It’s the end of the year and 2009 will be daunting for many of us. Scanning the newspapers this morning there’s little to encourage and much to make us wish for the year to hurry by and bring on 2010. Then, like a little oasis of joy, fellow sports betting friends, in the middle of all the gloom, are a couple of pages that every year I grab and scuttle off to read. They are this year’s Sporting Calendar.

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In another incarnation, back in the eighties, I managed a pop band. Early on, we did a ‘No-Nukes’ tour of Britain, struggling from one town to another in a busted Transit van, often pushing it through the snow. Penniless, we relied on handouts for food and petrol. Eventually we got to Liverpool and our van ground to a halt outside the University Student Union. On our return, we found the window smashed and my bag taken. Years later, when we were massively successful, we toured the world without incident. When we got to Liverpool, my car window was smashed and my briefcase removed. It was a with a rueful smile that I first heard the Leeds FC football song, ‘We’ve got Dom Mateo, You’ve got our stereos’ sung at Anfield.

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One of the major British stars to shine in 2008 was 21 year old, Tennis ace, Andy Murray. We have been avid fans of Murray here at the Free Bets Blog now for some time and it seems that the moneymen in sport have also become firm admirers. It has been reported that Murray could see his wages swell to a staggering £100 million in 2009 as a bidding war breaks out between a number of advertising management agencies desperate to sign Murray’s signature. Not bad for someone who has shown potential to win a Grand Slam.

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Yep, it’s back. This Friday, the 2nd of January 2009, sees a return to our TV screens of the controversial Celebrity Big Brother show after Channel 4′s decision to axe the show after the racism row involving the infamous Jade Goody. This year the Celebrity Big Brother 2009 producers are not taking any chances by scrapping 24 hour coverage of the show. Channel 4 are hoping the watered down reality TV show will still be a major hit with British audiences.

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You have to hand it to Katie Price AKA Jordan, not content with being a mother of three, a reality TV star, author and former glamour model (we’ll skip the singing bit if you don’t mind) here is a woman determined to be part of Team GB at the 2012 London Olympics. Katie has been taking part in the Dressage trials since early summer and it seems her dream may come true as she continues to do well in the prelims.

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When Sam Allardyce left Bolton Wanderers there was much wailing and gnashing of teeth among the Trotter’s fans. The ragged army of ageing internationals and sullen malcontents that composed the Bolton Team at that point were something only Sam could nurture into bloom. I’ve always thought of him as being like Lee Marvin in the Dirty Dozen who’s given a bunch of murdering, raping and pillaging prisoners off death row and told to get them into a crack team which can venture into enemy territory and pull off the impossible – which they did. It will not have escaped the notice of football betting fans that his departure from Bolton produced chaos and his biggest, baddest boy of all, Nicholas Anelka, tamed by Big Sam, left for Chelsea almost immediately.

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For as long as I can remember there’s been an ongoing debate about whether or not the act of using performance enhancing drugs in sport should be deemed to be a crime and those caught made subject to punishment under the law. This discussion could easily be extended into other areas of illegal activity such as result fixing which has, as online betting enthusiasts well know, previously raised its ugly head in both football and horse racing.

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In another twist for the motorsport industry this week, Formula One big guns Ferrari have teamed up with Indian car makers, ‘TaTa’, the company who produce the World’s cheapest car. We highlighted last week, Formula One Hits The Skids, the seriousness of the financial market stifling the motorsport industry. No sooner had we published the story that Suzuki and Subaru pulled out of the World Rallying Championships. Now the news stories are that the drivers inflated wages are next in line to be downsized.

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Every year there is a little known football tournament called the FIFA Club World Cup. Football enthusiasts may recall Manchester United disappearing for a week or two to Brazil in the year 2000 and wondering what it was all about. This mysterious opportunity for silverware is the replacement for the Toyota Cup and is regarded by some as more prestigious than the Champions League Trophy. Er . . . I don’t think so. In theory it should be because it is a tournament between the champion clubs of all six continental confederations of FIFA. In reality, it is dominated by the two sides from Europe and South America and is seen by the players as a bit of a distraction from their home campaigns.

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Another week, another Premiership manager feels the heat. Last week it was Roy Keane who walked away from Sunderland after refusing to sign a new contract. This week it is Paul Ince of Blackburn Rovers who could soon be departing from his role. Mounting pressure for Ince to go has risen after the 3-0 defeat away to Wigan on Saturday. It leaves Blackburn 2nd bottom of the Premiership and 5 points of the next team above them (Sunderland). Their chairman, John Williams, was highly critical of the team and Ince after defeat to wigan last week.

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