Well, I actually got a few last week, didn't I? However comma what I'd really like to have a little pre-tip moan about is last nights 'football' match between the 'world's greatest teams'. It was an absolute disgrace, and a stain on football in general. Rarely have I seen so much time in one match taken up by things other than football. The surrounding of the referee after every decision, making a flaming throw in look like it's the most contentious decision ever made, I mean jesus bloody wept. Everyone barring Leo Messi should be ashamed of that displey. I would however, particularly like to single out four men for abuse. Those men are Dani Alves, Sergio Biscuits, Angel Di Maria and Jose Mourinho. The first three can all be lumped into a category simply titled, 'Cheating Fuckers'. Alves and Biscuits are at this stuff every week and how the opposition fail to boot the dirty, face-holding, six time's rolling over, little shits in the face is beyond me. I'm livid just typing this out. Di Maria whilst not quite as serial an offender, was on his back more than Jordan last night. Mourinho, is the worst of the lot for me. I realise it's all mid games, designed to deflect attention etc, but he truly is a despicable little prick. Trying to take any sort of moral high ground after presiding over an Inter win last year thanks to an offside goal is ridiculous in the extreme. That's before you go on to his Porto team in the UEFA Cup and Champions League successes. Never have a team before or since spent more time delaying play through cheating. I, for one, hope UEFA throw the book at him, as football might be a quieter place, but an infinitely better one for me. Music this week comes from a new favourite of mine Matchbook Romance with Stories and Alibi's.
Blackpool v Stoke, Saturday 1500
First up is the Blackpool trying to gain a rare win at home to a Stoke side with little to play for in the Prem. I have seen a steady decline in neutral support for the Seasiders, possible coinciding with people getting very bored with rent-a-quote Ian 'Olly' Holloway. I must admit, I originally liked him from a distance, but his 'zany' quips have worn very thin, and are now clearly a device to mask his sides horrendous form. They have always gotten better results away from Bloomfield Road, when teams were surprised by their commitment to attack. Now though, teams have realised if you soak it up and counter their defence, to put it politely, has been utter dogshit. Stoke may well have one eye on the FA Cup final, but even their reserves are well schooled in the up and at 'em style Pulis specialises in, and they should be far too strong for rent-a-gob's lot. Betfred are out on a limb at 2.62 on Stoke and I'd take the high trouser wearing man on with that.
Liverpool v Newcastle, Sunday 1200
Next up is Andy Carroll's first chance to play against his ex-team. Whilst taking a couple of games to find his feet, the big man with the good touch now looks at home in the Pool side. At present, he is often feeding off lumps up field from the centre backs and holding the ball up, but you would imagine King Kenny is looking at proper wingers to supply him next season. Luis Suarez has also looked a quality signing and should be one to put in the small 'transferred his ability from the Eredivisie' pile. He may not be scoring by the bucketload, but his inventiveness and flair have been a shining beacon in Pool's often boring side. And he has already picked up plenty of assists. Newcastle have looked a shadow of the side since Wor Andy moved in January. They are not the most exciting team in the absence of a real presence up front, Shola Ameobi as only proved he is anything but a Prem striker down the years. I really think we could see a hiding in this one. I would even take Pool at -1.5 asian at 2.47 at Bet365 with some confidence after last weeks 5-0 win.
Manchester City v West Ham, Sunday 1600
Another match with a team currently looking out of sorts travelling to a tough away fixture. West Ham signing 68 strikers in January initially looked like it might pay dividends with a few wins picked up, including against Liverpool, but they have been sliding again recently. The defence still looks slow and cumbersome, and with Matt Upson as the senior half it's no surprise really, and the strikers have stopped scoring. Man City have picked up a bit of form at just the right time it seems. They may well be looking forward to the FA Cup, and will rightly be fav's for it, but they all know Champions League qualification is all-important. They will not be taking this match lightly and should brush the Irons aside in a ground where they have only tasted defeat twice all season and have conceded only 11 in 16 matches. With the Hammers strikers in such poor form, I'd back Citeh to continue their impressive home form and Win To Nil. Skybet will give you a standout 2.37 on such a thing and I'd take that.
Levante v Sporting Gijon, Sunday 1600
We see two of the better post-xmas sides in La Liga going head to head in Valencia on Sunday afternoon for this one. Levante looked doomed at xmas. They've been skint for years, regularly fail to pay their players and haven't made a real money buy in at least 3 years now. Luis Garcia's appointment as manager in January has turned the side around. Before last week they had only lost to Real Madrid since 29th Jan and Atleti who beat them last week have also been much improved of late. Gijon, similarly, have been in great form this calendar year. Two losses since the end of Jan would back this up. They have laboured to most of those though, and they are generally better in front of their own very passionate fans. I'm going to take Levante to win this one , but I'm not willing to put my balls on the line for it. The best price is currently is 2.2 with Stan James if you fancy following me in? I also think Felipe Caicedo is good value to score anytime at 2.62 with Paddy Power. He has been a man reborn under Garcia and often scores.
Toulouse v Lyon, Sunday 1600
A rare tip from Ligue Un for you this week. With it being the business end of the season, and the title still very much up for grabs, we are seeing rarely seen goalfests in matches. There is 5 points between Marseille in first spot and Lyon in third, as well as PSG only 3 points behind Lyon chasing Champs Lge qualification next season. This is making teams chase victories all the way to the end of matches as well as looking to top up their goal tallys. Most games in Ligue Un are boring, tepid, low-scoring affairs, so this is a welcome change for the poor souls that watch it. Lyon and Marseille were involved in 5 goal matches midweek with Lyon sneaking a 3-2 win in the last minute through Yoann Gorcuff. Toulouse are a decent side themselves at home, but Lyon have scored 23 away from 16 matches and I would expect them to triumph, or to go down in a goal glut trying. You can pick up odds of 2.3 on Betfair on over 2,5 goals and just this once I'd advocate a sneaky punt on that.
Sivasspor v Gencerbirligi, Friday 1800
The first match in the Turkish SuperLig this weekend has Sivas hosting Genc. Sivasspor might have lost 2-1 away at Ankara last weekend, but they have been on an impressive run of form since looking relegated at xmas. Genc themselves are unbeaten in 4 matches, but have been involved in games containing over 2.5 goals in 7 of the last 9 matches. Sivas have been involved in 7 over 2.5 matches in their last 10 games too. Both teams usually nick a goal and with both needing wins to see off lingering fears of relegation we should see a few here I believe. The Turkish SuperLig is not high scoring in general so you can often find slightly improved odds on overs in goal markets if you look hard enough, and this is a good example. In the English Prem I would imagine this to be a 1.8 shot on overs, but you can pick up 1.96 with Ladbrokes. Pick it up before it goes.
Trabzonspor v Gaziantepspor, Sunday 1700
Trabzon are still in the hunt for the title, but desperately need wins with Fener now ahead on goal difference. They are both on 70 points and can ill afford to do anything but win all their remaining games, as well as score the goals to make up the deficit. Gaziantepspor have been solid at home all season, but away form has been the downfall that has seen them outside pushing on for the title. With a record of 6-3-6 away from home they are far from mugs, but they have been beaten too often. As mentioned Trabzon will be supremely motivated and Gaz have all but wrapped up qualification for the Europa League next season and can afford to drop points. I can see a relentless attack from a team that has scored 28 and only conceded 11 in 15 home games this season. Get on Trabzon -1.5 at 2.42 with Bet365 and watch the goals fly in.
Thursday, 28 April 2011
Friday, 22 April 2011
You're sh*t and you know you are...
The title this week is sadly a reference to my own tipping 'skills' over the past couple of weeks. To say I had been dreadful would be akin to saying Arsenal make things hard for themselves, a huge understatement. I am going to try and redeem myself this week obviously, but in my defence it is now reaching the nadir of the season and it's hard to know if everyone is making the effort. This week saw both Arsenal and Spuds dropping points in their respective title and Champions League qualification campaigns. I'd like to send out my sympathies to anyone unfortunate enough to support Arsenal. Having watched them against Sunderland, Blackburn and Spurs recently I have found myself tearing my hair out and their complete inability to close a game out. I'd be an exceptionally angry man if I actually gave a sod either way about the result. Musical recommendation this fine day is for Incubus with Wish You Were Here.
Aston Villa v Stoke, Saturday 1500
Stoke winning 5-0, well fuck me sideways. The impossible happened last weekend in the FA Cup Semi Final and Stoke actually had more possession than their opponents. This had not happened since their promotion to the Prem in any match against Premier League opponents. They gave Northern neighbours Bolton an absolute shellacking and could well have gained some long overdue respect. From me as much as anyone else. Villa's mini renaissance continued with a last gasp victory away at West Ham. Ged Houllier has been taken in to hospital this week, and with his history of illness it has to be asked whether he should just call it a day. Anyway, I'm sure Villa will put in a good performance. Footballers are fickle and now the team is winning matches I'm sure they are all Ged's biggest fans again after last months revolt. With Stok now as good as safe from relegation I wouldn't expect them to exert themselves too much with the cup final to come. Back Mr Darren Bent to score anytime at an industry leading 2.1 with Coral.
