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English Premier League Preview – 2011/12 – Week 21

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Welcome to our English Premier League preview for week 21. After a weeks hiatus due to round 3 of the FA Cup, the Premier League returns back to our screens this weekend in all its glory. This should be a cracking week too with things heating up at both ends of the table now that we are over half way through the season.

Tottenham continue to surprise, they had a 2-0 win over Everton mid-week and now sit just 3 points off the top of the table. Manchester City still sit alone at the top, but now have 2 sides chasing them. All teams have now played 20 matches so from here on in we have no teams with a game in hand. This should make it easier to keep track of where teams stand in the race for the title, and the battle to avoid relegation.

English Premier League Preview

English Premier League Preview
Saturday 

We kick off this Premier League preview with a run of 7 games at 2am our time Sunday morning. 4 of the top 6 sides are in action in this timeslot with Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester United and Tottenham all at home.

Chelsea take on a rejuvenated Sunderland side at Stamford Bridge following a last up win over Portsmouth in the FA Cup. Sunderland also had a win in the 3rd round of the FA Cup with a 2-0 victory over Peterborough United. Both sides also won their respective Premier League matches just over a week ago. Chelsea with a 2-1 win away from home against Wolves, and Sunderland thrashing Wigan 4-1, also away from home.

Sunderland have climbed up into the top half of the ladder after being close to the relegation zone just before Christmas. This is no doubt due to the influence of new manager Martin O’Neill. The club is now going from strength to strength following the sacking of Steve Bruce. Chelsea sit 11 points behind Manchester City at the top of the table. They’re currently in 4th place and they have been inconsistent at best under Villas-Boas. It will be interesting to see whether the deal for Gary Cahill goes through in time for this match and whether the manager is given any further funds for reinforcements.

With this one being at Stamford Bridge I think Chelsea will grab the win here but it won’t come easy.

Liverpool take on Stoke City at Anfield following their 1-0 win over Manchester City in the Carling Cup Semi Final First Leg mid-week. However prior to this they were taken apart in a 3-0 demolition by that same club in week 20 of the Premier League.

Stoke had a 3-1 win over Blackburn Rovers last time out, and currently sit in 8th place on the table. They have not had a great record away from home this season with just 8 goals scored and 20 against in 10 matches. Liverpool are undefeated at home, however 60% of those matches have ended up in a draw, with just the 4 wins from 10 matches.

I think this one will go in Liverpool’s favour though, that win over Manchester City mid-week would have got them pumped up. They also have a fit again Steven Gerrard to control their midfield again.

Manchester United host 18th placed Bolton Wanderers and are coming off the back of a surprise 3-0 defeat to Newcastle United in the Premier League. They made up for that with a 3-2 win over Manchester City in the FA Cup 3rd round last weekend. Bolton are resigned to losing their star centre back, Gary Cahill, to Chelsea and will hope that he is still a Bolton player at least for this match.

This match should be pretty cut and dried, I can’t see Bolton coming close to Manchester United at Old Trafford. You can almost bet your house on this one.

Tottenham take on Wolves at White Hart Lane and they are coming off the back of a 2-0 mid-week win over Everton. This match was postponed earlier in the season and they no longer have that game in hand, they say that it’s better to have the 3 points in hand though. Now Tottenham sit in equal second place on points with Manchester United, only goal difference has them in 3rd place. They have surprised so far this season and it will be interesting to see whether they can keep it up for the second half.

Wolves currently sit in 16th place on the table and are coming off a narrow 2-1 loss to Chelsea in their last Premier League match. They also have an FA Cup replay to contend with soon as they drew 0-0 with Birmingham last weekend.

I can’t go past Tottenham at home in this one as much as it pains me to say. They could be level on Points at the top of the table with Manchester City not playing until Monday.

In other earlier matches Aston Villa host Everton at Villa Park. Aston Villa are coming off a 2-0 loss to Swansea in the Premier League but made it through to round 4 of the FA Cup with a 3-1 win over Bristol Rovers. Everton went down 2-0 to Tottenham in their mid-week fixture, and 2-1 to Bolton a fortnight ago. They currently sit outside the top half in 11th place for the first time I can remember. They will need some serious reinforcements if they are going to get anywhere near the European places this season.

These mid table clashes usually produce quality football, I think Everton will bounce back in this one and get themselves back into that top half.

Bottom placed Blackburn Rovers host Fulham at Ewood Park following their exit from the FA Cup at the hands of Newcastle United. Fulham annihilated Charlton 4-0 in their match and are also coming off a last start Premier League win over Arsenal. They won that match 2-1 but they still sit in 14th place on the table, they’d like to be a lot higher and a win here could push them into the top half.

Blackburn have little hope of avoiding relegation if statistics are anything to go by. West Brom are the only team in the last 7 years to finish bottom at Christmas and avoid relegation. The other 6 finished on the bottom.

I think Fulham will grab the 3 points in this one, Blackburn’s home record is enough to sway me in that direction.

The last of the Saturday matches sees West Brom hosting Norwich City at the Hawthorns following their 4-2 win over Cardiff City in the FA Cup. Norwich also had a big win in the FA Cup, beating Burnley 4-1 to progress to the 4th round. West Brom had a 1-0 loss in the Premier League against Tottenham a fortnight ago, while Norwich beat QPR 2-1.

Norwich have impressed this season and are currently sitting in 9th place on the table. West Brom sit in 15th and don’t have a very good home record. For that reason I will take the draw in this one, Norwich’s away form is enough for me to see a share of the spoils in this one.

English Premier League Preview
Sunday

The first of the Sunday matches (Monday morning our time) in the Premier League sees Newcastle United hosting QPR at the Sports Direct Arena. Newcastle surprised everyone with a thumping 3-0 win over Manchester United in their last EPL match, and continued their form in the FA Cup with a 2-1 win over Blackburn Rovers. QPR have an FA Cup replay to look forward to after their match with MK Dons was drawn 1-1. They also lost 2-1 to Norwich City in the English Premier League and sit just a point outside the relegation zone.

QPR now have a new manager in Mark Hughes after Neil Warnock was given the boot. Rumours are floating around that QPR have a fairly hefty war chest to hand the new manager in January, so we’ll see what comes of this over the next couple of weeks.

A new manager can do amazing things to a team, as seen with Sunderland, so I think QPR will be up for this one. I predict a high scoring match but Newcastle should just have enough in them to get the 3 points.

Next up we have Arsenal away to Swansea following their narrow 1-0 win over Leeds in the FA Cup. They had the legend that is Thierry Henry to thank for that goal and I thought it only fitting to include footage of that in this preview, enjoy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gINlrSLbAq8

Despite the King’s return, Arsenal still have to contend with the fact that they didn’t create much against Leeds on that night. Also, their 2-1 loss to Fulham dropped them down to 5th on the table with Liverpool and Newcastle breathing down their neck.

