BILLY BUNTER

Weblog: The football punter

No need to apologise for a bet on Apoel

RIGHT I’ve had just about enough of this. Can everyone please stop apologising?

Luis Suarez is sorry, Kenny Dalglish is sorry, even Rio’s sorry and I’m not quite sure what he’s done wrong. And if Carlos Tevez, the striking striker, finally says sorry he can play for Manchester City again.

Fair dos, Mick McCarthy had to be sorry after that dross at Molineux on Sunday (not that it did him any good) and I daresay it won’t be long before Andy Carroll and Fernando Torres are issuing apologies – via twitter I’m sorry to say – for breaching the trades descriptions act. Premier League strikers? Do me a favour.

Sorry if that offends anyone, and I’m also sorry that I’ve completely lost the plot regarding the Champions League. After all a lot has happenedin this crazy old world of ours since our quartet of Premier League aces stormed into the last 16. What was that? Oh yeah, I remember now. Two down, two to go.

Still, Barcelona are very much involved, that I do know and they’ll dot up Bayer Leverkusen. Mind you, 4-9? That’s a sorry looking price. Hell, even odds are apologetic now.

But how did Apoel Nicosia get into the last 16? And why do they have to shout? What’s wrong with Apoel?

To be fair you’ve got to doff your titfer to a team who can finish top of a section featuring Porto, Zenit St Petersburg and Shakhtar and on those grounds alone I could be sorely tempted to have a wager on them at Lyon at a fancy price.

Then again, there’s a full Championship programme to eclipse the return of the Champions League and a quick study-up has revealed that super-slick counter-attackers Crystal Palace are the nap at Bristol City. And I make no apology for that.