Wolves v Fulham, Saturday 1500
Mark Hughes many fans in the media must be very pleased with the way Sparky has turned around Fulham's early season form. It must be said that the poor performances like the 4-1 home tonking by Citeh have mostly come with the entire strike force out injured. All this being said though, they are still a poor side away from Craven Cottage. The effort is there still, but wins have come at a rate of only 1 from 16 matches this term. This has been going on for around 3 seasons now and shows no sign of abating. Wolves have been nothing short of workhorses this term, but sadly they have lacked that bit of flair/class that would push draws into wins. They don't find goals easy to come by at all and Mick McCarthy will surely be looking to remedy that if they are in the Prem or Champ next season. Kevin Doyle is a wonderful partner for a predator, but Ebanks-Blake and Fletcher have been about as useful as a chocolate teapot for most of the season. I see this being a drab affair probably decided by a goal either way. I do see Wolves somehow getting it though. Back them at a best priced 2.6 with Victor Chandler.
Bolton v Arsenal, Sunday 1600
Sunday's match has Arsenal's fading title hopes on the road at the Reebok Stadium. I've already mentioned the pathetic lack of composure that led to a collapse from 3-1 up to 3-3 and hanging on at Shite Fart Lane so I wont go into any more detail. Bolton head into this with any hope of European football now a distant memory thanks to their FA Cup exit to Stoke at Wembley on Sunday. I would imagine Owen Coyle will be telling everyone that they're 'up for it' and other inane cliches, but they'd only be human if they aren't at full speed. Now that Coyle has taken over the Trotters they are also endeavouring to play football 'the right way' too. This is a laudable thing, and has seen them climb the table and show the fans a style of football unimaginable back in the Fat Sam days. Sadly thogh, this plays into the Gooners hands somewhat. I'm sure they'll make it look difficult, they always bloody do, and they'll probably give a goal away for good measure. But, I would expect them to get the job done. They are unbeaten in 15 in the league and that's not to be sneared at. William Hill are taking them on at 1.8 and I'm happy with that.
Valencia v Real Madrid, Saturday 1700
This is an intersting match up to start the La Liga weekend. Madrid know now that they cannot possibly hope to win the league having failed to beat Barca last weekend and have bigger fish to fry in the Champions League this midweek. I would fully expect the likes of Ozil and Ronaldo to start on the bench and be fairly unlikely to make it on to the field. Mourinho is nothing if not a masterful tactician and he will want his star men fresh to once again take on Barca in the week. This should play into the hands of a Valencia side playing some fantastic stuff of late. They are on a 3 match winning steak having scored 12 goals to 2 in the process. Roberto Soldado in particularly scintillating form having netted 6 of those. With Valencia out of every other competition and looking to cement their place in next seasons Champions League they will no doubt see a win as a huge confidence boost going into the tail end of the season. They have been shortening in price for a few days so I would snap up Victor Chandlers quotes of 2.5 on the home team while they last.
Sevilla v Villarreal, Sunday 2000
The late Sunday match in La Liga has Villarreal travelling to Sevilla for another intriguing match. It is widely accepted that Villarreal are confident enough in their league position that they are putting all their eggs in a basket labelled 'Europa League'. They have a 9 point cushion over 5th place Bilbao in La Liga and can afford to rest players in the league to wait for their semi final in midweek. Expect players like Ruben Castro and Guiseppe Rossi to be on the bench. Sevilla have been a different team in the second half of the season. The arrival of Ivan Rakitic and return to form of Fredi Kanoute have seen them unbeaten at home since the xmas break. They should see off a second string Yellow Submarine. Odds of 2.0 are still widely available and I would take them before line-ups are announced.
Galatasaray v Kayserispor, Saturday 1800
This match sees two of the teams in the worst form in the SuperLig going head to head. Gala have had a really poor season and find themselves in desperate need of points to avoid being dragged into a relegation scrap. Kayserispor were in a comfortable 4th position until they seemingly switched off around the start of March. They haven't taken a point in 6 matches and are drifting towards mid table. Gala should be able to raise themselves for this match, the motivation to avoid complete embarrassment should see to that. They have had a tough run of matches lately including the two best teams Fener and Trabzon. They won their last match 3-2 away and that should also give them a timely boost heading into this. I'd be tempted to back them with a -1.0 asian hcap at Bet265 at odds of 2.25.
Karabukspor v Sivasspor, Saturday 1300
Also this weekend we see last weeks let down Karabuk taking on Sivasspor at home. Karabuk should have won last week, they conceded goals to the only attacks Istanbul BB had. And they also failed to capitalise on the numerous attacks they had. I would imagine they would again make plenty of chances, and I'd expect them to take at least one this time out. Sivasspor have been in great form over the last 5 matches, a record of 4 wins and 1 draw is great form in anyones book. And they have been scoring plenty of goals whilst doing so, 9 in those 5 games. I would expect an end to end match here, with both teams liable to errors at the back. Coral go 2.1 on over 2.5 goals and I think there's a great chance we'll see that.
Nurnberg v Mainz 05, Sunday 1630
The match of the weekend in the Bundesliga could well come from this game in my view. Mainz started the season in great form, blooding numerous youngsters and blowing teams away at times. Nurnberg were quite the opposite and really struggled to get going. However comma Nurnberg have come on strong since xmas and have risen to sit in behind Mainz in 5th position. This has been in no small part down to striker Eiger recently, having picked up 3 goals in the last 3 matches. Mainz are a very good away side so I'm loathe to lay them, a record of 9 wins from 15 away is pretty formidable. I do think Stan James have gone to far in pricing the home team at 2.25 though, so sod it, I'll take them on.
Here ends this weeks tips. Hopefully we'll start getting back on track before I'm forced to crawl away!
Aston Villa v Stoke, Saturday 1500
Stoke winning 5-0, well fuck me sideways. The impossible happened last weekend in the FA Cup Semi Final and Stoke actually had more possession than their opponents. This had not happened since their promotion to the Prem in any match against Premier League opponents. They gave Northern neighbours Bolton an absolute shellacking and could well have gained some long overdue respect. From me as much as anyone else. Villa's mini renaissance continued with a last gasp victory away at West Ham. Ged Houllier has been taken in to hospital this week, and with his history of illness it has to be asked whether he should just call it a day. Anyway, I'm sure Villa will put in a good performance. Footballers are fickle and now the team is winning matches I'm sure they are all Ged's biggest fans again after last months revolt. With Stok now as good as safe from relegation I wouldn't expect them to exert themselves too much with the cup final to come. Back Mr Darren Bent to score anytime at an industry leading 2.1 with Coral.
Wolves v Fulham, Saturday 1500
Mark Hughes many fans in the media must be very pleased with the way Sparky has turned around Fulham's early season form. It must be said that the poor performances like the 4-1 home tonking by Citeh have mostly come with the entire strike force out injured. All this being said though, they are still a poor side away from Craven Cottage. The effort is there still, but wins have come at a rate of only 1 from 16 matches this term. This has been going on for around 3 seasons now and shows no sign of abating. Wolves have been nothing short of workhorses this term, but sadly they have lacked that bit of flair/class that would push draws into wins. They don't find goals easy to come by at all and Mick McCarthy will surely be looking to remedy that if they are in the Prem or Champ next season. Kevin Doyle is a wonderful partner for a predator, but Ebanks-Blake and Fletcher have been about as useful as a chocolate teapot for most of the season. I see this being a drab affair probably decided by a goal either way. I do see Wolves somehow getting it though. Back them at a best priced 2.6 with Victor Chandler.
Bolton v Arsenal, Sunday 1600
Sunday's match has Arsenal's fading title hopes on the road at the Reebok Stadium. I've already mentioned the pathetic lack of composure that led to a collapse from 3-1 up to 3-3 and hanging on at Shite Fart Lane so I wont go into any more detail. Bolton head into this with any hope of European football now a distant memory thanks to their FA Cup exit to Stoke at Wembley on Sunday. I would imagine Owen Coyle will be telling everyone that they're 'up for it' and other inane cliches, but they'd only be human if they aren't at full speed. Now that Coyle has taken over the Trotters they are also endeavouring to play football 'the right way' too. This is a laudable thing, and has seen them climb the table and show the fans a style of football unimaginable back in the Fat Sam days. Sadly thogh, this plays into the Gooners hands somewhat. I'm sure they'll make it look difficult, they always bloody do, and they'll probably give a goal away for good measure. But, I would expect them to get the job done. They are unbeaten in 15 in the league and that's not to be sneared at. William Hill are taking them on at 1.8 and I'm happy with that.
