American key man

Tiger Woods’ record at the Ryder Cup jumps out as the big disappointment on his career CV. He has been on the winning team just once in six appearances, his individual record of 13 wins, 14 defeats and two halves a poor reflection of his talents that leads many to assume he is not suited to team golf.

The Americans’ most recent victory, at Valhalla in 2008, coincided with Woods’ injury-induced spell on the sidelines and it is hard to argue against the suggestion that the intimidating presence of one of the greatest players of all time, with an ego to match, is more of a hindrance than an inspiration.

Woods should be a huge asset, so it is the player who helps gets the best out of the star man who is the American key. Captain Davis Love III obviously has a big role to play in this regard, but the man who completed the skipper’s wild-card allocation could hold the key to the home side’s fortunes in the Betfair Ryder Cup 2012.

Love’s selection of Steve Stricker ended the debate about Woods’ likely playing partner at Medinah. ‘Mr September’ is known for his unassuming nature and team ethic and proved to be the ideal foil for Woods at Celtic Manor in 2010, when the pair won two times out of three together. They both also won their singles matches.

Stricker, a favourite of the golf betting community, obviously needs to concentrate on his own game as well as his role as energising Woods in his first home Ryder Cup since 2004. That clash is remembered for Hal Sutton’s disastrous decision to twice pair Woods with rival Phil Mickelson and Love is on safer ground with the Stricker-Woods partnership, which won all four matches when in operation at the 2011 Presidents’ Cup.

Timberwolves swap Cunningham for Ellington

The Memphis Grizzlies have swapped forward Dante Cunningham for Minnesota Timberwolves guard Wayne Ellington, in a deal that will benefit both teams. With NBA teams looking to hustle for the best deals out there, this trade has really caught the eye.

Cunningham joined Memphies from the Portland Trail Blazers at the start of 2012, averaging 5.2 points and 3.8 rebounds during his brief spell in the Grizzlies team.

The 6-foot-8 forward’s time with Portland saw him average 48.5% shooting and 3.3 rebounds in his 205 appearances for the Trail Blazers. The 25-year old will now add to the Timberwolves’ forward options ahead of the new NBA season.

Heading the other way is Ellington, who made 189 appearances for the Wolves during his three seasons in Minnesota and became a favourite with many who bet on basketball.

The first round pick from the 2009 draft never really fulfilled his early potential with the Wolves – averaging 6.5 points and 1.9 rebounds – but that didn’t stop Memphis moving quickly when the opportunity to make Ellington their latest arrival.

Many believe that the Timberwolves have come out of this with much the better deal. Cunningham is very highly-thought of by a lot of ‘in the know’ basketball voices, who equally believe that Ellington will never establish himself as a real top player in the NBA.

Cunningham’s real strength lies with his defending and finishing. Not the most creative in attack, the 25-year old is devastating when around the net, as well as defending his own.

Members of the NBA online community reckon that neither signing is expected to be the finishing piece for either team’s rotation jigsaw, with both Minnesota and Memphis expected to make some more changes before the new NBA seasons comes round again.

Strauss Wants England Focus

England captain, Andrew Strauss, has warned his side against complacency in the second Test at Trent Bridge.

England began their international summer with a five-wicket victory over the West Indies at Lord’s, though they were pushed all the way by the resolute tourists.

The Windies were below-par on the opening two days of the Test but improved as the match wore on. They dug deep with bat in hand and looked threatening with the ball, particularly quick bowler, Kemar Roach.

Strauss feels the first Test showed the West Indies are a different team from the one that toured in 2009, and England will need to work hard in Nottingham to wrap up the series.

“It’s so easy to get carried away after winning a game. If Lord’s taught us anything, it’s that the West Indies are a side very much to be respected”, said the England skipper.

“No-one has a God-given right to win a Test match. It is about hard work, and [the] West Indies showed glimpses of being quite obdurate and difficult to dislodge at times. We’ve just got another five days of very hard work ahead.”

