|
 |
ALASTAIR BROWNLEE'S MANSFIELD TOWN v BORO MATCH PREVIEW 25-1-08
ORDER YOUR COPY OF ALI'S NEW BOOK 'VOICE OF THE BORO' RIGHT HERE - NO LOG IN REQUIRED
ORDER MARK SCHWARZER'S BOOK HERE
Transfer speculation and the need for Premier League points can both be put to one side on Saturday as Boro travel to Mansfield looking to avoid an FA Cup upset and claim a place in the last sixteen of the famous trophy.
The appeal of the competition is in teams from the lower leagues taking their chances against sides from the Premier League and the choice of this match for live television coverage was made, no doubt, in the hope it will produce a Cup shock.
In the last round, Boro proved that they can cope with the Cup pressure by coming through a potentially tricky tie at Bristol City, so they should be too good for a Mansfield side that are struggling in League Two.
Billy Dearden's team might well have warmed up for their big day with a spot of hill walking in the Peak District followed by a few half pints of beer but their league campaign has fallen distinctly flat and they have real concerns over retaining their status in the football league.
The Stags, after last week's home defeat by Darlington, find themselves second bottom of League Two with only nineteen points. However, they did land this lucrative tie against Boro by winning 2-1 at Brighton in Round Three and go into the match at Field Mill with nothing to lose. They will hope to use this in their favour.
Emanuel Pogatetz was keen to stress this week how much he is aware of the traditions of the FA Cup and although Premier League survival is top priority, he stressed how much he would also love a good run in the competition.
Pogatetz is a vital part of a Boro side who are playing well away from home. The Boro have only been defeated once on their travels since October and Pogatetz is pleased to have been included in the Austrian squad for the forthcoming friendly with Germany, where he hopes to add to his eighteen caps.
The injury to Andrew Taylor has given Pogatetz a run at left back. Last season "Poggy" was outstanding as a central defender but he admits that it would be a tough battle to reclaim that position, especially with the form of David Wheater.
Wheater was again outstanding at Blackburn last Saturday and his goal, which puts him just one behind top scorer Stewart Downing for the season, underlines his ability to not only stop the opposition scoring but also to be a big danger in the opponent's penalty area too.
The young defender's signature on a new contract extension, which is expected soon, would be just as big a boost to Boro fans as any new signing in the January transfer window.
At the time of writing this preview, the clock is ticking towards the closure of the transfer window next Thursday and despite all the speculation surrounding the future of both Stewart Downing and Jonathan Woodgate, Boro have not received a bid for any of their players from any club.
In terms of incoming activity, Boro received a boost when FC Heerenveen were told that AZ Alkmaar did not have a claim over striker Afonso Alves and that they could negotiate his transfer to another club.
As the forward has been to the Riverside and apparently shook hands on a deal, Boro are clear favourites to land the Brazilian but Alves would still need to secure a work permit once any transfer had been finalised.
If Alves needs any final convincing over a switch to Boro then all the club had to do was send him a copy of last Saturday's match at Blackburn where the chances created were a striker's dream.
The fact that Boro converted only one, and that was by a defender, merely underlines the need for strengthening, Alves or otherwise, up front.
There will be no new faces on display at Mansfield but if Boro repeat their recent form on their travels then a place in the Fifth Round will surely be theirs and they will not, hopefully, be as wasteful in front of goal as they were at Ewood Park.
Working on the book Ayresome Angels, which is planned as a tribute to the team that gained promotion in 1967, I was speaking with the great full back Gordon Jones who did give one warning ahead of this Saturday's cup tie.
Looking back to season 1966-67, Jones remembered Boro going to Mansfield in the league and winning a dramatic game 5-4 with a couple of goals each from John O'Rourke and Derrick Downing, and a strike from John Hickton.
The teams were then drawn together in the FA Cup and on 28 January 1967 over 17,000 crowded into Field Mill, many from the Boro. Sadly the team failed to perform and lost 2-0.
Jones, like many Boro fans, believes that we will be too good for Mansfield on Saturday but it is, after all, the FA Cup and anything can happen.
If any Boro fans do remember season 1966-67 or were members of the Ayresome Angels, I would love to hear from you and with the deadline for completing the book being 22 February, there is still time to have your memories included.
The book is due for release in June and if you do want to contribute you can either send your memory by post to:
Ayresome Angels
Linthorpe Publishing
Multi Media Exchange
Corporation Road
Middlesbrough
TS1 2RF
Or by email by clicking here
After hopefully a cup triumph on Saturday, Bernie and I will be on Simply Red on Century Radio on Sunday from 11am until 1pm.
As well as all the usual features - including the chance to win Sunday Lunch for two at the Bluebell Hotel, Acklam Road, Middlesbrough - there is also the opportunity, courtesy of the Hillstreet Shopping Centre, to win a pair of executive tickets for the Wigan game on Tuesday.
Our guests will include Craig Liddle, Micky Barron and Gary Parkinson so why not join in the fun by giving us a call on 08450021100 or text 85102.
Up the Boro!
ORDER YOUR COPY OF ALI'S NEW BOOK 'VOICE OF THE BORO' RIGHT HERE - NO LOG-IN REQUIRED
ORDER MARK SCHWARZER'S BOOK HERE
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.
|
|
|
|