Valencia v Real Madrid, Saturday 1700
This is an intersting match up to start the La Liga weekend. Madrid know now that they cannot possibly hope to win the league having failed to beat Barca last weekend and have bigger fish to fry in the Champions League this midweek. I would fully expect the likes of Ozil and Ronaldo to start on the bench and be fairly unlikely to make it on to the field. Mourinho is nothing if not a masterful tactician and he will want his star men fresh to once again take on Barca in the week. This should play into the hands of a Valencia side playing some fantastic stuff of late. They are on a 3 match winning steak having scored 12 goals to 2 in the process. Roberto Soldado in particularly scintillating form having netted 6 of those. With Valencia out of every other competition and looking to cement their place in next seasons Champions League they will no doubt see a win as a huge confidence boost going into the tail end of the season. They have been shortening in price for a few days so I would snap up Victor Chandlers quotes of 2.5 on the home team while they last.
Sevilla v Villarreal, Sunday 2000
The late Sunday match in La Liga has Villarreal travelling to Sevilla for another intriguing match. It is widely accepted that Villarreal are confident enough in their league position that they are putting all their eggs in a basket labelled 'Europa League'. They have a 9 point cushion over 5th place Bilbao in La Liga and can afford to rest players in the league to wait for their semi final in midweek. Expect players like Ruben Castro and Guiseppe Rossi to be on the bench. Sevilla have been a different team in the second half of the season. The arrival of Ivan Rakitic and return to form of Fredi Kanoute have seen them unbeaten at home since the xmas break. They should see off a second string Yellow Submarine. Odds of 2.0 are still widely available and I would take them before line-ups are announced.
Galatasaray v Kayserispor, Saturday 1800
This match sees two of the teams in the worst form in the SuperLig going head to head. Gala have had a really poor season and find themselves in desperate need of points to avoid being dragged into a relegation scrap. Kayserispor were in a comfortable 4th position until they seemingly switched off around the start of March. They haven't taken a point in 6 matches and are drifting towards mid table. Gala should be able to raise themselves for this match, the motivation to avoid complete embarrassment should see to that. They have had a tough run of matches lately including the two best teams Fener and Trabzon. They won their last match 3-2 away and that should also give them a timely boost heading into this. I'd be tempted to back them with a -1.0 asian hcap at Bet265 at odds of 2.25.
Karabukspor v Sivasspor, Saturday 1300
Also this weekend we see last weeks let down Karabuk taking on Sivasspor at home. Karabuk should have won last week, they conceded goals to the only attacks Istanbul BB had. And they also failed to capitalise on the numerous attacks they had. I would imagine they would again make plenty of chances, and I'd expect them to take at least one this time out. Sivasspor have been in great form over the last 5 matches, a record of 4 wins and 1 draw is great form in anyones book. And they have been scoring plenty of goals whilst doing so, 9 in those 5 games. I would expect an end to end match here, with both teams liable to errors at the back. Coral go 2.1 on over 2.5 goals and I think there's a great chance we'll see that.
Nurnberg v Mainz 05, Sunday 1630
The match of the weekend in the Bundesliga could well come from this game in my view. Mainz started the season in great form, blooding numerous youngsters and blowing teams away at times. Nurnberg were quite the opposite and really struggled to get going. However comma Nurnberg have come on strong since xmas and have risen to sit in behind Mainz in 5th position. This has been in no small part down to striker Eiger recently, having picked up 3 goals in the last 3 matches. Mainz are a very good away side so I'm loathe to lay them, a record of 9 wins from 15 away is pretty formidable. I do think Stan James have gone to far in pricing the home team at 2.25 though, so sod it, I'll take them on.
Here ends this weeks tips. Hopefully we'll start getting back on track before I'm forced to crawl away!
Friday, 15 April 2011
£87? For that? Sod off...
The title is a not so subtle reference to Chelsea's announcement that they plan to price even more 'normal' people out of the match going experience next season. This is particularly relevant to me as last weekend I had the 'pleasure' of a trip to Stamford Bridge. I've been to Old Trafford once before and hadn't visited a Premier League ground again since due to the complete lack of anything approaching an atmosphere at that match. Now, the pre-match pub with all the 'top boys' was cracking, but from there on in it was unbelievably diluted. I have never seen so many posh boys heading to a match before. Chino's as far as the eye could see. Once inside the view from the West Stand was superb, but not once did I here a particularly loud song being sung. This was a tad unfair as Wigan had only brought around 60 fans so there wasn't much for the fans to work with admittedly. All this is leading me to tell everyone to just boycott anywhere pushing prices like this and go support your local lower league team. You will be appreciated, the atmosphere will be at least 10 times better and the people will be able to actually hold a conversation about the sport they're watching. Music comes this week from new favourites Two Gallants with the storming Steady Rollin. An absolute humdinger of a tune!
West Brom v Chelsea, Saturday 1500
In the spirit of Chelsea being a soulless place, the team was almost as bad on both Saturday and Tuesday. The midfield is plainly not working at the moment. Lampard is not my favourite player, but if you aren't going to let him hover around the box the whole match, then don't bother with him. He isn't going to get up and down and his passing isn't good enough. Similarly Michael Essien is being restricted in a midfield 4 and looks a shadow of the monster he was 2 years ago. And Torres needs the summer break to try and recapture some sharpness and confidence. The rest of the team were laying chances on a plate for the last 10 minutes of the Wigan match and he somehow contrived to fluff the lot. West Brom have become very hard to beat under Woy Hodgson and have also had the returning Peter Odemwingie adding some unpredictability and goals to the side. He has been a revelation this season, settling in quickly and troubling every defence he has played against. Having seen Chelsea's season ended by Man Utd midweek I would expect them to simply go through the motions, and that wont be enough for me to beat this reinvigorated WBA side. Take WBA and the Draw on Double Chance at 2.2 with Betfred before it settles around 2.0 on matchday.
Arsenal v Liverpool, Sunday 1600
The big match of the weekend in the Prem sees Pool travelling to another soulless identikit stadium to play Arselol. See what I did there? Pool were actually very impressive in beating Citeh on Monday night, and Andy Carroll in particular. He absolutely bested the usually solid Citeh defence, and Joleon Lescott can surely now be gotten rid of in the summer if the Blues have any ambitions of challenging for the title next year. Arsenal took on Blackpool last time out and finally got a win for the first time since Orient in the FA Cup. Even then they were doing their level best to give Blackpool the chances to get back in the game. The problem for me is that they need some back up to Alex Song. He has developed into a fine defensive midfielder, but there is noone else at the club in his mould and they are lightweight in his absence or if he isn't in form. I see Carroll terrorising this Arsenal defence all afternoon, his physical presence is the sort of thing they hate and those 2 goals will have his confidence at a high point. Back him to find the old onion bag at a top priced 3.5 with Stan James.
Real Sociedad v Sporting Gijon, Sunday 1600
My pick from Spain this week sees current form team Gijon travelling to fairly hopeless Sociedad. A good run before xmas has Sociedad in the relative safety of mid table for now, but they haven't won in 7 matches and have looked like they're on their summer holidays for most of that run. They need to turn it round, but look completely at a loss for how to do it. Manuel Preciado gained some revenge over Jose Mourinho a couple of weeks back in breaking his amazing 9 year unbeaten home record. Particularly satisfying as Mourinho had criticised Gijon's performance against Barca earlier in the season and Preciado was less than amused. Anyway Gijon should give Sociedad a good fight as ever and I can see them coming away with at leat 1 point if not 3. Stan James will still give you 1.8 on Gijon and the Draw Double Chance and I'd be on that like a tramp on chips.
Bayern Munich v Bayer Leverkusen, Sunday 1430
To Germany now with Hollywood FC taking on in form Leverkusen. It had been widely assumed that Borussia Dortmund had wrapped the title up about a month ago, but Leverkusen's imperious form has seen them cut the gap to 5 points and made people slightly rethink those opinions. Whilst Dortmund probably have done enough to hold on until seasons end, Bayer have certainly made them work for it. Munich dispensed with Van Gaal just recently after a poor season has them scrapping for even qualifying for next seasons Champions League. A grave situation for a club that considers itself amongst the best in the world. The squad has looked stagnant at times and many players have spoken out suggesting dressing room unrest is also an issue. And these things wont be solved overnight. For that reason I think they are worth opposing this week. The odds have been as long as I've ever seen on a match with Bayern at home, but you can still get 1.88 on Leverkusen and the Draw Double Chance at Bodog and I'd suggest doing that very thing.
Karabukspor v Istanbul BB, Saturday 1400
My first tip from the SuperLig this week has homers Karabuk taking on overachievers Istanbul BB. Istanbul have been above superpowers Besikltas and Galatasaray for most of a very impressive season, but have begun to look jaded in recent weeks. They don't score many and have relied on a tight defence to rise up the table and the toll is beginning to tell on a small squad. They were always better at home, but lost to lowly Sivasspor last weekend when hosting, and looked very lacklustre in doing so. Karabuk similarly have also been excellent at home, picking up 8 wins from 13 games and scoring 26 goals in the process. This sort of form and BB's tiredness mean I'm happy to be with the home side on this. Take the 2.16 available at Betfair before it goes below 2.0 tomorrow.
