Poland v England betting tips and preview

As England prepare to face Poland in today’s Group H World Cup qualifier, they will be banking on their new-found pragmatism to pull them through one of the more difficult fixtures of this group. England can be backed to beat Poland 2-1 at 9/1 through William Hill* (read on for more betting tips for the game).
Under Hodgson – and the changeover in personnel with a new-look center-back pairing and youth infused in the forward positions – England are safety first and getting very good at it. You will not find this England team to be the best in possession – even against San Marino their domination was uneasy if complete – but you will find them fighting according to a plan at all times. If discipline is something England have lacked over the last decade or more, they will have no such excuses post-Hodgson.
England’s new-look defence is experienced, fast, capable and still young enough to play well through 2014 and beyond. It gives the team a strong base to build upon and that is where Hodgson will be tested – if he can give his younger midfielders and forwards sufficient international experience (and if they can continue to play well (and regularly) for their clubs), you will see more and more young players starting for England.
Against Poland there’s talk of ‘bringing back experience’, but more than experience England need balance. Pushing Milner to wide right when he would be better used as a foil for Michael Carrick in the center is an example of how England are still patching leaks instead of repairing them. If Carrick is to be England’s fulcrum in midfield, he needs very specific type of players alongside him to enable him to do well. Playing Gerrard alongside him is as bad as looking to play Lampard and Gerrard together 8 years after they proved they were better without the other.
Gerrard is still likely to start and given his ability to deliver results on big occasions, he’s definitely worth a punt. Gerrard to score and England to win is 7/1 on William Hill*. Another great bet – not available before 6pm on Tuesday – is Rooney to score and England to win at 5/1. Currently at 2/1, this will change at 6pm and will only be available for the first 5000 bets with max of £10 single bet per person. See this and other priority prices at William Hill*.
But however England line up – here’s hoping that Cleverley, Baines, Welbeck and Oxlade-Chamberlain all start or feature tonight – their main concern will be manning central midfield and keeping meaningful possession in that area. England have the pace and experience to keep Poland at bay, it’ll be the chances they’re able to create up front that will largely determine the outcome of this qualifier.
Poland have Euro 2012 form to back their threat – two 1-1 draws and a 1-0 defeat reflects a hard-working, high-tempo team that were slightly unlucky not to win a game at the Euros but also a team that will make mistakes at both ends of the pitch. They beat South Africa 1-0 in a friendly in preparation for this qualifier, and already have a win and a draw in the qualifying stages.
Poland coach Waldemar Fornalik, who took charge after the Euro 2012 campaign, has talked about how Poland are playing more as a team now and creating many scoring chances, while bemoaning their ability to finish off said chances. It was a similar story in the Euros and against an England team susceptible to fast counter-attacks (blame the imbalanced midfield here), we’re likely to see Poland create several scoring chances against England as well.
But can they ensure that they don’t switch off at the back and keep Rooney and co at bay? England’s desire to keep possession as a means of controlling games means they will look to absorb the initial Polish pressure before picking them off and exploiting mistakes as the match goes on.
Poland can be backed to deliver an upset and win 2-1 at 16/1 with William Hill*, although a 1-1 and 1-0 result (13/2 and 12/1) are also good bets if you’re backing Poland.

Poland v England betting

With the outcome of the game far from certain, there are plenty of good bets to be made on the game. With a free bet offer, great prices and 100s of betting options available (including in-play betting), William Hill are an ideal choice for betting on Poland v England (and other World Cup qualifiers).
Check out the latest betting odds for Poland v England on William Hill* and don’t forget to check on their priority prices and in-play betting options closer to game time.

