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ALI'S BIG MATCH PREVIEW - MIDDLESBROUGH v SUNDERLAND 21-9-07
Alastair Brownlee
In the build up to the visit of local rivals Sunderland, the question most asked at the training ground this week has been 'Are derbies still special?" And the answer from Boro's point of view has been a resounding yes!
Jonathan Woodgate has rightly pointed at the number of local lads who will be in the Boro squad on Saturday as a reason why the ninety minutes at the Riverside on Saturday are not just about collecting three Premier League points, but also local pride.
Boro go into the derby on the back of a 3-0 defeat at West Ham that could just as easily have ended as a 5-5 draw such were the number of chances wasted by both sides.
Nevertheless if we manage to create as many opportunities against Sunderland then we will need to add the vital ingredient of putting the ball into the back of the net.
Tuncay is clearly a player in need of his first goal and on another day at Upton Park the Turkish international alone could have scored four. Such was his disappointment that after the game he apologized to his teammates for his wasteful finishing.
Tuncay is a popular player in the dressing room and it sometimes takes a little time to settle into the different demands of the Premier League.
Gareth Southgate has been patient with Fabio Rochemback, who is now starting to show his true potential, and he will take just as much time as it needs to settle Tuncay into his new surroundings.
The comments from a so called "friend" of Tuncay's stating that he was unhappy at Boro have rightly been dismissed as nonsense and I am just looking forward to his first goal celebration, hopefully, on Saturday.
Tuncay will certainly be needed, as the news that Jeremie Alliadiere will be missing for a few weeks with a hamstring injury is a blow to the young Frenchman who was man of the match in the last home game with Birmingham.
True, Jeremie has yet to open his account for Boro but his movement and pace clearly unsettle defenders and he will be missed.
Sunderland arrive at the Riverside for Roy Keene's fiftieth game as boss of the Black Cats in good spirits after last weekends 2-1 win over Reading.
I only saw the highlights of the match but Kenwyne Jones not only scored on his home debut, but his overall play showed he could be the man to watch.
The form of the Wearsiders away from the Stadium of Light has been patchy to say the least as the last three games on their travels, including a Carling Cup exit at Luton, have all ended in defeat with a combined total of seven goals conceded and none scored.
It all adds up to what should be a good afternoon for Boro before testing away games at Spurs in the cup and then Everton and Manchester City in the Premier League.
Going back to Woody, I was delighted to hear the determination in his voice that he has come to Boro not to be complacent but to continue to improve and try and get the team back into Europe.
He firmly believes that the talent is in the squad to get us back into the UEFA Cup and that ambition can only be good for not only the rest of the players but the fans.
A lot has been made in both local and national media about the attendance against Birmingham with the impact of the empty seats but I think that not enough has been said about the fans that have turned up this season and have made it sound as if there was 30,000 plus in the stadium.
I can remember back to Ayresome Park when a crowd of 23,000 for a match against Birmingham would have been seen as an excellent crowd and I think it is important to put the size of the attendance set against our true catchment area.
Away from the build up to the derby the main talking point nationally has been Jose Mourinho's departure from Chelsea.
I think that he will be badly missed as he certainly has added to the Premier League and I hope he stays and manages in this country. Afterall his last two visits to the Riverside have ended in defeat for the now not so "special one" and we could always do with some easy points!
Returning to the visit of Sunderland and I am often asked about my favourite Boro win over the Mackems.
My top choice is a 2-1 win at Ayresome Park back on Boxing Day 1973.
Sunderland were the FA Cup holders whilst Boro under Big Jack were top of Division Two and looking good for promotion.
It was tied at 1-1 until the final minute when Stuart Boam went forward for a corner at the East End and smashed the ball into the net for the winner.
Boamy ran the full length of the pitch to celebrate with the fans as we went wild in the Holgate End and that noise and excitement will hopefully be repeated on Saturday.
After the win over Sunderland don't forget to join Bernie and I on Century FM on Sunday for Simply Red from 11am until 1pm.
Up for grabs, as always, is Sunday lunch for two at the Bluebell Hotel and we will be taking calls from Don Masson, Terry Cochrane, Neil Maddison and John Hendrie.
Remember you can join the fun by calling 08450021100 or sending a text to 85102.
RETURN TO ALASTAIR BROWNLEE INDEX PAGE HERE
A GUARANTEED PROFIT OF AT LEAST £41.20 ON PORTSMOUTH v FULHAM
Did you know that it is possible to win money on Sunday afternoon's Premiership clash between Portsmouth v Fulham, whatever the result?
