Just Charlotte

Article for Betfair Canada 5th June 2009 (full portfolio of previous articles available on the Betfair Author’s Site.)

Resurgent Penguins level Finals ahead of crucial Game Five

As the Penguins fans poured out of the Mellon Arena last night, no doubt filled with a heady combination of disbelief and wary optimism after seeing their team level the Stanley Cup Finals, Sidney Crosby was left mulling over the pattern of the series to date.

Crosby, who (despite being relatively subdued during the opening clashes) scored his first goal of the finals during a thrilling Game 4, arrived at the simple conclusion that the two games played on home ice have been filled with “desperation” from the Penguins, a team eager to keep their hopes of securing the cup alive.

The contrast between Crosby’s honest assertion and the comments made after the game by Red Wings coach, Mike Babcock, go some way to explaining why backing the Penguins for victory in Game 5 (currently available at odds of 2.46 compared to the Red Wings’ odds of 1.8) could be a wise move.

Babcock believes Detroit need to rest prior to Game 5 tomorrow evening and the Red Wings certainly appeared fatigued at times last night, depicting a stark contrast to the energy and enthusiasm, undoubtedly born out of the desperation described by Crosby, displayed by the Penguins.

Rest is something that will certainly not come easily to the Red Wings. They may decide not to skate today, thereby facilitating physical recovery prior to tomorrow’s game. However, at the highest level in any competitive sport, emotional rest is equally, if not more, important than a physical time-out and any team in Detroit’s position right now would struggle to beat off the weight of expectation and pressure which will only mount as Game 5 approaches in front of their home fans.

The Penguins, on the other hand, have a significant amount of momentum going into the vital clash. The side is aiming to become only the fourth team in the history of the NHL to reign victorious in the Stanley Cup Final after losing the first two games. History is against them. The stats are against them. The pressure is off. They’ll want to do everything they can to win tomorrow, at an arena in which home defeats have been something of an anomoly this post-season, but the Penguins will be allowed a greater psychological freedom in the build-up to the action.

Crosby sees the sense of desperation which has infiltrated the Penguins team continuing “all the way through” and if this feeling manifests itself in the same kind of determined play seen during Game 4, backing Pittsburgh in the Stanley Cup Winner market at odds of 2.32 may not be a bad idea.

Similar reasons to these combine to make backing the Penguins in the First Team to Score market at odds of 2.08 a good pick. Even if Detroit are, in theory, keen to make a strong impression in front of their home fans, it may take a strong, quick start from Pittsburgh to snap the Red Wings out of their weary state of mind.

The Penguins will want to be quick out the blocks in Game 5 and they’ll know that an attacking start is key to securing victory against a side usually so stingy at home. Pittsburgh have scored first in the last three games of this series and have opened the scoring in 12 of their playoff games this season, with Detroit’s total standing at 10.

Article for Betfair Canada 4th June 2009

Canada climb up FIFA rankings but grass-roots investment still needed

Few would dare question the logic behind a soccer side able to boast the mesmerizing close control of Andres Iniesta, the composed and meticulously judged movement of Xabi Alonso, and the agility and physical presence of Iker Casillas sitting pretty at the pinnacle of the FIFA World soccer rankings.

Bear in mind that I haven’t yet mentioned the lethal attacking combination of Fernando Torres and David Villa nor the fact that Jose Manuel Reina, one of the best goalkeepers in the English Premier League (his Liverpool side are available to back in the 2009/10 Premier League Winner’s Market at odds of 4.2), has so far failed to figure significantly on the national scene as a result of Casillas’ ability, and it doesn’t seem too difficult to figure out why the Spanish national team is proving so dominant in world soccer.

Whilst fans of the Spanish side (who are available to back at odds of 6.2 in the World Cup 2010 Winner’s Market) would no doubt have been content at seeing their team complete a satisfying calendar year at the top, fighting off tough European competition in the form of the Netherlands, Germany, and Italy. Over on this side of the pond soccer fans have been more interested in movements lower down the rankings.

Canada just happens to be one of the teams that has experienced the most significant leap in the rankings, with the side managing to jump six places. The national soccer team now sits ahead of Congo DR and Sierra Leone and just behind New Zealand, who will shortly be making an appearance at the Confederations Cup (available to back to qualify from Group A at odds of 6.2).

On paper, a leap of six places is a positive move and one which should represent significant progress over a sustained period of time. However, any soccer fan adopting this viewpoint may fairly be accused of wearing rose-tinted glasses. The truth is that Canada’s jump can be primarily attributed to the substandard performances of surrounding national teams. The men’s national team may have secured victory over Cyprus a couple of weeks back but this was the side’s first match of the year.

Soccer is gaining in popularity across Canada and the importance of this for the future of the game should not be underestimated. However, we can conclude from the development of the sport in other countries that investment at grass-roots level is fundamental if successful and long-term growth is to occur in the upper echelons.

A clutch of local soccer clubs across the country have been making their demands for a greater level of support heard recently, with a particular need for additional safe and practical playing surfaces emerging.

Nobody can doubt that the talent needed to propel the national team further up the rankings is already present in the country. However, whilst in Europe this talent would be quickly identified, painstakingly nurtured, and professionally monitored until it reached its full potential, over here opportunities for sustained and supported progression are few and far between.

This is something that will need to change if Canada is ever to boast its own Andres Iniesta and have a chance of actively propelling itself up the FIFA rankings, rather than relying upon the poor performances of nearby rivals.