It will be interesting to see how Wenger uses Henry in this one after resting Robin van Persie for the last match. An Henry – van Persie partnership up front would be unbelievable to see and I don’t think Swansea would be able to cope. Arsenal should have too much for Swansea despite playing away from home, this match should have plenty of entertainment.

English Premier League Preview
Monday

Last up on Tuesday morning our time we’ll see league leaders Manchester City away from home to second from bottom Wigan Athletic. Manchester City have been knocked out of the FA Cup and are looking at an elimination from the Carling Cup following their first leg loss. They lost 1-0 to Liverpool courtesy of a Steven Gerrard penalty and they’ll also go into this one without their best defender in Vincent Kompany. He’ll miss a couple more too following his straight red card a couple of weeks ago.

Wigan at home have not been too crash hot this season, and Manchester City have also been a bit susceptible away from home so far. I can’t see this one going any other way than a win to Man City though to be honest. They’ll be hurting following their recent losses and they’ll put all of their best available players out for this one.

Twitter - English Premier League Preview

sportsbanter.com.au Tips:

Aston Villa v Everton – #avfcvefc – Everton
Blackburn v Fulham – #brfcvffc – Fulham
Chelsea v Sunderland – #cfcvsfc – Chelsea
Liverpool v Stoke – #lfcvstoke – Liverpool
Manchester United v Bolton – #mufcvbwfc – Man Utd
Tottenham v Wolves – #thfcvwolves – Tottenham
West Brom v Norwich – #wbavncfc – Draw
Newcastle v QPR – #nufcvqpr – Newcastle
Swansea v Arsenal – #scfcvafc – Arsenal
Wigan v Manchester City – #wiganvmcfc – Man City

Banter’s Best Bets – Multibet 

Aston Villa v Everton – Total Game Score Under +2.5 @ $1.65
Blackburn v Fulham – Fulham +0.5 @ $1.44
Chelsea v Sunderland – Total Game Score Over +2.5 @ $1.65
Liverpool v Stoke – Total Game Score Under +2.5 @ $1.88
Manchester United v Bolton – Total Game Score Over +2.5 @ $1.36
Tottenham v Wolves – Tottenham @ $1.26
West Brom v Norwich – Norwich +0.5 @ $1.80
Newcastle v QPR – Total Game Score Over +2.5 @ $1.83
Swansea v Arsenal – Arsenal @ $1.71
Wigan v Manchester City – Total Game Score Over +2.5 @ $1.60

Multibet Odds: $113.82

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English Premier League Preview – Weeks 19 & 20

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With the holiday season upon us Premier League matches are coming thick and fast. In this English Premier League preview we look at the next 2 match days, giving our tips and best bets for all of the action. Let us know in the comments section if you agree or disagree with our tips, or if you have any special bets that you think we need to know about.

English Premier League Preview 2011/12 - Week 19

We start this weeks English Premier League preview at Anfield with Newcastle United travelling to Merseyside to take on a Liverpool side that has had a bad run of results recently. A 1-1 draw with Blackburn at the weekend followed a scoreless draw with Wigan prior to that, this has seen them drop to 6th on the ladder behind Arsenal.

Newcastle have dropped to seventh on the table after being as high as 3rd just over a month ago. They finally got their season back on track with a 2-0 win over Bolton last time out and will be looking to build on that.

Liverpool will be without Luis Suarez for an additional 1 match after he was banned for his middle finger salute against Fulham a few weeks ago, this in addition to his 8 match ban for alleged racist comments to Patrice Evra.

Despite this I think Liverpool will still have too much for a Newcastle side that has lost their edge recently, It will be tight and I can’t see anymore than 1 or 2 goals in this one.

We continue our English Premier League preview into new years eve with a run of 7 matches to take us into the New Year.

First up Manchester United take on Blackburn Rovers at Old Trafford looking to take the lead over Manchester City, they don’t play until the following day.

United have been on fire over the last few weeks, a 5-0 win over Fulham last week culminated in a 5-0 win over Wigan just a few days ago. They have finally found their scoring boots and it just highlights that Sir Alex Ferguson is a genius when it comes to having his side peak at the right time. The holiday period is notorious for all the big sides dropping points and United have steamrolled their way through this period so far.

Blackburn still sit at the bottom of the table despite their point against Liverpool last start, and the odds are against them avoiding relegation with the side bottom of the English Premier League at Christmas 6 times out of the last 7 being relegated. West Brom in 2004/05 were the last side to avoid the drop despite being bottom at Christmas. Every side after this has ended up bottom of the table come the end of the season.

I can honestly see another 5 goals from Manchester United here. Blackburn put up a fight against an out of form Liverpool side, I don’t think they’ll provide the same resistance here at Old Trafford.

Next up Arsenal host QPR in a match that could see the English Premier League calendar goals record fall. Robin van Persie needs 2 goals to equal the record set by Alan Shearer, and a hat-trick would see the record tumble. Against a QPR side who are notoriously bad travellers this is not over by any stretch of the imagination.

English Premier League Preview - Robin van Persie - Arsenal v QPR
Courtesy of goal.com

Arsenal were far from their best against Wolves a few days ago and will want to make amends for that against their home fans. Arsenal weren’t poor, they just struggled to find the back of the net against a Wolves side that barely put together an attack all game. Arsenal fans have been buoyed by the news this week that Thierry Henry may be returning to the club for a 2 month loan spell while he is on holidays from the MLS. He still has something special and a clinical striker such as Henry may be just what the doctor ordered.

I can’t see QPR getting close to Arsenal in this one, that match against Wolves should serve as a wake-up call and Arsene Wenger will have his team primed for this one.

Next up in our English Premier League preview, we have a bottom of the table clash with Bolton taking on Wolves at the Reebok Stadium. Wolves earned a solid draw against Arsenal during the week while Bolton went down 2-0 to Newcastle at the Reebok. Bolton and Wolves sit 19th and 17th on the ladder respectively and this could be one of those matches that produces some great entertainment despite the position of both sides.

I can see a Wolves win here, Bolton have been absolutely atrocious at home all season with just 1 win and 8 losses from their 9 games. I can’t see them turning that around for this one.

Chelsea host Aston Villa at Stamford Bridge in the next match of our English Premier League Preview. Chelsea could only manage a 1-1 draw with Fulham earlier in the week and Andre Villas-Boas will not be happy with this at all. There are reports that the Chelsea boss may be handed a £150m war chest for the January transfer window, how this will get past the FFP rules I don’t know. The Chelsea players will have one last chance to show the boss that they deserve a place in the team.

Aston Villa couldn’t break the deadlock against Stoke earlier in the week and they currently sit in 12th place on the table halfway through the season. Away from home they have been shocking though so I can’t go past a heavy Chelsea win in this one.