The game kicks off at 3.00pm and we can guarantee you a profit of at least £41.20, whatever the result of the match. All you have to do is follow the simple instructions below and then sit back and enjoy the game. At full-time, you will be at least £41.20 better off, whatever the result of the match.
We must point out that if you want to take this bet, you should do it now because if the odds change, then the figures here will be invalidated. If they have changed, let us know and we will rework the bet for you.
You can still do this if you have a Betfair account but your overall profit will be reduced by £25.00 as you won't receive the £25.00 cashback as an existing account holder.
If you are unsure about this bet, you are most welcome to call us on 01642 223229 and we will help you as much as we can.
We're going to lay out a total of £71.00 on the Portsmouth v Fulham match and we will collect £115.00 if Portsmouth win, £112.20 if Fulham win and £114.13 if it's a draw. That's a minimum profit of 58%, a much higher interest rate than you will get in any high street bank.
Here's how it's done. Just follow these simple instructions.
1. Open an account with Coral. It is really important that you enter the bonus code of CORALTD when prompted. This is to ensure that you receive your bonus.
Open an account with Betfair. It is really important that you enter the promotional code of BFB425 when prompted. This is to ensure that you receive your bonus.
Open an account with Extrabet
 .
This shouldn't take you any longer than a few minutes.
2. Make the following deposits into your new accounts.
Deposit £20.00 into your new Coral account.
Deposit £26.00 into your new Betfair account.
Deposit £25.00 into your Extrabet
account.
3. Now make the following bets.
Place £20.00 on Portsmouth at 3.00 (2/1) with Coral.
Coral will now add a £10.00 bonus to your account. Place this on Portsmouth as well. You will now have £30.00 riding on Portsmouth.
Back the draw with £25.00 at 3.7 (11/4) (or higher if available) with Betfair.
Place £26.00 on Fulham at 2.2 (6/5) with Extrabet .
Extrabet match your first bet up to £25 so you will now have £51.00 riding on Fulham.
The £25.00 matched bet will not show in your account but you can read all about how it works on the Extrabet site. It's the purple box that says '£25 FREE BET FOR NEW CUSTOMERS' on the top right hand side. Click here to visit the Extrabet site.
If you are unsure about placing these bets, please feel free to mail us or call us on 01642 223229 and we will talk you through it, no problem at all. There is no such thing as a stupid question.
You have temporarily laid out a total of £71.00 on the Portsmouth v Fulham match. I stress, temporarily... Now sit back, crack a beer open and enjoy the match.
4. Here's what happens at the end of the game.
If Portsmouth win, you collect £115.00. That's £90.00 from Coral plus a £25.00 cashback from Betfair.
If it's a draw, you collect £114.13. That's £89.13 from Betfair plus a £25.00 cashback from Betfair.
If Fulham win you collect £112.20. That's £87.20 from Extrabet plus a £25.00 cashback from Betfair.
5. This means that the worst case scenario on the Portsmouth v Fulham match is Fulham win and you make £41.20 profit. However, if it is a draw you make £43.13 and if Portsmouth win you make £44.00. That's a minimum profit of 58%, a much better rate of interest that you would get at any high street bank or building society.
6. It is absolutely vital that you click on the links on this page to open the accounts with the two bookies and enter the correct bonus codes or you may not qualify for the bonuses.
Also, before you place your bets, you should check that the odds haven't changed. If they have, let us know by mail or phone us on 01642 223229 and we will rework the bet for you.
Please feel free to contact us or phone us on 01642 223229 if you have any questions at all about this bet and we will help you as much as we can.
Please note that the bonuses are valid for new customers only so if you already have an account with one or more of the bookies we are using, you won't be able to do this. If that is the case, mail us or phone us on 01642 223229 and we'll create an alternative bet for you using different bookies.
This method of betting was used very successfully during the 2006 World Cup and you can read all about how it was done right here.
We guarantee this bet
It's understandable that some people will not believe that it is possible to do this. "What's the catch?" I hear you asking. My answer to that question is that we have been publishing arbitrage bets for four seasons now and literally hundreds of people have profited from following the advice on these pages.
Only twice has our refund guarantee been triggered and that was when we did all the figures wrong and sent refunds out to those who had followed our advice and made a small loss.
Our refund guarantee works like this. If this bet doesn't work like we say it will and you end up out of pocket, we will refund your losses. Simple as that.
That means that you simply cannot lose on this, whatever happens and even if we messed up the numbers.
The only stipulation here is that you must click on the links on this page to be eligible for the refund guarantee, not that you'll be needing to claim anyway. Just enjoy the profit and stay posted for many more of these throughout the season.
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