Big Brother: Next Eviction Betting - 1st August
July 31, 2008
This week saw big Brother get tough on the Housemates who had created a ’secret code’ in order to discuss nominations. Big Brother inflicted a punishment on all those housemates who flouted the rules by attempting to discuss this weeks nominations.
First of all the nominations for eviction this week, resulted in Luke and Dale being put up for eviction on Friday night’s eviction show. Luke was voted in the main because he has become a bit unbearable now that Rebecca left last week. Dale’s nominations came flooding in after the housemates sat and watched the audition tapes. For those of you who can remember his tape, he played the stud and a male chauvinist, promising to ‘nail’ any bird he saw fit in the house. This didn’t go down well with the other housemates, considering he’s nothing like this in the house.
Later, Big Brother called the housemates together on the Sofa to announce that he realised the ’secret code’ that was devised by the housemates, and that the Leader of the House (Stuart) was a key instigator of this. He was immediately stripped of this title, and the housemates went on about their business. Little did they know that when they were called together again, the rest of the housemates invloved in the discussions would be punished too.
Big Brother handed down a harsh punishment, by putting them all up for eviction in the public vote for Friday night’s show. All the housemates were in complete shock at the start of the proceedings, but this turned to hilarity as they realised that it meant all but a couple were up. Those that are safe from the public vote are Sara and Michael who were not part of any nomination discussions.
This leaves Mohamed, Kathreya, Darnell, Rex, Dale, Luke, Rachel, and Stuart up for the public vote on Friday. Maysoon would also be up for eviction if she hadn’t bailed out of the house yesterday.
In another twist, Big Brother have annouced that you will be voting to evict (not save) the housemate on Friday, giving the public the chance to get rid of the housemate that is not popular. The choices are soo open that it’s going to be a tough call as to who is going. The bookmaker’s themselves have chosen not to open markets on this eviction, so our best indication of their thoughts, and maybe the thoughts of the public is with who’s likely to win the competition.
As we can see from the table below, Kathreya (best odds are 3/1 with Stan James) is still favourite to win, this is been her position since the outset, with no one really coming close, with the exception of maybe Darnell (4/1 with Bet365). The majority of the other housemates are kind of middle of the table, with Mohamed least likely to win (with Paddy Power offering 100/1). Looking at the list of odds available from the different bookmakers, Luke is showing some wierd results, as the bookmakers are finding his popularity hard to judge. Bet365 have him as an outsider to win at 16/1 (though you can get 23/1 on the Betfair Exchange), whereas Blue Square have 5/1 for him to win, a huge difference in betting terms. Blue Square have him as 3rd likely to win out of all the housemates.
What do you think of the twists this week, who do you think should go on Friday, let us know by dropping us a comment below:
Will England Qualify for the 2010 World Cup
July 31, 2008
WILL ENGLAND QUALIFY FOR THE 2010 WORLD CUP
Bet365 have England at 1/4 to qualify and 11/4 to fail.
The Football Association has set England coach Fabio Capello the target of reaching at least the semi-finals of the 2010 World Cup or Euro 2012. It is one of a series of ambitious aims set out by the FA in a wide-ranging review. The governing body also plans to appoint an international performance director and has given the go-ahead to the National Football Centre. The review, believed to be the most extensive ever carried out by the FA, was ordered following England’s failure to qualify for Euro 2008.
Fabio Capello has only been at the helm for a short period, but the FA document “Vision 2008-2012″ makes it clear what is expected. England last reached a semi-final at Euro 1996, Terry Venables’ side losing to Germany on penalties. Capello must achieve at least as much in one of the next 2 major tournaments.
England’s fixtures for the qualifying stage of the 2010 World Cup
Andorra (Away) Saturday, September 6, 2008
Croatia (Away) Wednesday, September 10, 2008
Kazakhstan (Home) Saturday, October 11, 2008
Belarus (Away) Wednesday, October 15, 2008
Ukraine (Home) Wednesday, April 1, 2009
Kazakhstan (Away) Saturday, June 6, 2009
Andorra (Home) Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Croatia (Home) Wednesday, September 9, 2009
Ukraine (Away) Saturday, October 10, 2009
Belarus (Home) Wednesday, October 14, 2009
FA executives seem pleased with the chance of a “rematch” with Croatia, under new coach Fabio Capello, though whether Capello shares their view is a different story. Euro 2008 quarter-finalists Croatia’s 3-2 win over England at Wembley prevented them from qualifying and cost former coach Steve McClaren his job.
England, 6/5 favourites with skybet to win Group 6, kick off their 2010 World Cup qualifying campaign on September 6th, away to Andorra. The crucial away tie with Croatia (13/8 with Paddy Power) is on September 10th.
