I was very disappointed this week to see that Manchester United, the biggest most successful club of the modern age wouldn't put anyone up for interview. This maybe due to the fact they had just lost 3-1 to Liverpool, their third defeat this season, or it maybe to do with Fergusons endless argument with the footballing authorities. Either way its wrong and it should be stopped. Fans pay a ridiculous amount of money to the line pockets of clubs, players and managers the least the clubs and employees can do is follow the rules and come and talk about the game! It is a fact that Fergie himself should be speaking to the BBC every week, instead he sends out his henchmen and refuses to back down. The League fine Manchester United every week, how much at this stage is unclear but clearly its not enough.
For many weeks I have gone on about the lack of respect clubs show to the common fan and this is another classic example of that!
On the opposite side of the coin we have Harry Redknapp, he too had his issues with the BBC but has managed to get over them and move on. When Spurs won in AC Milan a couple of weeks ago he went to the sky commentary position and sat and had a chat with the presenters (which i concede did include his son Jamie!) Well congratulations to Spurs on reaching the Quarter finals of the champions league, the only English side to not only keep a clean sheet in Europe this week but also not to lose! Arsenal can consider themselves unlucky on many fronts however the unluckiest thing was to draw Barcelona in the first place, the way the Spanish side move the ball around is a joy to watch even if it meant the end of one of our English sides in the competition!
Well last week I managed 4 out of 4 results! It was a welcome return to form, but also I must congratulate my good friend who also managed 4 out of 4! Hopefully we can have a repeat this week!
Tuesday sees the start of the Cheltenham Festival (horses) we will be attending on Wednesday so it would be nice to go with a pocket full of cash!
This week I'm going goal crazy! As a reminder goal crazy is a bet where you win if both teams score, so we need teams that concede at home and teams that concede away!
First up we have Charlton and Brentford. Charlton have had a tough time at home recently and have conceded at home in the past 4 games. Brentford didn't score in their last away game at Hartlepool where they did concede 3 but did score in the previous 5. Therefore I see goals galore at the Valley tomorrow!
4/5 for both teams to score
Next we have Colchester, they didnt score last time out at home to Southampton but did score in all games going back to December 11. Colchester have also lost their last 2 games so will be geared up for a win to get them back on track. MK Dons have scored in their last 7 away games, scoring 4 last time out against Rochdale. On that day Rochdale also scored!
3/4 for both to score
For goals this season you need to go and watch Sheffield Weds. Last time out they lost 2-3 at Oldham, before that 2-4 home to Plymouth! They have lost 5-3 at Peterborough, lost 5-1 at Exeter and won 6-2 at home to Bristol Rovers! A team ful of goals should be able to score at home to Notts County, these 2 played in the cup back in September when it finished 2-1. Notts County are not the most prolific away from home but with Sheffields leaky defense I feel this is a sure thing.
3/4 for both to score
Finally Crewe play Chesterfield. One word on this game - when the 2 teams played the reverse leg the game finished 5-5!
This game is 8/13 for both to score!
Next week we hope to do a podcast as well for the blog so keep your eyes open for that on Friday
Well as you commented Martin, a great weekend for us both last time out – you certainly pulled it out of the bag with the late QPR winner in the 88th minute and then a superb Brighton goal in injury time to seal the three points (and the cash!) at the Withdean. With a view to our Cheltenham Festival trip this week, perhaps a few midweek racing tips on the blog (as well as the first ever podcast) could be a welcome addition?
ReplyDeleteAs you would come to expect, I have been doing my homework and studying the form well into the small hours this week in preparation for The Festival, so have a few tips which I would be happy to share! Back to footballing matters though and I too have selected the Charlton game along with the usual three other selections:
Portsmouth v Middlesbrough (home win 11/10)
Pompey have a good recent record against Borough having only lost at home to them once in their last eleven meetings. They had been going well until defeat earlier this week against fast improving Bristol City, however I have a sneaky feeling they will get back on track against Tony Mowbray’s inconsistent side in this one. I debated going goal crazy for this game, as I noted that Borough have only failed to score twice in their last sixteen games, but the value for the home win has swayed me for a home Pompey victory. Here’s hoping my greed hasn’t got the better of me!
Charlton v Brentford (home win 6/5)
The Addicks have won 16 of their 21 home games against Brentford over the years, with the away side’s solitary win occurring way back in the 1925/26 season – a massive 86 years ago! If they are to improve this record, then the Bees will need to reverse a dreadful away run in the league that last saw them win at St. Mary’s three months ago. I backed Hartlepool to beat them last weekend and I am again betting against Brentford this time round. Charlton haven’t won in five, but will be eager to bounce back from a midweek defeat and have history on their side. The price looks too tempting for me, so home win.
Wycombe v Stevenage (home win 21/20)
You won’t find anything in the history books for this fixture – the only league meeting between these sides took place five months ago and Wycombe won that game 0-2. So we need to rely on current form as our gauge to see how this encounter may pan out and I reckon it’s hard to look past the league’s third placed club at home. I have had a ‘nibble’ at Wycombe three times this season with little success, so I sincerely hope they come up trumps for me this weekend. Their seven home games in 2011 have only resulted in one defeat, whilst Stevenage do struggle to score away from home – they have the lowest goal tally away from home with the exception of Bradford. Another home win for me.
Peterborough v Carlisle (goals crazy 4/6)
Carlisle have scored nine goals in their last five games and most tellingly, six of those have all come in their away games, where the pressure of playing in front of the home crowd has been off. This is not a fixture which tends to yield plenty of goals, however their recent form suggests they should find the net again this weekend. For their part, Peterborough have a phenomenal goal scoring record at home this season, hitting the net no less than 51 times at London Road, although they do tend to concede as well. This is consequently why I have chosen the goals crazy option for this fixture.
I reckon that my tips this week amount to some excellent value, with the £1 Yankee paying £71.67 if successful. I hope that I can follow up my successful full house from last week in similar fashion. Last weekend, the 4 bets were virtually sewn up after 45 minutes, so fingers crossed.......