Will Stoke Play the Role of Villains? - Betting News with Betfred

versus

Aston Villa fans will be hoping the classic 'new manager' syndrome kicks in when they face Stoke City in the Premier League on Monday night.

Despite the season being only a few games old, it has been a rollercoaster ride for Villa fans. Firstly Martin O'Neill unexpectedly resigned just five days before the opening day of the season.
Then caretaker boss Kevin MacDonald went from hero after victory on the opening day, to villain following a 6-0 thrashing at the hands of newly promoted Newcastle United, all in the space of a week!

Now former Liverpool manager Gérard Houllier has been 'unofficially' handed the reins at the club.

Although Houllier has been announced through the media as the new Villa boss, and unveiled as the new man at the helm of the Birmingham based club via a press conference this afternoon - it has become apparent that his tenure does not in fact start this Monday night.

As Houllier 'negotiates' his exit from the role as the French Football Federation's (FFF) technical director, he will not be in the dugout for Monday's trip to Stoke in the Premier League, with caretaker manager Kevin MacDonald running the team in his absence.

Villa are currently sitting in the Premier League top four and their powers of recovery were evident in their win over Everton last time out. To get a win against the Blues after being trounced by Newcastle, and then going out of Europe in calamitous style to Rapid Vienna only days earlier, showed the fighting spirit among the team.

Struggling Stoke who have not won a point all season are 13/8 in the Premier League betting to stop the rot on Monday night.

If Villa can show a similar resolve against The Potters, who are always tough to beat at the Britannia Stadium, then the 15/8 on offer for Villa to take all three points could well be seen as a good football bet by many punters.

Many football fans will be wondering what effect Houllier will have on the players at Villa Park. It has been a long while since he was a Premier League manager and his success at Liverpool came a decade ago.

It will be interesting to see how the players perform for the new man and how they feel about him replacing MacDonald, who is clearly highly thought of by the players, and has spent many years at the club.

Houllier said that he was disappointed MacDonald, who took over the reins following O'Neill's shock departure in August, had turned down the chance to work as his assistant. "I am working on naming an assistant manager," the Frenchman continued.
"Joint management doesn't work, but in some capacity as assistant manager he (MacDonald) would have been helpful. He could also have maybe learnt the trade and, who knows, taken over from me. But I understand his decision, he's a nice bloke so I won't hurt him - I told him I'd like him to stay at the club."

Once Houllier is 'officially' installed as Villa's new first-team manager, MacDonald will return to his job as reserve team boss.
Houllier could take charge of the team at Villa Park for the visit of Bolton in the league on the 18th September, or possibly for the midweek Carling Cup clash against Blackburn, or failing that the league trip to Molineux on the 26th September.

Meanwhile Kevin Macdonald will reside in the dugout on Monday night, and will continue to do so until further notice, OR when the contractual issues between Villa and the FFF are finally resolved.

My Tip for Monday night:

This is going to be a very close game and Stoke are notoriously tough at home, so Betfred's 9/4 for the match to end in a draw seems a logical outcome.

Monday 13th September: Stoke City v Aston Villa, kick-off 8pm - Live on Sky Sports

By Drew Swainston
(Guest writer from Betfred on behalf of Beer Footy and Birds!)

The Worst Sporting Champions of All Time ! - Part Three

As this blog is predominantly football orientated, it is on occasions refreshing to take the opportunity to write about an individual or a sport not associated with 'the beautiful game.'

Back in July I wrote two articles, one on the Aston Villa side of 1982, the other on the Blackburn Rovers side of 1995 - using them as examples of two teams who could be best described as undeserved 'Sporting Champions' - teams that were actually top of their field, yet were still pretty rubbish.

In this third installment I am going to investigate the credentials of an individual sporting champion.

In 1976 Britain's James Hunt, was crowned Formula One World Motor Racing Champion, but in my humble opinion he was more 'chump' than 'champ' and another example of an undeserved 'Sporting Champion.'
This is why!

