When Antonio Conte agreed to join Project Tottenham in November 2021 it was considered quite a coup for the North London club.

Here was a manager who had won league titles in two different countries. Here was a proven winner who expected only the very best and demanded more still.

Furthermore, admired for his construction of defensively-sound teams, the Italian was viewed as the ideal man to make a porous and out-of-sorts Spurs hard to beat again.

In his final season at Juventus, the Zebras conceded just 23 on route to a third consecutive Scudetto. At Chelsea, he orchestrated a highly efficient back-line that were breached 0.8 times per 90.

Simple maths therefore informed us that if Conte was true to form, and Harry Kane and Son Heung-min continued to score liberally, then Tottenham could challenge high in the Premier League.

His first truncated campaign heralded highlights and some lowlights, the latter usually accompanied by the tempestuous Apulian throwing his toys from a proverbial pram, as is his want.

“If you want the truth, I’ll tell you the truth.”

Antonio Conte wasn’t happy after Tottenham dropped more points 👀 pic.twitter.com/y1PKS3L6bA

— ESPN UK (@ESPNUK) January 2, 2023

An embarrassing loss to Europa minnows Mura had him deride the quality of his squad. Elsewhere, there were well-aimed jibes at his board for a perceived lack of investment. 

By the season’s end however, Spurs secured a precious fourth spot. All told, 2021/22 was a solid B+. 

And then came a successful transfer window, the kind that any manager would be pleased with. In came Christian Romero and Clement Lenglet at the back, and Ivan Perisic and Yves Bissouma in midfield.

Add the erratic charms of Richarlison up front and it wasn’t the £170m outlay that got people talking but the shrewdness of the purchases, with each individual strengthening a key area. 

So impressive was Tottenham’s summer business their Premier League odds shortened as a consequence. 

Again we turn to basic maths. Conte had done relatively well with a squad he considered to be limited. Now a genuinely elite coach had a well-stocked toolbox to tackle the tasks ahead. 

Fast-forward to the here and now however, and there is scant evidence of anything being tackled well at all. 

Spurs have shipped in 25 heading into this weekend’s North London Derby. That’s more than West Ham or Everton, two sides battling relegation. Where are the defensive masterclasses that were heavily alluded to via his reputation? 

More so, they have lost five times in their last 11 outings, a figure that must seriously rankle with a ‘proven winner’. Tottenham have gone behind in games on 11 occasions and their season is not even halfway completed. 

Factor in Conte’s penchant for the dramatic, that has seen him jump ship from two title-winning employers, and acknowledge too the stolid, unadventurous football he’s serving up, that is starting to exasperate the fan-base, and it’s genuinely surprising to discover that several of his peers are ahead of him in the betting odds as the next manager to leave his post. 

When it’s also accepted that the league-topping success of their arch-neighbours Arsenal makes their relative struggles all-the-worse, it’s actually baffling.

Antonio Conte’s days are numbered in North London. You read it here first.

*Credit for all of the photos in this article belongs to AP Photo*

FIRST PUBLISHED: 10th January 2023

Brentford’s signing of Romeo Beckham made a headline or three this week but thankfully nobody got carried away and suggested the 20-year-old might now emulate his father’s successes.

Across two decades, David Beckham redefined the role of a right midfielder and by establishing himself as a superstar during Manchester United’s unprecedented era of dominance, redefined the level of attention bestowed onto a footballer.

By the time he hung up his boots in 2013, arguably the second most famous Brit to the Queen had won ten league titles in four different countries, twice finishing runner-up in the FIFA World Player of the Year awards, and captaining England on numerous occasions. 

They were, and are, a cavernous pair of boots to fill.

Furthermore, when detailing his career what comes to the fore is the undeniable calibre of every club he played for. 

This applies even to Preston North End, the club where he made his first professional outing in the mid-Nineties, on loan from United.

The Lilywhites may have been languishing in the bottom division when a fresh-faced Beckham made his bow, but there are few grander institutions in English football. A founder member of the league, Preston, back in the day, were the first side to navigate an entire season unbeaten. 

