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Wednesday, April 30, 2008

UEFA CL : Chelsea beat Liverpool to advance on Moscow

Didier Drogba bagged a brace as Chelsea swept into their first Champions League final at the expense of Liverpool on a night of high drama at Stamford Bridge.

The Ivorian opened the scoring with a 12-yard strike, but Fernando Torres's drive made the score 1-1 and sent the tie into extra-time.

Frank Lampard restored Chelsea's lead from the spot after Michael Ballack had been felled by Sammy Hyypia, before Drogba prodded a third after good work by Nicolas Anelka.

Late on a 35-yard strike from Ryan Babel somehow squirmed past Petr Cech which prompted a tense final 4 minutes, but Chelsea held on to seal a match up with Manchester United in Moscow on May 21st.

BONUS LINK -> See all five goals at this Video site

Tuesday, April 29, 2008

Betting on Tennis Events OK

The French Tennis Association has lost a legal case which sought to prevent online gambling groups such as Bwin, Ladbrokes and Betfair from taking bets on the Roland Garros French Open and Paris Masters 2008.

The gist of the claim was that the competition organisers had sole rights to the competiton and any betting on the event was "parasitic" and caused possible damage to the integrity of the events.

In three rulings issued this week in Belgium, the Liege first instance court rejected all allegations of the complainant, gthat the betting operators concerned do not violate the FFT's rights as the event organisers of Roland Garros and Paris Masters.

The judge, taking into consideration the corporate responsibility of the EU operators concerned and the procedures in place "preventing all anonymous bets, ensuring perfect traceability" concluded that the operators had behaved in a prudent and diligent manner.

The judge also considered that the "...simple mention of the name of a sports event is a necessary indication for the online betting activity" which therefore "...cannot be considered as an act of parasitism since its sole purpose is to let the player identify which sport event to place a bet on".

The Belgian judge ordered the French Tennis Federation to pay Euro 5,000 per case for the recovery of legal costs.

Look Away Now - the podcast

Look Away Now is a short term Sports Comedy Podcast.

Garry Richardson anchors a new series of hot-off-the-press sports sketches, spoof interviews, non-expert analysis and music.

The show is broadcast on Wednesday s at 6.30pm and looks back at the last five days' action as well as forward to the sporting weekend ahead (a bit like Linda Blair in the Exorcist but with less vomit and more badminton), and the series runs for six weeks. (ending may 7th)

It's a bit obvious, a bit twee, but also quite of lot of laughs - and did actually make me laugh out loud several times. Well worth a listen - especially after a few beers.

Check out the Look Away Now - Podcast which you can hear the latest episode on free download.

EPL : Derby 2-6 Arsenal (w. Video link)

Arsenal finally kicked to life in the second half of their game against Derby County to simply outscore their relegated opponents.

The Arsenal side had a distinctly young look about it early on - and Derby actually played well for the first 30-40 minutes pressing the Arsenal side into several mistakes.

Adebayor's presence after the break solidified the side, as did the switch of Brazilian midfielders with Gilberto on for Denilson giving the side a better balance.

Still six goals in the end - and of course a couple leaked at the other end - but you cannot grumble about the entertainment level that Arsenal offered ... and it was noticable that even the local Derby supporters stayed to watch right to the final whistle.

Here is all the video coverage - all eight goals !!
Derby 2-6 Arsenal - video.

Arsenal :
Fabianski, Toure (Djourou 78), Gallas, Song Billong, Clichy, Eboue, Fabregas, Denilson (Silva 64), Walcott, Van Persie (Adebayor 46), Bendtner.

Goals :
Bendtner 25, Van Persie 39, Adebayor 59, Walcott 78, Adebayor 81, 90.

Monday, April 28, 2008

Red shirts dominate PFA team of the year.

The PFA team of the year at a star-studded ceremony at London's Grosvenor House Hotel on Sunday April 27th.

Five clubs were represented in the side, with 9 of the 10 outfield players normally wearing red shirts.

Manchester United had three representatives in Cristiano Ronaldo, Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic while Arsenal had four players with Cesc Fabregas, Adebayor, Bacary Sagna and Gael Clichy featured in the side.

