2/3rd Feb English Premiership

[slick]

Barclays Premier League
02 Feb 12:45 Man City v Arsenal 4.50 3.60 1.80
02 Feb 15:00 Birmingham v Derby 1.61 3.50 6.50
02 Feb 15:00 Blackburn v Everton 2.37 3.20 3.10
02 Feb 15:00 Portsmouth v Chelsea 5.25 3.50 1.72
02 Feb 15:00 Reading v Bolton 2.15 3.25 3.50
02 Feb 15:00 Tottenham v Man Utd 4.00 3.50 1.90
02 Feb 15:00 Wigan v West Ham 2.62 3.25 2.70
02 Feb 17:15 Liverpool v Sunderland 1.30 5.00 12.00
03 Feb 13:30 Newcastle v Middlesbrough 2.00 3.25 4.00
03 Feb 16:00 Fulham v Aston Villa 3.25 3.25 2.25

Odds Bet365

Fill ure boots on Arsenal folk as City are shite at the moment and on recent performances i don't see a cat in hells chance of us matching the gunners.

Everton look a bit pricey too and there seems no stopping Man U at the moment and don't they usually get a result at the Lane.

I think theres some good betting to be had in the Prem this weekend if we get our heads together.

[fasteddy]

some early thoughts....

Man City vs Arsenal
Not much to say in favour of anything other than an 'away' win. City dragged a point out of their midweek match with Derby, and there was nothing evident in their efforts to suggest that Arsenal better be ready for a tough match come the weekend. The fact that City are still unbeaten at Home is simply not relevant now, and with the last 3 games being draws vs West Ham, Liverpool and Blackburn....none of which can be classed alongside the Gunners currently.....Sven faces a big task in simply getting his squad set up to deal with the free flowing Londoners, never mind win.
City mustered only 5 shots on goal vs Derby, and that sums up their current malaise. Against an Arsenal side that has lost just the one game all season ,and that has conceded just 3 in the last 8, you'd have to be a blinkered , diehard, City fan to even start to build a case for points.

Adebayor has scored in 6 of the last 7 league matches, and been 1st G/S in 4 of them, so he should continued to be followed here , along with Flamini... now he has tasted success again.

Arsenal @ 1.85 centrebet / To Score: Adebayor @ 2.75 Hills & Flamini @ 9.50 paddypower / Arsenal Clean Sheet @ 2.40 paddypower

Birmingham vs Derby
This is a must win for McLeish. Not that he's in jeopardy of losing his job, or that it would spell the end of the season , but as a new manager that's been busy with transfers and decent efforts vs Top 3 sides, but still sitting with only 20pts and in the relegation zone, to host Derby and fail to record 3pts would be a massive set back. Birmingham have beaten Derby in their 3 recent meetings, albeit narrowly, 2-1/1-0/1-0, so, with goals being a commodity that has been in scarce supply with the Blues recently, the pressure's on to correct that in this one. A repeat of their last Home performance vs Chelsea would surely see them win this one, though.
Derby will fight tooth and nail to continue to erase their awful FA Cup display, and the point vs Man City went someway to doing that, but the overall outlook is dismal.
Two sides struggling for goals makes for a desperate affair. But one bright note on betting is that the Rams have been very resilient in their opening 45 play vs bottom half sides on the road...with 5 draws from 6 played. While Birmingham will be glad to be back home after playing 3 aways in the last 4, so improvement is to be expected.

