Luck of the Irish me arse! Not only did FIFA change the rules to protect the big teams, but then we drew France and that dirty little thief Henry cheats us out of a place in the World Cup.

I know its small consolation but we’re refunding €110,000 to all those who backed Ireland to qualify for next years Finals as well as refunding €140,000 on tonights game after we pledged to refund all losing first/last goalscorer, correct score & scorecast bets placed on the match if Ireland won the game in 90-minutes.

For those still interested, the latest odds on that football thing happening in South Africa next June are;
9/2 Spain
5/1 Brazil
6/1 England
9/1 Argentina
11/1 Germany
12/1 Holland
14/1 Italy
16/1 France
18/1 Portugal

More importantly we’re offering odds of 5/1 for a video ref to be introduced in time for World Cup 2018.

I’m off to get sick (again)

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Tom’s going for a 1-1 Draw - what do you think?

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Taking time out from updating our Facebook pages and Twittering about Star Trek, the Paddy Power Techie Squad have been working around the clock to bring you a brand spanking new ‘My Account’ section. While some people make enhancements and don’t improve – e.g. Katie Price – we think it’s pretty slick and easy to use. We’re still talking about the ‘My Account’ section, right? Right .
 
To quote Tony The Tiger, “It looks grrrrrreeeat”

 
Just in case you’re running late or a lazy git, we’ve developed a quick deposit function while our improved history section will help you remember all your bets, transactions and how World War II started – that’s how good the History section is. If Paddy feels generous or you win a free bet, you can access it quicker and easier than ever before. You also now have your very own Paddy Power inbox – You won’t get any messages from any Nigerian Kings looking for your bank account details, but we will tell you important things like your credit card is about to expire or, more importantly, we love you.

 
Of course, some of you will think it wasn’t broken, why try to fix it. And that’s fair enough, but we have to be seen to be doing some work – just kidding – let us know if you like it or not so Paddy can start writing the P45’s

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Well we’re down to the final day of the Irish Masters (main event at the Irish Winter Festival)

You can watch a live stream of this event by clicking on the link at the top of the poker blog. and get live updates and play in our online winter fest (that has lots of freerolls)

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A small snippet from the world of Australian racing.

 
Thanks to Martin Palermo’s last minute goal against Peru on Saturday night, Diego Maradona will have one more throw of the World Cup dice when Argentina take on Uruguay. The Czech Republic are in a equally desperate situation and are relying on San Marino to beat Slovenia to ensure their progress to South Africa. Resorting to new lows, even for a tabloid, Czech newspaper Blesk have offered the San Marino players 1 million Koruna which is about 38,000 Euros if they can win. “We will do the maximum for a win but our biggest problem is that we rarely score a goal,” captain Andy Selva offered.
 
Few things in this life come for free unless you’re John O’Donoghue or Jacqui Smith’s husband, so I’ll forgive Chelsea manager Carlo Ancelotti for savouring every moment of the lap dance he got on Italian TV show Chiambretti Night. Jose Mourinho and Capello have also been saluted in this way, but unfortunately there are no plans to invite Steve Staunton or Jim Fallon onto the show.
 
Ladies man Sven Goran Eriksson is reportedly interested in North Korean women and, while he’s over there, he might manage their international team. Allegedly Kim Jung Il is financing the deal by selling his porn collection and abandoning their nuclear armaments programme. That’s about as politically active as I get. Notts County deny that he can do the job on a part-time basis while the man who got Sampdoria relegated and brought Nottingham Forest close to financial ruin is allegedly Ian McParland’s successor. It’s not Guy of Gisborne, it’s David Platt.
 
FIFA’s new rules will hopefully help Wales stop being so crap. It still wouldn’t allow Frenchman Tony Cascarino qualify to play for Ireland though.

 
Steve Borthwick can see – metaphorically at the moment – the funny side to Olivier Azam’s attempt to turn him into rugby’s Ray Charles [Watch it!!]. Gloucester had the audacity to appeal the 12 week ban which was turned down yesterday while Jeremy Guscott believed it was accidental. Anyway, it’s all fun and games till someone loses an eye, then it’s still fun and games. “As the doctor shone a pen torch in my eye, he suddenly cried out, “It is broken!” the Saracen’s player said, “I asked if he meant there was something seriously wrong with my eye and he said, “No, the pen torch has run out of batteries”.’
 
David Haye’s preparations for his fight with WBC Heavyweight Champion Dimitry Bumpovski Nikolay Valuev are going well. He’s not spending much time in the gym apart from knocking the head off a cardboard cut out of his opponent.
 
Ding, ding – round 2. Padraig Harrington and Thomas Bjorn’s public spat over whether senior Tour members should be obliged to play a minimum amount of events has reared its head at the Portugal Masters. Euro Tour CEO George O’Grady, possibly upset at Barack Obama’s unmerited Nobel Prize win, will attempt to broker a peace deal between the stubborn golfers.
 