Liverpool duo Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres were included, as was Portsmouth goalkeeper David James and Aston Villa midfielder Ashley Young.

Interestingly, Chelsea's strong attempts to win titles in the Premier League and Champions League were not regcognised at an individual level with no Blues players featuring.

Perhaps that reflects the dour controlled style at the Bridge, or a team that is based more on hardwork and flair? Chelsea may yet get much more tangible team rewards for their efforts - so was the team picked too soon?

PFA Premier League team of the year:
G : David James (Portsmouth),
D : Bacary Sagna (Arsenal), Rio Ferdinand (Man Utd), Nemanja Vidic (Man Utd), Gael Clichy (Arsenal),
M : Steven Gerrard (Liverpool), Cesc Fabregas (Arsenal), Cristiano Ronaldo (Man Utd), Ashley Young (Aston Villa),
A : Emmanuel Adebayor (Arsenal), Fernando Torres (Liverpool).

Sunday, April 27, 2008

Fiorentina open Champions League door for AC Milan

Milan move two points behind fourth-placed Fiorentina - held 2-2 by Sampdoria - thanks to a Filippo Inzaghi hat-trick.

Livorno 1-4 AC Milan
AC Milan won 4-1 at Livorno a result which boosts the Rossoneri's Champions League hopes as it brings them to within two points of 4th placed Fiorentina.

Filippo Inzaghi opened the scoring in the 23rd minute, scored his second seven minutes into the second half and completed his treble seven minutes later.

Clarence Seedorf added a fourth in the 70th minute before Dario Knezevic pulled a goal back for the home side two minutes later.

Fiorentina 2-2 Sampdoria
Fiorentina trailed to Christian Maggio's 63rd-minute goal but must have thought they had beaten Samp when Christian Vieri levelled in the 77th minute and Adrian Mutu converted an 84th-minute penalty.

But Daniele Gastaldello's stoppage-time equaliser earned a point for the visitors.

Fiorentina looked a little tired, as they are still battling in the UEFA Cup and can claim a place in the UEFA Cup final if they beat Glasgow Rangers on Thursday.

Roma keep Serie A title race alive - but Inter need just one more win.

Roma kept the Serie A title race alive for another week at least with a 4-1 thrashing of Torino.

Inter Milan 2-1 Cagliari
Leaders Internazionale won 2-1 at home to Cagliari, Inter's victory was comfortable as they led through Julio Cruz's 21st-minute strike and doubled their lead through second-half substitute Marco Materazzi in the 83rd minute.

Davide Biondini's stoppage-time effort for the visitors was just a consolation.

AS Roma 4-1 Torino
So defeat for Roma would have seen the Nerazzurri claim their second successive Scudetto. But the result was rarely in doubt after David Pizarro opened the scoring for Roma in the 18th minute from the penalty spot.

Mirko Vucinic doubled his team's lead two minutes later and Mancini made it 3-0 in the 25th minute and then netted his second shortly after the half-hour mark.

Substitute Nicola Ventola reduced the deficit five minutes after the interval but the visitors could not make further inroads, even after Roma defender Juan was sent off with 15 minutes left to play.

So Inter Milan can clinch the title next week in the Milan derby with a win.

Fulham battling to avoid the drop


Fulham are battling hard to avoid the drop after their incredible escape act against Manchester City yesterday.

The Cottagers had looked down and out after a superb Stephen Ireland strike from the edge of the box and a goal from Benjani put City 2-0 in front at Eastlands and at that point a Fulham win was backed at a high of 699/1 on Betfair.

But Roy Hodgson's men hit back late on with Diomansy Kamara shooting through the legs of Joe Hart 20 minutes from time and Danny Murphy then fired in a penalty rebound after his spot-kick was saved.

There was still time for a winner and Kamara grabbed it in dramatic fashion just seconds from time after more good work from Murphy to snatch a 3-2 triumph.

And having been written off in the relegation betting, Fulham are now trading at as big as 1.14 for relegation with Paddy Power. The Londoners remain in the bottom three.