Norwich host Fulham next at Carrow Road. Fulham battled to a 1-1 draw with Chelsea earlier in the week while Norwich went down 2-0 to a Gareth Bale brace in their match against Tottenham. Norwich have been quite good at home this season while Fulham haven’t been too crash hot away from home, for that reason I’ll run with a Norwich win here at home.

Still on New Years eve and next up in our Premier League Preview we have Stoke City hosting Wigan at the Britannia Stadium. Stoke couldn’t manage to put any goals past Aston Villa in a 0-0 stalemate earlier in the week, while Wigan were thumped 5-0 by Manchester United at Old Trafford. Surprisingly Wigan have actually won more games away from home this season, Stoke have been quite solid at home though so I can’t see anything other than a Stoke win in this one.

The last of the New Years Eve games in our English Premier League Preview sees Tottenham travel to Swansea following their 2-o win over Norwich earlier in the week. Swansea could only manage a 1-1 draw against QPR at home which saw them remain steady on the table in 14th place. Tottenham have had a fantastic season so far but I feel that they will eventually crumble and normal order will return to the top of the EPL table, I think we’ll see a draw here in this one.

On New Years day we have two matches to cover off on in our Premier League preview, first up is West Brom v Everton at the Hawthorns. Both sides are coming off draws earlier in the week, but most notably West Brom managed to keep Manchester City scoreless which is no mean feat. Everton had a 1-1 draw away from home against Sunderland. West Brom are currently in 9th place on the table, they’ve never finished on the top half so this would be a fantastic result for them. A win against a team also playing for a spot up there couldn’t hurt their chances either. I think this one will end up in a draw though to be honest.

Last up in our English Premier League Preview we have Manchester City looking to restore order at the top of the table as they take on Sunderland at the Stadium of Light. Earlier in the week they were kept scoreless and Roberto Mancini will not have been happy with that. No doubt the owners will now have sanctioned £200m or so to buy a striker who can actually put the ball in the back of the net. Seriously though, it seems buying players is a quick fix for the new giants of Manchester, I for one would love to see them fail again this season! It won’t happen here though, they should be able to account for Sunderland.

So there you have it, let us know in the comments section any tips you have, or bets that you think are certainties!

English Premier League Preview 2011/12 - Week 19

sportsbanter.com.au Tips:

English Premier League Preview – Week 19

Liverpool v Newcastle – #lfcvnufc – Liverpool
Man Utd v Blackburn – #mufcvbrfc – Man Utd
Arsenal v QPR – #afcvqpr – Arsenal
Bolton v Wolverhampton – #bwfcvwolves – Wolves
Chelsea v Aston Villa – #cfcvavfc – Chelsea
Norwich v Fulham – #ncfcvffc – Norwich
Stoke v Wigan – #stokevwigan – Stoke
Swansea v Tottenham – #scfcvthfc – Draw
West Brom v Everton – #wbavefc – Draw
Sunderland v Man City – #sfcvmcfc – Man City

English Premier League Preview – Week 20
Aston Villa v Swansea – #avfcvscfc – Draw
Blackburn v Stoke – #brfcvstoke – Stoke
QPR v Norwich – #qprvncfc – Draw
Wolverhampton v Chelsea – #wolvesvcfc – Chelsea
Fulham v Arsenal – #ffcvafc – Arsenal
Tottenham v West Brom – #thfcvwba – Tottenham
Wigan v Sunderland – #wiganvsfc – Draw
Man City v Liverpool – #mcfcvlfc – Draw
Everton v Bolton – #Efcvbwfc – Everton
Newcastle v Man Utd – #nufcvmufc – Draw

English Premier League Preview – Banter’s Best Bets:

Liverpool v Newcastle – Total Game Score Under +2.5 @ $1.95
Man Utd v Blackburn – Total Game Score Over +2.5 @ $1.40
Arsenal v QPR – Total Game Score Over +2.5 @ $1.56
Bolton v Wolverhampton – Wolves +0.5 @ $1.65
Chelsea v Aston Villa – Chelsea @ $1.28
Norwich v Fulham – Norwich +0.5 @ $1.44
Stoke v Wigan – Stoke @ $1.68
Swansea v Tottenham – Swansea +0.5 @ $2.15
West Brom v Everton – Total Game Score Under +2.5 @ $1.74
Sunderland v Man City – Man City @ $1.50

 

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Steve’s Sports Bet of the Week – Holiday Special 2011

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With the Holiday season upon us, it’s very hard to put a decent sports bet together due to most of the European football leagues going into a winter hiatus. We thought a bit of Christmas cheer was in order so we tried our best to find some good value for this weeks sports bet.

We’ve managed to search out some of the best bets across a variety of the leagues that are in action though and have come up with an 8 leg sports bet with odds of $42.51/1. Not too bad considering what was on offer. In addition to our usual sports bet, I thought I would go one step further this week. So I put together a bumper Barclays Premier League sports bet to try and bring us a bit more Christmas cheer!

Our Christmas EPL sports bet is paying $91.88/1 so it’s good value and we haven’t really taken too many risks in this one either, unlike last week where we topped it up with a draw, although that leg did get up we figured we’d play it a bit safer this week.

With most of the big guns playing at home against weaker opposition we figured that the over 2.5 option would be the basis for our EPL sports bet this week, with the remainder of the legs split between unders and outright wins or handicaps to give us a bit more value in the multi

Anyway, hope everyone had a great Christmas and good luck with this weeks multibet!

Traditional Weekly Football Sports Bet!

Sportingbet Sports Bet of the Week - Holiday Special 2011

Barclays Premier League Sports Bet!

Barclays Premier League Sports Bet- Christmas Special

Join Sportingbet Australia

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Luis Suarez, John Terry…..Kick Racism Out of Football!

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What a couple of days it has been for the EPL, plenty of goals to whet our appetite for the festive season, however the quality of the matches has been overshadowed by the racism controversies surrounding two of the EPL’s best players.

A couple of days ago Luis Suarez was banned for 8 matches for alleged racial abuse against Patrice Evra during the Manchester United v Liverpool clash over 2 months ago. If this wasn’t bad enough, news filtered through yesterday that John Terry also has a case to answer in regards to the racial comments he allegedly made to Anton Ferdinand in Chelsea’s match against QPR just a week after the Suarez incident.

The difference between the two as it stands is that the FA have no evidence that Luis Suarez made any comments to Patrice Evra, the FA admitted as much yesterday. While in John Terry’s case there was enough evidence to suggest something occurred as England’s Crown Prosecution Service has authorised criminal charges to be laid against Terry.

Racial abuse in Football is something that will never be condoned, I just don’t know whether the FA are digging themselves a hole here by banning a Uruguayan for 8 matches and fining him £40,000 based on no evidence, while the Englishman who has been criminally charged has yet to be punished. The most John Terry could be fined if he is found guilty in the courts is £2,500 and this would obviously not carry a ban from any number of matches.