On the face of it, Hunt was the most perfect Formula One star. Dashingly handsome, he lived a playboy lifestyle with champagne flute in one hand, and a bevy of beautiful women lusting and drooling over him, wherever he went.

He drove in a romantic, swashbuckling style, and the public were in raptures when he landed the coveted world title in 1976.
Sadly, but aptly the annus mirabilis of Hunt's career could be best described as a bit of a farce.

Lauda won the opening race in Brazil, Hunt was forced to retire. Spain was next.
Jarama hosted the 1976 Spanish Grand Prix. There was controversy after the race when Hunt was disqualified for a technical infringement. Although he was eventually reinstated, it took several weeks.

Long Beach was a new venue for 1976, the street circuit being chosen to host the United States Grand Prix West. Hunt endured an unhappy weekend, retiring from the race after colliding with Depailler.

After average showings in several other races, the British Grand Prix at Brands Hatch saw Hunt and his McLaren team embroiled in further controversy. After the race was stopped for a first corner accident Hunt restarted in a repaired car. Despite winning the race on the track the repair work was deemed illegal. The Englishman's points were removed and the win given to his championship rival Lauda.

Hunt was left floundering miles behind championship favourite Niki Lauda in the race for the world title.
Lauda had now won five of the opening nine races, Hunt just two.

That is, until at the German Grand Prix at Nurburgring, when a horrific crash left Lauda hospitalised and severely burnt after his car caught fire.

During the ensuing weeks, with Lauda indisposed and fighting for his life, Hunt closed the gap at the top. Amazingly Lauda was back racing six weeks after his near-fatal crash, returning at Monza, Italy swathed in bandages and finishing a respectable fourth, while Hunt crashed out.

Following his accident and despite his bravery in returning to the track so quickly Lauda was clearly 'out of sorts' and he failed to win another Grand Prix that season, although he managed to finish third in the penultimate race at Watkins Glen, New York.

Lauda understandably baulked at the 'dangerous' wet conditions for the final Grand Prix of the season in Japan on the 24th October, and retired after two laps.

Hunt had no such qualms and skidded recklessly round the track to scrape a third-placed finish, and in doing so steal the title from Lauda by a single point.

From a man whose burnt face was hanging off and whose injuries had prevented him from driving for part of the season - well done James, you were indeed one of ''The Worst Sporting Champions of All Time.'

Premier League Transfer News

It's the start of August, and clubs have less than a month to haul their cheque book out of their designer suit pockets and splash the cash on the players that they believe will improve their squad and help them to win back some of the millions they spent and win some trophies along the way. It is also a time for newspapers to spew out ridiculous rumours which get every fans hopes up, only for us to be let down. So lets spoil ourselves and have an engaging but cautious look at the rumours that are circulating today.

Guiseppe Rossi is involved in an interesting rumour today. Apparently, Rossi could be on his way out of Villarreal, with a few clubs interested. However, those few clubs could be irrelevant because the player has a clause in his contract which allows Manchester United, his former club to have first choice as to whether they want to sign him or not. The price that United will be quoted however is £12 million. If United offer this, it would be even more perplexing than the players first name, as Ozil is also going for £12 million, and I would rather Ozil than Rossi.

Next, and former Arsenal midfielder, Mathieu Flamini, a man with an equally confusing first name, is interesting Premier League new boys Newcastle and the team still asking for a ridiculous £30 million for James Milner, Aston Villa. The Frenchman is currently playing for AC Milan, but after only starting 14 times last season, and often in defence, he feels unwanted, unloved, and wants to play more, so he sees a return to England as the perfect place to restore his career.

