Grant looking to boost job prospects by keeping Hammers' run going

 By James Milton 7:37PM 25 JAN 2011 WEST HAM are hoping to be on the road to Wembley as they visit Birmingham clutching a precious 2-1 first-leg lead in their Carling Cup semi-final.

But it could also be the road to redemption for boss Avram Grant, who was widely expected to be taking charge of his last game when the Hammers met Arsenal 11 days ago.

However, Grant is now 11-10 with Victor Chandler to keep his job at least until the end of the season, and that price will
surely shorten if the Londoners reach the final tonight.

They are 4-6 to qualify for Wembley, with the Blues 7-5, but both sides are battling for glory amid a backdrop of a fierce relegation battle. Bet365 offer 4-9 that at least one of the pair is relegated this season, while it is 6-1 that both are playing in the Championship next term.

Grant is Hills’ evens favourite to be the next Premier League boss to leave his position but the firm have cut Birmingham’s boss Alex McLeish from 8-1 to 9-2.

Chelsea’s Carlo Ancelotti is 11-2 third-favourite and West Brom’s Roberto Di Matteo is 7-1.

Chelsea’s 4-0 win at Bolton on Monday boosted the Blues’ ailing title challenge and Bet365 are betting on how many points they take from their two games against leaders Manchester United.

They are 15-2 to claim the maximum six points from the crunch matches at Stamford Bridge on March 1 and Old Trafford on May 7.

Kenny Dalglish’s Liverpool are going for back-to-back league wins when they take on Fulham at Anfield and the Scot is 10-11 with Hills to get the job on a permanent basis.

Martin O’Neill is next in the betting at 11-4 with Owen Coyle and Frank Rijkaard at 7-1.

Old Firm rivals Celtic and Rangers, who face Hearts and Hibs this evening, are Hills’s 11-4 joint-favourites to be the highest-scoring team tonight.

Hoffenheim have signed ex-Liverpool winger Ryan Babel in a deal thought to be worth around £6m, while Man City striker Emmanuel Adebayor has joined up with Real Madrid on loan until the end of the season.

Bet365 – how many of Birmingham and West Ham will be relegated? 4-9 one, 5-2 none, 6 two; how many points will Chelsea take from two games against Manchester United? 5-2 three, 10-3 one, 4 four, 5 none, 15-2 six, 9 two.
Hills –highest-scoring team (only these eight count): 11-4 Celtic, Rangers, 10-3 Liverpool, 4 Birmingham, 9 West Ham, 11 Hibs, 14 Hearts, 16 Fulham.

