By Andrew Morgan
December 9 2006

Middlesbrough manager Gareth Southgate and number one shot-stopper Mark Schwarzer both refuse to believe that the prospect of relegation looms large over the Teesside club.

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Boro are only two points off the bottom three, tied on sixteen points with Blackburn, Newcastle and Sheffield United. They have only won once in the last seven games and have succumbed to two successive 2-1 defeats in the last week - at home to Manchester United then away at Spurs.

Their defeat at Spurs was compounded by Charlton's last minute winner against Blackburn on Tuesday. This lifted the London side to within four points of Boro and demonstrates the fact that the Teesside outfit are starting to look at the results of the teams around them

Yet despite this Southgate still remains upbeat about his team's chances in the second half of the season.

He said "We are getting things right - but there are still one or two problems which we need to be working on, and that is what we are doing.

"We have not scored as many goals as we would have liked, but we have scored in each of our last three games.

"Unfortunately, we have not won any of those games, but we are trying to deal with the lapses in concentration which have cost us points."

For a team that has only netted thirteen times this season, the return of Mark Viduka from injury is some welcome news. Southgate is hoping that this will spur Boro on, particularly in the three forthcoming home games against sides around them.

Middlesbrough play Wigan at the Riverside tomorrow, followed by Charlton on December 23. Sheffield United are the visitors on New Years' Day and Southgate believes that these are the games in which the Boro should be looking to pick up points.

Mark Schwarzer is also aware of this, particularly the need to halt a resurgent Charlton and Sheffield United. However he also knows that a couple of good results will right the problem.

He said "All of a sudden, you lose one game and other teams below you win games and it is so tight, positions change so quickly.

"We cannot afford to get relegated - and we are not even thinking about that. What we are thinking about is working our way up the table and being in the top half as the minimum because we believe that is where we should be."

This makes tomorrow's visit of Wigan a must-win game for the Teessiders and they are boosted by the lifting of captain George Boateng's suspension.

Robert Huth however broke his foot in training and is likely to be out for up to six weeks.

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A GUARANTEED PROFIT ON PORTSMOUTH v EVERTON

It's a huge Premiership clash between Portsmouth and Everton on Saturday with the winner possibly claiming third spot in the League. Kick off is at 3.00pm UK Time and we can guarantee you a profit on the match, whatever the result

We must point out that if you want to take this bet, you should do it now - don't delay! - because we expect the odds to change before kick-off which means the figures here will be invalidated.

You won't be able to do this if you already have accounts with one or more of the bookies we are using for this bet but if that is the case, mail us and let us know which accounts you have and we'll send you an alternative bet.

We're going to lay out a total of £162.50 on the match and we will collect £197.25 plus £75 in free bets if Everton win. If Portsmouth win, or if it is a draw, we will get all of our money back plus £75 in free bets.

Here's how it's done. Just follow these simple instructions.

1. Open accounts with Extrabet and Victor Chandler and Totesport. This shouldn't take you any longer than ten minutes.

2. Make the following deposits into your new accounts. Deposit £38.50 into your new Extrabet account. Deposit £74.00 into your new Victor Chandler account. Deposit £50.00 into your new Totesport account.

3. Now make the following bets.

Place £38.50 on Everton to win at 5/2 with Extrabet.

Place £74.00 on Portsmouth to win at 6/5 with Victor Chandler.

Place £50.00 on the draw at 9/4 with Totesport

You have temporarily laid out a total of £162.50. I stress, temporarily... Now sit back, crack a beer open and enjoy the match.

4. Here's what happens at the end of the game.

If Everton win, you will collect £197.25 from Extrabet.

Extrabet pay a bonus on your first bet if it's a winner. What they do is match your first bet up to £25.00 so if Everton win you will collect the following:

£96.25 winnings, plus £62.50 winnings from your free matched bet plus your £38.50 stake back which equals £197.25.

If Portsmouth win, you will collect £162.80 from Victor Chandler. This money can be withdrawn immediately.

Victor Chandler will then credit your new account with a free £50.00 bet, whatever the result of the match.

If it is a draw, you will collect £162.50 from Totesport. This money can be withdrawn immediately.

Totesport will then credit your new account with a free £25.00 bet, whatever the result of the match.

5. This means that the worst case scenario on the Portsmouth v Everton match is that Portsmouth win or it is a draw, when you will get £75.00 worth of free bets. But if Everton win then you make £34.75 profit plus £75.00 in free bets.

6. It is absolutely vital that you click on the links on this page to open the accounts with the three bookies or you may not qualify for the bonuses.

Also, before you place your bets, you should check that the odds haven't changed. They rarely do but if they have, the figures here will no longer be valid.

Also, please note that the bonuses and free bets are not always paid immediately and you may have to wait until Monday before they hit your accounts.

Please feel free to contact us if you have any questions at all about this bet and we will come straight back to you.

Please note that the free bets and bonuses are valid for new customers only so if you already have an account with one or more of the bookies we are using, you won't be able to do this. If that is the case,contact us and we'll mail you an alternative bet using different bookies.

This method of betting was used very successfully during the World Cup and you can read all about how it was done right here.

It's understandable that some people will not believe that it is possible to do this. "What's the catch?" I hear you asking. My answer to that question is that we have been publishing arbitrage bets for three seasons now and literally hundreds of people have profited from following the advice on these pages.

Just enjoy the profit and stay posted for many more of these throughout the season.