So do Birmingham, who squandered a 2-0 lead to draw against Liverpool to draw 2-2. The Blues are odds-on in places for the drop and Brimngham are a top-priced 2.05 with Centrebet.

Bolton and Reading remain on the fringes of the drop zone after also having to settle for draws at Tottenham and Wigan respectively.

Bolton are 2.75 at Centrebet, while Reading are 3.25 at BoyleSports.

Middlesbrough are priced at 34.00 and Wigan Athletic at 67.00 (both at BoyleSports) to complete the picture - but it's unlikely that either of these two will take the drop.

RELATED LINK :
Live English Premier League Betting Odds at BookieLabrat.com

Saturday, April 26, 2008

Is Denmark going to end their gambling restrictions?

The Danish government has apparently responded positively to a European Commission 'reasoned opinion' issued over a year ago regarding the monopolistic gambling nature of the state-owned Danske Spil organisation.

Denmark received a opinion from the European Commission in mid-March 2007 which advised that the EU considered that the restrictions on the sports betting market imposed by Denmark and other member nations are not compatible with existing EU law.

The Commission warned the Danish state that it could find itself before the European Court of Justice if it did not respond to the non-compliance opinion. The opinion opened the way for litigation against Denmark in the European Court of Justice should the monopolistic policies continue.

Under the Danish Pools and Lottery Act (tips- og lottoloven), Danske Spil has hitherto been the only enterprise that can lawfully offer games, lotteries and bets to Danish gamblers.

Section 10 of the Act expressly lays down that no one except Danske Spil may offer games defined by the Act in Denmark. And no person or entity except the licensee may arrange for participation in such games offered by anyone other than Danske Spil.

The Danske Spil exclusivity has led to the prosecution of both competing gambling companies interested in the Danish market and even newspapers carrying gambling advertisements. It has also attracted the attention of the European Commission under its EU treaty compliance responsibilities.

In its reasoned opinion of March 21, 2007, the Commission unequivocally asserted that the Danish Pools and Lottery Act is incompatible with Article 49 of the EU Treaty, and that the measures taken in Danish law to restrict the free movement of sports betting services are unnecessary and disproportionate.

Denmark has continued to drag out a solution, along with other member nations such as Germany, France, Finland, Hungary, Greece, The Netherlands, Italy, Austria and Sweden.

However, in recent months there has been a noticeable softening in resistance to the EU requirements, especially from Italy, France and (apparently) now from Denmark, together with more cautious approaches in The Netherlands and positive legal rulings in Germany.

Friday, April 25, 2008

A win at last - after 3 years of trying

Three years after setting out as a professional tenis player, Briton Robert Dee finally recorded a victory after 54 consecutive straight sets defeats.

His trail of defeats have Dee the dubious honour of holding the worst record in professional tennis losing each of his 108 contested set since his first tournament in Mexico.

The 21-year-old player finally was rewarded last weekend when he defeated Arzhand Derakhshani of the United States 6-4, 6-3 during qualifying for a Futures tournament in Rues (near Barcelona) in Spain.

However, his moment in the sun did not last long - he promptly lost 6-3 6-1 to Artur Romanowski in the second round.

The victory means he remains joint holder of the record for the longest losing streak in the history of the pro game with Diego Beltranena of Guatemala.

Wednesday, April 23, 2008

Manchester United odds on to qualify after scoreless draw


Manchester United are favourites to qualify for the Champions League final with the bookmakers after holding Barcelona to a 0-0 draw in the first leg of their semi-final clash at the Nou Camp on Wednesday night.

Cristiano Ronaldo missed a penalty after only three minutes and then sat back and defended the 0-0 scoreline for 88 minutes - perhaps due to the absence of Nemanja Vidic.

Barcelona dominated possession but caused Edwin van der Sar few real problems in the United goal, will now have to avoid defeat in the return leg in order to progress to the final in Moscow.

Manchester United are a best priced 1.60 to qualify while Barcelona are 2.40 to get to Moscow. Both prices are from Aussie internet bookmaker Centrebet.

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Personally I think that United have to be very wary of conceding at Old Trafford, but still should be slight favourites at around 55% likely to win and qualify meaning a price of 1.81 for fair value.

