Showing posts with label Number. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Number. Show all posts
Sunday, September 8, 2013
Saturday, March 10, 2012
Messi: The figures illustrating the Barcelona number 10's greatness
Spanish Football 
/ Michael Lintorn / 08 March 2012 / Leave a Comment 
Lionel Messi has scored 48 goals this season, more than all at Zaragoza and Sporting Gijon combined
"Messi's 228 goals in only 311 appearances for Barcelona leave him seven shy of Cesar Rodriguez’s benchmark of 235."
Rather than get drawn into the indefinable debate about whether Lionel Messi was better than Joey Scoresalot for FC Quitegood in the 1960s, why not simply appreciate the Barcelona magician for how special he is? Michael Lintorn picks out some of the stats and videos that showcase his brilliance...
Barcelona
Lionel Messi is already frightening close to becoming Barcelona's all-time leading scorer in official competitions, his 228 goals in only 311 appearances for the club leaving him seven shy of Cesar Rodriguez's benchmark of 235, which was set back in the 1950s.
Having tied the previous best of 47 in 2009-10, last season he smashed Brazilian legend Ronaldo's record for the most strikes in a single campaign with 53, and he is on course to up the ante again. His Leverkusen quintet takes him to 48 this term, a figure that he didn't reach until April 12 a year ago.
The Champions League
As odds of [1.01] indicate, Messi's heroics against Leverkusen leave him almost certain to finish as the Champions League top scorer for the fourth straight season, which would be another first.
He has already equalled his 2010-11 haul of 12, a joint-Champions League era best, leaving him with up to five opportunities to break it.
German great Gerd Muller is the only other four-time chart topper but required five years to achieve the feat, and also tied at the top in two of those.
By firing five past Leverkusen, Messi also set a Champions League era record for most goals in a game, becoming the first to do it since Soren Lerby for Ajax in a 10-0 breeze past Omonia 33 years earlier. Two seasons back he became the first to score four in a knockout match at home to Arsenal.
El Clasico
If it is performances in big matches that separate the good players from the greats, then Messi's record in arguably the most high-profile match in world football is a perfect illustration of why he is held in such a high esteem.
The 24-year-old has netted 13 times against Real Madrid, a tally that makes him the second most prolific Barcelona player ever to participate in the fixture after Cesar, with just two more strikes required for him to stand alone at the top.
He also leads the way when it comes to Clasico assists with ten and remains the youngest Clasico scorer, an honour he claimed - as you do - with a hat-trick as a 19-year-old back in March 2007.
The awards
Messi has been awarded the Ballon d'Or in each of the last three years, becoming just the second player in history to be anointed the best in the world three years in a row, following in the footsteps of current UEFA president Michel Platini.
He is the only man to have been picked by his fellow professionals in the FIFPro World XI in each of the last five seasons, as well as featuring in the fan-voted UEFA Team of the Year in each of the last four too.
Are there any other laudable accomplishments absent from this list? Of course there are, so please share them in the box below...
Lionel Messi is suspended for Barcelona's game with Sporting Gijon, but it's business as usual for Tobias Gourlay - and probably for Real Madrid too...
Pep Guardiola was forced to concede that he no longer expects to top La Liga, despite an impressive victory away to Atletico Madrid......
Tobias Gourlay can find fewer reasons than usual to doubt Barcelona away from home, but he does have questions about Real Madrid's ability to deal with Rayo Vallecano's burly forwards...
Monday, January 23, 2012
Australian Open Stat Attack: Jankovic to knock out the world number one
Australian Open Betting / Ben Caudell / 21 January 2012 / Leave a Comment Jankovic can still raise her game when she needs to
"Jankovic holds an all-important 4-3 head-to-head series lead over world number one Wozniacki with three of those match wins being played on the hard-court surface (Indian Wells 2010, Doha 2009, US Open 2008)."
It's been a while since Jelena Jankovic has been at her best but a tie against current world number one Caroline Wozniacki should present a great chance to remind the world that she's a former world number one herself, says Ben Caudell.
5 Reasons to Lay Roger Federer 3-0 @ [1.86] against Bernard Tomic
•There's no doubting the credentials of Bernard Tomic as a future top tenner, especially with the amazing start he has had to the 2012 season, winning nine of his ten opening matches and reaching the fourth round of a Grand Slam for the second time in the space of twelve months.
•The Australian number one has had the benefit of having played Roger Federer in a Davis Cup match -September last year - in which the youngster managed to take a set off the Fed Express and on the multi-Grand Slam winner's favourite grass court surface (6-2 7-5 3-6 6-3)
•From Tomic's seven matches against top ten players and on hard-courts, the Australian has won four and lost three, however he has won at least one set from five of those matches. In fact Tomic has played top ten players on all surfaces only eleven times and from those eleven, he has won at least one set on nine occasions.
