Neville hired as England coach ahead of Euro Cup

May 16, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Former Manchester United defender Gary Neville has been appointed as a coach of the English national football team by new manager Roy Hodgson. Neville has been given a four-year contract and is scheduled to start immediately by preparing the squad for the Euro Cup 2012 tournament. The 37-year-old has worked as a television commentator for Sky TV for the past year.

Neville said that it’s an honour to be a part of the England setup and is thrilled that Hodgson has asked him to join his staff. He added that he didn’t have to think twice when being asked to become a part of the national side. Their first test will be the first group game when England face France.

England always looks like they have one of the best team son paper, but this time the fans are not expecting as much as usual due to the recent failures, so it might work for them better. The current Euro 2012 betting odds on England to win the whole tournament is 10 times the money.

Neville has his coaching license in the UEFA A and B categories and also played 85 times for England. These include appearances at the 1998 and 2006 World cups as well as the European Championships in 1996, 2000, and 2004. He also captained Man United during his player career and won every domestic trophy in the English game along with the Champions League Final in 1999.

He managed to win an FA Youth Cup as a youngster and then debuted for England in 1995 as a 20-year-old and played 602 games with United before retiring in 2011. Hodgson said he thinks Neville is the perfect man for the job because he has his coaching qualifications as well as a lot of experience as a club and international player, especially since he played for England in five major tournaments.

Hodgson added that he wanted a younger coach to help him since Neville knows many of the players on the squad and has played with and against several of them over the years. The hiring may have come as a surprise to many fans and football experts though since Neville has been a critic of the English FA while working for Sky and said that he thought Tottenham’s Harry Redknapp should have been hired as England’s new manager.

“Hodgson appointment a shock” – Neville

After Hodgson was hired Neville wrote a column in the Mail on Sunday newspaper and said it was a shock that Hodgson was asked to manage England’s national team. He also said when Hodgson’s and Redknapp records were studied side by side though, and their strengths and weaknesses were analyzed, that there wasn’t a lot between the two managers.

He said that both managers deserved to be considered and a good case could be made for either one of them being appointed as England’s new boss. Neville feels that a lot of the negative reaction that has come Hodgson’s way after his hiring could actually turn out to be a good thing since many people may view him as an underdog and could rally around him.

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James McClean makes Ireland’s 23-man Euro 2012 squad

May 9, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Sunderland’s James McClean has defied the odds by being named to the Republic of Ireland’s squad for this summer’s Euro 2012 tournament. The 23-year-old got was a virtual unknown outside of the emerald Isle until last summer when former Sunderland manager Steve Bruce paid £350,000 for him from Northern Irish club Derry City.

However Bruce, for some unknown reason, kept the young winger on the bench for much of the season and it wasn’t until Martin O’Neill took over as manager that McClean got a chance to show what he could do on a football pitch. With Sunderland trailing 1-0 at home to Blackburn in O’Neill’s first game in charge, he put McClean on as a late substitute and the club’s fortunes instantly turned around.

Sebastian Larsson and David Vaughan managed to score late goals for a 2-1 Sunderland win, but it was McClean who garnered most of the attention after the match. O’Neill said that when McClean went into the game against Blackburn, his play electrified the supporters. McClean took those positive remarks to heart and hasn’t slowed down since, even though he’s now become a marked man in many games.

He started his first EPL game on New Year’s Day against in a 1-0 win over Manchester City and hasn’t been out of the line-up since, adding six goals along the way. O’Neill stated that McClean gives the same consistent effort every game no matter who the team’s playing against and he’s improving all the time.

After McClean started to make a name for himself in England, many Irish fans demanded he be included in manager Giovanni Trapattoni’s side for the national team, but the Italian ignored them at first. McClean was left out of Ireland’s side in February for a friendly with the Czech Republic, but after injuries hit the squad he was added as a late replacement. The winger came on to a rousing ovation late in the match as a substitute for Aiden McGeady.

