Germany led by Paul +Mani beat Uruguay...3-2!

Last night's play off for the 3rd placing between Uruguay and Germany was the kind of match that was missing from most of the games that I have seen since 5 weeks ago. It was end to end stuff. No one side really dominated. Both had equally good chances to win the game outright.
It was a credit to both teams that they took this game seriously despite missing out on the big one tonight. Perhaps because of that both sides played without the kind of pressure experienced in the semi final games.
They were adventurous in attack and made mistakes that proved costly.

Germany started out minus a few of their regular stars...Klose, Lahm, Poldoski, Neurr. But Thomas Mueller was back...and he was a big factor in the attacking option.
Before the match, I checked out the latest reports on the web and read an interesting pre-match interview given by Oscar Taberez, Uruguay's coach.
When asked what his views were on the coming game he said:
" Uruguay not only have to play against Germany and win, we have to play against that (damned)
octopus! " Not funny as the results proved on hindsight!

[ Frankly, I'll nominate this as one of the unforgettable quotes of this 2010 World Cup ].



Germany scored first in the 18th minute through Mueller. But Uruguay equalised through Cavani. 1 -1 it remained at half time.
6 minutes after the restart Forland scored and Uruguay led 2-1.
Everyone must be thinking...it will be kaput for Mani the bird and Paul the octopus if the score remained. They'd both picked a germany win.
But you simply can't change fate can you?
Uruguay GK made a silly mistake and allowed Jensen to equalised for Germany with a header.
Score was 2-2.
For Mani's and Paul's reputation to be upheld...Germany have to score again.
And that inevitable moment came in the 82 minute, from a corner kick...Sami Khedira rose highest to head in unchallenged.
Germany 3, Uruguay 2. And all those who have placed bets on Germany winning heaved sighs of relief.

But the story almost did not end there ( almost!). With the very last second, Forlan took a freekick so beautifully, it beat the GK completely..and heading for the top left corner but something made it hit the cross bar at the last milli-second!
As they say a miss is as good as a mile.
Perhaps that Jabulani ball should have been seized and sent for forensic dissection.
Who knows what you may find inside...perhaps a baby octopus?


So with this 63 game of this W Cup over, Germany has won the 3rd placing while Uruguay achieved 4th place. A great achievement for both teams!
As for Paul...he's headed for super stardom. He has not missed at all!
Mani the bird actually had picked Spain as the W Cup Winner a week earlier. Please check my earlier posts ..." Mani has made 3 predictions ". That report was widely circulated in the press and media. He "suddenly changed " to pick Holland only when a group of AP journalists came to do a story for their paper with his owner Mr M. No explanation was given. No one made any serious follow up as to what has been going on with this "about turn" by Mani the bird.

A video that appeared on Stompers was accompanied by some very searching observations and remarks made regarding M's handling of the bird.
I have no wish to add anything. Readers should see and judge for themselves.

Germany achieved 3rd placing

Sami Khedira scored to win it 3-2 for Germany

The scorer of the 3rd goal for Germany

Is there something extra that Paul and Mani are telling us?

Over the last week or so, the visitor rate to my blog has shot up sky high. Those making Google or Yahoo searches on anything connected to Paul and Mani will find me on page #1 of their searches and often right at the top.

I have no idea why this is so. Possibly because my blog title " The Wise Old Owl" shares something in common with Mani the parakeet. Both are birds! I know one is an acknowledged psychic bird while the other remains hopefully wise.

Or could it be that visitors are hoping that perhaps "the Owl" can throw some more light on all that is going on between the octopus and parrot.

Hmmm....maybe, just maybe.

It was the Front page headline news of today's Straits Times, Sat 10 July 2010, that really caught my full attention. The photo showing Paul "picking" Spain and Mani "picking" Holland must have caused greatly different reactions in the 2 camps of the finalists.

So both will probably feel "psychically" charged up for this last Final match of the W Cup. I think the reactions go much deeper than that...depending on who you are and what this" dilemma" means to you.

If you are a compulsive, serious punter, looking for the best tipsters tip..it can't be worse than this.

If you are a betting house, Football pools betting syndicate...etc...this must be the best scenario for the Final. The dilemma caused by the 2 leading stars of this W Cup is actually a bookie's dream come true.

No matter what...there will be large pools of money plonked on both sides for either a Spain or Holland win. They can sit back, hedge and relax...

AND IF THE GAME ENDS IN A DRAW AT FULL TIME...it's curtains for all those who bought only the 1 x 2 option of either a win for Spain or Holland.

And there is absolutely NO LOGICAL REASON WHY this final match CANNOT end in a DRAW at FULL time ( including a few minutes injury time).

I'm not saying that it will....but you cannot rule out this possibility.

Recall the last 2006 W Cup?