Fast bowler, Stuart Broad, produced a match-winning performance in the opening Test, and he is expecting helpful conditions on his home ground.

“It’s an exciting cricket wicket. If you bat well, you can score 100; if you bowl well, you can take wickets. It’s a good battle between bat and ball”, said Broad, who took 11 wickets at Lord’s.

“The outfield is so fast here you get great value for runs, and you have to play great cricket to win Test matches here.”

An England victory at Trent Bridge would ensure they retain their number one world ranking, ahead of the series against South Africa, later in the summer. The Betfair cricket odds have tipped England to win against the Africans.

The Betfair Michael Vaughan webpage has plenty of advice and information for gamblers looking for a tip or two.

Republic Of Ireland ‘Given’ Injury Scare

The whole of Ireland will be looking on in anticipation, this summer, as the Republic of Ireland national team heads to Euro 2012, in what is only their second major tournament in the last fifteen years.
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If Ireland are going to leave a mark in Poland and Ukraine, they will need a fully fit squad to choose from. After learning that goalkeeper, Shay Given, may be injured, Giovanni Trapatonni will have been holding his breath.
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The Villa goalkeeper was sent for tests after hurting his knee in training, on Monday, but, as it looks now, he is only expected to miss two or three days of training.
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That would have been a huge blow for the Irish team. When you hear of a player having to go in for a scan, you immediately fear the worse, but, fortunately, it looks like Given will be playing a big part at the Euros.
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This is great news for Ireland fans as, in all honesty, the defence might be very busy, this summer, as they look ahead to games with Spain, Italy, and Croatia.
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However, they have one of the best goalkeepers in world football behind them, who will give them every chance of getting through to the knock out rounds.
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The Republic face Bosnia in a friendly at the Aviva Stadium, on Saturday afternoon, before heading off for their pre-Euro 2012 training camp in Italy, on Sunday; the team will be excited for the next couple of months.
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They will, of course, be hoping that they can all avoid injury in the run up to the tournament, while John O’She,a who is the only real doubt for Saturday’s game, continues to get himself fit, after picking up a knock in the final game of the season.
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The Republic are a 100/1 bet to win in Poland and the Ukraine, according to the Ireland Euro 2012 odds page, making them the least-fancied team in the competition. Take a punt on another republic, with Czech Euro 2012 betting, and reap the benefits of 66/1 odds.

Ten Brits to Watch at London 2012

London 2012 could very well be the year for Olympic medal success for a number of British athletes. Here’s a round-up of London 2012 betting tips:
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1. Mo Farah will be competing in the 5,000m and 10,000m. His gutsy 5000m world title in 2011 underlined his emergence as a global force, since his move to the USA to work under marathon legend, Alberto Salazar.
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2. Dai Greene won a gold medal at the 2011 World Championships, having won European and Commonwealth titles in 2010. The Welsh hurdler seems to have the Midas touch, which is what he’ll need, as he goes for the 400m hurdles at London 2012.
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3. Rachel Cawthorn will be representing team GB in sprint canoeing. She is the first British female canoeist to win a medal at a World Championship, earning bronze in the 500m at the 2010 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships, in Poznan.
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4. Luke Campbell is a bantamweight boxer. Campbell became England’s first European amateur champion in 47 years, and has spent time training at the LA gym of the legendary Freddie Roach, who also trains Manny Pacquiao and Amir Khan.
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5. Beth Tweddle is the greatest British gymnast of all time. She has three world titles and six European gold medals. At London 2012, she will be attempting to win her first Olympic medal.
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6. Keri-Anne Payne is a swimmer, who was the first British athlete to qualify for the 2012 Olympic Games, when she regained the world title in the 10km open water event in July. She will compete in open water, 400m individual medley, and the 4x200m freestyle.
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7. Sarah Stevenson won Great Britain’s first ever Olympic taekwondo medal, when she claimed the bronze in Beijing, at her third Olympic Games. Sarah is in the 67kg class for Taekwondo.
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8. Richard Kruse is a foil fencer. He achieved the best Olympic placing for a British fencer in 40 years, when he reached the quarter-finals in the foil at the 2004 Games. Kruse is now one of the world’s top ten, so will be looking to go even further at the 2012 Games.
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9. Victoria Pendleton is the most successful British female track cyclist of all time, winning Olympic sprint gold in 2008. She has also won eight world titles – five of them in the individual sprint.
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10. Zoe Smith became the first Englishwoman to win a weightlifting medal in Commonwealth Games history, when she clinched bronze in the 58kg weight division in Delhi. The 5ft 2in weightlifter had previously won gold in the 53kg class at the 2008 Commonwealth Youth Games, aged just 14.
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Continue the coverage of the upcoming Olympic Games with the Betfair london 2012 website.

