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THE STEVE GOLDBY COLUMN - ...AND THEN HE FOLLOWED THROUGH 7-8-08
Steve Goldby
So the great Summer of 2008 is drawing to a close and that's a big disappointment for me personally.
I've had the best Summer ever, been to some truly great places, done some amazing things and generally had a ball and I will be ending each and every one of this season's columns with a story from my Summer holidays. So stand by for tales of rock 'n' roll mayhem galore...
So as the Summer ends, the football season is off again. Off like a rotting fish-head that smells of old and crispy sick or off like a thoroughbred out of the blocks? Who knows but if Euro 2008 is anything to go by, we are in for a treat because that was some tournament.
The games were tremendously entertaining and the spirit that the competition was played in was great. I watched the games in three different countries whose national teams had not qualified (Israel, USA and England) and the atmosphere in all the venues I watched the matches was still unbelievable. Football may not be coming home during our lifetime but it's certainly alive and kicking in other countries.
This is evident in the fact that more and more Brits are now taking to supporting European teams, as highlighted in a recent article in a national newspaper. Because of the spiralling price of tickets in this country and the ludicrous cost of travel, it makes sense to pop over to Germany or Holland for your football instead and make a weekend of it. The FA should take note before our now sanitised stadia become even less full than they currently are.
Reading the ComeOnBoro.com writer's predictions (click here for part one and here for part two), it appears that the general concensus is that we are in for another mediocre season of mediocrity with a possible cup run thrown in that will inevitably end in disappointment. The belief is that any chance of glory has already gone like the wind, gone like Fabio and Catts and Dong Lee Whatsisname and gone like Hull City and Stoke City's chances of Premiership survival will be by Christmas.
But that's good for Boro because it only leaves one relegation place to battle for and there is no way that we'll be finishing below all of Sunderland, Wigan, Fulham, West Brom and Bolton. I tipped the Mackems to take the third spot and I'm becoming more convinced every day that it will be our North-East neighbours who do take the drop this season.
Is it telling that Mark Schwarzer never got a testimonial after eleven year's 'service'? I used to go to all the testimonials in the 70s and 80s but in those days, players were not well paid and nobody begrudged them the opportunity of one big payday which would set them up for a life outside the game. But these days, the very idea of testimonials does not appeal to most fans due to the inflated salaries that today's professionals are on and I am wondering if testimonials are now totally a thing of the past?
Fulham is a strange move for the erstwhile keeper as it is most certainly a step down from Middlesbrough. But he'll have his reasons for taking the move and either way, I wish him well as he was brilliant for Boro and stuck with us when we got relegated in 1997, unlike Ravanelli and Juninho.
My other big point of wonder for this season is whether last season's FA Cup quarter-final against Cardiff City - that we at ComeOnBoro.com dubbed 'Black Sunday' - will still be having an effect? I thought not, until this morning when I was chatting to a fan and he quite categorically stated that Cardiff had pretty much taken him to the end of his Boro supporting days. I hope he's in the minority there.
My Summer effectively started in mid-May when I went to the FA Cup Final at the New Wembley. Fellow Boro columnist Jeff Winter got the tickets through his contacts in the game and we set off to Wembley via Newark for a speaking engagement on the Friday night.
If you've never seen Jeff's live show then you should do so, next opportunity. It's easy to see why Jeff won After-Dinner Speaker Of The Year in 2006 as his show is just pure entertainment. I'll say no more about it as I don't want to spoil it for those who may catch it in the future.
Going to Wembley, and especially being in the Cardiff end, helped me get over our horrible defeat by them in the quarter-final and because I was there, I am far more optimistic about this season than I would otherwise have been.
New Wembley is a sight to behold and the atmosphere was truly spectacular. But just one minor complaint. I am not the best at heights and this caused me a small problem at Wembley. I stood at the very top of the Empire State building in June and Wembley was worse. I spent most of the match gripping on to my seat and I felt like I had taken a flight on White Knuckle Airways when we finally descended.
We were twenty rows from the top and despite the severe palpitations and dizziness, it's an experience that I wouldn't have missed for anything. To all the Boro fans who won't go until Boro get there - you don't know what you are missing. Having said that - I won't go to see England until we send the Italian back home to his tomatoes and his tax returns and get an Englishman back in charge so I'm just as bad really.
So we left Wembley, got a tube back into London and walked back to our Euston hotel...
Along the way, Jeff said that he was going to show me a very special sight in London, a sight that was not known to many people.
"What could it be", I wondered... Perhaps the birthspot of a famous historical character or maybe a landmark of some important event? The excitement and tension was building.
We stopped just before a zebra crossing and Jeff said,
"This is it".
"What?" asked I.
"This is the special place I was going to show you..."
"This... is the very spot where I followed through on the weekend of the 2006 Cup Final...
And... I was wearing white jeans at the time..."
I haven't been to a match since the Cup Final but I'm looking forward to the Boro v Spurs game and hopefully ruining Johnny Woodgate's homecoming.
Next week, I will tell you the story of how I blagged my way into Israel in June and how I managed to bring about a ceasefire between the Israelis and Palestinians.
Until then, Up the Boro and Up the Irons.
Steve
THE STEVE GOLDBY COLUMN INDEX
CREDIT CRUNCH RELIEF - A GUARANTEED PROFIT OF AT LEAST £43.60 ON MANCHESTER CITY v ARSENAL
The Premier League returns to action this weekend and did you know that it is possible to win money on Saturday afternoon's clash between Manchester City and Arsenal, whatever the result?
The game kicks off at 3.00pm UK Time and we can guarantee you a profit of at least £43.60, 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 £43.60 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 £111.00 on the Manchester City v Arsenal match and we will collect £154.60 if Arsenal win, £155.00 if Manchester City win and £156.86 if it is a draw. That's a minimum profit of 39%, 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 Sky Bet .
Open an account with Betfair. It is really important that you enter the promotional code of FTB125 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 £48.00 into your new Sky Bet
account.
Deposit £38.00 into your new Betfair account.
Deposit £25.00 into your Extrabet account.
3. Now make the following bets.
Place £48.00 on Arsenal at 6/5 with Sky Bet
.
Sky Bet will now add a £20.00 free bet to your account. Place this on Arsenal as well. You will now have £68.00 riding on Arsenal.
Back the draw with £38.00 at 3.6 (or higher if available) with Betfair.
Place £25.00 on Manchester City at 3.1 (21/10) with Extrabet .
Extrabet match your first bet up to £25 so you will now have £50.00 riding on Manchester City.
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 £111.00 on the Manchester City v Arsenal 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. All winnings are paid out on the ninety minute result.
If Arsenal win, you collect £154.60. That's £129.60 from Sky Bet plus a £25.00 cashback from Betfair.
If it's a draw, you collect £156.86. That's £131.86 from Betfair plus a £25.00 cashback from Betfair.
If Manchester City win you collect £155.00. That's £130.00 from Extrabet plus a £25.00 cashback from Betfair.
5. This means that the worst case scenario on the Manchester City v Arsenal match is Arsenal win and you make £43.60 profit. However, if Manchester City win you make £44.00 and if it's a draw win you make £45.86. That's a minimum profit of 39%, 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 three 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 this is the fifth season that we have been publishing arbitrage bets 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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