Online Gambling Group PaddyPower Bets on Newcastle United

The online sports betting site, PaddyPower.com has started a special betting market on the continuing troubles faced by English Premiership soccer club Newcastle United.

The Dublin-based site is currently offering its ‘Next Friend Of Dennis Wise To Be Employed By The Club’ special, with Uruguayan Gustavo ‘Gus’ Poyet, current Assistant Manager for Tottenham Hotspur, favorite at odds of 5/4.

The 41-year-old Wise is a former player for Chelsea, Wimbledon and Leicester City, and is currently the Executive Director of Football for Newcastle. Many fans blame him along with Chairman Mike Ashley for the resignation last month of popular boss Kevin Keegan followed by the appointment of past Wimbledon boss Joe Kinnear as Manager on an interim basis. However, uncertainty abounds about the future of the club as Ashley publicly searches for a new owner after buying the team only last year.

The forty-year-old Poyet played with Wise at Chelsea before helping him to manage lower league sides Swindon Town and Leeds United. Many in the game see him as a potential future manager although he has publicly denied any interest in the Newcastle job.

Ex-Chelsea player Gianluca Vialli is second at odds of 11/4 even though the Italian has been out of football since being sacked as boss of Watford in 2002. Third in the running is former Wimbledon Manager Dave Bassett at odds of 9/2 alongside Lawrie Sanchez, a past team mate of Wise’s and ex-chief of Fulham and Wycombe Wanderers.

Wimbledon great Robbie Earle is listed at odds of 10/1 alongside Chelsea legend Marcel Desailly while ex-team mates Frank Leboeuf, Roberto Di Matteo, Vinny Jones and John Fashanu are at 33/1.