Next England Manager Betting

Following the announcement that Sven Goran Eriksson will step down as England Manager after the 2006 World Cup Finals in Germany , bookmakers have opened a market on who will replace his as the next permanent England Manager.

Current favourite is Bolton manager Sam Allardyce, 9/2 best price with Betfred. “Big Sam” has guided Bolton to a UEFA Cup spot in and to a top 5 league position in the Premier League. Allardyce is commended for getting the best out of players, but does he have the necessary experience of working with “big players” for a “big club”? Check out free bets available for this market, or the latest previews in our football betting news.

Although the FA originally planned for Sven’s replacement to be a homegrown Englishman, Guus Hiddink, manager of Australia and PSV, is heavily fancied as a possible successor at best price 6/1 with Stan James. The Dutchman has attracted a number of large bets already after throwing his hat into the ring.

Other manager’s in contention for the position include Steve McClaren, Alan Curbishley, Stuart Pearce, and former Celtic boss Martin O’Neill.

The Latest best price odds for the next England Manager are:

Sam Allardyce 9/2 Betfred
Guus Hiddink 6/1 Stan James
Alan Curbishley 13/2 Stan James
Steve McClaren 8/1 Bet 365
Martin O’Neill 9/1 Bet 365
Luis Scolari 14/1 Betfred
Peter Taylor 33/1 Coral
Alex Ferguson 66/1 Ladbrokes
Arsene Wenger 50/1 Sky Bet

Betting on the next manager of a football club can result in huge winnings. These markets are typically very volatile, with rumours changing the odds of a manager on a continuous basis. It’s also worth shopping around to see the differet odds offered by a variety of bookmakers, as there is usually a lot of difference in opinion.

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Blackburn Manager betting odds

This week’s sacking of Blackburn manager was a statement of intent. The clubs new owners mean business, and they aren’t afraid of lopping off heads. Sam Allardyce had formed a good squad of tough playing footballers over his time at the club; however it seems that poor displays against Manchester United and other teams have made new Indian owners think twice about whether Allardyce is the man to bring the club into its new prosperity. Check out the free bets on offer for this market.

Latest Blackburn manager odds

Steve Kean is the clear favourite to take over the position, working under the previous boss as First Team coach; he has obviously impressed the new owners enough as it looks as if he is to be in charge for the foreseeable future and at least for this weekend’s game against West Ham. While being an unknown to many football fans his name has been around for a while in management, when Luiz Felipe Scolari came in at Chelsea he was tipped to become his right hand man. Kean is best priced to succeed his old boss at 11/4 on Paddy Power.

New owners Venkatesh Rao and brother Balaji have come out and said they are looking for an English manager to take them into Champions League contention. Steve Kean ticks the English box; one candidate who has been mentioned though who would not tick the box is Martin Jol. Jol has a good domestic record as well as a stable one in Europe with clubs like Ajax. He has already come out and said he was shocked by Allardyce’s sudden departure, so he does look to be in contention and could be a good pick at 14/1 on UniBet.

Ex-Blackburn player and legend Alan Shearer has also expressed an interest in the job and definitely fits the English criteria. However while he may be revered at Ewood park for his goalscoring prowess his managerial record is small, and unsuccessful. However the new owners have indicated they want somebody young to take the club forward and Shearer is relatively young for a manager at the tender age of40. The former Ewood legend is priced at 7/1 at William Hill.

A long shot for the job is everyone’s favourite 5 foot 5 Argentinian Diego Marradona, the former Argentina boss and footballing legend has been mentioned as a possible candidate, and however the new owners have recently come out to deny rumours of his appointment. Still those of you who think the pint sized Argentinian is a good fit for Rovers are welcome to have a bet with his odds at a handsome 25/1 on Bet365.

A number of other managers have been mentioned, including Martin O’Neil, Dave Jones and Alan Curbishley. Martin O’Neil could be a clever appointment for the Rao brothers, seeing as he left Aston Villa due to a lack of ambition and funding and the one thing that the new owners can guarantee is backing. He is priced at 14/1 on UniBet to take over. Dave Jones is an interesting one, due mainly to the fact that he is still employed at Cardiff, however a poor string of performances and results have left his position at the club unsteady and should the new Indian owners want someone with a  good record, albeit in the Championship and lower leagues, maybe they need look no further than Jones. He is priced at 9/1 on UniBet.