Antalyaspor v Eskisehirspor, Sunday 1500
Next up is another team looking like they've given everything already this season in Eskisehirspor. They have been as impressive as Istanbul BB this season in climbing up as high as 4th position before fading to 7th just recently. They look like a Europa League place is beyond them now and have all but thrown in the towel. They have only won 4 from 14 away from home all season, and like many teams in Turkey have relied on home form to propel them up the table. Antalyaspor are comfortable in mid table obscurity, and similarly to BB have found goals hard to come by at times. They have won 5 from 14 at home, but only scored a paltry 15 goals in doing it. However, the last 2 matches have seen them hand out a 3-0 thrashing to Gala and also a thrilling away 3-2 win against Bursaspor that has ended their title hopes. This sudden burst of form and confidence should be enough to see off the higher placed Eski. Take Billy Hills 2.5 on the home win and thank me come Sunday tea time.
Manisaspor v Galatasaray, Monday 1800
Last up is Gala's trip to Manis on Monday evening. I've made a tidy little sum opposing them away from home this season and I see that run continuing on Monday. They looked particularly hopeless against Antalyaspor a couple of weeks ago and weren't much better in losing to Trabzon at home last weekend. There will never be a better time to play the fading giants and Manis have a fantastic opportunity to pick up 3 points. Gala don't do draws, only 3 from 28 matches this season, and Manis should add to their 5 home wins. They haven't won at home since late January, but at the prices I'm willing to punt on them finally doing so. They are still around 2.76 on Betfair and I would fully expect that to settle at more like 2.5 over the weekend so get on board now!
West Brom v Chelsea, Saturday 1500
In the spirit of Chelsea being a soulless place, the team was almost as bad on both Saturday and Tuesday. The midfield is plainly not working at the moment. Lampard is not my favourite player, but if you aren't going to let him hover around the box the whole match, then don't bother with him. He isn't going to get up and down and his passing isn't good enough. Similarly Michael Essien is being restricted in a midfield 4 and looks a shadow of the monster he was 2 years ago. And Torres needs the summer break to try and recapture some sharpness and confidence. The rest of the team were laying chances on a plate for the last 10 minutes of the Wigan match and he somehow contrived to fluff the lot. West Brom have become very hard to beat under Woy Hodgson and have also had the returning Peter Odemwingie adding some unpredictability and goals to the side. He has been a revelation this season, settling in quickly and troubling every defence he has played against. Having seen Chelsea's season ended by Man Utd midweek I would expect them to simply go through the motions, and that wont be enough for me to beat this reinvigorated WBA side. Take WBA and the Draw on Double Chance at 2.2 with Betfred before it settles around 2.0 on matchday.
Arsenal v Liverpool, Sunday 1600
The big match of the weekend in the Prem sees Pool travelling to another soulless identikit stadium to play Arselol. See what I did there? Pool were actually very impressive in beating Citeh on Monday night, and Andy Carroll in particular. He absolutely bested the usually solid Citeh defence, and Joleon Lescott can surely now be gotten rid of in the summer if the Blues have any ambitions of challenging for the title next year. Arsenal took on Blackpool last time out and finally got a win for the first time since Orient in the FA Cup. Even then they were doing their level best to give Blackpool the chances to get back in the game. The problem for me is that they need some back up to Alex Song. He has developed into a fine defensive midfielder, but there is noone else at the club in his mould and they are lightweight in his absence or if he isn't in form. I see Carroll terrorising this Arsenal defence all afternoon, his physical presence is the sort of thing they hate and those 2 goals will have his confidence at a high point. Back him to find the old onion bag at a top priced 3.5 with Stan James.
Real Sociedad v Sporting Gijon, Sunday 1600
My pick from Spain this week sees current form team Gijon travelling to fairly hopeless Sociedad. A good run before xmas has Sociedad in the relative safety of mid table for now, but they haven't won in 7 matches and have looked like they're on their summer holidays for most of that run. They need to turn it round, but look completely at a loss for how to do it. Manuel Preciado gained some revenge over Jose Mourinho a couple of weeks back in breaking his amazing 9 year unbeaten home record. Particularly satisfying as Mourinho had criticised Gijon's performance against Barca earlier in the season and Preciado was less than amused. Anyway Gijon should give Sociedad a good fight as ever and I can see them coming away with at leat 1 point if not 3. Stan James will still give you 1.8 on Gijon and the Draw Double Chance and I'd be on that like a tramp on chips.
Bayern Munich v Bayer Leverkusen, Sunday 1430
To Germany now with Hollywood FC taking on in form Leverkusen. It had been widely assumed that Borussia Dortmund had wrapped the title up about a month ago, but Leverkusen's imperious form has seen them cut the gap to 5 points and made people slightly rethink those opinions. Whilst Dortmund probably have done enough to hold on until seasons end, Bayer have certainly made them work for it. Munich dispensed with Van Gaal just recently after a poor season has them scrapping for even qualifying for next seasons Champions League. A grave situation for a club that considers itself amongst the best in the world. The squad has looked stagnant at times and many players have spoken out suggesting dressing room unrest is also an issue. And these things wont be solved overnight. For that reason I think they are worth opposing this week. The odds have been as long as I've ever seen on a match with Bayern at home, but you can still get 1.88 on Leverkusen and the Draw Double Chance at Bodog and I'd suggest doing that very thing.
Karabukspor v Istanbul BB, Saturday 1400
My first tip from the SuperLig this week has homers Karabuk taking on overachievers Istanbul BB. Istanbul have been above superpowers Besikltas and Galatasaray for most of a very impressive season, but have begun to look jaded in recent weeks. They don't score many and have relied on a tight defence to rise up the table and the toll is beginning to tell on a small squad. They were always better at home, but lost to lowly Sivasspor last weekend when hosting, and looked very lacklustre in doing so. Karabuk similarly have also been excellent at home, picking up 8 wins from 13 games and scoring 26 goals in the process. This sort of form and BB's tiredness mean I'm happy to be with the home side on this. Take the 2.16 available at Betfair before it goes below 2.0 tomorrow.
Antalyaspor v Eskisehirspor, Sunday 1500
Next up is another team looking like they've given everything already this season in Eskisehirspor. They have been as impressive as Istanbul BB this season in climbing up as high as 4th position before fading to 7th just recently. They look like a Europa League place is beyond them now and have all but thrown in the towel. They have only won 4 from 14 away from home all season, and like many teams in Turkey have relied on home form to propel them up the table. Antalyaspor are comfortable in mid table obscurity, and similarly to BB have found goals hard to come by at times. They have won 5 from 14 at home, but only scored a paltry 15 goals in doing it. However, the last 2 matches have seen them hand out a 3-0 thrashing to Gala and also a thrilling away 3-2 win against Bursaspor that has ended their title hopes. This sudden burst of form and confidence should be enough to see off the higher placed Eski. Take Billy Hills 2.5 on the home win and thank me come Sunday tea time.
Manisaspor v Galatasaray, Monday 1800
Last up is Gala's trip to Manis on Monday evening. I've made a tidy little sum opposing them away from home this season and I see that run continuing on Monday. They looked particularly hopeless against Antalyaspor a couple of weeks ago and weren't much better in losing to Trabzon at home last weekend. There will never be a better time to play the fading giants and Manis have a fantastic opportunity to pick up 3 points. Gala don't do draws, only 3 from 28 matches this season, and Manis should add to their 5 home wins. They haven't won at home since late January, but at the prices I'm willing to punt on them finally doing so. They are still around 2.76 on Betfair and I would fully expect that to settle at more like 2.5 over the weekend so get on board now!
Thursday, 7 April 2011
Back to more mundane matters...
As the title suggests, I don't think we'll be witnessing any repeats of the midweek crackers we've seen from the UEFA competitions. This is obviously not including the borefest between In-Ger-Lund's representatives Chelsea and Man Utd on Wednesday. A horrific game brightened up by a really cracking goal from United. A cross field ball from the usually dreadful Carrick to Giggs then a great cross and finish applied by Wayne of Rooney. Speaking of everyone's favourite potato-headed neanderthal, he has picked up his ban for elbowing James McCarthy this week. At least, I assume that's what it's for or we're about to see players picking up suspensions for swearing in view of the camera in every match. The FA have once again proved their incompetence with this one and how they're staying in their jobs is a question for another time, they constantly fail miserably and still pick up their pay cheques. We have also seem Tottenham finally meeting a European power, and getting their arses handed to them. I can only assume I missed the bit where Redknapp's wonderful attacking talent overpowered Real. They were absolutely insipid, and the fact they've scored bugger all this year and bought crocked players has come back to haunt them. Music comes from the Blakroc album with ODB, Ludacris and Black Keys with the stamping Coochie.
