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Wednesday, June 29, 2011

Manchester United sign young keeper David De Gea from Atletico Madrid

Manchester United have signed Spanish under-21 goalkeeper David De Gea from Atletico Madrid on a five-year contract. 

De Gea, who came through the youth ranks at Atletico before making his La Liga debut in 2009, arrives at Old Trafford fresh from helping Spain to win the Euro Under-21 championship in Denmark last week- at an estimated price of  GBP 20m.

De Gea will be Man United's third signing since the end of the season as the Old Trafford club have led the way in spending, having brought in defender Phil Jones and forward Ashley Young in a close season spree reported to be close to 50 million pounds.

Manchester United, are seeking to replace retired keeper Edwin Van der Sar, and De Gea will be one of three goalkeepers on United's books with 27-year-old Dane Anders Lindegaard and Van der Sar's previous deputy Tomasz Kuszscak battling for the number one spot between the posts.

Tsonga knocks Federer out of Wimbledon

Six-time champion Roger Federer was upset in the Wimbledon quarterfinals, squandering a two-set lead for the first time at a Grand Slam tournament and losing to Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 3-6 6-7 (3), 6-4 6-4 6-4. 

Federer barely looked challenged while winning the first two sets against the 12th-seeded Frenchman. But the Swiss star, who had been 178-0 in matches in which he had won the opening two sets at a major tournament, was broken one time in each of the last three sets.

Tsonga will face second-seeded Novak Djokovic, who defeated 18-year-old Australian qualifier Bernard Tomic 6-2, 3-6, 6-3, 7-5.

Defending champion Rafael Nadal also advanced, beating Mardy Fish 6-3, 6-3, 5-7, 6-4. The two-time champion will face fourth-seeded Andy Murray, who defeated Feliciano Lopez 6-3, 6-4, 6-4.

Sunday, June 26, 2011

Mexico beat USA 4-2 to win CONCACAF Gold Cup

Pablo Barrera scored twice as Mexico came from 2-0 down to win a dramatic CONCACAF Gold Cup final at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena.

The United States appeared to have taken control of the game as Michael Bradley and Landon Donovan put the USA side 2-0 up inside the first quarter of the game.

But Barrera and Andres Guardado levelled before the break and Barrera struck again in the second half before Giovani Dos Santos clinched victory.

The result earns El Tri a place in the 2013 Confederations Cup.

Thursday, June 23, 2011

Chris Hughton appointed as Birmingham City’s new manager

Chris Hughton has been appointed as Birmingham City’s new manager – just 10 days after Alex McLeish resigned to take charge of Aston Villa.

A statement on Birmingham City's official website confirmed that Hughton will take charge of the Blues immediately and they will be hoping he can repeat his achievement at Newcastle of steering them to promotion from the Championship two years ago.

Hughton spent 13 years as a player at Tottenham and then had spells as coach and assistant-manager at White Hart Lane between 1993 and 2007. He was appointed first team coach at Newcastle in 2008 and was appointed manager in October 2009.

However, despite guiding Newcastle United to promotion, Hughton was sacked 14 months later.

Hughton has been out of football since parting company with Newcastle United in early December. However, he has impressed Birmingham acting chairman Peter Pannu when being interviewed during the past few days. 

Tuesday, June 21, 2011

Chelsea close to appointing new Manager

FC Porto manager Andre Villas-Boas has emerged as the prime candidate to become the Chelsea manager, with Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich, the owner, considering whether to pay the €15m (£13.2m) release clause.

Chelsea released a statement confirming that they will appoint the successor to Carlo Ancelotti over the coming days, a key adviser to Abramovich said: "Villas-Boas is definitely a candidate. The talks are still ongoing to see who replaces Ancelotti."

Reports in Portugal suggested that the 33-year-old Andre Villas-Boas has already informed Porto of his decision to leave for Chelsea and that he would take charge in the immediate future, with Villas-Boas earning £5m a season.

One newspaper, Mais Futebol, claimed that Porto will officially announce that Villas-Boas will depart as soon as Chelsea pay the €15m release clause.

Monday, June 20, 2011

Cycling : Bodog sportsbook outright odds for the Tour De France

Comprising twenty two teams, one hundred and ninety eight riders and covering over three thousand kilometres, the Tour De France makes fascinating watching throughout the three week duration.

Running from Saturday July 2rd to Sunday July 24th 2011, the 98th Tour de France will be made up of 21 stages and will cover a total distance of 3430.5km

The online bookmakers have run their ruler over the field and decided that this year it will be a battle between Spain's Alberto Contador and Luxembourgs's Andy Schleck.

Last year Contador won the title from Schleck by 39 seconds, although Schleck also won the Young Riders title. Now in 2011 with an extra year under his belt, can Schleck close the gap?


Cycling - Bodog Odds to win the Tour de France 2011  

  
Alberto Contador                        8/13
Andy Schleck                            2/1
Cadel Evans                              25/1
Ivan Basso                                25/1
Bradley Wiggins                        28/1
Robert Gesink                           28/1
Frank Schleck                           33/1
Samuel Sanchez                       33/1
Jurgen Van Den Broeck              50/1
Jani Brajkovic                            66/1
Andrea Kloden                           80/1
Christopher Horner                     80/1
Levi Leipheimer                          50/1
Roman Kreuziger                       100/1
Alexander Vinokourov                 125/1
Ryder Hesjedal                          125/1
Carlos Sastre                            125/1
Christian Vandevelde                  150/1
Joaquin Rodriguez                      150/1
Nicholas Roche                         200/1
Damiano Cunega                       200/1
Edvald Boasson Hagen               200/1
Peter Sagen                              200/1

Get all the latest betting lines at Bodog Sportsbook.

Golf : Rory McIlroy wins 2011 US Open by 8 shots

Rory McIlroy has finally held onto his nerve to claim a major golf championship by shooting a 2-under 69 at the Congressional to win the US Open.

After gaining a reputation for being unable to hold onto his nerve in the big events, McIlroy put together an almost faultless four rounds of golf to destroy the competition, and completely tame the golf course.

In complete control of his emotions and his game, McIlroy never slipped up leading from start to finish scoring 65-66-68-69 to finish on 16-under 268, eight shots ahead of Australian Jason Day.

McIlroy's -16 was four shots better than the previous US Open scoring record formerly held by four players, including Tiger Woods and Jack Nicklaus. McIlroy is just 22 years of age, the same age as Nicklaus when he won the first of his record 18 majors. 

Thursday, June 16, 2011

Boston Bruins win the Stanley Cup - winning Game 7 in Vancouver

After 39 years without a championship, the Boston Bruins won the Stanley Cup winning Game Seven 4-0 in Vancouver to earn the right to call themselves champions.

Goalkeeper Tim Thomas was just too good, saving 238 of 246 Vancouunver shots during the series (94.7% save percentage) and the Boston Bruins are the NHL's best.

The Boston Bruins are the first team in NHL history to win a Game 7 three times in the same postseason, and Thomas posted shutouts in the decisive game of the Eastern Conference finals and the Stanley Cup finals.

The Cup is headed back to the Hub of Hockey for the first time since 1972.

Monday, June 13, 2011

NBA : Dallas Mavericks win Game 6 to win 1st NBA title

The Dallas Mavericks won the NBA title for the first time in franchise history after beating the Heat 105-95 in Game 6 in Miami on Sunday night.

The Mavericks won the last three games of the series, and during the series beat the Miami Heat twice in Miami to earn the title.

Dirk Nowitzki scored 21 points on the night and took home Finals MVP honors - but most importantly Nowitzki and his Dallas team mates are now NBA champions.

NBA Finals Series Recap

Game 1: Tuesday, May 31st
Mavs 84
Heat 92 W

Game 2: Thursday, June 2nd
Mavs 95 W
Heat 93

Game 3: Sunday, June 5th
Heat 88 W
Mavs 86

Game 4: Tuesday, June 7th
Heat 83
Mavs 86 W

Game 5: Thursday, June 9th
Heat 103
Mavs 112 W

Game 6: Sunday, June 12th
Mavs 105 W
Heat 95

Friday, June 10, 2011

NHL : Vancouver Canucks Favored in Game 5 - Despite Boston Bruins winning last two games

Though the series is tied at two games apiece, there’s no denying  the fact that the Boston Bruins have the momentum in the Stanley Cup Finals after winning Games 3 and 4 in Boston by scorelines of 8-1 and 4-0 repectively.

The Bruins essentially shattering any confidence that Canucks goaltender Roberto Luongo had established over the course of the postseason. Now, heading into Game 5 in Vancouver, all eyes will be between the pipes to see if Luongo can bounce back from consecutive annihilations.

Despite Vancouver's recent slide, the fact that the pivotal game will take place in British Columbia has tipped the scales in the Vancouver Canuck's favor, as the Stanley Cup odds at Bodog point to the Canucks as -175 favorites to win Game 5.

Bet on the NHL playoffs with Bodog.

When at the top of his game, Luongo is more than capable of matching Bruins netminder Tim Thomas in the crease allowing the star-studded Canucks to overmatch Boston offensively. Unfortunately Luongo's inconsistency (nothing new for Vancouver fans) has reared its head, threatening Vancouvers chances of lifting the Stanley Cup.

Think you know how it will all go down?

Bodog Betting Lines for Stanley Cup Game 5

Three way : Vancouver +110, Boston +200, Tie +300
MoneyLine : Vancouver -175, Boston +130
Puck Line : Vancouver (-1.5) +165, Boston (+1.5) -227
Over/Under: Over (5 goals) -125, Under (5 goals) +105

Get all your NHL odds at Bodog.

Thursday, June 09, 2011

Dallas Mavericks favoured to win Game 5 of NBA Finals

Just when it looked as though the Miami Heat might take a stranglehold on the NBA Finals, the Dallas Mavericks fought back in the 4th quarter of game four to win 86-83 and tied the Finals series at 2-2.


As a result, the Mavs are listed yet again as -1.5 points favorites for Game 5 - which will be the final game played in Dallas before the series switches back to Miami for Game 6 and Game 7 (if needed).

Le Bron James went just 3-11 scoring 8 points and was a major disappointment while Dwyane Wade’s mind-numbing fumble at the end of regulation demonstrated that the two superstars charged with the task of carrying the Miami Heat franchise are not infallible.

Instead, it was Mavs star Dirk Nowitzki who rose to the occasion, solidifying his case as one of the game’s best players, despite playing with a fever Nowitzki grabbed 21 points with 10 points in the final quarter.

Though the Heat are set as -230 favorites to win the series, a lot of their future success will come down to how they adapt to the adversity of a gut-wrenching defeat. Can LeBron James silence critics who’ve attacked him relentlessly since his Tuesday night lemon when the Heat tip off on Thursday?

NBA Finals - Game 5 Lines

Total : 185 points
Line : Dallas Mavericks -1½ points.

Get all your NBA odds at Bodog.

Wednesday, June 08, 2011

Liverpool to sign Sunderland's Jordon Henderson for 20m

Liverpool and Sunderland have agreed a deal thought to be worth about £20m for midfielder Jordan Henderson.

The 20-year-old England international will travel to Liverpool for a medical and to discuss personal terms. Sunderland had rejected Liverpool's previous offer for the player, which was thought to be worth £16m.

"A fee has been agreed with Liverpool for Jordan Henderson and he travels to Anfield with the club's blessing," said a Sunderland statement.
 
The Anfield club hope a deal can be finalised before Henderson joins England's Under-21 squad on Wednesday for the European Championships.

Henderson was named as one of 13 young players to watch in 2011 by FIFA.

Carlos Tevez odds on to leave Manchester City

UK bookmaker Victor Chandler are offering 4/6 that Carlos Tevez will move from Manchester City before September 1st 2011.

Tevez gave an interview entirely in Spanish but has been quoted making critical comments about life in Manchester.

The Telegraph quotes Tevez as saying: "I don't have any new friends. I am always with my family and lifelong friends. I don't even leave my house. I'm the stay-at-home type."

Tevez continues "There is nothing to do in Manchester. The problem is I'm still speaking very poor English. When I finish my contract I will not return to Manchester ever – not even on holiday."

When pressed on what was wrong with the City, Tevez reportedly replied: "The weather, everything. It has nothing."

If you still think that Carlos Tevez will stay then Victor Chandler are offering 11/10 that Carlos Tevez is still a Manchester City player at the end of the summer transfer window.

Victor Chandler spokesperson Charlie McCann said: "Tevez would be a much bigger price to stay if it wasn't for the fact that he is on an astronomical wage. There must be every chance that the City skipper will go out on loan, in which case, for the purposes of our market, he would still be construed as a City player."

McCann continued "He can surely have no future back at Eastlands but how many clubs in the world can afford 100 per cent of his current wage?"

Golf : Tiger Woods pulls out of US Open

Tiger Woods has pulled out of the US Open after struggling to recover from a couple of leg injuries.

Tiger Woods has played in 15 US Opens, winning three times in 2000, 2002 and 2008, and while I don't think that Woods had ANY chance of winning this year, his early withdrawal is bad news for golf punters.

Why? Because the general betting public continue to over-rate Woods, meaning that the bookmakers have to set outragously short odds for Woods to win - often as low as 5/1 or 6/1 - which in turn means that the REAL contenders are often quoted at prices of 20/1 to 25/1 which is very close to fair.

With Tiger Woods gone - expect to see players like Westwood, Mickleson, Donald, Appleby and McIlroy quoted between 11/1 and 15/1.

Unless you're psychic - or just making a patriotic bet - it looks like this US Open golf tournament has lost it's betting advantage.

2011 US Open Golf Championship

Congressional Country Club • Bethesda, Maryland • June 16-19th, 2011

Tuesday, June 07, 2011

Fulham appoint Martin Jol as new manager

Fulham have confirmed the appointment of former Spurs boss Martin Jol as their new manager on a two-year contract.

