Dan Collins prayed on Paddy Power’s Facebook wall that the ‘Chavs’ wouldn’t ruin the Cheltenham Festival like they had Royal Ascot. We hear you, Dan and we hope that this will resolve your problem. Keep eye out for our expert marksman.

The decision to suspend the clip wasn’t made by us – it was done by the British TV advertising regulator along with television broadcasters.

This is especially frustrating given the commercial was already pre-approved by British television advertising clearance body Clearcast, just one week ago, who then considered the humour in the advert, while not to everyone’s taste, fell short of causing offence.

Additionally, Paddy Power reached out to leading UK transgender group, The Beaumont Society, for feedback on the script.

The Beaumont Society said there was “nothing untoward with the advert concept” and felt it was not inappropriate since “the entire campaign would be a tongue-in-cheek look at the Ladies Day race meeting where these days a large number of cross dressers make a day of it”.

Furthermore, Paddy Power cast members of the trans-community in the various transgender roles in the commercial. Given the attention and diligence we demonstrated throughout the development of this commercial, we are very disappointed by today’s decision.

Finally it is worth pointing out that the commercial, which went live on YouTube less than one week ago, has almost 250,000 views with more ‘likes’ than ‘dislikes’.

The next commercial in Paddy Power’s “We Hear You” advertising campaign, “CHAVS”, will be broadcast on the company’s YouTube channel shortly.

As always, Paddy Power is looking forward to a healthy and robust debate on our campaigns. Were they right to ban us?

There’s a strange look to the Six Nations table right now. England – yes, hapless, hopeless, permanent manager-less England – find themselves as co-leaders with a 100% record. Is it a false position after beating two of the competition’s minnows? Or are these the early rays of a bright new era of English rugby? We’ll know just how much to scoff at the renaissance and a lot more besides after this weekend’s game.

England v Wales – Sat. 4pm BBC1 & RTE2
England are sitting pretty after successfully negotiating two cauliflower-eared banana skins. You can’t really criticise a team which manages to grind out wins. But with this version of the Sweet Chariot we’re prepared to make an exception. How you view England will depend a lot on how highly you rate Scotland and Italy. Are they making progress from their comparatively low ebbs or are they still a bit crap but occasionally capable of making life difficult for people? In neither of those games did England look vastly superior to their hosts, but that’s easier to accept if you big up the standard of the opposition. Two charge-down tries were a ringing endorsement of the length of Charlie Hodgson’s arm, but a damning indictment of England’s lack of creativity. They got away with it in Edinburgh and Rome, but they’ll need to give Wales more to think about.

Wales provide company for England at the top of the table and can feel pretty smug with their championship so far. They were well worth their win in Dublin and really gave Scotland a second half kicking at the Millennium Stadium. They’ve been playing well and hopes of securing a quick-fire Triple Crown are well-founded. They welcome back captain Sam Warbuton from a dead leg and the addition of Alan Wyn Jones to the line-up isn’t likely to weaken it. Wales are not at full strength in the front row, but it may not matter as their attacking threat might be the difference. England contained the ‘head-butting a wall’ approach of the Scottish back line, but were less comfortable against the not highly rated Italians. The Welsh are going to be far more dangerous than either of the previous assignments.

England are capable of again grinding it out and making it a hat-trick of unpleasant wins, but Wales are the favourites and are worth backing with the -3 point handicap.

Ireland v Italy – Sat. 1.30pm BBC1 & RTE2
It has been a couple of weeks since Ireland have stuck their heads between the thighs of other men in anger. The theory is they’ll be almost rabid to atone for the heartbreak of shooting themselves in the foot against Wales. That’s one way of looking at it, but equally they might have overdone it on the Rich Tea biscuits in the last couple of weeks. Ireland may be sluggish and slow out of the blocks. They trounced the Italians at the World Cup and the absence of Brian O’Driscoll aside, not much has changed since. In Dunedin, the Italians put it up to Ireland in a first half that was tighter than a ‘medium’ jersey on your average retired prop, but when the game opened up, Ireland’s superior back line came to the fore and put some sizeable daylight between the teams. A repeat of that general pattern wouldn’t be a huge surprise.

