The Sports Bookie Blog

A happy family as Serena and Venus set up Wimbledon title clash?
 
Venus and Serena Williams, who boast six Wimbledon titles between them, will clash for the third time in an All England Club final on Saturday.

Venus, the four-time winner and defending champion, booked her place with a 6-1, 7-6 (7/3) win over Russian fifth seed Elena Dementieva to reach her seventh singles final. Serena, the younger of the two sisters, then ended wildcard Zheng Jie’s hopes of becoming the first Chinese player to reach a Grand Slam final with a battling 6-2, 7-6 (7/5) win. The 26-year-old Serena will be looking to complete a hat-trick of Wimbledon wins over her sister having come out on top in the 2002 and 2003 finals.

Venus inists the final will be fully competitive despite scepticism in the past over whether the two perform to the maximum of their ability when they share the same court. “I find the question pretty offensive because I’m extremely professional in everything that I do on and off the court,” said Venus, the holder of six Grand Slam titles. “I contribute my best in my sport, and I also have a ton of respect for myself and my family. So any mention of that is extremely disrespectful for who I am and my family.”

Serena, 11 kilos heavier and more than 11cm taller than Zheng, had too much brawn for the world 133, who had made her mark by knocking out top seed Ana Ivanovic in the third round. “She pushed me and really played a great match,” said Serena of an opponent she had comfortably defeated in the first round here four years ago.

Zheng was left to regret a great opportunity to take the semi-final to a decider when she held set point in the 10th game of the second set but Williams was able to call on her powerful smash to rescue herself. “She played like she had nothing to lose. I was able to hit a smash on that set point. I didn’t really want to go into a third set,” added the American sixth seed who will be facing her sister in a seventh Grand Slam final.
“I’m looking forward to playing Venus in the final. She’ll be the toughest opponent I have faced. “We haven’t played each other in a Grand Slam final for five years but that’s because our rankings fell or we were in the same side of the draw. I guess this is a new start for both of us.”

Serena’s last Wimbledon final appearance was in 2004, when she lost to a teenage Maria Sharapova.

Check out the latest bookie prices on Wimbledon betting live here at BookieLabRat.com.

When this blog was posted BoyleSports and Centrebet had the best odds on a Serena win at 1.85 (5/6), with PinnacleSports offering the best odds at 2.08 (11/10) on Venus beating her sister.

Spain ended their 44-year wait for a major international title with a 1-0 victory over Germany at the Euro 2008 final on Sunday.

Fernando Torres scored the only goal of the game in the first half as football’s perennial underachievers finally banished that unwanted tag to the history books. It was the first time Spain had won the European title since 1964 and their first final since 1984.

For 69-year-old Spanish coach Luis Aragones there was a tinge of bitterness mixed with the moment of glory. “We did things well, we won, period. I will not be staying on as coach because I have been given no possibility to,” said Aragones.

For Spanish midfielder Cesc Fabregas it was a dream come true. “This is great,” said the 21-year-old Arsenal star. “This is the best day of my life as a player. “I don’t think we are conscious yet of what we have achieved….44 years later. “It has been one of my dreams and I made it. “It is true we won it with style. “We were trying to create chances and play beautiful football and we have at last had the success we deserved. “I don’t know why it has taken this long and I don’t want to think about that anymore as we have achieved it and we are a young team and will fight for the World Cup in two years time.”

For Torres too it was a dream realised. “For me, it’s a dream come true,” said Torres. “Victory in a Euro, is almost as big as a World Cup. I think that we have played very good football throughout the tournament and it was justice done when we won the final.”

German coach Joachim Loew professed his admiration for his side, who defied expectations to reach the final. “I have to compliment the team for what they have achieved over the past few weeks,” said the 48-year-old. “It has been fantastic. The players are obviously disappointed, but they have every reason to hold their heads up high.”

For German captain Michael Ballack it was more disappointment in a major tournament. “It is very sad to lose when one has come such a long way,” said the 31-year-old, who missed the 2002 World Cup final because he was suspended and has also lost two Champions League finals. “All the team battled away. This tournament has come at the end of the season and physically it has been tough. However, today (Sunday) we have made too many errors.”

Spain seemed to start tentatively and a mistake from Sergio Ramos gave Miroslav Klose a glorious opportunity after just four minutes, but after taking the ball past Carles Puyol his next touch was too strong and he ran the ball out of play. Spain gradually started to settle but three-time champions Germany still had the next chance, Thomas Hitzlsperger hitting a tame shot straight at Spain captain Iker Casillas.

