I thought the value was in backing wakey at 7-1. Les cats look pretty ordinary again. Wil be a long year for them.

Anyway, back down to earth with a bang after crusaders stuffed my 90-1 accumulator on the handicaps by effectively only drawing at London. Gutted!!! Usually only get 4/5 max right so to get so close and lose by effectively a drop Goal in one game is pretty upsetting!

Likewise, those handicappers are pretty good.

I spent most of last season still believing Les Catalans form at the end of 2009 was about to reappear. It never happened. I weren't even sticking with them at the start of this season because I had any faith in them as such it's just that I had less faith in their opposition for the opening two rounds.

I'll be borrowing one of Ed's blank sheets of paper from now on.

I always avoid betting on RL using handicaps. They favour the smart bookies too well. Some bets you win... more bets you lose. I lost today... a fiver. Only ever bet for fun though.

Wigan let me down today on a £5 treble. I had Harlequins to win by 1-12, Warrington to win by 1-12 and Wigan to win by 1-12. Would have paid out around £120 but never mind. I'd not anticipated just how dreadful Bradford are and was taken in by a seemingly half-decent performance against Leeds last week, when in truth they were dreadful, just like Leeds were.

i'm astounded by the fact that someone who has such a vast knowledge of rl as you obviously posess keith that you could possibly ever lose a bet

I love the fact that even in a post that had very little to do with Leeds you have managed to make disparaging remarks about them. Cue the abuse from the masses!

Back on topic-the handicaps offer better odds than match odds. For example Wigan were massive odds on to beat Bradford bit almost evens to beat them by 8+. harder to predict but far greater rewards

Leeds were dreadful last week against Bradford. You appear to have a problem with any critique of the club and their performances as noted in your responses to nantwichexile and TVOC. Why is that?



And 5 way margin options offer even better odds without the imposition of bookies handicaps.

The only point I was making is that I avoid betting on handicaps because they are set by the bookies who ain't stupid. Prefer to make my own choices on bets.

You might find that all odds favour the bookies, that's how it works.

You're entitled to your opinion. Catalans are a waste of space IMO. They provide no travelling support and the French international team is even more pants than it was before Catalans entered SL. The only thing in their favour is that Quins, Crusaders and Salford are even more of a waste of space and offer even less. Quins attendance V Crusaders today? 1,766



I'd be happy to see all those clubs above sink without trace before Wakefield.

The only thing Catalans existence in SL provides is an excuse for an annual p[ii[/iss-up in the south of France, and/or a spot of excruciatingly vain and pretentious petit bourgeois over-indulgences with a touch of culinary snobbery thrown in for good measure by our select group of French Fancies.

Edited! I critique the club and performances myself. Where I disagree with someone elses opinion I might occasionally voice my own. I was actually amused by your post - I usually am, apart from the odd one where you stop the act and post what you really think





It does, but they are a lot harder to predict, as proved by your loss on the Wigan game. It was a lot easier to predict they'd win by more than 8 than guess the correct margin. You can normally see 2 or 3 alternative handicaps if you don't like the original one, obviously with different odds.

We're all mugs in the end I guess. I'm quite a happy mug this weekend but will probably fritter away most of my profits during the season!

Catalans average home attendance 2010 = 6,805
Wakefield average home attendance 2010 = 5,983

Catalans average away attendance 2010 = 7,494
Wakefield average away attendance 2010 = 8,160

Catalans average home&away attendance 2010 = 7,150
Wakefield average home&away attendance 2010 = 7,072

...from West Yorkshire

Going on the performances of both teams last week, there is no way that Catalans were worth backing giving up 3/4 tries. The 20 start some bookies were giving was far too big IMO.

Just like Wire, who having been appaling last week, and having 3 senior players injured, werent 8pt favourites today.

is it worth noting that Catalans ground as been closed in parts for redevelopment for almost 12 months now?

Since you cobbled these figures together quick enough im sure you could do the same for 2009, just as a point of reference.

I weren't concerned by the handicap, I was just backing them to win. Likewise with Hull KR for a rare win at Warrington. At least I went down without a fight.

Fair. You were only a few minutes away from backing a Hull KR win at least.

I'm just not comfortable with betting on bookies handicaps. Just my preference.

5 way margins are difficult but challenging. I only bet a fiver each round on either a treble or quad. Only need to win once in a season to recoup the money. Came in twice last year during the rounds winning £172 and £130 something, so I was up for the year.

Didn't see the Wakey odds this weekend... might have been tempted myself at 7/1. Well spotted.

I'm sure he could but while we're waiting I'll take a stab at it:

Catalans average home attendance 2009 = 9,159
Wakefield average home attendance 2009 = 6,037

Catalans average away attendance 2009 = 7,291
Wakefield average away attendance 2009 = 8,615

Catalans average home&away attendance 2009 = 8,225
Wakefield average home&away attendance 2009 = 7,326

*SL Regular Rds only excluding Murrayfield Magic.

Ta muchly, it was becoming quite a wait

Do you wish to see the demise of Wakefield?

Each to their own I guess. Likewise 1 win would more than cover me on the handicaps, and I was so bloody close today!

Ta. Thought I'd read it wrong- was too goof to be true! Mind you thought the same about hull kr at 2-1 and they got beat!

As I said-mugs game!

Not at all, but that wasnt really the point you were making, or if it was, you werent doing a very good job.

FWIW - the Catalans attendance for the Wakey game was over 7000 with about a dozen of those from Wakey - the new stand is under construction leaving just the two main stands and there were not many empty seats available.

as a matter of interest a recent LER game between Carcassonne v Limoux attracted 7000 fans

It's the point I've been making all along.

There's plenty here who seem to be salivating in anticipation of Wakefield getting kicked out of SL. They want it to happen.

I'm interested in discovering why these same people aren't quite as bullish about getting rid of Harlequins, Salford, Crusaders who offer even less to SL than Wakefield do?

Catalans are held up as a SL success, yet their attendances (albeit OK-ish) are not outstanding, and do not dwarf those of Wakefield.

Quins attendance against Crusaders today was 1,766. What are these two teams doing in SL? Where's the calls for those two losing their licence?

PS: I don't expect Crusaders to lose their licence yet... not while they owe the RFL an estimated £700,000 bail-out money. They shouldn't have been bailed out. The experiment in expanding SL into Wales had already resoundingly failed once they were sent packing out of South Wales. I look forward to their eventual termination however.

Thanks for the nice round numbers.

Do you believe that Wakefield losing their SL Licence will result in the demise of the club? A couple of weeks ago, a large number of posters on their board were in favour of spending 3/6 years outside of SL.