Arsenal are still trying to find some more defenders so they can play a 7-2-1 formation to protect Manuel Almunias goal. Oh, whats that? A new goalkeeper? Yes, Arsenal are interested in bringing German pair, Derdar Tasci (centre back) and Rene Adler (goalkeeper) to London to beef up their defence which is in dire need of beefing up as William Gallas and Sol Campbell have left - taking a lot of the beef with them. Many believe that Arsenals problem is that their defence is so poor, their goalkeepers make way to many mistakes, and those reasons are why Arsenal have had a poor trophy drought. So a new goalkeeper who isn't prone to mistakes and a solid defender added to the mix will do Arsenals title challenge the world of good.

Aiden McGeady seems sure to leave Celtic this summer, and Aston Villa could be his destination. The flying winger could be the perfect replacement for James "£30Million" Milner as Manchester City continue to struggle to prise Martin O'Neills firm grasping hand off of the amazingly overrated Milner. There is no doubt that if City finally do cough up the money for Milner, then Villa will have money to spend, and £10-12 million may be enough to see McGeady say goodbye to Scotland.

As Manchester City try and sell a few player, Olympiacos, Marseille and Fenerbache are the three clubs trying to buy Roque Santa Cruz, with no other reason than... he used to be quite good. Might as well throw in a completley stupid Manchester City rumor as well, but this time City aren't buying. I have no idea where this came from, but apparently Tevez is "depressed" in Manchester and Jose Mourinho wants to comfort him by offering him the chance to re-join Ronaldo at Real Madrid. Thats sure to cheer him up.

The Worst Sporting Champions of All Time ! - Part Two!

This is the second installment in my series looking at and 'celebrating' those undeserved 'Sporting Champions' - those teams and/or individuals that were actually top of their field, yet were still pretty rubbish.

Last time it was Blackburn Rovers who felt the wrath of my written tongue, as I described their 1995 Premiership winning team as pretty crass. This time I am sticking with the sport of football as I look back to 2005 and 1982, and poor cold water on a couple of English teams 'glorious' European triumphs!

There are plenty of folk, especially in the Greater Manchester area, who insist that Liverpool's Champions League winning team of 2005 were indeed the worst European Champions of all time!
Despite their dramatic penalty shoot-out final victory over Milan, in the Atatürk Olympic Stadium, Istanbul - they have a point!

You can't be picking players like Djimi 'gauche' Traoré or Harry 'supersize me' Kewell and expect to receive much in the way of props. But in their defence the Reds did at least have the decency to 'somehow' defeat several quality teams along the way such as Milan, Juventus and Chelsea and to a lesser extent Bayer Leverkusen.

However Liverpool only made it through to the knock-out phase of the competition, ahead of the 'mighty' Olympiacos of Greece on goal difference, after finishing runners-up to AS Monaco in their qualifying group.
The Anfield side did finish a semi-respectable fifth in the league during their cup-winning season.

Similar claims of beating reputable opposition on their way to European glory cannot be made for Aston Villa's 1982 campaign.

Villa that season 'officially' became the worst side ever to lift the most sought after European club trophy of the modern era!

The old adage of ' you can only beat what is put in front of you ' still sadly fails to make their triumph seem anymore than futile.

Villa won their solo European Cup (in the days when it was a straight knock-out competition) by beating the muscle of Valur Reykjavik, Dynamo Berlin, Dynamo Kiev, Anderlect and in one of the most tedious finals held in Rotterdam, the most toothless Bayern Munich side in living memory, care of a 67th minute Peter Withe goal.

Meanwhile back home, Villa defended their 1981 domestic league title with a complete lack of aplomb, by losing 15 games and ending the season in 12th place - no European champions have ever finished as low - quite a feat and in doing so simply re-emphasising their title as ' the worst side ever to lift the European Cup! '

Liverpool Looking To Get Campaign Back On Track Versus Wolves - Betting Tips with Betfred

Liverpool midfielder Lucas Leiva has admitted his side must look to win all their remaining Premier League games in order to finish in the top four.

The Anfield club are currently in eighth place in the Premier League, having only won eight of their 18 games this season, and face a resurgent Wolves side on Boxing Day, who have taken nine out of a possible twelve points in their last four fixtures.