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Carling Cup betting – West Ham vs Birmingham

West Ham vs Birmingham City betting preview

West Ham     Form: LDWDWL     Position: 20th

West Ham sit bottom of the Premier League after a 5-0 thrashing at the hands of Newcastle last Wednesday. They did however, overcome Barnsley 2-0 at the weekend in the FA Cup third round. While Manager Avram Grant will be hoping to take his Hammers side to Wembley as a distraction from their league form, as he did with Portsmouth last season in the FA Cup.  Striker Frederic Piquionne is West Ham’s top scorer this season with 7 goals in all competitions and the Frenchman is a best priced at 13/2 with Victor Chandler to open the scoring on the night. Unfortunately for West Ham, they have a lengthy list of injuries with, Jack Collison, Manuel Da Costa, Keiron Dyer, Thomas Hitzlsperger, Herita Ilunga and Benni McCarthey all set to miss out.

Birmingham City     Form: DDLDLW     Position: 15th

Birmingham City go into the Carling Cup Semi Final on the back of two straight wins against Blackpool and Millwall in the FA Cup. Although only Wigan have scored fewer league goals than Birmingham this season, they have now managed 6 in their last 2, after putting 4 past Millwall. With Matt Derbyshire getting on the score sheet for the first time since August, the Striker is showing good odds of 11/4 with William Hill to score at any time. Although Alex McLeish, will have to overturn a statistic which last saw Birmingham win at West Ham in 2002. Lee Bowyer is suspended for the trip to London while James McFadden is ruled out through injury.

Match Prediction Draw best priced at 25/5 with SkyBet

Both sides have produced some good displays so far in the competition, with West Ham knocking out Manchester United and Birmingham overcoming local rivals Aston Villa. Equally, both teams have had somewhat of a revival in the league as well with Birmingham moving up to 15th, although West Ham’s came to a halt after the humiliating 5-0 loss at Newcastle.  Even though The Hammers produced a great display in the last round, their injury list may hamper their chances against a Birmingham side who don’t concede many. With that in mind a correct score of 1-1 should give a good return with odds of 6/1 with BlueSq.

Highlighted Bets

Correct Score 1-1 – 6/1 Blue Sq
Half time/full time of Birmingham/Draw – 15-1 Unibet
Matt Derbyshire anytime goal scorer – 11/4 William Hill

By Sam Markham

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Carling Cup betting – Ipswich vs Arsenal

Ipswich vs Arsenal betting preview

Ipswich

Ipswich’s run in with Chelsea last weekend will definitely be one that the Portman Road faithful will want to forget in a hurry. While they probably never expected to go to Stamford Bridge after the sacking of Roy Keane and get much, 7-0 was probably a little too much for any excuse to cover. However the appointment of Paul Jewel as manager this week will definitely be a rallying call to the players to show what they can do soon or be on the way out. While he may not be in charge for the game the players will surely bring their A-Game out to impress the new gaffer.

It would be rude to say Ipswich have no chance of scoring in this game, but against Chelsea at the weekend they hardly got a shot on target, with the home side managing 20 to their 2. If they are to score though one of these 3 people are the most likely candidates; Jason Scotland the clubs top scorer, Hungarian Tamas Priskin or the young English starlet Connor Wickham. They are priced respectively at 12.0, 13.0 and 15.0 to open the scoring on Bet365. Loanees Jake Livermore and Rory Fallon are also ineligible for the squad having played for their parent clubs earlier.

Arsenal

Arsenal are running low on fit central defenders for this midweek cup tie, with both Sebastien Squillaci and Thomas Vermaelaen suffering from injuries, meaning that a pairing of Jonathon Djourou and Laurent Koscielny is likely at the back. As far as the rest of the squad goes it is difficult to predict, as Arsene Wenger is a big fan of rotation and has been known to use the Carling Cup as a training ground for his youngsters. However will Arsenals lust for silverware change this practice; it looks likely that Theo Wallcot will have a starting place along with Emanuel Eboue and Jack Wilshere. Who will start up front though is anyone’s guess though. Carlos vela may be handed an unusual starting place and is priced at 2.9 on BWIN to score at anytime in the fixture.

The 8 of the last 9 meetings of these two teams have ended badly for the Home side, but the last time they met in the Carling Cup in 2000 Ipswich did emerge victorious. The chances however of a repeat of this feat do look highly unlikely though. This Arsenal side will look to play them off the park and there is a good chance that this tie could be over and done with before the return leg at the Emirates. Simply put Arsenal to win, most likely by a lot.