•Home favourite Bernard will have the advantage of the Australian supporters cheering on every point against Federer in this eagerly-awaited match. So far this support has given him that extra 10% of fortune to get through his first three matches; he came from two sets down against Fernando Verdasco in round one, defeated Sam Querrey in four and dispatched of Dolgopolov in another tense five set thriller.
•Tomic will have a predicted record number of TV viewers tuning in to watch him play the number three seed and tennis idol of the 19 year-old. With such good stats coming into this match, who can deny him taking at least one set? Tomic has won six matches in a row overall, four of his last five in five sets matches, six in a row in Australia, and six in a row on hard-courts.
4 Reasons to back Jelena Jankovic @[3.0] to defeat Caroline Wozniacki
•Jankovic holds an all-important 4-3 head-to-head series lead over world number one Wozniacki with three of those match wins being played on the hard-court surface (Indian Wells 2010, Doha 2009, US Open 2008)
•The former world number one, who is currently ranked fourteen in the world, steam-rolled through to the fourth round conceding only ten games in total. She has won five of her last six at Grand Slam level, four of her last five on hard-courts and four of her last five in Australia.
•The Serbian comes into today's match holding a superior match rating (Match Ratings assess form specific to the current tournament conditions and the opposing player taking into account the head-to-head series) surface rating, and predicted chance of winning (67%) Therefore there is definite value in backing the consistent baseliner at [3.0] in the match odds.
•Jankovic also benefits from her Australian Open tournament stats, having higher break points won count, second serve return points won, and first serve points won.
Kim Clijsters is the defending champ in Melbourne but she may be out of the running to defend that title sooner rather than later when she faces the same player she defeated in last year's final. Na Li looks in...
Andy Murray can overcome Michel Llodra in Melbourne, says Sean Calvert, but your is better off elsewhere. Our man explains why he's backing Kei Nishikori and Sabine Lisicki....
Ben Caudell continues his value hunting in Melbourne with an in-form outsider to back in both men's and women's tournaments...
Tuesday, November 22, 2011
Handicappers' Corner: Age is just a number!
Handicappers' Corner / Phil Turner / 22 November 2011 / Leave a Comment 
Kauto Star claimed a memorable win in the Betfair Chase.
"Kauto Star’s winning rating of 178 is the highest he’s posted for any of his four Haydock wins..."
There is only one place to start from the weekend's racing - Kauto Star rolling back the years to claim a memorable fourth win in the Betfair Chase at Haydock...
Amid all the euphoria which followed that performance, both from ecstatic racegoers at the Merseyside track on Saturday and the verbose response of newspaper sports' columnists, what shouldn't be overlooked is that the field for the 2011 Betfair Chase was arguably the strongest since this valuable prize was launched in 2005. Indeed, Kauto Star's winning rating of 178 is the highest he's posted for any of his four Haydock wins, having run to 170 in 2006 (when admittedly scoring with stacks in hand), 169 in 2007 and 175 in 2009. (For the record, he'd probably have a fifth Betfair Chase win to his name but for unseating at the last in 2008, for which he was awarded a rating of 162).
Of course, Kauto Star's current rating of 178 is still 13lb shy of his peak Timeform figure, which was awarded after his fourth King George VI Chase at Kempton in 2009/10 and is the highest rating awarded to a jumper since the days of Arkle. In addition, Haydock runner-up Long Run still leads the way with us amongst the staying chase division, his rating having been adjusted to 180 (the bare figure he ran to when winning last season's King George) on the back of his reappearance defeat. It seems safe to assume that Nicky Henderson's six-year-old wasn't at his very best on Saturday, a view backed up by the fact he didn't travel with the same fluency as usual (several mid-race mistakes didn't help), but he stuck to his task most willingly and remains the most likely winner of the King George VI Chase in our opinion - he did, after all, beat Kauto Star fair and square at both Kempton and Cheltenham last term.
The next two home at Haydock, Weird Al (168) and Diamond Harry (165), both emerged with credit too, the former running up the form of his Charlie Hall win, whilst the latter gelding ultimately shaped as if the outing was just needed and clearly retains all the ability which saw him land the Hennessy Gold Cup at Newbury on his sole 2010/11 outing. The early signs would seem to suggest that fifth-placed Time For Rupert (162) isn't going to develop into a genuine Cheltenham Gold Cup contender, but he's probably better judged on his reappearance second to Weird Al and would take plenty of beating off a BHA mark of 156 if connections opt to try him in valuable handicap company.
