wyndham Championship this week. He needs to prove two things – that his thumb has fully recovered and that he is in decent enough form to be a part of USA’s Ryder Cup defence.

Tuesday, August 17, 2010

Milner moves to City at last

Every summer there's a transfer saga which stretches on and on until everyone's sick of it, and the latest one has just come to an end.

The inevitable move of James Milner from Aston Villa to Manchester City look set to be completed with in the next day after the two clubs finally agreed a deal thought to be worth around £24 million.

Not only will this put to bed a story that has been running for months, but it should also help facilitate a few other transfers.

With a bit of extra money, Villa should splash some cash themselves and no doubt this will lead to a trickledown effect as Premier League clubs get rid of their deadwood and try to pick up a bargain.

Given the size of the price tag there can be no doubt the selling club have got the best side of the deal in this transfer. Milner cost them "just" £12 million from Newcastle, and the north-east side must be regretting not including a sell-on clause in the contract.

It will be interesting to see how this latest big money transfer impacts on Milner. He's shown mental fortitude in the past, not least when his first potential move from Newcastle to Aston Villa broke down.

However, life at Manchester City will be a different proposition altogether. Not only will all eyes be on him as he's now one of the most expensive English footballers around, but he may find himself being left out of the side on a regular basis. With all those stars, the best odds for Premier League games will usually make City favourite whether Milner plays or not.

He need only look at Shay Given and Craig Bellamy to see how quickly a City player can go from first-team regular to surplus to requirements.

Of course, over the course of the next season he has a good chance of winning silverware and will pick up a hefty pay packet, so there's every chance the move is the right one and many people will no doubt back him to score as one of their football predictions for the weekend.

Wawrinka looks to step out of shadows

It can’t be easy being a Swiss tennis player right now, trying to gain any sort of limelight while standing behind the greatest player who has ever lived. Stanislas Wawrinka has been struggling with that since he turned pro eight years ago. With Federer entering the back end of his illustrious career, Wawrinka will now be looking to finally take centre stage. He’ll have the chance to prove his ability later this month in the US Open.

Tennis Betting note how Wawrinka has recently hired Federer’s former coach Peter Lundgren in a bid to make the next step in his career. Swede Lundgren boasts an impressive C.V, after spells working with Marcelo Rios, Marat Safin, Marcos Baghdatis as well as Federer. Wawrinka’s grand slam record isn’t the greatest; he’s never gone further than the fourth round stage, but is young enough to change that.

The world number 23 hasn’t had the best season so far this year. He made the third round of the Australian, then the fourth round of the French Open. He was disappointing this summer at Wimbledon.

Against most Tennis Odds, Wawrinka was put out in the first round, losing to Denis Istomin in five sets. He has did win the ATP tournament held in Morocco, beating Victor Hanescu in straight sets to claim the second tour title of his career.

Wawrinka’s record at Flushing Meadows has been pretty decent. He’s never reached the latter stages of the tournament but has made the fourth round twice. The Swiss number two will be looking to improve on last year’s performance, losing in the first round to Ecuador’s Nicolas Lapentti, after winning the first two sets.

Monday, August 16, 2010

Manchester United: Green and Gold campaign

Glazers get out...


EPL 2010-11 : Manutd - Newcastle goals

For Live scores - Livescore

Manchester United 3-0 Newcastle United

1-0 - Berbatov




2-0 - Fletcher -




3-0 - Giggs





Enjoyyyy...

Sunday, August 15, 2010

EPL 2010-11 : Liverpool - Arsenal goals

For Live scores - Livescore

Liverpool 1-1 Arsenal





J. Cole Red Card



1 – 0 [N. Gog]



1 – 1 Reina Own Goal


Enjoyyy

Friday, August 13, 2010

Spurs season preview 2010/11

The consensus that the 2010/11 season title race is wide open seems a little optimistic. Either Chelsea or Manchester United will surely win it again, so observers should really say that the battle for third and fourth is more competitive than it has been for over a decade.

Tottenham are one of the clubs that should be involved in this scramble for Champions League places. Spurs successfully bridged the gap between themselves and Liverpool last term and the realistic goal this time around is to lay the demons of 2005/06 to rest and dislodge Arsenal from the long-standing elite.

Manchester City, Everton and, notwithstanding an untimely managerial change, Aston Villa, will have the same aim and decent cases for each can be made. They have all been in the hunt for Champions League football in recent years. Liverpool will inevitably fare better with Roy Hodgson at the helm.