Asian HT Betting: Derby +0.25 @ 2.05 betchronicle / Birmingham -1 @ 2.16 paddypower

Blackburn vs Everton
A bit of an unexpected scoreline vs Spurs midweek , 0-0 , but in terms of which side had the better chances Everton came out on top. Minus playmaker/scorer Cahill and Hibbert thru suspensions , the Toffee's looked as though there would be trouble ahead , but in fact it was only AJ's poor finishing that stopped them from taking 3pts. I think that result will be viewed a decent in hindsight , so a visit to Ewood shouldn't be too tough to handle.
After a very rocky Nov/Dec stretch of 10 games, and 9/30pts , Mark Hughes has seemingly steadied the ship with January's tally of P4 W2 D2 L0, and 8/16pts. That's much better , plus it's good to see goals in 6 successive League games.
These two usually play low scoring ties, with a strong physical aspect to the game and more of the same wouldn't surprise me here.
Rovers are unbeaten in 6 and will expect to make that 7 with their current form, while Everton know they've got the squad to beat anyone outside of the Top 3. I favour Everton to just have the edge in creative play at the moment, and Rovers have only taken 9/36pts vs Top Half teams, so at such decent odds in this it's hard to ignore them, but Blackburn have shown that they are one of the best sides for 'fight' with only Arsenal/Chelsea having a better record when going behind in a game.

Asian Betting : Everton +0.25 @ 1.90 bet365 / 1st goal time 28 + @ 1.90 ladbrokes

Portsmouth vs Chelsea
Another day and another Top3 side waiting to rip you a new ring...oh, it's great to play for Portsmouth. Man Utd really did give Pompey a near masterclass in football , but maybe most teams would have suffered anyway. Maybe not. So few chances were carved out of what little possession they could get thus giving the defence a horrid time with Red wave upon Red wave of Rooney and Ronaldo pushing them back all the time. They didn't give up in their efforts , but the quality was really poor. Harry doesn't try to beat sides with more flair than his, especially when his best are away on Cup duty , so another stab at nicking a point will be the order of the day.
Chelsea continue to keep their winning margins as low as possible, but again took 3pts (vs Reading) with some style, if not the goals. Their winning run is now at 9 in all comps, with 5 straight in the EPL. Bear in mind those last 5 have all come vs bottom half sides. Infact Chelsea have had a very nice run of things with the last match vs a true Top Half team being Villa 4-4, and before that Arsenal, when they lost 1-0. Portsmouth may still be hanging on to their top 10 status on paper , but I'd view them as a side on the slide currently, so Chelsea should expect another 3pts.

Makelele played a beautiful game vs Reading, looking his best for a long time.That's him started 5 in a row, and Chelsea winning 5 in a row. Key man.

Chelsea @ 1.78 Betfair / Clean Sheet: Chelsea @ 2.10 paddypower

Reading vs Bolton

Steve Coppell's face can't be getting grumpier looking now that his side have lost 5 in a row. Ok, they were against strong top 10 sides, but still, they've only scored once in the last 360mins of football, and that was a 90th minute consolation vs Aston Villa. The latest defeat by Chelsea should have been by a lot more , but a bit like Pompey vs Man Utd , the dominant team didn't kill of the game as they should have. Bolton are no 'Chelsea' so this must be seen as a great chance to open up a gap between themselves and Birmingham/Wigan, who are both only 2 pts below.
The goals have dried up , but there is shortage of talent in the Royal's ranks...just nee a bit of luck..
Bolton yet again drew a blank, but still took a point vs Fulham, 0-0, the same scoreline as the week previous versus Newcastle. Not nice to watch, but looks don't matter when survival in the EPL is at stake. New signing Gary Cahill will add strength to the defence, and this young centre back is definitely one for the future, but if Bolton need anything to spend $9m on it must surely be a striker!? the slog continues.

This is a real chance for Reading to get back to winning ways , but the Trotters are showing a real resistance to goals.

