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ALASTAIR BROWNLEE'S BORO v READING MATCH PREVIEW 29-2-08
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The hard fought FA Cup fifth round replay victory over Sheffield United has not only set up a home tie with Cardiff City in the quarter finals, but has all Boro fans dreaming of a trip to Wembley and a return to Europe next season.
On the way out of the Riverside on Wednesday evening some supporters were already considering booking hotel accommodation ahead of a potential double visit to Wembley, for both the semi-final and the Final!
Apart from the fact that Cardiff City will prove tough quarter final opponents, especially with former striker Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink relishing a Riverside return, the main priority this weekend is to pick up three points from Reading. If we do this, it would just about confirm Premier League football next season.
A ten point gap between Boro and the bottom three and genuine hope of an appearance in the FA Cup Final is a prospect that seemed some distance away in the latter part of 2007 but it is a reflection of the progress and belief that has been found in 2008.
That progress was underlined by the pain felt in the dressing room in losing at Anfield last Saturday, which was Boro's only defeat since New Years' Day.
The unlucky defeat at Liverpool was also notable for the red card inflicted on Jeremie Aliadiere.
Watching from the press box at Anfield, the dismissal seemed harsh, as the player had been provoked in the first instance by Javier Mascherano.
To then see his three-match ban increased to four because Boro had appealed, bordered on the ludicrous.
The outrage of both chairman Steve Gibson and chief executive Keith Lamb was fully justified and the FA appeals' panel themselves look foolish by the action they have taken.
The best response would be for the players to battle through to the FA Cup semi-final and Jeremie to score the goal that takes us through to the final itself.
Third bottom Reading arrive at the Riverside in freefall after losing seven games on the bounce and Steve Coppell clearly has a battle on his hands to avoid the drop.
Ironically, it was the 1-1 draw at the Madejski Stadium back in December that gave early indications of the potential for Boro to turn their season around, as Tuncay's first goal for the club gave Boro a deserved point on their travels.
The return match at the Riverside will represent a milestone for the club as it will be the 4,000th league game in the Boro's history. A win would make it their third home league triumph in a row.
Gareth has always stressed that home form is the key to a successful season and if the team defeat Reading on Saturday then it will be another step towards turning the Riverside into a fortress.
One of the major events of the week, cup progress aside, was the news that Stewart Downing has signed his new five-year deal.
Downing is such an established member of the team and has already made over 100 Premier League appearances. It is easy to forget that he is only twenty-three with the best years of his career ahead of him.
Stewart’s recent performances have been terrific. He scored a great goal at Liverpool and put in a man of the match display against Sheffield United. A return to the England squad for the forthcoming friendly against France would be no more than he deserves.
David Wheater is in line for a first team recall against Reading after completing a one match ban.
However, Seb Hines put in a fine performance as centre half against Sheffield United proving that he, along with Jonathan Grounds, should make more first team appearances before the end of the season. Both are great prospects.
Craig Hignett was in the press box on Wednesday working as a summariser for Five Live. Whenever I catch up with “Higgy”, we always have a laugh about the League Cup clash at Reading back on 6 January 1998.
“Higgy” had scored the winning goal at Elm Park to set up a semi-final with Liverpool and after completing his post match interviews, he returned to the dressing room to find it not only deserted but also that the team bus had left without him!
Leaving the stadium, Bernie and I were approached by Craig for a lift home and the goal hero's mood was not helped by the prospect of a five hour car journey back to Teesside with constant Slaven references to "Higgy, they wouldn’t have left Rav!”
Bernie and I will be back with Simply Red on Century Radio on Sunday from 11am until 1pm to reflect, hopefully, on three points against Reading.
As well as all the usual features, including the chance to win Sunday lunch for two at the Bluebell Hotel, Acklam Road, Middlesbrough, there will also be, courtesy of  Ladbrokes, the opportunity to win a pair of match tickets for the FA Cup quarter final with Cardiff City.
Special guests will include Jim Platt, Mark Proctor and Archie Stephens so why not join in the fun by calling on 08450021100 or texting 85102.
Up 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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