The match between Italy and France ended in 1-1 draw. Italy only beat France on penalty kicks after extra time of 30 mins produced no goals.Many bettors on 1 x 2 , picked Italy to win. They were all so deplorably sad to find out that they LOST! Reason: the game ended in a draw....which they did not pick.

My observation on the predictions so far by Paul and Mani:

Both are given just 2 choices....pick this or that.

That is choose which country would triumph IN THE END, after the final whistle! Not at 90 minutes!

But what happens if the game ends in a draw at Full time ( 90 mins)?

That's what many punters and bettors wish to know.

We cannot put any blame on Paul or Mani as they have not been offered such an option for their picking.

Now that Mani has picked Holland and Paul has opted for Spain...it raises some interesting questions besides causing a huge headache for bettors.

Q...Could both these beloved animals be co-operating in a psychic manner unknown to us to indicate that the game could end in a draw ( 0-0, 1-1, 2-2 etc ) ?

Obviously there will be an eventual winner...but people who pay $$$ to Mani's keeper would not really be so interested in all that. They all want to know what is the END RESULT at Full time..can the bird or Octopus tell? The ANSWER is NO ! Who will win...yes. As I've said they can only pick who will progress or truimph...but not a DRAW SCENARIO.

Any views out there?

Alas...Unk Dicko is not Paul or Mani with psychic powers.

This Owl is merely using his observations and reasoning powers to throw some light here.

I think I just might put a couple of durians on a possible draw for tomorrow.

Good Luck!

The W Cup Final...Octopus Paul has decided!!! Youtube.

The official news is out. Paul the famous octopus who has scored a perfect record of correct predictions at this 2010 World Cup has just made his final and MOST CRITICAL move...picking who will be holding the Cup that has meant so much blood, sweat and tears for all the more than 200 countries/teams involved.

After almost a solid month of pulsating action on the muddy fields of S Africa, it has come down to 2 of the most skilled football teams. There were so many other great teams who would have given an arm or a leg to troop out on Sunday night, a night which no soccer-loving person can be disturbed anywhere the match is telecast.

As in ancient Rome, the final 2 gladiators now face each other. Unlike in Rome, it was for glory or death...with no one to referee, there are no rules to the mortal combat. Here in S Africa, the 2 finalists Holland and Spain have never met in a W Cup Final before. For Spain, they already made history. Their best was a 1950 last 4 appearance. Holland were losing finalists in 1974 and 1978.

PAUL's pick:

From the video, it is very clear that he has opened the SPANISH box. In Paul's language, that is translated to a Spanish win.

A word of caution for those who are betting. In the last world cup, all kinds of predictions were also made for both sides...Italy and France. Those who placed money on an Italian WIN ( 1 x 2 )actually lost all their money. WHY? The game ended in a 1 - 1 DRAW...although Italy won in the penalty kick after ET.

If you pick " who will be the champion?" category..then that's different. But the odds are usually not great.

Mani the parrot...has already picked Holland over Spain. It's their own World Cup Final...Mani versus Paul. I have some critical observations about the way both are kept and managed. That can explain the difference and the dilemma. But to put it here may do injustice to one side publicly. So, I'll think about it first.

So...now punters and bettors have a BIG HEADACHE... who should they follow? Well, if you have been following my advice not to bet BIG, just a tickle or two...you won't have such a headache will you?

Octopus Paul picked Germany to beat Argentina!

This is sensational!

After correctly predicting Germany's previous four games at this World Cup, the now global star...Octopus Paul has made his latest choice known. In full view of reporters, the public and the media 2 similar boxes were lowered into his aquarium tank home at Sealife, Oberhausen, Germany.
Apparently, he swam over the tanks, thought about the 2 delicious mussels inside each box identified by the German and Argentinian flag but made no move for nearly an hour.

Just when they were about to remove the boxes, Paul the Octopus spread out his tentacles over the German box and grabbed the choice morsel inside.
Paul only took 8 short seconds to decide the Germany vs England game. Just goes to show what he thought about the rubbish that was England!
But he paid much more respect to this Argentinian side....1 hour of contemplation before choosing Germany!

What does it portend?

Many think that it will be a very, very tough match for both teams but that at the very end, maybe after extra time and penalty kicks...Germany will prevail. This view is held by those who have been mesmerised by Paul's psychi powers.
Do you dare question Octopus Paul? He has a 100% record upto now.
On the other hand, the Argentinians in their home country came out with their own dolphin predictor. You can check this out on the internet news.

Apparently, in one of their sea aquariums yesterday, the handlers threw 2 balls marked with Germany and Argentina flag.
The dolphin went for the Argentina ball.
But observers are quick to report that the dolphin has no track record of any kind of successful predictions unlike our dear friend...Paul.

