Greatest Team in European History

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May
21

Prize Draw Poll

Welcome to Prize Draw Poll – your chance to win 25 Quid BetDash account credit for answering a simple weekly question. Every week we’ll ask you guys something related to BetDash, betting, or sports. We’ll take all the answers, mix them in our magic hat, and pull out a winner at random. For your chance to win, leave your answer to the question in the comments box below. The feedback you give us will help to shape the future of BetDash, and make sure we’re focusing our attentions in the right direction.

Winner from last time around

Last time around we asked what, in your opinion, was the best run-in to a league season. We used this year’s Premier League season as an example of a flat finale in comparison to last year’s explosive conclusion. We were happy for participants to cite examples from different leagues, and different sports, but the majority were happy to recall Premier League examples.

John, David and Darragh went for the 2011/12 finale, which is hard to argue against; Martin Tyler screeching Aguero’s name across the airwaves, a Blue Moon finally eclipsing the Red Planet and an afternoon of football the will never be forgotten. The only problem with their answers is that we asked for any finale BUT that one – good work lads ;)

Edberg went for the 94/95 cliff-hanger where Sky leapt from one match to the other, Could Blackburn win the title? Would Utd skip past them? In a lot of ways it was similar to last year’s finale; the tension, two exciting games running parallel to one another, and Utd ultimately falling short.

Glasgow G&W went for the Old Firm battle of 02/03, an incredible close to an incredible season, both teams standing proud at the top of the table with an incredible points tally of 94 and goal difference of +68. Rangers grabbed the title with a 6-1 victory while Celtic could only manage 4-0.

All great memories, and all great examples of glorious finales; but our winner from last time brought us a rags to riches tale from the south western fringes of Europe, where Braga’s 47 year wait for a trophy ended in April of this year.

Our winner from last week’s entries is . . .

Karl Donnelly – congratulations

Please send us your username and we will credit your account with 25 Quid.

PDP Question of the week:

This weekend the Champion’s League final marks the end of another season of European football. Lockers are cleared-out, trophies are polished-up, transfers are pencilled-in, and budgets are drawn-down. A Barca side that had the world salivating over the past few years bowed-out of the Champions League alongside their arch rivals Real; both at the hands of incredible German teams. Alex Ferguson has finally drawn the curtain on his Manchester United reign in England while The Old Lady had a new lease of life in Serie A. Power shifts from clubs and countries but it’s only in retrospect that we can judge the quality of a football team.

This week we’d like you to tell us…

What was the greatest ever club football team in Europe and why? What was your best memory of them?

€/£25 account credit will be given to a randomly selected answer.

Good luck!

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CL Final card-chase is on!

Posted by , in Game Tips No Comments
May
20

focus-on-foootball
Champions League final card chase is on

By Mac

Fans of the Card Index market are going to love this.

UEFA have announced that Nicola Rizzoli of Italy will referee the all-German Champions League final between Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich this coming Saturday night.

Straight away a couple of things jump into focus. First this will be the 41-year-old Rizzoli’s highest-profile fixture since becoming an international referee in 2007. By far. Second, he’s Italian, and let’s just say, Italy and Germany have not always seen eye to eye in footballing or historical terms. Third, we can confirm, Nicola loves a good yellow card!

First to the cards. Nicola simply doesn’t know when to stop. Domestically he did not fail to hand out at least one yellow this season. In his most recent 10 Serie A matches he has brandished on average 4.2 yellow cards per game. If you remove the one game where he must have been hungover and only gave one yellow, his average jumps to 4.5 per game. In his last ten in Italy he has also dished out 4 red cards, showing he is not afraid to dramatically inflate card index market betting in a match!

Nicola really shines when it comes to Italian cup matches. Shines as in, goes absolutely mental. In his most recent 5 Italian cup matches he has bandied about a stunning 33 yellow cards, good for an incredible 6.6 per game. He also handed out 4 red cards in those 5 matches.

Internationals, you ask? No change from form for Mr Rizzoli. In his last 10 international matches, many of them friendlies, Rizzoli has given out 34 yellows, never failing to give less than 2 per game.

Finally, in his last 7 European cup competitions, Rizzoli has given out 40 yellow cards. That’s 5.7 per game.

What is abundantly clear from the above is, Nicola Rizzoli just loves to shake his yellow card about, and he isn’t shy about red either. Add that to the fact he is Italian and will be arguing all day with various Germans, and this is his biggest match and he will no doubt be under pressure, and you cannot come to any conclusion other than, there’s going to be some serious yellow and possibly red flashing about come Saturday night.

Now it is a little too early as yet for Card Index markets to be up, however, keep your eyes out for it closer to Saturday. If you are a fan of the card index market, this final might be the opportunity you have been waiting for.

We have discussed the referee in depth, and we haven’t even touched the two teams. Let’s just say, in an all-German final, there is a chance we might see some, how should we put it, artistic embellishment?