The Betfair Chase wasn't the only prestigious graded race to take place on Saturday, with Master Minded (171) completing a memorable day for his connections by landing a second successive Amlin 1965 Chase at Ascot. In truth, Master Minded hasn't just lived in the shadow of his stable-companion Kauto Star in recent years but also his own reputation, notably that runaway win (with a rating of 179) in the 2008 Queen Mother Champion Chase at Cheltenham when just a five-year-old. Although Master Minded has won no less than ten times since then - namely seven Grade 1 wins and three Grade 2 wins - but he's never run to a bare figure higher than 171 during that period, which leaves him with a bit to find against Long Run and Kauto Star should he meet them in Kempton's Boxing Day showpiece.
The longer trip isn't certain to suit Master Minded either, and he may even struggle to confirm Ascot placings with old rival Somersby (166), who shaped quite well on Saturday and seems likely to be suited by the step-up to three miles. Medermit (154) seemed to have his limitations exposed in third, which wasn't really the boost in form that supporters of Captain Chris (163p) were hoping for, that gelding having been forced to miss Ascot after working badly earlier in the week.
By contrast, Hurricane Fly (174) saw his reputation grow despite also being forced to sidestep his intended reappearance at the weekend after not pleasing Willie Mullins in his preparatory work. Oscar Whisky (third), Thousand Stars (fourth) and Overturn (seventh) were among those left firmly in Hurricane Fly's wake in the Champion Hurdle at Cheltenham last March, yet that trio have done plenty for the form since. Overturn (163) and Oscar Whisky (171) were set to stage a grandstand finish to the Ascot Hurdle on Saturday only for the latter gelding (who was conceding 8lb) to crash out at the last, whilst Thousand Stars (163) proved a very capable deputy for stable-companion Hurricane Fly with a convincing defeat of one of last season's leading novice hurdlers Oscars Well (152) in the Morgiana Hurdle at Punchestown on Sunday.
Dynaste (157+) may be contesting graded races himself over the coming months following his impressive eight-length success in the very valuable betfair.com/paulnicholls Fixed Brush Handicap Hurdle at Haydock, a race his stable landed with another up-and-coming grey Grands Crus twelve months earlier. It may be stretching things to think that Dynaste will emulate that gelding by developing into a top-class performer, but it's worth noting that the rating he ran to on Saturday is of a similar standard to that his illustrious stable companion posted in 2010. As usual, this race attracted a healthy quota of runners better known for their exploits over fences nowadays and several shaped well, notably runner-up Benny Be Good (h143/c150) and seventh-placed Sunnyhillboy (h141/c142), who'll both warrant plenty of respect in valuable handicap company if reverted to fences this winter.
Exciting though it was, The Breeders' Cup promised more than it delivered and needs to look to its laurels. Simon Rowlands considers the event from a rating point of view, in a week which also featured the Melbourne Cup and some good jumps action......
Form rather than hype, substance over style, achievement more than potential. That has long been the Timeform mantra, but this weekend's best Flat action provided an exception. Timeform Flat handicapper David Johnson explains....
It's had its knockers but, with Ascot bathed in autumn sunshine and high-quality fields for all five pattern races, few can argue that British Champions Day was anything but a resounding success. David Johnson reflects on the results from a ratings perspective......
Future Champions Day was the highlight of the racing in Europe this weekend, but, with neither the Middle Park nor Dewhurst producing a commanding winner, it's most unlikely that Timeform's Champion two-year-old was in action. We may, however, still have seen a top-class colt, as David Johnson reveals....
Friday, October 21, 2011
Lee Dixon: Lucky number six for Mick McCarthy's Wolves
Premier League / Lee Dixon / 21 October 2011 / Leave a Comment 
Mick McCarthy will have his Wolves team primed for three precious points
"I really think this is Wolves’ to lose and they will get the three points they so desire."
Wolves are mired in a five-game losing streak but Saturday's early Premier League kick-off gives them the best opportunity yet to break that horrible run, says Lee Dixon
Wolves v Swansea, Saturday 12:45, live on Sky Sports 2
This may sound ridiculous but if Wolves had only defended better and taken their chances against West Brom they would have won the game. What I mean is that if they could cut out the silly errors at the back and be a touch sharper in front of goal the three points could, probably should, have belonged to Mick McCarthy's men.
You could pretty much say the same about any losing side but I thought there was actually a lot to like about the Wolves display in the Black Country derby. We watched the match live in the Match of the Day studio and I think McCarthy will have taken the positives from it and will be priming his boys to break their five game losing streak. And you know what? They should do it.
