Monday, January 23, 2012

Blues Red Wings Betting – Surging Blues Travel To Detroit Monday As Division Rivalry Renewed

The Detroit Red Wings have been perennial contenders in the Western conference over the past decade. The St. Louis Blues are trying to lay the foundation for similar success. When the Blues travel to Detroit this Monday, it will be a battle of two of the top teams in the conference, as St. Louis has climbed to second in the Central division, just one point back of the first-place Red Wings. New head coach Ken Hitchcock has preached fundamentals and responsibility, and the result has been a turnaround that has the Blues contending for a playoff spot in the west.
St. Louis Blues @ Detroit Red WingsMonday January 23, 2011 – 7:30 PM ET
Joe Louis Arena, Detroit, Michigan
NHL Sports Betting Line: Detroit Red Wings - 130

The tandem of Jaroslav Halak and Brian Elliott have been crucial to St. Louis’ success, the same way that Jimmy Howard has emerged as one of the top goaltenders in the league for Detroit. All three netminders rank in the top-six in the NHL in GAA, so expect this to be a hard-fought game centered around solid play in each team’s own end.
Blues Red Wings Betting Preview: St. Louis Blues

For as good as the Blues have been over the past two months, there is no denying they are still considered the sports bet underdogs when matched up against Detroit, which still remain the team to beat from the Central division. But St. Louis deserves credit as one of the top contenders, and as long as Elliott and Halak are at the top of their game there is no denying that they can pull off the upset. David Backes leads a young group of forwards that are hungry to prove they can get it done, and with Hitchcock now there to get the most out of the talent at his disposal, the Blues have come alive.
Blues Red Wings Betting Preview: Detroit Red Wings

The Red Wings have been doing this for a long time, and have been absolutely dominant at home with an 18-2-1 record at the Joe Louis Arena. Detroit has the talent and depth to roll three lines that can get the job done at both ends of the ice, with a mix of speed and size that few teams have. Pavel Datsyuk leads the Red Wings with 51 points, including 38 assists, and has played the role of playmaker on a line with Johan Franzen, who leads the Red Wings with 18 goals. The one area where Detroit can stand to improve may be its penalty kill, but the truth about that is if they stay disciplined and avoid penalties they won’t have to worry about being down a man.
Blues Red Wings Betting Preview: Outlook & Pick

The sportsbook favorites should be comfortable on home ice in this one, even against a hungry St. Louis team. While the Blues have made major progress to develop in to a contender over the past couple of months, they will still struggle to keep up with a powerhouse team like Detroit.

Blues Red Wings Betting Pick: Detroit Red Wings
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AFRICA CUP OF NATIONS MONEY BACK SPECIAL WITH PADDY POWER

The 2012 Africa Cup of Nations got off to a great bit of excitement as joint hosts Equatorial Guinea sprang a million dollar surprise and beat Libya 1-0 in the group stage. That was in Group A, where Zambia also sprang a surprise over the hotly tipped Senegal, winning 2-1. Tournament favourites Ivory Coast fired off a 1-0 win against Sudan to open their account, with Chelsea’s Didier Drogba scoring the only goal of the game. With plenty more action to come in the group stage, online bookmaker Paddy Power have a Money Back Special running for the duration of the group stage. If a Group Match ends in a 0-0 draw, then Paddy Power will refund all losing First Goalscorer, Correct Score and Scorecast single bets placed on that match. So the highly rated bookie is offering some great coverage for your Africa Cup of Nations betting. The 0-0 coverage applies to all single bets which are placed pre-match only (live in running bets don’t count for this). The maximum coverage on the promotion is £100 so plenty of great room to work with here. The Group Stage of the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations finishes on February 1st, so plenty of football betting time yet to take advantage of this coverage.

Online bookmaker Paddy Power offer a free €50 bet for new customers registering an account with them. The highly rated bookie will match the vale of your first stake on a new account, up to the maximum value of £50, with a free bet. That gives new punters with Paddy Power some great free betting cash to get started with!

2012 Africa Cup Of Nations Outright Winner Betting at Paddy Power
Ivory Coast 6/4, Ghana 4/1, Senegal 8/1, Morocco 8/1, Tunisia 10/1

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Andy Murray was handed an easy passage into the quarter-finals of the Australian Open after Mikhail Kukushkin retired just 48 minutes into their encounter.




Andy Murray: Through to the quarter-finals of the Australian Open

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Although not completely at his best, Murray was in total control and leading 6-1 6-1 1-0 when the Kazakh decided enough was enough.


Kukushkin, the world No.92, had called for the trainer in the first set - with his exertions from a five-set epics against Gael Monfils in his previous match appearing to take their toll.


And in oppressive heat, Kukushkin's physical state appeared to get worse as the match went on before he threw in the towel.
Success


Frustratingly for Murray, though, will have been the fact that the two games he did lose in the match came on his serve.


The British No.1 had broken twice in the opening set to lead 3-0 before Kukushkin enjoyed a rare moment of success to pull one game back - with Murray sending two backhands wide.


The joy was shortlived for Kukushkin as Murray rattled off three games on the bounce to take the first set in just 22 minutes.