Champions League Card Index Market. Crazy Italian referee. Two German teams. This could be the equation towards something big.

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Good, Bad and Ugly

Posted by , in Insight No Comments
May
20

writers_rant
The Good, the Bad and the Ugly: The Season in Review

As the curtain draws on the close of another helter-skelter season in the English Premier League, there is no better time to take a brief look back at some of the stand out moments of the last nine months.  The Premier League receives its fair share of criticism, but one thing that it cannot be criticised for is being boring.

Manchester United won their twentieth league title, their thirteenth under manager Alex Ferguson. It will also be their last under the Scot who is moving upstairs after twenty-six years at the helm. One of Ferguson’s last signings was perhaps one of his best. Robin van Persie finished the season as the league’s top-scorer. Fourth and fifth on the list of leading goal scorers are Aston Villa’s Christian Benteke and Swansea’s Spanish star Michu. Most would agree that along with van Persie, these two players have been the stand-out signings of the season.

A year is a long time in football, just ask Roberto Mancini. The Italian was sacked on the anniversary of Sergio Aguero’s famous strike that brought the title to Eastlands last season. The outgoing champions surrendered their crown rather tamely, rendering the decision to dispose of Mancini’s services ultimately unsurprising.

With Ferguson having hung up his hair dryer for good, Arsene Wenger by default becomes the longest serving manager in England. The Arsenal manager has endured a difficult season. In recent weeks however, the Frenchman’s Gunners have hit a purple patch which has seen them grab an all-important Champions League spot. Summer signing Santi Cazorla has illuminated the Emirates at times, which is more than can be said for his teams’ early season defending, which was woeful.

The Gunners North London rivals Tottenham Hotspur have had a decent season under Andre Villas Boas. Spurs have however just fallen short of attaining Champions League qualification, a carrot which could have been dangled in front of PFA Player of the Year and Football Writers’ Player of the Year Gareth Bale as an incentive to keep the Welsh wizard at the Lane for at least another season.

To say it’s been an eventful season over at Stamford Bridge would be an understatement. Roberto Di Matteo’s European Champions made a scintillating start to the season, their squad bolstered by exciting summer acquisitions Hazard and Oscar. It wasn’t long however until the wheels began to come off. A poor run of form – domestically and in Europe- put paid to Di Matteo’s time in charge. Controversy enveloped the club at different times of the season, particularly surrounding the banning of captain John Terry in October for racial abuse and the allegations made by the club that referee Mark Clattenberg had used a racial slur towards one of their players.

Rafa Benitez’s arrival in an interim management role did nothing to appease Blues’ supporters who were not shy in voicing their displeasure with the Spaniard’s appointment. Benitez should however be given credit for guiding the club to third position – and winning a European trophy – in such a hostile working environment.

Rafa’s former club Liverpool seem to have made a few strides forward this season. Brendan Rodgers has a tough job on his hands in the aftermath of Kenny Dalglish’s disastrous reign. Rodgers’ star performer on the pitch was also the player who will have caused him the most headaches. Luis Suarez’s disgraceful behaviour against Chelsea, when he bit an opponent is unfortunately likely to be one of the defining images of the season.

The final relegation place finally went to Wigan after an intriguing battle involving a raft of clubs. The fate of a hapless Reading and the rabble that is QPR was sealed some time ago. Paul Lambert’s young Aston Villa side showed a steely resolve to avoid relegation which is more than can be said for Sunderland, Newcastle and Stoke who were all less than convincing in their efforts to beat the drop.

So that’s another season over. Another summer of frenzied transfer speculation beckons. Come next August the story will continue again. Some of this season’s main protagonists will have moved on, but there will be more characters to come in and take their place. It’s time for a little rest now, however another drama filled Premier League season is waiting just around the corner.

 

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Beat The BetDoc: Final Countdown

Posted by , in Mixed Bag 3 Comments
May
17

beat-the-betdoc
Beat the BetDoc: Final Countdown

The Heineken Cup final takes place in the Aviva Stadium in Dublin this Saturday while the Champions League final takes place in Wembley on Saturday week.

There seems a certain irony that there are no local teams are competing. Ireland have had a representative in four out of the last five Heineken Cup finals while an English club has graced the field in the Champions League final on seven out of the last eight occasions.

Is it time for the two countries to channel their energy back into the Eurovision which brought huge success to both nations in the nineties.

In Le Rugby, it is an all French affair between Top 14’s top 2, a Jonathan Wilkinson lead Toulon versus Clermount Aubergine or Auvergne. As the money flows into the French League we may have to get used of French dominance in the H Cup.

The Champions League Final is an all German affair with the people champions Dortmund taking on the Bavarian Sluggers Munich. Both teams reached the final on merit even after a few scares, notably Dortmund’s win over Malaga.

To make the two finals even more enjoyable why not beat me again in another  Beat The Doc quiz.