After impressing at Deepdale, the talented teenager was soon-after given an opportunity to shine for the Red Devils and it didn’t take him long to claim the right-sided berth as his own, scoring from inside his own area against Wimbledon on the opening day of the 1996/97 campaign. 

It was an audacious feat that astounded even the great Eric Cantona watching on and from that afternoon forward few were betting against the young prodigy becoming a pivotal figure in Sir Alex Ferguson’s latest all-conquering creation.

Indeed, as one quarter of an iconic midfield, that also featured Roy Keane, Paul Scholes, and Ryan Giggs, Beckham helped United reach new heights, winning six Premier League titles, two FA Cups and then in 1999 achieving a quite remarkable pinnacle. 

With mere minutes remaining and a goal down to Bayern Munich in a Champions League final, United memorably came back to win. Both strikes came courtesy of Beckham corners. 

By now of course he was a household name, married to a Spice Girl, and for what it’s worth, also exceedingly wealthy, so any potential move away from Old Trafford was always going to make waves, and was always going to be to a global giant.Subsequently, in 2003 he became a ‘galactico’, joining Real Madrid for a hefty sum of €37m.

In four seasons in Spain, Beckham won silverware and relished the challenge of usurping Barcelona as Los Blancos continued their eternal duopoly with their Catalan rivals.

It is a feud that presently sees both clubs neck-and-neck in the La Liga betting odds. So it ever was.

A surprise move came next, with Beckham crossing the Atlantic to sign for La Galaxy, his superstar status a good fit for a MLS in need of such lustre, and the difference in seasonal schedules meant he could top up his fitness with two loan spells at Italian behemoths AC Milan.

Finally, in 2013, to wind down his illustrious career, Beckham joined PSG for a matter of months. Again he was a sprinkling of stardust. Again it was to elite fare.

Over 523 games, David Robert Joseph Beckham played for six clubs, who between them have won their respective league on 91 occasions. Romeo could never.

Is there a more loaded word in sport than steroids?

Its mere mention conjures up surreptitious use of banned, performance-enhancing substances. Or to be blunt about it, it conjures up cheating.

When attributed to individuals, it takes us back to sprinter Ben Johnson being stripped of his Olympic gold medal in 1984, and the feats of Lance Armstrong being viewed forever more through a prism of cynicism. 

Yet extreme caution is advised when approaching this topic because two different truths can often collide, the first of which is that people tend to feel very strongly about the subject.

This can prompt anger, and anger can easily lead to rash conclusions and erroneous accusations.

The second truth is that a singular word is hopelessly incapable of covering all manner of context. A singular word rarely tells us the whole story.

The back-story of Lionel Messi is a prime example of this, a player who early into his fantastical career was revealed to have taken regular treatments of human growth hormone (HGH), a drug that can act as an anabolic steroid.

🐐❓ 563 goals in 648 games 🤯

1⃣4⃣ years ago today Messi made his @FCBarcelona senior debut 🙌 pic.twitter.com/HzJQyOPTyW

— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) October 16, 2018

There’s that word again. Like a loaded gun.

In reality however, Messi’s nightly administering of the drug on joining Barcelona as a boy, was a legal measure intended to counteract a rare condition called Growth Hormone Deficiency (GHD), an affliction that affects roughly one is every 10,000 people. 

Aged 11, the magician-to-be stood just 4ft 7in tall and during a prolonged medical with River Plate – in effect, a series of tests undertaken across a year-long period – it was estimated that on turning professional he would only be 4ft 11.

His future as a footballer therefore was in severe jeopardy. 

A sustained course of HGH was prescribed but unfortunately it was an expensive procedure and Messi’s present club Newell’s Old Boys reneged on a promise to pay for it.

River Plate meanwhile cooled on their interest in the prodigious talent, something they’ve presumably regretted ever since. 

At this juncture, up stepped Barcelona, who not only flew Messi and his family to Europe – giving his dad a full-time job as a security guard to bypass FIFA regulations – but agreed to finance the treatment.