Newcastle United & Wonga – Lending Alan Pardew’s side a helping hand

Throughout the 17 years Liverpool advertised Carlsberg in bold white writing on the front of their many jerseys, I can’t say I remember or have even heard about any controversy over the move.
Admittedly, I am probably too young to remember back to the very start of their deal, but I would bet a significant amount of money that the nationwide media didn’t make a big deal out of the sponsorship, or indeed didn’t object to it.
Advertising alcohol – an evil that has ruined many a family throughout the years – is morally wrong, and having young children wear Liverpool jerseys with the advertisement emblazoned across their shirts isn’t very smart is it?
But no, such sponsorship is an accepted fad in football nowadays, isn’t it?
That is to say, there was little outrage over Everton’s deal with Chang – another alcohol producer.
There was no upheaval over Stoke City’s deal with arguably the biggest online gambling corporation, Bet365, either.
What about Swansea City’s current deal with 32Red? Another morally wrong gambling site that will drain your bank account faster than Nathan Dyer can run 100 metres. Were the Welsh side lambasted for signing the dotted line on that one?
I do not recall any outrage over Wigan Athletic’s deal with yet another gambling site 12Bet.com, Sunderland’s deal with Tombola (bingo site), or West Brom’s pact with Bodog (another bookie) – can you?
I don’t think so.
However, when Newcastle United sign a lucrative 4 year deal with a financial institution by the name of Wonga – the southern half of the country cries foul over such a morally & fundamentally wrong company sponsoring a Premier League team of its calibre.
Of course, if anyone has a decent memory, they will realise that the exact same company advertised with Blackpool during their Premier League era a year or two ago with little said in opposition to the deal.
Wonga will invest close to £40m in Newcastle United over the four years. This investment includes supporting our academy so we can produce better players as the years go on, and the company will also pump some money into a club foundation which helps young adults find jobs, and get them off the street. Horrendous stuff eh?
On the pitch, the close to £9m that NUFC will receive each year for the shirt deal will help Alan Pardew sign another player. With the injuries mounting up, we do need a defender this January and do not be surprised if £5m is set aside for a new CB, in the knowledge that the Wonga deal will commence next season.
Every year, for the next four years – Newcastle United will have some guaranteed cash flow from the sponsorship and should be able to add players each and every season without delving too far into the coffers of the club’s own resources.
Regards the actual service Wonga provides – I am not a fan, but it is there as a choice. No one is forcing you to take a short term loan, just as no one is forcing you to take a loan from Standard Chartered (Liverpool’s current sponsor) or to gamble online (Stoke City, etc.).
If any deal benefits the club, indeed my club, then I am all for it.
Football lost its soul a long, long time ago and the fact that Newcastle United have been subject to a ridiculous amount of criticism from gaudy journalists is downright disgraceful.
The deal helps Newcastle United work towards a healthy financial future, while also pushing for progress on the pitch.
An extremely wise deal on NUFC’s behalf, and in football, I’m afraid that is all that matters.

Read more at http://soccerlens.com/newcastle-united-wonga-lending-alan-pardews-side-a-helping-hand/97350/#b40Mr5Myf6Qvbkuy.99

Given Gutted - Guzan Delighted!

The Express & Star carry a small quote from Villa keeper Shay Given.

As you would expect, the shot stopper, who recently retired from international action with The Republic Of Ireland to help lengthen his Club career is gutted to have lost his place to Brad Guzan but says he will keep his head down and work hard to re-gain the starting spot.

Given was dropped after the 3-1 home game capitulation v Everton and hasn`t had a look in league wise since.



He was used in the League Cup win over City and maybe that is where his hopes, for now, will lie?

The 36-year-old has played 462 league games and says it is important for him not to get frustrated and let things boil over.

'For me it`s important that I keep my head down and work hard every day. I am gutted that I am not playing in the team, that`s natural, and hopefully if I work hard I`ll get back in the side. He (the manager) is not scared to leave people out, including me."

Our latest poll asks which player you`d have as first choice?



Meanwhile: By Paul Brown.... Brad Guzan insists coming into training every morning is a joy, thanks to the environment created by Paul Lambert. Guzan says the manager respects his squad and the feeling is mutual. Villa's USA goalkeeper says the dialogue between boss and players is brilliant and has created an amazing working relationship. Guzan says there's been real clarity from Lambert in that dialogue in terms of what he wants and expects from everyone each day. See:
www.avfc.co.uk