So what will you do if you want to have a flutter on this game?
Well...I already think I know what to do.
Do you?




Photos: From Boston com website shown below.

Read the full story below.
http://www.boston.com/news/world/europe/articles/2010/06/29/octopus_paul_predicts_german_win_over_argentina/

Sports Betting...World Cup 2010, some useful tips.

In the online news today, I came across a news report saying that Malaysians have been betting heavily on the current World Cup action to the tune of 8 billion ringgits ( in this year ) and mostly at illegal online betting sites and illegal bookies and syndicates. That is the equivalent of S'pore 3.4 billion dollars!

No wonder among the recent news from M'sia is a report that 7 well-known VIPs ( who are they as no names mentioned?) have run away to escape from the police raids on illegal betting syndicates. The bookies are raking in millions everyday of this W Cup action.
What about the situation here?

The last World Cup in 2006 saw punters betting to the tune of 1.8 billion Sing dollars! That's only the official figures and no one really knows how much the illegal bookies have taken in. The sum must be HUGE!
Recently, the press highlighted several stories about bookies making use of students particularly from the Polys and JCs to be runners for them. Many of the students interviewed said they make about 3 % of the bets collected ...averaging a few hundred dollars per day. One said he makes about $ 750 daily on average.

Of course...all the things they are doing are highly dangerous! The penalty for illegal betting and worse, for illegal bookie work is VERY SERIOUS!!! Enormous fines and jail sentence await those who are caught and convicted.
Thus to provide the public with an avenue for their obsession with gambling...the govt opened licensed betting shops initially for 4 D , TOTO and horse racing and later added sports betting as we know it today.
This was also meant to prevent the further spreading of illegal betting syndicates most of which are connected to criminals and "protected" by s s and other criminal groups.

Why do people gamble?
Is it in the hope of making "big" money?
Or is it just for the occasional tickle or fun of it all with a tiny, small output?
Those who bet in the hope of making "big" returns are in real DANGEROUS waters.
You will NEVER Win in the final analysis...if you continue to bet everyday, on most games,
and in increasing amount ( doubling, tripling, quadrupling etc..) . It's SHEER MADNESS!
There are countless genuine very sad stories out there told by people who have LOST EVERYTHING...their houses, homes, cars, family, jobs, every single cent they owned, worked so hard to save ...all GONE in the blink of an eye!

Let me tell you a real story that Unk Dicko know personally.
Took place about 6 years ago.
I used to buy fresh fruits from a fruit shop in AMK area. A quiet and pleasant young man of about 30+ by name of "Ah Seng" was working as a stall assistant there. He often chose the fruits for me..papayas, bananas, mangoes, guavas etc.. We got on well. The shop was just next to a Sg Pools outlet.

One Saturday, during the EPL season around February, there was a very long queue of punters at the Pools shop. Most of the punters were discussing loudly about that night's games.
I noticed Ah Seng ignoring all the "big and noisy betting talk". Some betters knew him well too.
Out of the blue, I said to him," Ah Seng...so far I've never seen you buying any 4D, Toto or soccer bets? So good...you don't gamble huh? ".

What he said and the way he replied to me ....I will never, ever forget!
He was literally a "still water runs deep" character! I could never have imagined it.
Pulling a stool for me to sit in and offering me a packet drink...he recounted his unbelievable sorrow and utmost regret over his addiction to gambling, particularly BIG TIME sports betting on the EPL.
Most of such bettors place their bets with illegal bookies because the bookies offer much better returns than Sg Pools. They could also bet by IOU...payable later, something which Pools can never offer. But there will always be a catch somewhere...if you lose.

Ah Seng said he once owned a nice 5 room HDB flat, a nice sports car, had a family and was doing well as a salesman. He had an income, savings and money to spend.
Initially, he bet small to medium amounts...a few hundred dollars per match. Then it was in thousands. When he lost "Big" he tried to recoup by placing even bigger amount on his next bet.
His losses multiplied till he had no more cash and savings to bet on. In fact, he was heavily in debt to the bookies.

With no way out of his self-made darkness, he made the singular, most terrible mistake of his life upto that point...listening to all the euphoria and almost " 100 % certainty of Charlton FC winning the night's match" at very good 1 x 2 odds.... he decided to bet a six figure sum ( the amount equal to the value of his car and house in total ) on just that ONE Match!
If Charlton had won....all his debts would have been cleared in one stroke!
But if Charlton should lose or draw...it would be the beginning of the End for him.
For the sad record...Charlton LOST !
And poor Ah Seng lost everything he had owned to the bookies...his house, car, job, everything...and was eeking out a living as a stall helper just to keep himself alive.
No wonder, he further told me that he will not work there for long as it was too PAINFUL
to be so close to the betting outlet.
And he added....do warn others about how " I came to be like this".

