Federer Out! Nadal Out! Ferrer dispatched in the semi-final 3 sets to 1. Now only Djokovic stands in the way of Britain’s number one seed, Andy Murray, to win his first major Open Championship of his career.

Melbourne has been good to Murray, he was last year’s finalist, although he was humbled by a very blistering Federer. Let’s hope Murray can go one better this year.

The semi-final against Ferrer was tough for Murray. The Spaniard outplayed Murray in the first set, winning it 6-4. Ferrer, was unlucky not to take a two set lead, when he was 5-4 up in games and sitting with a set point. Somehow Murray focussed himself and saw off the threat of Ferrer winning the set 7-6. It was later revealed by Murray he wasn’t aware that Ferrer was on set-point, perhaps if he had been more aware of the score, he may have buckled under the pressure.

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Back in the Premier League season of 2003-04, Arsenal became only the second team in top flight English football to remain unbeaten all season. Preston NE being the first way back in 1888-89. Now, after last night’s superb comeback against Blackpool, talk about Manchester United becoming the latest team to earn the accolade, ‘Invincibles‘, seems to be a hot topic between football betting punters.

Arsenal manager, Arsene Wenger, feels that Manchester United have been “lucky” to have come this far still unscathed. One could say that United were indeed ‘very lucky’ last night in the Blackpool game when the referee failed to give Blackpool a stonewall penalty with United trailing 2-0. It was similar style to the Aston Villa game back in early November when United clawed a point back, 2-0 down with 10 minutes to go.

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It’s the penultimate Sunday of January this weekend which can mean only one thing – The Conference Championship Games – No, means nothing I hear you say. What if I were to say, “Super Bowl XLV Semis“! With me now? Good!

Yep, it’s that time when the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC) top play-off teams go head-to-head. A bit like the Johnstone’s Paint Trophy except with a wee bit more glamour.

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It’s looking more likely that the SPL (Scottish Premier League) will vote in the current proposal to reduce its league members from twelve to ten in an attempt to change and improve the game North of the Border. Out of the current 12 teams only Hearts, Inverness and Kilmarnock voted against the 10 team set-up instead preferring the league to expand to a 14-team top division.

Most Scottish football betting fans see the move as a throwback to the 10 team top-flight league that was prominent during the 1975-1998 seasons.

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There is an exciting edge to this years RBS 6 Nations tournament with the 2011 Rugby World Cup also taking place at the start of September in New Zeland. England, France, Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Wales will be using the squad selection for the 6 Nations as a reinforcement as to whom they’ll be choosing to travel to the Rugby World Cup.

As the excitement begins to build towards the 6 Nations kick off, much has been written regarding the two way tussle for the 6 Nations crown between England and France. Will France impose another Grand Slam (best odds of 13/5 from Totesport) achievement despite rumours and papertalk of massive infighting in the French camp? Or will England (best odds of 7/4 from Victor Chandler) rediscover the form that won them their last 6Nations title back in 2003?

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It’s turned in to a national pastime over the last few years for a number of tennis betting fans. Trying to predict if this is the year that British Number One, Andy Murray, will win a Tennis Grand Slam final and rip that monkey off his back. Of course, Murray has been close, very close, beaten finalist in the 2008 US Open and then the 2010 Australian Open, losing on both occassions to former World Number One, Roger Federer.

Then as Roger Federer’s form dipped from the French Open onwards a certain Mr Rafael Nadal stepped in to the Number One position and cast a shadow of uncertainty over Andy Murray. It has seen the Scot drop from No. 2 seed in the World rankings at the beginning of 2010 to Fifth seed ahead of the 2011 Australian Open betting play beginning on the 17th of January 2011.

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OK, I suppose there would be thousands that would line up to take the position of managing a Premier League team, especially when you consider that the average annual salary for a Premier League Manager is around the £3 million mark. But would they be any good at the job, I mean they are a lot of egos to contend with in a football team, then you have their agents, and what about the media, handling them is a skill in itself. Then there is the fans with their expectations, no matter how big or small they may be, a managers success is driven by results.

That is why when I read anything about Liverpool manager, Roy Hodgson, I genuinely feel sorry for the guy. Not that I’m a Liverpool fan, far from it, but the position he is in it’s just impossible seeing him survive this. If he does, and that is a massive if, there is bound to an exodus from Liverpool of their biggest names including Steven Gerrard, Fernando Torres and Pepe Reina. Currently, Hodgson, is odds of 1/3 on from Victor Chandler to get the sack.

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There are has been a lot of interest as to where David Beckham will end up on loan during the MLS (Major League Soccer) close-season break. A string of Premier League clubs including the likes of Tottenham, Newcastle, Blackburn, West Ham United and Sunderland have all offered a keen interest in taking the 35 year old on loan till the beginning of March.

Of course, all this business of a short loan break to a Premier League or European club hasn’t went down well with Beckham’s current employers, LA Galaxy. Last time Beckham put his services up for rent, he ended up injured while donning the colours of AC Milan with an Achilles tendon injury that put him out of the game for 6 months. Right at the start of Galaxies season.

Now, that talk of loan deals are the subject matter once more with Beckham you can sense why LA Galaxy fans get incensed over his journeyman habits during the close season period.

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