Italy are without some key players for the trip to Dublin. A fractured rib means Jacques Brunel won’t be able to call on the power of Martin Castrogiovanni’s fantastic hair for the remainder of the Six Nations and won’t have Mauro Bergamasco at his disposal thanks to an ill-advised punch against the Ospreys in the Rabo Direct Pro12. Already in his brief reign, Brunel has signalled his intent to make the Italians more of an attacking threat, but there’s still an absence of players of the calibre required to deliver on his attacking intentions.

More than likely, Italy will make it sticky for Ireland for the majority of the match before Ireland cut loose towards the end. The handicap is tantalisingly set at Ireland -15 points and where you come down on that will depend on how much cutting loose Ireland will be able to do. Over The Line suspects it’s slightly too much to cover and we’d take the Italians +15, but history has shown us that we’re terrible gamblers here, so go with your heart.

Scotland v France – Sunday 3pm BBC1 & RTE2
Any optimism Scotland took from their moral victory over England at Murrayfield quickly evaporated in Cardiff when they got firmly put in their place by Wales. Against the Sweet Chariot, they at least had the debatable excuse that the semantics of what counts as ‘downward pressure’ cost them victory. Against the Dragons, all they had to clutch at was a first half were they weren’t as totally outclassed as they were in the second half. If you can completely ignore the Wales game, then you might be of the opinion they can cause an upset against France, especially with the benefit of home advantage. David Denton looks like he’ll cause problems for any defence in the world and Greig Laidlaw will bring some much needed creavity to the backs, but is it enough to trouble France? Probably not.

France have been idle since week one after they realised a little too late that freezing conditions might lead to a playing surface more suitable to figure-skating rather than rugby. The Scots’ best hope might be – excuse the unintentional awful pun – catching Les Bleus cold, but there’s no guarantee that’s how it’ll go down. Their opening weekend win over Italy was immensely encouraging for Phillipe Saint Andre. France were pedestrian for much of the match in the face of an impressive Italian performance and still recorded a comfortably victory thanks to some clever sucker-punching. That’s the danger for Scotland. They may be able to put pressure on France, but when they mistakes come – and there will be mistakes – the French will most likely punish them.

A France win looks on the cards and they should have enough Gallic flair/Gaelic errors to cover the -6 point handicap.

Related links
- Six Nations Match Betting
- Six Nations Championship Betting

It all but ended the fixture as a contest. Team news has hardened that view and progression to the next round seems a formality.

As the second leg approaches, Wayne Rooney cried off with a throat infection. Presumably he’s unhappy with having to appear on Channel Five two weeks in a row. Stan Collymore doesn’t even have to do that.

Dimitar Bebatov, Paul Pogba and Ryan Giggs are all in line to start. Welshman Giggs is bidding to make his 900th appearance in a red jersey. With fringe players possibly getting a start against Ajax, Fergie clearly has one eye on their trip to Carrow Road against Norwich at the weekend.

Having returned from Amsterdam with a two-goal cushion, the Red Devils may become a little complacent. Only last week Frank DeBoer was claiming that the gap between the two teams was far too great. In light of Rooney’s absence at Old Trafford and viewing the team-sheet, the Dutchman’s perspective has drastically changed. They could now leave England with victory.

“We are not here just to see the scenery,” De Boer said, ruling out a visit to Imperial Chinese Archway or Manchester235. “We will see after the game what the result is,” he added.

Even with their 4–1 victory over NEC at the weekend in Eredivisie, De Boer’s young team will still have a tough challenge on their hands. United have only lost twice in European competition at home since 2001. Besiktas in 2009 were the last side to come away from Old Trafford with victory and it’s difficult to see how the Dutch can overturn the deficit or even win. Given the backdrop both sides will be glad to go away with a draw. Show some Dutch courage and get on the draw at 15/4.

At Paddy Power, we always listen to our customers, Facebook fans and Twitter followers. We’re even making our new TV ads about what people say to us on social media.

Last week we asked our Facebook fans: What Money-Back Special do you want on the Carling Cup Final between Cardiff and Liverpool?”

More than 6,000 people voted for ‘Money-Back if Gerrard scores anytime in 90 minutes’’ We hear you, people! This is the special offer the majority wanted so that’s the special you get. Democracy in action – take note, North Korea!

In total, over 11,000 had their voice heard. If you didn’t get what you wanted this time, post a comment on our Facebook wall and who knows what Paddy Power could do for you.