Under 2.25 @ 2.02 canbet / 1st Goal time 28+ @ 1.90 ladbrokes

Tottenham vs Man Utd
It's now 4 wins in row with 4 clean sheets for the Red Devils , and with Ronaldo in the form he is there can be little respite for any opponents until the tide changes. They talk of the likes of Anleka and Berbatov as quality strikers, yet they both fade in comparison to the Man Utd midfielder....that tells you how strong a hand Ferguson just now. Everything changes at somepoint , but Man Utd haven't shown when that may be!
Spurs failed to score vs Everton midweek, making it their 6th 'away' draw this season, and overall a 1-6-6 record for their travels. Woodgate put in a commanding display, while I felt that Huddlestone showed once more why he should be a regular pick for Ramos. The CB slot works well with his style and presence. Berbatov again failed to shine even with his 'excellent' hold up play....ultimately it all counts for nothing without the goals. Keane needs the supply or he resorts to crazy chases , while O'Hara and Lennon maintained their superb form. No goals, and little spark overall. Back in front of their faithful fans we will see a very different side, and one that should give Man Utd more to think of than that which turned up at OT in the Cup. Hopefully shades of 'Arsenal 5-1' will be seen again , as that is the level required for this tie.

May 2001....that's the last time Spurs took any points of Man Utd at White Hart Lane....3pts actually. But the 6 meetings after that have all gone Utd's way: 6-0-0 GF16 GA5. Tough task. Step up, or step out!

Man Utd @ 1.95 expekt / Last goal time 76+ @ 1.83 paddypower

Wigan vs West Ham
Great result for The Hammers against Liverpool midweek, with a very late, but very welcomed penalty, and a 1-0 win for 3pts on the board. Wigan lost 1-0 to Boro, and extended their sequence of scoring 1 or less to seven league games. There was also very little to commend them in terms of threats or ideas, so I doubt the visitors will be that bothered.
The strange thing about when these two meet is that there is a very heavy bias towards the 'away' team, with the last 10 (all comps) ending 7-1-1 for the visitors: only West Ham have recorded a Home win, and that was back in Nov 2003.
West Ham have lost only 3 out of the last 15, with Chelsea, Arsenal and Everton the victors. They are way above Wigan in terms of quality and to be priced at nearly equal odds really surprises me. The momentum boost the Hammers will get from beating Liverpool will be huge, compared with Wigan looking to new signing Marlon King for inspiration. Take into consideration the historical bias as well and there is a great case for a large bet on another win and another 3pts for Curbsihley's men.

West Ham @ 2.80 centrebet

Liverpool vs Sunderland
Oh, how Rafa must be glad he's only got Sunderland to deal with after that loss to West Ham. Well, I think he should be glad! Sunderland are like chalk and cheese when it comes to their respective displays home and away : Winless on their travels after 12 attempts, while ranked 7th for their home efforts. Go figure.
Roy Keane gave fellow relegation fighter, Alex McLeish's Birmingham, a lesson in getting the job done at home, where the points need to be guaranteed as much as possible. It's just a shame he can't get his players to at least hit an average of 1 per game 'away' though, as that would make life harder for their opponents. And he needs to do something to make it harder!
Liverpool won 2-0 in the first meeting, and will easily settle for the same again. Anything to get the winning habit back. Having effectively dropped 11 pts in 5 games the Anfield masses won't be looking for anything less than 3pts, a clean sheet and at least 3/4 goals, but the stats show that 10 of the last 11 played have ended Under 2.5. Plus, at Anfield Liverpool are only 2-3-0. Not exactly dominating.
Keane obviously has some solid facts with which to build a case for getting a result here , as well as the West Ham win , but their seriously poor away form makes it hard to put cash on it happening. If new signing , Prica ,shows the same resolve as on his debut then you never know ...an early goal could really rattle the Reds. It's certainly a good time to be playing Liverpool on current form, but you know an Anfield backlash is coming...just not when.

To Score : R.Prica @ 6.00 ladbrokes / Away team to score @ 1.80 Bet1128

Newcastle vs Middlesbrough

[ONEDUNME]

I'm a big believer on swimming against the tide/crowd on the way to making a profit but in this instance I'll be on the gunners all the way.

[trigger_82]

DRAW NO BET Aston Villa @ $1.65...

Aston Villa away form (premier league only) - 4 - 6 - 1

Their only away loss was to Man City back on 17th September.