This meant that for the bulk of his adolescence, the Argentine would spend his days studying and playing soccer. In the evenings, he would inject himself with the synthetic hormone, alternating on each leg.

In 2003, aged 16, Lionel Messi made his full debut for the Bleugrana. In his stocking feet he stood 5ft 7. That’s two inches taller than Diego Maradona. 

📖 Once upon a time ...

... a 16-year-old boy wonder made his Barça debut in a friendly.

This was #Messi, #OnThisDay in 2003 👇 pic.twitter.com/kLjdnS2E7J

— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) November 16, 2020

When word got out about the treatment, early into Messi’s stellar career, conspiracy theories took flight, with some laying claim that Barcelona had sealed the player’s medical records, thus insinuating that HGH was taken long after the stated period. 

There is precisely no evidence of this.

Beyond that idle speculation, plenty tapped their noses, believing something was amiss, and perhaps this at least is understandable. 

Because what we witnessed at Camp Nou over a great many years was an other-worldly phenomenon who defied human capacity.

Here was a player who routinely made a mockery of football betting tips. Indeed, here was a player of such unchartered brilliance that he single-handedly shaped La Liga odds for a decade and more. 

Is it any wonder that suspicion lingered among the naturally suspicious?

Alas, the truth is mundane and free of doubt, and it is this. That any suggestion there was anything surreptitious about Lionel Messi’s genius is simply a tall tale.

*Credit for all of the photos in this article belongs to AP Photo*

FIRST PUBLISHED: 9th January 2023

As 2023 cranks into gear, the sports betting countdown to the 2023 Cheltenham Festival begins to gather steam and in the blink of an eye those four fabulous days of top quality jumps action between March 14-17 are suddenly upon us.

The entries for all the Cheltenham Festival races slowly get released between January and March and here are the important dates to note:

January 3rd:

• Cheltenham Gold Cup

• Queen Mother Champion Chase

• Ryanair Chase

January 10th: 

• Champion Hurdle

• Mares' Hurdle

• Stayers' Hurdle

January 17th:

• Arkle Challenge Trophy

• National Hunt Chase

• Brown Advisory Novices' Chase

• Turners Novices' Chase

January 24th:

• Supreme Novices' Hurdle

• Ballymore Novices' Hurdle

• Triumph Hurdle

• Albert Bartlett Novices' Hurdle

February 14th:

• Mares' Chase

• Mares' Novices' Hurdle

February 21th:

• Ultima Handicap Chase

• Coral Cup

• Fred Winter Juvenile Handicap Hurdle

• Pertemps Final

• Plate

• Kim Muir Handicap Chase

• County Hurdle

• Martin Pipe Conditional Jockeys' Handicap Hurdle

• Grand Annual

February 28th:

• Cross Country Chase

• Champion Bumper 

• Hunters' Chase

Cheltenham Gold Cup Entries (27)

Full list of 2023 Gold Cup entries: A Plus Tard, Ahoy Senor, Angels Breath, Bravemansgame, Capodanno, Conflated, Coole Cody, Eldorado Allen, Envoi Allen, Franco De Port, Frodon, Fury Road, Ga Law, Galopin Des Champs, Galvin, Hewick, L'Homme Presse, Minella Indo, Monkfish, Noble Yeats, Protektorat, Royale Pagaille, Shishkin, Sounds Russian, Stattler, The Big Breakaway, The Real Whacker.

When I attended Wetherby in February of last year to watch Ahoy Senor win the Towton Chase, I would never have imagined that the horse that plodded on to finish a never threatening 5½ lengths to him, would go on to win the Grand National and then become my main fancy for the 2023 Cheltenham Gold Cup.

That horse of course is the Emmet Mullins trained Noble Yeats.

Noble Yeats - what a superstar for Emmet Mullins 🏇

- Grand National hero
- Many Clouds Chase

Noble Yeats loves @AintreeRaces & turns on the turbo to run out a brilliant winner of the G2 Many Clouds Chase under @Sean_Bowen_ pic.twitter.com/0zG22JExrh

— Racing TV (@RacingTV) December 3, 2022

The eight-year-old still wasn’t in my antepost portfolio until that unbelievable turn-of-foot performance in the Many Clouds Chase at Aintree at the beginning of December made me think – this horse could now be a serious Gold Cup contender!

