The final of the Euros on Sunday night was one great, huge anti-climax to a very poor tournament. Portugal were crowned winners of the Euro Championships having beaten one team in 90 minutes. The switch to teams that finished 3rd in their group qualifying for knockout stages seemed to make a nonsense of it, and there were no stand out teams or the usual stand out players that evolved from the tournament who everyone wants to buy. The whole thing seemed all a bit of a damp squib.
That is, of course, without the input of the England team and another woeful showing on the football front. Whilst people (in my opinion) misunderstood my last blog post, what I was trying to point out is that I hoped England would perform better. We are touted as having a great league, good young players and I feel we SHOULD do better. I do understand that English people and English media rap up our chances before every event. I don’t buy into that; I know we are crap, but losing to teams like Iceland is really taking things to a new low. I do believe we are seeing the death of the English national side slowly happening before our very eyes.
I read today Allardyce has been interviewed for the job – the mind truly boggles at times. We need someone who can adapt tactics etc. and he is not for me. I would be controversial, and if we are determined to appoint an English manager, go for Sean Dyche. Of the rest, I guess Klinsmann is as good a choice as any as the pool to pick from does look very limited.
I risk upsetting my Celtic friends more as I don’t really see what Wales did that warranted an open top bus parade and 200,000 people in the streets as if they had won it. Yes, they got to the semis – a game I think they should have won and didn’t really turn up for, but other than that it seems they had an open top parade for beating Belgium. In the group games they played 3 crap teams, losing to England. Next up was Northern Ireland – apologies to our UK compatriots, but hardly a European powerhouse and they arguably outplayed Wales that day, scoring an own goal. Then a fine result against Belgium for sure, but Belgium showed their England like trait of being over hyped under achievers and threw the towel in around the hour mark. So yes, well done, but a home welcome as if they won it – really?! And just to show no bias, England did a similar thing in 1990 after the World Cup and that was equally as ridiculous in my eyes. Let’s celebrate when we win something.
With the Euros done, we head towards the football season, and we have unveiled the way forward for FTS. We have worked hard over the summer to address issues for people and look at gambling habits of members to see how best we can help them.
Even this week though, before the season starts, I feel the life and enthusiasm ebbing out of me as the numpties step forward.
Let me just get some things off my chest quickly so we can move on.
A bank is a tool to bet with – a 100-point bank is exactly that, not a bank we pack in after we lose 30 points.
Dates, seasons etc. are human inventions and mean absolutely nothing. A few seminar guys coming forward digging me out saying how crap last season was.
Let’s look at it in cold light of day. In that seminar I showed you how £500 became over £37,500 showing exact bets. I showed you that the bank stood still in that process for nearly 12 months bobbing up and down.
I showed you how to operate and adapt to look for systems yourself that will last you years. What did I get? A load of guys who want a tipping service; a bad start and panic and fear grips and we give in and have a moan. If I operated like half of you I would be working in Asda. Just shape up! A season is nothing, we are teaching and giving you access to a process for life not some mythical date ridden period you invent for your own appeasement. We have people close to premium charge who will do guest blogs and explain exactly that it is the process, not the tips that matter and if you set your bank and manage yourself, you will win – that is guaranteed.
The system last year operated from a 50-point bank which was not lost- FACT. Some people did lose it. Why? Because they were not organized, so laying 5.0 shots at 8.0, two days later – stupid, idiotic, complete lack of understanding of anything they are told. A simple email – “Ian that has drifted to 8.0, shall I bet it?”
The season itself was a weird one. Anyone who thinks different will not convince me. Just to be clear, (and not decrying them in any way) Leicester were Champions, and Chelsea, the previous champions, finished 31 points behind them. Spurs made the top 4 for hecks sake. It was a one off season that comes around every 20 years or so. Anyone who wants to back Leicester with me for the league this year, feel free to email me.
So, this year we will dig in and keep going, and we have set things up to allow you to maximise all you can, and learn along the way, and learning is what it is all about. I cannot bang on any more about ups and downs, if you cannot handle them, don’t bet – simple. I know for certain that myself, Kav, and those who work closely around us and ask the questions will be just fine and won’t need to seek work anytime soon.
I hope this year we add a few more successes to the group and I am sure we will. We have limited spaces and numbers will be controlled – idiots will not be allowed. I will look after those who committed last season, rode the bad spell and are pressing on without giving out a load of abuse.
