When did winning everything become so straight-forward?

Our friends at spread betting firm IG Sport look at Manchester United’s attempts to get their hands on every trophy going…

“When I was a kid ‘the double’ was spoken about with a sense of awe and wonder.  Some folk even doubted it had ever really been achieved; it was the stuff of legend.  Then came the 1990s and teams started doing it for fun, with the double achieved four times in the last six years of the 20th century. Then came the treble and now, well now the Holy Grail has become the quadruple, although there’s a fairly exclusive potential guest list for that one this season.

Manchester United’s next step on their way to the footballing nirvana comes this weekend against Fulham in the FA Cup.  IG Sport are offering an 80 index on that competition which awards 80 to the winner, 60 to the runner-up, 40 to the losing semi-finalists and 20 to the losing quarter-finalists.  United are priced at 53-56 with Chelsea slightly lower at 51-54 and Arsenal 42-45.

Posted: March 5th, 2009 by Michael Lintorn | Add Comment

Fulham’s “Big Five” unbeaten record is likely to end tonight

Man Utd v Fulham, 8pm, Premier League, Free Bets, Best Odds

If this match was taking place at Craven Cottage, you’d fancy Fulham to take at least a point considering their magnificant home record. Roy Hodgson’s side are unbeaten against the “Big Five” this season but Manchester United currently boast the second highest home points average in Premier League history. Here’s why the champions should justify their 1/4 odds:

» Manchester United have won ten consecutive Premier League home games after drawing their opener against Newcastle. Last season they drew their first match at Old Trafford only to win the next twelve.

» Since that opening day 1-1 tie with Newcastle, Hull have been the only team to score away to the champions in the league this season.

Posted: February 18th, 2009 by Michael Lintorn | Add Comment

Bitter Dani Behr’s price drifts

Her attempt to turn Home Camp against Nicola was ill-advised

After a good showing in the first show Dani Behr’s price was cut to 8/1 to win series eight of I’m a Celebrity but she is back out at 12/1 with Bet365 after coming across as a sore loser in last night’s show.

The former WAG of Ryan Giggs and Les Ferdinand lost out to Nicola McLean in a task to win the Celebrity Chest and rather than accepting defeat lying down, she claimed to her Home Camp comrades that Nicola was a game-player because she understates her strength.

Joe Swash, who lost to McLean in the “I Scream Van” Bushtucker Trial, wasn’t impressed with the TV presenter’s attempts to give fellow contestants a negative first impression of the former Page 3 girl before they had met her. Judging by the change to her price, which may also have been affected by rumours - which have since been denied - that she might have to leave the show because she is pregnant, the bookmakers agree.

After the jump is a graph taken from our excellent odds comparison engine showing the change in Behr’s Bet365 odds since the show started on Sunday:

Posted: November 19th, 2008 by Michael Lintorn | Add Comment

I’m a Celebrity: The Women

Three WAGs, a lesbian and Esther Rantzen

There have only ever been two female winners of I’m a Celebrity but these five women will be battling it out to change that and earn the right to proudly declare themselves the new Kerry Katona:

Click here to place your bets

Carly Zucker
The personal trainer’s main claim to fame is being Joe Cole’s fiancée and while providing eye-candy keeps you in the jungle for a while, no glamour model or WAG has ever won. Zucker is this year’s youngest contestant and is just a year older than Kerry Katona was when she became the first-ever female winner.

Dani Behr
As well as dating Ryan Giggs and Les Ferdinand, TV presenter Behr used to go out with Jason Brown, who finished third in last year’s show. She won’t find it too difficult to adapt to the Australian climate because she currently lives in Sydney, where series five winner Carol Thatcher also spent four years of her life.

Esther Rantzen
In three of the last four series the top woman has been over the age of fifty: Janet Street-Porter (fourth, series four), Carol Thatcher (first, series five) and Janice Dickinson (second, series seven) while in series three Jennie Bond came second behind Kerry Katona. Last year’s oldest woman, Lynne Franks, came ninth but Rantzen should be nowhere near as annoying as her.

Posted: November 16th, 2008 by Michael Lintorn | Add Comment

England’s worst Champions League week in over five years

A few facts and figures on the Premier League’s poor performance

This was the first time since September 30-October 1 2003 that none of the Premier League’s participants in the Champions League group stage managed to pick up three points.

On that occasion, there were only three English teams in action because Newcastle lost in the qualifiers. Arsenal were the only side to pick up a point, drawing 0-0 away to Lokomotiv Moscow, while Chelsea lost 2-0 at home to Besiktas and Manchester United 2-1 in Stuttgart.

All three of England’s Champions League goals this week - John Terry’s against Roma, Steven Gerrard’s against Atletico Madrid and Ryan Giggs’ against Celtic - came in the final sixteen minutes with the English team already trailing. At no point this week did one of the Premier League teams lead while Arsenal, despite being the only ones not to score, were the only of the four who never fell behind.

Posted: November 6th, 2008 by Michael Lintorn | Add Comment