However, not all fans have been enamoured by McClean as he was born in Northern Ireland, but chose to play for the Republic. In fact, he had to close his Twitter account after being named to the nation’s Euro 2012 squad due to a few death threats received on it.

He said he just tries to give it his best effort every week for Sunderland and if it’s good enough to play for Trapattoni then he’s thrilled. Trapattoni said McClean brings a lot of energy to the team and it’ll be needed because they have three group games in 10 days. The manager realizes his team are in a tough group against Spain, Italy, and Croatia, but they shouldn’t be overawed by their opposition.

While McClean made the team, Scottish-born midfielder James McCarthy told Trapattoni that he didn’t want to be selected because his father has recently been diagnosed with cancer. The 23-year-old McCarthy said it was a hard decision to make, but though it was ultimately the right one. He also added that he’d love to play for Ireland again in the future and wished his teammates the best for Euro 2012.

The Republic of Ireland Euro Cup 2012 23-man squad

Goalkeepers: Shay Given (Aston Villa), Keiren Westwood (Sunderland), David Forde (Millwall)

Defenders: John O’Shea (Sunderland), Stephen Kelly (Fulham), Stephen Ward (Wolverhampton Wanderers), Richard Dunne (Aston Villa), Sean St Ledger (Leicester City), Darren O’Dea (Leeds United), Kevin Foley (Wolverhampton Wanderers)

Midfielders: Glenn Whelan (Stoke City), Keith Andrews (West Bromwich Albion), Keith Fahey (Birmingham City), Darron Gibson (Everton), Damien Duff (Fulham), Aiden McGeady (Spartak Moscow), Stephen Hunt (Wolverhampton Wanderers), James McClean (Sunderland)

Forwards: Robbie Keane (LA Galaxy), Kevin Doyle (Wolverhampton Wanderers), Shane Long, Simon Cox (both West Bromwich Albion), Jon Walters (Stoke City)

Stand-by: Darren Randolph (Motherwell), Paul McShane (Crystal Palace), Paul Green (unattached), Seamus Coleman (Everton), Andy Keogh (Millwall)

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Pep Guardiola era ends in Barcelona

April 28, 2012 By Leave a Comment

The Pep Guardiola era at Barcelona has apparently come to an abrupt end as the manager of the Spanish giants has announced that he’ll be leaving the football club at the end of the current La Liga season. It’s been reported that the Barca assistant manager Tito Vilanova will take over the reins. Guardiola will have spent four seasons at Barcelona when he steps down and has lead the club to a total of 13 trophies during his tenure there.

These include three consecutive Spanish league titles and two European Champions League crowns. However, this year hasn’t been to kind to the team as it’s almost certain Real Madrid will win the league this season and English Premier League club Chelsea recently knocked Barcelona out of the Champions league by an aggregate score of 3-2 over two legs. He also had to undergo surgery in November and as he was suffering from a tumour on his saliva glands.

The 41-year-old Guardiola made the surprising announcement during a press conference at Barcelona’s famous Nou Camp stadium on Apr. 27, as reported recently to Eurobetting.co. The manager simply said that four years is a long time at a club like Barcelona and he just wants to take a rest and recharge his batteries. Guardiola, a former midfielder with the club, added that it’s time for a new face and some fresh ideas and Vilanova will be able to provide those things.

Vilanova, a former player, has been an important part of Barcelona’s and Guardiola’s success over the past four years and is looking forward to taking over where his close friend is leaving off. Guardiola and Vilanova were players at Barcelona’s La Masia youth academy and they worked together when Guardiola got his first managing job with Barcelona’s B team. Barcelona said Vilanova will take over from his mentor since he possesses integrity, personality, commitment, and an inside knowledge of the club.

Guardiola said he’d be available to help Barcelona out in a consulting role if they ever need him. He usually works on a yearly contract and some fans thought he might step down last year since he didn’t renew it until February. However, he stayed on and added the European Super Cup, Club World Cup, and Spanish Cup to the league and Champions League titles.

