Using Astrology to Predict the Euro 2012 Winner

Can astrology be used to predict sports? Can it be used to predict who the winner of the Euro 2012 will be? The idea of predicting sports events has drawn astrologers and betting enthusiasts since the days of the Roman chariot races.

Sometimes astrology is used not only to predict sporting events but even to influence the decisions of the coaches when training and choosing their squad. The most famous example that springs to mind is French coach Raymond Domenech, who has admitted that a passion for astrology has impacted his squad selection. The coach, who himself is an Aquarius with Virgo rising, cut some Scorpio and Leo players from his team based on their star signs.

Things did not really go Domenech's way during the 2010 World cup in South Africa, but he isn't the only public figure to rely on readings of the stars, But does it work? How would you go about doing it?

Obviously all sports differ and the astrological consideration will be different for individual sports and team sports as well the skills and conditions necessary for victory in different team sports; soccer and baseball are markedly different games and therefore the astrological signs to look for should be different.

The Man in Black

I have a dilemma, I am both a football fan and I am a qualified Referee. Ok, I'm not at the same level as Howard Webb, in fact I don't even Ref at league level, but I would argue that I know more about the laws of the game than the average fan.

So what does it take to be a Referee in today's game at any level? Well the game may be played at different levels, but the problems are very similar.

I know that I have made wrong decisions in a game, you have to react how you see it at the time, we all make mistakes, even at the highest level, and whilst Mr Webb gets all his actions scrutinised by pundits and commentators, I have to suffer verbal abuse that I can hear, and that I am not expected to react to, Howard Webb probably does not hear any of the abuse from the fans, because it's drowned out by other noise.

Champions League Preview

After a break we welcome back the Champions League as the final 18 sides battle it out for a place in the quarter finals. Two European giants go head to head as the clear stand out tie of the last 18$2C as Arsenal face Italian side AC Milan over a two legged encounter. AC Milan host Arsenal in the first leg at the San Siro and then visit The Emirates for the second leg. The Rossoneri were famously knocked out of the same competition by their opponents this year in 2008 thanks to a wonderful individual display from then captain Cesc Fabregas.

AC Milan have found it difficult against Engish side of late having been knocked out of the tournament at this stage by Arsenal, Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur in the last three seasons. Looking at both sides form coming into this match, Arsenal have won their last two matches in the league against Blackburn Rovers and Sunderland, whilst Milan having been competing at the top of Serie A.

There are also some other interesting ties taking place with current champions Barcelona taking on German side Bayer Levekusen who came through a tricky group containing Chelsea to get to this stage, if you're into football betting then it's clear Barcelona would be a good bet to get through this group.

Messi's 200th Spanish League Appearance Celebrated by 4 Goals

It was hard to believe that the match between FC Barcelona and Valencia on 19th February 2012 marked Lionel Messi's 200th Spanish league appearance. It hardly seemed any time at all since he had been a young 17-year-old making occasional first team appearances and showing what a talent he was going to be; but nobody thought that his talent was so big. Since his first appearance in 2004 he has matured immensely, but despite his talent he has remained modest and unassuming.

Valencia started the weekend nine points behind Barcelona, who themselves were 10 points behind Real Madrid. However, Real Madrid beat Racing Santander 4-0 on the Saturday and so Sunday's match saw Barcelona 13 points behind their arch-rival.

Ways to Liven Up You Awards Ceremony With Customised Football Trophies

This article looks at some of the fun ways you can show your team mates some appreciation at sports presentation. It provides some good and fun ideas on football trophies that you can give to the special members of your team.

Trophies are an important part of any sport including football, at the end of a tournament there will be a prize giving including football trophies. By giving out trophies people have something to remember the day with a feeling of pride, even more so if they won.

However, if you decide to customise your trophies you will make it that little bit more special. It is possible to customise trophies on many levels, from having a recipient's name engraved on the bottom, to having an entire trophy created in whatever form you want. It can often be more costly but will be treasured for a long time.

Around the English Premier League - Round 23

The Round 13 fixtures were played between January 31st and February 1st, with five matches played each day. On the first day the Premier's top 4 clubs had their encounters and no matter what their final score was they had their spot safe. However the Citizens have been left at the mercy of the Red Devils once more, as they were tied a month ago at 45pts and now are at 54pts. On the other hand Tottenham keeps following United's steps with just 5 points behind, while Chelsea carries 42pts and now has to beware of the Toons.

