Liverpool need a Champions League miracle, but only a fool would bet on it

By Ian Cruise in Betting Blog

Published 22:30 05/11/09

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It was good to see the Mirror's own celebrity doctor Miriam Stoppard tackle problem gambling in her column yesterday.

My first wife left me because I'm a repulsive gambler - and no matter how hard I tried I couldn't win her back.

The problem with problem gambling is that it's only a problem when you consistently lose. Win and it's no problem at all, I expect.

The good doctor, who said she steers clear of anything that could become an obsession - Stoppard would find it 'ard to stop - said punters are at risk if, among other things, they:

A) walk away only when they've spent their last pound.

F) find gambling has affected their home life

W) are too stupid even to know the alphabet

Luckily I am safe. A) is not a problem because there's always a last pound lying around in a fruit machine somewhere (unless I was on it last).  And F) doesn't apply because while gambling used to affect my home life, I did the responsible thing and stopped going home.

The only problem I have with gambling nowadays is that bookies are forever taking the mickey.

Look for instance at the odds for Liverpool to qualify for the knock-out stage of the Champions League. We read in every paper yesterday that following the demoralising 1-1 draw in France they need a miracle to survive, so how do bookies price up this miracle? A paltry 9-2, that's how.

Miracles are when Jesus turns water into wine, when He feeds thousands with five loaves and two fishes, when Peter Crouch blags Abby - and you could have got a lot longer than 9-2 about all three, particularly the last one.

Bookies know that the only people likely to back Liverpool to progress are Liverpool fans, and those Liverpool fans will happily accept any odds - no matter how cramped - to demonstrate their loyalty/lunacy.

To have a chance of survival, Liverpool need already-qualified Lyon to take points off Fiorentina and the last thing Liverpool want is to rely on other teams to help them. Actually, scrap that. The last thing Liverpool want is to rely on Andriy Voronin to help them.

The French side's coach says they will give it their best shot but I reckon he's Lyon.

The struggling Merseysiders are 1-14 with Sky Bet to drop into the Europa League and the ignominy that entails - being televised on a Thursday by Channel 5.

They are 6-1 from 9-1 to win that trophy - considerably shorter than Everton, who are already in it.

Incidentally, as for the gambling problem, studies have shown that addicts truly believe they have a higher-than-average chance of winning. As part of their 12-step programme to recovery, they are ordered right from the outset to follow the Macca Acca.