Kick Racism Out of Football - Luis Suarez, John Terry

The John Terry matter won’t be seen in the courts until February at the earliest and any decision may not come from this until April/May of 2012. Meaning John Terry would be free to play out the remainder of the 2011/12 EPL season with no consequences while Luis Suarez sits out the busiest time of the year.

Should John Terry be found guilty of racial abuse it will be interesting to see whether the FA takes any further action against him on top of the punishment dished out by the courts, or whether they try and justify no action against Terry stating that the decision of the courts is punishment enough.

That would be a cop out and would mean that Liverpool would be without their best striker over the busy holiday period, while Chelsea keep their best defender for much of the Premier League season despite evidence suggesting that Terry actually has a case to answer while Suarez was banned for 8 matches based on no evidence.

The FA need to take action against Terry now if they want to avoid another racial controversy, this time it would be the FA’s favouritism of an Englishman over a Uruguayan!

Let us know your thoughts on this issue in the comments section!

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10 Best Sporting Moments of 2011

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What a year 2011 has been from a sporting perspective. With so many amazing triumphs this year, both individual and team based, here at Sports Banter we thought it was necessary to go through our top 10 sporting moments.

On the flip side, 2011 was also a year of sporting scandals, infamous matches and failed attempts at tv careers. We’ll get to that one tomorrow though. For now, here are our top 10 sporting moments of 2011, let us know if you agree or disagree with any of these in the comments section.

10. Manchester Clubs Knocked out of the UEFA Champions League

I had to include this one as this was one of my highlights of the year. Both clubs were earmarked to progress quite far in the competition and I don’t think I was the only one who enjoyed seeing both teams crash out early.

Manchester United exit the UEFA Champions League - Best sporting moments of 2011
Courtesy of the Telegraph.co.uk

As an Arsenal fan, it was made even more special by the fact that supporters of both clubs had been giving it to me over the 8-2 hammering (Man Utd) and the defection of two of our best players to Manchester City.

Manchester City exit the UEFA Champions League - Best sporting moments of 2011
Courtesy of The Guardian

It really couldn’t have happened to two classier clubs or supporters!

9. Queensland Reds Win the Super Rugby competition for 2011.

2011 was a great year for Australia in the Super Rugby tournament with the Queensland Reds taking out the title defeating the always strong Crusaders in the final 18-13.

Queensland Reds Super Rugby Final Champions - Best sporting moments of 2011
Courtesy of the Daily Telegraph

Both areas, Queensland and Christchurch, had been devastated by floods and earthquakes respectively and you could tell it meant a lot to the players in what was an emotional send off to season 2011.

8. Kelly Slater’s 11th World Surfing Title

What more is there to say about this bloke, a true champion and despite being 39 he is still going strong, he did leave it until the last two minutes of his heat to take out the title but this just shows his character.

Kelly Slater 11th World Title - Best sporting moments of 2011
Courtesy of Salt Water Dreaming

There was controversy too as Slater was handed the title prematurely and had to wait another few days for the boffins to sort out the numbers before being officially crowned for his 11th Title.

7. Barcelona Win the 2011 UEFA Champions League Against Manchester United

It seems like I’m picking on Manchester United but I truly believe that Barcelona winning the Champions League, and in the fashion that they did, is a vindication for the beauttiful game and the way it should be played. As an Arsenal fan I’m no fan of either side, in fact I probably hate Barcelona more than United due to the amount of tapping up they did to lure Cesc Fabregas back to Barcelona.

Barcelona 2011 UEFA Champions League Winners - Best sporting moments of 2011
Courtesy of Sport360

However, the way that Barcelona plays the game on the pitch is something to behold and it would have been a travesty had United got the better of them with their boring style of football.

6. Six Series Wins in a Row for the Queensland State of Origin Team

This would have been higher up my list if I was not a proud New South Welshman, and the fact that Queensland probably had 4 future immortals making up the spine of the side in Billy Slater, Darren Lockyer, Jonathan Thurston and Cameron Smith. Still a mean feat to go 6 series wins in a row in this day and age so it definitely warranted a spot in my top 10.

Queensland State of Origin - Six Straight - Best Sporting moments of 2011
Courtesy of the Courier Mail

You may see this pop up again in the worst sporting moments of 2011 though, it may even rate higher in that list!

5. Black Caviar – 16 Straight Wins

Wow, what more can I say about this magnificent creature, many already consider Black Caviar to be the best sprinter in the world and I would not disagree with that. Pharlap had 14 straight wins, so I think you can see why there is so much hype about this horse!

Black Caviar 16 Straight Wins - Best sporting moments of 2011
Courtesy of foxsports.com.au

We now have to wait until the end of January to see her in action again when she takes part in the Australia Stakes at Moonee Valley. There are also plans to test her out on the International stage, with a run at Royal Ascot planned for mid 2012.

4. Brisbane Roar – 36 Match Unbeaten Streak in the Hyundai A-League

The Brisbane Roar made Australian sporting history just a few weeks ago when they passed the total of 35 matches unbeaten set by the Eastern Suburbs Rugby League club, now known as the Roosters, on their way to 36 matches unbeaten in the A-League. The Roar’s run was ended in early December by Sydney FC at Kogarah in atrocious conditions.

Brisbane Roar 36 matches unbeaten A-League - Best sporting moments of 2011
Courtesy of foxsports.com.au

As is usually the case with these sorts of records, once they end the team tends to go on a bit of a downward spiral and it seems that the Brisbane Roar have been affected, with 4 losses in a row now since they broke that long standing record.

3. New Zealand All Blacks Winning the 2011 Rugby World Cup on Home Soil

Favourites right from the start of the competition, the New Zealand All Blacks got the job done albeit in a tight finish against Les Blues at Eden Park. Like the Crusaders before them, the All Blacks were doing it for a Country in mourning after the devastating earthquakes in February of this year.

New Zealand All Blacks win 2011 Rugby World Cup - Best sporting moments of 2011
Courtesy of the Mirror

The All Blacks had not won the Rugby World Cup since it’s inception in 1987, a 24 year gap between wins, and did it with Captain Richie McCaw playing on a bung foot for much of the tournament.

2. Novak Djokovic Going 43 Matches Unbeaten in the ATP

What a year for the Joker as he swept all before him, including Federer and Nadal. on his way to an unbelievable 43 match winning streak which only ended in June at the hands of Roger Federer in the French Open. Clay obviously isn’t his forte so it was no surprise that he was eventually undone on that surface.

Novak Djokovic 43 Unbeaten - Best sporting moments of 2011
Courtesy of tennis.si.com

I think it will be a while before we see that sort of winning streak again, an amazing achievement by the Joker and at his age he will be around for many years to come!

