Terrible Football bets or predictions

[elguapo4]

I was watching the World Cup classics on BBC earlier, one of the games from USA94 was Colombia v Romania. My first thought was of a friend of mine, who confidently bet Colombia to reach at least the semi finals and Freddy Rincon as tournament top scorer. 26 years later, and his opinion in football arguments is usually stopped by a sneering "Yeah, but Freddy Rincon " from one of us.

Not that I can boast too much. I am someone who bought Nottingham Forest's new striker Andrea Silenzi and Mark Bowen during his half a season with West Ham United for my fantasy football teams.

We currently have a forecast competition in work. You pick a club from each division, the favourites are separate and you're only allowed two of them, needless to say, my selection of Wolves, Derby, Sunderland and Mansfield are dead last at the suspension of play.

[Rogin the Armchair fan]

I said Liverpool would win the league this year.

[Satchmo Distel]

A stopped clock...

[matt j]

I once thought Robinho would be World Player of the Year, circa 2007-2008 ish.

[Jumbo McGinnis]

I can’t remember what year it was but it was within the last 4-5 years but when it come to Play-Off Finals, I did a treble and ended 0/3.

[ad hoc]

Every four years I was convinced that Spain were going to win the World Cup. In the lead up to the 2010 tournament I said to myself "I'm not falling for that again"

[ursus arctos]

Holland are more reliable in their ability to disappoint

[irony towers]

Somehow this lodged in my mind from the letters page of Shoot! magazine circa 1981: "I predict Hartlepool United will be a major force in the First Division by 1987."

[Satchmo Distel]

On the Dutch theme, I had Kluivert to be top scorer of Euro 96.

[Kowalski]

Aside from doing fixed odds coupons I've only ever placed 3 bets, the first was £10 on Croatia to win Euro '96, the second was Wales to beat Italy at Anfield in September '98 and the last one was Liverpool to beat Everton 2-0 in September 2006, a bet I lost within two minutes of leaving the betting shop.

[3 Colours Red]

I thought Austria were an outside shout to win Euro 2016. Out in the group stages.

[Satchmo Distel]

My last ever football bet was probably Barnsley to stay up in 1997-98, which was purely made from tribal loyalty rather than expectation. I realized that international tournament betting was a mug's game after Euro 96, and that only had 16 teams not 24 or 32.

[Jumbo McGinnis]

A friend of a friend is pretty serious with his football betting. He only shares his tip with a very select few, a group I am now part of. He probably only bets 4-8 times a season and the bets usually sound completely wild because they’re often Scottish Football or National League stuff, but when he does it’s backed up by a load of facts he’s compiled while he’s working in security and then bets big, usually a three figure sum, often spread across 3-5 betting shops as it would likely need to be called into head office why someone in London wants to bet on third division Scottish Football or the National League North.

Suffice to say, when he wins, which he normally does (he’s sent me four texts this season and three have won), he wins a decent amount. When he loses, he loses three figures, which to me would be a lot of money but I assume it’s money he can afford to lose.

[Favourite Worst Nightmare]

FA Commission 2002: “resurrecting the club from it’s ashes as, say, ‘Wimbledon Town’ would not be in the wider interests of football”.

[Felicity, I guess so]

I can’t remember a particular howler on my part, tho undoubtedly there were several but we got great fun queuing for the Mt Florida train after winning the cup in 94 when I found a Ladbroke coupon in the gutter “Rangers 5-0; Hateley hat-trick”

[Jah Womble]

I'm not especially a gambling man, but had Gignac's effort gone in against Portugal in the final of Euro '16, I'd have been several hundred quid better off. (I had France as an early win double with Griezmann as tournament top scorer.)

I s'pose that doesn't really make it a 'terrible bet' so much as a shade unlucky.

[Giggler]

In the 1994/95 close season, after Mark Carter has scored four versus the Class of 1992 in the Lancashire Cup, I was bought the new Bury away shirt. I was allowed to have a player’s name and number printed on the back. I swerved Spike and went for Jimmy Mulligan.

[Tony C]

Having seen Bobby Barnes play for West Ham in an FA Youth Cup game around 1980 I was telling anyone and everyone that he was the finest player of that age I had ever seen (technically true) and that he was destined for a career of greatness (technically not).

Ditto Scott Minto.

[Stumpy Pepys]

I had Timo Werner for the golden boot in the last World Cup.

[Jah Womble]

I recall putting a few bob on Youri Djorkaeff for the 1998 edition.

He managed one penalty against Denmark.

[White No Sugar]

The season Arsenal won the league at Anfield. Since summer I’d been on the eventual winners of division 4....3.....2......and Liverpool.

During one of Morinios PL wins at Chelsea I’d fancied having my first big bet £100. They’d already won the PL and were kicking off at 5:15 or so on Saturday after the two others in my accumulator had already won earlier. Everything was rolling into a big big certain payout. Easiest money ever. 0-0 at half time but Chelsea were awarded a penalty with ten mins or so to go. Lampard ferchrissakes gave the ball to the only outfield player in their squad who hadn’t scored that season......Claude fuckin Makelele. Twats, both of them.
Twas probably for the best as I only have something like a handful of bets a season now despite my regular plans to take it seriously next season.

The WC that Senegal beat France in the opening game 2002? ruined my workplaces accumulator that wouldve brought in £230k. Bookies had a £250k limit at the time I believe. It didn’t really as we’d got one other wrong which wasn’t bad out of 12 if I remember rightly.

[Simon G]

My cousin likes to bring up on regular occasions that in 2002, just after Cheltenham had achieved their 3rd promotion in 5 seasons to reach the 3rd tier of English football, that at a family party I predicted that we would be in the Premier League within 5 years because "we were the new Wimbledon".

Now, I was 17 and also very drunk at this party, but it even crops up now on the family Whatsapp group from time to time.

[Crystal Staples]

There was a story about someone who'd put 50p on Leicester to win the 2016 premier league, then cashed out taking a 5p loss after the first game, which they won.

[Jah Womble]

The WC that Senegal beat France in the opening game 2002? ruined my workplaces accumulator that wouldve brought in £230k. Bookies had a £250k limit at the time I believe. It didn’t really as we’d got one other wrong which wasn’t bad out of 12 if I remember rightly.

At least you knew early on.

[Guy Profumo]

St James' Park, end of the season.

We're gubbed 4-0, and the manager comes out and apologises to the few fans there foregathered, we were 2-0 down at half time.

“Sorry lads, I had to change it, it didn't work”

Up pipes one of our number “never mind Davey, we'll gan up as cmpion next year”

The year? 1988.

The manager? Dave Booth

And no, it wasn't me.