Apologies in advance for the length of this post gents but this is the proper forum for it.
BLACKBURN V WBA - Saturday 3pm
There will have been one Man United lover crying even louder than the rest after their shock defeat at home to Blackburn on Saturday. That man will be Bryan Robson whose West Brom side travel to Blackburn on Saturday to face a team who have just received the biggest confidence boost since erm, since that Aussie bloke fell over a cricket ball.
The Baggies haven't yet won on their Premiership travels this season and Saturday's game is unlikely to be the one that breaks their duck.
Having said that, Blackburn are not the most prolific of scorers and if the price of 4/5 or 5/6 ish is too short for your liking, why not go for the draw with WBA a goal start in the handicap, which means that you would collect if Blackburn were to win by only one goal.
Recommend.
10 pts Home win 4/5
bet365 and
bluesquare
5pts Handicap wba +1, draw 13/5
Bluesquare
1st Goalscorer Craig Bellamy to net his first league goal of the campaign
FULHAM V MAN UTD - Saturday 3pm
Pick up a newspaper on Saturday and read the football pages and it'll be a bloody miracle if you manage to avoid the word "backlash". I disagree and I'm not so sure that Fulham will bounce back to paste United (that's a joke by the way )
Most astute punters will be expecting an easy away victory in this one, as will most not-so-bright punters, which is why I'm going along with the flow and also backing the away win. In fact, I'm so confident that I intend to go for the half time away/full time away for the better price.
Whilst I'm pretty confident about the result, I'm not so sure that there will be an avalanche of goals (given United's current poor form) and I'm also happy to have a dabble on the 0-2 scoreline.
Van the man hasn't scored a league goal for a week, so his big old horse face will be chomping at the bit and he's my first goalscorer bet.
Recommend
10 pts half time/full time Away/Away 8/5
Bet365
5 pts 0-2 correct score 6/1 bluewsquare
5 pts RVN first goalscorer
And now it's time for some gratuitous puns on Chris Coleman's name. Whether or not he cuts the mustard on Saturday, I'm sure it won't be enough to get the Coleman the sack as the Fulham board will surely cut him some Slack, but it will be no miner feat for him to pit his wits against Fergie, and I'm sure both managers will share a coke at the bar after the game.
Lump on.
PORTSMOUTH V NEWCASTLE – Saturday 3pm
When Pompey are relegated in May, their fans will point to a long list of games that they have either drawn or lost by the odd goal and say "if only we'd have put those chances away, we wouldn't be having to travel to such a God-forsaken place as Hull.
This game won't be on that list. There is no doubt that Pompey's home form has done them proud during their Premiership years. Unfortunately, they are destined to become the only team who have held the FA cup for more consecutive years than they've stayed in the Premiership.
I'm going for the away win and a dabble on correct score of 0-2 and 1-3.
Recommend
10 pts away win 7/5
Bet365
3 pts on 0-2 10/1
Bluesquare
2 pts on 1-3 20/1
Bet365
CHARLTON V SPURS -Saturday 3pm
Gazing into my crystal ball, I see a goal fest in this game. A strange thing to say, given that Charlton have scored only one goal in their opening two home league games but the fact that they have been scoring freely in their away games (and Carling Cup game) points to the fact they they are more than capable in front of goal and with Spurs being the kind of team likely to attack them, get on over 2.5 goals in this one.
Recommend
15 pts Over 2.5 goals 2.3 @
Betfair
MAN CITY V EVERTON - Sunday 11.15am
It seems that Everton have given new definition to the term "Yo Yo Club". Underachieving one season, overachieving the next, underachieving the next.
Life at Everton is never boring but the same can be said for Man City and I'm fancying the home win in this one. Everton won't be lacking in effort though, as they bid to shake off their sluggish start to the season and you could do worse then to put a little bit of your hard earned on perennial substitute BDF (Big Duncan Ferguson) to score the last goal of the game as Everton press to get back in it.
Recommend
15 pts Home win 5/6
5 pts Ferguson to score last goal of the game
LIVERPOOL V CHELSEA – Sunday 4pm
The clash of the tight uns
Between them, both teams have only conceded 3 goals in the 12 games played in the Premiership so far. No doubt Wednesday's match between them will be analysed, re-analysed and - to be honest - over-analysed in a bid to find the clues that will lead to a winning punt on Sunday's rematch.
That's not for me. My mind is made up already. No doubt some will put forward the theory that Liverpool need to win to give them any hope at all of getting within reach of Chelsea. My view is that they'd be more than happy to take a point off the Champions and then worry about picking wins up later on.
Recommend
10 pts on the draw 11/5
Bet365
2 pts first goalscorer John Arne Riise
ASTON VILLA V M'BORO - Sunday 2pm
Steve McLaren has succeeded in stealing David O'Leary's old catchphrase of "Oh I've got so many injuries and my poor squad is depleted" (To be fair, probably the third worst catchphrase ever, behind Larry Grayson's "Bloody hell it's draughty in here" and Jimmy Cricket's "Come back, I've not finished talking yet"). He'll also be after stealing a point from the affable Irishman away from home.
Both manager's have been touted as possible contenders for Sven's seat when he's eventually put out to grass (or should that be out to stud )
which proves, if proof were needed, why the FA needed to look outside these little group of islands for an England manager in the first place.
There's no such thing as a nailed-on draw but if there was, it would look something like this.
Recommend
10 pts draw 9/4
bet365
Cheers.
