Right Said Fred: Talking Betting With Betfred Boss Fred Done

It will be interesting to see just how levels of interest are going in women’s football in this country when the Uefa Euro Championship gets under way when we play Austria at Old Trafford next Wednesday.

I’m predicting we are going to be pleasantly surprised to witness how the game is improving - and there are sure to be big crowds particularly to watch Betfred’s second favourites England.

There has been some criticism about the size of a  couple of the tournament venues, notably City’s Academy complex and Leigh Sports Village.

But the bottom line for me is it is far better in terms of atmosphere -and the worldwide TV audience – to play in a small venue that’s full than to see swathes of empty seats.

Betfred has England  at 4/1 to lift the Trophy at Wembley on July 31 behind Spain at 100/30 with France and Holland both 5/1 shots.

Phew, what a relief for coach Daryl Powell and the long suffering Wire fans ...

At the end of the day it was the four nil result that mattered most and certainly not the dismal nature of the game against the Black and Whites. 

It was thankfully the first time at the Halliwell Jones Stadium that there has been a game with no tries.

But for Powell it was two desperately needed points gained and the victory that ends a five game losing run - a triumph he’s hoping will act as a catalyst to spark an 11th hour surge up the table to achieve a top six finish in the Betfred Super League. 

Powell , who admits he’s going through his toughest period in his coaching career, pointed to the fact that Wire had nilled opponents!

He has been full of praise for the home fans - and as for the inconsistent players he wants them to chill out and no doubt display their attacking skills.

Wire might have struggled to cross the line but that most definitely wasn’t the case for Sunday’s opponents Salford who put THIRTEEN past second from bottom Wakefield in the last round.

My home town team ended up with an incredible 74 points with Trinity scoring ten to leapfrog the Wolves in midtable ahead of Sunday’s eagerly awaited encounter.

Salford’s star men were Brodie Croft, Kallum Watkins and Joe Burgess...in form players Powell will need to quell if he’s going to turn Warrington’s season round. We have Warrington 4/9 favourites to make it two wins on the bounce - and Matty Ashton to score first is available at 8/1. Betfred have Salford 7/4 to pick up both points with Ken Sio 10/1 to score the first try in the game.

Meanwhile the big issue in rugby league surrounds the future of  in demand  Kristian Woolf.

The Saints boss is out of contract at the end of the current 2022 Betfred Super League season, and has yet to publicly commit to any future deal, which unsurprisingly is adding to the speculation of where the 46 year old will be in 2023.

Here is Oldham-born Paul Sculthorpe’s  take on the situation. The Betfred TV pundit, who is also a two times winner of the game’s Man of Steel honour says that like every Saints fan he’s hoping Woolf  puts pen to paper and stays at St Helens for many years to come.

“His reign so far has been unprecedented. Leading the club to two Betfred Super League titles and a Betfred Challenge Cup during his two and a half years so far, and is in pole position to make that a hat trick of league titles in 2022, currently 10/11 outright favourites with the title sponsors to do just that.

“Kristian Woolf is a wanted man…and frankly I’m not surprised one bit…

“The Tonga boss, who is very well respected back in Australia is in demand and being touted for a number of positions in the NRL, following a few coaching casualties this season. New Zealand Warriors and West Tigers have both been linked with Kristian following the sacking of former Saints & Wigan head coaches, Nathan Brown and Michael Maguire respectively. Canterbury have also been mentioned in the media Down Under.

“The Saints fans absolutely made their feelings shown towards the boss at Thursday’s demolition of the Leeds Rhinos, with the West Stand songsters chanting his name throughout the 80 minutes…something that wasn’t missed by the humble Woolf.

“He spoke highly of the fans, and said he is wholeheartedly committed to the club and is loving what his team are doing at the moment.

“Personally, I’ve got to know Kristian over the past two and a half years and he’s not just a great coach but a great bloke. He’s a straight talking, no nonsense fella, and this is something that comes over in his coaching philosophies. The team in my eyes are, the fittest, most skilful and  play with a level of intensity on both attack and defence far greater than any other team in the Betfred Super League, something clearly instilled by the coach. Let’s hope this can continue for a few more years to come!

“Back to Thursday night, and I predicted a Saints win but maybe not by 30 points! I spoke previously about the level of intensity that this current Saints team play at, and after a fairly tight first half this was something that the Rhinos couldn’t sustain. Instead the visitors resorted to ill discipline, with yet again former Saint James Bentley seeing a card.

“It was a former Rhino, now a Saints fan favourite Konrad Hurrell who stole the show, and his second home Man of the Match in a row.

“Hurrell, who crossed the whitewash twice, was also celebrating his new one year contract extension - absolutely no surprise after his season so far.

“Let’s hope the big man is flying this weekend in what could be the toughest game of the season so far, as we again travel to the fourth placed Catalans Dragons.

“Always a tough trip, and any team playing against the Dragons particularly across the Channel will always raise their game. However I’m backing the boys to do the job so I’m tipping a Saints win by 10 points or more which is available at 2/1 with Betfred.

My congratulations to a Betfred regular has won £100,000 from a £2 punt on Betfred’s Bonus King Bingo.

The 50-year-old hails from Bulgaria, and he plans to use his winnings on buying a new house in his homeland.

The factory worker, who played his winning card at a Betfred shop in East Anglia, said: “I have a wife and I had a big party to celebrate with her, our family and friends.

“I picked the numbers randomly a few years ago and have stuck with them ever since.”

Our own bingo game is proving increasingly popular… and no wonder when we have wins like this, picking up £100,000 from such a tiny stake.

He has well and truly picked my pocket with this one – good luck to the fella who has won a life-changing amount of money.

Finally life could hardly be better for a caravan sales company boss who has won big at Betfred.

Twelve years ago Michael Baker, 40, was on benefits, but now he’s in the money.

The father-of-three won £43,122 from a £15 each-way accumulator at Royal Ascot on a day all bookies including Betfred were badly bruised – selecting five winners in Candleford, Inspiral, Heredia, Changingoftheguard and Latin Lover.

Michael, who lives in Hereford, picked up his hot tips the night before while chatting to pals in the New Strand pub in the village of Eardisley.

After his final selection Latin Lover won, Michael put an open tab behind the bar and stayed late to celebrate, with his final round topping £100.

Michael’s caravan business has gone from strength to strength thanks to Covid – with so many people option for staycations – and he’s just celebrated his 40^th birthday with a new Rolex watch from his wife.

He said: “My eldest son has just passed his driving test, so we’ve bought him a pick-up truck – and there were treats for all the family over the weekend at Cheshire Oaks.

“I can’t believe how I’ve managed to win so much from a relatively small stake. My last significant win was £2,600 at Cheltenham four years ago.

“We have some friends in the village who are looking to set up a hairdressing business, so that’s where we’re going to invest most of the win.

“It all came from a few conversations in the pub and I got a few tips as my racing knowledge is limited. It was only right that I should put some money back behind the bar the next day so everyone could celebrate.

“Changingoftheguard only just won, and then I didn’t realise there would be so many runners in the last race. I couldn’t believe it when he won, although I couldn’t actually watch the race. “

It’s no wonder we lost over £2 million on a single day at Ascot when we have customers like Michael doing so well…and it’s great that he’s helping other people in business with his substantial winnings.