We conducted the survey this year and it has proved to be very interesting. I will be addressing certain topics over the coming months, but I feel we have a lot of confused gamblers out there.
Stakes seem all over the place. People want less systems, more systems. People have struggled for 10 years or more.
It is very clear to me that we need to offer tuition and clarity. We need to look out for those who just want tips and make sure they get the right tips to suit their bank and manage it correctly. FTS was never set up as a tipping service, I feel I have to offer tips but the only way you get my results is to bet every single bet, every day. When taking a sample for you it makes it harder both ends. This year, in FTS Enhanced, rather than cherry pick tips, commit to four valuable systems and submit every tip. These will not ever cross over with FTS Ultimate membership; they will be standalone from one of my own personal databases.
Those who wish to learn, need to accept that it is a longer road and need to learn to use things like the odds sheets and the database. Yes, we need to educate, but it is not rocket science and you should not be confining it to the category of “too difficult”.
We have created a plan for you to help you forward. Overwhelmingly people struggle with losing runs or coming up with their own ideas. We are going to help you, but here is a novel idea. Rather than bleat and cry like a baby if you have a few bad days, why not email me and say, “Ian what is the best way to handle this?” Funnily enough that is what I did with people who won around me when starting out.
I then move onto the topic of FTS prices from the survey. We have less members than any of our main rivals, we win more than any of our main rivals and we charge less than any of our main rivals. That is all absolute fact. And we do it all in, so you can bet in a time efficient manner. Those who use the odds sheets will genuinely be heading to never working again, if they do it right. I know some people will never be happy, and think that paying, losing and having a moan in a chatroom is far more entertaining. I know for sure what camp I would be in, and people putting a little effort in the right place, rather than complaining or in a chatroom talking about Coronation Street, works wonders.
A good example is that we just finished the London series of Masterclasses and they were superb, not in what we did, but in how much the attendees committed to it and advanced and are now doing things they probably never thought of. Their future is bright and reserved as they were great guys and we had 3 great days. Birmingham will conclude at the end of the month and the same will stand there. These guys have changed what they do.
Part of this going forward this year is portfolio management. People still want to do everything and bet everything. Do what wins and suits you, stake wise, number of bet wise, and mentally.
So the bottom line is, we have a new team, we have two new memberships, we have clarity in where we are going, we have staking plans, record sheets, proven methods and we have education. All you need to do is pitch up and manage yourself.
To pre-register for FTS Enhanced and get a discounted price click here
To pre-register for FTS Ultimate and get a discounted price click here
There are loads of sites out there. We are restricting membership and refusing access to moaners, but I wish you all a profitable season. One thing is for certain, those who set a bank and then give up when 20-30% of it goes will always lose 20-30%. I cannot say it any clearer.
We will not be on that mode, we will not lose a bank and we will make profit. I personally lost £42,000 in Feb – March. Did I enjoy it? No. Did I blame anyone else? No. Did I recover and crack on? Yes. It is only learned behavior and you can change starting now!
With Kav on board – a perfect foil for me – I am in no doubt that profits this year will return to normal, league positions will return to normal and trends will resume.
On another front, we will announce survey winners for the free subs places before 26th July when memberships open.
It is FTS’s 10th birthday this season so we have plenty of other surprises for members ahead, including the first ever FTS Racing day and overnight stay, details of which we will announce in Autumn. We may well need an FTS Open top bus celebration come May 2017!
I will be back as I have a load of ranting stored up, one story to share with you when a certain situation concludes, some unbelievable racing profits to show you, and Kav and I will also preview the upcoming season.
Good Luck
Ian
P.S. Remember to follow us on Facebook and Twitter so you don’t miss anything.
27 Responses
Thanks Ian, looking forward to the new season. I’m a portal member and will sign up for the new season. Question! The Bankbuilder bank is around 50% down, would you still have the same level of confidence of a ‘recovery’, at what stage would you bail out in terms of bank drawdown?
Hi Allan
Simple I wont bail out it either picks up or it all goes, if Iwas going to bail i wouldn’t start in the first place
Ian
Hi Ian, I like to read about your work on betting and different betting ideas. What I’m not so keen on is the irrelevant ranting. I would much prefer a concentration on the serious objectives you have which would make the proposed increase in blog entries more palatable and worthy of the intentions of the site…i.e. ‘To educate’…(mini rant from someone who saw the positive benefits of short term national euphoria!)