Fulham Home form (premier league only) - 2 - 5 - 5

Fulhams only two home wins came against lower grade opposition (Bolton and Reading).

There is a decent chance of a draw, but I believe the difference in class and current form will easily be too much for Fulham. Hopefully if things dont really go my way I should atleast see my money back.....




Ive also taken

Man yoo @ 1.80 (medium)
West ham @ 2.70 (medium)
Aston villa @ 2.25 (medium)

And a multi; (small)
Arsenal @ 1.80
Everton @ 3.10
Chelsea @ 1.72
Man Utd @ 1.83
West Ham @ 2.70
Aston Villa @ 2.25
paying $107.00

Good luck...

[PremierTips]

Look at Newcastle. Last 5 games 0-0-5 (GD 0-14)
But they are still favourites to win the NorthEast derby!
I'm getting on X2 big time and a small bet on the away win at 4.00.
Home advantage means nothing in these derbies and Middlesbrough are capable of turning it on now and again. Worth a bet at odds like these as Newcastle are pants.

[keemanan]

I think Man Utd are the riskiest bet of the big 3 , Arsenal should make short work of beating us this weekend , it would take a huge improvement in form to force a draw here and even if we do it still requires Arsenal to underperform. Early kick off may help us a bit I dunno.

United should repeat their victory but as Arsenal found out WH Lane is buzzing at the moment and Spurs can win this. They were in it until the ex Derby player ruined the game with his stupid handball. Spurs haven't beaten Man U for ages but they hadn't beaten Arsenal for ages either.

I agree on the Boro shout too, 3/1 against a terrible Newcastle team with no form at all. Steve Bruce admitted Wigan were battered midweek by Boro and Alves on his debut could mak hay against a simply dreadful barcode defence

I love the Everton handicap tip too Eddy

[fasteddy]

just noticed I missed out the rest of the previews at the bottom....

Newcastle vs Middlesbrough

It's a piece of bad timing for Newcastle to be facing Boro after they at last successfully landed the Brazilian striker Afonso Alves from Heerenveen. That's not to say he will make an immediate impact , but if he starts you know there will be the anticipation, and added threat...all of which Keegan could do without. Just a straightforward 3pts is all he craves!
Southgate spent ages convincing Alves to make the move, and to be honest I don't know why he did, but money talks, eh? Certainly 45 goals in 38 games is mightily impressive. Some of that will go a long way to helping Boro gain ground on those above.
Neither side has been easy with the goals, so a tight affair may be in order , however you have to think that in front of the St James's fans Keegan's players will want to do the business in style. Can they, though? A positive stat is that Newcastle have lost just two of their 20 home games against bottom half sides since the start of the 2005/06 season, so they at least have the number crunchers on their side!

Boro +0.50 @ 1.90 betinternet

Fulham vs Aston Villa

Roy of the Rovers, he is not, but he could do with a player of that ability! Roy Hodgson has brought in a few new faces, but not one that I can see as being a 'season savior'. Last week they kept a clean sheet for the first time in a long while, but it did come against the very low scoring Trotters. If Anelka had still been with Megson's squad I don't think Fulham would have taken a point.

Villa are maintaining solid form, and with the addition of Wayne Routledge they have another 'Maloney-esque' talent if he gets his game back on track. Again, O'Neill has opted for pace and trickery in a player, and even though Routledge is not match fit in any sense of the word, he definitely has scope.

I really like the odds of 2.00 'draw no bet' from Ladbrokes here, as they are only best priced @ 2.30 for the win. Fulham can get off to quick starts, so there's always that possibility to consider as well, and it's very attractively priced as well.