Fulham have moved quickly to bring in the Dutchman following the resignation of Mark Hughes after less than a year in charge at Craven Cottage. Last season under Hughes, Fulham finished in eighth place in the Premier League, while also gaining a place in the Europa League via the Fair Play League.

Jol spent just under three years in charge at Spurs between 2004 and 2007 and since his departure from England has had spells in charge of Hamburg and Ajax

UK bookmaker bet365 rate Fulham as 10/1 chances to be relegated next season, 

How many Tennis Majors will Nadal, Federer or Murray win in 2011?

After Rafael Nadal won the French Open on Sunday, online bookmaker Bet365 price him up at 15/2 (8.50) to collect the last two Grand Slam titles in 2011.

With Wimbledon and the US Open still to come Bet365 have priced up lines for the likely success of the top four players in the world to add to their title hauls - or not.

Rafael Nadal 2011 Grand Slam Odds

One Title 8/11
Two Titles 11/8
Three Titles 15/2

(Nadal has already won the French Open)

Noval Djokovic 2011 Grand Slam Odds

One Title 8/11
Two Titles 11/8
Three Titles 15/2

(Djokovic has already won the Australian Open)

Roger Federer 2011 Grand Slam Odds

No Titles 1/2
One Title 7/4
Two Titles 12/1

Andy Murray 2011 Grand Slam Odds

No Titles 2/9
One Title 3/1
Two Titles 25/1

Sunday, June 05, 2011

Alex Burrows quick OT goal gives Vancouver Canucks 2-0 series lead over Boston Bruins

Vancouver Canucks took a 2-0 lead in the Stanley Cup finals on Monday thanks to the brilliance of Alex Burrows stunning goal right off the overtime faceoff.

Burrows circled the net and scored a stunning goal right off the overtime faceoff, capping a three-point night and ending the Canucks' 3-2 win in Game 2 Saturday night with the second fastest overtime goal in NHL playoff and finals history - timed at just 11 seconds into OT.

FINAL SCORE (OT) : VANCOUVER CANUCKS 3-2 BOSTON BRUIN
1stP : VAN 1-0 ---- 2ndP : BOS 2-1 ---- 3rdP : TIE 2-2

Only four teams have rallied from an 0-2 series deficit to win the Stanley Cup finals in 46 tries, although it has happened recently when Sidney Crosby's Pittsburgh Penguins did it against Detroit in 2009.

Rafael Nadal wins sixth French Open Tennis Title

World number one Rafael Nadal won a sixth French Open title with a dramatic win over Roger Federer.

The 25-year-old Nadal matched Bjorn Borg's tally of victories at Roland Garros with a 7-5 7-6 (7-3) 5-7 6-1 victory in three hours and 39 minutes.

Nadal, who has now won 10 Grand Slam titles in total, also ensured he will remain at the top of the rankings ahead of Novak Djokovic.

Friday, June 03, 2011

Dallas Mavericks beat Miami Heat in Game 2

The Dallas Mavericks eventually found a way to use their superstar Dirk Nowitzki to their advantage in an NBA Finals series littered with All-Stars.

In the fourth quarter of their Game 2 match up against the Miami Heat in Miami, the Mavs capitalized on the constant double teams that swarmed Nowitzki every time he touched the ball. After a series of good looking feeds to teammates Jason Kidd and Jason Terry, Nowitzki finally found a shooting touch that had been missing for the majority of the first half.

Now with the series tied at one game apiece, the two clubs will head to Dallas for Game 3 of the series. The Mavs victory in South Beach effectively transfers home court advantage from the Eastern Conference champion Miami Heat to a Dallas team many feared wouldn’t even make it out of the first round of the playoffs.

Now, with two games in the books and a lot of NBA experts reconsidering how the series will go down, the Mavericks have been listed as -2.5 favorites to win Game 3.

Game 3 Line at Bodog : Dallas Mavericks -2.5

Bet on the NBA Finals with Bodog.

Think the Mavericks will be able to capitalize on the momentum from their Game 2 victory as the series shifts to Texas? Keep in mind that the Heat lsitll have stars Dwyane Wade and LeBron James exercised to show thier individual skills.

Get all your NBA odds at Bodog.

Thursday, June 02, 2011

Gerard Houllier steps down as Aston Villa manager

Aston Villa have confirmed the departure of Gerard Houllier as manager after nine months in charge of the midlands club.

Mr Houllier is parting company with Aston Villa because of concerns over his health after his recent heart problems. The signs were that Houllier's reign was coming to an end after he underwent further medical tests before the weekend.

Aston Villa will now step up their search to find a replacement for Houllier, with Fulham's Mark Hughes one of the early names to be linked with the post.