The son of Yeats has come out of relative obscurity to being one of the more likely candidates for Cheltenham’s blue-riband event. It’s a monumental rise to prominence for the Kristene Hunter-bred gelding.

Hot favourite Galopin Des Champs is understandably dominating the antepost markets, and having won all his four completed chases, it’s easy to see why.

His trainer Willie Mullins has five entered with the rest of the quintet made up of Capodanno, Franco De Port, Monkfish and Stattler.

The last two winners of the race Minella Indo and A Plus Tard for Henry de Bromhead, are engaged once again.

L’Homme Presse, who remains the leading domestic Gold Cup contender with us here at 888sport and trading in our online horse racing betting at odds of 6/1, could go straight to The Festival without another run according to his connections.

Suggestion: Noble Yeats @ 6/1 for the Cheltenham Gold Cup

Match Information

• Wednesfield 2-2 Smethwick Rangers 

• When: Bank Holiday Tuesday 27th December 2022

• Kick-off: 3pm

• Where: Cottage Ground, Amos Lane, Wednesfield, Wolverhampton, West Midlands WV11 1ND

• Competition: Midland Football League Division One

• Attendance: 38

The festive period afforded us an extra Bank Holiday this season. Having travelled to AEK-Boco FC near Bristol on Boxing Day, I scrutinised assorted fixture lists to find a another new ground I could target 24 hours later on Tuesday 27th.

Wednesfield FC have been on my radar for many years since the town is heavily signposted above the M6 Motorway junction and I have thereby driven past it literally hundreds of times. On each occasion, I thought to myself: “I must go there one day!”

However, I had been putting off a visit during the current campaign because I noticed Wednesfield had stopped issuing matchday programmes which are essential keepsakes for an ardent groundhopper like me.

But by chance, I discovered a printed programme was planned for this fixture against Smethwick Rangers so I decided to grab the opportunity while it was available.

Therefore I set off on a 250 mile round trip to Wednesfield - a town containing 22,500 inhabitants based three miles from the centre of Wolverhampton. Incidentally, the correct pronunciation locally is “Wencefield”.

Ground Description

I have ventured to a number of newly built grounds lately. These contain tidy facilities including prefab stands that are assembled in factories before being transported by lorry for relocation next to the recipient football pitches.

Consequently all spectator requirements are met in line with modern National League System grading requirements. In total contrast though, Wednesfield’s Cottage Ground is the complete opposite.

An old school venue alluding a certain lived-in charm dating back to when it was originally opened in 1971.

I stood back in admiration after I spotted The Robert ‘Moggsy’ Morris Stand which is a sturdy home-made corrugated iron and brick construction.

This is named in tribute to a former club stalwart and provides covered bench seating in six rows for 300 spectators. More than enough for today’s official attendance of 38.

Indeed, it kept everyone protected from the prevailing elements on a damp and very windy day. There is plenty of on-site parking too with a social club behind the far goal.

Programme Details

On sale from the main entrance at £1.50p for 28 pages offering plenty of good reading material.

The contents included Wednesfield’s club history, player sponsorship details, Midland League table and statistics, away team history, articles about international football legends Pele and Paolo Maldini, a quiz, some random jokes (!) and the manager’s notes.

In addition, the “Message from the Chairman” explained: “It has been a while since we produced a programme due to the cost of printing them.

Local printers are reluctant to do them due to cost as we only need a limited number of copies. So today’s programme will be a special Xmas edition.” I liked the way he signed off by using local vernacular in saying: “WENNY AY WE”.

The Match

A hard fought contest featuring four goals shared by two mid-table teams. Wednesfield’s marksmen were Shadai Mbi and Rhys Horton whereas Smethwick Rangers replied via two strikes from Samuel Kayode.