Gerrard is just 15/8 to score in 90 mins which shows you’re likely to get your Money-Back if you bet on the match with Paddy Power.

For all the latest Carling Cup Final betting and other ways to pull Paddy’s pants down CLICK HERE.

From nine year old Inter Milan fans to Roy Keane’s dull punditry, the Podcast covers all the major football stories of the last week. However, more importantly, show host and Sunday Mirror journalist Ciaran O’Raghallaigh is joined by one of the Spice Boys, Jason McAteer. The former Liverpool player was among the last Reds squad to visit Wembley in 1996. He talks about the Carling Cup Final, James McClean and an interesting bet he placed last September (it’s something to do with a certain Dublin goalkeeper). Macca is in top form and you shouldn’t miss it.

Related Links
- Carling Cup Final
- Premier League Matches

Direct suggestions for the show, potential guests and compliments/complaints in the comments section below or to thepadcast@paddypower.com or follow us on twitter @paddypowerblog. We’re also on Facebook. If you’re particularly impressed/angered by the show, feel free to express your satisfaction/abhorrence with your friends using the sharing buttons below. You’ll be so cool.

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Paddy Power has teamed up with Ireland’s amputee footballers at the launch of Paddy Power as the inaugural sponsor of the Irish Amputee Football Association (IAFA).

The IAFA was established in April 2011 to promote and develop the sport of amputee football across Ireland and provide any person with an amputation, congenital deficiency or any other limb affecting disorder the opportunity to access amputee football. Training sessions are open to both male and female amputees of all ages and levels of fitness.

Next month sees the national team travel to Manchester to take part in its first international tournament. There, they will face off against the national teams of Germany, Poland and Great Britain.
Paddy Power, pictured above at the launch, said: “We are delighted to be on board with the Irish Amputee Football Association. Every team member has been training hard in the run up to their first tournament and I’m certain that they’ll do us proud.”

IAFA Facebook Page

If you’re new to the competition, it’s as simple as Jedward. Each of the flags in the below map represents a club this person has played for in the course of his or her senior career and your job is to tell me who I’m referring to. In this case, the flags refer to all the clubs this person has played for as a professional. Best of luck.

When you’ve got the thinking cap on and rummaged through an atlas and Wikipedia enough, put your answer in an email and send it to competitions@paddypower.com with or indeed without the subject line ‘I am in fact the Daddy!’. DO NOT PUT YOUR GUESS IN THE COMMENTS SECTION – it won’t count towards the competition and may will give your mortal enemy a vital clue. You’re allowed to have more than one guess, but I’ll doubt you’ll need it because this week’s competition is just so easy. If you’ve got any questions or merely some observations on life, use the comments section for that, but no answers please.

The prize starts off as a £/€50 Free Bet, but I’m imploring you to – for the want of a better word – whore this competition this competition around the social networks of this world. Every time this tweet gets retweeted or this competition gets shared on Facebook, LinkedIn or the other ones, I’ll add one europound to the prize. You really should do it because (a) it’s the nice thing to do and (b) you might well be the person who benefits from the vast inflation of the prize.

Get your answers in before 10am 28th February. I’ll reveal the answer and the answer soon after. In another obviously transparent dose of reverse psychology, it’s so easy there are going to be a lot of correct answers, so I’m sure I’ll have to put all the correct answers in an extra large hat before I pluck out a winner. If you’ve got any questions, give me a shout on twitter where I’m @PaddyPowerAidan.

Best of luck to everybody.

Conditions
- Customers must be over the age of 18, have a valid paddypower.com account and remember when it was called the Rumblelows Cup
- Maximum size of the free bet will be €/£150.
- Paddy Power decision is final and moaning will be ridiculed.

Long Run
As seasoned Cheltenham watchers know, and novice fans need to learn, Gold Cups aren’t handed out in November, December or any other month that’s not March. That’s a blessing for Long Run because the evidence of his first two runs of the campaign didn’t scream ‘tap-in defence of his crown’. The ‘it was a prep run’ excuse was accepted when he lost to Kauto in the Betfair Chase, but it was less easily swallowed when it was wheeled out again at Kempton at Christmas. Nicky Henderson maintained it was simply part of a campaign designed to have him reach his peak in Cheltenham. Throughout the blips, Long Run’s price has remained steady, with a lack of proven performers snapping at his hooves affording some margin for error. His win last Friday in the Denman Chase eased some doubt. His jockey, Sam Waley-Cohen heaped praise on his mount by declaring: “He was brilliant. He jumped really well. He felt as well as he has ever felt.” But it wasn’t resounding enough to fully put the questions to bed. With age on Long Run’s side and the Cheltenham master Henderson gently guiding his progress, the public may be more willing to forgive than they normally would. His late run might yet be enough to defend his title.