Croatia coach Slaven Bilic insisted that he hoped to avoid England, despite his country’s recent success against them. He pointed out that it is a testing group, given the presence of both England and Ukraine, and warned against focusing on the group winners coming from just England or Croatia.
However, Bilic is delighted that Arsenal striker, Eduardo Da Silva is recovering well from the double compound leg fracture he sustained in February and may well be fit to join his club for pre-season training. At 22, Luka Modric has already been capped 29 times by his country and represents the future of Croatian football. He was the creative genius in Croatia’s midfield and possesses a strong ability to easily outplay opposing midfielders despite his size. Following Croatia’s defeat of Germany in at Euro 2008, Croatian coach Slaven Bilic regarded him as the best player in Europe.
Following England and Croatia, Ukraine (15/2 with William Hill) cannot be discounted lightly. With a highly motivated team of young players, Ukraine are the “dark horses” of the group and seem certain to have some say in its outcome. Despite finishing only a disappointing 4th in their Euro 2008 qualification bid, they possess some skilful players, including powerful striker Artem Milevskiy, from Dynamo Kiev.
Belarus (100/1 with William Hill) have produced players of great skill in their recent history and it might prove foolish to dismiss their chances of qualification completely. Amongst their current crop of players is the dynamic midfielder, Alexander Hleb, who has recently moved to Barcelona.
Kazakhstan (1000/1 with 888sport) and Andorra (10000/1 with sportingbet) simply make up the numbers in Group 6. Both teams will struggle to compete against the other nations, because of the lack of quality in terms of players and highly uncompetitive domestic leagues.
Fabio Capello needs to get the most out of his squad of talented under-achievers. Many “experts” are of the opinion that powerful physique and effort are taught in preference to technical expertise in youth teams, resulting in players with insufficient technical skill to compete at the highest level. A successful team is a blend of these attributes and it can only be hoped that the new coach finds the correct combination as soon as possible. England should qualify with a minimum of fuss, as Group winners, given the opposition with which they are presented.
Bet365 have England at 1/4 to qualify and 11/4 to fail. Even if the English side slip up and finish second, there is always the “playoff” route by which to qualify. However, provided England don’t throw points away as they have been prone to do, the qualification path looks pretty straight and smooth. With a fresh outlook and some fresh faces, hopefully at this time two years from now, Fabio Capello will be due for toasting, not roasting.
All odds correct at time of writing. Please click here for the latest odds
Thursdays Betting at Glorious Goodwood
July 31, 2008
Day three of the Glorious Goodwood race meet gets underway today with the first race at 2.15pm.
The Moet Hennessy Fillies Stakes (registered as Lillie Langtry Stakes) takes the Group 3, Class 1 horses on a 1 mile 6 furlong race. The horse which is favourite to win this race is Folk Opera, which also sees many tips. Currently the best odds are 11/4 available from Sporting Bet. 2nd Favourite, High Calypso is being ridden by Ryan Moore, and has odds to match Folk Opera at most bookies, however Sporting Bet are offering slightly better odds at 14/5.
As to which of these horses is likely to win, I think based on form alone Folk Opera will take the win. High Calyso’s form has been weak of late, and the wins she has under her belt were from last season.
Best Odds for the 2.15 at Glorious Goodwood
At 2.50 we have the Audi Stakes (registered as the King George stakes) which is another Group 3 class 1 race, this time over 5 furlongs.
The favourite is Dandy Man which is being ridden by Dettori. Best odds for Dandy Man are 5/2 currently with Sporting Bet or Ladbrokes. For me, he is inconsistent, which is putting me off, if he puts in a good performance he should win, however this is not guaranteed with this horse.
Not dismissing Masta Plasta (9/2 at Paddy Power), but my money will be going with Befortyfour (12/1 at Sporting Bet), it’s had a good series of runs this year so far, and will favour the ground this time around.
Best Odds for the 2.50 at Glorious Goodwood
The feature race for today’s meet is the 3.30 Goodwood Cup. A Group Two Class one Race over 2 miles. The field has narrowed a little for this race with two non-runners announced (Allegretto and Mad Rush). The favourite is the powerhouse horse Yeats (best odds 4/6 at Sporting Bet). Not only on top form, but has real staying power for this massive distance. Other horses to watch out for are Honolulu (5/1 Sporting Bet) could be a contender if it has a good run; Distinction is the other one to watch, improving form, and being ridden by it’s favoured jockey, Ryan Moore.