RELATED LINK :
BookieLabrat's LIVE Champions League Betting Odds page.

Tuesday, April 22, 2008

Chelsea Favoured After 1-1 Draw at Anfield

Chelsea are now heavy favourites after a last second own goal from John Arne Riise gave Chelsea a 1-1 draw in the first leg of the UEFA Champions League semi-final at Anfield.

Dirk Kuyt put Liverpool ahead by firing under Petr Cech just before half-time but in the fifth and final minute of added time at the end of the match Riise headed into his own net.

That had a drastic effect on the betting, with Chelsea now strongly favoured to reach a first Champions League final - the Blues on offer at 1.48, while Liverpool are out to 2.90.

(both prices available at internet bookmaker Pinnacle Sports)

Both sides had been at 1.95 before the first leg.

RELATED LINK :
Live Champions League Odds at BookieLabrat.com

Monday, April 21, 2008

Will it take penalties to seperate Liverpool & Chelsea?

Top UK bookmaker Bet365 are offering odds on whether either team will need a penalty shootout to progress to the Champions League final.

Liverpool are 20/1 with bet365 to repeat last season's heroics and defeat Chelsea in a Champions League semi-final on penalties.

bet365 spokesman Steve Freeth said: "Liverpool have failed again in the Premiership, but Rafa Benitez takes some shifting in the Champions League. We're shorter on a Liverpool victory if it does go to spot-kicks as Pepe Reina is one of the best in the business at keeping them out from 12 yards."

Chelsea are at 29.00 (28/1) to go through on penalties themselves.

Meanwhile punters have latched onto a Liverpool win in the first leg on Tuesday after it was confirmed Reds skipper Steven Gerrard was fit to play.

The Gerrard news has acted like a catalyst for punters who are piling on Liverpool.

RELATED LINKS :
GoonersGuide.com preview on Liverpool v Chelsea first leg.
BookieLabRat.com Live Odds page for the UEFA Champions League.

Sunday, April 20, 2008

Champions League Betting Spreadsheet for Semi-finals

The Betting Spreadsheet is out for the first leg of the UEFA Champions League semi-finals and there are two clear recomendations.

The Tuesday night match between Liverpool and Chelsea at Anfield is tagged as a very likely draw - with the best price of 3.10 (21/10) at Betsson rated at 136% value.

On Wednesday the spreadsheet favours the 2.53 odds (at PinnacleSports) on Barcelona scoring a home victory over Manchester United in the first leg - rating the price at a tasty 170% value.

Good luck with your punts.

RELATED LINKS :
Gooners Numb3rs - UEFA Champions League Spreadsheet
BookieLabrat Odds - Live Betting Odds for UEFA Champions League

Will Bolton avoid the drop ?


Bolton are out to 3/2 (2.50) to be relegated after they gave themselves a Premier League lifeline with a 1-0 win at Middlesbrough.

A close-range finish from Gavin McCann gave the Trotters a priceless three points which lifted them out of the relegation places and up into 16th place ahead of Reading on goal difference.

It's looking bleak for Fulham though who are now no better than 1/40 (1.03) at BoyleSports to be playing Championship football next season following their 2-0 defeat at home to a weakened Liverpool.

Bolton's win drags Birmingham (2.75 @ Bet365) and Reading (3.00 at Centrebet) right back into the relegation fight.

Birmingham face fierce city rivals Aston Villa on Sunday afternoon.

RELATED LINK :
Live English Premier League Betting Odds

Saturday, April 19, 2008

EPL : Arsenal 2-0 Reading (w. video link)

Arsenal cruised to a 2-0 win over Reading at the Emirates with two goals before halftime.

Emmanuel Adebayor opened the score with a shot from inside of the box after some very good control to beat a defender while Gilberto Silva doubled it 8 minutes later with a deflected long range effort.

Arsenal couldn't increase the score in the second half although they hit the bar twice and dominated the proceedings.

Check out this football blog to see 4 short video highlights.

Win a chance to play at Old Trafford !

Attention ManYoo fans - ten lucky BetFred.com punters will win a spot for a dream day out at Old Trafford.