The home side were roared on by their most committed fan who repeatedly yelled: “Come on Wenny!”

There was a comical incident involving the Smethwick Rangers physio who sprinted 50 yards across the pitch at full pelt to treat an injured player before gasping in theatrical exaggeration: “I can’t breathe!”

Seeing the funny side, a visiting supporter responded: “Do you need a physio, our physio?”

The People

Wednesfield chairman Graham Hyde is a shining example of the devotion shown by Non-League volunteers.

When I phoned him in the morning to check the game was definitely going ahead following previous rainy spells, he allayed my fears by telling me there was no problem as he was busy marking out the painted lines on the pitch.

Then I was delayed en route by 25 minutes due to motorway traffic hold-ups near the RAC building, so I phoned Graham again and he kindly said he would reserve a programme for me in case they sold out.

Once I arrived, I found him manning the entry point and personally lifting a heavy road barrier to allow cars access. Absolutely tremendous dedication to the cause by Graham!

*Credit for all of the photos in this article belongs to @TonyIncenzo*

FIRST PUBLISHED: 5th January 2023

After securing their first ever Premier League title in 2019/20, Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool went into the following campaign in extremely high spirits. 

A successful transfer window saw Thiago Alcantara and Diogo Jota added to a squad that had averaged 98 points across two seasons, remarkably losing only four games along the way, and with fans rumoured to be returning soon to Anfield post-pandemic confidence was sky-high.

Only then, just four games in, disaster struck when Aston Villa trounced the champions 7-2 and if that was bad, less than a fortnight later it all got considerably worse for the Reds.

In a fractious Merseyside derby, Virgil Van Dijk succumbed to a serious injury, ruling him out for much of the season.

So seismic was this loss it swung the betting odds Manchester City’s way, and as Liverpool manfully kept apace with the Blues so their injury list lengthened.

Losing Joe Gomez and Joel Matip to long-term lay-offs left them starkly depleted at the back while all told eight first-team players missed 10-plus league games that term.

His absence could have a knock-on effect in Liverpool's squad#LFC https://t.co/H6wxCTQf8v

— Liverpool FC News (@LivEchoLFC) January 4, 2023

It was an accumulation of absences that gave rise to the notion that Liverpool are cursed with rotten luck concerning injuries, and thus experience more than other clubs, and this fallacy has somehow taken firm hold and extended to the present day.

As recently as last August, Klopp jokingly surmised there must be a ‘witch in the building’, so ravaged was his side via misfortune whereas in reality, Ibrahima Konate, Diogo Jota and the injury-prone Joel Matip were missing.

Though each were big losses it could be argued that three absences does not a crisis make. 

Last season, Manchester City endured an average of three absences per game on route to winning another league title. 

If Klopp routinely blames bad luck whenever a player is unavailable, others meanwhile highlight Liverpool’s high-intensity style of play and attribute that to the supposed curse. 

What nobody seems to consider as a possibility however is that the Reds don’t encounter more injuries to their rivals.

That instead for one high-profile campaign only, they were hit by an above-average number of losses, an unfortunate circumstance for sure, but one that strikes every side from time to time. 

Last term it struck Chelsea and then some. After lifting the Champions League the season before Thomas Tuchel’s men dropped like flies throughout 2021/22, meaning they merely limped into the top four.

In total, the Blues suffered 97 different lay-offs across the year, ranging from minor niggles to ACLs, and no other club in Europe came close to that figure.

It’s hard to recall much coverage of this extreme suffering, and while Liverpool were excused to the hills for their poor title defence, Chelsea were solely castigated for their mediocre offerings. Thomas Tuchel was sacked soon after. 

Nobody of course is suggesting that Jurgen Klopp’s position should be in jeopardy, just as nobody is denying that Liverpool have struggled with costly injuries in recent years.

But to propagate the myth that their woes are exceptional and sustained is wrong.

Last term, 13 top-flight peers endured more lay-offs, while improved analytical data – courtesy of a partnership with a Californian tech firm – means Liverpool are far more in control of risk assessment than ever. 

