Real Madrid fires Schuster, names Ramos new coach

Soccer Betting Lines

12/09/2008 - Madrid, Spain (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Real Madrid fired coach Bernd Schuster on Tuesday and placed former Sevilla and Tottenham coach Juande Ramos in charge until the end of the season.

Schuster guided Real to the title last term but his side are currently fifth in the La Liga table, nine points behind Barcelona, which it faces in the El Clasico on Saturday.

Schuster had admitted after Real's 4-3 weekend defeat to Sevilla that he did not believe his side could win at the Camp Nou.

"The game against Barcelona worries me less than any other game," he said. "It is not possible to win because Barcelona are in devastating form and I believe that this is going to be their year."

Ramos has been without a job since leaving White Hart Lane in October.

Real play Zenit St. Petersburg in the Champions League on Wednesday before facing Barcelona.

(Courtesy of sportbox.tv)

Spotsnetwork Soccer Betting News

<< Wolf Pack sign Sugden
Hartford, CT (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Hartford Wolf Pack signed Brandon Sugden to an American Hockey League contract after the 10-year veteran winger had been playing with the American Hockey League club on a Professional Tryout agreeme

<< Panthers/Giants moved to prime time for Week 16
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The NFL announced its final schedule for Week 16 and decided to move the game between the Carolina Panthers and New York Giants to prime time. The contest could determine the top seed in the NFC playoffs

<< Revs' defender Parkhurst inks deal in Denmark
Foxborough, MA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - New England Revolution defender Michael Parkhurst has signed a contract to play for FC Nordsjaelland of Denmark's First Division starting in January of 2009, the major league Soccer club announc

<< United re-signs Clyde Simms
Washington, D.C. (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - D.C. United re-signed 26-year-old holding midfielder Clyde Simms, the Major League Soccer team announced. "We are very pleased to have re-signed Clyde to another long term deal," United General Man

<< Brewers re-sign IF Lamb
Las Vegas, NV (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Milwaukee Brewers have agreed to terms of a one-year contract with infielder Mike Lamb. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. Lamb joined the Brewers in September for the stretch run after be

AFC East: Who Will Win Game of Survivor? >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The cliches being universally spouted shortly after Tom Brady was helped off the Gillette Stadium field with a season-ending knee injury in Week 1 turned out not to be cliches at all. The absence of Brady did indeed throw

Crunch send pair of forwards down to ECHL Johnstown >>
Syracuse, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Syracuse Crunch returned center Ryan Garlock and loaned left winger Blair Yaworski to Johnstown of the ECHL, the American Hockey League club announced on Tuesday. Garlock, 22, has appeared in

Pesonen returned to Wilkes-Barre >>
Wilkes-Barre, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Pittsburgh Penguins have re-assigned forward Janne Pesonen to their American Hockey League affiliate, the Wilkes- Barre/Scranton Penguins, it was announced Tuesday. The 26-year-old Pesonen appear

United's Ferguson shocked by Evra's four-game ban >>
Manchester, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson has admitted to being shocked by the four-match suspension handed down to full- back Patrice Evra by the Football Association. The 27-year-old France internation

Sizing up the BCS Championship Game >>
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - It's easy to see why Florida and Oklahoma will be meeting for the BCS Championship. The Gators and Sooners finished a full touchdown ahead of third-place USC in the final regular season Jeff Frank Top 10 Poll

Super Bowl 2009 Betting

Super Bowl 2009 Betting propositions

Underdog bettors love the Super Bowl and, history suggests, the underdogs love them back. And the big dogs bite harder.

Even so, there is a warning in store for Super Bowl gamblers who must love dogs: The Arizona Cardinals Super Bowl betting lines might not be enough of a Cinderella to make it worth your while.

Although the Cardinals were widely panned as one of the worst division winners and least playoff-worthy teams in recent memory, their trip to Super Bowl XLIII Jan. 31 in Tampa against the Pittsburgh Steelers Super Bowl betting lines comes with a little more respect from the oddsmakers than you might imagine. They are a 7-point underdog at most sports books.

If you count yourself among those who covet the big dog in the big game, this isn’t exactly great news. You should have been hoping for more points. This is because the facts show that the bigger the dog, the better the bet in the Super Bowl.

Case in point: Over the past 13 seasons, double-figure underdogs in the Super Bowl are 4-0-1 ATS and have won the past three outright. In fact, the last double-digit chalk to do the deed for bettors was the 1995 San Francisco 49ers, who managed to beat the astounding 19-point spot afforded backers of the San Diego Chargers in the 49-26 romp in Super Bowl XXIX.

By contrast, 7-point favorites are 2-1-1 ATS in the same span, the last such contest resulting a cover grinded out by the Colts in their 29-17 win over the Bears two seasons ago in Super Bowl XLI.

In 2004, the Patriots failed to cover the number in their 32-29 triumph over the Carolina Panthers in Super Bowl props while the Rams and Titans gave everyone a refund in 2000 after the Rams posted a 23-16 win as a seven-point favorite.

So while Arizona’s run has included impressive upsets as a 10-point road underdog to the Carolina Panthers and Sunday’s 32-25 win in the NFC championship game to the 4-point favored Philadelphia Eagles, their long-shot story lacks a bit of the David vs. Goliath storyline of past Super Bowl underdogs.

While the seven-point spread represents a significant gap in the perception of strength between the two teams, it is far from monumental. For example, last season the Giants were the wild-card afterthought turned road-warrior buzzsaw, with stunning wins over the Buccaneers, Cowboys and Packers to earn their place in the Super Bowl.

There, they played spoiler to New England’s bid to become the first 19-0 team in NFL history and cemented their place in sports betting lore with a 17-14 win as a 12.5-point underdog.

In other words, the Cardinals appear to have their work cut out for them as a mid-range underdog. But in homage to the spread beaters who have come before them, here is a brief look back at recent colossal upsets in the Super Bowl:

SB XLII -- 2008 -- New York Giants 17, New England Patriots 14 (Giants +12.5) – Eli Manning’s 13-yard touchdown pass to Plaxico Burress in the final minute clinched the historic upset for the Giants, who used a masterful defensive plan to slow down Tom Brady and the previously undefeated New England Patriots.

XXXVI -- 2002 -- Patriots 20, Rams 17 (Patriots +14) – This was the coming out party for the aforementioned Brady, who went from obscure sixth-round draft pick to Super Bowl hero in one fell swoop. He led the game-winning drive in the final minute – eschewing analyst John Madden’s advice to take a knee and play for overtime – leading to Adam Vinatieri’s memorable 48-yard field goal that split the uprights as time expired.

XXXII 1998 Broncos 31, Packers 24 (Denver +12) – The first of John Elway’s two consecutive Super Bowl titles to put an end to his Hall of Fame career was an upset for the ages. The Broncos used the determination of Elway and a 157-yard, three-touchdown performance from Terrell Davis to turn back Brett Favre and the heavily favored Packers.

Get free 2009 Super Bowl Betting from top rated online sportsbook MySportsbook.com. Mysportsbook.com online Super Bowl betting VISA Mastercard