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FA Cup Final Betting Preview (Friday, May 16, 2008)

FA Cup Final,

Portsmouth v Cardiff-Live on BBC1 & Sky Sports 1, k/o 15:00pm

Few people would have chosen either of these teams to be walking out onto the famous Wembley turf at the beginning of the season, and fewer still as the competition progressed. Although they are favourites to win their first trophy since 1939, Portsmouth were amongst the shock winners this year when they beat 11 time winners Man Utd in the quarter finals. They managed to squeeze past West Brom in the semis 1-0 to book their place in the final, but go into the game on their worst run of the season with one draw and four defeats their last six, including a season ending 1-0 home defeat to relegation threatened Fulham. They will also be without cup tied Jermain Defoe, who has scored 8 goals in 12 games since joining Pompey, although they are boosted by the return of in form keeper David James.

Cardiff will be sweating on the fitness of former England international Robbie Fowler as they look forward to their first Wembley final since 1927, the last time the FA Cup left England thanks to their
1-0 win over Arsenal. City were also amongst the shock winners this year, beating Middlesbrough 2-0 in the quarter finals to set up a semi final with fellow giant killers Barnsley. An early Joe Ledley goal was enough to send the Bluebirds to Wembley, although they come into the final with just two wins from their last six league games, including a season ending 3-0 win over the team they beat in the semis, Barnsley. If boss Dave Jones decides Fowler is not fit for the weekend, he can still call on Premiership experience in the shape of Jimmy Floyd Hasslebaink, whose previous FA Cup final appearance, with Chelsea in 2002, ended in defeat to Arsenal.

VC Bet make Portsmouth favourites at 8/11, but can Cardiff complete the season of FA Cup upsets by gaining an unlikely victory? VC Bet don?t think so as they price a Cardiff victory at 22/5.

Labels: fa-cup-betting, fa-cup-final-betting

Posted by soccerbetting.info @ 3:14 PM

FA Cup and Premiership betting weekend preview by Gerry McDonnell (Thursday, March 06, 2008)

Hairy Plotter and the Half-Blood Prince

Like Martin Luther King and Gandhi, I'm a fan of passive resistance; but there are some things in life that we have to fight for. For me, it's a baby's smile, the love of a mute woman or more affordable prices at the petrol pump.

It's to my deep and lasting regret that a serious injury prevented me from joining the military. I've been plagued with recurring back pain since childhood - it's never easy growing up in Jersey.

Fortunately for the army, Prince Harry was able to stand up and fight for possible Grandmother and Country. His willingness to get his hands dirty shows real character; he's stuck two fingers up to those who question Germany's poor war record. Fulham's recent record is at an equally unhealthy level; they've only one won of their last eighteen battles. Blackburn will take no prisoners at 11/20.

Now that the Rambo-like tax-dodger has returned from single-handedly destroying the Taliban, he'll be looking for an alternative career. Steve Coppell is apparently showing an interest; he appreciates a useless ginger hitman. I'll fire a few rounds off if Reading sneak a win over Manchester City at 6/4.

Radio chat shows are really scraping the barrel for material. One recent topic up for debate was 'Why do West Ham fans dislike Frank Lampard'. I wasted 25 minutes trying to get through, and I only wanted to say four words. I'll be equally succinct in describing the 4/5 for a Tottenham win over West Ham: nap of the week.

Michael Owen may have been written off more than Angus Loughran's debts, but he remains a top-drawer operator. Newcastle are available at 10/1 against a Liverpool side with one eye on the Champions League; I'm ashamed to say that I'm on the verge of being priced in.

Cesc Fabregas returned to his incomparable best in midweek against Milan. I can't foresee any scenario where Wigan will be able to stop him, shy of hitting him over the head with a guitar or dropping a grand piano on him; but even then he'd remain instrumental. Arsenal just have to turn up to win at 8/13.

Tim Cahill has been castigated for using a goal celebration to show solidarity with his imprisoned brother. I find the criticism over-the-top, it's not like he bent over and touched his toes - even I would be offended by the 'Barton shuffle'. I'll hit the dancefloor when Everton beat Sunderland at 5/4.

The FA Cup reaches the quarter-final stage this weekend, allowing either West Brom or Bristol Rovers the opportunity to make an unexpected trip to Wembley. Personally, I hope it's the Albion fans who get to see the bright lights of London, as they consider a trip to Birmingham something of a cultural treat. The Baggies are a fair bet at 6/5.

I hope Sir Alex Ferguson has calmed down after Arsenal's last-gasp leveller against Aston Villa last week. "It was the 95th minute of their usual seven minutes of injury time," whined the Scot, before launching a furious tirade at the blackness of a nearby kettle. United fans will be steaming when they knock Pompey out of the Cup at 4/11.

