St Pats ...

[markinmanc]

... players accused of betting on themselves to lose. Read vague hints about such a scenario on another site a few days ago, though the actual team wasn't mentioned.

Bad day for the league that the possibility even exists.

[bar99]

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/sport/2008/1107/1225925540806.html

NEWS : ST PATRICK'S Athletic are to investigate rumours that some of the club's players might have bet on the team to lose recent games.

The news came as squad members were called together last night to be told that a national newspaper was preparing to publish a story regarding rumours of the betting.

Club chief executive Richard Sadlier confirmed last night the meeting had taken place. He said he had arranged it after being contacted several times recently about the story which, he had been told, would appear in the paper today.

"I called them in because I didn't want them just waking up to something like that," he said. "I had the meeting to make them aware of it."

Asked if he believes his players to be innocent of any wrongdoing, Sadlier said: "I would assume and hope that they are, but we can't just ignore something like that, we'll look into it as much as we can.

"I'm disappointed, though, that our club is going to be written about in this context and disappointed, too, that players I presume to be innocent until some evidence to the contrary is uncovered might end up having some sort of cloud hanging over them."

Last night's events follow a miserable run of results for the Dublin club who were considered title contenders at the start of the season. The Inchicore club have lost three of their last four home league games - a run that included defeats by two of the Premier Division's bottom three sides. And they were also well beaten by league champions Bohemians at Richmond Park in an FAI Cup semi-final last month.

After Tuesday night's 1-0 loss to Cork, manager John McDonnell was severely critical of some unnamed players.

With the club failing to make significant advances over last year's performance, there has been some speculation about McDonnell's future, but he was adamant on Tuesday night that he will remain in place.

The news that one of the country's leading clubs is to look into the possibility that some players might have been involved in such activities will come as another blow to a league that has had its share of problems in recent times.

After the major financial problems suffered by high-profile outfits like Cork City and Drogheda United, there were suggestions only last weekend from two of the country's leading bookmaking firms that they had experienced irregular betting patterns on last Friday night's game between Monaghan United and Longford Town.

Longford officials said at the weekend that they would be investigating that matter, while the FAI said they would speak to the firms before deciding how to proceed.

[markinmanc]

Is it possible to throw a game though? Specific things like throw-ins, corners I can fathom - but a whole game?

Mind you, the miracle recovery of Spurts has really got me wondering ...

[mvcork]

Thing is PATS were sitting pretty...guaranteed a EUROPEAN spot....nothing to play for...TEMPTING???

[afeencalleddan]

St Pats have had massive injury problems lately but some of the opposing teams were still ridiculously highly priced to beat them. Ramblers were available at around 10/1 that time they won 3-0 up at Inchicore even though Pats were decimated. It was just an error of judgement by those laying Ramblers at 10/1. Whether or not the Pats players actually threw any games is debatable but they may have used their knowledge of the situation to have a good value bet on the outcome of a game involving their club. It may have been the injured players who were placing the bets without the knowledge of those on the pitch. Is that illegal or should it be deemed illegal? I don't know, it's a tough one.

[ho chi feen]

St Pats have had massive injury problems lately but some of the opposing teams were still ridiculously highly priced to beat them. Ramblers were available at around 10/1 that time they won 3-0 up at Inchicore even though Pats were decimated. It was just an error of judgement by those laying Ramblers at 10/1. Whether or not the Pats players actually threw any games is debatable but they may have used their knowledge of the situation to have a good value bet on the outcome of a game involving their club. It may have been the injured players who were placing the bets without the knowledge of those on the pitch. Is that illegal or should it be deemed illegal? I don't know, it's a tough one.

'Tis simple in Italy, AFAIK. Players can't bet on soccer. EVER.

Nowhere near as clearcut here, though.

[afeencalleddan]

'Tis simple in Italy, AFAIK. Players can't bet on soccer. EVER.

Nowhere near as clearcut here, though.Yeah, I suppose zero-tolerance would be the only way forward because it would be very difficult to prove or dis-prove collusion between a bunch of injured players and those who take to the field.

There's definitely corruption going on in some eastern European games but that's probably due to mafia involvement - a bit different to a few lads here exploiting wrong odds.

[ho chi feen]

Yeah, I suppose zero-tolerance would be the only way forward because it would be very difficult to prove or dis-prove collusion between a bunch of injured players and those who take to the field.

Yup, but it's hardly prevented routine 'fixing' of end of season games there on the grounds of 'sportsmanship' - as distinct from Moggi style conspiracies.

[afeencalleddan]

Yup, but it's hardly prevented routine 'fixing' of end of season games there on the grounds of 'sportsmanship'.I find that whole scenario very amusing. As sure as day follows night, there'll be fixed draws in the meaningless end of season games in Italy.

