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THE WEEK ON THE TEES 13-2-08
Luke Raine
With all the hype surrounding the debut of Afonso Alves on Saturday, it had been easy to forget in the week leading up to Saturday's game that there was a big chance to build on a home win against Wigan and a good draw at St James' Park.
There was also the chance to extend the unbeaten run to seven games, a sequence that stretches back to January 5th when Boro overcame a potential banana skin at Ashton Gate.
Saturday's result didn't just enhance the team's cushion above the relegation zone to seven points but it also gave the team and supporters some much needed optimism. This was enhanced by our finding ourselves above Newcastle and Sunderland for the first time this season.
Some people might say that I am jumping the gun a little but when was the last time the team had such a good blend of youth and experience, pace and power, or style and determination?
At the moment it looks as if Gareth Southgate's decision to let Jonathan Woodgate move on was fully justified, with David Wheater and Robert Huth creating a formidable partnership at the heart of the defence.
Jeremie Aliadiare is starting to score goals and Luke Young surely merits a place in the England squad considering Wes Brown played at right back last week.
And all this without mentioning a certain record signing!
Let's not get too carried away though. The team is still only twelth in the table and with tricky away fixtures at Anfield and Villa Park to come, the Boro could fall. However, when looking at the league table on Sunday morning, it couldn't be denied that seeing the team sitting in mid-table was a boost.
Sunday sees the trip to Bramall Lane in the F.A Cup fifth round. It is another chance to renew acquaintances with former Boro boss Bryan Robson, provided he is still in a job by then.
It has been announced that Robson faces showdown talks with his chairman this week. This comes on the back of United's goalless draw at home to Scunthorpe at the weekend, where fans voiced their anger at the performance.
The Boro have enjoyed a good record when coming up against their former boss but Sunday shouldn't be viewed without caution.
Boro fans only need to cast their minds back a fortnight to remember how United knocked out high flying Manchester City in the fourth round.
The seven thousand fans making the trip from Teesside will certainly make the task a little easier for the Boro.
This is a great chance to seal a place in the last eight, and with three teams from outside the Premier League guaranteed to be included in the draw for the quarter finals, it marks a great chance to get to Wembley (provided we don't draw Manchester United again).
Meanwhile, away from The FA Cup, it has been reported that Boro chief executive Keith Lamb has backed the Premier League's radical proposal to stage a thirty-ninth league game of the season abroad. It would be easy for me to sit here and dismiss Lamb's comments but there must surely be a market that teams like Middlesbrough could exploit.
The big teams in the Premiership have already broken America and the Far East but teams who consider themselves to be competitive if not spectacular top flight sides, like the Boro, are yet to do this (even with the Korean star Dong Gook Lee in the first team!).
In an age when there is such a gulf between the top four teams in the division and the rest, surely teams like ours should make the most of opportunities like these, particularly if we can benefit from the financial rewards.
It might not be one of the most convenient ideas for the average fan, and I am sure most of you will disagree with what I am saying, but it has got to be a proposal which is at least given some thought.
Finally it wouldn't be right to end this column without giving a proper reaction to new record signing Afonso Alves. Steve Gibson has once again provided fantastic backing to his manager and it is easy to forget that he has already forked out for players such as Luke Young, Gary O'Neil and Jeremie Aliadiare this season.
Alves' cameo against Fulham didn't set the world alight and it wouldn't surprise me if he doesn't show his undoubted class until next season after a full pre-season behind him.
In the meantime though it shows the ambition that the club possesses, which is something that has been questioned by certain individuals in the not so distant past.
Hopefully the team do a professional job on Sunday and this time next week I am talking about a friendly quarter final draw in the Cup.
Luke Raine
RETURN TO THE WEEK ON THE TEES INDEX 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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