City is particular seem ready for a better assault on the top four, but suspicion remains that they will be a disparate bunch of stars unaccustomed to the rigours of Premier League football. They need time to bed-in, a luxury Roberto Mancini does not have. I wouldn't risk a Premier League betting prediction to tip them to win the title.

Despite this stiff competition, Harry Redknapp has barely added to his squad, acknowledging both the financial situation and the talent he has at his disposal. He knows Spurs have the ability to improve, with consistency the big objective.

Another good cup run is obtainable - a semi final defeat to Portsmouth was an area of particular under-achievement - and the manager is right to aim high. You can bet on Premier League games being a big priority, though. Third place, a cup victory and Champions League group stage qualification might sound optimistic, but the ingredients are there for further improvement.

Ferguson predicts huge top four battle

Sir Alex Ferguson thinks there will be a bigger battle to finish into the Premier League top four this season than there has been in many years.

Last season saw Tottenham and Manchester City battle to finish in the Champions League qualification, a contest Spurs eventually won and left usual top four occupiers Liverpool further down the table.

Veteran manager Ferguson has told United's website that the Premier League was "a different league" to what had been seen in recent seasons, as the title challengers lost more games than normal and there was a titanic battle to get into the top four. The Premier League 2010/11 betting certainly suggests it will be a close contest.

He added that Manchester City's huge spending this summer, together with the improvements seen at Spurs, mean the traditional so-called big four face another huge battle this campaign to hold onto their dominance.

"We all have to be aware of the threats from the likes of Villa, Everton, Tottenham and Manchester City - they'll all be challenging to get into that top four," Ferguson said.
"Things definitely changed last season - it was a different league altogether compared to what we'd seen before. That's an indication of the improvement made by other teams, and I think there'll be a bit of a dogfight for the top four places this season."

Ferguson has not spent big money improving his squad this summer, with Mexican striker Javier Hernandez the main pre-season signing. Few would place a football bet on him to be top scorer, but the signs are he could do well.

The Mexican international scored as a substitute in the Community Shield and United legend Ole Gunnar Solskjaer said Hernandez is "capable" of firing many goals this season to help his side wrestle the Premier League title back from Chelsea.

Monday, August 9, 2010

Hannon appears to have early grip on 2011 colts Classic

Just at the moment everything senior trainer Richard Hannon touches seems to turn to gold and following the publication of entries for the Group1 Jumeirah Dewhurst Stakes at Newmarket later in the term, the East Everleigh handler appears to hold most of the aces in the traditional trial for the following year's 2000 Guineas, writes Elliot Slater.

In King Torus, Libranno and Strong Suit, Hannon trains three of the outstanding juvenile colts of the season so far and should two, or even all three, take part in the big race at HQ on October 14th, the dilemma facing stable jockey Richard Hughes as to which horse to ride would be particularly taxing.

Maybe following his outing in Ireland this weekend, we'll learn a little more about just how fast Strong Suit is improving, the Rahy colt, game winner of the Group 2 Coventry stakes at Royal Ascot, being set to take on Ireland's leading two-year-old colt of the term so fat in Kevin Prendergast's Dunboyne Express in a race that could well have significant repercussions for the ante-post 2000 Guineas for which Strong Suit is currently an incredibly short 6/1 chance. You can expect him to be in many people's lists of UK horse racing tips.

With King Torus, winner of both the Superlative Stakes and Vintage stakes already this term, and Libranno, impressive winner of both the July Stakes and most recently the Richmond Stakes at Glorious Goodwood, strengthening Hannon's hand, many of the lading trainers on both sides of the Irish Sea must surely be casting a slightly jealous glance in the direction of the in-form trainer who was the drummer with the 1960s rock band The Trogs.

In my opinion, even though he has looked impressive so far, the price being offered about Strong Suit for the 2000 Guineas is ridiculous so far away from the race itself, and of the Hannon trio I would suggest that Libranno at 20/1 looks the best value horse racing tip at this stage of proceedings.

Woods needs to show his teeth

There is once again plenty of fighting talk coming from the Tiger Woods camp. The world number one – for now at least – is vocal in stating his belief that he will soon be back to near his best, which as every Golf Betting pundit knows, is good enough to start winning majors again.

Unfortunately Woods is in a steadily dwindling minority and such is his collapse in form that there must be doubts as to whether the man himself really thinks he is ‘playing great’. The statistics do not support that, as the man placed 80th on this year’s PGA money list is languishing low on most measures of form.