Match Odds - Wolves [2.06], Swansea [4.3], Draw [3.5]
It's an old cliche but a week really is a long time in football. You live from game to game and, if you are losing, those games just seem to come around ever quicker. It's worrying psychologically to lose five on the trot and Wolves will be primed to stop the rot here.
It's not just a big game for Wolves though. Swansea are 13th, two points off the bottom three, and a win for them would be massive. I suspect that Brendan Rogers' boys would be happy just to pick up their first away point of the campaign. But I really think this is Wolves' to lose and they will get the three points they so desire.
Over/Under 2.5 Goals
Wolves' problem last year was a tendency to give up some awful goals through defensive errors. I thought the arrival of Roger Johnson would sort that out, but they are still giving away bad goals through bad mistakes and that must be frustrating for Mick, being an ex-central defender himself.
Then again, opponents don't come much better than Swansea when you're looking for a home win. With just two goals scored, 12 conceded, and no points gained this is an ideal opportunity for Wanderers to cut out the blunders at the back and register a win. I think a 1-0 or 2-0 scoreline is likely here and will be backing under 2.5 goals at [1.86].
Half-time/Full-time
In keeping with the expected low-scoring nature of the game I will try for bigger odds by backing draw/Wolves in the HT/FT market at odds of around 5.8.
Recommended Bets
2pts Back Wolves to win @ 2.06
2pts Back Under 2.5 goals @ [1.86]
1pt Back draw/Wolves HT/FT @ [5.8]
There's one outstanding bet this weekend as far as Mike Norman is concerned, and it comes in the Bolton v Sunderland game where goals should be the order of the day....
There's no Champions League football at White Hart Lane this year and as a result slightly less media attention. Away from the spotlight, Harry Redknapp's Spurs keep on improving in the league....
Ahead of the Manchester derby on Sunday, City and United fans are being encouraged to vent their frustrations and trash their Carlos Tevez shirts in exchange for brand new ones....
Thursday, July 21, 2011
Never Mind The French, Italians Are Number One!
Pud's Poker Progress / Matthew Pitt / 21 July 2011 / Leave a Comment 
/ Matthew Pitt / 21 July 2011 / Leave a Comment If you look at the attendances for any major European poker tournament, be it a World Poker Tour or European Poker Tour you will discover a quite telling trend when it comes to tournaments held in France and Italy. The trend is that events held in these two countries are always the best attended and by a large margin.
Is this because France and Italy are beautiful countries and the perfect places to have a break from life? Possibly and I certainly wouldn't not argue with that fact but I can tell you the real reason if you want me to. Yes? It's because the completely suck at poker and when I say suck it is because there are not enough negative non-swear words to describe how the vast majority of them are. They are truly terrible.
I used to think the French were the worst players but after covering WPT Slovenia over the last week I now state that our Italian brothers and the worst poker nation on the planet. Never have I seen so many fundamentally wrong plays made by so many people in such a short period of time, you would honestly think this was a $2 rebuy not a €3,300 World Poker Tour Main Event.
Over the course of the week I have seen on Italian lose 630,000 chips in an hour by calling three-bet shoves with the likes of ace-ten off and betting twice the pot on the river with king-high when it polarised his range so badly it was not even funny. I've also seen players, Italian ones, open-limp the button and then fold with six big blinds, seriously, and then one Italian dude folded ace-king blind versus blind on the bubble despite getting more than three and a half to one. Absolutely terrible I can tell you.
Today is the final table of WPT Slovenia and despite not having anyone to root for after Toby Lewis, Thomas Macdonald and John Eames busted out I am looking forward to it just so I can have a giggle at the play by the majority of the fishes out there! Talking of Eames, his was involved in a hand that was just horrible. The spewy Italian fish mentioned above opened with a raise from MP, a Finnish dude three-bet shoved for 116,000, Eames reshoved for 135,000 and the spewmeister called, with AdQd of all hands, LOLERSKATES! The Finnish dude held AhTh and Eames JcJd. The flop came down Js-6c-5h and Eames was now more than a 95% favourite to win a 400,000+ pot, but the turn was the 3h and the river the 7h and the Finn won with his runner-runner flush. So sick, but he took it well despite never recovering from it.
I've learned a lot from the British players this week, just by listening to them talk amongst each other and when they've answered questions about hands I've seen them play. You can see why players who live together and travel together get better at the game than those of us who don't have that opportunity, I guess I am lucky that I get to rub shoulders with them from time to time.
Well I better disappear now as there is less than 20 minutes to the final table starts and I need to prepare a few things. Before my next entry I am going to start a campaign to let the Italians back into worldwide online poker because if they are allowed we will be all rich! This time next year Rodders.....
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