1. Cadel Evans – 2011 Tour de France Winner!

I think this easily rates as the best sporting moment of 2011. Cadel Evans finished runner-up in the Tour de France on two previous occasions, that alone would be enough to hang up the bike and call it a day. Not for Cadel though, at 34 years old, the fifth oldest winner in the Tours history, Cadel became the first Australian to win the event in it’s 108 year history.

Cadel Evans - 2011 Tour de France Winner - Best sporting moments of 2011
Courtesy of news.com.au

I personally can’t think of a better achievement in the sporting landscape that was 2011. To come back and win the Tour de France after numerous setbacks is an outstanding achievement. To think of all the setbacks that he has endured, being born with a broken nose, kicked in the head by a horse as an eight year old that put him in a coma for weeks, then to finish second in 2007 and 2008 by less than a minute…. Anyone else would have given up!

Let us know your thoughts on our 10 Best Sporting Moments of 2011 in the comments section, and be sure to check back tomorrow for our 10 Worst Sporting Moments of 2011.

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Barclays Premier League 2011/12 – Week 17 Preview

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Week 17 of the Barclays Premier League comes to us midweek with the league now hotting up for the festive season. Get used to it too as over the next few weeks we are treated to a smorgasboard of EPL action before we have a 10 day break in the middle of January.

Over the weekend we had some cracking matches, culminating in the match of the round between Manchester City and Arsenal this morning at the City of Manchester Stadium, and what a match it was. The scoreline may have only read 1-0 to Manchester City but that doesn’t tell the real story. Countless chances, unbelievable saves from both goalkeepers, a controversial disallowed goal for offside against Arsenal which would have levelled the scores, and an even more controversial penalty turned down by referee Phil Dowd for a blatant handball.

Manchester City v Arsenal - Premier League preview

Courtesy of the Telegraph.co.uk

Let’s just hope we get the same sort of action in this run of midweek games.

The matches kick off tomorrow morning our time and rather than a detailed preview like we’d normally produce, time restrictions have forced us to go with a shortened version of the preview for these midweek fixtures, I promise we’ll produce a bumper holiday version of our EPL preview for the weekends matches!

Of all the matches this week, probably the most crucial to the makeup of the top 4 is the Tottenham v Chelsea match on Thursday morning. Chelsea could only manage a 1-1 draw with Wigan over the weekend, while Tottenham had a narrow 1-0 win over Sunderland this morning. 

A win for Chelsea here would propel them back into third place ahead of their London neighbours.

All of the other top 4 contenders have relatively easy matches to contend with but this time of year has been known to throw up some surprises, so I wouldn’t bet against an upset or two over the course of the next few days.

Twitter hashtags Barclays Premier League

sportsbanter.com.au Tips:

Wolves v Norwich City – #wolvesvncfc – Draw
Blackburn  Bolton – #brfcvbwfc – Draw
Aston Villa v Arsenal – #avfcvafc – Arsenal
Man City v Stoke City – #mcfcvstoke – Man City
Newcastle v West Brom – #nufcvwba – Newcastle
Everton v Swansea – #efcvscfc – Everton
Fulham v Man Utd – #ffcvmufc – Man Utd
QPR v Sunderland – #qprvsfc – QPR
Wigan v Liverpool – #wiganvlfc – Liverpool
Tottenham v Chelsea – #thfcvcfc – Chelsea

Banter’s Best Bets:

Wolves v Norwich City – Draw @ $3.40
Blackburn v Bolton – Total Game Score Over +2.5 @ $1.70
Aston Villa v Arsenal – Arsenal @ $1.75
Man City v Stoke City – Total Game Score Over +2.5 @ $1.45
Newcastle v West Brom – Newcastle @ $1.90
Everton v Swansea – Total Game Score Under +2.5 @ $1.75
Fulham v Man Utd – Man Utd @ $1.65
QPR v Sunderland – Total Game Score Under +2.5 @ $1.75
Wigan v Liverpool – Total Game Score Over +1.5 @ $1.25
Tottenham v Chelsea – Total Game Score Under +3.5 @ $1.33


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English Premier League 2011/12 – Week 16 Preview

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Over the coming weeks we are going to be treated to a festive feast of football with the English Premier League going into overdrive over the holiday season. Just a few days after the conclusion of week 16 we get struck straight into the next match week, but we’ll get into that in another preview. 

Stay tuned at the bottom of the preview for our tips and best bets of the week. 

Some quality matches are in store for us this weekend, most notably though is Manchester City v Arsenal at the City of Manchester Stadium. This match is like David v Goliath in terms of the way each football club is run. Manchester City with their moneybags and Arsenal with their reliance on youth, this will be an intriguing match to say the least. Last season Arsenal were unbeaten against City with a 3-0 in Manchester, and Man City played out a 0-0 draw at the Emirates.

English Premier League Preview 2011/12
Courtesy of Talksport.co.uk 

To add to the hype surrounding this match, it’s made even more tasty by the fact that two of Arsenal’s best players jumped ship in the summer, their destination, you guessed it, Manchester. For any player to say that their sole reason for going to Manchester City is the chance to win trophies is a crock of you know what. It all came down to money and everybody knows it.

Money though, hasn’t been able to buy Manchester City progression to the knock out stages of the Champions league, something Arsene Wenger has managed for Arsenal for 15 consecutive years, on what many would call a shoestring budget. A win for Arsenal here would almost vindicate all of the decisions Arsene has made in recent seasons. Not many have given them a chance here but that’s the beauty of the English Premier League, upsets are common.

The disappointing thing after last weeks loss against Chelsea is that we won’t get to see Machester City’s Gael Clichy turn out against the club he called home for over 7 years. Samir Nasri is no guarantee to start the match either, condemned to the bench for many of City’s games so far this season, most notably the important games too, he’s moved from being an integral part of Arsenal’s first team, to being a bench warmer, not about the money my ass!

Anyway, back to the preview, the Manchester City v Arsenal match isn’t on our screens until Monday morning, in fact only one of the top 6, Chelsea, are in action on Saturday this week, all of the others play on Sunday, until then we have the following matches to keep us busy. 

First up on Sunday morning our time is Blackburn v West Brom at Ewood Park. Blackburn went down 2-1 to Sunderland last weekend and are currently sitting second last on the ladder, West Brom went down 2–1 to Wigan and dropped to 15th on the table. It’s safe to say that both these teams are not in good form at the moment and relegation looms should it continue.

Blackburn’s manager Steve Kean must be on his last legs at the club, he apparently has the backing of the board but the fans are less impressed with a number of protests already taking place to try and oust Kean. This can’t be good for the club and the lack of unity only seems to be making things worse. I can’t see much more than a draw in this game, both teams in poor form should cancel each other out.

English Premier League Preview - Everton
Courtesy of Football365.co.uk

Next up we have Everton hosting Norwich City at Goodison Park. Everton are coming off a 1-0 loss against Arsenal thanks to a piece of van Persie magic, but didn’t really look like threatening at the other end, they actually looked better going forward when Saha went off and was replaced by Distin. Norwich got up over Newcastle in a goal fest, winning the match 4-2 to condemn Newcastle to their 3rd straight defeat.

