United gets back on track with big second half

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12/23/2006 - Birmingham, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Manchester United assured itself the top spot in the Premiership at the half-way point of the season with a 3-0 win over Aston Villa at Villa Park on Saturday.

After suffering a stunning 1-0 loss to West Ham last Sunday that saw the Red Devil's lead over Chelsea shrink to only two points, Sir Alex Ferguson's men rebounded with three second-half goals on Saturday to claim the maximum points.

Cristiano Ronaldo scored twice and Paul Scholes added a stunning volley to ensure that United remained on top.

The home side came out strong and nearly went ahead after 15 minutes. A free- kick from Gareth Barry was flicked on by Chris Sutton to Craig Gardner, who was making his first start of the season. Gardner's header skimmed the outside of the post and stayed out, but it served notice that United was in for a battle.

The visitors picked up their play over the rest of the half, but failed to capitalize on any of their chances.

After a scoreless first half, Ronaldo put United ahead 1-0 in the 59th minute. The Portuguese midfielder took control of the ball inside his own half and made a dashing run all the way to the edge of the Villa box. His first shot was blocked by Gary Cahill, but his second attempt was not to be denied as he fired inside the near-post to put his club ahead.

Five minutes later, the score line doubled on a brilliant strike from Scholes. Ryan Giggs' corner kick was headed clear of the box by Gavin McCann, but only made it as far as Scholes, who was set up 25-yards from goal. Scholes struck the ball first-time with a smashing volley that glanced off the underside of the cross bar and settled into the net for a two-goal edge.

With three points all but in the bank, Ronaldo added to his tally five minutes from time as he turned home Gary Neville's driven cross to account for the final tally.

The home side is now winless in its last seven league matches, and has dropped into the middle of the table after a promising start.

In other Premiership action on Saturday, Chelsea kept pace with United as Arjen Robben scored in the final minutes to give the Blues a 3-2 win over Wigan, Liverpool held its spot in third with a 2-0 win over last-place Watford and Arsenal stayed just a point behind the Reds as they thrashed Blackburn 6-2 at the Emirates Stadium. Nicolas Anelka scored twice to lead Bolton to a 2-0 win against Manchester City, Fulham and West Ham split the points in a 0-0 draw, Everton got a goal in each half to blank Reading 2-0 and Middlesbrough did the same to Charlton. Newcastle continued its push up the Premiership table with a 3-1 defeat of Tottenham and Portsmouth downed Sheffield United 3-1 at Fratton Park.

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FOOTBALL BETTING : Cassel Signs Contract

Kansas City, MO - Kansas City has not officially named Matt Cassel its starting quarterback, but there can be no doubt now.

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After praising his leadership and work ethic through spring workouts, the Chiefs announced Tuesday they had signed the 27-year-old Cassel to a multiyear contract. Terms were not disclosed, but he will almost certainly be one of the highest-paid members of the team.
"We are excited to be able to reach a long-term agreement for Matt Cassel to be a Kansas City Chief for many years to come," owner and board chairman Clark Hunt said in a statement. "His proven leadership on and off the field will be a tremendous asset to the organization."
Patriots made him their franchise player, meaning his salary for this season will be about $15 million.
New head coach Todd Haley, taking over for Herm Edwards after a 2-14 season, refused to name a starter at any position during offseason workouts. But it was obvious to everyone the team belonged to Cassel.
"I go out there each and every day with that focus that I'm the starter," Cassel said during a June minicamp. "Competition brings out the best in everybody."
The signing will come as welcome news to Cassel's new coaches and teammates. Amiable and hardworking, online football betting he appeared to win over everyone at minicamp.
"I think he's got some unique leadership qualities. I think his teammates like him and have respect for him. I think he's doing a pretty good job on the field, too," Haley said last month. "He's doing everything that I'm asking him, that our coaches are asking him to do. I don't have one single complaint how he's carrying himself."
After one workout, wide receiver Devard Darling declared Cassel "a breath of fresh air."
"He has a lot of swagger, a lot of confidence. It's good for us," said Darling. "We trust in him that he's going to go out there and lead us all the way."
nse to accommodate his specific abilities.
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In his only sustained action since his teens, he hit 349 of 555 passes for 3,949 yards at New England. He had 23 touchdown passes and 13 interceptions as the Patriots, who had gone unbeaten through the regular season the year before, finished 11-5 and out of the playoffs.
Chiefs general manager Scott Pioli, who had been Bill Belichick's assistant in New England, engineered the trade after the Patriots became convinced that Brady would recover fully from his knee operation.
"Since Matt arrived in Kansas City, he has embraced the team and the community," Pioli said. "His work ethic, his ability and competitive presence is what we expect from our players."

