So here we are, on the anniversary of my birth, looking where I can spend those 2 pounds taped inside my card this weekend? It's been a good week for me personally in terms of seeing some utterly deserving people getting it right in mush. First off we have the ever hilarious goings on at the biggest club of the 80's, Liverpool. The more ascerbic of their fans managed to get Woy the chop for the seemingly difficult task of polishing a turd. Also, we got to see Real Madrid as good as throw away the La Liga title and Mourinho making noises suggesting he's going to throw his toys out and quit too. Poor little lamb. Only being given £100mil to improve a team that was 2 points from the title last season, it's just not fair. And finally, my personal favourite, Big Enormously Fat Sam seemingly whoreing himself to West Ham. And them even more hilariously preferring having the grim reaper himself in charge. If only he was called Allaricio! This week's musical recommendation is Poison by Hot Water Music.
Wolves v Liverpool, Saturday 1245
Ah Liverpool not at Anfield, it's the gift that keeps on giving! Whilst they're not bad at home, they are the very definition of toilet away, and have made me many pounds this year with some frankly silly prices on offer for them. Wolves are a side beginning to finally get the results their endeavour and work rate are deserving of. This will spell trouble for Pool. The one thing they hate is a team battling against them, the lack of pride in the shirt at times has been disgraceful. Wolves have been known to sit back too much against the better sides, but it is a mark of how far Pool have fallen that I would expect McCarthy to go for a win from the off in this. He has rested some key players midweek and also saw Stevie Fletcher score and generally impress too. Every week the bookies are getting closer to the right price for Liverpool, but they're still off this week having them as short as 2.1 in some places. Victor Chandler go 2.37 on Wolves in the Draw No Bet market, lump on!
Arsenal v Wigan, Saturday 1500
Having watched the Gooners dispatch Leeds with relative ease in their FA Cup replay, it again begs the question of why they are so much better away? I think the answer probably lies somewhere starting with the fact the opposition are a bit more open when at home, and this benefits the pacey Arsenal team. There will naturally be a little more room and it means they can make more clinical passes and open teams up better. This being said, they're only at the bleedin Emirates this week. However comma they are up against a piss-poor Wigan side who are destined to find their more natural level at League 1 soon. The hopelessness of West Ham is somewhat shifting the gaze from sides like Wigan and Fulham who as well as just generally being crap, are also mind-numbingly dull to watch. They actually haven't been horrific at the back, but with Fabregas having had a bit of a rest, Nasri running the Leeds game, and RVP coming back into ominous form, I'll be all over the king's of North London in this. I think the Gunners are good to at least cover the handicaps, but the prices are still a bit short for all but the big hitters. Boylesports have gone a frankly massive 2.37 on Samir Nasri finding the net, that's the bet for me.
Blackpool v Sunderland, Saturday 1500
This should be an interesting match. Blackpool have turned up a number of shocks this year, and under Ian Holloway seemingly never settle for less than a win. This has made them incredibly watchable and popular with the neutral fan. Doing the double over Liverpool helped with me too! Their away form has actually been the most impressive though, presumably as teams are ignoring the evidence and not expecting the full assault. Sunderland will line-up sans Darren Bent this weekend. Aston Villa have stumped up a gargantuan £20 odd million for the man Sloopy Chops thought shit, even though he was Spurs top scorer the season before he left. The silly droopy faced twat. He's no Messi, but in Premier League football he knows where the goal is. To those saying he's a waste, if he keeps Villa up, and even helps them push on, then he's a fucking steal. Anyway, Sunderland seemed to have taken measures to cope without him when buying Asamoah Gyan in the summer. He has acclimatised to the English game very quickly and has formed a good partnership of his own with Danny Welbeck. The problem lies in that Welbeck is out too. This lack of firepower is enough for me to back the Seasiders. Victor Chandler are again standout at 3.0.
Everton v West Ham, Saturday 1500
Another week and more misery seemingly lies in store for West Ham's intrepid followers. They always take a good number away and I personally thoroughly enjoyed their company at the home game with Stoke last season. A real community atmosphere often lacking at the pinnacle of the game. This wont save them though. The players are in parts terrible, in parts lazy and then there's Scott Parker. A man amongst boys this lad. God knows how far adrift they'd be without him, but adrift they are anyway, and they look doomed to me. Everton have been very Jeckyll and Hyde so far this season. Capable of beating most teams when on form, this hasn't been the case nearly often enough. The lack of a striker who can score has been the problem, and they are also missing midfield goal-grabber Tim Cahill at the moment as he takes part in the Asian Cup with Australia. They'll not get a better chance to score a hatful than in this, but I still see it being a low scorer. Under 2.5 goals at around 1.95 with a number of firms for me.
Fulham v Stoke, Saturday 1500
As mentioned previously, Fulham have been dire for most of this season. Mark Hughes has never set the world alight as a manager for me. He's been good for spells, he's no clown, but he comes up short on a number of occasions too. Stoke are still a good team on the road and are close to finalising a deal for the inventively nicknamed 'Big' John Carew. Pulis seems to love buying strikers and then not playing them, and it seems hard to figure out how he and Kenwyne Jones would play together. Both thrive on being the target and having other play off them. I assume he'll be back-up. Whatever criticism you level at the Potters, they will stay in the Prem as long as they play as they do. The lesser lights can't cope with the physical battling that Pulis demands of his team and all credit to him. I think they're backable here too. Fulham love a draw so I'll go Draw No Bet just in case. Coral are best price at 2.5 for an away win in that market.
Man Utd v Birmingham, Saturday 1500
Another weekend and probably another thoroughly underwhelming win for Sir Wrigley's side. They are a team built on the brilliant defence of Vidic and Ferdinand and the occasional flair of Berbatov and Nani. Wayne 'Wazza' Rooney can fuck off. He has reverted to being a useless gobby scrote this season and I'd love to see him relegated to the bench with the promising Hernandez given more game time. For all the press and pundits, as well as his moronic manager, might say, he has not been good for almost a calendar year now. He's been terrible for most of that and it no longer counts as a slump. How the Glazers must wish they'd have waved 'Adios' when the awful looking twat tried to force a transfer now. They're stuck with him as no fool would take him on on his current wage now. Brum are still mired in the relegation mix-up at present. They need a striker desperately if they are to get out of trouble and I think they have the perfect man on the bench. My campaign to give Matt Derbyshire a chance hasn't really picked up yet, but he's a man who scores when playing and he surely can't be worse than Big Bird look-e-likey Nikola Zigic, can he? I fancy a win to nil for United here again, Paddy Power are 1.8 on that.
Newcastle v Spurs, Saturday 1500
The unpredictable Geordie's take on Spurs at St James Park this Saturday knowing they should have beat arch-rivals Sunderland last Sunday. Spurs also had a fine chance to beat Man Utd and managed to royally blow it by playing Peter Crouch. The beanpole hitman has a solitary goal this year and it is another mark against 'Top, top' manager Sloppy Chops that Roman Pavluychenko is not given more of a chance. The vodka loving striker might not be the hardest worker, but he's infintely more likely to score than Crouch. It'll be the same story this week I think and if Andy Carroll is fully recovered then it'll be another example of why Spurs will not be making a title tilt any time soon. They can beat your mid-table teams by 2 or 3 sometimes, but their lack of tactics leaves them hopelessly exposed when the team is not on top of it's collective game. Once again Victor Chandler provide the best price for the non-favs with a 3.5 quote for a home win.
Aston Villa v Man City, Saturday 1500
Darren Bent will be the focus of attention for this match, and rightly so. Villa's new record signing is the man Ged Houllier has pinned both this season's hopes and presumably the future of the club on. Whilst they are struggling, Villa boast quite a good set of wide players, they were lacking a man to find the net. With Heskey to do the grunt work and Albrighton, Young or Agbonlahor whipping balls in, Bent should thrive on this kind of service. It looks a very astute, if expensive, signing. Man City have risen to the very top of the table at points even though to believe some 'experts' you'd think they were struggling in mid-table. Carlos Tevez again scored last weekend, and he should be right up there for player of the year. David Silva also returned to action and should be part of a 3 pronged attack with Edin Dzeko and the unfortunately faced Argie this weekend. Whilst I think Villa will pull clear eventually, I think it will be asking a lot to compete with this City side. I think we'll see some late goals in this for some reason! Best price is Betfair at 2.1 on the second half having most goals, I'll have a bit on that.
Blackburn v West Brom, Sunday 1600
The only match on Sunday, and I'm struggling to get that excited about it. West Brom travel to the arse end of Lancashire to take on a Blackburn team ticking over nicely under Steve Kean's management. Argentinian playmaker Juan Roman Riquelme has been in town for talks this week, and he fits the bill for the club. He's past his best, but capable of magic, cheap to buy, and also a bit of a gamble. He isn't a worker or a particularly quick player, he will try and dictate a match from in between midifeld and strikers. An interesting signing if they pull it off. WBA managed to end their awful streak of losses with a 3-2 home win over Blackpool last weekend. It again showed though that they are heavily reliant on Peter Odemwingie putting on a good display for them to triumph. Without his invention and goals they often look very much a Championship side. He's not an away performer normally so I'm happy to take quotes of around 2.2 on a home victory.
Bolton v Chelsea, Monday 2000
The last match of the weekend is a Monday night match from the Reebok, with Ancelotti's Chelsea the visitors. Whilst they have now picked up a couple of wins on the spin, they were at home to mid-table Blackburn and away at Championship strugglers Ipswich. It doesn't fill me with any confidence on backing them at odds on in this. Bolton were as high as 5th in the table at one point and are a perfectly decent side under Owen Coyle after years of shit football or mediocrity under Big Fat Sam and Gary 'Boring' Megson respectively. Back to Chelsea and in particular Didier Drogba. He looks an absolute shadow of the man who has terrorised Prem defences for the past few seasons and at the age of 33 it is debatable whether he will redispver this sort of form or whether to look to someone like Daniel Sturridge being given a chance before dipping into the transfer market. Coral are standout on Bolton and the Draw in the Double Chance market and I'm happy to take Chelsea on.
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