Highlighted Bets

First Goalscorer Jason Scotland 12.0 Bet 365
First Goalscorer Tamas Priskin 13.0 Bet 365
First Goalscorer Connor Wickham 15.0 Bet 365
Anytime Goalscorer Carlos Vela 3.0 Bet 365
Correct Score Arsenal 4-1 19.0 Blue Square

By John Fernandez

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African Nations betting

Outright tournament winner

The African Cup of Nations was first held in 1957. Since then it has always taken place between the 10th and 31st of January. In the first month of 2010 the 27th edition of the tournament will take place.  The qualification for this edition of the African Cup of Nations began in October 2007. Fifty three African National teams turned up, out of which only 16 nations have qualified to go to Angola, the country that will host the tournament.

The nation that has won the African Nation’s Cup the mostis Egypt, winning the tournament an overall of 6 times. Ghana and Cameroon have won the Cup four times each.  This year’s favourites are Ivory Cost at odds of 9/4 with Bet 365 – click here for £100 in free bets

In recent years the Ivory Cost team has gained quite the selection of players. Worldly renowned footballers from clubs like Barcelona, Chelsea, Arsenal and Manchester City. However, the team has had only one win dating to 1992. Since 1965 the Ivory Cost has appeared in 17 editions of the African Cup of Nations.

Other teams to lookout for this year are ever strong Egypt, Cameroon and Nigeria.

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Carling Cup Final betting

Free betting tips for Man Utd vs Aston Villa

Wembley plays host to the 50th Carling Cup final on Sunday as holders Manchester United aim to retain the trophy they won on penalties last year. Tottenham Hotspur were beaten 4-1 on spot kicks by United after 120 goalless minutes in the 2009 final, and now only Martin O’Neill’s Villa stand in the way of United lifting a fourth league cup. Sir Alex’s men have failed to beat the Villains in their two Premier League meetings this term but Bet365 make England’s most decorated club odds on favourites to add to their list of trophies. The Red Devils are best priced at 4/5, Villa are a generous 7/2 having already beaten United at Old Trafford this season, and if extra time is forced then the draw can be found at 12/5 with the same bookmakers.

The pair have met 173 times before in all competitions, with United winning just over half of all those meetings. However, Martin O’Neill’s Villa proved they are no pushovers when they returned 1-0 victors from Old Trafford in December after Gabby Agbonlahor’s solitary strike. The pair met in a dress rehearsal at Villa Park earlier this month but neither side could force a winner with scores level at 1-1, and both teams had to settle for a share of the spoils. O’Neill’s side currently lie 7th in the Premier League just one point behind Spurs in the race for the fourth Champions League spot but O’Neill’s attention will turn away from domestic matters when they make the 228 mile round trip to the capital.

The Midlands club could be about to book another visit to Wembley after progressing to the quarter finals of the FA Cup at the expense of cash strapped Crystal Palace in midweek. But in Sundays BBC One live final, O’Neill will be hoping for a repeat of the 1996 League Cup final when Brian Little’s Villa side defeated Leeds United 3-0. In fact, the Villains boast a better record in the League Cup than Manchester United, they have beaten their rivals no fewer than 4 times in the 6 ties they have been drawn together.

It’s difficult mention Manchester United without mentioning Wayne Rooney in the same breath of late. The England striker is in the form of his career and with the World Cup finals approaching, he arguably holds the key to our chances in South Africa. The former Everton star bagged another brace against West Ham in midweek taking his tally to 27 in all competitions this season. Rooney’s double helped United move to within one point of leaders Chelsea in the title race and he looks a sound bet to hit the net on Sunday. He is priced at 4/1 with Hills to score the opener in the final but perhaps the 6/1 being flouted for Rooney to score with his head represents better value considering the strikers last four goals have all been headers. Astonishingly, he is odds on with Bet365 at 10/11 to score at anytime during the match.

Sir Alex must have had half an eye on Sunday’s final after resting some of his senior figures the West Ham game in midweek, but he will be without Rio Ferdinand who has a back problem. Ferdinand has started just 8 games this term, and United have already conceded 24 goals, the same amount they conceded in the whole of the last campaign. Villa’s Carlos Cuellar and Gabby Agbonlahor have already breached the United backline, and the latter is 8/1 to trouble the scoresheet first on Sunday. Surprisingly, Manchester United have benefited from own goals a massive ten times already this season including three in one game against Portsmouth at Old Trafford earlier this year, so why not put a small stake on an own goal to be scored at anytime during the final at 11/4.