Norwich overtook Everton as a result of last weeks matches and Everton will no doubt like to climb back into the top half of the table after dropping to 12th this week. A win for Everton will see them go ahead of Norwich on goal difference and that’s the way I see this one heading.

Bolton travel to London next to take on Fulham at Craven Cottage. Bolton currently sit dead last on the table and really look void of any confidence at the moment. Fulham have dropped down to 15th after their 2-0 loss to Swansea on the weekend and the news didn’t get any better for them midweek with the news that Mark Schwarzer will miss the next 6 weeks with an injury.

Bolton, they went down 2-1 to Aston Villa at home, they still have just the one win at home and that really says it all about their season so far. Despite Schwarzer’s injury I still think Fulham will get the win here.

Newcastle United and Swansea City lock horns next and this may just be the best chance for Newcastle to get some much needed points and stay in touch with the top 6. Newcastle have lost their last 3 matches and have just 1 point from the last 12 available which saw them drop from outright 3rd on the table to now being outside the European places. They’ll also be without Dan Gosling after he got himself sent off against Norwich on the weekend.

Swansea got a 2-0 victory over Fulham at the Liberty Stadium and they’ll fancy their chances in this one, although their away form has been dodgy to say the least with just 2 points from 7 matches on the road. I think Newcastle will get their season back on track with a win at home.

The Molineux Stadium is the scene for our next English Premier League encounter with Wolves hosting Stoke City. Wolves are coming off a 4-1 hammering at the hands of Manchester United last weekend, but in all fairness anyone was going to struggle against a Unted side hell bent on taking out their UCL exit frustrations on someone. Stoke City handed Tottenham their first loss since the end of August and Tony Pulis’ men currently sit in 8th place on the table.

Wolves have been fairly good at home with 10 of their 14 points coming at the Molineux, while Stoke have been less than convincing away from home picking up just 7 of their 21 points on the road. I fancy this one to end in a draw to be honest, I’ll go with 2-2.

English Premier League Preview - Cech
Courtesy of ChelseaFC.co.uk

The only top 6 side to take part in English Premier League action on Sunday morning, Chelsea, take on Wigan at the DW Stadium. Chelsea’s confidence would have skyrocketed during the week following their fantastic 2-1 win over Manchester City on Tuesday morning. Andre Villas-Boas has turned his Chelsea side around in recent weeks, qualifying for the next stage of the Champions League and culminating in that win over high flying Manchester City, their first loss of the season.

Wigan came away from the Hawthorns last week with a win, beating West Brom 2-1. It wasn’t enough to get them clear of the relegation zone but they are definitely improving. The problem is that Chelsea tend to give them a walloping each season and I think this may just be the case again this weekend, Chelsea by a few goals seems a good bet here.

Sunday night our time sees QPR host Manchester United from Loftus Road. QPR are coming off a narrow 1-0 defeat to Liverpool last weekend, the first win Liverpool have had this season against the 3 promoted sides. Manchester United put 4 past Wolves with both Rooney and Nani scoring braces, Wolves goal merely a consolation in an emphatic win for United.

Manchester United have moved to within 2 points of neighbours Manchester City at the top of the table and a win here will actually see United go top for the first time this season as Man City don’t play until the following day. I can’t see any other outcome here to be honest, but there won’t be many goals, I think we’ll see one of Man United’s customary 1-0 wins on this occasion.

English Premier League Preview - Suarez
Courtesy of goal.com

Liverpool travel to Villa Park on Monday morning our time, they take on an Aston Villa side who are coming off a 2-1 win away to Bolton last weekend. Liverpool themselves are coming off a win, a 1-0 victory at home to QPR. Liverpool currently sit in 6th place on the ladder and a win could propel them to 5th if they win by 3 goals or more with Arsenal not playing until later that day.

Liverpool will still have the services of Luis Suarez as the FA have granted the Uruguayan a stay of execution, he now has more time to prepare a defence for the two charges that have been laid against him. That’s great news for Liverpool heading into the busy festive period, they can use all the firepower they can get and Suarez is a match winner. I just hope that he will eventually learn to stay on his feet as he is a better player than all the diving lately would suggest, it’s not something we need in the game!

I think Liverpool will win at Villa Park, their away record isn’t too bad with 4 wins from 7 games, there shouldnt be too many goals in this one either and I wouldn’t be surprised to see another 1-0 on our hands here.

Just prior the the match of the week, Tottenham will be looking to get their season going again with a clash against Sunderland at White Hart Lane. Tottenham suffered their first defeat since the end of August when they were taken down 2-1 by Stoke last week. Sunderland were on the other end of that same scoreline defeating Blackburn at the Stadium of Light.

Tottenham’s loss let Chelsea overtake them on goal difference although they do have a game in hand still to come against Everton, they do say it’s better to have the points on the board though as there’s no guarantee they’ll come out of that game with anything. I think Tottenham should hit back this week and could put a few goals past this Sunderland outfit that is still getting used to the way that Martin O’Neill wants them to play.

Last but definitely not least, the big one, Manchester City v Arsenal. I’ve already previewed the match so I guess all that’s left is to give my tip. Well I wouldn’t be loyal to my team if I tipped against them, and I actually think they are a big chance in this one given the recent disappointments Man City have had to endure. For that reason, and a player named Robin van Persie, I think the Gunners will get the points and continue this season’s resurgence.

English Premier League – sportsbanter.com.au Tips:

Blackburn v West Brom – #brfcvwba – Draw
Everton v Norwich – #efcvncfc – Everton
Fulham v Bolton – #ffcvbwfc – Fulham
Newcastle v Swansea – #nufcvscfc – Newcastle
Wolves v Stoke – #wolvesvstoke – Draw
Wigan v Chelsea – #wiganvcfc – Chelsea
QPR v Man Utd – #qprvmufc – Man Utd
Aston Villa v Liverpool – #avfcvlfc – Liverpool
Tottenham v Sunderland – #thfcvsfc – Tottenham
Man City v Arsenal – #mcfcvafc – Arsenal

English Premier League – Banter’s Best Bets:

Blackburn v West Brom – West Brom +0.5 @ $1.60
Everton v Norwich – Everton @ $1.60
Fulham v Bolton – Total Game Score Under +2.5 @ $1.91
Newcastle v Swansea – Total Game Score Over +2.5 @ $1.80
Wolves v Stoke – Draw @ $3.20
Wigan v Chelsea – Total Game Score Over +2.5 @ $1.65
QPR v Man Utd – Man Utd @ $1.44
Aston Villa v Liverpool – Total Game Score Under +2.5 @ $1.68
Tottenham v Sunderland – Total Game Score Over +2.5 @ $1.68
Man City v Arsenal – Arsenal +0.5 @ $2.15


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Steve’s Sportingbet Multibet of the Week – 16 December 2011

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It’s that time again, time to try and take the bookie’s money. Last week we managed to get 8 from 11 on the multibet, we were let down 3 out of 4 games on the Monday morning and all we needed was literally 1 more goal in each of the games and we would have had a massive payout.