Wolves v Everton, Saturday 1245
The Premier League weekend starts with Everton's injury ravaged squad travelling to Molineux. Professional Yorkshireman Mick McCarthy has assembled a team of battlers, who are a decent forward away from a mid-table outfit. The defence is no-nonsense and the midfield hard, with good wingers like recent England call-up Matt Jarvis and Michael Kightly. If there were someone prolific to partner the unselfish Kevin Doyle then they'd have turned plenty of narrow losses into draws and draws into wins. Everton have struggled all season, but have put enough wins on the board to not have to worry about relegation. I've mentioned before how I think David Moyes has lost the drive to take this stagnant team apart and build a new one. This summer will be the measure of that, as major changes are needed. Back to the betting and I think Wolves are good value here, Everton's injuries making them even more so. Back them at 2.62 with many firms putting that price up.
Tottenham v Stoke, Saturday 1500
My second tips comes from the weeks biggest losers Spurs. As predicted the tie is as good as over already and Harry Redknapp's stock is about to fall like a stone. Their league form has faltered to the point where re-qualification for the Champions League looks like a very long shot. He is also finally up on charges of taking bungs in the summer in one of the more open secrets in the game. The amount of shitty players the man has bought from dodgy areas like Africa and Eastern Europe leads me to think there may well be something in this. They have been dubbed 'The Entertainers' by the cheerleaders Sloppy Chops has in the media, regardless of the fact only 3 teams have scored less goals at home this season. The reason they are entertaining is only Rafa VDV and their horrendous defence. Stoke's non-football has again moved them well clear of relegation for the moment and most teams have still yet to figure out how to counter their physical game. They will play the same way they always play and I think Spurs will struggle with it. The Spurs defence is still injury hit and I would imagine any key players with a slight knock will be rested in the forlorn hope they can turn the Real match around. Steam in to the Draw and Stoke in Double Chance at 2.2 with Coral, it should be 2.0 for me.
Aston Villa v Newcastle, Sunday 1600
Last tip from the Premier League for this weekend comes from Villa Park on Sunday afternoon. Having been absolutely hopeless since Ged Houllier took over Villa looked like they got some bite back last weekend. They may not have beaten Everton, but the effort and application that has been missing was in evidence. And, of course, Darren Bent scored. The man always scores. Having had a mutiny stopped in it's tracks by Villa chairman Randy Lerner it looks like the players have tried to keep Villa away from The Championship in case their shit performances mean they all go down with the team. Newcastle have also not been great since the sale of talisman Andy Carroll. The rest of their strikers are Championship standard and not suprisingly they have struggled for goals. Joey Barton has again opened his mouth on the In-Ger-Lund team this week to L'Equipe and it makes good reading, especially his criticism of 'teachers pet' Gareth Barry. The problem is when Joey claims to be easily the best English midfielder, whilst he might have an outside claim, it's miles from a cast iron certainty. I see goals, goals, goals in this one. Bet365 go 1.95 on Over 2.5 goals and I think we'll see that.
Hercules v Espanyol, Sunday 1600
A match up from Spain provides the next source of increased income. Hercules had been worryingly poor since xmas and the dropping of star man Royston Drenthe. His displays on the left wing had lit up the team the first half of the season before he was dropped for daring to complain about not being paid. He was reinstated to the side last weekend and they impressed in winning. With young Royston probably the star man. Espanyol's home form has been great all season ,and is a big reason why they have stayed comfortably in the top half of the table, but their away form hasn't matched it. They have also been looking a bit jaded of late and that gives me a bit of confidence to back the home side here. Coral are again biggest price at 2.2 and I'd expect that to have gone by kick-off so get on now.
Eskisehirspor v Fenerbahce, Saturday 1700
First tip from Turkey this week has Fener travelling to Eski. Eski have been very good at hoem and have risen as high as 6th in the table off the back of that fact. Fener have been around the peak of the table most of the season, but have lost 4 away from home and only drawn once. Both sides are in very good form and are regularly outplaying the opposition. I see it as quite close to call and don't agree with the prices available at all. Most bookmakers seem to have priced it up with the name Fenerbahce in mind and not taken into account Eskisehirspor's impressive home performances. I think this gives an opportunity to have a poke at the home side. Prices are falling at the moment, but 4.3 is still available on the home win and I think it's worth a gamble at that price.
Istanbul BB v Sivasspor, Sunday 1200
An early kick off on Sunday has a favourite of mine Istanbul BB taking on Sivasspor. Siva had signed players like Darius Vassell over the summer and looked serious, but a lack of money saw the team in disarray soon enough and players leaving the club having not been paid for months. Their form has improved marginally just lately with the players left gelling some more after playing time together. But, Istanbul have been very good at home and have hovered around the top 6 all season on the basis of that. They won 2-1 at home last week, sadly they don't score enough to make it comfortable for backers. They should have more than enough for Sivasspor though so match prices of 2.6 at Bet365 look very appealing to me and will surely be more like 2.4 come kick off.
Galatasaray v Trabzonspor, Sunday 1700
Possibly the most well known Turkish team out side of Turkey is Gala. They had some great European campaigns on the not so distant past, playing the likes of Arsenal and Man Utd. But, they have fallen on hard times lately. Money hasn't been available the way it has been to city rivals Fener and it has shown in performances this season. They currently reside in lower mid-table obscurity and are coming in from a humiliating 3-0 loss last weekend. They have been beaten by lesser lights home and away all year. Trabzonspor have traditionally lived in the shadows of Istanbul's big 2 of Gala and Fener, and now upstarts Bursaspor have come on the scene. This season has seen something of a renaissance for them though, with them sitting atop the SuperLig for most of the season so far, and still hanging on desperate to pull away from chasing Fenerbahce. They are better than Gala, and should be able to get the job done. I think they'd be around 2.0 in England so I think the 2.2 at Betfair should be snapped up before it goes back to the 2.0 it should really be.
Wolves v Everton, Saturday 1245
The Premier League weekend starts with Everton's injury ravaged squad travelling to Molineux. Professional Yorkshireman Mick McCarthy has assembled a team of battlers, who are a decent forward away from a mid-table outfit. The defence is no-nonsense and the midfield hard, with good wingers like recent England call-up Matt Jarvis and Michael Kightly. If there were someone prolific to partner the unselfish Kevin Doyle then they'd have turned plenty of narrow losses into draws and draws into wins. Everton have struggled all season, but have put enough wins on the board to not have to worry about relegation. I've mentioned before how I think David Moyes has lost the drive to take this stagnant team apart and build a new one. This summer will be the measure of that, as major changes are needed. Back to the betting and I think Wolves are good value here, Everton's injuries making them even more so. Back them at 2.62 with many firms putting that price up.
Tottenham v Stoke, Saturday 1500
My second tips comes from the weeks biggest losers Spurs. As predicted the tie is as good as over already and Harry Redknapp's stock is about to fall like a stone. Their league form has faltered to the point where re-qualification for the Champions League looks like a very long shot. He is also finally up on charges of taking bungs in the summer in one of the more open secrets in the game. The amount of shitty players the man has bought from dodgy areas like Africa and Eastern Europe leads me to think there may well be something in this. They have been dubbed 'The Entertainers' by the cheerleaders Sloppy Chops has in the media, regardless of the fact only 3 teams have scored less goals at home this season. The reason they are entertaining is only Rafa VDV and their horrendous defence. Stoke's non-football has again moved them well clear of relegation for the moment and most teams have still yet to figure out how to counter their physical game. They will play the same way they always play and I think Spurs will struggle with it. The Spurs defence is still injury hit and I would imagine any key players with a slight knock will be rested in the forlorn hope they can turn the Real match around. Steam in to the Draw and Stoke in Double Chance at 2.2 with Coral, it should be 2.0 for me.
Aston Villa v Newcastle, Sunday 1600
Last tip from the Premier League for this weekend comes from Villa Park on Sunday afternoon. Having been absolutely hopeless since Ged Houllier took over Villa looked like they got some bite back last weekend. They may not have beaten Everton, but the effort and application that has been missing was in evidence. And, of course, Darren Bent scored. The man always scores. Having had a mutiny stopped in it's tracks by Villa chairman Randy Lerner it looks like the players have tried to keep Villa away from The Championship in case their shit performances mean they all go down with the team. Newcastle have also not been great since the sale of talisman Andy Carroll. The rest of their strikers are Championship standard and not suprisingly they have struggled for goals. Joey Barton has again opened his mouth on the In-Ger-Lund team this week to L'Equipe and it makes good reading, especially his criticism of 'teachers pet' Gareth Barry. The problem is when Joey claims to be easily the best English midfielder, whilst he might have an outside claim, it's miles from a cast iron certainty. I see goals, goals, goals in this one. Bet365 go 1.95 on Over 2.5 goals and I think we'll see that.
Hercules v Espanyol, Sunday 1600
A match up from Spain provides the next source of increased income. Hercules had been worryingly poor since xmas and the dropping of star man Royston Drenthe. His displays on the left wing had lit up the team the first half of the season before he was dropped for daring to complain about not being paid. He was reinstated to the side last weekend and they impressed in winning. With young Royston probably the star man. Espanyol's home form has been great all season ,and is a big reason why they have stayed comfortably in the top half of the table, but their away form hasn't matched it. They have also been looking a bit jaded of late and that gives me a bit of confidence to back the home side here. Coral are again biggest price at 2.2 and I'd expect that to have gone by kick-off so get on now.
Eskisehirspor v Fenerbahce, Saturday 1700
First tip from Turkey this week has Fener travelling to Eski. Eski have been very good at hoem and have risen as high as 6th in the table off the back of that fact. Fener have been around the peak of the table most of the season, but have lost 4 away from home and only drawn once. Both sides are in very good form and are regularly outplaying the opposition. I see it as quite close to call and don't agree with the prices available at all. Most bookmakers seem to have priced it up with the name Fenerbahce in mind and not taken into account Eskisehirspor's impressive home performances. I think this gives an opportunity to have a poke at the home side. Prices are falling at the moment, but 4.3 is still available on the home win and I think it's worth a gamble at that price.
Istanbul BB v Sivasspor, Sunday 1200
An early kick off on Sunday has a favourite of mine Istanbul BB taking on Sivasspor. Siva had signed players like Darius Vassell over the summer and looked serious, but a lack of money saw the team in disarray soon enough and players leaving the club having not been paid for months. Their form has improved marginally just lately with the players left gelling some more after playing time together. But, Istanbul have been very good at home and have hovered around the top 6 all season on the basis of that. They won 2-1 at home last week, sadly they don't score enough to make it comfortable for backers. They should have more than enough for Sivasspor though so match prices of 2.6 at Bet365 look very appealing to me and will surely be more like 2.4 come kick off.
Galatasaray v Trabzonspor, Sunday 1700
Possibly the most well known Turkish team out side of Turkey is Gala. They had some great European campaigns on the not so distant past, playing the likes of Arsenal and Man Utd. But, they have fallen on hard times lately. Money hasn't been available the way it has been to city rivals Fener and it has shown in performances this season. They currently reside in lower mid-table obscurity and are coming in from a humiliating 3-0 loss last weekend. They have been beaten by lesser lights home and away all year. Trabzonspor have traditionally lived in the shadows of Istanbul's big 2 of Gala and Fener, and now upstarts Bursaspor have come on the scene. This season has seen something of a renaissance for them though, with them sitting atop the SuperLig for most of the season so far, and still hanging on desperate to pull away from chasing Fenerbahce. They are better than Gala, and should be able to get the job done. I think they'd be around 2.0 in England so I think the 2.2 at Betfair should be snapped up before it goes back to the 2.0 it should really be.
Monday, 4 April 2011
Some UEFA style action, if you please...
Well followers and occasional glancers, it's been a while since I delved into the realms of midweek European betting on here. I have been betting myself on matches, but have found time at a premium to guide yourselves around the important ties in the 'Champions' League and the Europa League. Both competitions now enter their final throes with us at the Quarter Finals stage, and thankfully it means we can assume those in the Europa League now care. It is a tinpot cup of little or no significance anyway. I'll leave the usual rantings to the weekend and will focus on providing a tip for each match.
Inter Milan v Schalke, Tuesday 1945
Last years 'Champions' League winners Inter host Germany's Schalke in the first of the weeks matches. Inter managed to pretty much hand the title to city rivals AC on Saturday night in a 3-0 defeat. Alex Pato looking particularly impressive in scoring a brace for AC. This should leave Inter to focus on retaining this trophy and it would be some achievement in light of Rafa Benitez's best efforts to ruin Jose Mourinho's work at the start of the campaign. The useless goatie bearded Spanish prick that he is. Since the appointment of Leonardo Inter have shown signs of improvement, with Sneijder and Eto'o in particular impressing recently. Schalke have been up and down in the Bundesliga having spent big on Huntelaar, Jurado and Raul in the summer. None of these could be considered to be a resounding success, with Raul the most regular performer. I can only see an Inter win in this, but they are prohibitively short for me. I prefer Ladbrokes odds of 2.1 on Eto'o to score anytime, I'll be on that.
Real Madrid v Tottenham, Tuesday 1945
I was having a chinwag with a fellow at the office the other day about how Redknapp's stock is about to go past it's highest point here. Real Madrid will beat Spurs over 2 legs, of that there should be no doubt, and Spurs are looking very unlikely to requalify through league position. Considering the money spent on this team, wages included, they should not have gone backwards this term. Redknapp's cheerleaders will point at injuries, particularly in defence, as key to this. My retort would simply be, 'Well he bought the bunch of injury prone twats'. And he did. The droopy faced mong. Taking a punt on one out of Gallas, King and Woodgate is probably a chance worth taking. Making those 3 of your 4 centre backs is bad management, and the blame should be firmly at Sloppy Chops door. They are all unlikely to be fit for this match. Real Madrid lost, at home, at the weekend, and with that went the 9 year run of Jose's. They were without Ozil, Benzema and Ronaldo (the greasy, diving, absolute tool one), and this has to be factored in as they are all with a chance of featuring against Spuds. I really think Madrid are going to walk this. Spurs have provided plenty of entertainment this season, but a player like Ozil will make a leaky backline look like Niagara Falls given the chance. I'll again be looking to Laddies for my bet with quotes of 2.5 on Madrid winning to nil.
Chelsea v Man Utd, Wednesday 1945
The 'BIG ONE' for Sky and fans of the 'EPL', or tossers as I prefer to think of them. This has fucking horrendous match written all over it for me. United are likely to pack the midfield and play to not concede, and Chelsea are firing blanks. Having laid my opinions of David Luiz on this blog before the weekend I was not suprised to see renowned world beaters John Walters and Ricardo Fuller make him look a fool. He needs someone to sit him down and remind him defending should always be his first priority. Also if John Terry is your defensive partner, for fuck sake don't leave him exposed. United and Rooney recovered from a terrible first half performance to beat West Ham 4-2 from 2-0 down. Rooney with a hat-trick that has the press again asking if he has rediscovered his 'mojo'. He is undoubtably an above average performer, and works his arse off, but the shitty first touch is still very evident at present. The most impressive performer for me was Antonio Valencia or Hernandez. Hernandez looks like a fantastic signing and is a player I am looking forward to watching for many a season. He wont start this though so he's fairly irrelevant to the betting. I fancy a cagey start and a 2.1 qoute at Betfair for the half time draw looks reasonable to me.
Barcelona v Shakhtar Donetsk, Wednesday 1945
The most intriguing clash for me comes from Camp Nou on Wednesday. Ukranian champions Shakhtar have a selection of hard working Eastern Europeans allied with South American flair from the likes of Douglas Costa and Jadson. With Barcelona still looking off early season form, they could be in for a tough match in what is priced as the most easy to pick Quarter Final. Shakhtar are absolutely formidable at home and Barca will need to take a lead over there if they hope to progress, in my opinion. They again looked flat in narrowly beating Villarreal in El Madrigal on Saturday evening, but they have often reserved their best performances for Europe. The players for Shakhtar will no doubt all see this as a chance to get their names in managers thoughts for the summer with a big performance, and will go in under no pressure either. I really think this is going to be an upset the more I look at it. You can get 2.78 on Under 2.5 goals at Betfair and I think that's worth doing the way Barca have played lately.
Europa League, all matches Thursday 2005
I think Porto may well win the tournament this year. They have got some brilliant players like Falcao, Hulk and Rolando that will probably move on in the summer, but have the chance to win a European tournament before they leave having tied up their league on Sunday night at Benfica. I would back all the home teams to win their matches. And I would probably hcap Porto and Kiev to do so if anyone is looking for some Thursday betting!
Inter Milan v Schalke, Tuesday 1945
Last years 'Champions' League winners Inter host Germany's Schalke in the first of the weeks matches. Inter managed to pretty much hand the title to city rivals AC on Saturday night in a 3-0 defeat. Alex Pato looking particularly impressive in scoring a brace for AC. This should leave Inter to focus on retaining this trophy and it would be some achievement in light of Rafa Benitez's best efforts to ruin Jose Mourinho's work at the start of the campaign. The useless goatie bearded Spanish prick that he is. Since the appointment of Leonardo Inter have shown signs of improvement, with Sneijder and Eto'o in particular impressing recently. Schalke have been up and down in the Bundesliga having spent big on Huntelaar, Jurado and Raul in the summer. None of these could be considered to be a resounding success, with Raul the most regular performer. I can only see an Inter win in this, but they are prohibitively short for me. I prefer Ladbrokes odds of 2.1 on Eto'o to score anytime, I'll be on that.