Spain aim to take 'very big step' towards 2014 World Cup against France

It is the third of eight matches that Spain will play in Group I, but the coach Vicente del Bosque has described it as being more akin to the first leg of a cup semi-final. France travel to the Vicente Calderón stadium in Madrid on Tuesday night, while Spain travel to the Stade de France in March 2013. Awaiting them on the other side is a place at the World Cup finals in Brazil in 2014. Since 2006, the holders are not guaranteed qualification. This game will do much to define whether Spain are there to defend their title.
Between them, France and Spain have won the last three European Championships and two of the last four World Cups, but only one will automatically qualify for 2014. The other will have to finish among the best eight second-placed teams and win a play-off. Spain knocked France out of Euro 2012 at the quarter-final stage; France are the last side to knock Spain out of a major competition, when Zinedine Zidane led them to victory en route to the 2006 World Cup final.
Georgia, Finland and Belarus complete the group, but when the draw was made few doubted that first place would be contested between Spain and France. After both won their opening two games, that feeling has been enhanced. "After the game, one of the two teams will be well on course for qualification," Del Bosque said at Spain's Las Rozas headquarters. "This is like a cup tie that needs to be overcome. There will still be 15 points to play for after this game but the double clash with France is vital."
Asked if this was the key game of the group, the striker David Villa noted: "It is one of the two, with the other one [in France]. Winning this would be a very big step against a powerful opponent."
Spain's previous game, in Belarus on Friday night, was not broadcast on national television, the first time the team had gone unwatched since 1981, but this match will be. The last of the tickets went on sale at the Calderón on Monday morning. There is much at stake and, as Alvaro Arbeloa noted during Euro 2012: "The rivalry [between France and Spain] is historic, it goes back centuries." The latest clash was just four months ago, when Spain beat France for the first time in a competitive match.
"We know each other very well," said Xabi Alonso, who scored both goals that night in Donetsk. France, though, have changed since the summer, with Didier Deschamps taking over as coach from Laurent Blanc and opting for a more athletic approach. Del Bosque described Yohan Cabayé as the most creative player that the French have in their midfield. "He's the one that moves the team, plays the passes and takes the free-kicks, the man with the most talent," the Spain coach said. "He's like their Xavi."
"We have no reason to play with fear," the France striker Karim Benzema insisted, but there is a certain pessimism about Les Bleus. Spain have not lost a qualifying game since defeats against Northern Ireland and Sweden in October 2006 brought a decisive shift to a new identity. Since then they have won 28 and drawn one, including a run of 24 successive victories.
Spain's successful style is now non-negotiable but there are doubts at the back and up front. "We will try to protect ourselves," Del Bosque said, "but the idea will still be to have the ball and try to attack them." The solution at both ends of the pitch may prove the same: more midfielders.
Spain are without the injured Carles Puyol and Gerard Piqué. Del Bosque moved Sergio Busquets into the middle of defence alongside Sergio Ramos in Minsk, leaving Alonso as the lone defensive midfielder and opening up a place for Santi Cazorla. Now, Del Bosque may even be without Ramos as well – although having missed Sunday's session he did train with the team on Monday evening. "I will not run any risk with Ramos," the coach insisted.
Despite the return to fitness of Villa and the return to form of Fernando Torres, Del Bosque also opted for an additional midfielder up front against Belarus, with Cesc Fábregas again occupying the false No9 role. "One thing's for sure," the coach said, "we can't get all of our midfielders on [in midfield]. There are so many good ones – and that's before talking about the ones that are not here like Isco or Thiago. But the more good players we can have, the better."
"I think that the false No9 is relative anyway," Fábregas added. "I play as a No9, even if as a midfielder I naturally tend to drop a little deeper." Statistics show that Spain are scoring more goals without a recognised striker than with one.

Cristiano Ronaldo, as elusive as ever, joins Portugal's 100 club

Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo has a breather during a training session at the Dragão, where he is expected to win his 100th cap in the World Cup qualifier against Northern Ireland.