Manchester City went west to visit Everton on Tuesday and even though it looked like an easy rival for the leaders of the board, the Toffees managed to surprise Mancini's side on the field and conquered 3 more points to move from the 14th to the 10th spot. During the first half Samir Nasri and Denis Stracqualursi missed their chances to get on the score sheet, for Nasri the problem was that a ball hit the bar and for the Argentinean it was a great shot that got cleared-off. However the most booed person of the first half was a spectator that caused a 5-minute delay, when few minutes before the end of first half the man entered the field and handcuffed himself to Hart's post. Be that as it may the match continued and as second half started it was clear that the Toffees were strengthen, while City was missing Touré Yaya that has left a hole in the middle field. The opportunity came at 59' when the former Red Devil, Darron Gibson, scored his first goal since he transferred to Everton on January 13th. There was nothing left to do after 1-0 and the Toffees took revenge for their defeat on the 1st leg game against the Citizens.

What Is Going on at Arsenal?

Well the first person that will be asking that questions will be the man that lead Arsenal into its most successful spell as manager as well as the recent 6 year drought without a trophy French coach Arsene Wenger.

After a terrible week for the Gunners that saw them humiliated in Milan losing the Serie A side AC 4-0 thanks to an inspired performance from their striker star striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic and ending the week with a damp squib of a result against Sunderland losing 2-0 at the Stadium of Light has left it almost a certainty that the North London club will go a 7th year without a trophy. Something unthinkable when the French coach was leading his Invincible side to a Premier League season without defeat a feat that is unlikely to be repeated again.

The Arsenal faithful have stuck by their man over the past six seasons, however this season has been the first that a small contingent of Arsenal fans have shown their unhappiness at some of the decisions Mr Wenger has and especially the decision to take of the exciting prospect Alex Oxlade-Chamberlein and replace him with the enigma that is Andrei Arshavin that decision was met with a chorus of boos around The Emirates and sound that would be have been difficult for the Arsenal manager to take.

Around the English Premier League - Round 25

The Premier League top tripod had another successful round, while the next best 3 end up making an interchange of positions. Chelsea that was holding the 4th spot with 1 point ahead of Newcastle and 3 from Arsenal, was defeated as well as the Toons and they both open the way for the Gunners to become the new No. 4. Arsenal and Chelsea are now tied in points, but the advantage on the "Goals For" that the Gunners have right now is placing them in the best position. All the same, Arsenal will have to work really hard to stay there, for its coming opponent is going to be Tottenham, but not before meeting the Serie A's current leader, AC Milan, on its Champions League match on Wednesday 15th. On the other hand, Chelsea is also meeting a tough Italian club (Napoli) for their own Champions' fixture, but in the Premier will play next with Bolton and chances are that is going to be an easier challenge than the Spurs for Arsenal.

Manchester United's victory over Liverpool on Saturday raised the Red Devils hopes of recovering the first position in vain, because the next day the Citizens won at Villa Park thanks to a goal by Joleon Lescott. Be that as it may, the Red Devils did a great job against Liverpool, although polemic was present at the Old Trafford with Luis Suarez's comeback from his eight-game ban for racially abusing Patrice Evra. Even before the match had begun he returned to his old ways, by not shaking Evra's hand in the pre-match formal handshake.

Three Victories and a Tie in the KO's Second Week

The first leg fixtures of the knockout stage were played between Feb. 14th and Feb. 22nd and definitively brought us some good shows, as well as a couple of surprises, like Zenit, Basel and Marseille last minute triumphs or the draw between CSKA Moscow and the all-time favorites Merengues. Furthermore, it seems like the saints were supporting their teams during this first games, for Zenit won with that late goal at Saint Petersburg; Arsenal had no luck against Milan at San Siro; Chelsea could only score once at San Paolo Stadium and Basel triumphed 1-0 at St. Jakob-Park. Anyway this was just the 1st leg and the last 16 will have to wait a couple of weeks more to battle for the ticket to the quarterfinals. Some squads do have an advantage now, but in football you never know what can happen, especially with clubs from this level; therefore let's review the results from this week while we wait, for the 2nd leg encounters.

February 21st - PFC CSKA Moskva 1-1 Real Madrid: The ball possession was quite even, however the chances of scoring were fewer for the Russians and that made us all think that it was going to end up in a victory for the Spaniards. Besides the record that the Merengues were holding after the Group Stage, was placing them as the favorites to win and Ronaldo's first half goal, raised hopes in the Spaniards' side. Nonetheless an opportunity to score arrived during the injury time from second half and the new army man, Pontus Wernbloom, grabbed it to place his first goal with CSKA Moscow.

