So here we have it.  The votes have been counted and verified… oh hang on, wrong post.

With the pre-tournament favourites having fallen at Beacher’s Brook, who has managed to steal through to take the glory?

Well, in third place and securing a luxurious trip to Unirea Urzicen for a Champions League qualifier, is… Ben!

Ben’s WC predictions

Bet	Points	Odds	P/L
Dawson to play less than 59 minutes	5	7/8	4.40
Holland to beat Japan	5	4/9	2.20
Rooney to be England top goalscorer	4	5/2	-4.00
Dawson not to make his debut	3	5/2	7.50
France to win	1	23/1	-1.00
Italy to win	1	37/2	-1.00
England to be eliminated in last 16 stage	1	4/1	4.00
			12.10

BOTW review

A very nice bunch of selections here, some of my favourites of the tournament.

You will never see me criticizing small stakes speculative punts on long priced established nations, irrespective of the dire performances France and Italy ended up putting in this time around.  I would have left the French alone due to “The Domenech effect”, but I was also keen on the Italians at the price.

As for winning bets, the Holland – Japan game never looked in doubt, and the Dawson bets receive the BOTW “Bet of the tournament” award.  I believe these two bets were the biggest +EV bets of all selections across the field.

Solid work sir.

The bridesmaid

Who is taking home the title, and who is going down in the record books as “first loser”…

Sam’s WC predictions

Bet	Points	Odds	P/L
RVP to be Holland top scorer	4	6/4	-4.00
Italy to be knocked out at last 16 stage	4	11/5	-4.00
Spain to win	6	4/1	24.00
Brazil to win	5	19/4	-5.00
Frank Lampard to win the golden boot	0.5 e/w	66/1	-1.00
			10.00

BOTW’s infrequent guest poster Sam takes second place, pipping Ben with a well timed dip at the line.

(*EDIT – calculation error amended!  Ben actually held off Sam’s final charge to take the silver medal!)

This was the most clinical set of selections I received… numerous man points definitely lost for a slight lack of banterous selections and comedy rationale.

Sam presented one of my favourite selections of this World Cup, and in hindsight I still think it is a solid +EV selection.. backing Spain AND Brazil at split stakes.  The bookies had the duo down for a circa 20% chance of lifting the trophy with “the field” a 60% shot.

Given England’s track record, “The Diego Factor”, the youthfulness of the German team in addition to the relatively “weakened” French and Italian outfits, I think Sam’s approach was well in the money.

As most people know, I was in camp Brazil and would have taken a loss (if I wasn’t sensible enough not to bother), however I think Sam’s approach is a good one.  It is just a shame we didn’t get the Brazil v Spain final, as I can’t help but feel they were the only team with the blend of industry and talent that could stifle the Spanish midfield whilst still playing their own game… c’est la vie.  I guess we shall never know!

It should be noted that Sam went into the 30th and final day of the competition facing the possibility of a maximum 20 point loss!  However, I don’t really think that was ever at risk, and any position could of easily been derisked if necessary, although I certainly would have let it run it’s course.

A 70% profit overall and again, congrats on a fine show.

And so the winner is…

Me!  What a surprise!

Only joking.  It turns out that working full time, trying to live a normal life, maintain this site and enjoy the World Cup all at once meant I didn’t really have the time (or motivation) to make fiction picks that were worth their salt at the last minute on a Thursday night once I had received everyone elses submissions.

Not really that surprising.

For the reckon, I would have had a nice tidy winner on South Korea to qualify @ 5/2.  I’d have lost a chunk backing Brazil over Spain.  I’d have lost in some way shape or form on the Italians as I didn’t think they could be THAT bad.  I’d have won a little on some goalscorer match bets.

Overall I reckon I would have come in somewhere midtable.

Anyway, enough about me.  Contrary to my beliefs, my girlfriend informs me “it’s not about about you, you know”…

Before I announce the individual winner, I would just like to point out that BOTW was certainly a winner for this competition and it gives me high hopes for what we can achieve in the up coming football seasons by sharing our knowledge and opinions through both comments and feedback on my articles and on the new BOTW forum.

All but one of us made a profit overall, for a combined profit of over 40 points from 120 staked.  A 33% profit is not to be sniffled at!

Anyway, time to give out the big prize.  The ultimate champion of all champions is non other than BOTW’s very own reading mute,  Spearos AKA the one armed man…

Spearos’ WC predictions

Bet	Points	Odds	P/L
Spain, Argies, England, Dutch, Italy and Germans to all top groups	10	11/1	-10.00
Diego Forlan to win the Golden boot	1 e/w	66/1	32.00
Uruguay to make the quarter finals	2	6/1	12.00
Crouch to score 1st versus USA	2	23/1	-
Gary Barry to start versus USA	2	3/1	-2.00
England to win	2	8/1	-2.00
			30.00

BOTW Review

How about that for a motley crew of selections then?!

Two of the worst selections of the tournament in the rash (if somewhat fun) accumulator and the Gary Barry bet, coupled with two of the most inspired, being the Uruguay and Diego Forlan selections.

A lot of people in the UK were talking a good game about backing Uruguay going into the tournament, but very few put their money (or points) where their mouth is…

All in all, a whopping 150% profit to take the crown by a country mile.  This was up there with the Geordie’s as one of the most comfortable victories of 2010.  At a canter is all I can say.

So after blowing our vuvuzelas one final time to congratulate Spearos on his victory,  I would like to pose a couple of questions:

1) Did he put his money where his points were and back Diego and the boys with his own hard earned rubles? and;

2) Will this total and utter domination mean the new champion will be drawn out of his shell to grce us with his presence with a few comments here on BOTW?!

Rumour has it the new king of the world supports everyones favourite West London team.  No, not Fulham.

The mighty Queen’s Park Rangers no less…