Iceland - Norway

This campaign comes to the end for home side and they almost sure will be at the last place in group 9. Although Iceland have been improving their results in past years, they’re still far from the best European teams. Just one win and a draw in seven group games. In the first round they surprised tonight’s opponent in Oslo, displaying brave performance. 2-2 draw at the end, but interesting is Iceland could even to win, hitting a post in additional time. Other positive result is 1-0 home win against FYR Macedonia. In all five defeats they showed some potential, putting a decent resist, especially at home. Best group teams, Netherlands and Scotland, both hardly won in Reykjavik (and both 2-1). But, also Iceland lost a friendly at home from Faroe Islands (again 1-2). So, much depends from players’ motivation which, I guess, won’t be on the highest level tonight. Last game, last place, I can not see anything positive in their possible thinking, except maybe to make a good performance for the fans. National team coach Olafur Johannesson can not count on skipper (and Portsmouth player) Hermann Hreidarsson, all others are fit and available.

Norway will try to qualify for a final countdown after ten years (last time they were on Euro 2000). They have been facing a lots of problems again, despite the not so strong group where they were considered as the second strongest team (behind the Dutch). After a weak start and draws with Iceland (2-2 at home) and Scotland (0-0 on the road) and home defeat vs. Netherlands (0-1), coach Hareide announced his resignation. His replacement, Egil Olsen, brought some improvements. In his first game on the national team bench, Norway surprisingly defeated Germany (1-0 away) in a friendly. In group, draw in Macedonia (0-0) and predictable defeat in Netherlands (0-2). In last round Norway trashed Scotland at home (4-0) and it was a big boost for a team morale. They’re now again in the race for the 2nd place, but have to make two wins (in last round will host FYR Macedonia). Coach Olsen had some injury worries, Iverssen, Skjelbred and Wisnes had to leave national team because the injuries, but they’re more like a fringe players and best eleven will appear tonight. Carew has been ill for a while, but he’ll play.

Iceland will try to play for the fans and avoid another defeat, but Norway have much more quality and they’re more than motivated. Three points will push them hard to South Africa. Their best players are in late football years and won’t get a second chance. Also good relationship between Scandinavian countries (and national teams) shouldn’t be forgotten. This odd is not too low, it precisely reflects the risk. 1.80 at Expekt. Away win.

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Saturday's gossip column

TRANSFER GOSSIP

Manchester United are facing a battle to hold on to England defender Rio Ferdinand who is a target for both Real Madrid and Barcelona. (The Sun) 
Former Arsenal midfielder Freddie Ljungberg will meet Gunners boss Arsene Wenger this weekend to discuss a possible loan move back to the Emirates. (The Sun) 
Chelsea's transfer embargo will force them to miss out on Swindon's teenage winger Alex Henshall, clearing the way for Premier League rivals Manchester United and Everton. (Daily Mirror) 
Wigan boss Roberto Martinez wants to sign Cameroon midfielder Modeste M'Bami who is now a free agent after leaving French club Marseille. (Daily Mirror) 
Blackpool boss Ian Holloway is in talks with Aston Villa to sign young midfielder Isaiah Osbourne on loan for the rest of the year. (Daily Mirror) 
Middlesbrough striker Afonso Alves is on the brink of joining Qatar club Al-Sadd. (Daily Mirror) 