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Betting the NFL preseason

Rule No. 1 in the gamblers' handbook states, "Avoid sports betting on meaningless games."

When you're drowning in a sea of baseball monotony, however, things change. Even a hint of pro football betting can persuade the most disciplined bettor to break a few rules. 

The NFL preseason is around the corner, with a tempting Hall of Fame match kicking off on Sunday. But bettors must stay vigilant. Wagering on NFL exhibition games is an entirely different beast than the regular season. Most fans don't recognize the players on the field because starters get as much action in August as Warcraft fans get on Prom night.

The only certainty about the NFL this time of year is uncertainty – and yet there are some who say betting in August can be a gold mine.

“I actually feel the NFL preseason presents solid profit opportunities for sharp bettors and handicappers,” Sports Expert Steve Merril explains. “My experience has been that the sportsbooks fear the preseason, which is evident by lower limits and massive moves.”

The line moves are attributed to the limited knowledge available regarding playing-time distribution. One team’s top unit out on the field for one more series has an impact on the pointspread. Setting lines in the preseason often is a shot in the dark.

“We base the betting lines mostly on public perception,” Pete Korner, founder of the Sports Club in Las Vegas, says. “It’s very tough to predict, almost a guessing game.”

The preseason is all about figuring out who’s in and for how long.

“It becomes a race between bettors and oddsmakers to find out how long the quarterbacks are going to stay in,” Korner admits. “If a sharp gets the information first, he could exploit an early line. I’m a full believer in moving the line in the preseason if the books find out something late in the week.”

Determining what each team’s motive is can help bettors handicap. To do this you must pay close attention to the philosophies head coaches employ in exhibition play.

“You need to know what a coach is trying to accomplish,” says Covers Expert Bryan Leonard. “Sometimes a new coach will want to instill a winning attitude. Others just want to make sure their starters don’t get hurt."

So how do you distinguish who’s playing scared and who’s playing for keeps?

“Head coaches on the hot seat or new coaches trying to implement a winning attitude usually try harder to win in the preseason,” Merril says.

Cleveland Browns head coach Romeo Crennel fits this criteria. He’s entering his third season as the sideline boss and has yet to lead the Browns to more than six wins.

Cleveland is an enticing bet as well because of the unresolved quarterback situation. General manager Phil Savage sacrificed the Browns’ first-round pick in next year’s draft for Brady Quinn, but the former Notre Dame quarterback hasn’t signed or reported to training camp yet.

Charlie Frye and Derek Anderson split time at QB last season and it looks like either player (or even Quinn) could be the opening-day starter.

“If a team has quarterback depth and the pecking order hasn’t been decided, it’s a big advantage,” Leonard says.

Even in the third week of the preseason when starters generally play the most, the final outcome of the game is in the hands of fringe players. A team's talent, all the way down to the last man on the roster, is something to consider.

The New England Patriots have long been considered one of the deeper teams in the NFL and coach Bill Belichick has said in the past he’s unafraid of stars getting hurt in games with nothing on the line. He shocked his colleagues in 2003 by playing some of his starters on special teams in the preseason.

“We want to have the team ready to play a tough, physical game and preparation has to go into that and I imagine a certain amount of injuries go with it,” Belichick told the Providence Journal in August 2003.

Bettors can only hope to find more teams that share the Pats' business-like approach to the preseason (New England is 17-9-3 against the spread since 2000) and take advantage of teams who detest the exhibition schedule.

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