This week I’ve gone along the same lines, mainly going for the overs and unders while also going for a couple of outrights just to break things up. This week I’ve split the legs more evenly over the British and European football leagues so we have less reliance on any particular league.

The payout is half as much as last weeks with odds of $47.36 but this is due to there being less risks taken overall.

Hit us up in the comments section if you have any multibet’s that you think are a chance this weekend, or just any general comments on the multibet we have put up this week.

Good luck and happy punting!

Multibet of the Week

Sportingbet Multibet - 16 December 2011 - Sports Betting

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Sportsbanter’s Weekend Sports Wrap – 12 December 2011

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A lot to get through this morning with plenty of action over the weekend, we start off locally with week 10 of the A-League and then continue with the weekends Barclays Premier League action and a look at “El Clasico” from Sunday morning.

Hyundai A-League

Five days ago the Roar seemed invincible. What a difference a week makes with the Roar falling to their second consecutive defeat, this time at the hands of a pumped up Melbourne Heart side.

First half goals to Argentinian Jonatan Germano and teenager Eli Babalj gave Melbourne Heart a 2-1 victory that gives every other club in the league hope for this season.

Brisbane threatened another one of its stunning comebacks after Mitch Nicholls scrambled a 77th minute-goal over the line but in the end a win for Heart was nothing more than they deserved. Brisbane will now need to regroup as they take on Wellington Phoenix in Dunedin on Wednesday night. 

Courtesy of news.com.au

Wellington Phoenix got a crucial 1-0 A-League win over Perth Glory at Westpac Stadium on Saturday with Ben Sigmund scoring the only goal late in the game.

The winner came in the 85th minute and was the only thing separating the teams in what was a pretty dull and not very entertaining match to be honest. The Phoenix did finish the match with 10 men after substitute Mirjan Pavlovic was sent off for a shocking tackle on Steve Pantelidis from behind deep in stoppage-time, causing more woe for Ricky Herbert with the Phoenix needing all the troops they can muster for the match on Wednesday against the Roar.

Central Coast Mariners have moved to equal top spot in the Hyundai A-League after dispatching local rivals Newcastle 2-0 in an emphatic win at Bluetongue Stadium in Gosford on Saturday night.

The Mariners led 1-0 at half-time courtesy of a headed goal to Rostyn Griffiths in the 25th minute before they sealed the three points when Matt Simon scored his fourth goal of the campaign just before the hour was up.

The win means the Mariners have now gone seven matches without defeat, picking up 19 out of a possible 21 points and sit equal with the Roar on points after their loss on Friday night. It now looks like more horses have joined the race for the A-League title with the Roar dropping back to the pack following their record breaking run.

Late on Saturday night Adelaide United snatched a 1-1 draw with Melbourne Victory at Etihad Stadium with Barbiero the hero with an 82nd minute goal.

In front of 16,562 fans, Victory looked set to take home all three points after Archie Thompson grabbed his fourth goal of the campaign just before the hour mark but it wasn’t to be as Barbiero ensured the Victory went home with another draw, that makes it 6 draws from 10 games now.

Victory could still have won it in the closing stages but Harry Kewell had a shot cleared off the line by Cameron Watson and then both Carlos Hernandez and Grant Brebner failed from within the six-yard box to connect with a Kewell cross with the goal at their mercy.

Gold Coast United have finally broken their run of five successive defeats but they still remain rooted to the bottom of the Hyundai A-League ladder, playing out a 0-0 draw with Sydney FC at Skilled Park in what were atrocious conditions.

It was quite a gloomy day on the Gold Coast and just prior to kick off rain was bucketing down, the conditions made it hard to play real football and Ben Williams was kept extrtemely busy, dishing out nine yellow cards – seven of which went to Sydney – in what was at times a spiteful affair.

While the hosts will be happy to have escaped with their first point since October, the Sky Blues were on the back foot for most of the match and failed to carry on the momentum built when they ended Brisbane’s record undefeated streak last weekend, despite this they will probably be happy to have escaped from the two matches with 4 points under their belt and knowing that they were the ones to knock Brisbane off their perch.

Couresy of insideworldsoccer.com

Barclays Premier League

Manchester United bounced back from their UEFA Champions League disappointment with victory over Wolves, while Robin van Persie was the hero once again for Arsenal as they took down Everton on their 125th Anniversary.

Arsenal 1 Everton 0
Bolton 1 Aston Villa 2
Liverpool 1 QPR 0
Man Utd 4 Wolves 1
Norwich 4 Newcastle 2
Swansea 2 Fulham 0
West Brom 1 Wigan 2
Sunderland 2 Blackburn 1
Stoke 2 Tottenham 1

Robin van Persie scored an absolute screamer to lift Arsenal to a 1-0 win over Everton at the Emirates Stadium and give the fans reason for celebration on the 125th Anniversary of the club. Thierry Henry gave the dutchman a standing ovation for his effort, a goal that even he would have been proud of.

An affair that Arsenal largely dominated but without much to show for it turned in their favour in the 70th minute when Alex Song delivered a a ball over the top to in-form captain Van Persie.

Van Persie judged the ball perfectly, firing home on the volley to mark his 15th league goal this season and lift the Gunners into fourth place on the table, albeit it temporarily with Chelsea due to play Manchester City tomorrow morning.

Aston Villa piled more pressure on Owen Coyle’s Bolton with a 2-1 victory at the Reebok Stadium which leaves them rock bottom of the table this week.

Marc Albrighton handed the visitors the lead in the 33rd minute when he fired in a low shot from a few yards out, before Stiliyan Petrov added to the Trotters’ troubles as his shot took a deflection off Gary Cahill and unluckily into the back of the net.

Bolton did manage to pull one back after the break when a Tuncay pass fell to Ivan Klasnic in the area, allowing him to spin and hook the ball home, but Villa held on for a much needed win.

Liverpool climbed the table this week with a 1-0 triumph at home to QPR inspired by Luis Suarez’s second-half header at Anfield.

The Reds could be without their star striker for an extended period if the Argentinian is punished for either of the two claims the FA are currently investigating, however they have him to thank as just after the interval he applied a glancing header to a pinpoint Charlie Adam cross to plant the ball in the back of the net.

The victory sees Kenny Dalglish’s men leapfrog Newcastle into sixth after their campaign hit another bump at Norwich on Sunday.

Manchester United were in desperate need of a win after crashing out of Europe in midweek and Wolves were the side on the end of it, United romping to a 4-1 triumph over at Old Trafford as Nani and Wayne Rooney grabbed two goals each.