Betting on Popular Markets

I have often wondered if anyone consistently makes money betting in standard markets in the 'big leagues'. By this I don't mean betting huge amounts of money but rather betting on very popular markets like the NFL and Premiership soccer.

These markets attract hundreds of millions of dollars in betting action every season but because they are so popular there is very little 'edge' to be had by bettors. A mistake could cost a bookmaker a lot of money and that is bad for business, so a good chunk of money made from these markets is reinvested in expert market analysis. Top lines-makers and odds compilers ensure that prices are accurate and balanced to attract good betting action on both sides of a game. Prices also need to be shortened or lengthened in line with demand.

In the early days of my betting I devised a number of systems for betting on soccer, based on statistics for the Premier League as a whole. I was surprised to have some success, a 5% profit on turnover one season, 7% in another but eventually the systems had a 'zero' season, followed by a negative one.

Arsene Wenger: Best Bargain Signings

What can Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger do with under £10 million? He does love a bargain signing, in fact you could argue that he's made a career out of them. Here are some of his best.

Kolo Toure - £150k - To say Kolo Toure was plucked from obscurity would be an understatement. When the Arsenal scouts found him he was playing for the Ivorian club ASEC Mimosa (no, we haven't heard of them either), he impressed on a trial and cost just £150,000 when signed permanently. He played 225 games for the club, so that transfer fee works out at less than £700 a match. Pretty good business, hey?

Cesc Fabregas - £500k - Cesc cost a rumoured half million when he signed for the club in 2003, and before he had turned 18 was an Arsenal regular. You don't need me to tell you that he hasn't looked back. He went on to captain the club before his big money return to Spain, and at 24 is still in the early stages of a glorious career.

Football Betting Tips: Using The Revenge Factor To Give Yourself An Edge

When it comes to football betting tips, there are very few you'll find that will really be of true value to you. There are many websites you can go to that will offer you football betting tips. A lot of times you will get this information for free, but exactly how valuable is that information if it is being given away for free?

Well, I'm going to give you a few football betting tips, well more like one. However, this one tip is going to be very powerful and if used correctly can make you a consistent profit. Now how often have you been watching a football match where one team was so much more superior to their opponent that you felt a win was virtually guaranteed? Did you have money on this game?

Why Free Soccer Predictions Might Not Be Successful In The Long Run

It might seem like a good idea in the beginning to use free soccer predictions to try and make a profit with soccer. You must ask yourself one important question though. If the soccer prediction has any sort of value then why would any reputable person be willing to give it away for free? Just think about how much time it has to take to come up with a prediction.

It can take hours to analyze various statistical data, trends, patterns and other information that changes by the hour. Why would someone be willing to give away that information for free? There is no such thing as a free lunch, so you should be asking yourself - why are these tips free? Even if the goal was to ultimately draw you in as a paying customer, giving away such valuable information just wouldn't make sense.

The First Week of the Champions' Round of 16

The first eight clubs from the Knockout Phase of this prestigious tournament met between Tuesday 14th and Wednesday 15th for the 1st leg fixtures. On each of the four matches there was a triumphant club that now has a foot in the quarterfinals, either with a narrow advantage like Lyon, or with an almost-unbeatable one, like Milan. This first fraction of the last 16 will now have to wait until March 6th and 7th to continue with the challenge and look up for the chance move over to the next phase; but first the remaining 8 will meet between tomorrow and this Wednesday. All the same, here is a short review of the first matches:

February 14th - Lyon 1-0 APOEL: these two had their encounter at the Stade de Gerland, where the Cypriots seemed to be in disadvantage against Olympique Lyonnais, which dominated during the whole game. Although Les Gones still have a higher UEFA coefficient than APOEL, the Cypriots have been improving a lot during this season and in fact it has become the first Cypriot club to reach the round of 16. APOEL's performance has been very good during the competition but on Tuesday it wasn't enough and Alexandre Lacazette saw a chance in this to place the goal that gave his team the current lead.

How Arsenal Copes Up With 2012

There's no doubt that spring is approaching, because you can see the Gunners already going out. Every year, the Gunners' routine shows us that you don't have to worry about the title, as it won't be theirs.

With Arsenal knocked out of the FA cup and 17 points behind Manchester City in the League, there's nothing less than sheer disappointment in the club. Indeed, some critics say that things turned over for the team as soon as they were crushed 8-2 by the Red Devils and the desperately wanted title was far gone by the time they were beaten by Fulham, Swansea and then Fergie.

An overview of the season would definitely be shameful for the club and the last game lost 4-0 to AC Milan is shameful as it is. The knockout from the FA Cup owing to the 2-0 beat by