Bad week gets worse for Rangers

Soccer Betting Lines

02/18/2012 - Glasgow, Scotland (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - After being forced into administration and subsequently docked 10 points this past week, Rangers misery was compounded on Saturday with a 1-0 defeat to Kilmarnock at Ibrox.

The deduction of points leaves Rangers 14 back of red-hot Celtic, which can extend that advantage further on Sunday with a win at Hibernian.

Ally McCoist's side was eager to start well and almost did when Lee McCulloch's header was cleared off the goal line by Killie's Garry Hay.

But the visitors took the lead in the 12th minute when defender Dorin Goian slipped, allowing Dean Shiels to beat goalkeeper Allan McGregor with a low shot.

The home side had a goal called back for offsides before being dealt another blow as Sasa Papac earned himself a straight red card for a poor challenge on Liam Kelly.

McCulloch thought he had equalized midway through the second half for Rangers, but his headed goal was brought back for a foul in the build up, leaving Rangers with its first home defeat of the league season.

Motherwell 3, Hearts 0

Motherwell, Scotland - Motherwell closed the gap on second-place Rangers with a 3-0 home victory against Hearts which moves the club to within six points of the Glasgow side.

The hosts scored two goals in the final 10 minutes of the first half to seize control of the match as Keith Lasley's shot took a deflection off of Hearts defender Andy Webster and found the back of the net for an own goal.

Jamie Murphy made it 2-0 when he headed home a cross from Lasley, who was sent off early in the second half after collecting a second yellow card.

But Nicky Law only added a third goal the rest of the way for Motherwell, which still has a game in hand on Rangers and could make the race for second place an interesting one.

Dunfermline 1, Inverness 1

Dunfermline, Scotland - Dunfermline could have moved off the bottom of the league table on Saturday but conceded a second-half goal and had to settle for a 1-1 draw with Inverness.

Joe Cardle put Dunfermline in front on the stroke of halftime when Martin Hardie's free kick crashed off the crossbar and was finished on the rebound by the midfielder.

But Inverness claimed a point with 15 minutes to play when Nick Ross was on hand at the back post to sweep home a low cross from Jonathan Hayes.

Dunfermline is now level on points with Hibernian at the bottom of the league, but Hibs has two games in hand.

Dundee United 0, St. Mirren 0

Dundee, Scotland - Dundee United and St Mirren played to a 0-0 draw at Tannadice Park on Saturday in a match that saw few scoring chances.

St Mirren has drawn four of its last five games to move 10 points off the bottom of the table while Dundee United remains two points above its opposition in the middle of the league.

The best chance for either side came in the closing minutes for St Mirren when a good cross from Dougie Imrie for substitute Nigel Hasselbaink failed to be finished off by the Dutchman, who should have scored.

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Betting Football

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Is there such a thing as a trap game in the NFL?

I once asked that question to Pete Korner, who at the time was office manager and a senior linesmaker for Las Vegas Sports Consultants.

Korner almost ripped my head off. There is no such thing as a trap game, he loudly berated me. It’s a myth. The numbers are made using power ratings, he said.

There are trap games, though. They just might not be what you think. The perception is of a good team, say Philadelphia, laying a small number against New Orleans.

Using the highly-respected power ranking from The Gold Sheet, you’d find the Eagles with a power rating of 4 and the Saints at 8. When you factor the game being played in New Orleans, you could see why the line opened so short at less than a field goal.

For some, this makes it enticing to take the Eagles. That’s not a real trap game, though.

A real trap game, says professional gambler Dave Malinsky, is thinking you’re getting value betting a bad team, which brings us to the Oakland Raiders-Denver Broncos matchup.

The Raiders are +15 in this long-standing division rivalry. Denver is on a short week having dispatched Baltimore Monday. However, the Raiders haven’t covered the spread their last 10 games.

Many bettors don’t trust the Raiders to give a full effort. Few think much of Art Shell and his Oakland’s coaching staff.

So oddsmakers have to do something to make Oakland attractive if they hope to get equal action.

Now Malinsky is a value shopper. But he won’t touch the Raiders even getting more than two touchdowns.

“I try to eliminate the undisciplined, unfocused teams because they’re the ones most likely to suffer the bad beats,” he said.

Near the top of Malinsky’s list of stay-away teams is the Miami Dolphins, who have yet to cover a spread this season.

“Whatever you think of Nick Saban, you have to look at the penalties and turnovers,” Malinsky said.

It’s easy to point out the Dolphins failed to get the money this past week against New England because Olindo Mare missed a field goal and had another field goal blocked. But even though the Dolphins outgained the Patriots, 283-213, they committed eight penalties.

Bad teams not only cost themselves victories, but pointspread covers as well. The Arizona Cardinals and Green Bay Packers are two more examples.

The Cardinals couldn’t have been in a better position this past Sunday, up 14-0 at home against a mediocre Kansas City Chiefs squad. But they couldn’t hold it. The Packers got a push against St. Louis, but also could have won losing by three when Brett Favre fumbled at the St. Louis 11-yard line with 44 seconds left.

“The Packers were in a position to beat Philadelphia, too,” Malinsky said. “But they couldn’t even cover double digits.

“These teams just make mistakes and it costs you … they always will look good from a value standpoint. They really will. But that’s the trap.”

Houston and Tennessee rank among the six-worst teams. Malinsky wouldn’t be afraid to take either of these teams, however, if the price were high enough.

The Texans are bad, Malinsky said, but they have some discipline. The Titans showed they could not only come up with an outstanding game plan, but execute it as well, losing by one to the Colts on the road as an 18 ?-point underdog this past Sunday.

“Jeff Fisher is a worker,” Malinsky said of the Titans coach. “I’m not sure how hard Art Shell wants to work when he gets out of bed.”

Fisher, though, could be out as Tennessee coach after this season. Is he still worth backing in the right spot, with the right price, as a lame duck coach?

“It’s in his nature to keep working hard and not worry about any possible lame duck status,” Malinsky said. “He’s coaching for his resume.”

Note: Monday night game will be picked Monday. Lines used are from football betting lines.