[markinmanc]

I find that whole scenario very amusing. As sure as day follows night, there'll be fixed draws in the meaningless end of season games in Italy.

When Sunderland played Bradford in the EPL some years ago, a draw would have suited both teams in the battle to avoid relegation.

Oddly enough the game ended in a draw.

[Alan Smith]

Bookies reporting that there were NO irregular betting patterns

[markinmanc]

Bookies reporting that there were NO irregular betting patterns

It wouldn't need to involve thousands of € though, would it?

[afeencalleddan]

It wouldn't need to involve thousands of € though, would it?For it to be corruption at a serious level then yes, it would. Like I said above, a few lads having an opportunist punt because the bookies priced up a game wrong is different to a widescale scam involving a number of parties.

[markinmanc]

For it to be corruption at a serious level then yes, it would. Like I said above, a few lads having an opportunist punt because the bookies priced up a game wrong is different to a widescale scam involving a number of parties.

I was under the impression it's small scale betting. Quite what that says about Irish soccer I'm not sure.

[afeencalleddan]

I was under the impression it's small scale betting.Yeah, exactly. That's what I was saying.

[Echoboy]

Thing is PATS were sitting pretty...guaranteed a EUROPEAN spot....nothing to play for...TEMPTING???

They weren't sitting pretty though. They weren't safe at the time of the Cobh game.

Bookies reporting that there were NO irregular betting patterns

Exactly, now just for them to report they got it wrong, not for the first time either.

For it to be corruption at a serious level then yes, it would. Like I said above, a few lads having an opportunist punt because the bookies priced up a game wrong is different to a widescale scam involving a number of parties.

And there has been betting on eL games in Germany, Greece, Turkey and some Scandinavian countries for years now. Chinese living in Ireland communicating with each other via phone during eL matches has been seen and reported on for a while now. I've seen them at Cobh a few times. Why ..... because the bookies are a bunch clueless twits when it comes it eL games.

Last season a few City fans in Sligo were shown a betting slip by a Sligo fan for €100, just a normal guy who thought City would be good for a win against his home team. The odds were 9/1. How in gods name a bookies gave those odds because City were on a nightmare run, suspensions and injuries, disaster written all over it. If that Sligo fan had looked a bit more closely he could have cleaned up.

If the bookies have lost out recently its because of their crazy odds, they only have themselves to blame ...... and in my opinion they now look even worse with this shoddy effort to save face.

[afeencalleddan]

If the bookies have lost out recently its because of their crazy odds, they only have themselves to blame ...... and in my opinion they now look even worse with this shoddy effort to save face.Exactly, they got caught by their own lack of knowledge. I doubt they got seriously stung anyhow.

[KD Langer]

anytime i see irregular betting patterns mentioned it makes me smile and think what the bookies are really saying is "there was an irregular betting pattern on said fixture, WE LOST"

[Alan Smith]

http://extratime.ie/newsdesk/articles/1038/

Player suspended by Pats

[afeencalleddan]

http://extratime.ie/newsdesk/articles/1038/

Player suspended by Pats"Scandal" is a bit tabloidesque there Al. What happened in Serie A a couple of seasons ago was a scandal.

[Alan Smith]

"Scandal" is a bit tabloidesque there Al. What happened in Serie A a couple of seasons ago was a scandal.
:mrgreen:
I suppose. It really was a major surprise though so fuck it....

[afeencalleddan]

Read somewhere today that it was one of the injured players had a €20 bet on the games against Ramblers and Galway. He should be warned off betting on Eircom league maybe with a suspension but FFS like, this is a storm in a teacup.

[afeencalleddan]

Heh heh heh, €20 double on Galway and Man City away to Newcastle. The only thing he should be punished for is not making his bet pay, the dopey bollocks.

[ho chi feen]

Heh heh heh, €20 double on Galway and Man City away to Newcastle. The only thing he should be punished for is not making his bet pay, the dopey bollocks.

Betting on Man City to win away?

What a dope. :lol!:

[Echoboy]

Read somewhere today that it was one of the injured players had a €20 bet on the games against Ramblers and Galway. He should be warned off betting on Eircom league maybe with a suspension but FFS like, this is a storm in a teacup.

The thing is though the media will still throw this out in a years time recalling 'the match fixing scandal' in Nov '08 and this will support an equally hair brained accusation later on. Its been written now is its FACT

What p!sses me off is that the dopey fawker should have shut his mouth and we might have found out why the bookies were throwing the whole notion about in the first place. Now they'll get away with it scot free. They threw the toys from the pram because they fucked it up badly giving those odds.

[afeencalleddan]

Betting on Man City to win away?

What a dope. :lol!:It wasn't so much backing Man City away, it was the price. From what I can remember they were something like 5/4 to win that night - bad, bad value. If you steal a march on the bookies with the Galway bet then why double it with a stupid bet? He should have just had a grand on Galway!