OTHER GOSSIP

Fifa has warned Chelsea they could have their worldwide transfer ban for poaching Lens teenager Gael Kakuta increased if they lose an appeal against the original punishment, which prevents them buying players until January 2011. (Daily Star) 
Football's governing body also insist that the measures dealt out to Chelsea could be just the beginning of the governing body's quest to eradicate player poaching, with the dealings of other English clubs also under investigation. (Daily Mirror) 
Fabio Capello will honour his contract, which runs until 2012, and not walk away from the England job says Football Association chief executive Ian Watmore. (Daily Star) 
Chelsea captain John Terry says that Arsenal striker Eduardo did dive to earn a penalty during the Champions League tie with Celtic - thus earning the Croat a two-game ban. (The Sun) 
Russian billionaire Alisher Usmanov is preparing to increase his shares in Arsenal over the 29.9% mark, thus automatically triggering a takeover bid for the club. (The Sun) 
Chelsea midfielder Michael Ballack has admitted he may quit the Blues when his contract expires at the end of this season. (The Sun) 
Inter Milan boss Jose Mourinho is the highest earning star in Italian football, on £9.6m a season - the first time a non-player has topped the annual earnings chart. (The Sun) 
Burnley are ready to hand hard-up local rivals Accrington Stanley a major cash boost by playing them in a fund-raising friendly at Turf Moor on Tuesday. (Daily Mirror) 

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AND FINALLY

Argentina coach Diego Maradona organised a mass prayer for his squad at their training ground on Thursday as they prepare for their vital World Cup qualifier with Brazil. Defeat to their fierce rivals in the match, which kicks off at 0130 BST on Sunday could see Argentina drop out of the automatic qualifying spots for South Africa 2010. (Daily Mirror)
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Betting Strategies (Part 2) - Strategy for doubles (two bets)

Betting strategy for doubles (two bets)

Conditions:
-Make a choice of 6 events with a big possibility to happen
-Three combos with 2 events each
-Odd on one combo can not be lower than 3.00
-Stake on every combo must be the same

It is necessary to choose 6 events to bet on. That 6 events should be placed on 3 combos with 2 events.

Suppose the stake per one combo is 10 money units which means the total stake is 3x10=30 money units.

Calculation is very simple.

-If I hit all 6 events, I have all 3 winning combos
Stake:30 money units; Income:90 money units; Profit:60 money units

-If I hit 5 events, I have certainly two winning combos
Stake:30 mon.un; Income:60 mon.un.; Profit:30 mon.un.

-If I hit 4 events, I have certainly one winning combo, but there is a possibility of two combos that won
Stake:30 mon.un.; Income:30 mon.un.; Profit:0 mon.un.

-If I hit 3 events, there is a big possibility to be one winning combo
Stake:30 mon.un; Income:30 mon.un; Profit:0 mon.un.

-If I hit 2 events there is a possibility of one winning combo

The point of this betting strategy is one winning combo will cover a total stake, while every next would be a clear profit.

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Friday's gossip column

TRANSFER GOSSIP

Sunderland striker David Healy (on photo) could be in line for a loan move to Championship side Coventry. (Daily Star)
Sunderland have already started planning for the next transfer window by setting up a move for Honduras international striker Carlo Costly, who currently plays for Polish side Belchatow. (Daily Mirror) 
Wigan forward Marlon King has been targeted by Newcastle caretaker manager Chris Hughton as a possible loan signing. (Daily Mirror) 
Newcastle are also interested in temporary deals for Aston Villa's Marlon Harewood and Plymouth defender Marcel Seip. (Daily Express) 

OTHER GOSSIP

Manchester United could be the next big club to be punished with a transfer ban if they are found guilty of an illegal approach to Le Harve youngster Paul Pogba. (Various)
Former Lens general manager Francois Collado says that he warned Chelsea they would face a transfer ban by continuing their pursuit of Gael Kakuta. (The Guardian) 
Liverpool fans will have to wait until the global recession is over before construction resumes on a new stadium. The new venue was originally scheduled to be opened next year. (The Sun) 
Chelsea chief executive Peter Kenyon is confident of tying midfielder Joe Cole down to a new contract after John Terry, Didier Drogba, Ashley Cole and Jon Mikel Obi agreed new deals. (The Sun) 
Wayne Rooney has denied ever diving to win a penalty and claimed he is too honest to try to deceive a referee. (Various)
Former Manchester United striker Ruud van Nistelrooy has revealed he rejected a move to Tottenham because it was too big a step down from current club Real Madrid. (Daily Mirror) 
Steven Gerrard looks set to lead England out in Saturday's friendly against Slovenia with captain John Terry struggling to shake off a groin injury in time for the match. (Daily Telegraph) 
The 2012 Olympic stadium will be put forward alongside Arsenal's Emirates Stadium, Tottenham's planned new ground and Wembley as one of four London venues for the 2018 World Cup bid. (Daily Telegraph) 