Just before the quarter-hour mark Jens Lehmann came to Germany’s rescue as a cross from Andres Iniesta deflected off Christoph Metzelder’s boot and only a stunning reaction save from the Arsenal stopper prevented a goal.

Spain were starting to take control and Torres headed a Xavi free-kick over the bar. On 23 minutes Ramos cut in from the right and crossed to the back post where Torres climbed above the considerably taller Per Mertersacker; his downward header beat Lehmann but unfortunately for Spain not the base of the post.

Up the other end Spain’s slightly suspect defence was struggling to cope with the direct running of Bastian Schweinsteiger and Lukas Podolski but Germany created little despite Ballack’s volley being blocked by Ramos. Then on 33 minutes Torres put Spain ahead with a moment of sublime quality. He latched onto a piercing through ball from Xavi, outpaced Philipp Lahm and chipped the ball over the advancing Lehmann with a flicked shot that could have threaded the eye of a needle. Spain were suddenly rampant and Iniesta crossed to the back post where the unmarked David Silva had a rush of blood to the head and lashed a volley wildly over.

Spain seemed brimming with confidence at the start of the second period and both Xavi and Silva went close with long range efforts before Torres again outpaced the German defence but couldn’t quite reach the ball before Lehmann came out to smother. Germany coach Joachim Loew responded by sending on a second forward in Kevin Kuranyi to replace midfielder Hitzlsperger. That immediately shifted the momentum of the game and on the hour a mistake from Puyol was almost punished as Ballack fired just wide; moments later Casillas came storming out of goal to take a cross from Ballack off Kuranyi’s head. Spain remained dangerous and Ramos forced Lehmann into a fine block with a powerful header from a Xavi free-kick before Torsten Frings cleared a shot from Iniesta off the line.

Brazil-born Marcos Senna came within inches of settling the game in the final 10 minutes but he couldn’t quite stretch his leg out far enough to meet substitute Daniel Guiza’s downward header with the goal at his mercy.

Hewitt faces an uphill task 
Lleyton Hewitt will attempt to halt Roger Federer’s charge towards a sixth Wimbledon title on Monday - and he will use Tiger Woods as an inspiration.

Former champion Hewitt faces Federer in the last 16 knowing his opponent has now won 62 consecutive matches on grass. To add to his task, the Australian is struggling with a hip injury which he admits would have ruled him out of any other tournament. But Hewitt hopes he can follow in Woods’ lead - he won the US Open earlier this month despite clearly struggling with a knee problem which has since ruled him out for the rest of the season.

“I love watching Tiger play, he’s one of my favourite sportsmen,” said the 27-year-old from Adelaide. “What he did was incredible. I don’t really know if anyone else would have been able to do it. Not only to play four rounds but then go out and play a fifth day (for the play-off).

“That’s the kind of stage that was set up perfectly for him. It really was. No-one else on this planet, I don’t think, could have got through with the win.”

Woods was very cagey about the extent of his injury during the event and Hewitt is also keen not to talk up his problem. “I don’t complain about injuries too much, I think that comes from a (Australian Rules) football background,” added the 2002 winner. “You don’t show when you’re hurt. It’s the same out on the court. Very rarely do I give away signs if I’m hurting at all. It’s signs of weakness. I try to play the cards pretty close to my chest.”

Federer has a 13-7 win-loss record against Hewitt, including the last 11 in a row. Two of those wins have come at Wimbledon - the 2004 quarter-finals and the 2005 semi-final.

Attractive
But Hewitt does have at least one advantage - he is now coached by the legendary Tony Roche, who also coached Federer for two and a half years until they split in May last year.

“Rochey’s obviously going to know a lot,” Hewitt added. “There’s no doubt about that. But you’ve still got to go out there and execute it as well and not play into Roger’s hands too much. “It can only help but it’s not the absolute key to success. You’ve still got to go out there and do it.”

While Federer-Hewitt is arguably the pick of the fourth-round matches, all of which are due to take place on Monday, there are plenty of other attractive clashes to look forward to.

Second seed Rafael Nadal faces a potentially-tricky clash with Mikhail Youzhny on Court One. The Russian has given Nadal plenty of problems in the past andhas won four of their previous 10 meetings. He was also close to toppling the Spaniard when they met at the same stage here last year when Youzhny led by two sets to love before Nadal stormed back to win in five.

Youzhny amazingly won their last meeting 6-0 6-1 in Chennai earlier this year but has needed five sets to win each of his last two matches here and could pay the price for those exertions against Nadal. That match will be followed by another Russian, Novak Djokovic’s conqueror Marat Safin, up against Switzerland’s 13th seed Stanislas Wawrinka.

On Court Two Janko Tipsarevic, who accounted for Andy Roddick in the second round, takes on his good friend Rainer Schuettler, while former semi-finalist Marcos Baghdatis and Spain’s Feliciano Lopez will fight it out on Court 18.

Croatian fans will be heading to Court 11 to see Mario Ancic take on Spain’s Fernando Verdasco and Marin Cilic up against France’s Arnaud Clement.

Compare LIVE WIMBLEDON TENNIS ODDS across the top online sportsbooks here at BookieLabRat.com

Italy coach Roberto Donadoni insists the world champions Italy can win their battle for Euro 2008 survival despite a traumatic demolition by Holland in their opening match.

The Italians, badly missed the steadying influence of injured captain Fabio Cannavaro, and have been left with their backs to the wall in group C as a result of Monday night’s 3-0 defeat. But the encounter was not without encouraging elements for Donadoni and, but for the brilliance of Dutch goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar, the evening could easily have had a different complexion.

“Holland played as well as we expected them to,” Donadoni said. “We knew they were a team that could give us problems and they did.
“We made mistakes and we paid for them. Now we have to absorb the lessons and look forward. “The next game, against Romania, is going to be crucial. We just have to forget about this defeat and move on. The game started badly for us and ended up worse but it is already history.”

Donadoni dismissed a suggestion that complacency could have contributed to his side’s downfall. “I don’t think there was any complacency. Winning the World Cup is not a sufficient goal for us and we have been working very hard and professionally in preparing for this tournament for the last two years. “The result was not good, obviously, and we are not happy about it but we are going to work to ensure we react to it and improve. “I trust my boys and we carry on in the knowledge that the next game is even more important.”

The significance of Italy’s defeat was reduced by the fact that France and Romania drew their opening match 0-0. “In light of our result, we are quite happy that France and Romania drew,” Donadoni admitted. “It goes to our advantage. But it also shows Romania are a difficult team. It is going to be a tough game for us and getting a win is going to be really important.”

Given that they finally managed to carve out some good chances, albeit very late in the game, it will be the tentative nature of Italy’s defending against the Dutch that is of most concern to Donadoni. Marco Materazzi, the defender who famously provoked Zinedine Zidane into head-butting him during the last World Cup final, was a poor replacement for Cannavaro and was substituted ten minutes into the second half. Officially the change was made because of a calf strain but it seems unlikely that even a fully fit Materazzi will be asked to start against the Romanians here on Thursday. Donadoni also has a dilemma in attack. Bayern Munich striker Luca Toni had a poor game by his standards and although Antonio di Natale was their brightest performer early on, it was only after his departure and the introduction of Alessandro del Piero and Antonio Cassano that Italy began to show their class.

Del Piero said: “We all have to share the blame but the most important thing is to focus immediately on Romania. We’ve got a lot of regrets but there is also a desire to turn our situation around. We need to beat Romania and that will require a big performance.” Goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon, who was named as captain in Cannavaro’s absence, admitted Monday night would go down as “one of the worst of my career.” The Juventus keeper added: “Holland deserved their win. I think it is my duty, in the name of myself and my team-mates, to apologise to all the Italian supporters. I hope in the next match we will rediscover the pride that was lacking in this one.”

Check out Live Euro2008 odds compared across top online sportsbooks here at BookieLabRat.com.

Are you a better football tipster than Victor Chandler?

Of course I’m sure I am - and if you are too, you could win a free bet - or if you’re REALLY GOOD a £5,000 Free Bet as the ultimate winner of the “Beat Victor Euro2008 competition”. It’s now on at VCBet.com.

How To Win
You have to predict the correct score of every match during Euro 2008. You receive an “imaginary £1″ on each correct score you choose, and if your selection is correct your “imaginary £1″ is settled at the VC Bet price on that correct score. There are prizes for the leader after each Euro 2008 round as well as the overall winnner.