Manchester United are 12/1 to do it the hard way and win the Carling Cup on penalties as they did last year. Phil Dowd will be the man in charge and he has a little history with Manchester United. The Staffordshire referee sent off United pair Paul Scholes and Wayne Rooney at Craven Cottage last season and 11/4 says he reaches for his top pocket again on Sunday. Expect Villa to take the game to United in this final, the first goal is all important if Villa can grab it they have a great chance. They showed at Old Trafford this season they can hold onto 1-0 leads and keep the United firing line at bay. They will be boosted by the news of Rio Ferdinand’s absence and John Carew’s aerial presence could cause problems. However, Villa must hope Wayne Rooney has an off day if they are going to win this one. He is in tantalising form and if he’s on song United generally are too. Sticking my neck on the line, United to win it by the odd goal but this one is by no means a forgone conclusion.

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Carling Cup betting news

VC Bet make Manchester United their 11-10 favourites to win the Carling Cup with FA Cup holders Arsenal second best at 7-4. United will play their two-legged semi-final tie against Blackburn Rovers while Arsenal face Premiership overachievers Wigan in the other semi-final.

Blackburn will fancy their chances against an under performing Manchester United side, especially if the Old Trafford outfit field a weakened reserve or youth side. Blackburn have already won at Old Trafford in the Premier League earlier this season.

The Premiership’s surprise package Wigan could also cause an upset, as Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger is likely to field a youth side as he concentrates on the Gunners Champions League campaign where they face European giants Real Madrid.

VC Bet’s Neal Wilkins commented “A final between Arsenal and Manchester United at the Millennium Stadium for supposedly the final time would be a sponsor’s and bookmakers’ dream in terms of coverage and turnover. It will be interesting to see which sides Monsieur Wenger and Sir Alex field for their semi-final matches.”

The best-priced odds for the Carling Cup are as follows:

Man Utd 5/4 Blue Square
Arsenal 15/8 Sky Bet
Wigan 6/1 Ladbrokes
Blackburn 7/1 Betfred

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Carling Cup betting – Birmingham City vs Aston Villa

Birmingham City vs Aston Villa betting preview

Birmingham City     League Form: DDLDWD     League Position: 14th
Birmingham City recorded their eighth league draw of the season last time out at Fulham but still haven’t won on their travels for eight months. They are however, unbeaten in their last three which has included a good draw away at Man City and a home win against Chelsea, although they have struggled for goals as of late. Swedish midfielder Sebastian Larsson scored his first goal of the season last time out, and the former Arsenal player is a worth a bet at 5/1 to score at any time with Sporting Bet. Former Villa midfielder Craig Gardener could be fit for the visit of their local rivals, while Maik Taylor and James McFadden will still miss out.

Aston Villa     League Form: DDWDLL     League Position: 15th

Aston Villa endured their first home league defeat of the season at the weekend and have found themselves at the wrong end of the table in recent weeks. But they will be looking to put that behind them when they travel to local rivals Birmingham City on Wednesday with the chance to progress to the semi-final of the Carling Cup. Attacking midfielder Ashley Young has got two goals in the competition so far this season and is a very good price at 8/1 to open the scoring with Stan James. Unfortunately for Villa they will travel the short distance to St Andrews with an extensive injury list that includes, Marc Albrighton, Carlos Cuellar, Emile Heskey, Stiliyan Petrov, Nigel Reo-Coker and Steve Sidwell.

Match Prediction     Birmingham WIN Best priced at 11/8 with SkyBet

Both sides struggled through the last round of the competition with Birmingham needing penalties to overcome Brentford and Aston Villa needing extra time to beat Burnley. However, Birmingham’s improved defensive record and home advantage should be enough to see them through against a Villa side that have conceded 10 goals in their last 4 games. Although Birmingham have struggled to find consistency in front of goal this season and so the Blue’s to win 1-0 could give a decent return at 7/1 with Stan James. The two met in a 0-0 draw at Villa in the league earlier this season and this could be another tight game that could go all the way to penalties. However Birmingham have lost the last 3 meetings between the two at home, and will be looking to turn that around.