Real Madrid v Tottenham, Tuesday 1945
I was having a chinwag with a fellow at the office the other day about how Redknapp's stock is about to go past it's highest point here. Real Madrid will beat Spurs over 2 legs, of that there should be no doubt, and Spurs are looking very unlikely to requalify through league position. Considering the money spent on this team, wages included, they should not have gone backwards this term. Redknapp's cheerleaders will point at injuries, particularly in defence, as key to this. My retort would simply be, 'Well he bought the bunch of injury prone twats'. And he did. The droopy faced mong. Taking a punt on one out of Gallas, King and Woodgate is probably a chance worth taking. Making those 3 of your 4 centre backs is bad management, and the blame should be firmly at Sloppy Chops door. They are all unlikely to be fit for this match. Real Madrid lost, at home, at the weekend, and with that went the 9 year run of Jose's. They were without Ozil, Benzema and Ronaldo (the greasy, diving, absolute tool one), and this has to be factored in as they are all with a chance of featuring against Spuds. I really think Madrid are going to walk this. Spurs have provided plenty of entertainment this season, but a player like Ozil will make a leaky backline look like Niagara Falls given the chance. I'll again be looking to Laddies for my bet with quotes of 2.5 on Madrid winning to nil.
Chelsea v Man Utd, Wednesday 1945
The 'BIG ONE' for Sky and fans of the 'EPL', or tossers as I prefer to think of them. This has fucking horrendous match written all over it for me. United are likely to pack the midfield and play to not concede, and Chelsea are firing blanks. Having laid my opinions of David Luiz on this blog before the weekend I was not suprised to see renowned world beaters John Walters and Ricardo Fuller make him look a fool. He needs someone to sit him down and remind him defending should always be his first priority. Also if John Terry is your defensive partner, for fuck sake don't leave him exposed. United and Rooney recovered from a terrible first half performance to beat West Ham 4-2 from 2-0 down. Rooney with a hat-trick that has the press again asking if he has rediscovered his 'mojo'. He is undoubtably an above average performer, and works his arse off, but the shitty first touch is still very evident at present. The most impressive performer for me was Antonio Valencia or Hernandez. Hernandez looks like a fantastic signing and is a player I am looking forward to watching for many a season. He wont start this though so he's fairly irrelevant to the betting. I fancy a cagey start and a 2.1 qoute at Betfair for the half time draw looks reasonable to me.
Barcelona v Shakhtar Donetsk, Wednesday 1945
The most intriguing clash for me comes from Camp Nou on Wednesday. Ukranian champions Shakhtar have a selection of hard working Eastern Europeans allied with South American flair from the likes of Douglas Costa and Jadson. With Barcelona still looking off early season form, they could be in for a tough match in what is priced as the most easy to pick Quarter Final. Shakhtar are absolutely formidable at home and Barca will need to take a lead over there if they hope to progress, in my opinion. They again looked flat in narrowly beating Villarreal in El Madrigal on Saturday evening, but they have often reserved their best performances for Europe. The players for Shakhtar will no doubt all see this as a chance to get their names in managers thoughts for the summer with a big performance, and will go in under no pressure either. I really think this is going to be an upset the more I look at it. You can get 2.78 on Under 2.5 goals at Betfair and I think that's worth doing the way Barca have played lately.
Europa League, all matches Thursday 2005
I think Porto may well win the tournament this year. They have got some brilliant players like Falcao, Hulk and Rolando that will probably move on in the summer, but have the chance to win a European tournament before they leave having tied up their league on Sunday night at Benfica. I would back all the home teams to win their matches. And I would probably hcap Porto and Kiev to do so if anyone is looking for some Thursday betting!
Saturday, 2 April 2011
Friday, 1 April 2011
The end is nigh...
Well, here we are, after another week or so of horrifically boring international football. We have learnt England can easily beat a team ranked almost 100 places below them and 1 position above San Marino. We have learnt England's back up aren't as hateable as the first choice 'Golden Generation', as they are more willing to work for their places. And we have also learnt that Jack Wilshire is the second coming of christ, or something in that ballpark. Now, young Jack is without a doubt a fine prospect, and having come through at the 1 club in England that places technical ability above size and speed he's standing out for In-Ger-Lund. The problem lies in the fact that those around him can't do the same thing and pass the ball without undue haste. He will no doubt flourish at Arsenal, and will look good for In-Ger-Lund, but I hardly think he's going to dominate the world for his country without help. And that help will not be found in Andy Carroll or Ashley Young. Young is another perfectly decent player the media have got excited about as the feel they have campaigned to get him in the team. Sadly the fact he can barely cross or shoot and is a thoroughly shameful diver has escaped them. Oh well...the hurt goes on for the patriots. Music this week is the loud and proud Millencolin with Farewell My Hell.
West Ham v Man Utd, Saturday 1245
The weekend kicks off with the still hopeless away United travelling to resurgent West Ham. Since signing around 43 new strikers in January, the Hammers have seen a steady improvement with enough goals being scored to keep eyes away from their still very pedestrian backline. Demba Ba in particular looks a good acquisition, pace to burn and no little skill too. He should give United's defence a run for their money in the absence of the Braaappp-tastic Rio Ferdinand. There should be no little motivation for the Reds here knowing that anything less than a win and Arsenal beating the constantly shit Blackburn at home will leave them with a game in hand and only a 3 point gap. Wayne 'Gobshite, cheating, granny shagging, general twat' Rooney has been talking of United being 'up' for this one so expect the ref to be called something horrendous everytime he gets within 20 feet of England's talisman. Can we not have him taken out back and shot? I would be loathe to back West Ham as United invariably get results when needed keeping them ahead of Wenger's Gunners. Bet365 go 2.2 on the half time draw and I think that's worth a tickle.
Stoke v Chelsea, Saturday 1500
Another game that sees a team struggling away this season travelling to a tough venue. Chelsea have masked recent poor performances with stringing together a couple of wins and neutrals and fans alike marvelling at David 'Sideshow Bob' Luiz rather magnificent barnet. Tis a cracker though. What does get my goat though is that people are queueing up to throw plaudits at him for scoring goals and galloping forward although he has given away 2 penalties already and leaves the leaden booted Terry exposed to a quick counter with his forays upfield. His first job as a central defender is defending, the clue is in the positions name. No amount of goals will make him a good defender and whilst he is employed there he has yet to convince me he's the complete package. Roque Junior got forward well, and we all know how that turned out at Leeds. Anyhow, Stoke are still playing something more approaching NFL with all their reliance on set-plays. But, it is still causing teams problems and getting them results so it's hard to argue. Oh, and Torres is looking more shot with every passing week, even getting booed when replacing Fernando Llorente for Spain in midweek. I fancy another half time stalemate in this. Stan James are standout at 2.2 for that.
Wigan v Spurs, Saturday 1500
Spurs, as Sloppy Chops will never tire of saying, are down to the bare bones this week. The only fit central defender they have is Michael Dawson, and he's struggling. They are also missing the man Messi looks up to in Gareth Bale out too. With the Champions League Quarter Final against Madrid coming up in the week they will not be chancing anyone for this match as I think Redknapp knows the Champions League qualification next year through the league is slipping away. He will no doubt bemoan his 'luck' in losing all his centre backs, but let's examine the evidence. He has bought a bunch of crocks...and they're crocked. Not bloody rocket science is it? No doubt his wonderful chums in the Red Tops will lap his usual bollocks up though. Wigan are a shower of shit themselves, but are capable of a result with players like Rodalega and the increasingly impressive James McCarthy in the side. I can easily see a Spurs slip up here so I'll be backing the home side. Stan James again appear confidently against me and are out at 3.3 on such an eventuality.
Lecce v Udinese, Sunday 1400
I am again including my current favourite team Udinese in my tips. They are a truly spectacular side to watch when in form, all attacking flair and goals. Antonio Di Natale is hardly a new boy, buy even at 32 he is consistently banging in the goals in the twilight of his career. With a young support cast including Kwadye Asamoah and next big thing Alexis Sanchez, he is ably assisted. Lecce have been terrible all season and look set for a spell in Serie B the way things stand. The international break shouldn't have harmed Udine too much, Di Natale is out of Italy's future planning so should be fresh to cause Lecce defenders nightmares. Victor Chandler are 2.3 on Udinese -1.0 asian and I would expect them to cover that pretty easily here.
Hoffenheim v Hamburg, Saturday 1430
Second foreign tip comes from the German Bundesliga with upstarts Hoffenheim hosting Hamburg. About 5 years or so ago Hamburg had a team including the talents of Rafa Van Der Vaart setting Germeny alight playing some wonderful football. Those days appear behind them at the moment with a more prosaic style of football currently keeping them comfortably mid-table after a couple of disappointing seasons. Hoffenheim are the little village team bankrolled by a local multi-millionaire from the regional divisions all the way to the big time. Their thrilling rise was all masterminded by huge Arsene Wenger fan Ralf Ragnick, who has recently departed in the wake of star player Luis Gustavo being sold behind his back to Batern Munich. This may be a blessing in disguise as they had begun to exhibit signs of stalling and getting complacent. They're still far from on top form, but they are decent at home and I think are worth a punt when they are marginal favs for this. Take Victor Chandlers 2.6 on them.