He has dropped from first in 2008 to 192nd this year on the PGA ranking of approach short accuracy, suggesting putting, the area Woods is most concerned about, is not his only problem. He could do with sinking a few more though – he is holing 50% less midrange puts than he was two years ago.

It is unrealistic to expect such a proud, successful and resilient player as Woods to publicly admit too much weakness, but he might be given more slack by the media if he acknowledges things are far from great.

This denial of his current form makes Woods appear disconnected from reality – hardly a surprise perhaps – and suggests his malaise could be a prolonged one, as he perhaps lacks the motivation to confront the demons in his game and life that will help put things right.

Woods is playing and practising on autopilot, expecting things to come right when they won’t unless he changes something other than his putter. Less anger and denial in the press room, more passion on the course are needed to boost his US PGA Betting odds in the coming months.

Saturday, August 7, 2010

Community Shield 2010 : Chelsea - Manutd goals

For Live scores - Livescore

Chelsea 1-3 Manchester United

0-1 - Valencia




0-2 - 'Chicharito' Hernandez




1-2 - Kalou -



1-3 - Berbatov




Match Highlights



Post match




Enjoyyy.........

Friday, August 6, 2010

WGC-Bridgestone Invitational preview

The build-up to every PGA tour event is dominated by the prospects of Tiger Woods, and the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational is no different. In fact Woods’ record at the Firestone Country club – he has won on his last four visits and seven times overall – means this tournament is particularly pertinent as the extent of the troubled star’s malaise continues to be measured.

Another major subplot is the tight battle for the number one ranking. Woods, Phil Mickelson could all clinch top place in the world rankings with victory in Ohio as the title of world’s best golfer begins a likely game of pass-the-parcel in the final months of the season.

Westwood would swap any number of weeks at the top of the rankings for a first major and the Englishman knows Bridgestone is a crucial part of his build-up for when US Open Tennis Betting gets underway.

Westwood is the man in form of the big three and has the game to succeed on one of the tour’s toughest courses. He was runner-up two years ago and is well-equipped to continue the success of European players on the US tour.

Mickelson has struggled at Firestone in recent years and it is a tough ask for a player who has lacked rhythm on fairways and greens recently to rediscover his touch at one of the four WGC events, despite his ability to produce on home soil when it matters.

Woods’ record at Firestone is hard to ignore, but his current plight is perhaps more important than the fact he has finished in the top five in all 11 appearances in the event. His putting at St Andrews was well short of what is required if he is to start winning again and the tricky greens on the Akron course is unlikely to be the place where he will find his range with his new putter.

Rory McIlroy is in such good form that he cannot be ignored when it comes to Tennis Betting odds, whilst Steve Stricker and Hunter Mahan are good alternatives after securing top 10 finishes at the event last year. However, Westwood is the man to beat, which might well be the situation when the elite players assemble at Whistling Straits for the final major of the season.

Wednesday, August 4, 2010

Bell hails Morgan's Test potential

Eoin Morgan has a huge international Test career ahead of him and he should be a shoo-in for the Ashes squad to face Australia this winter, according to Ian Bell.

The England batsman is predicting big things for the Middlesex left-hander, who had earned a huge reputation as a specialist in the one-day and T20 forms of the game.
However his first Test century in the victory over Pakistan showed what he could do with the bat in this arena and he will be hoping to follow-up with more of the same when the second Test gets underway at Edgbaston on Friday, a match the cricket odds make the home side favourites to win.

Morgan has been named for that game as England's selectors have chosen an unchanged 12-man squad for the clash, but Bell reckons the Irish-born batsman will have a long international career and will join himself as part of the touring party to Australia as England look to defend their Ashes title.

Bell said English cricket is in a "really good position" at the moment as there is competition for places across the squad, and this means the selectors will have a "difficult choice" when they choose the Ashes squad.

Speaking about Morgan, he added: "It showed again that as a group and with more competition for places, a young player has come in and showed some real class when the team needed it and that's what it's all about.

"It was fantastic to watch a young player play like that. He's got the ability to be in the game for a very long time."

However, the Ashes cricket betting still makes Australia strong favourites.
England captain Andrew Strauss has ensured he does not get too carried away by the side's easy 354-run victory over Pakistan in the first Test at Trent Bridge.

He has called for the side to get more consistency in their game ahead of the Ashes tour this winter.