|
 |
THE SIMON
FALLAHA COLUMN - MIDO EARNS HIS PARMO, TUNCAY (AGAIN) IS THE HERO, AND ALVES SCORES ZERO 12-11-08
Simon Fallaha
It seemed that we were reverting to type in the first half against West Ham. Outplayed completely for much of the game by a struggling side, it took a late free kick from Mido of all players to bail us out. And then we nearly won the game… and nearly lost it seconds later! Remarkable.
There are those who claimed that 1-1 at home against a side in such bad form as Zola’s West Ham was a bad result. I beg to differ. Considering how badly we had played and considering the situation we were in for much of the match, it was a point well earned.
It was also a relief to earn a result from a game that you would traditionally expect us to lose. And you have to admit that Mido took the free kick well (that old “shoot just as the wall jumps” trick is not as easy to pull off as you might think). He definitely earned his parmo after the match – if he wanted one, that is.
Column continues below...
Unfortunately, he then had to go and injure his groin. Again.
On the negative side, it was sad to come back down to earth after the impressive win over City. But then, what have we come to expect from Boro? Never over-estimate them when required…
…and never under-estimate them when required, either!!
Again, we were under the cosh for long spells at Villa Park but this time we emerged with a win to show for it. And Tuncay yet again displayed his value to the team with two smashingly taken goals, even though they were both gifts.
I’m tempted to go along with Anthony Vickers at this stage and say “Who needs Juninho?”. The Little Fella, after all, never tracked back to the extent The Little Turk does. It’s only a matter of time before he gets a block on the Boro Brick Road if he keeps playing like this.
It wasn't all good news though. My head was in my hands at the sight of Alves’s finishing. I should have known better than to state that he was on a bit of a run after the City game. I suppose I could just about excuse that side foot wide in the first half (he was off balance) but all he had to do was lift it over the helpless Friedel from six yards out for the second miss…
Fortunately, Tuncay (and Turnbull, of course) bailed him out, but how much longer can that keep happening?
As John Powls rightly says, our squad is too thin to be carrying passengers. Waiting for the ball to come to him before he has a go at finishing is not enough – he needs to track back like Tuncay, Ali and the Liverpool players. Even Mido tracks back a lot these days.
And another thing – has Alves learnt that there are other ways to finish than side footing the ball in? On this season’s evidence, I think not. (The free kick and the two goals from last season against United are rare exceptions.)
Another shock on Sunday (to add to Alves’s lack of finishing prowess) was local hero David Wheater not being in the starting line-up. But Gate’s team selection proved spot-on as Riggott had an excellent game, as did Hoyte. Our boss has recognised that Wheater is not a full-back and that it is best not to include players on name and popularity alone – isn’t that right, Stewie? (Although in fairness, Downing appeared to be somewhere close to his best on Sunday.)
So there you have it. Two wins and two draws since the Chelsea hammering. And it could easily have been three wins but for Benni McCarthy’s late goal, or even four wins had we taken a late chance against West Ham.
We shouldn’t get carried away though. After all, we know what happens when we do. But it’s nice to have a solid platform such as this to build on, especially considering last year’s away form
Now let’s hope we can build on it even further. Three goals from us in one game would be a good start.
‘Til next time, then…
Si
Simon Fallaha, Editor, Northern Ireland Middlesbrough
Supporters' Club Website
BACK TO THE SIMON
FALLAHA COLUMN INDEX
A GUARANTEED PROFIT OF AT LEAST £41.19 ON MIDDLESBROUGH v SUNDERLAND
There's a full programme of Premier League fixtures this weekend and did you know that it is possible to win money on Saturday afternoon's Premier League showdown between Middlesbrough and Sunderland, whatever the result?
The game kicks off at 3.00pm UK Time and we can guarantee you a profit of at least £41.19, 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 £41.19 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 £67.00 on the Middlesbrough v Sunderland match and we will collect £108.50 if Middlesbrough win, £108.20 if Sunderland win and £108.19 if it is a draw. That's a minimum profit of over 61%, 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 Coral UKg(993855)a(1046723)) . It is really important that you enter the promotional code of CORALTD when prompted. This is to ensure that you receive your bonus.
This shouldn't take you any longer than a few minutes.
2. Make the following deposits into your new accounts.
Deposit £26.00 into your new Sky Bet
account.
Deposit £25.00 into your new Betfair account.
Deposit £16.00 into your Coral UK account.
3. Now make the following bets.
Place £25.00 on Middlesbrough at 5/4 with Sky Bet
.
Sky Bet will now add a £20.00 free bet to your account. Place this on Middlesbrough as well. You will now have £45.00 riding on Middlesbrough.
Back the draw with £25.00 at 3.45 (or higher if available) with Betfair.
Place £16.00 on Sunderland at 3.20 (11/5) with Coral UK.
Coral UK will now add a £10 bonus to your account. Place this on Sunderland as well. You will now have £26.00 riding on Sunderland.
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 £67.00 on the Middlesbrough v Sunderland 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 Middlesbrough win, you collect £108.50. That's £83.50 from Sky Bet plus a £25.00 cashback from Betfair.
If it's a draw, you collect £108.19. That's £83.19 from Betfair plus a £25.00 cashback from Betfair.
If Sunderland win, you collect £108.20. That's £83.20 from Coral UK plus a £25.00 cashback from Betfair.
5. This means that the worst case scenario on the Middlesbrough v Sunderland match is a draw and you make £41.19 profit. However, if Middlesbrough win you make £41.50 profit and if Sunderland win you make £41.20 profit. That's a minimum profit of over 61%, 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.
|
|
|
|