Thanks for feedback Pete. The rants are for my benefit generally lots builds up and working at home all day where most people get interaction to discuss these things I don’t. When I do rant the increase in reading the blogs os over 100%. People tend to find it amusing. Sorry not for you. I always think there is a hidden message in most of them that people should heed.
Good post Ian. With most players in the Premier League being foreigners, I think the England national side is in decline. Whilst I was against Hodgson being given the England job, I knew he was a dignified man. However, his attitude the day after the Iceland game was shocking. “I don’t know why I’m here he said”. I know of 3.9 million reasons. He should have been forced to answer questions on tactics because all I saw was a group of park players. He couldn’t get the team to play when they were facing a brick wall in the second half against Iceland. No movement, no imagination until Rashford came on for the last 5 minutes. Next time we qualify for a tournament, they should ban the players from taking part in lucrative adverts looking cool. I’m sick of flapper Hart and his Head & Shoulders ad. As for Rooney, will he ever turn up at a tournament? I hope he’s done as an England player by the next World Cup. He’s a spent force and has been cruising on £250,000 a week for years.
Very well written. Very well said.
An altogether excellent Blog post.
Looking forward to the 26th and the new season.
Keep them coming Ian.
Cheers,
Dave
Great post Ian. Informative and straight to the point as normal. Looking forward to the race day and bring on the new footie season.
Up the Palace.
Hi Ian – your footy rant is well justified – the last big tournament I didn’t fully watch was the World Cup in 1954 when I was 5 and we had no telly! This one left me bored more often than not – though I did enjoy watching England v Wales over tapas in a sunny Andalucian town square.
Your rant about folk who abandon ship too early is a bit more problematical for me. There is always a balance to be struck between staying with a good service that is going through the troughs of natural variance that always occur and abandoning a service that is heading for the bottom because for some reason it has lost its edge. How is the punter to tell which is which? And if it is a failing service it is pretty useful to save the last 30%-50% of the bank (or similar figures).
One thing that I find is missing from the otherwise excellent advice/mindset/psychology stuff you publish is an analysis or discussion of the failed services that you have offered (based I’m sure on good testing/analysis/gutfeel). Over the last few years there’s been a few (in recent memory Select racing and Prime football) and they seem to sink largely without trace or decent comment from you. Each case is a learning opportunity and I’ve been disappointed at not seeing some kind of acknowledgement (or funeral service!) for the dead services. Maybe they were there and I missed them.
I think some kind of farewell email to the subscribers would be a minimum level of communication – and perhaps a generally available “what we can learn from this” article for everybody would be nice.
I hope this counts as constructive comment and is not seen as a moan!
Hi Ron
With regards to services I do address these I have one rule, set a bank and bet till it goes. I am certainly not good enough to decide if and when a service is going to slump or pick up. All i do is set a bank and base that on all the info going and then run it and i dat like most people dive into join everything it has to suit me and compliment what else I do.
Prime football won over 100 points before a bad run – it stopped dbecaus there were 2 member left not for any other reason.
Select won nearly 200 pointe before a bad run, a 75 point bank was clearly not enough but again it stopped because people left and when selections were free people told me to stop sending. I would have followed free for as long as it took as in Apr – July this year it has again won over 200 points as I still get the horses.
The guys behind these will not operate for 2-3 people which is fair enough.
The new results sections will hopefully appease your concerns but it still will never stop people joining and stopping as that is the mug punters way and if I did that I too would be skint
Ian – Good blog. What happened to the Prime Football service. I followed this when it was free and joined when it became subscription. I was very disappointed when it folded as I had made some good profits when it was running. I use the Forebet.com site a lot and combined this with the Prime Football selections to produce a consistent run of winning bets. The guy appeared to know his stuff.
Hi Rod many thanks. It stopped as we only has 2 members left so there was nothing in ti for the provider anymore
Ian
Great post Ian,hitting the nails on the head, myself i am going through a transition where now, using my own football system, a set up based on the odds sheet, i am finding a profitable system that’s still in its infancy but looks promising. Also spending time with the racing database where i think maybe i am overkilling it to find profitable systems, however, i am sticking with what i have found ( 74 points for June based on £1 a Point ) even though i am in a barren run at the moment ( 30 points for July so far )but hey ho this is the life we choose, but the amazing thing that’s come home to me is that if my systems only show a few or none for the day, its not the end of the world actually some days i welcome it but that’s not to detract from my mission to make a profit, slow and steady suits me and my mind has switched to see it as like running a business so to speak, i focus on whats not working and see if i can adapt it rather than totally dismiss it. Once again a great post and a massive thanks for all advice that’s been provided on FTS and will most certainly take advantage when the new memberships go live….you can never stop learning.
