Any suggestions?

Last time out I had Baros at 66/1. With the bet placed 10mins after the coupons were put out on the racks. My mate at work went along 30mins later and Baros was down to 25/1. A couple of hours later and he was available at 12/1.
Apparently they hadnt expected him to be fit enough to play, Id like to claim some inside info but the truth is I never even knew hed been injured.

I was £380 "up" on the last World Cup as well. My normal run of the mill league betting runs at a slight loss but the "big time" suits my "game".

Where should my money be invested this summer then?

What odds can one get on Torres?

There can only be one winner of this competition, and that will be the rabbit killer's rabbit killer Miroslav Klose. Even if Germany don't get past the quarter finals, he will have filled his boots so much in the qualifying stage that he'll never be caught.

I've actually grown to admire him for this, too.

Kloses the bookies favourite. Podolskis well down the list as is Baros again. I didnt even realise Koller was still playing.
I think ill keep my powder dry until the seasons over.

i think anelka at 28/1 looks reasonable

Anelka's never scored in a major international finals, has he?

I really fancy an each way on Mario Gomez. This guy is the most natural finisher I've seen for a long time.

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I really fancy an each way on Mario Gomez.

fnaar, fnaar <snigger>

I was on baros last time as well. 50-1 for me. As far as i know he was readily available at around that until the tournament started.

anyway, i might stick a tenner on him again this time as well. and maybe one on david villa

ooo dws, I sooo agreee with you, except that they might not get out of that group (strange, but true)

So, my 10 shillings would be on Ruud. Again depending on whether they get out of the group, and whether they dont decide to fuck each other up. Next best would be: David Villa. At least he might get 4 games, minimum.

care to expand on your doubts over germany getting out of the group?

it's possible of course but they have it about as easy as anyone in my opinion. the issue with gomez is surely whether or not he will start

QUOTE:
I didnt even realise Koller was still playing.

QUOTE:
There can only be one winner of this competition, and that will be the rabbit killer's rabbit killer Miroslav Klose. Even if Germany don't get past the quarter finals, he will have filled his boots so much in the qualifying stage that he'll never be caught.

But that he is a rabbit killer is surely reason to avoid Klose. Croatia and Poland aren't rabbits. Austria will lose all three games, whilst being ultra defensive to avoid humiliation and only going down 2-0 in each, so he won't be able to fill his boots against them, either.

Cristiano Ronaldo is a good bet. With no-one getting more than four goals.

Kevin Kuranyi.

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Croatia and Poland aren't rabbits.

Actually, you've got a good point there. Croatia are certainly a better side than England, and Beenhakker has made Poland a solid outfit. I think Germany are going to have a tougher time of it than everybody expects.

I was being a bit harsh on Klose, too. He's scored a phenomenal number of goals for Germany - nearly forty at a rate of one every other game - but has only scored (I think) one goal against one of the other "top" nations - Argentina, Brazil, Italy, France, Spain, Holland and, ahem, England. He's had a lot of criticism for that.

But the thing is, apart from banging them in against the likes of Saudi Arabia, he's always good for an undeserved winner against a middle-ranking nation such as the Croats or the Poles. It's an important job, and he does it well.

In a way, he sums up what this current German team are about. Not really all that good, but * tosses a Euro in the DSF "Phrasenschwein" * effective. Better than the sum of their parts.

Which is admirable - if I were a neutral, I'd like them. But they're not going to thump anyone, so I'd forget Gomez or Kuranyi.

Not sure whether anyone is going to thump anyone else... but if so, it will only be in the third of the qualifiers, which should (but only might) mean Austria v Germany.

The idea of 'there are no easy games' is very true in this tournament, as I can see the only weak links being the hosts, and even then Switzerland might just scrape through.

If Croatia can score a goal against Germany, and Poland can stop Germany scoring, they (the Germans) will need a win against Austria, so, who knows. Of course, one can say that about most groups.

If Germany cruise, then nothing much can stop them other than an already battle worn France, Italy, Netherlands or Spain in the final. The draw could be crucial, but it also may be the same in reverse for Germany, as they need a game, and probably wont get one until Czech Republic in the quarters, by which time Gomes will have scored either 5 or none, and Klose the same.


So frankly, I have no idea.