The line judge who Serena Williams told to ‘shove a ball down her throat’ is mysteriously missing in action. Colleagues think the potential of a repeat performance at the WTA Tour Championships led to her absence. Who isn’t scared him? I mean her.
 
Despite attacking a camera and a tree at last year’s Australian Open, John Daly is going back for a second bite at the cherry down under.

Posted in Being An Idiot, Football, Golf, Have I Goth News For You!, Horse Racing Tips, Rugby, Sportsbook | 3 Comments »

John Oxx has made the right decision – and, even if you disagree, it doesn’t affect our customers as we’ve refunded bets on Sea The Stars to win the Breeders’ Cup!

Retiring Sea The Stars at the height of his powers with nothing to prove is the correct decision. Many will argue it’s the coward’s way out. Cynics will say, “oh, he doesn’t want to have a George Washington on his hands” or another Rock of Gibraltar. As has been Oxx’s approach throughout the season, the horse’s best interests have been to the fore. Accordingly, it was the trainer’s decision - not the owners - who decided against a trip to Santa Anita. Yes, it protects his stud value – the colt’s, not Mr Oxx’s - it isn’t the main reason. He has nothing to gain from the trip.

Perhaps prematurely, the experts waded in on the debate about the six-time group one winner’s greatness following his Arc win. Some have even assessed him on that victory in Longchamp alone. On ratings some cited the mighty Sea-Bird as the marker for all things brilliant - which is fair enough. On race-record, though, the Guineas, Derby and Arc treble had never been achieved. Racing aficionados, however, have missed the proverbial boat with punters on this great Champion and have been swallowed up by all their own hackneyed rhetoric – the good and the bad. Sea The Stars is, quite simply, a hero and history will award him the tag of legend. No one else.

The Cape Cross colt may not have captured the imagination of the public like jumping greats such as Desert Orchid or Istabraq, but he was certainly loved by those who appreciate his wonderful ability – even those who opposed him through their pockets. Walking tall after the Guineas victory, Stevie Wonder could see he was a champion in the making. The steely, determined three year old has spectacularly delivered on his early promise and beaten all comers.

Some argue he’s beaten nothing, but he can only defeat what’s put in front of him. Gauging equine brilliance seems to be based on the manner of victories as opposed to its merits. This is wrong. Barcelona outplaying Man Utd to win Champions League 2 - 0 is surely more impressive than a 6 – 2 victory over Real Madrid in La Liga? Isn’t it? Some even have the temerity to say STS doesn’t deserve to be mentioned in the same breath as Nijinsky, Shergar or Dancing Brave. He’s deserving of equal acclaim. He’s my Nijinsky. My Secretariat. His unique Triple Crown, I can assure you, will never be repeated.

Posted in Horse Racing Tips, Racing, Sportsbook | 15 Comments »

Warning: No midgets were harmed in the making of this post.
 
There mustn’t be any mirrors in Stephen Hunt’s house. The Irish International resorted to childish, Cartoon Vampire-esque jibes following Eamon Dunphy’s criticism on RTE on Saturday night. Branding the pundit “a skinny little rat”, the thin-skinned Hull winger and Antironaldo wasn’t happy after he and his team-mates were slated.
 
Ian McParland’s inability to keep Notts County within four points of League Two leaders is the main reason for his sacking from Notts County.
 
Bayern Munich coach Louis Van Gaal is looking for a job as a tabloid journalist. He says Manchester United offered him a job – yesh, azh the cleaner.

Stephen Ferris isn’t happy with Paddy Power. “I saw in the paper the bookies had us at 100/1 to win the Heineken Cup. That really annoyed me.” In response to their victory over Bath and the fact Paddy couldn’t fight his way out of a wet paper bag; those previously quoted figures for Ulster have been reduced by 50%. He shouldn’t come looking for the boss now.
 
In more Dutch Beer Cup news, Leinster flanker Shane Jennings took a leaf out of Alan Quinlan’s book and courtesly tried to clean some dirt out of Mick Kennedy’s eye when the pair met on Friday night. The London Irish player didn’t ‘get into the sprit of rugby’ and reported the Irishman to the authorities after the game.
 

You can’t buy success – unless you’re an oil rich Arab. Not content with purchasing 2010 Guineas favourite Kingsfort, Sheikh Mohammed has bought the horse that finished second to him in the National Stakes just to be on the safe side. Chabal will run in the Godolphin colours with trainer Saeed Bin Suroor after the Dewhurst. It doesn’t make much difference to the betting though.
 
It’s not every day we have two snippets of racing action, so today should be considered momentous. At a recent PP think-in there was talk of another politically incorrect midget advertising campaign. While ‘Midget Tossing’ was given the auld heave-ho more for its smutty connotations, some bright sparks have come with midget racing. Needless to say people who aren’t midgets are getting offended by the ‘Midget Cup’ and calling for people to be hung, drawn and quartered. Harsh.
 