His players also flourished under Guardiola’s tutelage and 24-year-old Argentinean Lionel Messi is good proof of this as he’s been named the World Player of the Year for the last three seasons and has broken the 60-goal barrier this year. Messi wrote a statement on his Facebook page that thanked Guardiola for everything he’s done for him both as a football player and as a person. He added that he didn’t attend the farewell press conference because he thought it would be too emotional.

It’s going to be hard for Guardiola to rest though, since there will be dozens of clubs after his services. These likely include Inter Milan, Chelsea, and Manchester City. In addition, Qatar and England are also looking for a new manager. It’ll be interesting to see how long of a rest he takes. However, this season’s work isn’t over just yet as Barcelona can still capture the Copa del Rey in May when they take on Athletic Bilbao in the Cup Final.

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Ukraine vs Sweden Preview 11th June

April 27, 2012 By Leave a Comment

11th June Ukraine v Sweden (Group D Euro 2012)

The co-hosts Ukraine being their Euro 2012 campaign on Monday, 11th June with the visit of Sweden to the Olympic Stadium in Kiev. As they qualified automatically as co-hosts, Ukraine are without a competitive game since losing to Greece in a World Cup Qualifying Play-Off in November 2009. Coached by Oleh Blokhin, they have put together some respectable results in friendly matches including victories over Bulgaria, Estonia, Austria and Israel. They also held the mighty Germans to a draw.

Andriy Shevchenko may have lost some of his speed at 35 years of age, but he is still a threat in and around the box and worshipped by the home fans. Bayern Munich’s Anatoliy Tymoshchuk also has plenty of experience and the defensive midfielder has now played over 100 times for his country.

Sweden’s captain Zlatan Ibrahimović could be the biggest threat to Ukraine. The AC Milan striker has been in excellent form for his club side and head coach Erik Hamrén will be looking to his centre forward to add to his 29 international goals.

Sunderland winger Sebastian Larsson has been playing superbly in the Premiership and will be the chief source of supply to Ibrahimović. Larsson is also one of the deadliest strikers of a free-kick in Europe. However for the moment an injury is disturbing Seb Larsson’s Euro 2012 preparations. The Swedes qualified for Euro 2012 as the best placed runner-up in qualifying and looked useful when beating Holland 3-2 last October.

Our predictions – Gamble on Sweden

Just as in the England-France match, there is little to choose between the sides on paper. Ukraine are possibly just favourites with the home advantage at 5-4 with 2-1 on offer about a draw or a Swedish victory. The lack of competitive games may just count against Ukraine and Sweden could rise to the occasion and snatch a vital win. Bet on this game at Bet365 for the best odds.

Ukraine are expected to do the better of these two at Euro 2012 and are priced at 40-1 with the Swedes available at exactly double those odds. If the Swedes can pull off an opening game victory those odds will look extremely generous.

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France vs England Preview June 11th

April 27, 2012 By Leave a Comment

England begin their European Championship campaign against France on Monday 11th June as they attempt to end England’s miserable run in major tournaments. The Three Lions will be without suspended Manchester United striker, Wayne Rooney for the opening two matches and it is not yet clear who will lead the attack. Added to that, England are yet to appoint a successor to Fabio Capello and time is running short. On the plus side, they have shown plenty of potential in recent internationals and qualified comfortably from their group.

Among those hoping to make an impact at Euro 2012 will be the youthful trio of Danny Welbeck, Daniel Sturridge and Frazier Campbell but they surely lack the international experience to be pitched into the opening game. Theo Walcott may finally get the chance to fulfil his early potential at international level and could be supported up front by Ashley Young, Stewart Downing or Darren Bent.

England are looking strong in midfield with Scott Parker and Gareth Barry expected to play leading roles and the more experienced Frank Lampard and Steve Gerrard showing glimpses of their old form. If Rio Ferdinand does not make it to Ukraine, Chelsea’s recent purchase Gary Cahill looks a natural to line up alongside his team-mate John Terry.