All you have to do is combine the times of the first goal and first try in both games. For Stoke fans who will find it hard to differentiate between the two sports, you need to combine the first score in both games.

***First goal = 15th minute First Try = 20 minute your answer would be 35***

Prizes:

Exact Time: £20 BetDash Credit

Within 10 minutes: 50k BetDash Bankroll

Within 20 minutes: 30k BetDash Bankroll

As per usual leave your answer and username below in the comments section.

Now off to stock up on Weissbier and baguettes.

 

The BetDoc

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The greatest footballer on planet earth

Posted by , in Game Tips 10 Comments
May
17

La-Liga (3)
The greatest footballer on planet earth

By Mac

It is a question frequently asked. Just who is the World’s greatest footballer? The question is inexorably linked to La Liga, where several of the accepted current World’s greatest ply their trade. Some tout the goalscoring ability of Falcao. Many are still drawn to the impish skills of Ronaldo. The majority laud the incredible scoring exploits of Lionel Messi.

However, we may now have a definitive answer, on just who the greatest footballer in the World is.

In terms of pure volume, anyway…

With Chelsea taking the Europa League trophy last night, beating Benfica 2-1 in a very entertaining encounter, one player alone stands as the single most successful footballer in the World right now. One player alone is the current champion in terms of the Champions League, the Europa League, the European Championships and yes, the World Cup too.

That’s right, Fernando Torres is the single greatest, most successful player in the footballing World. He does of course hold a strong link to La Liga, having come to fame while bashing in goals for Atletico Madrid, however right now Torres holds more of the title belts in World football than any of La Liga’s finest, Messi, Ronaldo and Falco included.

Everybody loves a good Torres bashing session. His hair, his boyish face, those childish little tantrums and the occasional flop in the box, Torres is a great whipping boy for the sarcastic football fans among us. He doesn’t really help himself either, having recently gone over 1,000 minutes in the Premier League without scoring a solitary goal. Of course, as he showed last night, he can still stick the ball in the net on occasion.

The fact of the matter is, he is successful. He is a success on the level everyone wants to be a success, trophy winning. Torres is relentlessly mocked by all, and yet, continues to trawl in medal after medal, at the very highest levels. He quite literally owns the keys to the trophy cabinet of the four highest possible peaks of World football right now, and nobody can take that away from him (well, at least until the All-German Champions League final coming up shortly!).

So, next time you ask ‘who is the greatest player in the World?’ and people point to La Liga and suggest Messi, Ronaldo or indeed Falcao, you can correct them and tell them, no, it’s Fernando Torres.

Just try doing it with a straight face though!

On to the weekend ahead. Take note of the added bonus extra live match Friday night…

la Programar: This weekend’s action
Friday 20:30 -The Copa Del Rey final! Real Madrid v Atletico Madrid - SkySports1
Saturday 19:00 – Granada v Osasuna –  SkySports2
Saturday 21:00 – Sevilla v Real Sociedad –  SkySports2
Sunday 18:00 – Real Zaragoza v Athletic Bilbao –  SkySports1
Sunday 20:00 – Barcelona v Valladolid –  SkySports1

Seis de los Mejores: 6 x La Liga tips 
(54-36-1 record to date, 60% success rate)

1. Getafe v Valencia – Valencia to win 5/6
2. Granada v Osasuna - Under 2.5 goals 4/6
3. Sevilla v Real Sociedad - Real Sociedad +1 8/11
4. Deportivo La Coruna v Espanyol - Deportivo La Coruna to win 8/13
5. Real Zaragoza v Athletic Bilbao - Real Zragaoza to win 5/6
6. Barcelona v Valladolid - Barcelona -1 8/11

Last week’s results
4 out of 6 last weekend, not bad. Poor start, but bounced back with 4 on the trot!

1. Valladolid v Deportivo La Coruna - Deportivo +1 4/7 – loss
2. Espanyol v Real Madrid- Real Madrid to win 1/2 – loss
3. Betis v Celta Vigo- Betis to win 5/6 - Winner! 
4. Atletico Madrid v Barcelona- Second half to have most goals 10/11 - Winner! 
5. Real Sociedad v Granada - Over 2.5 goals 4/7 - Winner! 
6. Athletic Bilbao v Mallorca - Athletic to win 5/6 - Winner! 

Tiempo la Competencia: Competition Time
We had no winner of our La Liga competition last weekend, so you know what that means, that’s right, there’s a 20 quid roll-over proze available! This week, for your chance to win 20 quid on your BetDash account, simply tell us how many goals total combined will be scored in the FIVE LIVE La Liga matches listed above, this weekend. Note there are 5 this week, as opposed to the usual 4. Put your answer and your BetDash user name in the comment section below.

Please answer before the first kickoff Friday night 8:30pm GMT. If there is a tied result we will roll over to the next week. Good luck and enjoy the games!

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