Father’s Day finale at the Olympic Club

This year’s US Open at the Olympic Club, San Francisco, is set to reach its climax on Sunday, 17th June, unless there is a tied final hole, when, unlike the other three Majors, an extra 18-hole round on Monday is played to determine the eventual winner.

That scenario does not happen too often; in fact, it has occurred just three times since 1985, most recently, when Tiger Woods gained a dramatic victory over Rocco Mediate at Torrey Pines, three years ago.

Wherever the US Open is staged, each golfer knows that there is no room for error in such a competitive event, and immense concentration is needed just to get around the course in par even.

Just four men in the tournament’s history have achieved the feat of completing all four rounds under-par: Lee Trevino, in 1968, Tony Jacklin, in 1970, Lee Janzen, 23 years later, Curtis Strange, who 12 months after that, had the misfortune to see Ernie Els deny him victory, and finally Rory Mcllroy, last year.

The Northern Irishman’s feat was only one of a number of records that he broke at Congressional, on the way to a staggering 16-under par round. On the way, he proceeded to post the lowest score for 36 and 54 holes, and at one point was 17 under-par, another record.

One record that he did not manage to break, or even equal, however, was that of the lowest score for 18 holes. That number is 63 and is co-held by four players: Johnny Miller, Jack Nicklaus, Tom Weiskopf, and Vijay Singh, so there is room for improvement from the young genius.

Just to stop him getting complacent, as well, should he read this article, the largest margin of victory in the US Open is 15 strokes, achieved by Tiger Woods at Pebble Beach, in 2000. That, incidentally, is the biggest margin and all-time record in any of the four Majors to date.

Woods is the favourite in the open odds to take the gold at this year’s Championship.

Villa trio told to wait on futures

Aston Villa assistant boss Peter Grant says all talks over the future of players out of contract at the end of the season will be put on hold until the summer.

Emile Heskey, Carlos Cuellar and Brad Guzan are among the big-name stars at Villa Park who could leave on free transfers come June and all have been linked with other clubs in recent weeks, with Valencia, in particular, keen on re-signing defender Cuellar.

It is thought Villa could yet offer all three new, short-term deals but Grant says there will be no more talks on their futures until the end of the current campaign as boss Alex McLeish intends to concentrate instead on the games that remain in the Premier League to hopefully guide the Midlanders to as high a finish as possible in the table. Fans of Victor Chandler will be wondering if their season can be kickstarted even at this late stage.

Grant said: “The gaffer (McLeish) has said he would rather put all these talks back until the season ends.

“Alex has always been one of those guys who prefers to do his business at the end of the season. He knows the most important thing is Villa winning games.

“His thinking is ‘I’d rather leave it as much as I possibly can’ and I think the players we are working with understand that.”

Cuellar has been in outstanding form since returning to the side while American keeper Guzan impressed during a two-month run in goal when Shay Given was injured so the feeling is that those two may well be offered new deals come the summer but former England striker Heskey’s future, on the other hand, remains extremely unclear. Fans of Bet Victor should remember this.

He has been linked with a return to first club Leicester City and has slipped down the pecking order up front with the likes of Gabby Agbonlahor and Darren Bent for competition.