Karabukspor v Gaziantepspor, Saturday 1200
The first match of the Turkish SuperLig this weekend comes from Karabukspor with them hosting favourites of mine Gaziantep. Whilst I have been following Gaz for a few weeks now they aren't one's to go mad for goals at all and this rings especially true away from home with a pitiful 14 scored in 13, although only conceding 9. They keep it tight and try and sneak it most weeks, and it does often work! I have a feeling they might slip up this week. Karabuk have played 13 at home winning 7 and scoring 23, so they should put Gaziantep's defence under some pressure, and I think at current prices they're worth a go to do just that. Get on with Betfair and you can still get 2.88 on what should be at most a 2.5 in my view.
Istanbul BB v Bucaspor, Sunday 1500
Second Turkish tip comes from the capital with Bucaspor the visitors. Istanbul have been a bit of a suprise package this season with some good results propelling them to mid-table and still with an outside chance at Europa League qualification on the cards. They have been particulaly successful at home with 6 wins from 12 matches so far whereas Bucaspor have failed to get an away win all season. I really don't think against a defence as tight as Istanbul's they're going to start this week. Strangely BB have scored more goals away from home than in their own stadium this season, but I'd be willing to back them to improve their tally this weekend. I fancy them for a few goals so I'll take a handicap against odds on prices. Bet365 go 2.67 on a -1.0 asian and I'd be happy to take them on with that.
Brentford v Carlisle, Johnstones Paint Trophy Final, Sunday 1330
Here we then. The big one. The second trophy given out in the English football calendar. The Johnstones Paint Trophy Final. Wowsers. I have always wanted to make the trip to Griffin Park for some reason, it appeals as it's a proper community club in London I think? And I once went to Carlisle. Twas a wet and cold place fulfilling most stereotypes about being grim oop north that weekend. So I'm leaning towards The Bees for this one. Looking at league positions we find Carlisle in 11th in League 1 and Brentfors looking down on them from a lofty 9th position. There would appear to be little between the sides, but Brentford have barely conceded a goal on their way to the final and for that reason, as well as the small journey and no doubt large crowd cheering them on I think they might sneak it. They are marginal favs with most bookies around he 2.6 mark. If you don't want to call what will surely be a tight game I think goals might be at a premium so odds of 10.0 on a 0-0 draw with Bet365 look appealing to me too.
West Ham v Man Utd, Saturday 1245
The weekend kicks off with the still hopeless away United travelling to resurgent West Ham. Since signing around 43 new strikers in January, the Hammers have seen a steady improvement with enough goals being scored to keep eyes away from their still very pedestrian backline. Demba Ba in particular looks a good acquisition, pace to burn and no little skill too. He should give United's defence a run for their money in the absence of the Braaappp-tastic Rio Ferdinand. There should be no little motivation for the Reds here knowing that anything less than a win and Arsenal beating the constantly shit Blackburn at home will leave them with a game in hand and only a 3 point gap. Wayne 'Gobshite, cheating, granny shagging, general twat' Rooney has been talking of United being 'up' for this one so expect the ref to be called something horrendous everytime he gets within 20 feet of England's talisman. Can we not have him taken out back and shot? I would be loathe to back West Ham as United invariably get results when needed keeping them ahead of Wenger's Gunners. Bet365 go 2.2 on the half time draw and I think that's worth a tickle.
Stoke v Chelsea, Saturday 1500
Another game that sees a team struggling away this season travelling to a tough venue. Chelsea have masked recent poor performances with stringing together a couple of wins and neutrals and fans alike marvelling at David 'Sideshow Bob' Luiz rather magnificent barnet. Tis a cracker though. What does get my goat though is that people are queueing up to throw plaudits at him for scoring goals and galloping forward although he has given away 2 penalties already and leaves the leaden booted Terry exposed to a quick counter with his forays upfield. His first job as a central defender is defending, the clue is in the positions name. No amount of goals will make him a good defender and whilst he is employed there he has yet to convince me he's the complete package. Roque Junior got forward well, and we all know how that turned out at Leeds. Anyhow, Stoke are still playing something more approaching NFL with all their reliance on set-plays. But, it is still causing teams problems and getting them results so it's hard to argue. Oh, and Torres is looking more shot with every passing week, even getting booed when replacing Fernando Llorente for Spain in midweek. I fancy another half time stalemate in this. Stan James are standout at 2.2 for that.
Wigan v Spurs, Saturday 1500
Spurs, as Sloppy Chops will never tire of saying, are down to the bare bones this week. The only fit central defender they have is Michael Dawson, and he's struggling. They are also missing the man Messi looks up to in Gareth Bale out too. With the Champions League Quarter Final against Madrid coming up in the week they will not be chancing anyone for this match as I think Redknapp knows the Champions League qualification next year through the league is slipping away. He will no doubt bemoan his 'luck' in losing all his centre backs, but let's examine the evidence. He has bought a bunch of crocks...and they're crocked. Not bloody rocket science is it? No doubt his wonderful chums in the Red Tops will lap his usual bollocks up though. Wigan are a shower of shit themselves, but are capable of a result with players like Rodalega and the increasingly impressive James McCarthy in the side. I can easily see a Spurs slip up here so I'll be backing the home side. Stan James again appear confidently against me and are out at 3.3 on such an eventuality.
Lecce v Udinese, Sunday 1400
I am again including my current favourite team Udinese in my tips. They are a truly spectacular side to watch when in form, all attacking flair and goals. Antonio Di Natale is hardly a new boy, buy even at 32 he is consistently banging in the goals in the twilight of his career. With a young support cast including Kwadye Asamoah and next big thing Alexis Sanchez, he is ably assisted. Lecce have been terrible all season and look set for a spell in Serie B the way things stand. The international break shouldn't have harmed Udine too much, Di Natale is out of Italy's future planning so should be fresh to cause Lecce defenders nightmares. Victor Chandler are 2.3 on Udinese -1.0 asian and I would expect them to cover that pretty easily here.
Hoffenheim v Hamburg, Saturday 1430
Second foreign tip comes from the German Bundesliga with upstarts Hoffenheim hosting Hamburg. About 5 years or so ago Hamburg had a team including the talents of Rafa Van Der Vaart setting Germeny alight playing some wonderful football. Those days appear behind them at the moment with a more prosaic style of football currently keeping them comfortably mid-table after a couple of disappointing seasons. Hoffenheim are the little village team bankrolled by a local multi-millionaire from the regional divisions all the way to the big time. Their thrilling rise was all masterminded by huge Arsene Wenger fan Ralf Ragnick, who has recently departed in the wake of star player Luis Gustavo being sold behind his back to Batern Munich. This may be a blessing in disguise as they had begun to exhibit signs of stalling and getting complacent. They're still far from on top form, but they are decent at home and I think are worth a punt when they are marginal favs for this. Take Victor Chandlers 2.6 on them.
Karabukspor v Gaziantepspor, Saturday 1200
The first match of the Turkish SuperLig this weekend comes from Karabukspor with them hosting favourites of mine Gaziantep. Whilst I have been following Gaz for a few weeks now they aren't one's to go mad for goals at all and this rings especially true away from home with a pitiful 14 scored in 13, although only conceding 9. They keep it tight and try and sneak it most weeks, and it does often work! I have a feeling they might slip up this week. Karabuk have played 13 at home winning 7 and scoring 23, so they should put Gaziantep's defence under some pressure, and I think at current prices they're worth a go to do just that. Get on with Betfair and you can still get 2.88 on what should be at most a 2.5 in my view.
Istanbul BB v Bucaspor, Sunday 1500
Second Turkish tip comes from the capital with Bucaspor the visitors. Istanbul have been a bit of a suprise package this season with some good results propelling them to mid-table and still with an outside chance at Europa League qualification on the cards. They have been particulaly successful at home with 6 wins from 12 matches so far whereas Bucaspor have failed to get an away win all season. I really don't think against a defence as tight as Istanbul's they're going to start this week. Strangely BB have scored more goals away from home than in their own stadium this season, but I'd be willing to back them to improve their tally this weekend. I fancy them for a few goals so I'll take a handicap against odds on prices. Bet365 go 2.67 on a -1.0 asian and I'd be happy to take them on with that.
Brentford v Carlisle, Johnstones Paint Trophy Final, Sunday 1330
Here we then. The big one. The second trophy given out in the English football calendar. The Johnstones Paint Trophy Final. Wowsers. I have always wanted to make the trip to Griffin Park for some reason, it appeals as it's a proper community club in London I think? And I once went to Carlisle. Twas a wet and cold place fulfilling most stereotypes about being grim oop north that weekend. So I'm leaning towards The Bees for this one. Looking at league positions we find Carlisle in 11th in League 1 and Brentfors looking down on them from a lofty 9th position. There would appear to be little between the sides, but Brentford have barely conceded a goal on their way to the final and for that reason, as well as the small journey and no doubt large crowd cheering them on I think they might sneak it. They are marginal favs with most bookies around he 2.6 mark. If you don't want to call what will surely be a tight game I think goals might be at a premium so odds of 10.0 on a 0-0 draw with Bet365 look appealing to me too.
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