An Improved French Team

The French qualified top of Group D which marked an improvement from their embarrassing display at the 2010 World Cup. Coach Laurent Blanc has managed to bring some order to the shambles of a team that left the World Cup in disgrace. The French defeated Germany 2-1 in Bremen in February with the promising Montpellier striker Olivier Giroud scored his first international goal. Chelsea’s Florent Malouda contributed three goals in qualifying and seems to be recapturing his form under the new Chelsea boss, Roberto Di Matteo. With Samir Nasri, Franc Ribery and Karim Benzema all in the squad, France have the potential to make a big impression on this tournament.

Predictions for England vs France

This is possibly the tightest of the opening games and both teams are priced at around 7-4 to open the tournament with a victory. The draw is on offer at 2-1 and that could be the most likely outcome with both sides seeing this as probably the toughest match in their group. Best odds and Euro 2012 live betting can be found at Bet365.com

England’s prospects cannot have been done any good by the late change of Coach and the loss of Wayne Rooney for the opening two games. They are priced at 10-1 to win Euro 2012 but that does not seem particularly generous and the French (14-1) will give them a good run for their money.

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Ireland vs Croatia Euro 2012 Preview 10th June

April 26, 2012 By Leave a Comment

10th June Ireland v Croatia (Group C)

The Republic of Ireland celebrated their first qualification to a major tournament since 2002 in some style and kick of their European campaign against Croatia. With the strongest sides in the group playing each other earlier in the day, there will be everything to play for here. A win would put them in a very strong position whereas a defeat would be disastrous with two difficult matches to come.

Both of these two teams made it through to the finals through the play-offs having finishing runner-up in their respective groups. Ireland Coach Giovanni Trapattoni has knitted together a good team spirit without any of the star names that are littered throughout this tournament. They have built their success on a solid defence, conceding only seven goals in their ten qualifying matches.

What is a concern for the Irish, is the fact that they only averaged a little over a goal a game themselves and they will be looking to the likes of Robbie Keane to provide a moment of inspiration. Keane is approaching the latter stages of his career but can still produce the goods on the big occasion.

Croatia will go into this match as favourites as they look to have the edge in midfield. Luka Modric is widely regarded as one of the best in the World and he is ably assisted by Milan Badelj and Darijo Srna. They also have useful attacking options through Eduardo and Ivica Olic and could have just enough fire power to edge out the Irish.

Ireland v Croatia Betting Predictions

Croatia are 11-10 favourites to start their campaign with a victory over the Republic of Ireland and should have too many guns for the opposition. The Irish are priced at 5-2 with the same price for a draw. Ireland would see a draw as a good start to the competition but offer little in the way of an attacking threat so it seems wise to side with the Croatians.

Ireland are among the tournament outsiders at 100-1 with the Croatians held in similar regard at around 50-1. Croatia may feel slightly insulted by those kind of odds and an opening victory could set them up for a good showing at Euro 2012.

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Spain vs Italy Preview

April 26, 2012 By Leave a Comment

10th June Spain v Italy (Group C)

Group C kicks off in some style with reigning Euro and World Champions Spain against Italy. Many will expect the Spanish to set the standard in their opening fixture but they did lose their first match of the World Cup 2010 against Switzerland so are not necessarily the quickest starters in the tournament.

Spain boast a vast array of talent in their squad and will probably have more creativity than the Italians can comfortably deal with. David Villa’s injury is a concern as he has been their leading striker in recent years and has maintained a higher level of form than Fernando Torres. Given that there are concerns over both players, betting odds of 14-1 and 20-1 respectively to be top scorer at Euro 2012 do not look attractive. However, they do have plenty of options elsewhere.

Manchester City’s David Silva has been superb in the Premiership this season and scored four times for his country in qualifying. Juan Mata has been a revelation at Chelsea this season and has surely done enough to demand an automatic starting place. His skill and pace is a threat to any defence in the World. With both Silva and Mata priced at 40-1 to be the top scorer at Euro 2012, they may offer better value than the strikers.