Highlighted Bets

Half Time/Full Time – Draw/Birmingham 9/2 William Hill
Birmingham to win on penalties – 9/1 Paddy Power
Birmingham to win 1-0 – 7/1 Stan James

By Sam Markham

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Carling Cup betting – Arsenal vs Ipswich

Arsenal vs Ipswich betting preview

Arsenal     Form: WDWDWW     League Position: 2nd

Arsenal have been in great form since losing the first leg of this fixture earlier in the month. The Gunners have scored 9 goals in 3 games as they progressed through to the FA Cup 4th Round ahead of Leeds and put 3 past Wigan and West Ham in the league without reply. They are also the only team left in England still able to win all 4 competitions, as they look to win their first piece of silverware since 2005. Striker Robin Van Persie has scored 6 goals in his last three games and the Dutchman is a good bet at 9/4 with totesport to open the scoring. Abou Diaby and Thomas Vermaelen are still out and while Arsene Wenger may make 1 or 2 changes, it is unlikely he will make many as victory on Tuesday will set up a final against either Birmingham or West Ham.

Ipswich     Form: LWDLLW      League Position: 19th

Ipswich claimed their first league win in 4 games under new manager Paul Jewel at the weekend against Doncaster, to move themselves further clear of the relegation zone. While it has been problems at the back which have proved their downfall, managing to keep only 5 clean sheets, the 4th worst in the division. Despite struggling in the league the Tractor Boys have enjoyed their cup run this season, beating West Brom at home in the last round and gaining victory against Arsenal in the first leg. Striker Tamas Priskin has 3 goals in the competition this season, and the Hungarian is best priced at 4/1 with William Hill to get on the score sheet at any time.

Match Prediction Arsenal WIN best priced at 1/7 with Bet 365

Arsenal really have stepped up their pursuit of silverware in the last few weeks and are firm favourites to overcome Ipswich. Although Arsene Wenger will make some changes from the team that overcame Wigan on Saturday, there won’t be too many as the Gunners still have to overturn a 1-0 deficit from the first leg. A 4-1 Arsenal victory on the night is showing a good return at Bet365 with odds of 14/1.

Highlighted Bets

4-1 Arsenal Win – 14/1 Bet365

T Priskin anytime scorer – 4/1 William Hill

R Van Persie first goal scorer – 9/4 totesport

By Sam Markham

Click here to view all free bets from online bookmakers

Haye vs Klitschko betting odds

David Haye vs Wladimir Klitschko betting preview

Since David Haye landed the killer punch against Nikolai Valuev on 2 years back the question on everyone’s lips has been, will and if so when will Haye fight Wladimir Klitschko. When the bout was postponed the rum our was that David Haye was too scared to fight the dreaded Ukrainian, now the gauntlet has been laid down, Haye will face Klitschko, in a fight that is sure to eclipse the poor show of Haye vs. Harrison. Get a free £25 bet on Haye vs Klitschko with William Hill

David Haye odds

Haye is a clear 3 inches taller than Klitschko and this advantage could prove pivotal as he looks to dominate the powerful Ukrainian in the early rounds. Although the only opponent in his last 3 fights who Haye has beaten within the first 3 rounds has been the lowly Audley Harrison. So a bet on David Haye to win by knock out in the 3rd round is a risky one, but at odds of 21.0 on SkyBet they could give a great value if Haye starts well. View the full range of free bets available for this fight.

Wladimir Klitschko has such a reputation though, and for good reason the man is a monster, with 55 wins to his name and only 3 losses. Klitschko is a methodical boxer though and it is rare for him to serve a knockout in the first round, rather he works the opponent down with a series of quick punches and use of his tremendous right hook. So he is more likely to land a knockout punch nearer the end of the fight and he is known to KO many opponents in the 9th round, so some money on a knockout in round 9 at odds of 17.0 on SkyBet could work out well.

The method of victory though is for sure something worth having a bet on, the odds are already quite favourable to a victory by points for Klitschko so why not put some money on soon with odds of 4.0 on SkyBet for a points decision in the Ukrainians favour. Haye is much more of a KO fighter so a bet for Haye to win by TKO at 3.5 on SkyBet holds some value if you think the Brit can carry on his fantastic run.

A bet which could really pay off though and that even with a stake of £5 can return £630 is for David Haye to win by a majority decision, which he did against Valuev, if you fancy him to do the same again against his next opponent a few quid on this could really pay off. Free £25 from William Hill.

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