2004: A Sport Odds-yssey
2004 promises to be a very exciting year for sport. We have the Olympics in Athens, Euro 2004, a victorious England side returning to more mundane matters with the Six Nations, and of course we have one of the closest title races and relegation battles of recent years. So I thought I'd give you all, my dear readers, some help to clear those pesky overdrafts, cover those
worrying loans, and pay yourself through Oxford in the best way I know how. Gambling. Of course I offer no guarantee of success, but surely it's worth a try.
This year's Olympics promise to be the most devoid in talent for many years. With the possibility of a large number of America's top athletes being banned for taking the designer steroid 'THG', and Britain's top sprinter Dwain Chambers missing for the same reason, and some of the most talented Brits of recent time, such as Jonathan Edwards, Colin Jackson, and Steve Backley, either retired or nearing retirement, it should give some of Britain's lesser known lights a chance. However, knowing British sport and its infinite capacity to disappoint as I do, I think your best bet for this one could be Britain to win no medals in track or field, at 16/1. There are a few people in with a half chance, and there are some we would expect to return home with medals of some type, such as Kelly Holmes, but you're not gonna make any decent money out of them. The only real chance of a gold on the track may be Darren Campbell in the 200m. The quality of the field is often lamented by 200m legend Michael Johnson, and if the Greek favourite Kenteris were to take a slip then Campbell could find himself improving on his silver from last time in Sydney.
The Six Nations seems a less attractive prospect; given England's recent World Cup triumph, odds of 8/13 on an England Grand Slam do not seem very appealing. Last year Ireland were only a game away from a Grand Slam themselves, and - you never know, England could have an off day, sluggish from all the Champagne since Australia - with odds of 40/1 a couple of quid on them may be worth a punt.
Euro 2004 doesn't offer very good odds for any team with a realistic chance of winning, unless you see something in Latvia, at 40/1, that I don't. With the outright favourites France, the only teams worth a look at seem to be England at 7/1 and the host nation Portugal at 13/2. Could the golden Portuguese generation of Figo and Rui Costa go out with a bang? I somewhat doubt it. It seems a shame that a tournament which promises to be extremely exciting doesn't offer any decent bets. England do stand a chance, but there is always that nagging doubt in the back of my mind when it comes to England, 30 years of hurt and all that. This, however, could be our best chance for silverware, as Eriksson looks almost certain to return to club football after this tournament, and a credible successor is not waiting in the wings. The highest placed English manager is Bobby Robson, but Newcastle would not release him last time, and at 71 I think his time has come and gone for the National team. Despite this, a bet on England is never a wise investment.
For footballing bets it seems domestic football holds the best chance of making some money. It is the closest Premiership relegation battle ever, as any team from twentieth to seventh could still conceivably go down, so there are some good odds around. With the wee ginger man announcing his departure from the Saints we could see a deterioration in form similar to Fulham last year and Man U in 2002. At 28/1 to go down they could be worth a go. The only bet worth having on the Championship race seems to be Chelski at 5/1, but can anyone really see them winning it anymore? The truth is this is looking like becoming the most boring Premiership in years. With the top three a foregone conclusion earlier in the season than in recent years, there's not a lot to look forward to. Newcastle were topping the league this time last year, and yet neither they nor Liverpool have managed to put a challenge to the United/Arsenal stranglehold. Chealsea could never really be expected to keep up a challenge, and if Arsenal were really finishing off opposition United would find themselves languishing well behind in second place. The fact that we can see an hour of television debate raging about who will or won't be relegated shows the lack of excitement that accompanies this year's title race.
Instead the Champions League could offer some reward. Last years champions Milan are at 7/1, Beckham's team offer decent odds at 4/1, and Chelski could still surprise a few in Europe, and with odds of 13/2 that?s where my money would go. If you don?t fancy any of those, Beckham's 6/1 to score against his best mate Gary Neville.
I'll leave you with one bet which if you put a tenner on it could make your year. Arsenal to win the treble, and remain unbeaten in the Premiership for the rest of the year. They are 5/1 for the Champions League, 3/1 for the FA Cup, 6/1 to remain unbeaten and a staggeringly ungenerous 10/11 for the league. That?s a total of 320/1 cumulative bet. It has to worth a couple of quid, surely?
All odds correct at time of going to print. Odds courtesy of William Hill and BlueSquare.co.uk
29th Jan 2004