Everyone who beats Victor Chandler’s own picks (his total score in the competition) at the end of the tournament also wins a free bet. You can’t load up all your picks in advance so get in quick and register your choices for the Matches for the first two days, after those matches are completed VCBet will display the next matches, and so on - so you’ll have to keep signing in and updating your picks throughout the Euro2008 Tournament. But hey, it could be worth a £5,000 Free Bet so don’t be lazy! It’s free to enter and it’s not often you get something for nothing, especially from a bookie!

Prizes
Overall Winner:  £5,000 Free Bet
Overall Runner-up:  £500 Free Bet
Overall places 3rd - 10th:  £50 Free Bet
Everyone who Beats Victor:  £10 Free Bet
Leader after first round:  £1,000 Free Bet
Leader after Quarter Finals:  £500 Free Bet
Leader after Semi Finals:  £500 Free Bet

Lead from start to finish and you win a £7,500 Free Bet!

Entry to “Beat Victor” is completely free of charge, VCBet do of course recommend that you open a VC Bet account and add your account number to the entry form to ensure prompt payment of any winnings 

Click here to open an account with VC Bet or sign in if you’re already a member.
PS: Ladbrokes has also kicked off their Euro 2008 Fantasy Football where the top prize is a football trip of your choice worth £1,000. It’s free to enter for all Ladbrokes customers, so log in, pick your XI and get in contention for the prizes…

Several online bookmakers are fleshing out their Euro 2008 sports betting offerings with a live stats mini-site developed by sports content provider Enetpulse.

So what? Well…the aim of the mini-site is to provide you, the punter, with free detailed live commentary and match stats that apparently will be available on every Euro 2008 game. Very cool for those of us too lazy to go trawling the web ourselves and there is nothing like making informed bets to improve your bank balance!  :-)

Each Euro2008 mini-site is basically a template (ie they’re kinda the same) but provide in-depth analysis, statistics, news, fixtures, results, tournament guides and team pages.

Enetpulse’s Euro 2008 mini-site partners include, Ladbrokes, Victor Chandler, Betfred and Pinnacle Sports, each rated and reviewed in detail at BookieLabRat.com.

I suggest you check a Euro 2008 Mini-site out soon!
Mike

Two online sportsbooks and gaming service providers reviewed and rating well in May 2008 by online gambling specialists BookieLabRat.com have made headline news today.

Paddy Power, Ireland’s largest Bookmaker, has expanded into the Northern Irish retail sector with the acquisition of a leading independent bookmaker in the Greater Belfast area, McGranaghan Racing. This chain of eight licensed betting offices will now be added to Paddy Power’s existing 183 shops in the Republic of Ireland and 58 in London.

Patrick Kennedy, Chief Executive of Paddy Power said “McGranaghan’s has a similar business model to our own, employing a very competitive offering to drive very high shop turnover and profitability. Acquisition is the necessary route into this interesting market and McGranaghan’s is an ideal entry point for Paddy Power. The estate has an attractive mix of different locations and like Paddy Power is a punter focused business which promotes a very competitive and attractive offering that will drive both footfall in our shops and increased profitability throughout our company”

Online gaming operator Betsson is to open its first retail betting shop this week in its highly protectionist home market of Sweden, directly challenging the country’s gambling monopoly. Meanwhile the country’s gambling regulator, Lotteriinspektionen, has said it is monitoring the situation

Pontus Lindwall, CEO of Betsson says “EU laws provide support for this endeavour. There is no longer any reason for us to wait for a political process that is hardly moving forward. We want to drive development of the gaming market for the benefit of players. I am confident that the monopoly’s retail outlets will experience some tough competition going forward.”

With headlines like those that follow, Betsson is proving to be an interesting investment option.
29.04.08 Betsson Reports Strong Start to 2008 With 54% Revenue Growth
15.02.08 Betsson’s Operating Profit Up 904%
08.01.08 Betsson - The Online Gaming Stock of 2007
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Read detailed reviews on Betsson Sportsbook and Betsson Poker (a leading member of the Ongame Poker Network)
 

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Liverpool duo hand Dutch win over Ukraine

Liverpool pair Dirk Kuyt and Ryan Babel were both on target as the Netherlands beat Ukraine 3-0 in a Euro 2008 warm-up match here on Saturday.

The Dutch shrugged off the absence of injured Robin van Persie and Mario Melchiot, as well as rested Real Madrid stars Ruud van Nistelrooy and Arjen Robben, to score an important win ahead of the finals where they have been drawn against world champions Italy, France and Romania. Marco van Basten’s side were also without goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar who will not join up with the squad until Monday following his Champions League penalty shoot-out heroics with Manchester United in Moscow last week.