Betfred Bookmaker has teamed up with Manchester United to offer a fantastic prize to ten lucky BetFred.com punters. To enter this free competition you just need to click the link on the BetFred web site and answer an easy question (a "who scored this goal?" photo quiz - below).

If you’re one of BetFred’s 10 lucky winners, you and a friend will be invited to Old Trafford on Friday 9 May to take part in a dream event for any United fan!

Change in the player dressing rooms! Make your way down the tunnel and out onto the pitch. Show off your skills and learn some new ones with the coaches from Manchester United Soccer Schools.

You’ll also meet some United legends, go on a tour of the stadium and enjoy a post match meal before you head home.

All you need to do to win this fantastic prize is take a look at the picture above and answer the following question:

Who scored the winning goal for Manchester United in the Champions League final against Bayern Munich in 1999?

A. David Beckham
B. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer
C. Ronny Johnsen

click the link to go to the BetFred web site
Then click on the visit site link
And follow the link at the top of the BetFred page

Good luck!

My thanks to the guys at BookieLabrat.com for spotting this promo and for also remembering that I scored one of these a few years back for Arsenal at Highbury.



(that's me - 4th from the right in the back row)

Friday, April 18, 2008

Paddy Power pays out on ManYoo winning title already


Top Irish Bookmaker Paddy Power has paid out on the Premier League winners already.

A post in the BookieLabrat.com blog on Thursday said that the Irish bookie has paid out early on Man United to lift the title.

As well as this, PaddyPower also paid out on Ronaldo to be top Premier League Goalscorer.

Wednesday, April 16, 2008

Betting Spreadsheet - Italy numbers up.

The Gooners Numb3rs (tm) spreadsheet for the 10 Serie A games this weekend is up and online with some interesting picks.

There are three "likely picks" for Roma, Fiorentina and Inter Milan this weekend as well as three "discovered value" selections as well.

The "fix" also appears to be in on the Siena v Genoa match - where the best price for the draw is as low as 2.05 (at Bet365) and only a handful of bookmakers currently offering a price on this game.

Good luck with your punting and be careful out there.

RELATED LINKS :
Gooners Numb3rs Spreadsheet for Italy Serie A
Live Betting Odds for Serie A from BookieLabRat.com
Football Match Previews for Serie A at GoonersGuide.com

Poker reviews on the Guide

The team at GoonersGuide have been busy playing poker over the last few weeks and we've had our "Gambling Gal" Elle create a new front end to highlight our favourite places.

I'm not too strong on creating pretty pages - but Elle is a whizz at this graphical stuff and she's put together a new look for our poker summary.

Check it out on our poker ratings page on our new poker subdomain.

Tuesday, April 15, 2008

Free Casino Chips at Ladbrokes

Ladbrokes are giving away freebies on their casino to celebrate the launch of their very first TV advert.

They are offering all new players to Ladbrokescasino.com £20 worth of chips FREE! Experience the excitement and fun of Ladbrokescasino.com today for FREE and still collect your winnings.

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WHAT'S THIS ABOUT ?

They're giving all new players to Ladbrokescasino.com £20 worth of FREE chips to play within our casino. Win - And you can keep all your winnings.

To claim just follow the below steps:

Step 1 : Register and open a real play account
Step 2 : Add your email address and Ladbrokes username to the claim form on this link.

Ladbrokescasino.com bonus registration and claim form

(note this freebie is only for NEW players - who are living in the UK)

Chips may take up to 48 hours to be added to an account. You will receive email notification.

Now be careful and don't get hooked gents - as you all know EVERY casino game is created so that the odds are just SLIGHTLY in the casino's favour.

So long term playing can damage your wealth. But hooking up for this freebie means a free shot so it's win-win - as long as you don't go stupid !!

EPL : Manchester Utd 2-1 Arsenal

Once again Arsenal are good enougth to take the lead in a high profile game - but once again the makeshift defence is unable to keep a clean sheet.

It's happened against Chelsea, Liverpool and now ManYoo in the last month and let's be honest that's where the title challenges disappeared as the squad has got smaller and smaller.

