Boruc completes Fiorentina move

Soccer Betting Lines

07/15/2010 - Florence, Italy (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Poland international Artur Boruc has left Celtic after passing a medical and signing a two-year deal with Fiorentina.

A brief statement from the Serie A side read: "Fiorentina announces it has completed the permanent transfer of Artur Boruc after a successful medical from Glasgow Celtic."

The 30-year-old, who joined Celtic from Legia Warsaw five years ago, made more than 150 appearances for the Bhoys.

Neil Lennon's side set off for a pre-season tour to North America on Monday with Lukasz Zaluska and Dominic Cervi vying for the number one jersey.

Boruc struggled with form and fitness during recent seasons and came under pressure from compatriot Zaluska during Tony Mowbray's ill-fated spell as manager last season.

(Courtesy of sportbox.tv)

Vegaas Soccer Betting News

<< Celtic closes in on Mexican star Juarez
Glasgow, Scotland (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Celtic manager Neil Lennon has revealed that he is close to completing the capture of Mexico international midfielder Efrain Juarez. The 22-year-old started three games for his country at the World Cu

<< United defender Namoff suspends career
Washington, D.C. (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - D.C. United announced Thursday defender Bryan Namoff has suspended his playing career due to lingering effects from a concussion suffered last season, but he hopes to play again. "I don't want to rule

<< Chile's Sanchez to stay at Udinese
Udine, Italy (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Udinese president Giampaolo Pozzo has insisted that Alexis Sanchez will not be leaving the club this summer. The Chile international excelled during this summer's World Cup finals and, despite Real Madrid,

<< Guardiola agrees to new deal with Barcelona
Barcelona, Spain (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola has extended his stay at Camp Nou for another season. The former Spain international midfielder, who has claimed seven trophies in two years at the club, has signed on th

<< Dudek signs new deal with Real Madrid
Madrid, Spain (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Former Liverpool and Poland goalkeeper Jerzy Dudek has signed a new contract with La Liga giants Real Madrid. The gloveman, who won the Champions League final with the Merseysiders in 2005, has signed

Muller pledges future to Bayern >>
Munich, Germany (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - World Cup star Thomas Muller has vowed to remain at Bayern Munich for the foreseeable future, having been linked with interest from several top clubs. The 20-year-old forward won the Golden Shoe in Sou

Tomasulo fires 62 for Chiquita Classic lead >>
Maineville, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Peter Tomasulo continued his spectacular run of golf with a 10-under 62 on Thursday for the first-round lead of the inaugural Chiquita Classic. Tomasulo won last week's Wayne Gretzky Classic after th

Phillies reinstate Durbin from DL >>
Chicago, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Chad Durbin, a workhorse in the Philadelphia bullpen, was reinstated from the disabled list on Thursday. The right-hander went on the disabled list with a hamstring injury in late June after compiling

Wigan adds goalkeeper Al Habsi on loan >>
Wigan, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Wigan Athletic manager Roberto Martinez has added to his goalkeeping options by signing Bolton Wanderers shot-stopper Ali Al Habsi on a season-long loan deal. The 28-year-old Oman international has spent t

Stuttgart denies Khedira deal >>
Stuttgart, Germany (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Stuttgart has dismissed renewed rumors from the Spanish media linking German midfielder Sami Khedira with an imminent move to Real Madrid. The 23-year-old still has another year of his current contrac

How did changes to college football betting rules affect bettors?

The 2007 college football rules changes that were implemented to shorten games are now history. The NCAA rules committee did what they set out to do; games were cut by an average of 14 minutes per game last season. There were also, on average, 14 fewer plays per game. We’ll get into how that did (or didn’t) affect games in regards to the pointspread a bit later.

While the NCAA rules committee may have had the betterment of the game in mind, they'll now “turn back the clock” for next season. Two key rules have now been overturned by the NCAA committee for the 2007 season, something definitely for the better.

For those of you who may not remember what those rules actually were, let us refresh your memory.

1) The first one was actually starting the clock on a kickoff as soon as the kicker touched the ball rather than waiting until the returner touched it. The problem here was near the end of the half (or game), if the team leading was kicking off, they could milk the clock by intentionally running offsides and then re-kicking. They could run 10-15 seconds off the clock each play while taking just five-yard penalties each time. They could run the clock down and simply cause the half (or game) to end on a kickoff, keeping the opposing offense off the field. In 2007, the clock will now start when the returner touches the ball as it had before last season.

2) The second rule dealt with starting the clock after a change of online football betting possession rather than waiting until the ball was snapped. This took a lot of time off the clock throughout the game as teams changed possession, however it caused the most problems late in games (or halves). Rather than huddling up and calling a play, the offensive team would have to rush onto the field as the clock started. This was a definite disadvantage to a team that was trying to come from behind late in the game. This year the clock will start on a change of possession, after the ball is snapped.

How did those rules affect the college game last year and will it make a difference this year when it comes to the pointspread? We commonly heard two theories when it came to these changes. First, it would affect scoring negatively. Second, it would hurt favorites as they would have less time and fewer plays to cover the number.

Did the rules hurt scoring? Yes. It seemed obvious that shortening the game by what amounted to 14 plays would push scoring downward. That was the case last year. Of the 119 Division 1A teams, 69 squads scored fewer points in 2007 than they did in 2005. Just 48 teams had a higher PPG scoring average and two stayed the same. Almost 59 percent of the teams in college football last year had a lower PPG average than they did in 2005. Expect more scoring in 2007 as we revert back to the old rules.

Did the rules hinder favorites from covering the number in 2007? Not really. Last year the favorites posted an overall spread record of 336-350-16 (48.9 percent). The year before, favorites were 316-326-13 (49.2 percent). In 2004, the favorites were 316-339-2 (48.2 percent). In fact, college football favorites have been above 50 percent for the season just once in the last seven years (in 2003). Last year’s numbers fell right in line with where they have been historically.

How about big favorites? The rules must have hurt them? Maybe a little bit. Double-digit favorites last year came in at a 47.8 percent clip compare with an average of just over 50 percent over the last seven years. Since 1980, favorites of -10 or more have covered at exactly a 50 percent clip (measured over 6,716 games).

Even bigger favorites must have struggled? Not really. In fact, it was just the opposite. Favorites of three TD’s or more were 59-54-2 last year (52.2 percent). Since 2000, those same favorites (-21 or higher) hit at 51.3 percent and since 1990 came in a clip of 50.3 percent. Stepping it up a notch to four TD favorites or higher, we actually see they've covered at a much better rate last season than before. Last year, favorites of -28 or more were 31-21-1, or almost 60 percent. Historically, four-TD-or-higher favorites have come in at a 50.7 percent spot since 2000 and only 48.9 percent since 1990. The “perceived” problem with the favorites covering at a reduced rate really never came to fruition.

Bottom line is, there might be some more scoring in 2007, but no real revelations when it comes to finding any pointspread golden nuggets.

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your bet on college football needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.