Best Odds for the 3.30 Goodwod Cup
The 4.05 Marjorie and Bernard Benham Emerald Anniversary Stakes sees Military Power trying to continue his excellent form. Best odds for this horse is currently with Sporting Bet at 11/2. Khateeb, 2nd favourite is running at top weight for this race, however has been lightly raced, and has more to give, so shouldn’t be discounted. For me, I think Indian Days is worth a punt. Indian Days has been showing much improved efforts, and is likely to turn out another bold race, it seemingly enjoys the distance and is not troubled by the going. The best odds for Indian Days is currently 10/12 with skybet.
Best Odds for the 4.05 at Goodwood
The final races of the day are the 4.40, 5.15 and 5.50. The best odds for these races can be found on our best odds pages.
Wednesday - Betting at Glorious Goodwood
July 30, 2008
Today is day two at Glorious Goodwood, and there’s another day of racing ahead, with seven races at this meet. The going today is good to firm.
Yesterday’s action was fantastic, though our tips started off a little shaky with our horses failing to make a place. The second race was a little better as the favourite stormed home. The 3.30 was another wash out for us, howeveer in the 4.05, our tip of Finjaan came in as the favourite failed to make a place.
The 4.40 went to Sanbuch, one of horses to watch. Whilst in the 5.15 and 5.50 races we cleaned up as Yamal won at 5-1 amd Gyr came in at 4/1. So how will we fair today? Let’s take a look at the races:
The first race of the day get’s underway at 2.15 and is the Invesco Perpetual Goodwood Stakes, a class two race run over 2 miles and 5 furlongs. There are currently two horses which are fighting for favourite status, and they are Som Tala and La Vecchia Scuola. Looking at the best odds for these two, you can get odds of 7/1 on Som Tala (Bet365) and 8/1 on La Vecchia Scuola (VC Bet). The horse that is getting my money though for this race is Tomina (11/1 BlueSq). Tomina has the capacity to win at this distance, and if ridden well, could well make the place.
All odds for the 2.15 at Glorious Goodwood
Next up is the 2.50 Veuve Clicquot Vintage Stakes, a group 2 race run over 7 furlongs. The favourite is Sayif, which is a little bit of a surprise given the experience, however Sayif is already on form, and is a strong contender for the win. My money would have gone on Westphalia, if it hadn’t been withdrawn from the race, so I am favouring Orizaba, who showed promising signs at the maiden in May having thrashed the competition, however had a poorer run on it’s last outing, though for me, still shows a good chance at 4/1 (VC Bet)
All Odds for the 2.50 at Glorious Goodwood
At 3.30 we have the BGC Sussex Stakes, a Group 1, Class 1 race over 1 mile. The favourite and for me the most likely to win, is Henrythenavigator. Trained by AP O’Brien and being ridden by Murtagh, this horse is on cracking form. If Henrythenavigator handles the course well then this one should be a banker. If you’re looking for an each way outsider bet, then Winker Watson could be the ticket. Ridden by Ryan Moore, this horse had a really flying start to it’s career, until it suffered an injury, since then it has found it hard to return to winning ways. Maybe today will be the turning point? At 20/1 (Sporting Bet) it is worth a punt.
All odds for the 3.30 at Glorious Goodwood
The Sir Peter o’Sullevan Voice of Racing Stakes gets underway at 4.05. In favourite position is Colony, a Sir Michael Stoute horse. Currently available at 9/2 from Sporting Bet, Colony is enjoying his current form with two wins in the three races this year. He’s put on a little weight, but should still manage to lead the field this time around. The only horse, in my mind which could maybe win this race is Savarain, who came a close second to Colony in their last race. Savarain doesn’t have to make much progress to take the lead in this one. You can get 7/1 at Ladbrokes if you favour Savarain to win this race.
All Odds for the 4.05 at Glorious Goodwood
At 4.40 the Weatherby’s Bank E B F Fillies Stakes gets underway. In favourite spot is Lee Miller (5/1 Porting Bet), whose performances have been improving. However, she still struggles to make the win. My money has gone on Algarade (8/1 from Bet365), this filly has had a few good races, and the going here should play to her strengths. An outside each way bet could well go to Perfect Star (currently 14/1 with Sporting Bet), she hasn’t run for 10 months, but last term was on excellent form, an unpredictable performance, which could be worth a punt.
All Odds for the 4.40 at Glorious Goodwood
The other two races of the day are the 5.15 and the 5.50, you can see the best odds for these over at our Odds site.
World Cup Betting
July 29, 2008
WORLD CUP BETTING
HISTORY OF THE FIFA WORLD CUP
Since the first competition in Uruguay in 1930, FIFA’s flagship event has grown in popularity. In the 1920s, Jules Rimet led a group in bringing together the world’s top national teams to contest a World Championship.
