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03/16/2010 - Birmingham, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Aston Villa boss Martin O'Neill thinks James Milner may be the ideal candidate to play on the right side of England's midfield at the World Cup finals in South Africa this summer.
The 24-year-old has often played in a more central role for Villa this season, but O'Neill is confident that Milner could fill the gap left by an injury to veteran David Beckham.
"James can play out there and probably that has been lost a bit since he moved into the middle," O'Neill said. "But he is an all-purpose player and, at this stage, James would have as good a chance as anyone of being on the plane outside of those absolutely nailed on to go to the World Cup.
"If he had to start on the right, he wouldn't let England down. Not at all, no problem."
Beckham tore his Achilles tendon Sunday while playing for AC Milan, and had to undergo surgery Monday that will sideline him for at least six months.
Meanwhile, O'Neill has urged both Ashley Young and Stewart Downing to keep pushing to earn a place on the plane to South Africa, adding: "I would think Stewart and Ashley shouldn't give up.
"They should continue to perform for Villa which is the only way they can get noticed and hope that is enough."
(Courtesy of sportbox.tv)
<< Ohio State extends Tressel's contract again
Columbus, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Ohio State has extended the contract of head
football coach Jim Tressel an additional two years.
Under the terms of a previous extension signed in 2008, Tressel had been under
contract at Ohio State until Ja
<< Tiger to make return at the Masters
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Tiger Woods will return to competitive golf at the Masters.
Woods made a statement Tuesday, saying he will end his self-imposed hiatus
from the game at the year's first major championship, set for April 8-11 at
Augu
<< Isles try to end road woes in tough test with Canucks
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Vancouver Canucks will try to extend their seven-game
home winning streak when they take on a New York Islanders club that will be
looking to avoid a ninth straight setback on the road tonight at GM Place.
Vancouver ha
<< Sharks to pay a visit to slumping Stars
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The San Jose Sharks and Dallas Stars will meet three times
before the end of March. That isn't likely to help Dallas' playoff chances.
The first of those three scheduled meetings takes place tonight, as Western
Conference-
Hull coy on managerial targets >>
Hull, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Hull City chairman Adam Pearson has revealed
he is working toward appointing a new manager from a select group of names on
a concise short-list.
The Tigers parted company with former manager Phil Brown on M
Valencia's Albelda out with leg injury >>
Valencia, Spain (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Valencia defender David Albelda could be
sidelined for up to four weeks after suffering a leg injury during the weekend
defeat to Barcelona.
The former Spain international has already been ruled out of T
Dundee's Casalinuovo suffers setback >>
Dundee, Scotland (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Dundee United striker Damian Casalinuovo
is set to be sidelined for a couple weeks after suffering a hamstring injury
in the 3-3 Scottish Cup draw at Rangers.
The Argentinian lasted just three minu
Chiefs bring in Lilja >>
Kansas City, MO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Kansas City Chiefs signed free agent
guard Ryan Lilja on Tuesday.
Terms of the deal were not disclosed, but the Kansas City Star reports it is
for three years.
The 28-year-old Kansas State prod
Underdog bettors love the Super Bowl and, history suggests, the underdogs love them back. And the big dogs bite harder.
Even so, there is a warning in store for Super Bowl gamblers who must love dogs: The Arizona Cardinals Super Bowl betting lines might not be enough of a Cinderella to make it worth your while.
Although the Cardinals were widely panned as one of the worst division winners and least playoff-worthy teams in recent memory, their trip to Super Bowl XLIII Jan. 31 in Tampa against the Pittsburgh Steelers Super Bowl betting lines comes with a little more respect from the oddsmakers than you might imagine. They are a 7-point underdog at most sports books.
If you count yourself among those who covet the big dog in the big game, this isn’t exactly great news. You should have been hoping for more points. This is because the facts show that the bigger the dog, the better the bet in the Super Bowl.
Case in point: Over the past 13 seasons, double-figure underdogs in the Super Bowl are 4-0-1 ATS and have won the past three outright. In fact, the last double-digit chalk to do the deed for bettors was the 1995 San Francisco 49ers, who managed to beat the astounding 19-point spot afforded backers of the San Diego Chargers in the 49-26 romp in Super Bowl XXIX.
By contrast, 7-point favorites are 2-1-1 ATS in the same span, the last such contest resulting a cover grinded out by the Colts in their 29-17 win over the Bears two seasons ago in Super Bowl XLI.
In 2004, the Patriots failed to cover the number in their 32-29 triumph over the Carolina Panthers in Super Bowl props while the Rams and Titans gave everyone a refund in 2000 after the Rams posted a 23-16 win as a seven-point favorite.
So while Arizona’s run has included impressive upsets as a 10-point road underdog to the Carolina Panthers and Sunday’s 32-25 win in the NFC championship game to the 4-point favored Philadelphia Eagles, their long-shot story lacks a bit of the David vs. Goliath storyline of past Super Bowl underdogs.
While the seven-point spread represents a significant gap in the perception of strength between the two teams, it is far from monumental. For example, last season the Giants were the wild-card afterthought turned road-warrior buzzsaw, with stunning wins over the Buccaneers, Cowboys and Packers to earn their place in the Super Bowl.
There, they played spoiler to New England’s bid to become the first 19-0 team in NFL history and cemented their place in sports betting lore with a 17-14 win as a 12.5-point underdog.
In other words, the Cardinals appear to have their work cut out for them as a mid-range underdog. But in homage to the spread beaters who have come before them, here is a brief look back at recent colossal upsets in the Super Bowl:
SB XLII -- 2008 -- New York Giants 17, New England Patriots 14 (Giants +12.5) – Eli Manning’s 13-yard touchdown pass to Plaxico Burress in the final minute clinched the historic upset for the Giants, who used a masterful defensive plan to slow down Tom Brady and the previously undefeated New England Patriots.
XXXVI -- 2002 -- Patriots 20, Rams 17 (Patriots +14) – This was the coming out party for the aforementioned Brady, who went from obscure sixth-round draft pick to Super Bowl hero in one fell swoop. He led the game-winning drive in the final minute – eschewing analyst John Madden’s advice to take a knee and play for overtime – leading to Adam Vinatieri’s memorable 48-yard field goal that split the uprights as time expired.
XXXII 1998 Broncos 31, Packers 24 (Denver +12) – The first of John Elway’s two consecutive Super Bowl titles to put an end to his Hall of Fame career was an upset for the ages. The Broncos used the determination of Elway and a 157-yard, three-touchdown performance from Terrell Davis to turn back Brett Favre and the heavily favored Packers.
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