AND FINALLY

Manchester United midfielder Rodrigo Possebon could be sent back to Old Trafford just two months into a year-long loan to Portuguese side Braga. Coach Domingos Paciencia was so unimpressed with his only appearance that he substituted him after 34 minutes. (The Guardian)
Tottenham are the first Premier League side to sign up to the 10:10 climate change campaign. The club aim to cut their carbon output by 10% next year through measures such as reducing the wattage of the White Hart Lane floodlights. (Daily Telegraph) 
The increase in searches for 'Gael Kakuta', the young winger at the centre of the Chelsea transfer controversy, was four times greater than the next highest item on Thursday according to Google. (Daily Express)
Singer Phil Collins has revealed he is friends with Cristiano Ronaldo with the Real Madrid winger giving Christmas presents to his children. (Daily Express)
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Betting Strategies (Part 1) - Multilevel Pyramid

Not interesting games to bet on, even weekend looks boring with all those internationals. English League One looks the most interesting for me, from this point of view.

I found some stuff about betting strategies in my archive. Some time ago I got it from some site (ex-Yu area), forgot which. So, I don't plan to appropriate it as mine of course, but also don't have a source to write. Anyway, I'll translating it and posting during the "dead days" and when I'm bored :) like today. I was practicing some of these strategies with more or less success, won't judge about it's quality, but it definitely worth of reading. Enjoy.

And, of course, if you intend to use some of these, please let me know about your experience.

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MULTILEVEL PYRAMID

Requirements:
-System 3/4 without bankers
-Odd for every event must not be lower than 1.55

Start is on first, basic level.
Starting stake is 10 money units.

In case I hit all four events in system:
-I go up, on next level,
-Bet on new system 3/4 with same conditions like in previous one,
-Stake for a new system is two times higher in comparison with the stake for previous system, 10x2=20 money units.

In case I hit three events in system:
-I stay on same, basic level,
-Bet on new system 3/4 with same conditions like in previous one,
-Stake for a new system is equal in comparison with previous and it is 10 money units.

In case system failed (at least two odds are missed):
-I go down, on lower level of pyramid (in case it is the first level, I stay on it)
-Bet on new system 3/4 with same conditions like in previous one,
-Stake for a new system is half of the stake in previous system (except in case of first level where stake remains 10 money units).

Bettor is absolutely free to make decisions about starting stake and number of pyramid’s levels.

Conclusion: With this way of betting, there are no big or surprising lost of money. This system is very interesting and stakes are not too high. It is based on pure mathematics where with one event failed in system I have winning which is equal with the stake for next system. The most important thing with this system is discipline and keeping up with the rules.
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Thursday's gossip column

TRANSFER GOSSIP

Liverpool's Dutch winger Ryan Babel wants to join Ajax on loan as he says being left out of the team at Anfield could cost him a place at the World Cup. (The Sun) 
Spartak Moscow were put off buying Tottenham striker Roman Pavlyuchenko on deadline day because Spurs wanted almost £4m more than they paid for him a year ago. (Daily Star) 
West Ham are looking at strikers Mark Viduka and Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink, who are both available as free agents (Daily Express).
They also tried to sign Benjani from Manchester City on deadline day but could not track down his agent (Daily Mail). 
Hull are also interested in signing former Celtic striker Vennegoor of Hesselink (Daily Mirror).
Middlesbrough striker Afonso Alves has not yet joined Qatari club Al Saad but remains hopeful as their transfer window is still open until 15 September. (The Guardian) 

OTHER GOSSIP

Injury-plagued Owen Hargreaves has been named in Manchester United's Champions League squad. (The Sun) 
Portsmouth goalkeeper David James has been told to keep his mouth shut and carry on playing after complaining that being at the Premier League's bottom club could cost him a place at next summer's World Cup. (Daily Star) 
Arsenal's Nicklas Bendtner turned down Barcelona, Inter Milan and Bayern Munich to sign a new deal at the Emirates, says his father, who is also his agent. (Daily Mirror) 
New Aston Villa signing Richard Dunne says he believes the team is good enough to earn a Champions League spot. (Daily Telegraph) 
West Ham's business strategy under their former Icelandic owners was "fundamentally flawed", says the club's finance director. (The Guardian) 
Scotland goalkeeper Craig Gordon says many players would consider the two-match ban given to Arsenal's Eduardo for diving a price worth paying for the potential rewards a dive may bring their team (Various). 
Accrington must pay a back tax bill of £308,000 in the next eight weeks or they face a winding-up order (Daily Star).
Barnsley are interested in MK Dons' boss Paul Ince as their next manager (The Sun). 

AND FINALLY

New Bolton signing Ivan Klasnic has had two kidney transplants (The Times) 
Injury-prone Celtic defender Mark Wilson says he cannot believe the club gave him a new deal after his injury record (Daily Record). 
Scotland assistant coach Terry Butcher (on photo-right) says their vital World Cup qualifier against Macedonia on Saturday is a bigger game than England's 1990 World Cup semi-final against West Germany. (The Guardian)
www.bbc.co.uk

Wednesday's gossip column

TRANSFER GOSSIP

Winger Franck Ribery, a target for both Real Madrid and Manchester United, seems to have signalled the end of his time at Bayern Munich by criticising manager Luis van Gaal. (The Sun) 
Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy vetoed manager Harry Redknapp's late loan swap attempt on transfer deadline day, which involved winger David Bentley and Manchester City's Martin Petrov. Another loan swap involving Tottenham's Alan Hutton and Sunderland's Anton Ferdinand also fell through. (The Independent) 
Redknapp was also interested in West Ham defender Matthew Upson but was put off by the £15m valuation. (Daily Mail)
Sunderland manager Steve Bruce had a disappointing transfer deadline day as offers for Wigan's Maynor Figueroa, ENPPI wing-back Ahmed Al Muhammadi and free agent defender Lucas Neill all failed. (The Sun) 
Stoke ran out of time in their attempt to sign Bayern Munich right back Christian Lell after the player could not be located by the German club. (Daily Mail) 
New Rangers signing Jerome Rothen has revealed that he turned down Blackburn before deciding to move to Scotland. (Daily Record) 

OTHER GOSSIP

Nicolas Anelka's future at Chelsea is under scrutiny as the striker, whose contract runs out in the summer of 2011, is angry that he will not be offered a new deal this season. (Daily Star) 
Portsmouth goalkeeper David James fears for his England World Cup place after failing to secure a dream move to Tottenham on transfer deadline day. (Daily Mirror) 
The Football Association has been hit by the news that FA Cup sponsors E.On will not be renewing their contract when it expires next May. (Daily Mail) 
Former Manchester United assistant Brian Kidd has been offered the vacant manager's job at Barnsley. (Daily Express) 
However, Rotherham's Mark Robins is also in the frame to replace Simon Davey. (Daily Mirror) 
Newcastle goalkeeper Steve Harper has told owner Mike Ashley that he needs to start spending money on players if the club are to return to the Premier League next season. (Daily Star) 
England duo Gareth Barry and Wes Brown should be fit for Saturday's friendly against Slovenia despite picking up knocks in training. (The Independent) 