Kauto Star
Based on the market, this season was due to be sort of a lap of honour for one of the most successful and popular horses of all time. Kauto Star’s defeat of Long Run in the Betfair Chase was treated as the kind of heart-warming ‘old champ has one more day in the spotlight before heading for a retirement of grass-eating and getting stared at by strangers’ tale that so for often gets brought up in the horse racing media. He was neatly slotted into the betting at 12/1, almost more out of respect for his previous achievements rather than a genuine belief he could regain the Gold Cup all over again The ‘old-timer’s last hurrah’ line suffered another blow when Kauto claimed his 5th King George VI Chase at Kempton and with the Festival in sight, the thought of hi m winning another Gold Cup is far less Disney than once it was. The weight of goodwill behind him will see him talked up, but on the evidence of this season, Kauto is still capable.

Burton Port
The horse who has come like a bolt from the blue into the Gold Cup frame is Burton Port. He enjoyed a successful novice season before claiming second behind Diamond Harry in the Hennessy Gold Cup of 2010. Just when it looked like he was destined to be a major player in the division, Burton Port had a lengthy spell on the sidelines. It wasn’t quite a triumphant return, but it was almost as good as he nearly shocked the reigning Gold Cup champion at Newbury in the Denman Chase. He was within half a length of him at the finish and considering it was his first run in nearly a year and a half, it was hugely impressive, a fact not lost on his trainer, Nicky Henderson – “He has been amazing us all. I thought he was good before he got injured but his work at home has been so much better than it used to be.” If you’re looking for someone that’s slightly under the radar, you could do worse.

Synchronised
His wins in the Midlands Grand National and the Welsh Grand National hinted at a future in the marathon Grand National circuit of the jumps world, but when Synchronised side-stepped the defence of his Chepstow crown in favour of winning the Lexus Chase at Leopardstown in impressive fashion over Christmas, he suggested the shorter distances may yet be within his ability. He was plonked in to the Gold Cup betting at 10/1 after that victory, but that has drifted since possibly a more sober analysis of that performance. Synchronised clearly has the stamina not to be wheezing his way up the Cheltenham hill and that’s important, but his winning time was slow and he may lack the pace for the blood and thunder of a Gold Cup. That said, he’s likely to have AP McCoy doing the steering and if he gets the tactics he wants, there’s no better man at lifting the famous green and gold silks up the run-in.

Midnight Chase
For a horse almost universally dismissed as not having a chance of winning a Gold Cup, Midnight Chase has done an awful lot winning, and winning by some impressive margins at Cheltenham. The trouble is the questionable standard of the opposition he trounced on those occasions. For a long time Midnight Chase’s price was that of a horse who wouldn’t disgrace himself in a Gold Cup, but equally one that wasn’t there for anything other than a day out and some place money, something he achieved when 19 lengths behind Long Run last year. His win in the Argento Chase made a few people sit up and take notice however and almost immediately he went from being a dark horse to a slightly less dark horse for the race. It’s still hard to imagine him winning, but he’s good enough and a big enough price to make an each-way bet interesting

Quel Esprit
Quel Esprit’s reputation took a bit of a hammering during his novice chasing season when he spent more time on the turf than Alan Titchmarsh. The early signs were promising as he won in Limerick back almost a year and a half ago, but he followed that up with two falls and one unfortunate incident when a loose horse brought him down at Punchestown. Since then, Quel Esprit has been on a mission to rebuild his reputation and he’s had some success. He’s won three on the bounce now with his win in the Hennessy Gold Cup at Leopardstown giving him and outside sniff of Gold Cup glory. The doubts arise based on the quality of that Hennessy, with less top quality stars than your average series of Celebrity Big Brother. Quel Esprit is young enough to still be improving, but the Festival will probably come too soon for the improvement he needs to be a factor.

Related Links
- Cheltenham Gold Cup Odds
- Cheltenham Festival Betting