FacebookDeliciousDiggStumbleUpon   TOP STORIES Grant looking to boost job prospects by keeping Hammers' run going 7:37pm 25 Jan 2011 Second Service: Federer still 2-1 despite hammering Wawrinka 1:00pm 25 Jan 2011 Road kings Green Bay 8-11 Bowl favourites 4:45pm 24 Jan 2011 Second Service: Nadal cut after crucial win 2:30pm 24 Jan 2011 Leinster 5-2 for second Heineken win after kind draw 9:23pm 23 Jan 2011 Kaymer rises in rankings after Abu Dhabi success 9:10pm 23 Jan 2011 Australia whitewash 8-1 after Sydney ODI-stroll 8:34pm 23 Jan 2011 Baggies defeat sees Di Matteo cut to get sack 8:26pm 23 Jan 2011 Second Service: Federer stays at 7-4 after four-set Robredo success 1:38pm 23 Jan 2011 City out to 15-2 for title after defeat at Villa Park 7:41pm 22 Jan 2011 Show All Current Stories LATEST STORIES Grant looking to boost job prospects by keeping Hammers' run going 7:37pm 25 Jan 2011 Second Service: Federer still 2-1 despite hammering Wawrinka 1:00pm 25 Jan 2011 Road kings Green Bay 8-11 Bowl favourites 4:45pm 24 Jan 2011 Second Service: Nadal cut after crucial win 2:30pm 24 Jan 2011 Leinster 5-2 for second Heineken win after kind draw 9:23pm 23 Jan 2011 Kaymer rises in rankings after Abu Dhabi success 9:10pm 23 Jan 2011 Australia whitewash 8-1 after Sydney ODI-stroll 8:34pm 23 Jan 2011 Baggies defeat sees Di Matteo cut to get sack 8:26pm 23 Jan 2011 Second Service: Federer stays at 7-4 after four-set Robredo success 1:38pm 23 Jan 2011 City out to 15-2 for title after defeat at Villa Park 7:41pm 22 Jan 2011 Show All Current Stories FOOTBALL Grant looking to boost job prospects by keeping Hammers' run going 7:37pm 25 Jan 2011 Baggies defeat sees Di Matteo cut to get sack 8:26pm 23 Jan 2011 City out to 15-2 for title after defeat at Villa Park 7:41pm 22 Jan 2011 Qatar World Cup 3-1 to be held during winter 5:43pm 20 Jan 2011 Arsenal in to 5-1 for Cup after despatching Leeds 10:49pm 19 Jan 2011 Adam 8-11 for January switch 5:41pm 20 Jan 2011 Citizens 7-1 for title after scraping past Wolves 7:52pm 15 Jan 2011 200-1 for no giants to fall 10:56pm 7 Jan 2011 Roy 1-2 to have bossed his last Reds league game 10:51pm 6 Jan 2011 Turmoil continues for Liverpool and Chelsea 10:14pm 5 Jan 2011 Show All Current Stories GOLF Kaymer rises in rankings after Abu Dhabi success 9:10pm 23 Jan 2011 Favourite Ogilvy now a doubtful Hyundai starter 1:18pm 6 Jan 2011 CRICKET Australia whitewash 8-1 after Sydney ODI-stroll 8:34pm 23 Jan 2011 Marvellous Marsh spearheads Australia victory 12:50pm 21 Jan 2011 England 8-11 for Ashes treble after SCG stroll 10:45pm 7 Jan 2011 England 1-12 to wrap-up SCG win in morning 1:52pm 6 Jan 2011 TENNIS Second Service: Federer still 2-1 despite hammering Wawrinka 1:00pm 25 Jan 2011 Second Service: Nadal cut after crucial win 2:30pm 24 Jan 2011 Second Service: Federer stays at 7-4 after four-set Robredo success 1:38pm 23 Jan 2011 Second Service: Saturday's updates and betting news from the Australian Open 1:44pm 22 Jan 2011 Second Service: Thursday's updates and betting news from the Australian Open 1:44pm 20 Jan 2011 Second Service: Wednesday's updates and betting news from the Australian Open 2:50pm 19 Jan 2011 Updates and betting news from the Australian Open 1:39pm 21 Jan 2011 RUGBY Leinster 5-2 for second Heineken win after kind draw 9:23pm 23 Jan 2011 OTHER SPORTS Road kings Green Bay 8-11 Bowl favourites 4:45pm 24 Jan 2011 Rocket still 9-2 for world title after Power win 11:49pm 31 Oct 2010 Froch retains title with scrappy win 11:56am 18 Oct 2009 Specialist road racers should shine at Infineon 8:34am 21 Jun 2009 Roush stable has pedigree to tame Nascar's Monster Mile 12:12pm 31 May 2009 Search our News Archive Sport News RSS Feed All Racing Post RSS Feeds Follow us on Twitter Follow us on Facebook Download our iPhone app

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sales prospects fading for Aussie bookmakers?

Sportingbet started the trend by purchasing No1 Betting Shop from Vanuatu and then moving them to Darwin, Paddy Power got into the act by snapping up Sportsbet and IAS, and then Centrebet started preening their feathers in public trying to woo as many prospective buyers as they could. Anecdotal evidence suggests that several other Australian firms are available to buy, as most of the original owners are approaching retirement age. BWin, William Hill, Ladbrokes, 888 and others were mentioned as prospective suitors for Centrebet but it all seems to have gone very quiet lately.

BWin have tied up with Party Gaming which should keep them busy plus neither are shy about attracting Australian customers despite laws against online casino and poker operations; William Hill's online division is 29% owned by Playtech, another company with fingers in many bingo, casino and poker pies which reach Australia either organically or by targetted marketing; Ladbrokes are still involved in the bid for Victoria's retail wagering licence and are burdened by a net debt of over £500m, although they do block Australian clients; 888 is too heavily involved in non-wagering activity not to be affected by the remit of the Interactive Gambling Act of 2001.

Add that to the mess of the latest Federal Election which left Australia with a minority government which will have great difficulty in getting any legislative bills at all through both houses, so getting the restrictions on gaming operations and in-running betting online removed are unlikely to happen in the immediate future, despite frim recommendations from the Productivity Commission. There are too many attention-grabbing independents wanting their five minutes of fame allegedly protecting the social fabric of Australia, but really only trying to justify their existence. And PM Julia Gillard has already pledged to start cutting back on the evil poker machines (slots) in pubs and clubs, so it's hardly a surprise that foreign investors might hold off for a few years before acquiring an Australian firm. The cost of compliance, lobbying and everything that goes with it might be too much in the interim, leaving the likes of Centrebet, BetChoice, BetStar and TopSport gathering dust on the shelf.Posted byScott Fergusonat11:49