No problem Carl and that you, that is the idea mate with the database. It is by far the best tool online but needs to be used right. I hope to post some videos soon. It is too easy too tiger find one or two solid methods, set a bank, ride the ups and downs and stick with it and you will profit
Every team at the Euros was set up better than England, management was clueless with no faith or clarity in a system to play. I think England do have some decent players, but lacked leadership, but ultimately, players lack the mental fortitude in times of adversity to win. This is fundamentally a mindset issue not so much one of talent (more on mindset in a bit.) There is no self belief. In fact, the belief system is one of ” we never win , we’ve lost for 50 years.” Love or loathe him Ronaldo is a winner and even though he had an average tournament in a very average team, his winning presence alongside a manager who set them up well, saw them through (still, they did have an easy draw, not having to face the likes of Spain, Italy, Germany….) But, in a nutshell, self belief with moderate talent can get you very far (Portugal), talent with no belief gets you nowhere (Belgium,England )
I think there are parallels between England and people with gambling.
So back to mindset. There is a lot of talk about it but I never used to know what it actually meant.
Well, it comes from past defining experiences that leave deep mental imprints that become our self limiting beliefs. These beliefs are installed into our subconscious when we are young when our minds are sponges and absorb all the beliefs/thoughts/ideas that parents, teachers etc inflict on us. These ultimately dictate to us how we see the world and react and behave in certain situations.
When things go swimmingly, then all fine and dandy (qualifying games for England / winning weekends for gamblers) , however, when things go wrong (losing 2-1 to Iceland after 20minutes, panic and give up; Losing 30-50pts in bets, panic and give up) We react to negative events according to our self limiting beliefs. They are in our subconscious and hard to shift. Some examples of self limiting beliefs are: ‘I’ve always failed, nothing works for me.’ … ‘I can’t win, I’m not good enough’ … ‘It always fail however much I try.’ Fundamentally you are what you believe and therefore you become what you believe. The encouraging thought is that you can change your beliefs. Some can flick a switch and change, for most it is about experiencing winning consistently in order for change to take effect.
I’ll have my usual bet on Leicester to win everything they enter just as I have had for past seasons. They might only ever come up once in twenty years but the joy as a Leicester supporter when I collected last year was unbelievable.
Roll on the new season – Champions League here we come !!!!
Great post as usual Ian – If not Leicester hope Spurs win it this season
Yours
Kevin
Thanks Kevin – I will be extremely surprised if Leicester win again but congratulations again for last season it was truly amazing and I guess the party is still going!
Couldn’t agree more about the Welsh open bus – I’d have been too embarrassed to get on board.
What’s wrong with being welcomed home at the airport by the fans and leaving it at that?
maybe the England Prem was unusual with Leicester winning, but I have to agree with Ian that this year it will settle down; and if you look across Europe last season who won their leagues .. can we find any shocks? Bayern, Juventus, Barca, PSG, PSV, Benfica … all won their leagues, and you got Basel, Copenhagen, Legia Warsaw, Celtic, Olympiakos all winning theirs… not a single surprise… football is a stable betting medium .. (I wish I was that stable lol)
Griezmann was “stand out player” and will win ballon d’or in future once the messi/ronaldo have popped their clogs from playing football.
Had 1k atleti to win CL , 500 odd france to win euros , both teams that should have been the champs but were robberies of biblical proportions on both games lol . Both times the tithead ronaldo took his shirt off at the end as well making out as if he was the hero when he was lousy in champs league final and did nothing in this euros final but cry with a moth on his face
As always thought provoking…think you are very much in the minority on Wales…several teams had one good game but no follow up. Overall standard of play disappointing…I got the winner purely by chance as I lived in Portugal for 9 years so as Scotland failed to qualify yet again they were my adopted team.
Having reluctantly backed Leicester late season while close to 10 points ahead at 40/1! I have already backed them at 33/1 for next season and I see no value in the others.Kept their players and attracted a few more…no sign of a let up in results right to the last game so whats going to be different?
Allardyce for England is bad news for me as I need him at my team…If I was pushed for a suggestion then Mark Warburton ex Brentford now Rangers manager…shows how short of options England seem to be.