When weighing up the various Liverpool betting tips that are available, base your judgement on form and results only. Because there is no curse on Merseyside. There is merely a spraining of the truth.

*Credit for all of the photos in this article belongs to AP Photo*

FIRST PUBLISHED: 4th January 2023

Conceived by two French football journalists, the Ballon d’Or first came into being in the mid-Fifties, an award intended to honour that year’s greatest exponent of the beautiful game.

In due course, the award grew in prominence and furthermore expanded its parameters, originally only recognising European talent, it later included any player who plied his trade on the continent.

In 2010, so eminent had the award become that FIFA merged it with their own World Player of the Year merit.

These days it is regarded as the highest individual honour that can be bestowed, a footballing Oscar no less, so naturally it’s an award that has been dominated by Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo in the 21st century.

Between them, the modern era’s two foremost megastars have claimed the famed golden ball on 12 occasions and with the Argentinian genius claiming a World Cup this year, what’s the betting on that extending to 13 soon?

Inevitably too, some countries have produced more winners than others with three responsible for five different recipients - these are Germany, Italy and France – and of course the same principle applies to clubs.

Real Madrid have been the proud employer of eight different winners down the years, with AC Milan, Juventus and Barcelona following suit with six apiece.

The betting odds on guessing the first club to boast a Ballon d’Or winner however is long indeed, assuming, that is, you don’t already know.

Both the club and player were British, so that’s a big clue, but it was not Manchester United, nor Arsenal, nor any obvious Premier League contender with a storied past. 

And The First Ballon d'Or Winner Is...

On December 18th, 1956, at a relatively modest reception held in London, up stepped a winger representing Blackpool FC. 

When it’s revealed that the player in question was Sir Stanley Matthews the surprise greatly lessens. Nicknamed the ‘Wizard of Dribble’, Matthews was a renowned figure across the globe during a time when fame rarely crossed beyond borders.

An impish and fleet-footed wide-man, his sublime talent and modest demeanour made him an immensely popular player, a favourite of many who supported other clubs.

🏆 On the subject of Ballon d'Or winners...

🥇 Here is Sir Stanley Matthews winning the first ever Ballon d'Or in 1956.

🍊 #UTMP pic.twitter.com/WK32n3x1Ei

— Blackpool FC (@BlackpoolFC) November 30, 2021

Across fifteen years of producing magic for Stoke, and a further fourteen for the Tangerines, we can only imagine the esteem in which he was held in the Potteries and the Lancashire seaside resort.

It was likely he was everything and more to both clubs, a player of rare ingenuity and skill, who could change a game on a sixpence. In 2001, three statues were unveiled outside Stoke’s stadium. 

Only three years prior to being officially regarded the best player in the world, Matthews had finally won a FA Cup after many years of near-misses, and with the final subsequently named after him and shown to millions outside the UK, perhaps this swayed the voters for the inaugural Ballon d’Or.

Maybe too, given to him at the seasoned age of forty, it was considered a lifetime achievement merit of a sort. 

What could not have been factored in was Matthews’ remarkable longevity, the player going on to terrorise full-backs for another ten years. He retired, aged 50, a legend beloved. And one of the finest ever exponents of our beautiful game.

*Credit for all of the photos in this article belongs to AP Photo*

FIRST PUBLISHED: 3rd January 2023

Sergio Ramos’ career C.V. is a match for any player from any era.

On four occasions he has lifted the Champions League as captain of Real Madrid. On five occasions he has led the Spanish giants to a La Liga title. 

Along the way, the highly accomplished Andalusian has been named La Liga’s best defender a record five times and all told 751 professional appearances for Sevilla, Los Blancos and PSG has harvested 22 major honours, a remarkable haul. 

Thank you all. 😍@Globe_Soccer “Best defender of all time” award pic.twitter.com/TSENR5ImdY

— Sergio Ramos (@SergioRamos) November 17, 2022

It’s little surprise therefore that the latter are currently short-priced in our Ligue 1 odds to finish as champions again. Silverware has accompanied every step of the defender’s long journey.

