Right Said Fred: Talking Betting With Betfred Boss Fred Done

The FA Cup which resumes on Friday is United’s best chance to win silverware this season….that’s for sure.

We’re up against Middlesbrough at Old Trafford in round four- and Betfred have us 1/10 to go through with Cristiano Ronaldo 5/2 to score the opener.

City meanwhile have an intriguing tie against another Championship side…the division’s runaway leaders Fulham.

It will be a great opportunity  for the visitors to test themselves against arguably the best team on the planet ahead of what is their likely promotion to the Premier League.

The Blues are 1/16 to triumph and I reckon Phil Foden is good value at 5/1 to score first.

Betfred have City 11/4 favourites to win the FA Cup outright with Chelsea 5/1, Liverpool 6/1 while the mighty Reds are 7/1.

It’s a  huge cliché in rugby league that it’s always Warrington’s year.

However, with Daryl Powell now pulling the strings behind this superstar squad I believe it’s as true this season as it ever was.

The Wire last won the Challenge Cup with a superb victory over St Helens in 2019, but haven’t really performed at the level expected in the Betfred Super League.

We make the Wolves second favourites at 7/2 to win the Grand Final this year behind holders Saints at 2/1.

Catalans, who finished runners-up last season, are next up at 11/2, just ahead of Wigan who are available at 13/2.

Powell, who has made the switch from Castleford to Warrington, knows this club and its huge number of loyal fans are getting a bit fed up of being the bridesmaids.

He’s brought in two of his former Tigers players, Peter Mata’utia and Oliver Holmes, but the club have also lost six players in the close season – with former captain and prop-forward Chris Hill, who has signed for Huddersfield, the biggest departure.

Tom Lineham has also crossed the Pennines to join Wakefield, with stand-off Blake Austin now at Leeds.

Powell has also brought in prop-forward Joe Bullock from Wigan and Greek international Billy Magoulias from NRL club Corulla Sharks.

Perhaps the most eye-catching signing of all is that of Greg Minikin from Hull KR, who scored 10 tries in 23 appearances for the Robins over the last two seasons.

It’s all shaping up to be a great season for Warrington, who begin their Betfred Super League campaign on Channel 4, against Leeds, a week on Saturday.

We still don’t know too much about what the terrestrial channel will bring to the game, but I’m convinced they won’t let the opportunity to broaden the appeal of rugby league go amiss.

One man who doesn’t agree with me predictably enough is Paul Sculthorpe, the Betfred TV pundit and RL legend who is tipping an even stronger Saints to continue their domination.  

Oldham-born Sculthorpe points out that there are some significant changes in the St Helens  playing roster this season, losing a number of key stars, namely Lachlan Coote, Theo Fages, Kevin Naiqama & James Bentley to name four. But he adds that he honestly thinks the  off-season recruitment has been outstanding.

He told Betfred: “ Coach Kristian Woolf has made some smart signings, including two of his Tongan national team Will Hopoate & Konrad Hurrell. Full back/Centre Hopoate joins with big wraps from Woolf, while Hurrell by his own admissions is in the best shape of his career after his first pre-season following his move from the Leeds Rhinos. We all know what a powerhouse he is, and be it starting or off the bench he will be a great addition to an already strong squad.

“Other additions include James Bell from Leigh- a great competitor with a high work rate, but someone who has the subtle skills to open up defences.

Curtis Sironen- at 6’4’’ and 110kg, he certainly brings a presence to the Saints pack. A strong edge running back-rower who can also play football. He doesn’t lack aggression either!

“Joey Lussick- an outstanding signing! I’m a big fan of Joey from his time at Salford. A very smart no9 who can either create opportunities for others or devastate defences himself. I’m sure his partnership with skipper James Roby will only further develop his game.

“So add to that the continued rise of the young stars at the club, namely Jack Welsby and Lewis Dodd who have now cemented their starting spots in the team…and the likes of Alex Walmsley, Tommy Makinson and Morgan Knowles I can’t see anything but another successful season for the mighty Saints!”

Meanwhile loving Sharon Southall has got her reward after helping her disabled husband get his regular football wager on at Betfred.

 The 54-year-old mother-of-four has been husband Dean’s bookie runner as he struggles to walk while he awaits an operation on his knees.

And on Monday, his £2 ten-fold football accumulator won the couple £3,646.

Although it was lifelong West Brom fan Dean’s bet, Sharon is jubilant as she has been given some of the windfall – and she will benefit from their decision to use the winning to upgrade their static caravan in Gloucestershire.

She said: “He must have spent ten minutes or so going through the coupon that I’d collected for him from the shop on Friday, and I put the money on for him.

“He picked ten results, but didn’t even go for his own team West Brom because he knew Millwall would beat them in the Championship.

“He’s disabled and is awaiting operations on both knees. He used to be a furnaceman, but he doesn’t work now.

“Unfortunately, there’s nothing like enough money there for us to go private for his operation, so we’ll just have to stay on the waiting list, even though we haven’t even got a date yet.

“We are planning to get another second hand caravan – and as well as Dean giving me some of the money as a little reward, he will no doubt get some new fishing tackle.”

Dean, who lives on Westbury Avenue, near the Betfred shop on Walsall Street, Wednesbury in the West Midlands, went for Hull to beat Swansea, West Brom to lose at Millwall and QPR to pick up three points at home to Reading in the Championship.

In League One he picked out Oxford to beat Gillingham, Burton to triumph over Lincoln and Bristol Rovers to win at home to Walsall – while in League Two he opted for Northampton to beat Salford, Port Vale to pick up all the points at Scunthorpe and league leaders Forest Green to win at Tranmere.

Finally, in the National League, he sided with Southend to beat Dover.

Dean has been a loyal customer over many years, and he and his loving wife Sharon thoroughly deserve their good fortune.

It’s their biggest ever win, and I’m chuffed to bits that they’re putting the money to good use.

Finally our embattled Boris Johnson is still odds-on at Betfred to leave Downing Street by the end of the year.

 He’s hanging on, despite another bruising day in the Commons after publication of a diluted, 12-page dossier into the ‘Partygate’ scandal that’s embroiled the Tory government.

Senior civil servant Sue Gray’s report into the alleged lockdown-busting parties at Downing Street includes four events involving the Prime Minister.

But the report lacks detail, at the request of Scotland Yard who fear too much detail could have prejudiced their own investigation.

Scotland Yard have said they have received 500 pages – and 300 pictures – of evidence. But with 70 witnesses to interview, the investigation may take several months.

Betfred go 8/15 that Johnson leaves his position as PM this year – and 5/1 that he goes in 2023.

After another dramatic PMQs, during which Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer described Johnson as “a man without shame”, he met the 1922 Committee of Conservative MPs, after which Jacob Rees-Mogg described the Tory leader as “strong and effective”.

Leader of the House Rees-Mogg, who is a 50/1 outsider at Betfred to be the next Prime Minister, went on to warn Tory leader hopefuls: “The thing about throwing your hat into the ring is often that you find It’s thrown straight back at you.”

Betfred make chancellor Rishi Sunak the 2/1 favourite to be next PM, ahead of foreign secretary Liz Truss at 13/2.

Next up is Tom Tugendhat, at 8/1 – the same odds as Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer and former health secretary Jeremy Hunt.

It’s fair to say Boris is bruised but not beaten. The odds are pointing towards him going this year, but the PM is proving himself a battler, hanging on despite huge criticism from opposition politicians and significant faces in his own party – most notably his predecessor Theresa May, who pulled no punches in the Commons this week.