Upon its resumption, following WWII, the World Cup rapidly advanced to its status as the world’s greatest sporting event. From 1958, the finals were held alternately in Europe and the Americas. The Executive Committee’s resolution to award the 2002 renewal to co-hosts South Korea and Japan was a ground-breaking decision. 18 tournaments have seen only seven different winners. However, the World Cup has also been interspersed with dramatic upsets that have helped create footballing history. These include the USA defeat of England in 1950 and Cameroon’s opening match defeat of cup-holders Argentina in 1990. Today, the World Cup has tens of billions of viewers worldwide, and several million fans attending the matches. South Africa 2010 sees the 80th anniversary of the FIFA World Cup, but the focus remains the same, the glistening trophy; the embodiment of every footballer’s ambition.
The 19th World Cup starts on 11th June. It will be the first time that the tournament has been hosted by the Confederation of African Football, leaving only Oceania never to have hosted the event. As hosts, South Africa qualifies automatically, but they will participate in World Cup qualifiers, as these serve as the qualifying tournament for the 2010 African Cup of Nations.
NOTABLE PREVIOUS WINNERS
HUNGARY - 1953
England faced a Hungarian side at Wembley in November 1953 and was expected to win. However, they were destroyed 6-3 by Ferenc Puskás and company. The Hungarian side was unbeaten in 33 games between May 1950 and July 1954.
BRAZIL -1958
Brazil struggled to beat Wales 1-0, Pelé describing his goal as the most important he ever scored. He added a hat-trick against France and a further brace in the final against Sweden, giving the young side a title they thoroughly deserved.
ENGLAND, 1966
On 30th July 1966, Sir Alf Ramsey’s “gladiators” faced Germany at Wembley Stadium in front of 100,000 fans. A goal down after 12 minutes, Geoff Hurst equalised seven minutes later. After 77 minutes, Martin Peters scored. In the final minute, Wolfgang Weber levelled at 2-2, forcing extra time. After
11 minutes, a Hurst shot hit the crossbar, bounced apparently on the line and was cleared. Referee Gottfried Dienst consulted linesman Tofik Bakhramov and awarded the goal. In the last minute, Kenneth Wolstenholme called the most famous goal ever, “and here comes Hurst, he’s got Ball to his right…Some people are on the pitch, they think it’s all over - it is now!
It’s four!” Hurst confessed to trying to hoof the ball as far as possible into the stand, but ended up with a hat-trick.
MEMORABLE EVENTS
Gordon Banks’ “Save of the Century” – 1970
In the 1970 World Cup, Pelé’s downward header seemed a certain goal, until Banks, diving to his right, produced a save of miraculous proportions, regularly referred to as the “save of the century”. England lost the group match 1-0.
Maradona’s “Hand of God” - 1986
A poor interception in the ¼-final played the ball between England ‘keeper Peter Shilton and Argentinean Diego Maradona. Maradona got to the ball first, and punched the ball into the net. He claimed the goal was scored, “A bit with the head of Maradona and another bit with the hand of God.”
2010 BETTING
Outright Winners
4 teams from 10 qualify in South America, and despite a slow start to the qualifying campaign, Brazil are favourites at 5/1 with William Hill.
Argentina, with 11 points from their opening games, are next best at
11/2 with vcbet.
The European challenge is headed by Euro 2008 champions, Spain, 9/1 with sportingbet. Holders Italy, 11/1 with skybet, should qualify, with only Bulgaria and Ireland as serious competition. Germany, 12/1 with Paddy Power, invariably do well in the “big time”, only have Russia to worry about and look worth a small interest. England, 12/1 with sportingbet is drawn in Group 6 with Euro 2008 nemesis Croatia.
France (16/1 with William Hill) beat Romania to top spot in Group 7.
Holland (16/1 with Ladbrokes) look a good bet at this early stage, with only Scotland as viable opposition in Group 9. Of all the fancied European sides, Portugal (25/1 with Stan James) have the trickiest draw, with Sweden, Denmark and Hungary in opposition.
The lowest-priced teams from elsewhere are African teams, Cote d’Ivoire
(50/1 with skybet) and Cameroon (66/1 with the same firm), while Mexico are
66/1 with William Hill.
“Golden Boot” Winner
The “Golden Boot” trophy is awarded to the top goalscorer in the World Cup finals, with some online layers offering each-way ¼ the odds a place the first 4. In seeking a potential “Golden Boot” winner it is essential to select from a team which is fairly certain to reach the quarter-finals. The next step is to narrow down the players to the potential high scorers. In 7 of the last 10 World Cups, 6 goals have been enough to secure the trophy.
Free Horse Racing Tips
