Right Said Fred: Talking betting With BetFred Boss Fred Done

United are odds on with us to win at Newcastle on Saturday – a day packed with top class sport.

I do feel the Reds will bounce back now we’ve got the international break out of the way.

I hope I’m right because otherwise the pressure will mount on Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, who frankly didn’t deserve to take all that stick after the Tottenham trouncing.

We’re 8/13 at Betfred to get our Premier League season up and running and triumph with Steve Bruce’s boys 4/1.

Even I have to admit the game of the day is the Merseyside Derby at Goodison when the champions take on the surprise league leaders.

Not many people know this but the last three  Goodison league derbies have all ended nil-nil – and if you think history will repeat itself on Saturday 0-0 is an attractive 14/1 with Betfred. Remember though that it is TEN years in all competitions to the day since Everton beat Liverpool!

However, the trend so far this season, with refs enforcing stricter  hand ball rules in empty stadiums, is for many more goals.

With that in mind we’re 3/1 that Mo Salah scores first with Everton’s new England hero Dominic Calvert-Lewin at 4/1 to do likewise.

We’ve also of course got City hosting Arsenal and it will be interesting to see how Pep Guardiola sets up without an established striker.

The Blues are odds on at 2/5 with Betfred to take all three points with Kevin De Bruyne, who remember takes the pens, at 5/1 to score first.

Rugby League

Salford, who are struggling to cope with Coronavirus, are 13/8 outsiders to triumph at Wembley in the Challenge Cup final against Leeds, also on Saturday.

Kallum Watkins is 16/1 to score first for the Red Devils, while Tom Briscoe is 10/1 to get the first try for Leeds, who are 8/15 favourites to pick up the cup.

Sports Personality of the Year

Meanwhile, Lewis Hamilton has emerged as favourite to be named BBC Sports Personality of the Year after drawing level with Michael Schumacher’s record 91 Grand Prix victories in Germany on Sunday.

With Schumacher so sadly injured in a skiing accident eight years ago, it was his son Mick who presented Hamilton with one of his father’s old helmets to recognise the achievement at Nürburgring.

Hamilton is now 2/1 at Betfred for the individual honour, which will be subject to a public vote and awarded at in Salford on December 20.

Manchester boxer Tyson Fury, who will hopefully be fighting Anthony Joshua in the near future, is 5/2 – the same price as United’s crusading striker Marcus Rashford.

The 22-year-old from Wythenshawe won a round of applause from his England teammates ahead of the Belgium triumph in the Nations League, and justifiably so after being awarded an MBE for his efforts in combatting child food poverty during the pandemic.

Betfred World Snooker Championship winner Ronnie O’Sullivan is next up at 5/1 to be named SPOTY – while Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson and City’s Raheem Sterling have slipped to 50/1 and 66/1 respectively.

Lucky Punter

Finally one of our customers Steven Hughes has got the chance to live up to his nickname Flash after winning big.

The self employed roofer from the Wirral who won £80,000 from a £10 wager now plans a once in a lifetime holiday travelling the iconic Route 66 highway in America.

“It will be travelling on that famous road probably next year or a posh cruise - but the road trip is favourite,” said Steve, a 54 year old father of three who has eight grandchildren.

He went on: “My wife Gail and I fancied a luxury holiday and at first she started checking out Caribbean cruises. Then we started thinking about an unforgettable  Route 66 road trip going east to west across America from Chicago to Los Angeles. We won’t be doing both that is for sure! Normally we go to Benidorm or Tenerife.

“I’m a biker but we’ll hire a car or camper van or something. It will be for just the two of us and should be great. We will also pay some of the mortgage off from the £80,000 and our children, who are all grown up, will get some of my winning too. We have not really celebrated yet with restricted hours at the pub but we’ll be having a big family meal.”

Born and brought up in the village of Pensby, Steven got the nickname Flash at school which has stuck all through his life although as he’s become established as a hard-working roofer some people locally have thought it was something to do with lead flashing used during repairs.

Steven had two £5 bets with exactly the same numbers 3 7 14 and 18 which were placed on the Irish Lottery within a minute at the Betfred shop at Pensby Road, Pensby.

“I always use the same numbers…three because it’s the day of my birthday, seven because it’s  the day of the month of my wife’s birthday, 14 as it my first daughter’s birthday – and 18 because it’s the number of the house at Bridgnorth Road, Pensby where I was born!

“I put one £5 bet on and then went with another one for £5 both on the same numbers as two weeks ago I won £10,000 on Betfred’s new Nifty Fifty numbers game - and I just felt lucky.”

After I was told he prefers Budweiser to champagne I got him a bottle of the US beer as well.

Well done to one of my most popular customers who always enjoys a laugh with our staff. For Steve to win so much from such a small stake enabling him and his ex-publican wife Gail to fulfil a lifetime ambition and travel Route 66 is brilliant -  and I don’t mind at all it will be me picking up the bill for all those hot dogs and burgers en route! This big win couldn’t have gone to a nicer fella. He’s won twice in a matter of weeks with us now so clearly it was no flash in the pan.