Northern Ireland will provide the opposition when the captain reaches his milestone, a man who still seems to regard national service as a pleasure.
The clichés about pampered virtuosos are being put to flight. It is a small cost to football that the layabout individualist of yesteryear has very few counterparts in the top flight nowadays. Cristiano Ronaldo may work hard to look fashionable, but his efforts on the field are more prodigious still. At the age of only 27, he will collect his 100th cap when Portugal meet Northern Ireland in a World Cup qualifier staged in Porto.
The time when some players seemed to regard international service as a burden seems to be over. If Ronaldo's trend-setting instincts are imitated it will be a boon to the game. Others could mimic the Real Madrid attacker's desire to play for their country with the same limitless desire that they do for their well-heeled clubs.
On many occasions with Portugal, it must take self-control for someone like Ronaldo not to feel rueful that he lacks the calibre of team-mate to be found at the Bernabéu. There is no mystery about the uneven standard of a side drawn from a country whose population stands at just 10.5m, which is, for example, about one fifth of England's.
All the same they were at no disadvantage while hosting Euro 2004, but Portugal, in the final, ended the tournament as they had begun it, with a loss to Greece. Ronaldo, at the age of 19, had at least notched his first international goal during that opening fixture.
Opposing managers may curse him when his contributions amount to rather more than a consolation. It is intriguing for the rest of us, though, that no amount of thuggishness, computer analysis or tight marking can be counted upon to halt performers such as Ronaldo or the even more astonishing Lionel Messi.
The shrewdest tacticians must have retreated into seclusion when Messi scored 73 goals for Barcelona in all competitions last season. Such a tally would verge on the unfathomable even for a player with an uncomplicated life, but Messi, of course, was diagnosed in childhood as having a growth hormone deficiency. The move to Barcelona when he was 13 secured the medical treatment he needed.
The rivalry between Spain's dominant clubs should be enthralling in both its intensity and its capacity to entertain us. A player such as Ronaldo is also lucky to be at work in this period. We forget to appreciate how much technology has done to limit the wrongdoing and the harm done to players who have the effrontery to beat an opponent with sleight of foot.
The entire attitude towards football has altered. It now seems strange that, for generations, it was understood that a winger could expect to be a victim of violence if he was at the peak of his form. Few who were present in Glasgow for the 1974 European Cup semi-final with Atlético Madrid will have forgotten the sight of the Celtic winger Jimmy Johnstone being kicked in the testicles.
There was uproar over that occasion, but the tolerance of violence was greater then, particularly since television coverage could not be counted on to capture every dubious deed. The balance has shifted markedly since then. If anyone strikes fear, it will more commonly be a virtuoso such as Ronaldo or Messi rather that a brute of an opponent.
Assuming they are in form, it can often appear that there is no legitimate means of denying them. That 73rd goal for Messi rounded off the 3-0 win over Athletic Bilbao in the 2012 Copa del Rey final. In truth, however, the challenge of dealing with an exalted lineup does stimulate managers and players.
Chelsea, having won 1-0 at Stamford Bridge, twice came from behind to draw at Camp Nou and so reach the last season's European Cup final, where they beat Bayern Munich in the penalty shootout. Messi had been unable to score in either leg of the semi-finals.
It is a sign of all that he has achieved that people seem a little surprised when he is not a master of his destiny or that of his team. The same holds true for Ronaldo. Despite the weight of expectation on their shoulders, each of them seems elusive if not unstoppable.

Who will be better of Laura Robson and Heather Watson?

Heather Watson's victory at the Japan Open has propelled her to a career-high ranking of No50