But instead of recriminations - here's a short video of the Arsenal fan reaction after the game at Old Trafford - as the travelling fans wait to get moved on.



Nice to see - it might not have been a victorious season - but there has been some amazing football played - and it's good to acknowledge it.

Sunday, April 13, 2008

Relagation battle tightens - who will take the drop?

Relegation looms - but for who?Fulham and Bolton have both been eased for the drop after boosting their Premier League survival hopes with wins on Saturday.

Goals from Brian McBride and Erik Nevland gave Fulham hopes of avoiding relegation as they claimed a 2-0 win over fellow strugglers Reading at the Madejski Stadium.

McBride broke the deadlock for Roy Hodgson's side with a close-range finish in the 24th minute after latching on to Simon Davies' cross. Davies was again the supplier in the second minute of injury-time after he picked out Nevland who swept the ball home from inside the box.

It means that Fulham have gone from as short as 1/40 for the drop to 1/8 (1.12) with Paddy Power.

Meanwhile Bolton are 2/5 (1.40) at bet365 after a close-range strike from Kevin Davies helped them claim a 1-0 win over West Ham. The result means Gary Megson's side remain two points from safety after Birmingham were held to a 1-1 draw at home to Everton.

This means that Birmingham are into 3.30 for a swift return to the Championship with the best price found at Centrebet.

Reading are 5.50 with Canbet and it's 17.00 or more for anyone else being dragged into the bottom three

Saturday, April 12, 2008

Ronaldinho to leave Barcelona for AC milan

Barcelona's Ronaldinho has reportedly agreed initial terms with Italian giants AC Milan, according to his brother and agent Roberto de Assis.

The Brazilian, 28, is set to miss the rest of the season with injury but is said to be disillusioned with life at the Nou Camp and keen for a move.

De Assis insisted it was not yet a done deal but said: "Basically, Ronaldinho and Milan have come to an agreement. He was impressed with first contact with them, they are a great team."

Milan chief executive Adriano Galliani said: "There is a general agreement with the player. Now a deal has to be reached with Barcelona. Give us time."

The forward has also been linked with a move to Manchester City after De Assis was a guest at the home game against Chelsea. But De Assis claims the meetings at Eastlands were regarding "personal matters" and did not concern his brother.

And he now believes only a fee needs to be agreed with Barca for the two-time world player of the year to make the move to Italy a reality.

Milan coach Carlo Ancelotti admitted on Friday he would like to bring both Ronaldinho and Chelsea's out of favour striker Andriy Shevchenko to the San Siro next season.

Milan are fifth in Serie A and in danger of missing next year's Champions League after a poor season. They were knocked out of this year's Champions League as holders by Arsenal in the first knockout round.

And Ancelotti's men have struggled to score and create goals with Brazilian Ronaldo playing just a handful of games before being ruled out long term with a knee injury.

Wednesday, April 09, 2008

UEFA CL - Liverpool too good but it was close !!

Liverpool scored four goals - two in the last five minutes - to beat Arsenal and move through to the semi-finals of the Champions League.

Liverpool are now a top price of 10/3 (4.33) with both VC Bet and bet365 for the Champions League after beating Arsenal 4-2 on Tuesday night.

On a rollercoaster night at Anfield, Abou Diaby put the Gunners ahead on 13 minutes, before Sami Hyypia equalised with a bullet header on the half hour mark.

Fernando Torres put Liverpool in front for the first time in the tie with 20 minutes to go but Emmanuel Adebayor looked to have won it in the 84th minute for the Gunners following a brilliant length of the field run from Theo Walcott.

Facing elimination on away goals, substitute Ryan Babel won a penalty a minute later which Steven Gerrard hammered into the top corner before the Dutchman sealed the win himself with a breakaway goal in injury time.

Congratulations to Liverpool ...

(he says going off to find another beer to drown his sorrows ...)

Tuesday, April 08, 2008

2008-9 Pre-season : Real Madrid and Juventus

Arsenal will host European heavyweights Real Madrid, Juventus and Hamburg in the pre-season Emirates Cup in August.

