TQ's A-Z / Tareq Quiroz / 29 October 2007 / 1

TQ goes through the alphabet as he reviews the stories that made the headlines in the world of sport last week

A is for Ashton. England Head Coach Brian Ashton has had plenty of criticism this week from his own players as well as the press. Who knows if he will still be in charge when England start their Six Nations 2008 campaign? They are currently 3.6 to take the title.

B is for Boston Red Sox. The Red Sox wrapped up the World Series with a 4-3 victory over the Colorado Rockies in the fourth game of the series. It was Boston's second World Series win in four years, and they will be one of the favourites when the market opens for next year's event.

C is for Cesc. Arsenal's midfield playmaker Fabregas scored a late equaliser at Anfield, ensuring they maintained their unbeaten record in the Premier League this season. With 2 points dropped to the chasing pack, Arsenal's price for the tile has drifted to 3.8.

D is for Denise Karbon. The World Cup ski season got underway last week with Italy's Denise Karbon taking the opening race of the year with victory in the Giant Slalom. Watch out for a host of Winter Sports markets in the coming weeks as the season really picks up speed.

E is for Elana. Sebastien Loeb missed a great chance to take control of the World Rally Champs title race, when co-driver Daniel Elana gave out the wrong instructions for a bend in the Rally of Japan, sending them straight into a ditch. If you think Loeb can recover to win the title, take a look at the WRC Outright Winner market.

F is for Federer. The imperious Roger Federer claimed yet another title, this time on home soil in the Swiss Indoor Champs. In this kind of form he's hard to ignore at 1.86 for the upcoming Paribas Masters.

G is for Gregory Bourdy. He won his maiden tournament on the European Tour with victory in the Mallorca Classic. The win secured him a place in this week's season- ending Volvo Masters. If you fancy him for back-to-back tour titles, check out his price in the Winners market.

H is for Hantuchova. Daniela Hantuchova secured her second tour title of the season with victory over Patty Schnyder in the Linz Open Final. Prices are already available for the Australian Open where Daniela will be a strong contender.

I is for Ireland. The Republic of Ireland parted company this week with manager Steve Staunton. David O'Leary is current favourite to replace him in the Next ROI Manager market.

J is for Juande Ramos. Following quickly on from Martin Jols exit from White Hart Lane came Jaunde Ramos' resignation from Seville and appointment as new manager at Tottenham. Can he turn their fortunes around? They are currently 21 to remain in their bottom three position and be relegated.

K is for Kauto Star. Last season's impressive Gold Cup winner came unstuck in his seasonal reappearance at Aintree. Connections didn't seem too perturbed by the defeat and he is still available in the Antepost market at 3.8 to win the 2008 Gold Cup.

L is for Lions. Great Britain Lions won the first test against New Zealand. It was a hard- fought victory for Tony Smith's GB side, and with further improvement likely, they will be worth following in the Match Odds market for the second test.

M is for Murray. Victory in the St Petersburg Open gave Andy Murray his third ATP title and dramatically enhanced his chances of making the tour-ending Masters Cup. Before that it will be worth checking him out in the Australian Open market.

N is for Napoli. High-flying Juventus were brought crashing down to earth with a 3-1 defeat at the hands of rejuvenated Napoli. One of the favourites in the Relegation market at the start of the season, it is now the Top 3 market that is seeing most support for the newly promoted team.

O is for Ohuruogu. World 400m champion Christine Ohuruogu was this week named GB Athlete of the Year for 2007. If you feel that accolade may not be the last she receives this year, then she deserves a look in the Sports Personality of the Year markets, most notably the Top three market.

P is for Pollock. Shaun Pollock was hoisted up the order for South Africa's crunch ODI with Pakistan and showed what he can do with a match-winning knock of 90. This levelled the series at 2-2 and South Africa are now at 1.81 to take the deciding game of the series.

Q is for Quarterback. New York Giants' quarterback Eli Manning scored the only touchdown for his side as they recorded an historic victory over the Miami Dolphins at Wembley. The Superbowl Winner market is very competitive and the Giants are a decent price at 25's.

R is for Robinho. The Brazilian striker Robinho scored a brace in midweek as his Real Madrid side eased to a 4-2 win over Olympiacos. The victory puts them in a very strong position to qualify, and the outright winner price of 11.5 may soon look like good value.

S is for Stuttgart. Last season's Bundesliga champions have had a terrible start to the season, but got a vital 1-0 win over Leverkusen at the weekend. This may start a revival in fortunes for Stuttgart, who are certainly worth looking at in the Top 3 market for the Bundesliga.

T is for Thierry. The master goalscorer Thierry Henry was on the mark as Barcelona beat Almeria 2-0 to maintain their perfect home record. If you fancy this goal will spark a run for Henry, then you can back him to be top La Liga goalscorer at around 4.5.

U is for Udinese. A 1-0 win at Lazio pushed Udinese into fifth place in Serie A and into contention for a Champions League spot. If they can maintain this run of form, their currently inflated price in the Top 3 market will seem like excellent value in the coming weeks.

V is for VVV. Heerenveen imposed a crushing 4-0 home defeat on VVV at the weekend that has left them adrift at the bottom of the Dutch Eredivisie. With only one win in nine games the Venlo-based team are now as short as 1.7 in the Rock Bottom market.

W is for Walcott. Arsenal went goal crazy as they put seven past hapless Slavia Prague in midweek. The star of the show was Arsenal flyer Theo Walcott who bagged two goals on a night that couldn't end quickly enough for the Czech side. The Gunners are 9.4 to be Champions League winners.

X is for X-rated. AZ Alkmaar had seven players booked and one sent-off as they hung on for a point from a difficult trip to Russia to play Zenit St Petersburg in the UEFA Cup. AZ are 3.4 to win their group, and that hard-earned point may well prove invaluable in their quest to achieve that.

Y is Yakubu. The Yak fired Everton to a win at Derby in a solid performance that puts them into the top half of the table. With many of their big name players back it may be worth following them in the Top 6 Finish market for the league, where they are currently 3.8.

Z is Zzzzz. Portsmouth and West Ham fought out a 0-0 draw at Fratton Park on Saturday. It's not often you find a Harry Redknapp side in a goalless encounter, and it seems unlikely that it will be followed with a second one when Pompey visit Newcastle next week. Look to lay 0-0 in the correct score market.

'.$sign_up['title'].'

'; } } ?>

(1)

1. Richard Edwards | 29 October 2007

   What a great idea, I'll be following TQ's A-Z closely from now on.

:

:

:

?

: