TQ's A-Z / Tareq Quiroz / 05 November 2007 /

TQ gives you the A to Z of who was hot - and who was not - in the betting last weekend...

A is for Alonso - Spanish hot shot Fernando Alonso was this week released from his contract at McLaren after a turbulent year at the F1 giants. Check out the Alonso First Race 08 market to see who is favourite to have the Spaniard's services at the start of next season.

B is for Belenenses - The Lisbon based club became the first team to take a point off Porto this season in the Portuguese Superliga as they drew 1-1 at last season's champions. Is this a sign that Porto are fallible? They are very short in the League Winner market and may be worth a lay.

C is for Calzaghe - Joe Calzaghe proved once again that he will beat whoever you put in front of him with an impressive points win over Mikkel Kessler. The undefeated Welshman now has his eyes on Bernard Hopkins in what would be an incredible match-up. Fight fans will now turn their attention to Hatton v Mayweather where the market is already trading very well.

D is for David Nalbandian - After a slow early part of the season that was disrupted by injury, Nalbandian has come into an impressive run of form which culminated in him crushing Rafael Nadal to take the Paris Masters title. With Roddick suffering from injury there is still a chance the Argentine could make the Masters Cup, watch out for upcoming markets on that event.

E is for Empoli - Relegation threatened Empoli provided a stirring comeback in Serie A as they recovered from a two goal deficit to force a 2-2 draw against high flying Roma. Based on that form they look worth laying at pretty short odds in the Serie A Relegation market.

F is for Fu - Marco Fu came into this week's Northern Ireland Trophy full of confidence after winning his first title two weeks ago with a great win over Ronnie O'Sullivan in the final of the Grand Prix. He won't be repeating the feat this week however as he has gone out in the first round to Adrian Gunnell, but there are plenty of other contenders and the Winner market is certainly worth checking out.

G is for Gallas - William Gallas came to Arsenal's rescue in the big Premier League game of the week with a last gasp equaliser against Man Utd. The League Winner market is very competitive with Man Utd currently edging favouritism at 2.34.

H is for Hingis - The Swiss Miss retired for the second time at the age of 27. Once again plagued by injuries she has taken the decision to leave the sport in somewhat controversial circumstances. Martina may be gone but the WTA Champs will bring the curtain down on the season for good and with Henin at 1.86 there has to be some decent value elsewhere in the Winner market.

I is for Iraklis - A sparkling six game winning streak for league leaders AEK Athens was halted in dramatic style as mid-table Iraklis snatched a late winner at the Olympic Stadium. If you think that is merely a blip then the National Liga Winner market is well worth a visit as AEK are currently trading at around 3.

J is for Jacques - Phil Jacques is just one of a few new faces in the Australian squad that will be taking on Sri Lanka in the upcoming Test series. With many of the old guard recently retired it will be interesting to see how this new look squad gets on. The Aussies are currently 1.53 to take the First Test which starts in Brisbane on Thursday.

K is for Klaasen - 2006 BDO World Darts Champion Jelle Klaasen has had a pretty lean time since his dramatic world title win over Barneveld. A recruit to the ranks of the PDC in January, he has taken time to find his form and he secured his first PDC title on Sunday. Buoyed by that, he's certainly a consideration for the upcoming Grand Slam of Darts in which Taylor and Barney have opened up joint-favourites.

L is for Levante - With only one point in their opening ten games of the season, all Levante followers will be delighted that they secured all three points on Sunday with a comprehensive 3-0 win over Almeira. They are still adrift at the bottom of La Liga however and the Relegation market shows a distinct lack of faith that they will be able to get out of their current predicament.

M is for McDonald - Scott McDonald fired Celtic three points clear at the top of the Scottish Premier League with a brace against Kilmarnock. The Australian now has ten league goals for the season and is trading as low as 1.4 in the Top Goalscorer market for the league.

N is for Nolan - Kevin Nolan rescued a point for struggling Bolton at a frustrated West Ham. There are clear signs that new boss Gary Megson is getting something extra out of the Trotters and you can now lay them at 3.45 in the Relegation market.

O is for Options Open - Keeping your options open is certainly a phrase that has been associated with South Africa's World Cup winning coach Jake White. Almost every day he is linked to a different top job and not being one to ruin his chances of any of them, he refuses to rule himself out. Whichever job he finally takes it will be interesting to see how that affects their price in the World Cup 2011 market already on site.

P is for Paula Radcliffe - The never-say-die attitude of Radcliffe is an inspiration to all and yet again she produced a gutsy performance to take the New York Marathon. Just nine months after giving birth to her daughter she is clearly already back to her best. She definitely has to be a consideration in the Sports Personality of the Year - Top 3 market.

Q is for QPR - Under new leadership the Hoops have forced themselves out of the relegation zone with a 2-0 win over Hull. New manager Luigi De Canio will be hopeful they can stay out of the dreaded bottom three and are now out to 6 in the Relegation market.

R is for Rose - Justin Rose finally threw off his nearly man tag as he secured one of the European Tour's most prestigious events in the Volvo Masters, and with it the coveted Order of Merit crown. Just as one season finishes another begins and you can check out the prices right now for the star-studded HSBC Champions Tournament.

S is for Spencer - The race for the Top Flat Jockey crown is going right down to the wire. Jamie Spencer clinched a valuable double on Sunday that has taken him three clear of his closest rival Seb Sanders. Spencer is currently 1.68 to secure the title and with only six days left it could well come down to the final day.

T is for Tom Brady - New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady inspired a dramatic final quarter comeback against the previously unbeaten Indianapolis Colts. They are now as low as 2.02 to be crowned Superbowl XLII champions.

U is for Under Pressure - It seems that managers are getting less and less time now to get results. Gareth Southgate, Steve Coppell and even Sam Allardyce have all been mentioned as possible targets for over-zealous chairman this week. Check out the Managerial Change market to see who you think will be next to go.

V is for Valencia - Ronald Koeman was this week appointed manager and he couldn't have got off to a better start as Morientes fired them to a 2-0 win at Mallorca. Up into 4th in the league this would appear top be the right time to check them out in the Top 3 market for La Liga.

W is for Wellens - GB full-back Paul Wellens produced an outstanding display in both defence and attack as the Lions ran riot against the hapless Kiwis in the 2nd Test. A 44-0 scoreline tells the whole story and you can be sure that the Lions will be short odds to make it a series whitewash this weekend.

X is for X-Rated - Tempers frayed in Seville on Saturday as table-topping Real Madrid were beaten 2-0. There were 9 bookings and a sending-off in this ill-tempered affair. Will Real be able to keep their tempers in check against Olympiacos on Tuesday? 9 Points or Over in the Bookings Odds market looks to be the bet in that match.

Y is for Y? - Why is it that every time Wigan Chairman Dave Whelan goes on holiday the current manager leaves the club? This time it is Chris Hutchings that has felt the axe from a distance. Check out the Next Wigan Manager market to see who is next in line.

Z is for Zzzzzz - Italian giants AC Milan once again failed to fire at home and struggled to a boring 0-0 draw with Torino. It's their away record that has kept them in contention and with an away tie against Shakhtar in the Champions League on Tuesday they will be worth a look in the Match Odds market.

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