The one-sided nature of the contest continued in the second set as Murray broke again to go 2-0 up.


However Kukushkin punished the Murray serve to give himself hope before the Scot turned up the heat, winning the next four games to take the set.


And when Murray broke the Kazakh again at the start of third, Kukushkin decided to shake hands on the contest.


"I played him a few weeks ago (in Brisbane) and it was a tough match," Murray said. "I expected another one today but it's so hot.


"I get to conserve a bit of energy but he was obviously struggling.


"When I saw him struggling I was just trying to get a few serves in and get him running."





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Sunday, October 23, 2011

Are City now in a position to overtake United?


When they walk out as Premier League leaders to face Manchester United on Sunday,Manchester City will notice that Old Trafford has undergone one small, but highly significant, alteration since their last visit.
High and hanging from the Stretford End, a long-running painful taunt has been removed, a small sign - literally - of the reluctant acceptance that City is now a club to be taken seriously on both sides of Manchester.
The famous ticking clock banner, that had reached 35 years going on 36, was removed within days of City's FA Cup victory against Stoke City in May and replaced with a more United-friendly "19 times" flag in honour of their record-breaking tally of domestic titles.
Now Roberto Mancini's City have the opportunity to prove they have loosened another of the shackles placed around them by United in the years of supremacy under Sir Alex Ferguson.
But have the so-called "noisy neighbours" acquired the strength to finally overtake United?
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City have closed the gap on United at the speed with which the men from Abu Dhabi have signed vast cheques for stellar performers such as Sergio Aguero and David Silva.
Sunday's derby will not provide a definitive answer, but may deliver a measure of how near Manchester is to any sort of shift in the balance of power.
United's home form has been as formidable as ever with Tottenham, Arsenal and Chelsea all beaten - but there has been a hint of defensive vulnerability that will encourage City's strike force, which also includes Mario Balotelli, Edin Dzeko and Samir Nasri. 
Wayne Rooney's sensational overhead kick last season settled the derby at Old Trafford. Photo: Getty
For City, the problem may be more psychological. Have they built up enough reserves of confidence and courage to believe this is the time to go to Old Trafford and make a statement about their aspirations and ambitions?
He told BBC Sport: "This is a statement game, of course, but City must not lose sight of the bigger picture and realise it is not just about beating United; it is about winning the title.
"Strangely, the fact City have a two-point lead going into a game like this presents them with a dilemma. Do you play for a draw or do they say, 'If we win this, we go five points ahead of United?"
And this is why so many arguments about this derby eventually focus on Mancini's tactical approach. Should he leave the handbrake on or take it off?
Hinchcliffe says: "It's not that City need to be all defensive or all gung-ho. United and City have a blend of players who can genuinely do both. That's why David Silva has impressed me so much this season.
"He works hard for the team but when he gets on the ball he can make things happen as a wonderful creative, technical player.
"I was worried when he first came whether he would be able to cope physically with playing in the Premier League, but now City have moved on and are getting more respect in the league he's getting more time on the ball and you don't see people just ploughing into him.
"Aguero is also fabulous player. He's key me, he's that Wayne Rooney player who can drop off and play as a central striker and can come into the hole and make things happen.
"It will be a big game for Mario Balotelli if he plays because he has got to learn to control his temper in a really high-octane game. If he does that, he can be very important."
The test for City is whether they can summon up the self-belief against a United side that has cast a shadow over them for so long, a club that still provides the benchmark for Premier League success. 
He told me: "City are still trying to find a team ethic and sometimes the problems off the field, such as those with Carlos Tevez, have caused as many headlines as their performances on it, which is a shame for them because they have really come on this season.
"You have got to build a club from the bottom up and Manchester United have got that. Manchester City are trying to find that way forward but there are big egos there as well.
"United have got that unity in their squad and have players coming through the youth ranks who understand what Manchester United is all about. This is really important."
It has been a Stone Roses sort of a week in Manchester as one of its fabled bands reunites - and as the teams emerge to the familiar strains of "This is the One" at Old Trafford on Sunday, it may well be that the sentiments of the song apply more to City than United.
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Tuesday, July 19, 2011

Andy Murray secures Great Britain Davis Cup victory

Andy MurrayMurray couldn't hide his emotion after sealing victory for Great Britain
Andy Murray beat Gilles Muller to seal victory for Great Britain in their Davis Cup tie against Luxembourg in Glasgow before breaking down in tears.
The world number four was never tested and cruised to a 6-4 6-3 6-1 win in the Europe/Africa Group II match.
Moments after giving GB an unassailable 3-1 lead, Murray could not hide his emotion as he was interviewed on court after the match.
GB will now face Hungary in a promotion decider on 16-18 September.
But Murray, who was again watched by a large contingent of family and friends from his home town of Dunblane, was overcome with emotion as he thanked the supporters.
"It's been so much fun this week. The support has been great. It's been packed every day," said Murray.
When asked how much it meant to win in front of a Scottish crowd, Murray said: "I don't get the chance to come back here very often, so..."