Villa DNB @ 2.00 Ladbrokes / Villa to win from behind @ 12.00 boylesport / Over 2.5 @ 2.15 bet365

[fasteddy]

cheers Keemanan....I've had a decent bet on Everton +0.25 and also DNB

With Defoe going to Pompey now I'd have a rethink on that bet of 'clean sheet' for Chelsea....I'm a big fan of Defoe's and think he was underutilised by Ramos. Better service from the Portsmouth midfield will give him enough chances to put one away I think, but Harry does like to keep it tight against the Top 3, so waiting to see his set up on the day is my advice

The Newcastle stat of losing just 2 out of 20 home games vs bottom placed sides since 2006/07 is a strong one to consider. The X2 is my idea of the bet, as Alves will need time like most new arrivals, plus Boro do have a history of inconsistency.
Possibly a 'lay' of ther hosts and follow it 'in play' is a good way to get after Keegan's squad.

The more I look at West Ham the more I fancy them, so I've had another lump on them to win. I just can't stand Steve Bruce!

[Cinny]

Originally Posted by slick

Fill ure boots on Arsenal folk as City are shite at the moment and on recent performances i don't see a cat in hells chance of us matching the gunners.

Thankfully the big 3 all came home midweek..made wednesday night out on the piss that bit sweeter

otally agree with Slick 100% im gunna tank arsenal getting 10/11, city have been good at home all year but were very lucky when they played liverpool a few weeks back to get a draw at home. Arsenals playing super and should win

[ONEDUNME]

Originally Posted by keemanan

I. They were in it until the ex Derby player ruined the game with his stupid handball.

Nice try mate.

As for the Blackburn game, I can see the attraction of Eddy's handicap bet and the price looks pretty good too but with Everton's injury problems none of the three possibly results woud surprise me so I'd rather leave the game alone altogether.

The Birmingham price to beat Derby is just stupid. It's the kind of price I'd be expecting some idiot in the pub to be putting up rather than pro odds compilers. I know it's a difference in the home/away scenario but It's the same odds that Man City were to beat Derby midweek. City were 4th from top, Brum 4th from bottom.

I know Man City are poor away but Brum aren't exactly pulling up trees at home. In their last 8 premiership matches at home, Brum have only managed to beat Boro (who are garbage) and Wigan (who are even worse).

Brum may well end up scraping the win by the odd goal but to me it's still a stupid price.


Pompey Chelsea is a lay of Chelsea half time/full time for me.I know Pompey have conceeded early in their last two games but on the other hand, Chelsea are happy to grind out 1-0 / 2-0 wins without worrying too much if when the goals come. Price is around 2/1 with betfair which is higher than I would have liked but fuck it. Prediction 0-1.


Reading, Bolton, Bargepole

Spurs V Man U
A big price about United if you're confident about them taking the three points. I'm not that confident so I won't be betting in this game. Spurs will give them a tougher game than many are expecting (unless Dawson plays, obviously) but we're due another shock in the United bandwaggon and a draw here could just be it.

Liverpool Sunderland Liverpool win for me but not at 1.3

Wigan West Ham Ive said eleswhere on this site that I wouldn't be surprised if Wigan weren't to reach mid-March with just four points more than they have now.


Fulham Villa
I fancy Villa to win this one but I'm taking out a bit of insurance by backing Villa, draw no bet. I wish I could get the evens that Eddy is talking about but I'm afraid the best price I can find is 4/6 with Stan James so I'm on.


Good luck all

[mrmuzeman]

Bit of talk about Everton so far, ill add my thoughts.

Without our first choice strike partnership of Cahill/Yakubu I cant see any value in us away from home around 2/1 against a good Blackburn side. That price is not attractive, its the kind of price id give a full strength Everton side. I rate Blackburn quite highly, I think theyre the 7th best team in the Premiership this season.

From experience supporting Everton this is the sort of game that I have little confidence in us winning, a draw would be great and keep us in 4th. Id actually be reasonably surprised to see us win especially if the little dynamos Pienaar and Osman are out as well. Cant see Pienaar being back in time even though South Africa got knocked out the African last night and anyones guess on Osman at the moment.