Not sure they have kept their players yet Ronnie, Kante gone over the weekend and I think Mahrez may be gone by end August which will be huge as was instrumental in Vardys goal haul. I expect a return to the same old Top 4 to be honest
Hi Ian
What sort of betting bank would you suggest for both memberships?
Thanks, Jed
We will be advising that Jed as each membership has multiple elements that need to be treated individually
Hi Ian,
Well what can I say, why did Wales have an open topped parade as if they won it.
Perhaps it was to show appreciation for the players who got to a semi-final for the first time in their history which for a country of Wales population is quite an achievement’
Maybe if England could beat all the other crap teams in their group they could have progressed to play N. Ireland but alas the european powerhouse of England got little old Iceland.
Just like the last world cup in Brazil, England failed to beat what was put in front of them Costa Rica/Italy/Uraguay so was that tournement a damp squib too because the mighty England were on the first plane home.
The world cup before that (S. Africa) again drew with USA& Algeria the excuse this time those pesky vuvuzelas were too loud, going on to lose to Germany when they protested so much about a goal that was disallowed they brought in goal line technology. If only this was availiable in 1966 another goal which was controversial and proved did not cross the line could have changed football history.
Hand of god, anyway back to the euros who the hell do they think they are changing the format so the so called lesser nations can have a chance of progressing against the powerhouse of England its just not cricket . How dare they.
You can only beat what is put in front of you and if you don’t it’s adios “simples”
The death of the English football side has been happening for years but sadly you lot can’t see it or admit it. It really is great because if bet on opposing teams playing England you are sure to be quids in ,it’s what we celts do ,you get good prices too.
It really is very poor and hugely embarrassing from England’s point of view the state of their national sport but long may it continue because it almost certainly will.
Don’t forget oppose England in the next world cup you know it makes sense oh yes watch out for the warm Russian welcome that awaits you.
I knew when I wrote it Mark that I would hear from you. I still don’t get the open top parade thing personally. You still miss the point I think England are one of the crap teams, I just feel they should not be which I think is a fair request as the English league is indeed one of the big five leagues in Europe yet Italy, Spain, Germany and France all win things and we continue to be garbage.
As for the tournament I was not at all talking about it form an England perspective. I just didn’t think it was that great. We normally have 5 or 6 players we wax lyrical about, no one stood out for me. The football I found fairly boring in most games. The process of 3rd teams going through FOR ME I think took away from the draw and the tournament. Teams qualified on the weekend with no idea who they were playing. The element in group games seems more on caution and not losing and coming last as 3rd place secured a passage through 2.1 goals per game in 2016 compared to 2.5 GPG in 2012 bears this out teams did not have to win. I understand you loved it, Wales did well and congrats again for me England aside I didn’t particularly enjoy it. A team winning it with one win in 90mins is not for me.
Hi Ian,
You knew you would hear from me because what you wrote was aimed at me.
I didn’t organise the open topped parade and I personally think it was a little over the top aswell.
I haven’t missed the point Ian I know England are crap .
If England had made the semi-final stage( god forbid ) would we have to put up with another 50 years of celebrations or would the players involved get knighthoods as has happened with other English sportsmen in the past.
I hear there is going to be some kind of event soon to celebrate the 50 year anniversary . WHY ?
All the other european countries you mentioned above do not bang on year after year about when they won tournements so why do England,they won by default anyway.
As for the stats you mention 2.5 GPG I am glad to say Wales achieved this in most of their games so no complaints there (apart from the England offside goal)
If teams qualify without knowing their next opponents why should that effect them, surely as I have mentioned before you have to beat what is put in front of you to progress that is standard cup tie football.
Thanks for congrats and I like the fact you know England are shite.
I love the work Ian produces, but as a Hammer, I’m not going to blow too much smoke up the arse of a Spurs fan, no matter how good he is.
I think marrying successful long term strategies with mindset is the most important aspect of being a successful gambler, and the minute I stopped worrying about today’s results, and instead focused on the long term, things changed for the better.
With the stuff Ian produces, and his forthright but constructive comments, it’s liberating being able to place a bet, and just letting it go and not fixate on it. Then look back on a sequence of results 6/12/18 months later etc. and realising that the overall trend is positive, so why worry day to day?
Enjoy the new website format, am looking forward to the seasons ahead for all of us, but most importantly, continued good health for all concerned.