“We played very well even if Ukraine didn’t put in a good performance,” said van Basten. “I saw some good football, some good combinations and great motivation. I have a lot of possibilities in my squad and with some positions it will be a difficult choice. “I have a lot to think about. At centre forward, my first choice is Ruud Van Nistelrooy but Klaas-Jan Huntelaar had a good game tonight and scored.”

The Ukrainians mounted little in the way of a challenge and the Dutch were deservedly in front after 24 minutes when Kuyt headed in a cross from Giovanni van Bronckhorst. In the 37th minute, Klas-Jan Huntelaar was set-up by Rafael Van der Vaart to score his seventh goal in 12 internationals to make it 2-0. Van der Vart was also influential in the creation of the third goal, supplying the crucial pass for Babel to score in the 64th minute.

The Netherlands will face Denmark in Eindhoven on Thursday before facing Wales in their last warm-up next Sunday.

Defending champions Greece suffer friendly setback

Defending European champions Greece slumped to a 3-2 defeat to Hungary on Saturday, just two weeks before the Euro 2008 tournament gets underway in Switzerland and Austria.

The result was a setback for the Greeks but was a convincing start for new Hungary coach, Dutchman Erwin Koeman, as he engineered a first win for his side over the Greeks since 1987. Ioannis Amanatidis had given the Greeks the lead in the 45th minute only for Balazs Dzsudzsak to level for the Hungarians, who haven’t qualified for Euro 2008, two minutes after the interval. Roland Juhasz and Krisztian Vadocz then scored twice in the space of four minutes to give Hungary a 3-1 lead with Nikos Liberopoulos pulling back a consolation in the last minute for Greece.

Switzerland beat Slovakia 2-0 in Euro 2008 warm-up

Switzerland enjoyed a 2-0 friendly win over Slovakia on Saturday, just two weeks before the Euro 2008 championships, which they are co-hosting, get underway. Midfielder Valon Behrami opened the scoring in the 56th minute before he then turned provider seven minutes later setting up the second goal for veteran striker Alex Frei.

Captain Frei is now just one international goal away from the record of 34 set by Kubilay Turkyilmaz. He could equalise the record, or even beat it next Friday in St Gallen during the last warm-up match for the Swiss, this time against Liechtenstein.

Swiss coach Kubi Kuhn also fielded Patrick Mueller, who left his club Lyon to join his national teammates in Lugano on Friday despite not getting permission from his French side who were involved in the French Cup final on Saturday. He had made the move after Kuhn said he would have to drop him from the national side if he did not have a chance to assess the player’s form.

Croatia beat Moldova in Euro 2008 friendly

Croatia won 1-0 against Moldova at the coastal town of Rijeka on Saturday in their first warm-up match ahead of next month’s Euro 2008 finals. 

Croatian captain Niko Kovac scored the goal in the 30th minute, shooting home after Ivan Rakitic headed the ball on to him from the right. The game lacked a competitive edge as both coaches were clearly trying out different combinations of players on the run-up to the June 7 to 29 championships.

Croatian coach Slaven Bilic is still searching for his top strike duo after Eduardo da Silva was injured, and tried Ivic Olic and Igor Budan in the first half, and Ivan Klasnic and Nikola Kalinic after the break. Arsenal striker da Silva suffered a compound fracture of his left leg in an horrific tackle by Birmingham defender Martin Taylor at St Andrews in February. The absence of the Brazilian-born star, who has scored 13 goals in 18 matches for Croatia, was a great disappointment for Bilic.

Luka Modric, expected to be Croatia’s star player in Austria and Switzerland next month, put in a good performance against Moldova.

Hagi tips Romania to spring a Euro surprise

Romania, drawn in the so-called group of death with world champions Italy, France and the Netherlands, can bely their underdog status and punch above their weight at Euro 2008.

That’s the verdict of former Romania great Gheorghe Hagi, known in his playing days as the “Maradona of the Carpathians”. “I don’t think a (rival) coach can say he fears us, especially when we’re talking about Italy, France and the Dutch. “But we can be the surprise of the competition, like Greece (winners in 2004),” the former international and national team coach says.

To back up his assertion He harked back to his country’s performance at Euro 2000 when with Hagi in the team Romania drew 1-1 with Germany, lost 1-0 to Portugal before defeating England 3-2 to qualify for the second round. He reflected: “Back in 2000 we were also in a difficult group. “Nobody gave us any chance at all but we still managed to make it out of the first round.. Precedents do exist. It is possible to spring a surprise.” Hagi said the class of 2008 “must believe in their potential” and above all “start well against France (on June 9) as the first match is always the hardest”.