 
Des Lynam takes one small step and one giant leap for Deskind. Despite some great content on the web… among other things like me, the former BBC presenter doesn’t like the internet.
 
How do you know when UFC has gone completely mainstream - a guest appearance on The Simpsons and, to a lesser extent, Chuck Liddell on Dancing with the Stars. Playboy centrefold Marge Simpson quickly becomes the ‘Great Wife Hope’ and opens a few cans of wupass. I’m down with the hips kids.
 
The Guardian pisses off Steve Bunce!! His boxing hour on Setanta has been sadly missed since the Irish broadcaster’s operation went tits up in the UK, but 1585 people are determined to bring him back to our television screens.
 
Klitchsko-dodger David Haye will be up against it when he faces Nikolay Valuev but not for the reasons you might suspect. “I’ve never been a big fan of the matted hair in my face. The size I am, I sort of come up to his chest and apparently the word around the campfire is that he doesn’t smell too sweet.”
 
Until recently, there were few golfers who could be labelled golf’s “current John Daly” but, whether it be true or not, Robert Allenby is tarnishing Anthony Kim with it. According the Australian, the young golfer crab walked his way back to his room at 4am on Sunday morning before the final round of the Presidents Cup; five hours before the pair met in the singles match. Allenby lost 5&3, that’s how bad he is. Here have some more sour grapes.

Posted in Have I Goth News For You!, Sportsbook | 1 Comment »

Super cool showbiz King Paul Martin swung by the office (on his way back from Xposé no less!) to give us his opinion and tips on this year’s X Factor, Strictly Come Dancing’s lineup and more importantly to show us those famous MJ moves! Shamone!

And we happen to think he looks like our good pal snooker ace Ronnie O’Sullivan from the side too (jeez there’s something for everyone in our showbiz vid!)

Check it out!
(more…)

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Dunne And Dumber
Richard Dunne grabbing a goal is nothing new, but doing at the right end was a welcome departure from the norm. His goal in the 1-1 draw, could have inspired a 90 yard and slide in front of his former fans, but it says a lot about what Man City have let go that his celebrations were considerably more muted.

The Dunne case is an example of what will undermine the revolution at Man City. For the last few years he was the best player at the club and even though expectations may have risen, he was still worthy of his place in the team. Signing Lescott – who’s goals hide the fact he’s often a liability in defence – and Toure was very much trading sideways and letting Dunne go was a mistake. Just because you’re spending money, doesn’t mean you’re guaranteed to end up with a better player than you started out with.

Good central defenders are like an anorexic slumber party – thin on the ground. Dunne’s knack of sticking the ball in the wrong net may have hurt his image, but all top class central defenders have had moments they’d rather forget. For all the praise the ‘unsung hero’ gets, Nemanja Vidic has racked up a reasonable collection of howlers during his time covering up Rio Ferdinand’s inadequacies. Throughout European football, there are very few central defenders you’d have a huge amount of faith in. Dunne might not have been the very best, but he wasn’t as far off as Mark Hughes might have thought. Great bit of business by Martin O’Neill.

In Football News, Rather Than Football Rants:
- Don’t blame George Gillet for Liverpool’s stuttering start to the season. Blame it on sub-prime mortgages and Wall Street. And Rafa Benitez. Yeah actually, blame it all on Rafa Benitez, that won’t cause any problems.
 
- I wasn’t aware that a move to a club where you’re not going to win the Champions League was illegal. It’s stupid, but not illegal.
 
- It’s clearly a slow news day so here’s a headed goal from just outside the centre circle.
 
- Cheer up Ben Foster. You could be this bad. Same mistake – two minutes apart. Pt 1. Pt 2.
 

A Freaky Story And Other Stuff
- Ted Williams is a baseball legend and a decorated war hero. He also believed that one day science would advance to a point where he and the deceased members of his family could be reanimated from a frozen state and reunited. Not so impressed now, are ya?
When Williams died in 2002, his body was frozen. What followed was several years of legal wrangling over the ‘agreement’ – which was written on a napkin and alleged to have been filled in after Williams had signed the then blank napkin as a practice autograph. Now a judge in New York has decided there’s nothing wrong with the publishing of a book alleging that Williams’ decapitated head was used as a baseball by a technician swinging a monkey wrench. That was a long story, but one that I think was worth telling.
 
- Buoyed by his remarkable victory in the US Open, Juan Martin Del Potro is on top of the world and unbeatable. Em … no, not quite.
 
- No Grand Slam titles + not playing well = you shouldn’t be world number 1. That seems fair enough and Dinara Safina is on the verge of finding out it makes sense after an early exit in China.

Posted in Have I Goth News For You!, Sportsbook | 6 Comments »