The Emirates Cup - which is being staged for the second year - will be held on August 2nd and 3rd at the Emirates Stadium. The trophy is decided on a league basis - with three points for a win plus an extra point for every goal scored.

"We are delighted at the calibre of the three visiting teams to this year's Emirates Cup" said Arsenal managing director Keith Edelman.

In the first season Arsenal won the pre-season trophy playing against Valencia, Inter Milan and Paris St Germain.

Monday, April 07, 2008

Arsenal and Ajax look to link-up

Arsene Wenger has said that Arsenal are looking to create a "relationship" with Ajax from next season.

Marco van Basten, who will step down as Holland coach after Euro 2008 to take charge of the Amsterdam club, has visited Wenger this week. The two men discussed the possibility of a mutually beneficial agreement that could see players loaned out from Arsenal to Ajax.

"Van Basten visited us at the training ground this week," Wenger wrote in his programme notes for the Premier League clash with Liverpool.

"We spoke a bit about Euro 2008 and about Ajax, because he is taking over there in the summer. We also spoke about how he wants to see the future of the club and how he wants to work there, and any similarities with our policy at Arsenal, and about whether they can take players on loan for example."

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GOONER ADDS : Obviously this would be a huge boost for both clubs - who these days are well known and admired for their attacking philosophy in football.

For us football oldies who remember the time of "Dutch Total Football" and "Playing The Ajax Way" anything that helps Arsenal to learn and play this way is a great development.

Sunday, April 06, 2008

FA Cup : Portsmouth v Cardiff City - early prices

Cardiff reached the final by beating Barnsley 1-0 at Wembley on Sunday afternoon.

Joe Ledley's ninth-minute thunderbolt for Cardiff halted the Tykes' giantkilling run and secured Cardiff their first FA Cup final appearance since 1927 and they'll now meet Portsmouth.

Barnsley, who conquered both Liverpool and Chelsea in previous rounds, created several chances of their own and ran themselves into the ground in front of a record attendance FA Cup semi-final attendance of 82,752, with Kayode Odejayi missing the best chance in the second half.

Pompey have been installed as hot favourites at a top-priced 1.40 (2/5) at Eurobet while Cardiff are 3.65 to win the FA Cup with Centrebet.

Friday, April 04, 2008

Arsene Wenger talks about Arsenal's chances

Arsene Wenger gives an interviewArsenal manager Arsene Wenger talks about upcoming games against Liverpool.

BBC Interview with Arsene Wenger

Interesting stuff (probably only for Gooners), and although the BBC reporter is a bit of a negative pratt, Wenger deflects it positively talking about how Arsenal are still in with a shout at the business end of the season.

He talks about Arsenal winning a trophy this season - although he admits that's a tough ask - he's not giving up on the Premier League or the Champions League yet.

APCW News - UIGEA hearings - Dutch gambling decision.

I'm a member of the APCW - and one of their more entertaining features is a regular weekly 10 minute video on all things gambling (usually Casino and Poker focused).

Here's this weeks edition of Perspectives Weekly - which has a discussion on the Congressional UIGEA Hearings in the US, plus exclusive coverage of the Casino Affiliate Convention in Amsterdam.

Wednesday, April 02, 2008

Manchester Utd step towards semi-finals

Manchester United are into 2/1 (3.00) to win the Champions League after they took a huge step towards the semi-finals.

Goals from Cristiano Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney gave United a 2-0 victory over Roma in the Stadio Olimpico to put them firmly in the driving seat going into the second leg of the quarter-final at Old Trafford next week.

Ronaldo made the breakthrough with a brave header in the first half for his 36th of a remarkable season. Rooney then extended their lead when he took advantage of a mix-up between goalkeeper Doni and Christian Panucci.

And it means the Red Devils, are now a best priced 3.00 (at Betfred) while their likely semi-final opponents Barcelona are next best at 4.00 with Ladbrokes and Centrebet.

Barca also claimed an away win in the first leg of their last-eight clash, beating Schalke 1-0 in Gelsenkirchen. Bojan Krkic scored the only goal of the game in the 12th minute, putting Frank Rijkaard's side in a powerful position ahead of the Nou Camp return.