The FA should hang their collective hands in shame after overturning Frank Lampard's red card against West Ham. I can only assume that they were frightened of Lampard demanding a personal hearing, which would have led to astronomical catering overheads. I'll happily tuck in to the 4/11 for a Chelsea win over Barnsley.

It appears that Lampard was let off on a technicality - he plays for one of the big four. Jeremie Aliadiere represents Middlesbrough, so he was given a four match ban for replicating the actions of a Liverpool player - he regularly underperformed in the league. Boro will still have enough to ease past Cardiff at 7/10.

Last week's accer never really got off the ground, but even Shakespeare made the occasional spelling mistake. I'm far more confident with this week's selections. Reading, Everton, Tottenham and Arsenal form a 14/1 accer of such noble virtue, even Prince Harry would happily go to war to protect it - if there was a camera crew in the vicinity.

Weekend Betting:

FA Cup Quarter Finals

Man Utd v Portsmouth Saturday 8th March 12:45 Live on Sky
Man Utd 4/11
Draw 4/1
Portsmouth 11/1
Get on: Man Utd

Barnsley v Chelsea Saturday 8th March 17:30 Live on BBC
Barnsley 12/1
Draw 7/2
Chelsea 4/11
Get on: Chelsea

Middlesbrough v Cardiff Sunday 9th March 14:00 Live on BBC
Middlesbrough 7/10
Draw 13/5
Cardiff 5/1
Get on: Middlesbrough

Bristol Rovers v West Brom Sunday 9th March 18:00 Live on BBC
Bristol Rovers 5/2
Draw 23/10
West Brom 6/5
Get on: West Brom

Premier League

Blackburn v Fulham Saturday 8th March 15:00
Blackburn 11/20
Draw 3/1
Fulham 11/2
Get on: Blackburn

Liverpool v Newcastle Saturday 8th March 15:00
Liverpool 2/5
Draw 7/2
Newcastle 9/1
Get on: Newcastle

Reading v Man City Saturday 8th March 15:00
Reading 6/4
Draw 9/4
Man City 2/1
Get on: Reading

Sunderland v Everton Sunday 9th March 15:00
Sunderland 5/2
Draw 12/5
Everton 5/4
Get on: Everton

Tottenham v West Ham Sunday 9th March 15:00
Tottenham 4/5
Draw 11/4
West Ham 7/2
Get on: Tottenham

Wigan v Arsenal Sunday 9th March 16:00 Live on Sky
Wigan 11/2
Draw 11/4
Arsenal 8/13
Get on: Arsenal

Labels: fa-cup-betting, premier-league-preview

Posted by soccerbetting.info @ 12:27 PM

FA Cup weekend preview by Gerry McDonnell (Thursday, February 14, 2008)

Strawberry Fields For Heather

I absolutely despise Valentines Day. Conformity demands that I waste good money on a pointless gift and a meaningless card, even though the wife has spent the last 364 days of the year criticising me for being lazy. I'd happily dump her; but it's a lot of effort to find someone new.

Paul McCartney has taken the brave step of officially ending his ill-fated relationship. For me, he's definitely made the correct decision, even if it does cost him an arm and a leg.

While Paul and I understand that love is a complete fallacy, there are still a minority who believe in the romance of the FA Cup. The reality is that the minnows just make up the numbers until the trophy is lifted by one of the big 4, or Liverpool.

Rafa Benitez has pointed the finger at the Yanks for their relegation from the elite. You can blame the Americans for many things: Middle East instability, nuclear war, terrorism, global warming, 9/11 and fat children, but they didn't rest Torres against Birmingham. I hope Rafa takes the FA Cup seriously, as I'm on the Reds at 1/5 against Barnsley.

The liveliest atmosphere of the 5th Round will probably be at Coventry, where West Brom will be arriving with 8,000 screaming Yam Yams. I'll definitely be going out of my way to avoid Coventry this weekend; although the words 'this' and 'weekend' are pretty much superfluous. The Baggies look a fair shout at 7/5 to leave victorious.

David James continues to surprise me. There were times when I thought he would prove a major liability; those times were 1990 ? 1996 and 1998 ? 2007. With Calamity in this kind of form, you have to believe that Preston have a tougher job on their hands than Helen Chamberlain's makeup artist. I'll be made up when Pompey advance at 10/11.

It will be somewhat ironic if Middlesbrough put an end to Bryan Robson's managerial career. It was at the Boro where Robbo first made his name; I think it was 'Jim Beam'. Robson may well be interested in the odds for a Middlesbrough win over Sheffield United; 7/5 is a little short.

Cardiff have come a long way since the Sam Hammam era, when new signings were contractually obligated to enjoy a physical liaison with a sheep. That controversial clause was widely criticised at the time, but it did lead to Franck Ribery asking for a trial. Things are a lot more stable at Ninian Park today; they have Peter Ridsdale in the boardroom. The chairman can buy another goldfish when the Bluebirds slaughter the Wolves at 11/8.