ANALYSIS


It was a real treat for the capacity crowd. Murray pulled out all the tricks including some running winners.
The Luxembourg number one had no chance whatsoever on the Murray serve which was excellent throughout.
There was a leaping celebration at the end, which was probably something to do with Murray playing in front of his home crowd.
He likes the Davis Cup and wants to play more matches.
The 24-year-old could not finish his sentence and wiped away tears before describing the crowd as "amazing".
"Davis Cup is just different to all the other tournaments and that showed today," Murray added.
"(The Scottish crowd) makes a difference, It was the first time in a long time that I got the chance to play in Scotland.
"The last tie I was really ill right before the tie against Serbia, I was sick just before the doubles game.
"I thought I was jinxed because when we played against Ukraine I got really ill when I came back from Dubai. I lost loads of weight and couldn't play. I'm glad I was okay this time."
British number two James Ward completed GB's 4-1 victory over Luxembourg with a 6-1 6-3 victory over Mike Vermeer in the final rubber.
It appeared likely that GB would face Belarus in their next Davis Cup tie, a contest that will decide who moves into Group I, butHungary's Adam Kellner won the deciding singles match against Siarhei Betau to win 3-2 in Godollo.
Davis Cup holders Serbia eased into this year's semi-finals after Janko Tipsarevic crushed Sweden's Michael Ryderstedt in their last-eight singles rubber in Halmstad on Sunday.
Tipsarevic, standing in for Wimbledon champion Novak Djokovic, won the fourth rubber of the weekend 6-2, 7-5 6-3 to secure Serbia a semi-final meeting with Argentina, themselves easy 5-0 winners against Kazakhstan.
On the other side of the draw, Spain beat United States 3-1 in Texas and will face France, who defeated Germany 4-1 in Stuttgart, in the last four.
David Ferrer sealed the tie for Spain, who were without Rafael Nadal, when he beat Mardy Fish 7-5 7-6 5-7 7-6 in the first of the two reverse singles rubbers after a titanic struggle that lasted more than four hours.
The dead rubber, scheduled to be played between Andy Roddick and Feliciano Lopez, was then called off with the result of the tie already decided.
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Mark Webber in 'positive' Red Bull contract talks

Red Bull's Mark Webber and Sebastian Vettel
Webber given team orders on final lap
Mark Webber has revealed that he is in "positive" talks over a contract extension at Red Bull, despite his grievances over team orders during Sunday's British Grand Prix.
The 34-year-old was unhappy that he was asked not to try to overtake team-mate Sebastian Vettel for second place.
He told BBC Sport: "The team and I are talking about whether I continue with Red Bull in 2012 and it's positive.
"What happened on Sunday does not turn my world upside down."
During the final five laps of the race at Silverstone, which was won by Ferrari's Fernando Alonso, Webber was told over the team radio to "maintain the gap" behind Vettel, even though the Australian appeared to have superior pace to the German.
Webber revealed afterwards that he had ignored the order but was unable to pass championship leader Vettel in the final laps and finished third.

Red Bull didn't need to see their two cars spinning in unison down the track to let McLaren and Ferrari score yet more points, but for a young team and brand founded on extreme sport, if they wanted the moral high ground this time the call should have been: "Sebastian, Mark is faster than you."
Martin BrundleBBC F1 commentatorRead more here
Red Bull's explanation for their stance was that they did not want to see their drivers collide and for the pair - and the team - to end up with no points from the race.
Webber and Vettel came together in the Turkish Grand Prix in 2010 - an incident that Red Bull feel is proof that their drivers are allowed to race each other.
However, at Silverstone, Red Bull team principal Christian Horner said that, although he understood Webber's frustration, he had to put the team first.
Webber did not agree at the time but, without totally giving way, now appears to have somewhat softened his stance.
He added: "Christian and I had a chat about the situation after the race. We both put our cases forward and I think we came away seeing it from both perspectives.
"It was obviously a difficult situation but I still feel comfortable about what I did.
"In that situation, you are hit by conflicting emotions. You want to improve your position, irrespective of who it is in front of you - especially when it is someone at Sebastian's level, whom you have to work pretty hard to get back on to."
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Aston Villa sign Shay Given from Manchester City on five-year deal


Shay Given playing for Manchester CityShay Given played second fiddle to Joe Hart for Man City last season
Aston Villa have completed the signing of Republic of Ireland goalkeeper Shay Given from Manchester City.
The 35-year-old has signed a five-year contract at Villa Park after the clubs agreed an undisclosed fee.
New Villa boss Alex McLeish targeted the former Newcastle man after Brad Friedel moved to Tottenham.
Given told the club's website: "Aston Villa is a huge club and I'm really excited to be joining. It's a new challenge and I'm eager to embrace it."
Given had been on the margins at Eastlands after City manager Roberto Mancini made England international Joe Hart his first choice.
The Irish international will make his Villa debut in a friendly against Walsall on Thursday.
He is McLeish's first signing since taking over at Villa Park and the former Birmingham manager believes Given will have a major impact at the club.
"Shay has come here with something of a point to prove and that won't do him any harm at all," McLeish said.
"Everybody who has watched him perform over many years in the Premier League will know his pedigree so we believe we have secured the services of one of the best goalkeepers in the business."
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