Monte's Multiple / Jaymes Monte / 20 January 2009 /

After recording just one winner out of three selections two weeks ago, Monte's Multiple was given the Drogba/Bellamy/insert your own player with over inflated ego treatment and spent a week on the sidelines. However, after a week's holiday, we are now fit, raring to go and ready to start notching up the winners.

Bet One: Football - English League One.
A run of eight games without a win has seen Martin Ling leave his position as Leyton Orient boss by 'mutual consent'. Which if looked up in the football transfers dictionary translates as; 'given a bit of cash to walk away quietly'. It means that that The Os go into Tuesday night's game against Southend without a manager.

With Chairman Barry Hearn keen to appoint a new manager from outside the club all of the Orient players will potentially be playing for their futures in the next few games. History has shown that a change at the helm (even before a new manager is in place) can galvanise players and bring out the best in them.

Southend on the other hand sit at the bottom of the league's form table with just six points and one win from their last ten games, they have also failed to pick up a victory in any of their previous eight away trips. Manager Steve Tilson confirmed after Saturday's 3-1 defeat that midfielder Alan McCormack's injury could rule him out for a few weeks and his absence will add to that of the suspended Peter Clarke. An out of form, young side can ill afford to lose two of their more experienced players at this crucial stage of the season.

All signs point towards a home win, but with both sides in desperate need of any sort of result they may both happily settle for a draw the longer the game goes goalless. For that reason I will err on the side of caution for my selection and lay the desperately out of form Southend.
Selection One: Lay Southend @ 3.0


Bet Two: Football - English League Two
Amazingly Aldershot's game on Saturday was their first of 2009. They have been one of the hardest hit by the cold snap since New Year, having had their two previous fixtures of the year postponed due to frozen pitches. The first of these - against Notts County - has been rescheduled for Tuesday evening.

Notts County go into the game on the back of two extremely positive results, they were unlucky not to come away from second-placed Brentford with three points on Saturday after conceding a last minute equaliser. They also came from behind at Meadow Lane ten days ago to record a victory over play-off hopefuls Exeter. After the game midfielder Adam Nowland stated that he believed that this would be the turning point of their season and that the players believed that they owed a lot to their management team. A sentiment which is echoed in striker Delroy Facey's form, he has three goals in his last four games.

Aldershot have an impressive home record, however that form has taken a bit of a hit of late. They haven't registered a victory in any of their last three home games, with two draws and a loss. The Shots are rightly favourites but have a tendency to produce below-par performances against the teams below them in the league and also lost the reverse fixture at Meadow Lane 2-1.

Their contrasting immediate form means that [2.0] is way too short in my opinion, and for that reason I will look to take them on.
Selection: Lay Aldershot @ [2.0]


Bet Three: Cricket - 2nd ODI Pakistan v Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka were expected winners of the tri-nations series in Bangladesh, but not in the fashion that was predicted. They were victors in an incredible final against Bangladesh, having bowled them out for 152 in 49.4 overs Sri Lanka's top order (Sangakara (59) aside) were scuttled out, leaving them reeling on 6-5. However they uncovered an unlikely hero with the bat in Muralitharan who scored 33 off 16 balls to win it with 11 balls to spare.

Pakistan have not played a competitive game since the middle of November, played in Abu Dhabi where they white-washed the West Indies in a three-game series. Clearly that will mean that they could be a little rusty for the first of the matches against Sri Lanka, however with the second match coming the following day they certainly won't have any excuses of suffering from fatigue.

Sri Lanka are the first team to visit Pakistan for a bilateral series since September 2007, and to say that the locals have been starved of their national sport would be an understatement of gross proportions. The fans will be baying for blood on the field and demand victory, and the players will respond to that and produce the performance required to rejuvenate their people.
My second selections is to back Pakistan in the second one day international, any rustiness they may have should be taken care of in the first match and I expect them to go on and win the three match series.
Selection: Back Pakistan @ [1.65]

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