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ALASTAIR BROWNLEE'S READING v BORO MATCH PREVIEW 30-11-07
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At the Madejski Stadium on 19 August 2006, Gareth Southgate took charge of a Boro side for the first time.
As he returns to Reading this weekend he could be forgiven for reflecting that whatever ideas he had about football management, the reality has been a tough sixteen months.
The manager has certainly had his fair share of bad luck with injuries to key players this season.
The news that Mido will probably miss the rest of Boro's games this year, combined with Mark Schwarzer breaking his thumb in training, have added to the growing sense of frustration with a campaign in which little has gone right.
Schwarzer has his critics in some sections of the crowd but he is an experienced Premier League goalkeeper and the responsibility of trying to keep out the Reading strike force will now fall upon 22-year-old Ross Turnbull.
Turnbull had a spell on loan earlier this season at Cardiff but it is a big step up to the top flight.
Fans will remember the young keeper impressing on his Premier League debut at Bolton towards the end of the 2005-06 season. In that game he picked up the man of the match award in a 1-1 draw.
The three goals conceded in last week's hugely disappointing defeat by Aston Villa have taken the number of goals let in for the season to twenty-six in fourteen matches. Turnbull will therefore have the added problem of coming into a side whose confidence is fragile to say the least.
Up front I had hoped, like many fans, to see the return of Mido but that has been dashed and the team desperately need at least one of the remaining strikers to hit form.
Tuncay has clearly struggled to adapt to the Premier League but his record in Turkey was good and it could be that once he gets his first goal his confidence will return.
It must have been difficult for him to see Ben Hutchinson come on ahead of him against Aston Villa but that might be the motivation he needs to prove people wrong. If he gets a chance at Reading, he might take it.
In a week beset by bad news, the bright spot was the return of Julio Arca who played a part in the reserves' midweek victory at Bolton.
Arca made his debut as a full back at Reading last season but has shown himself to be a highly talented midfielder and until his injury against his former club Sunderland back in September, he was putting in a string of top quality performances.
In Boro's present plight the sight of a creative Arca back in the midfield could just be the difference.
Reading are hardly in top form themselves as they have lost the last three matches and are in thirteenth place in the League. They are just three points ahead of Boro and their last victory was back on 27 October against Newcastle United.
Steve Coppell had a major influence on Gareth Southgate's career, giving him a first team chance at Crystal Palace. There will be little room for sentiment on Saturday, however, as the points are of crucial importance.
Naturally fans are speculating about who might arrive in the January transfer window but December is a big month with eighteen points up for grabs.
It is vital that Boro pick up as many of these as possible, not only to make a much needed push up the table, but also to make the club an attractive proposition for the players targeted to come in.
There has been a lot of Boro soul searching this week in the press and radio about the current problems facing the team and the fact that the club is facing a winter battle for survival.
Some fans have suggested that there should be a change in manager and whilst Gareth is realistic enough to know that football is a results business, he also strongly believes that he is the right man for the job and can see the team through the current crisis.
The fans support at this time is crucial and I do know that the supporters who travelled to the last away game at Bolton made a big difference and the players appreciated their support.
I am sure that those who are going to Reading on Saturday will be right behind the team on a big afternoon for the club.
Bernie and I will be reflecting on, hopefully, a Boro win at Reading in Simply Red on Sunday on Century fm.
There will be all the usual features including the chance to win Sunday lunch for two at the Bluebell Hotel, Acklam Road, Middlesbrough.
Our guests on the show will include a member of the "Class of 86" who is now boss of Sheffield Wednesday, Brian Laws, and a star of "Charlton's Champions", David Armstrong.
We will be on air between 11am and 1pm so give us a call on 08450021100 or send a text on 85102.
After the show Bernie and I will be in the Hillstreet Shopping Centre in Middlesbrough signing copies of Voice of the Boro and Legend? so why not pop along for a chat about the Boro?
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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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