Italy struggled at the World Cup but have improved considerably since then. Giuseppe Rossi and Mario Balotelli have been brought in to complement more experienced players such as Antonio Cassano and Daniele De Rossi. They qualified without too much difficulty and have a solid defence that conceded a miserly two goals in qualifying. The Azzurri also have a recent 2-1 victory over Spain, albeit in a friendly.

Betting Odds and Our Predictions

Spain are widely expected to put up a spirited defence of their title and are 4-5 to open with a victory. However, if they are a little slow out of the blocks, the Italians could be good value at 4-1 with the draw available at 5-2. It would not be a major surprise if the Italians were able to grind out a draw against the World Champions and this will be on of our Euro 2012 betting surprises..

Spain are tournament favourites at 5-2 to continue their domination of Europe with the Italians priced at 14-1. Those odds could look generous for the Italians if they could stifle the World Champions in their opening fixture.

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Germany vs Portugal Preview

April 24, 2012 By Leave a Comment

9th June Germany v Portugal (Group B)

Many of us betting Euro 2012 believe that Germany represent the biggest threat to Spain in this competition and it is not difficult to understand why after they fired 34 goals in qualifying. Their performance at the 2010 World Cup was brimming with promise. Big victories over England and Argentina showed how devastating they can be and they only lost narrowly to the World and Euro Champions Spain through a goal by Puyol. They have scarcely looked back since that moment and won every game in their group. They also comfortably defeated the Netherlands 3-0 in a friendly, suggesting it is they and not the Dutch who will emerge as Championship contenders this summer.

Portugal suffered the indignity of having to qualify through the playoffs, in spite of all their talent. Not even the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Nani were enough to achieve qualification from their group as they were edged out by Denmark. Capable of brilliant play one day and very moderate the next, consistency is going to be their problem if they intend to mount a serious challenge at Euro 2012. They were at their mercurial best when they defeated World Champions Spain 4-0 at the end of 2010 but followed it with defeat at the hands of Argentina.

They have a wealth of talent that should form the basis of a side good enough to reach the semi-finals. Pepe, Bruno Alves, Raul Meireles, Joao Moutinho and Fabio Coentrao are all world class individuals worthy of any side in the World. Whether they can be successfully combined in a solid unit is open to debate and Portugal remain something of an enigma. They are capable of beating the best on their day but can they maintain that level throughout Euro 2012?

Predictions – What to Expect from Germany v Portugal

With two such attack-minded sides, some fine entertainment is anticipated for this clash. Germany are stronger in defence and will be mindful of the threat posed by the Portuguese but goals seem almost inevitable. Whilst the Germans will go into this game full of confidence, a draw would not be seen as a complete disaster by either side so early in the tournament.

We have found some good odds on this game at Bet365.com.

Most people are expecting a strong performance from the Germans in this tournament and consequently they are as short as 4-5 to open with a win. Portugal are unpredictable and are generously priced as high as 4-1 for a win and the draw is generally a 5-2 chance.

Portugal could prove good enough to give the Germans plenty to think about and a draw may offer better value. Such is the respect for this German side that they are as short as 3-1 second odds favourites for the championship whilst Portugal are 20-1. Certainly those odds look a bit skinny for the Germans and this is a tough opening test for their credentials.

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Holland vs Denmark Preview

April 24, 2012 By Leave a Comment

9th June Netherlands (Holland) v Denmark (Group B)

Group B opens with Holland playing Denmark, a repeat of their World Cup clash in 2010 when the Dutch emerged as 2-0 winners. The Netherlands go into the tournament full of confidence after an almost faultless qualifying campaign, their only defeat coming against Sweden when they had already booked their place in the finals. Although their form in recent friendly fixtures has dipped a little, they still had enough quality to grab a late winner to steal a 3-2 victory against England at Wembley.