Chelsea v Benfica Champions League Quarter Final 1st Leg preview

Chelsea are in danger of being distracted by next season’s Champions League. The superb comeback against Napoli should have instilled confidence and optimism at Stamford Bridge, with the prospective glittering prize of a semi final against Barcelona an immediate goal. However, the fear of missing out on the competition all together next year hangs over the Blues, with the underlying suspicion that the team is not good enough for the tournament being reinforced by a superior Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday.

Roberto Di Matteo therefore has the tough task of bringing the confident and determined Chelsea to the Estadio da Luz, not the diffident and unimaginative team that has often turned up this season. It will presumably a night for the old guard that stunned Napoli and these experienced Champions League stalwarts will relish another opportunity to prove they were right to disrupt former boss Andre Villas Boas’ phasing out approach and those following Victor Chandler will keep a close eye on things.

Whether Frank Lampard, Didier Drogba, Asley Cole et al can contain an enterprising Benfica team is another matter. The Reds have scored in every Champions League match this season and have scored 29 goals in their last 10 home matches in all competitions. They were frustrated in a 0-0 draw at lowly opposition last time out, when principal play-maker Pablo Aimar was sent off, but Jorge Jesus’ outfit are a technically accomplished attacking force, with joint top League scorer Oscar Cardozo a big threat.

Benfica lost three matches out of four in February, but these were there only reverses in their last 20 and the team handily placed in third in Primeira Liga, two points behind leaders Braga, are certainly in better form than the Blues. Di Matteo has brought some stability to Stamford Bridge, but the win over Napoli was very much a one-off, the performances against Manchester City and Spurs being reminiscent of those produced under the former coach and anyone looking at www.betvictor.com needs to bear this in mind.

The Blues are winless on the road in the Champions League this term and should be braced for another comeback operation at Stamford Bridge. The away goal thy scored in Napoli proved vital last time around and they will need that assistance again as they bid to reach a fourth semi final in six years.

Ibrahimovic ‘fully committed’

Massimiliano Allegri has insisted Zlatan Ibrahimovic is fully committed to AC Milan and is confident he will see out the remainder of his contract.

The Sweden striker, who will miss his country’s mouth-watering Euro 2012 Group E qualifying clash against the unbeaten Netherlands at Rasundastadion, Solna, on Tuesday because of a suspension, sparked speculation about his future only last week when he suggested he had fallen out of love with football.

“Football is no longer burning inside me like back in the days. Playing football has become more and more of a routine job for me,” the former Juventus and Internazionale targetman told Il Corriere dello Sport.

He added: “I am starting to become tired of football and am no longer motivated like before. Football was all I was thinking about when I was younger, but things are different now.”

Perhaps he’ll take some time off to practice his football bowling if his attitude doesn’t improve soon.

The 30-year-old instrumental in Milan’s first Serie A triumph since 2004 last season and has a contract with the Serie A champions which expires in June 2015. Those following the football betting would have expected him to play a key part in their efforts this season.

Allegri said he has full trust in his 24million euros signing and believes Milan fans have yet to see the best of Ibrahimovic.

“Sometimes words can be misinterpreted,” the Italian told La Gazzetta dello Sport.

He added that he didn’t believe the player could be tired because the season has only just started and claimed that Ibrahimovic remains committed to the club.

Milan return to Serie A duty on Saturday when they host early-season pace-setters Palermo at the San Siro.

So what are tipsters?

Football Betting Tipsters

Football Betting Tipsters

Hello welcome to my betting tips and advice blog. I thought i would start this blog by explaining just what a tipster is (for any of you guys that don’t know, that is what I am!)

The term tipster appertains to someone that pretty frequently provides info on likely winners in sporting events. During the past tips were bartered for and traded but in recent times, thanks largely to the web and premium rate phone lines, it’s increasingly probable a tip will be sold. A tip in betting terms is a bet recommended by an unrelated party who is understood to be more well informed about that subject than the bookmaker who sets the costs. [Read more...]