It’s a strike-rate too that extends to Ramos’ international outings, with Spain famously winning the World Cup in 2010 along with twice triumphing at the Euros, and the no-nonsense centre-back can be justifiably very proud of being his country’s record appearance-maker, gaining a frankly staggering 180 caps.

Sergio Ramos: All-Time Great?

By every definition then, and by every metric, Sergio Ramos is a stonewall legend for both Los Blancos and La Roja.  

A player simply doesn’t reach such estimable heights – and stay there for nearly two decades – without being a master of his craft and Ramos was, and is, certainly that. 

A magnificent anticipator of danger, the 36-year-old can organise a back-line with the best of them and classy in possession, and ruthless when not, he has consistently thwarted the world’s elite, by turns a rock and a colossus.

Indeed, so lofty is his stature the great Zinedine Zidane has referred to him as ‘noble’. Carlo Ancelotti meanwhile insists he is a ‘complete’ defender. 

Yet, when the time comes soon that this behemoth of the modern game hangs up his boots there will be scant mention of his unparalleled achievements, nor his supreme attributes.

Such plaudits will be relegated – in some quarters at least - to way down in the text. 

Because when Sergio Ramos retires, the headlines will focus on how forwards can now rest easy, free from a player who consistently thwarted them by fair means or otherwise.

A player who knew where the boundaries lay and was more than prepared to cross over.

Sergio Ramos Red Card History

Ramos saw red 28 times throughout his service and though technically that’s not a record, it’s only because in Colombia an obscure, unhinged midfielder named Gerardo Bedoya kicked lumps out of opponents for the sheer fun of it. 

Certainly, in Europe his tally of sending offs has never been bested and the same can be true of top-level football where Edgar Davids comes in a distant second, three dismissals behind.

Away to Espanyol in September,2005, that’s where it all began for the take-no-prisoners centre-back, and just 11 days later another early bath beckoned following a lash-out in the Champions League.

When a third red was brandished in his direction soon after word got out that Ramos was a combustible type, to put it mildly. A player it was always worth checking the betting odds on that he would finish the game. 

Breaking down his litany of loutishness we find that five of his 28 have come against Barcelona – no doubt exasperated by Lionel Messi, a nemesis now a team-mate – and four in the Champions League, but here we must stop celebrating Ramos’ fragrant disregard for the laws.

Because very soon his defensive hijinks will be a memory, and his tributes will inevitably portray him to be one of the dirtiest exponents of a dirty game. 

We should remember that amidst all of the madness, Sergio Ramos was also an extraordinary talent.

Ramos is no longer at the Bernabeu but those who enjoy Real Madrid betting tips will forever remember his impact under those famous floodlights.

*Credit for all of the photos in this article belongs to AP Photo*

FIRST PUBLISHED: 3rd January 2023

Looking for the biggest and best sports calendar for 2023? Well, you've come to the right place. Here, you can find a full list of the top sports competitions, leagues and tournaments around the world.

From the PDC World Championship in January to the King George VI Chase at Kempton Park on Boxing Day, we've got you covered on the biggest sports events of the year.

Keep up with the biggest sports betting events of 2023 here at 888sport. We'll be constantly updating and adding new events as and when we can. Here's to another huge 12 months of sport!

November 2023

• 4-5 FOOTBALL Scottish League Cup semi-finals

• 5 ATHLETICS New York Marathon; FORMULA ONE Brazilian Grand Prix (Sao Paulo)

• 7 RACING Melbourne Cup

• 13-20 TENNIS ATP Tour Finals (Turin), Next Gen ATP Finals (Milan)

• 16 FOOTBALL Euro 2024 qualifier: Georgia v Scotland

• 16-19 GOLF DP World Tour Championship (Dubai)

• 17 FOOTBALL Euro 2024 qualifiers: England v Malta, Finland v Northern Ireland

• 18 FOOTBALL Euro 2024 qualifiers: Armenia v Wales, Netherlands v Republic of Ireland