The Dutch will look to Robin Van Persie to continue his sensational form at Arsenal that has elevated his status to one of the finest strikers in the World. They also have Klaas-Jan Huntelaar who chalked up twelve goals in qualifying. Van Persie could rate a standout bet at 10-1 to be the tournament’s top goalscorer with Huntelaar also looking good value at 20-1.

Arjen Robben (candidate for top goalscorer betting?) has also been in superb form for Bayern Munich and will torment any defence, ably supported by Wesley Sneijder and Rafael van der Vaart in midfield. With so much talent on display, Holland are understandably regarded as one of the strongest teams in Euro 2012.

Denmark will go into their group as comparative outsiders and will draw from the knowledge that they were regarded as no-hopers when they took the championship in 1992. Coach Morten Olsen plenty of experience within his squad and Premiership starts like Liverpool’s Daniel Agger and Sunderland’s Nicklas Bendtner from Sunderland will relish the chance to advertise their skills on the top European stage. Denmark will also look to the exciting talent of Christian Eriksen of Ajax.

Although outsiders, The Danes topped a highly competitive Group H by three points with Portugal and Norway finishing below them. Group B has been dubbed this year’s “Group of death” with Germany and Portugal making up a formidable quartet.

Holland v Denmark Predictions

The Netherlands are strong favourites to come out on top here at 4-7. Certainly, if their star players continue their recent league form, they should have too much firepower for the Danes who are priced at 11-2 with the draw at 3-1. Best odds we found at Bet365.

The Netherlands are third-favourites to win the tournament outright at 15-2 whilst the Danes would need to recreate their 1992 miracle and are priced at 100-1. The Dutch will be looking to get some momentum going early on to announce their arrival as serious championship contenders.

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Russia vs Czech Republic Preview

April 23, 2012 By Leave a Comment

8th June – Russia v Czech Republic (Group A)

Russia start their Euro 2012 campaign against the Czech Republic in the Municipal Stadium, Wroclaw on the 8th June. Russia go into the game as favourites having been most impressive in qualifying. Coached by Dick Advocatt, Russia topped Group B with seven wins from their ten matches. They have only conceded one goal in their last five matches and are clearly going to be tough to break down, even if they are not a favorite among us to win Euro 2012.

The Russians have been excellent in defence but also have plenty of talent going forward. Team captain, Andrei Arshavin may not have set the Premiership alight with Arsenal but a loan move to Zenit St. Petersburg may rekindle some of the striker’s best form for Euro 2012. Roman Pavlyuchenko found himself similarly banished to the outskirts of the Tottenham side and, concerned about his form for his country, moved back to Moscow in January. If these two find the spark that was missing in North London, they will be a potent threat to any side. See our live in-play betting guide for all Euro Cup games this summer

The Czech Republic had to come through a play-off against Montenegro to book their place at Euro Cup 2012 after finishing second behind Spain in their qualifying group. It looked a potentially difficult tie when the draw was made but the Czech’s put together two very accomplished performances to run out 3-0 aggregate winners. Head Coach Michal Bilek will be boosted by the excellent recent form of captain Tomas Rosicky at Arsenal and he will play a pivotal role for his country. Goalkeeper Petr Cech has been in fine form for Chelsea and will provide them with plenty of experience, as will Galatasaray striker Milan Baros. Formerly with Liverpool, Baros has now scored 40 international goals from 86 caps and claimed the Golden Boot at the European Championships in 2004 after scoring five goals during the finals.

Russia v Czech Rep Predictions and Odds

Russia are 11-10 favourites to open their campaign with a victory with the Czech Republic priced at 11-4 and the draw around 9-4. The Czechs have the potential to make it difficult and you certainly couldn’t rule out an upset, but the Russians seem to have the better attacking options and might open with a victory.

We found best odds at Bet365, Russia are regarding as sporting outsiders for Euro 2012 and are best priced at 25-1 whilst the Czech Republic are friendless at 66-1. If the Russians are to justify that support they should certainly be good enough to win here.

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