Monday, October 25, 2010

Sports World

Liverpool’s Europa League hopes depend on league performances

Posted: 25 Oct 2010 07:39 AM PDT

Whilst Liverpool fans will no doubt be delighted that they have finally been able to celebrate a decent performance from their team in the Premier League, even the most passionate and biased of Liverpool supporters should realise that the club need to secure their league future and propel themselves up to a mid-table position (at the very least) before they can expect manager Roy Hodgson to field the likes of Fernando Torres in the Europa League.

However, UEFA Europa League betting pundits note how the dilemma remains that Liverpool may not achieve such a position in the domestic league until the chance of success in the Europa League has been and gone.

Despite the fact that Hodgson badly needs to lead the side to success on the pitch if he is to avoid continuing looking like a man occupying a role that doesn't suit his reserved personality, the Liverpool manager will know that the large majority of the fans see the Europa League as nothing more than a distraction, and will continue to view it in that manner until they see their side achieve a satisfactory level in domestic competition.

With the FA Cup likely to be thought of as a bigger and better competition to focus upon by fans and those betting on Premier league matches, and one that is worthy of risking the fitness of Torres in, could Liverpool find themselves discarding the Europa League to their own detriment?

Should the club fail to qualify for the Europa League or the Champions League in the next few seasons, the club's treatment of the competition this season may well become synonymous with the fact that Liverpool Football Club views itself as bigger than it really is, a fact that may well prevent the Reds from achieving what fans expect of them both domestically and in Europe.

Harrington wins again...finally!

Posted: 25 Oct 2010 02:12 AM PDT

After putting in a decent performance during Europe's Ryder Cup victory at Celtic Manor earlier this month, Padraig Harrington was all too aware that he was in dire need of a victory in individual competition, especially in light of the fact that he had failed to win a major trophy over the past three years, with his last win coming in the 2008 US PGA Championship. Now, however, Harrington has put this right by winning the Iskandar Johor Open.

Having had to rely upon a highly controversial wild card pick in order to play a part in this year's Ryder Cup, Harrington will surely realise that he needs to carry over the momentum from that competition to next year's tour if he wishes to be viewed in the same glowing light he once was.

With the players of the European tour continuing to demonstrate their class on a consistent basis and the US PGA always strong, those who bet on golf regularly believe that Harrington will surely face a mighty struggle to win a major event next year, even if Tiger Woods' form continues to decline.

However, with Harrington judged by many as one of the reasons behind the European team's triumph, with his calm leadership qualities apparently a crucial part of the success along with his actual play on the course, he should be able to take a considerable amount of confidence into his next tournament, providing him with the ideal opportunity to develop the kind of momentum players so badly need in order to prove their worth.

Those assessing the golf odds regularly state Harrington is quite clearly a world class golfer on his day, and adding a fourth major victory to his already admirable record would certainly go a long way towards getting revenge against the cynics who have constantly reminded him of his recent lack of success.

If Harrington succeeds in winning his fourth major, he may well look back at the Iskandar Johor Open as the tournament that truly launched his comeback.

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Monday, October 25, 2010

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