Expectations are growing as two exciting young British talents continue to rise up the women's rankings.
It is a mark of how far British tennis has come that after 24 years of drought the country now has two women competing for titles. Like London buses two have come along at once and, though they remain relatively raw, keeping a lid on expectations is already proving impossible.
The two, of course, are Heather Watson and Laura Robson, close friends off the court who, all being well, will be rivals on it at the very biggest events on the world stage for some years to come. On Sunday the 20-year-old Watson became the first British woman to win a singles title on the WTA Tour since Sara Gomer in 1988. Watson's victory in the Japan Open in Osaka lifted her to a career-high ranking of No50.
Robson, who is 18 months younger, is close behind her, at No52, and three weeks ago reached her first Tour final. No wonder people are getting carried away.
Watson's triumph was a fine reward for years of toil at the Nick Bollettieri IMG academy in Florida, where she has trained since the age of 12. With the exception of her family no one was more proud of Watson's achievement than the man himself, who on Monday said he had sent her his congratulations, in his own unique style. "I sent her a text and it said: wow, holy mackerel, holy cow, holy shit," Bollettieri says.
Bollettieri is the man who brought through Andre Agassi, Monica Seles and Maria Sharapova, among others, and under his tutelage and coaches Watson has blossomed into a title-winning player. She is as good a mover as there is on the Tour and her consistency means she is never going to be easy to beat. She may not have the natural power of the left-handed Robson, who possesses a huge forehand and a wicked serve, but she is trying to take control of matches when she can.
Bollettieri says Watson should not worry about making rash predictions. "I believe the future's very bright and she's not reached her ultimate," the American said. "I believe she should not say, 'I want to break the top 10 or the top 20,' just, 'I'm going to go higher in the ranking."
Praising the influence of her coach, Mauricio Hadad, Bollettieri believes the 20-year-old needs to find a way to take the attack to others. "I think she has to come forward even a little more," he said. "If she has that transition game [she can fight for titles]. I don't believe that just staying back there [will work]. She's going to have to put fright in the top players that, if they hit tentative second serves, she's coming after your arse."
Speak to former players and coaches and most of them will say that Robson has the more obvious claims to winning a grand slam title. "If you look at Petra Kvitova [the 2011 Wimbledon champion], they're spitting images," says Annabel Croft, a former British No1, who knows what it is like to deal with the pressure of expectation in this country. "At the US Open she was pushing Kim Clijsters back, even on the returns, and you don't see that very often. She's got so much talent."
Having struggled with injuries amid growing pains at 16 and 17, Robson has been fully fit for much of this year and her movement has improved beyond recognition. The junior Wimbledon champion at 14, she has been tipped for the top for a long time and she is starting to look the real deal. "She's got huge weapons," Bollettieri admits. "She's got the big serve and she slaps the forehand. The big thing with her will be physical conditioning; the faster she gets, the more solid her foundation is, the better she's going to be."
Andrew Castle, a former British No1 and now, like Croft, a pundit, describes them both as a breath of fresh air. "The great thing is that both have so much room for improvement. With Laura, mobility is everything – just look at Djokovic and Murray – but you can work on that; she's got all the talent in the world, fighting ability, a massive forehand.
"It's really very tidy. Heather is tenacious and her mobility is unbelievable. She just needs to hit the ball harder, move up into the court and take the ball on a bit quicker. You probably have only 10 or 20 current [top] players who are going to be around in four or five years, so why wouldn't it be these two who get up into the top 10?"
Robson has always been something of the chosen one – winning junior Wimbledon was always going to get more attention than Watson's junior US Open triumph the following year – but the pair seem to feed off each other. When Robson was chosen above Watson to partner Andy Murray in the mixed doubles at the Olympics, there could easily have been a problem between the two. But it seems not.
"I was really interested to see how Heather would do in the summer," Croft says. "She didn't get chosen to be Andy's partner, even though she had won doubles titles. I think she was probably quite taken aback. Then to watch Laura do so well at the US Open must have been hard. But clearly they're so good for each other. It's an exciting time." From guardian.co.uk

MAIGARI PROMISES EAGLETS SPECIAL BONUS

Reiterates NFF’s commitment towards AYC qualification

Alhaji Aminu Maigari, President of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), has pledged the federation’s maximum support towards the Golden Eaglets qualification for the 2013 African Under-17 Championship to be held in Morocco.

Alhaji Maigari, who met with officials and players of the National Under-17 team at their Princeville Hotel Camp in Calabar on Monday, said the federation would not shirk its responsibility to the team even as he
promised them a special bonus package after their forthcoming Second round match against Guinea in Conakry in a fortnight.

On President Maigari’s entourage were NFF Board members, Chief Effiong Johnson (Chairman of NFF’s security committee), Hon. Suleiman Kwande (Beach Soccer Committee Chairman and member of the House Committee on Sports),   Nasir Jibrin (Personal Assistant to the President) amongst others.

“I’m happy to be meeting you again and generally, we are so happy about all the things you have done since you started camping here in Calabar,” Maigari started.

“Though I have read and heard so much about this team, yesterday was the first time I saw you playing and I must tell you that I doubled my love for you.”