And so My advice to all these young studentsand others out there:

1. Do not bet in the hope of making big money. You'll win some but uncontrolled betting will lead you to be another "Ah Seng or worse.
2. If you do bet, do it for the fun of it. Small amount. Never chase your losses. Let it be..since it's
only a few dollars. Consider it as a contribution back to society.
Since the W Cup started, I have bought just 3 bets for fun.
1st was the S Africa vs France game. I took advantage of the "French revolution" and bet a home team win. I guessed rightly. Just $10.
2nd was the psychic tip from Octopus Paul ( see my previous post ). I took Germany to win.
Just $15....not 15 K !
Paul was spot on!
3rd was Ghana vs USA. Actually I did not plan to buy this for $20.
At the Pools outlet, it was near closing time when I presented my slip for the Ger vs Eng game.
The machine had a technical problem and kept rejecting my betting slip.
Then the Pools lady gave the printer a hard whack and out came this 3rd slip...a remnant bet placed by a previous punter.
This piece of paper was jamming the machine and caused a 5 minute delay. It was a valid bet option.
To help her out, I said "no problemo...I'll buy that! "
All 3 positions were winners.
Did my winnings make me rich like Bill Gates? No.
If I had lost will I be as poor as a church mouse? No.
Will I ever end up like Ah Seng? No.
That's the message I will like to portray for those who indulge in a bet or two.

Do not end up like the majority of bettors who have not only turned their lives upside down but
also end up doing great damage and harm to their own loved ones and family.
Just click on the link below for a sample.

http://news.asiaone.com/News/The%2BNew%2BPaper/Story/A1Story20100628-224281.html

Be responsible. Have control. Have fun.
Cheers!

Unk Dicko

Germany vs England W Cup...the octopus has decided!

Since the World Cup 2010 in South Africa kicked off, my lifestyle took a dramatic change. I must apologise if my regular visitors to this blogsite did not see any blog activity for nearly 10 days..that's very unusual for Unk Dicko's regular blogging standard.
But do remember that the World Cup only come round once in 4 years. And in that short space of barely a month of non-stop football action happening at odd hours of our time zone, daily..there is so much for the World Cup soccer followers to see and not to miss. And Unk Dicko has been following the World Cup since the 60's...every World Cup without fail!

I may have missed some matches here and there in previous championships but those would be few and far between.
For example, when this 2010 W Cup started with the opening game between host country South Africa and Mexico...I was actually at Ho Chi Minh city ( former Saigon ). We were staying at the 4 star Kimdo Hotel which is opposite the Sheraton Hotel in the heart of the city.

From my own hotel room, I was able to catch all the opening games of the first 3 days of the competition. Unfortunately, the commentary was all in Vietnamese but it was really not a big problem as it was also drowned out by the horrendous noises that came from the 'vizvuzela' or whatever thery are called. It was probably ok for the atmosphere in the stadium where the games are played. But on the tv and internet feeds it was quite,quite irritating.
I have not missed a single game of this W Cup yet. Seen everyone of the game. Read hundreds of pages of news, reports and gossips about all the ups and downs of each team as they either faltered or progressed in their search for the ultimate prize and glory...the Winner's Cup!

There are far too many matches for me to blog about but I thought that I'll just focus on one monumental match taking place in less than 2 hours from now as I type.
This is the "Do or Die" match between 2 of the most watched teams in W Cup football...Germany and their eternal nemesis....England.
In all their 5 previous meetings at the W Cup knockout stage, all have ended in draws even after extra time. Then followed by penalty kicks.

What were the results then? Did England WIN any of them?
Before I give my answers...here is a famous quote from one of the best English strikers ever that puts things in perspective and nice humour.
He said, when asked to define England vs Germany football games....

" Football is a simple game. 22 men chase a ball for 90 minutes and at the end,
the GERMAN wins. "
( Gary Lineker )



So who will win the match tonight?
Who will we say goodbye to?
In a short while we shall soon find out unless, unless you are a very clever octopus called Paul.
You have not heard of my undersea friend called Paul?
He lives in Germany and has correctly predicted the outcomes of Germany's games so far.
He does this by opening one of 2 boxes placed in his tank. The boxes represented by the flags of the 2 teams are closed. The one he opens is the "winner"!
And for tonight which box has he opened?

Unk Dicko knows.

If you don't please click on this Link below.


http://multimedia.asiaone.com/Multimedia/LifeStyle/Story/A1Multimedia20100626-10433.html



The German World Cup team

The England World Cup team


Kimdo Hotel- Ho Chi Minh City

Kimdo Hotel


Enjoying the dinner and cruise aboard the SS Saigon in Vietnam

recently.

I shall be blogging about Vietnam shortly soon as I have found enough sleep!