Nani fired the hosts ahead in the 17th minute, leaving Wayne Hennessy with no chance when he picked up the ball from a short corner before smashing a low, powerful shot home.

Rooney doubled the scoreline in the 27th minute, ending his Premier League goal drought dating back to September 18th with a low drive from 25 yards.

Wolves snatched one back immediately after the restart when in form Steven Fletcher nodded into the top corner but Nani put the Red Devils back in the driving seat soon after when he tapped home an Antonio Valencia cross.

Valencia played provider once again as Rooney added his second from just inside the box to seal the commanding win. This sort of goal scoring form could have come in handy in the UCL but he will now have to settle with scoring goals in the Europa League.

Norwich handed Newcastle their third defeat in four games at Carrow Road as they secured a 4-2 victory, with Grant Holt and Demba Ba both bagging braces. Newcastle are on a shocking run of form that has seen them drop from the top 3 to out of the European places within a few weeks.

Wes Hoolahan handed the Canaries the lead in the first half when he tucked the ball over the line from close range in the scramble that followed a 39th minute corner.

Toon’s top scorer Demba Ba then levelled the match up on the stroke of half-time, pouncing on an impressive Yohan Cabaye pass before coolly slotting home into the bottom corner of the net.

The second half was a goal fest with Grant Holt powering home off the underside of the crossbar in the 59th minute after his initial shot was parried back into his path by Tim Krul. Steve Morison then stretched their lead when he thumped the ball in just four minutes later and the Toon’s afternoon then went from bad to worse when Dan Gosling was dismissed for a raised foot on Russell Martin.

Newcastle kept fighting though as Ba added a second off a perfectly-weighted ball from Shola Ameobi but Holt completed his own brace to wrap up the win for Norwich City.

Clint Dempsey saw a penalty saved as Swansea beat Fulham 2-0 at home. The Liberty Stadium clash was locked at 0-0 until the 56th minute when a Scott Sinclair shot took a massive deflection off Dempsey, sending Mark Schwarzer the wrong way for the opener.

The Fulham man’s afternoon then continued to go downhill in the late stages when his penalty was saved by Swans keeper Michel Vorm.

The referee had pointed to the spot after Cottagers substitute Kerim Frei was hauled down by Ashley Richards in the box.

The Swans completed their win late on when substitute Danny Graham scrambled to knock home a Mark Gower corner.

Wigan managed to climb off the bottom of the standings and out of the drop zone with a much-needed 2-1 triumph over West Brom at the Hawthorns.

Defender Steven Reid scored just his second goal in six years when he opened the scoring for West Brom in the 33rd minute.

He found the back of the net from a 25-yard free-kick which was conceded by Gary Caldwell, lifting a superb shot over the Wigan wall and beating goalkeeper Ali Al Habsi.

Albion’s lead only lasted four minutes, however, as Victor Moses replied by bending a brilliant strike into the top right-hand corner from edge of the box.

Wigan then took the lead in the second half when Reid brought down Moses in the area and Jordi Gomez made no mistake in converting the resulting penalty, he sent Ben Foster the wrong way and rolled the ball into the bottom corner to give Wigan a much needed win.

On Sunday Tottenham’s 11-match unbeaten run ended with a 2-1 loss at Stoke City.

Matthew Etherington, who played for Tottenham for 3 years early in his career, scored twice in the first half to help send the Spurs to their first defeat since August 28 2011.

Emmanuel Adebayor scored a penalty in the 62nd minute for Tottenham, but they also had Younes Kaboul sent off for a second bookable offence, although replays showed it was quite harsh on Spurs.

In the other game, Sunderland celebrated Martin O’Neill’s first match in charge by beating Blackburn 2-1. Sebastian Larsson scored the winner during injury time to lift them out of the relegation zone and get their season back on track.

Blackburn had reason to be upset with the result with a late penalty decision going against them however it was not to be and Blackburn remain rooted to the bottom of the table. O’Neill, who hasn’t coached for over a year since parting ways with Aston Villa, guided Sunderland to only their third victory of the season.

Courtesy of the Mirror

El Clasico

Barcelona came from behind to win 3-1 at Real Madrid in an eventful “El Clasico”.

In the seventh and final Clasico of 2011, Real Madrid knew that a win would send them six points ahead of bitter rivals Barca with a game in hand.

Jose Mourinho’s league-leading side couldn’t have made a better start by going in front after just 22 seconds – the quickest goal in the Clasico’s history.

Barcelona goalkeeper Victor Valdes’ poor clearance fell to the feet of Real’s Angel Di Maria, who drilled the ball into the penalty area only for Sergio Busquets to block its progress.

The rebound fell to Mesut Oezil and his volley deflected off Busquets, before Karim Benzema was able to lash home from six yards. A comedy of errors and not the best start for Barca.

Real continued to impress and they could have doubled their lead when Cristiano Ronaldo skewed his shot wide, though Di Maria was perhaps better placed to his right, Ronaldo perhaps a bit selfish but when you have a goal scoring record like his why wouldn’t you be?

Real were in control with Barcelona’s opportunities limited just to counter-attacks, however the visitors levelled proceedings on the half-hour mark through Chile forward Alexis Sanchez.

Lionel Messi was the provider, with the 24-year-old skipping by several challenges before sliding a weighted through ball to Sanchez to fire home adeptly from the edge of the area

Both sides went into the break locked at 1-1, but that changed eight minutes after half-time, when Barcelona were handed the lead thanks to a large slice of fortune.

Xavi’s speculative volley 25 yards from goal took a massive deflection off Marcelo to wrong-foot Real goalkeeper Iker Casillas, with the ball spinning off the post and into the back of the net.

Ronaldo then wasted another good opportunity, with the Real captain heading wide despite being completely unmarked inside the penalty area.

The hosts were made to pay for their profligacy, as a quick counter-attack ended with Cesc Fabregas scoring his eighth goal for his new club.

Messi slid the ball out to Dani Alves on the right, who whipped in a terrific cross towards the backpost. It was met by an unmarked Fabregas, who headed home.

Real had some late opportunities to get themselves back into the contest, but Barca held firm to move to the top of the La Liga table on goal difference. Real do have a game in hand but you’d much rather have the points in the bank to be honest.

Any thoughts on this weekends action, feel free to comment or visit our forum.

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Steve’s Sportingbet Multi of the Week – 9 December 2011

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Another week, another multi. This week I’ve gone with more unders and overs as they seem to be working the best for us lately. In saying that though we have gone with a couple of straight up bets taking Arsenal and Celtic to win outright.

The odds for this weeks multi come to $103.79/1 so it’s not a bad return considering we haven’t taken too many risks. We are just about due for a win so hopefully this is the one that pays off.

Feel free to let us know of any multi’s you plan on putting on for the weekend in the comments section.

Good Luck!

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