AND FINALLY

Aston Villa winger James Milner, who is aiming for a place in England's World Cup squad next year, is hoping for a more stable season on the domestic front. The 23-year-old has had 13 managers at four different clubs and has never started and finished a campaign under the same boss. (Various) 
Hull striker Daniel Cousin picked the wrong moment to have a pop at manager Phil Brown. The Gabon international, who thought he was off on loan to Burnley, called Brown's tactics "bizarre and illogical" before the proposed switch fell through. (The Sun)
www.bbc.co.uk

Tuesday's gossip column

TRANSFER GOSSIP

Tottenham will beat off the late challenge of Everton to land midfielder Niko Kranjcar from Portsmouth. (The Sun) 
Everton will sign Johnny Heitinga for £5m on transfer deadline day after the Atletico Madrid defender agreed to compromise on his wage demands. (Daily Mirror) 
Tottenham winger David Bentley looks set for a move to Manchester City for £10m, in a bid that will see Martin Petrov move in the opposite direction. (Daily Mirror) 
Portsmouth have rejected an offer from Tottenham which would see goalkeepers David James and Carlo Cudicini swap clubs. (Daily Mail) 
Tottenham boss Harry Redknapp and club chairman Daniel Levy are at odds over whether to make a transfer-day bid for James. (The Times) 
Pompey manager Paul Hart is hoping to sign striker Benjani from Manchester City. (The Sun) 
However, that deal could be scuppered by Sven-Goran Eriksson's Notts County, who are ready to make a club record offer for the 31-year-old. (Daily Mirror) 
Hull, Blackburn and Fulham are also in the race to sign Benjani. (The Independent) 
Fulham are expected to complete the signing of Swedish striker David Elm for £500,000. (Daily Express)
Aston Villa are poised to land West Ham defender James Collins for £5m. (The Sun) 
And the sale of Collins will give West Ham the funds to sign Bordeaux's highly-rated forward Marouane Chamakh. (Daily Mail) 
Bolton need Nantes to help pay the wages of striker Ivan Klasnic if they are to complete the loan signing of the 29-year-old Croat. (Daily Mirror) 
West Ham have warned interested clubs that centre-half Matthew Upson will only leave Upton Park if someone offers £15m. (Daily Express)
Wolves have made an offer for Cardiff winger Joe Ledley, who is rated at £6m. (Daily Mail) 
Birmingham hope to complete the loan signing of Real Betis midfielder Achille Emana. (The Sun)
And City manager Alex McLeish is bidding for winger Peter Lovenkrands, who is a free agent after leaving Newcastle at the end of last season. (Daily Mail) 
Portsmouth have made a £3m bid for former Wigan striker Amr Zaki and have also been linked with former Liverpool and Chelsea midfielder Boudewijn Zenden. (The Independent) 
Stoke are in negotiations to sign Valencia striker Nikola Zigic and Atletico Madrid defender Luis Perea. (Daily Mail) 
Rangers are to sign French winger Jerome Rothen from Paris St Germain on a year-long loan. (Various)
Celtic will make a £1.5m deadline day offer for Sampdoria midfielder Daniele Dessena. (Various) 
Scott McDonald's agent, Lou Sticca, has hinted that the Celtic striker may move on in January, if a suitable bid comes in. (Herald)
However, Wigan want McDonald right now and have offered a cash plus striker Marlon King deal for the Australian international. (Scottish Daily Mail) 


OTHER GOSSIP

Manchester United forward Wayne Rooney says he will not quit Old Trafford like Cristiano Ronaldo did in the summer. (The Sun) 
Arsenal are set to lose their appeal against striker Eduardo's two-game ban even though they have submitted a 19-page presentation to Uefa. (The Sun) 
Former Watford boss Aidy Boothroyd will today be unveiled as the new manager of Colchester. (The Sun)
Celtic defender Darren O'Dea will sign a new three-year deal at the Glasgow club before move to Reading on loan. (Daily Record) 

AND FINALLY

The head of the Croatian Football Association has claimed England are trying to deliberately injure their players, following the injuries to both Luka Modric and Eduardo in the last 18 months. (Various)
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