Southampton will still be without a manger for their trip to Bristol Rovers. The Saints did try to rehire Glenn Hoddle, but he wanted to discuss his options with a likeminded friend, so he's waiting for Paul McCartney's divorce proceedings to end. I'll be on Bristol Rovers at 2/1 to see off the Saints; although I'll stay away from the handicap.

After finding the net in his last nine matches, Emmanuel Adebayor will be hoping to reach a perfect 10 against Manchester United. I'm not normally one to boast, but I once dated a German girl who was very close to being a '10'. She was extremely arrogant though: she knew she was a '9', and she wouldn't shut up about it while making love. I'm screaming about the 9/4 for a draw between Manchester United and Arsenal.

Like Helga, Avram Grant always appears deeply unhappy. As an Israeli, Grant has seen some distressing sights through the years, although nothing could prepare him for the picture of the hairdresser who gave Ashley Cole a little trim. I'll throw up if Chelsea fail to beat Huddersfield at 1/10.

For Cheryl Cole and Heather Mills, Valentines Day will be a depressing affair. My wife will be genuinely excited though, as she loves to eat a mountain of chocolate on this special occasion - it's a weekday. Cardiff, Chelsea, Liverpool, Middlesbrough and Portsmouth form a 12/1 accer that will allow me to purchase an extra large bar of Toblerone.

Labels: fa-cup-betting

Posted by soccerbetting.info @ 12:41 PM

FA Cup weekend preview by Gerry McDonnell (Thursday, January 24, 2008)

Driving Miss Dozy

Statistics are normally my trusted ally, but even close friends can occasionally fall out. Research claims to prove that men are over 50% more likely to be involved in a road accident than women, but that's probably because they've all been run over by dippy bints.

Only last weekend, the wife's vertiginous nature led to a particularly bad smash. Betty was seriously shaken up, but luckily, a Scientologist was quickly on the scene.

The incident would never have occurred if we lived in Saudi Arabia, as women are forbidden from driving by law. They must really respect their women to go to such lengths to keep them safe.

The Saudi ladies have many other social advantages. When Manchester United played their controversial testimonial in Riyadh, the women were all banned from the stadium; presumably to protect them from the shock of viewing Rooney and Tevez. I can't take my eyes off the 7/1 for a Tottenham win over a jetlagged United side.

While the Saudi women lead a life of luxury, the men are treated incredibly shabbily. Islamic law allows the males to marry up to four wives: so you can understand why a minority go apocalyptic. I'd consider destroying the West if I had to watch Eastenders four times a week.

It's not all doom and gloom for the men, as multiple weddings equate to multiple stag nights. It's a little bit different over there though: it takes the stripper 25 minutes to whip out her elbows. There won't be a Stag party when Mansfield face Middlesbrough, Southgate's men will knock them out at a fundamentally sound 4/9.

Amy Winehouse can only look on in jealousy at the freedoms offered to the women of the Middle East. Amy can't even water her plants without being harassed by the man, although she has been overdoing it with the hosepipe lately. I'll be having the craic with the 5/6 for a Derby win over Preston.

The footballing world has changed dramatically since Kevin Keegan last flexed his managerial muscle. The game is now awash with American cowboys, and in a sign of solidarity with our friendly-firing brothers, Joey Barton now walks like John Wayne. I won't be backing Arsenal at 2/5 against Newcastle. The hell I won't.

Liverpool v Havant & Waterlooville is what the FA Cup is all about: it's a bunch of nobodies getting spanked by a decent team. Bookies are as short as 1/100 about a Liverpool win, I'll play on the Reds -2.5 goals at a more punter friendly 1/2.

Wigan looked to have completed a canny piece of business with the signing of Wilson Palacios. The Honduran is nicknamed 'Harry Potter', a moniker earned when his brother disappeared. 8/15 for a Chelsea win over Wigan will be vanishing soon.

Mark Hughes is definitely a kind-hearted soul. He went face to face with Gareth Southgate last week, and he resisted the urge to laugh. I'll be smiling like a trout enthusiast around Leslie Ash when Aston Villa see off Blackburn at even money in the only Premier League fixture of the weekend.

Frankly, I was quite disturbed by the news that Leslie Ash pocketed £5m after contracting a bug while in hospital. It's not like Lee Chapman needs the money, he already owns a mobile exercise unit.

The controversial payout has led me to consider moving to the utopia that is Saudi Arabia. Naturally, this would lead to a conversion to Islam, which will conflict with my liberal beliefs. The wife would have to wear a veil though, so it's swings and roundabouts. Aston Villa, Arsenal, Portsmouth, Southampton and Watford form a 10/1 weekend accer that will pay for the necessary amount of tarpaulin.

Labels: fa-cup-betting

Posted by soccerbetting.info @ 12:50 PM