After the French hors d’oeuvre Romania face Italy on June 13 followed by Holland on June 17.

>>If you’re after the online sportsbook that will max out your betting profits on Euro 2008 check out the latest May sportsbook reviews and ratings at BookieLabRat.com.

Well, I hope you had YOUR money on the Champions League Final at Paddy Power. Paddy Power bookmaker’s latest daring (crazy?) cash back offer is costing them dearly, like, quizillions… well, an expected payout of almost €1.5 million! 

What’s this all about?  
In a cash back offer called “Russion Roulette”, as Ronaldo scored in normal time, Paddy Power are refunding ALL losing single pre-match Win-Draw-Win, Correct Score, 1st/last/anytime goalscorer and Half-time/Full-time market bets on this match.

It was limited to a maximum refund of €300/£200 stake-back per customer, but still, wow!

I wonder if Paddy is now regretting refunding the €100,000+ in bets placed on the “poultry puppet” Dustin the Turkey in Eurovision betting? It was just a good will gesture…

As Paddy’s marketing team would, and indeed did say: Stuffed, cooked and served up on a big plate of loser salad. 

We’re looking forward to more of PaddyPower.com’s great cash back deals next football season and hope they come to the party with a few “investement options” during Euro 2008!

If you don’t have an account yet with this great Irish bookie you should! Get online to Paddy Power now and sort it out!

(Here are links to the latest reviews of PaddyPower bookmaker and the excellent Paddy Power Casino in case you need more encouragement!)  Sorry, no USA residents can be members at Paddy Power.

Swiss coach Jakob Kuhn must hope that when his players kick off the Euro 2008 tournament against the Czech Republic on June 7, this last chapter in his long career will prove a blaze of glory rather than a damp squib.

Kuhn - affectionately known by the diminutive “Kobi” - has managed the national side since 2001, helping Switzerland to qualify for Euro 2004 and the 2006 World Cup, where they reached the last 16 of the latter before going out on penalties to Ukraine having not conceded a goal in the tournament.

64-year-old Kuhn announced back in 2006 that he would step down after Euro 2008 but insists he will be keeping his eye on the ball right up to the final whistle.

Switzerland has not covered itself in footballing glory in recent years, and lost against England and Germany in recent months.
But Kuhn has said he believes the side has a real chance of qualifying from its group despite being pitted against better-placed sides Portugal, the Czech Republic and Turkey.

“It’s do-able. I would never have said that had we had a similar draw to four years ago,” Kuhn said when the draw was announced last December.  In the Euro 2004 finals in Portugal, Switzerland finished bottom of their group behind France, England and Croatia.
Kuhn added it was an open group but that the first match against the Czech Republic would be vital in setting the tone for the rest of their fixtures. “Defeat against the Czechs would put us in a delicate position,” he added.

The former midfielder has not forgotten that he was on the losing side in all Switzerland’s matches during the finals in Chile and England in 1962 and 1966, including a 5-0 drubbing by Germany. As under-21 coach in the 1990s, he was at the heart of a successful youth team policy that snapped up young talent at national level often before they even reached major clubs.The church-going Kuhn cuts a fatherly figure amongst the testosterone-driven ‘alpha male’ world of international football but has not been afraid to wield the knife when needed.
Last March, he dropped then-captain Johann Vogel before a series of international friendlies, saying the defender lacked the killer instinct.

“Johann is not bringing what he should. It’s not enough to be happy to play, I want a leader,” he said. He has also insisted that his players act as role models both on and off the pitch, declaring that “honesty and courtesy have not become outdated.”

He will be replaced by former Bayern Munich manager Otmar Hitzfeld, and the “General” of German football has lavish praise for his predecessor. “He has an outstanding personality, which rubs off on the team,” Hitzfeld said back before the last Euro championships in 2004.
“I played against him often, he was always a classy player. The Kobi Kuhn of the seventies would even be a national team player today,” he said.

Hitzfeld himself is no stranger to Swiss football, having played for Basel, Lugano and Lucerne between 1971 and 1983 and then coaching Zug, Aarau and Grashoppers from 1984 to 1991.

Check out the latest EURO2008 Odds Live across all the top online sportsbooks here at BookieLabRat.com.