20 steps

We Shall Not Be Moved - Knee Jerk Reaction Stream - Bet 1

Defeat is a bitter pill to swallow and tonight 20steps has the same nasty after taste in it’s mouth as Blackpool FC. But for some better finishing things would have been different and The Seasiders were unlucky not to at least force extra time.

Still Holloway’s team will come again next season, and for 20steps the wait for redemption is even shorter. The new stream starts now. Chelsea v Bayern Munich is the second half of this super Saturday of soccer and the ‘Knee Jerk Reaction Stream’ starts here.

Bet 1. Take your solitary £1 and pop it on less than 2.5 goals tonight with Stan James at even money. Chelsea will park the bus. Bayern will get the nerves. And if you fancy a real flutter than stick a bit on both sides to win on penalties.

Then sit back and settle in for a long nervy evening.

What a Day… and TRotSS - Bet 4

1536 - Anne Boleyn, second wife of Henry VIII is beheaded for adultery, treason and incest.

1962 - Marilyn Monroe, performs ‘Happy Birthday Mr President’ for JFK at Madison Square Garden in New York City.

The 19th May is a date steeped in more than it’s fair share of history, both modern and ancient. Take a look here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/May_19th

…if you don’t believe me.

And today the earth may shift, the stars will perhaps align as another cataclysmic occurrence adds itself to the cluttered chronicle above. First West Ham and Blackpool will thrash it out in the Championship Playoff Final, the winners set to become the first relegated side to make an immediate return to the top flight via the Playoffs. Then, this evening, once the Wembley dust has settled The Allianz Arena in Munich will bounce to the beat of the Champions League Final. A fifth win for Bayern will see them tie Liverpool for third place in the all-time list of European Cup Wins. Whilst victory for Chelsea will give the city of London it’s first ever European Champions.

But these are not the historic occasions of which I speak, no. Today more than a year since it’s inception, probably, and after more attempts than I can be bothered to count, 20steps will sweat over the first ever bet 4 in it’s history.

Back under the arch at Wembley the action promises to be as tense as usual, but sadly for West Ham I think Blackpool will go through this afternoon. Ian Holloway’s side won the 2010 final and that experience could prove vital today, particularly with the Hammers having the heavy tag of favouritism hanging from their necks.

So bet 4 is Blackpool to win in the ‘Draw No Bet’ market this afternoon, that’s £10.74 going on at 2/1 with bet365.

Follow me on Twitter @marcusbraeburn

Find Marcus Braeburn on Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/#!/profile.php?id=100002762478968

TRotSS bet 1 - £1 on Justin Rose at 11/8 - WON - £2.38

TRotSS bet 2 - £2.38 on Barca v Chelsea - OVER 50 bookings points at Evens - WON - £4.88

TRotSS bet 3 - £4.88 on Liverpool to beat Chelsea at 6/5 - WON - £10.74

TRotSS bet 4 - £10.74 on Blackpool to beat West Ham (Draw No Bet) at 2/1 with bet365

Liverpool in Home Win Shocker & Bet 3 (TRotSS)

Backing Liverpool to win at home this season has been just about as successful as a Conservative party local election campaign. Tonight however, the Reds should buck the trend by beating Chelsea, and there are many reasons for believing this.

Firstly, Liverpool will be smarting from Saturdays FA Cup Final defeat. Impotent for the first 60 minutes, Andy Carroll changed the game when he came on, and in the end his team will feel slightly aggrieved at not forcing extra time. Those painful Wembley memories will be fresh in the minds of Carroll, Steven Gerrard, Luis Suarez and co, and the chance to gain revenge so soon is definately sweet.

Secondly, Chelsea know that fourth place and a champions league qualifying birth is beyond them, witness the defeat at home to Newcastle six days ago as evidence. Roberto Di Matteo’s team will now be fully focused on May 19th, the Allianz Arena, Bayern Munich and the chance to make history as the first London team to be crowned champions of Europe.

Liverpool also have a great league record against Chelsea, losing only two of the last ten games. That run includes victory in five of the last seven, while 3 points tonight would be their fourth maximum on the bounce. The Reds will be desperate not to lose three in a row at home and so will welcome a team with Chelsea’s poor recent away form.

Lastly a win would lift Kenny Dalgish’s team to 8th in the premier league, just one point behind Everton with a single game to go. With Newcastle visiting Goodison Park on the last day, Liverpool know that victory tonight and away in Swansea might just take them above their local rivals.

7th place in the league, local bragging rights and a Carling Cup on the shelf might not be seen as a vintage season at Anfield; but it might just be good enough for all Liverpool’s connections to summer holiday with confidence for the future.

So 20steps will take our £4.88 from that memorable, stormy night in Barcelona and lump it on Liverpool to beat Chelsea tonight at 6/5 with Paddy Power.