Wolves are an outside bet at Premier League odds of 15/2 with Betfred, but 'could be' worth a small wager on the basis of a very inconsistent Red's team this term, who have only been victorious in five of their nine games at Anfield.

Liverpool are eight points adrift of Aston Villa in fourth place and Brazilian midfielder Lucas thinks the side's target must now be to win "almost every game" in order to get back into the Champions League next season.

"Wolves have quality. We have to respect them and try to show our own quality and play well for the fans," said Lucas.

"All games are tough in the Premier League, so we have to prepare well, work hard and have confidence. We have quality and if we can play well we can beat anyone."

Odds with Betfred of 5/1 for a 2-0 victory for Liverpool could be a good offering as the Reds will be looking to recover quickly from their 2-0 defeat at Portsmouth last weekend.

Wolves manager Mick McCarthy could also make big changes to his side, like he did against Manchester United earlier in the month, which would also make 8/1 for there to be over 2.5 goals in the tie a good football bet.


My Tip Of The Weekend:
Back over 2.5 goals @ 8/1 in the Liverpool versus Wolves fixture on Boxing Day - kick-off 5.30pm GMT.

By Charlotte Cook
(Guest writer from Betfred on behalf of Beer Footy and Birds!)

After-Dinner Sports Tales - Gareth Southgate

This month is my fifth installment of light hearted after-dinner sporting tales, as told by current or ex-professional sportsman.
My after-dinner sports tale for this month is one told by Gareth Southgate, a well respected football player and now club manager, who has been a model professional since making his debut in 1988.

Born in Watford, Hertfordshire in 1970, Southgate began his career at Crystal Palace, playing in central midfield. He became captain and led the club to the 1994 Division One title.

He moved to Aston Villa in 1995 for a fee of £2.5 million, having made 152 appearances and scoring 15 goals over four seasons for the South London club.
In 2001 he joined Middlesborough as a player, before becoming the Teeside clubs manager in 2006.

"I went to watch a match with my wife and the family of a friend (who was playing).

People started turning around to ask me for autographs, which is always flattering but can start to interfere with your enjoyment of an event.

By now the game had kicked off and yet still I was being passed scraps of paper and programmes to sign.
I obliged, but must confess I was getting irritable as I tried to watch the game.
A flag was passed along then a ticket.

'Pen?' I asked down the line, somewhat abruptly, and a pen was duly passed down the line.
'What's his name?' I asked my friend's wife, and the query was passed down the line.
'To John, all the best, Gareth Southgate,' I wrote and passed the ticket back along the line.

Out of the corner of my eye I see the guy look at the ticket and start to edge along the row.
I'm just about to say to him: 'Look mate, no disrepect, but I'm trying to watch the game,' when he says apologetically: 'Excuse me, I'm very sorry but you're in my seat."


During the 2003–04 season Gareth became an author, penning Woody & Nord: A Football Friendship with close friend and former West Ham goalkeeping coach Andy Woodman. This book describes an enduring friendship forged in the Crystal Palace youth team that has survived Southgate and Woodman's wildly differing fortunes in the professional game. The book won the Sporting Book of the Year Award for 2004 from the National Sporting Club.

Watch The Clip Of Last Saturday's Superb Sky Sports Soccer AM Soccerettee 'Sammi'

Each week I am hoping to publish the video clip of Sky's Soccer AM Soccerette strutting her stuff!

The main reason for this is that I often miss the show, as I did last week while I travelled to Norwich early Saturday morning to consume large quantities of Norfolk ale, either side of watching Crystal Palace.......and by heck does one need copious amounts of alcohol if you are brave enough to follow The Eagles at the moment!

Anyway this week's soccerette was the lovely Sammi, who will be of particular interest to Villa fans.....that's fans of Aston Villa NOT Valencia's David Villa!

As always it's entertaining stuff and probably the best part of the show. So if you missed it on Saturday, for whatever reason or want to see it again, then just click on the 'Link' below.

Enjoy!

Link