Firstly congratulations to Mr & Mrs Harry Brady on the birth of their first son, Ben Patrick, born just a few hours before Robbie Keane netted his hat-trick against Kilmarnock last Saturday. Harry obviously has other things to concern himself with at the moment, so that’s why you’ve got me talking nonsense in Punters Corner this week.

Personally, I’m going through one of those runs just now, when almost every team I back find themselves 2 goals down by half-time, you know the kind I mean? Had a very healthy balance in my online account at the turn of the year, which has been eaten away at, week by week with a succession of ‘bankers’, not, err..……banking, so to speak. The odd “money back and a wee bit more” has kept me going but I’m thankful for the decent return I had a couple of weeks before Christmas, which has stopped me needing to hit the “Deposit Funds” tab on the Paddy Power website.

So I must be due a change in luck then? A big win must be just round corner? How many of us have wrongly thought that in the past? 

Hardly qualifies me to give you any advice with regards to this week’s fixtures but I’ll give you a taste of what’s on offer out there and you can see if anything tickles your fancy. 

The big game in England this weekend is at Old Trafford with Man Utd playing host to Liverpool on Sunday and naturally Paddy Power have their usual money back special for this game. This week’s offer is............. 

If Wayne Rooney scores with a header Paddy Power will refund all losing 1st/last goalscorer, correct score & scorecast singles on the match. 

Other Bets on The Lancs Derby 

United - 7/10.  The Draw - 12/5.  Liverpool – 9/2 

First Goal

3/1      Rooney

6/1      Berbatov

6/1      Diouf

11/2    Torres

10/1    Valencia

10/1    Nani

10/1    Kuyt

16/1    Carrick

16/1    Fletcher 

5/6     Both Teams To Score

15/2   No Team To Score 

Rooney’s first goal celebration

3/1       Knee slide

14/1     Shirt off

18/1     Fingers on lips

9/2       Kiss the badge

50/1     Kiss the TV camera

25/1     Point to his shirt name

80/1     Point to his Everton tattoo 

What will Gerrard do next?

13/8      Be given a penalty for a dive

2/1        Two-footed tackle

11/4      Elbowing a player

15/2      Offensive hand-gesture to a ref or linesman

12/1      Meeting with Chelsea or Man City officials

14/1      Criticising Benitez

33/1      Pushing a ref or linesman

33/1      Fighting in a bar 

With Ian Dowie’s appointment as Hull manager for the final 9 games of the season, Paddy willingly obliges with an Ian Dowie Market... 

How many games will Ian Dowie win at Hull this season?

9/1       None

10/3     One

2/1       Two

5/2       Three

7/2       Four or more 

And if you fancy something a little different, how about this one? 

First to join Real Madrid

4/11     Torres

7/2       Rooney

8/1       Gerrard

10/1     A Cole  

Only five games in Scotland to take a look at, with just four in the SPL, due to Sunday’s Co-operative Insurance Cup Final between St.Mirren and the Refs’ Favourites ……………. I see the “fixture congestion” talk has started again….. “Rangers Face A Hectic Schedule” as they will have to play 8 games in 25 days – if they beat Dundee Utd in the cup replay. Well stop drawing your feckin cup games then, ya f***ies! 

There’s also an interesting game in Greece on Sunday, with top of the table Panathinaikos at home to Olympiakos in the big Athens derby. Panathinaikos can take a massive step towards winning the title if they win, as they are already seven pts ahead of third place Olympiakos and there will be only three games left after this weekend. Second place PAOK are at home to 4^th place AEK who are bang in form just now, with 5 wins in the last six games. PAOK had won four on the bounce up until last week but as I had them down on my coupon to continue this run, with an away win, they obviously lost. Even with a PAOK win, should Panathinaikos get the victory, they would be five clear with three to play. A lot will depend on who responds best to crashing out of Europe in midweek but I think Panathinaikos were probably resigned to going out, after losing 3-1 at home in the first leg. So with that in mind and with the chance to all but clinch their first Championship since 2004, I fancy Panathinaikos to do it and the odds aren’t too bad either. Having said that, 5/2 for the away team in a local derby? 

Home - Evens

Draw – 21/10

Away – 5/2 

Following today’s Champions League Draw, it may well be the best time to place your bet on the winners, if you are intending to have a go at some point. The odds are unlikely to get any better for the big guns, so now would be as good a time as any to jump in. I remember backing AC Milan at 8/1 at this stage 3 years ago and doubling up with Madrid(who were then 2^nd) to win the Spanish League. 

The Draw

Quarter-Final

Inter v CSKA Moscow

Arsenal v Barcelona

Bayern Munich v Man Utd

Lyon v Bordeaux

Semi-Final

Inter or CSKA Moscow v Arsenal or Barcelona

Bayern or Man Utd v Lyon or Bordeaux 

 Betting

Barcelona - 15/8

Man Utd - 7/2

Inter - 9/2

Arsenal - 6/1

Bayern - 10/1

Lyon - 14/1

Bordeaux - 16/1

CSKA - 33/1 

I have a wee feeling it could be an Inter v Man Utd Final but a repeat of last year looks on the cards. Having said that, I did have a wee bet at the start of the season on an Inter v Bayern Final…You pays your money, you takes your choice. 

Great comment from Derek Johnstone on Radio Clyde on Wednesday night, after some caller was going on about Walter “The Legend” Smith, being Rangers’ greatest ever manager. 

“For me it’s still Bill Struth, I think it was 31 titles he won in about twenty odd years” 

DJ, please explain? How does that one work?