Follow me on Twitter @marcusbraeburn

Find Marcus Braeburn on Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/#!/profile.php?id=100002762478968

TRotSS bet 1 - £1 on Justin Rose at 11/8 - WON - £2.38

TRotSS bet 2 - £2.38 on Barca v Chelsea - OVER 50 bookings points at Evens - WON - £4.88

TRotSS bet 3 - £4.88 on Liverpool to beat Chelsea at 6/5 with Paddy Power

Bet 2 - The Return Of The Stepper Stream (TRotSS)

Tempers will be frayed, nerves will be on edge, finger nails will be bitten. Tonight’s big game is the Champions League semi-final 2nd leg between Barcelona and Chelsea, and it promises to be an absolute hum-dinger of an evening. 90,000 fans in the (Camp) (The) Nou (Camp) and zillions of armchair spectators around the globe (20steps included) will watch a match perfectly poised to provide drama and excitement.

Chelsea have a 1-0 lead courtesy of Didier Drogdive’s 2nd half goal at Stamford Bridge, meaning that Barcelona must come out and attack, attack, attack. Such a policy may well leave gaps at the back for Chelsea to exploit, goals tonight will not be in short supply. Such occasions also tend to produce highly charged atmosphere’s and so yellow and red cards should be plentiful also.

In the 2009 edition of this semi-final the first leg at (Camp) (The) Nou (Camp), produced a healthy 4 yellow cards, whilst the second leg at Stamford Bridge yielded a gigantic 7 yellows and one straight red. Last weeks first leg in London also featured 4 yellow cards, and with so much at stake tonight, I am banking on tempers to fray and history to repeat itself.

So bet 2 of ‘TRotSS’ is for the total bookings points tonight to be over 50* with Blue Square at even money. Fingers crossed for a lively encounter.

*(10 points are awarded for every yellow card shown, 25 points for a red)

Follow the game with me tonight on Twitter @marcusbraeburn

Find Marcus Braeburn on Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/#!/profile.php?id=100002762478968

TRotSS bet 1 - £1 on Justin Rose at 11/8 - WON - £2.38

TRotSS bet 2 - £2.38 on Barca v Chelsea - OVER 50 bookings points - Evens with Blue Sq.

Look, can’t you see, it’s obvious! Stream (lcysios)

‘The distance between insanity and genius is measured only be success*’ James Bond, Tomorrow Never Dies.

Anyone having little enough going on in their lives to be paying attention will have noticed that 20steps has been about as successful recently as India’s bowling attack. But just as much as Sharma, Sreesanth and Singh were, like me, trying their best, none of us would deny that our failures were our own faults.

Tonight 20steps will try again to take that first, elusive, stride toward millionairedom, with a bet on the Udinese-Arsenal game. While much has been made of Arsene Wenger’s blindness to what players he needs to buy to turn potential into potency, his poor eyesight is nothing new. Throughout the late nineties and early noughties (or the silverware years, as they will become known), Wenger was unable to see Patrick Vieira booting hapless opposition midfielders into the sky, or Martin Keown jumping around on the back of equine Manchester United forwards. 

But now his blindness is oh-so different, at least ‘not seeing the incident’ is an acknowledgement that the incident might actually have occurred. Nowadays Arsene is simply blundering about, denying the existence of any problem, denying the existence of the word problem, denying the existence of £80m and denying the existence of Gary Cahill and Scott Parker. 

If madness and genius are separated only by success, then madness is believing firmly that you are right and everybody else in the world is wrong. Wouldn’t you say Arsene?

So as much as I feel sorry for le Professor, I cannot look a gift Nistelrooy in the mouth. Arsenal may not get knocked out of the Champions League tonight but it will certainly be smelly in the away stable at the Stadio Friuli later. 20steps begins the LCYSIOS with Udinese to win @ 13/8 with Boylesports.

*quote originally credited to Bruce Feirstein (but I don’t know who he is!)

APOLOGIES FOR TYPO’S AND BAD GRAMMAR, I WAS IN A HURRY!

Wonderful!

The wonderful thing about football is that it mirrors the circle of life, and also the cycle of 20steps. And so as the club football season ends tonight with the Champions League Final, we can settle down to enjoy the match safe in the knowledge that come August the whole beautiful, painful, exhilarating, tortuous, circle will begin again.

Likewise after the crushing disappointment of the Matthew Conner Memorial Stream going belly up at the first attempt, so 20 steps begins again this evening. Lionel Messi will score during the 90 this evening, he has over 50 goals already this term so why the ruddy heck not 1 more. It’s 11/8 with Bet365 so will get us off to a cracking start too!

Everything crossed please 20steppers, but don’t forget if all goes wrong again we will simply dust ourselves down and start again. Like life and like football.