• FORMULA ONE Las Vegas Grand Prix (Las Vegas)

• 19 FOOTBALL Euro 2024 qualifier: Scotland v Norway

• 20 FOOTBALL Euro 2024 qualifiers: North Macedonia v England, Northern Ireland v Denmark

• 21 FOOTBALL Euro 2024 qualifier: Wales v Turkey

• 22-26 TENNIS Davis Cup Finals (Malaga)

• 26 FORMULA ONE Abu Dhabi Grand Prix (Yas Marina)

December 2023

• 17 FOOTBALL Scottish League Cup final

• 26 RACING King George VI Chase (Kempton)

Match Information

• AEK-Boco 3-2 Bristol Telephones

• When: Boxing Day - Monday 26th December 2022

• Kick-off: 3pm

• Where: Greenbank Recreation Ground, Greenbank Road, Hanham, Bristol BS15 3RZ

• Competition: Western League Division One

• Attendance: 114

I have always loved my Boxing Day football. It provides a chance to get out of the house and sample some fresh air after over-indulging on Christmas turkey.

This year saw heavy rain in the days beforehand so I had to plan carefully where I was going.

Therefore just in case my chosen game suffered a late postponement, I needed to identify a back-up match which would definitely be going ahead on an artificial 3G pitch.

Having weighed up the options, I decided to head for AEK-Boco FC confidently knowing there was a guaranteed alternative at Longwell Green FC’s plastic surface a mile down the road if a last minute deluge occurred.

In the end, it didn’t matter at all as the grass arena at AEK-Boco was perfectly playable. Another interesting ingredient on the day was that I was fascinated by AEK-Boco’s highly unusual name.

It doesn’t reflect the Hanham area they play in so where does it come from? Well I discovered the club was formed in 2003 from the merger of two well-established amateur outfits – AEK Rangers FC and Boco Juniors FC.

Legend has it AEK Rangers originally came into existence after a founder member went on holiday to Greece, saw the team name of AEK Athens and took a liking to it!

Apparently this innovative chap was Scottish so he added the ‘Rangers’ part for good measure.

As for Boco Juniors, their title was a tribute to the world famous Argentine club of the same name from Buenos Aires (although the ‘A’ in Boca has been replaced by an ‘O’ to make Boco).

So to sum up, the current AEK-Boco FC have past influences from Greece, Scotland and Argentina! Apart from their four men’s teams and two ladies’ sides, they also cater for nearly 500 children playing football at various youth levels.

A perfect illustration of how important Non-League clubs are within their local communities. With all this in mind, I set off on a 300 mile round trip to Hanham. This is a suburb of Bristol containing 6,000 residents in the south-east of the city.

Ground Description

Neat and tidy. A three sided arena as the entire touchline housing dug-outs is out of bounds for spectators. The main feature overall is an impressive clubhouse facility straddling the halfway line.

Included is an elevated covered overhang where most spectators watched the game from as they took advantage of easy access in and out of the club bar.

I liked the attractive roof gable complete with the lettering of “AEK-BOCO FOOTBALL CLUB”. The building is only five years old and cost £780,000.

Further along towards one goal is ‘The Paul Withey Stand’ which was installed in November 2021. It is a prefab model providing four rows of green seats for 100 supporters.

On the whole, decent facilities then for a team that only moved up to Step 6 football in the Western League Division One last season having won promotion from the Gloucestershire County Football League.

Programme Details

On sale at the main entrance gate for £1.

An attractive glossy cover depicted a group photo of the home team plus matchday details. There was wholesome reading material inside too.

The Match

A hard fought local derby between two clubs who are less than five miles apart as the crow flies. There were some really eye-catching goals.

AEK-Boco edged a captivating ding-dong affair with strikes by Jack Ball 2 (8, 54 minutes) and Joe Beardwell (40 mins). The marksmen for Bristol Telephones were Nathan Gore (31 mins) and Archie Dark (86 mins).

*Credit for all of the photos in this article belongs to @TonyIncenzo*

FIRST PUBLISHED: 31st December 2022