Furthermore I hope Vaughn gets a start, its criminal if AJ and Anichebe get in ahead of him in a 4-4-2 for a second game running, I think hes our 2nd best striker behind the Yak. Start playing him Moyes ffs!

[mrmuzeman]

Villa DNB at Evens would be a nice bet but that should be a typo from Eddy I think. Theyre clearly favourites in the standard betting, would be surprised if that was the DNB price, more likely its the 0, -0.5 handicap price. Apologies if not tho.

Im not sure the Arsenal price is that great tbh, it looks about right to me. Its not like Arsenal have been absolutely amazing away from home. Theyve drawn with Blackburn, Newcastle and Pompey and lost to Boro. Those sorts of teams are in Citys quality league and theyre clearly having at least some difficulty breaking them down. Wouldnt surprise me if City ground out a draw at home. I think Arsenal at Evens would be worth taking. 1.85 is ok but its probably about right imo.

[slick]

Saturdays Games...

Man City v Arsenal
Well i fear the worst for City in this one as they have not been at the races for a while now and have been scraping results since beating Newcastle at St James a few weeks back.

Citys biggest problem is having anybody to score on a regular basis and without a decent striker its a bit to much to ask to keep having to rely on Petrov and Elano from their respective midfield positions and Elano especially is beginning to look a bid jaded as are a few other of the City players.

Vassell for his work rate is a waste of space and not doing the job he was brought in for, maybe the young kid Sturridge can keep up his great start to this seasons campaign after coming back from Injury but its a huge ask and he's way to unexperienced at this level to be dependable on especially against a team like Arsenal.

City have also misssed Richards in a big way since being out through injury over the last couple of games and if City do stand any chance of getting anything from this match then he has to be playing otherwise this could turn into a rout.

Arsenal after having a stuttering start to the new year now look to be firing on all cylinders again with Adebayor seeming to be firing in goals for fun.
Buts it will probably be midfield where Arsenal take control of this game as players like Fabregas, Hleb and Flammini who don't mind going in where it hurts get stuck into of a pretty lightweight bunch City have at the moment.

For an example of this if ure watching the game tomorrow just watch any ball knocked up into midfied or up front, you will rarely see a City player challenging , they will go in half heartedly or just watch the ball hoping to pick up a mistake from the opposition, i've noticed this more and more lately as Citys passing game gets less and less, who knows maybe a passing team like Arsenal will bring the best out of City who will try and pass themselves once more but even so I just cannot see any way whatsovever City can get a result as there just to lame up front and Arsenal look dangerous from most positions.

Arsenal Win.

Birmingham v Derby
Must win game for Birmingham here after a shocking display away to Sunderland midweek, I've no doubt Mcleash will have read the riot act to them after that game and will come out wanting to get all three points here and i see no reason why they can't.

Derby may have grabbed a point midweek at home to high flyers City but it was a dismal display by the Citizens and if Vassel would have bagged the goals he should have then this match should have been over after 20 minutes.

Carroll may shore up the Derby defence a wee bit but it will take a lot more than him to change there fortunes and i have a feeling Jewel will be buying now with intentions for the Championship next year.

I'll tell you who did catch my eye midweek and that was Birminghams new Argentinian signing Zarate, he's a tricky player and not afraid to take people on and have a shot, I'm gonna have a dabble on him to score @ any time if i can find him in the betting that is as i would expect him to start or at least get a decent run.

Birmingham Win , Zarate to score.

Blackburn v Everton
Tough call this one as the odds suggest but on current form you have to side with Eveton as they do have a half decent away record this season against the more average sides.

Blackburn since Christmas seem to struggling to get results whereas before that they seemed to be cruising and knocking over any side outside the top 4, that seems to stem from Santa Cruz not scoring as regular as he was and only netting his first goal of January midweek so who knows it may spark him and Blackburn off once more.

Everton do though look strong in all areas of the park with Johnson looking sharper and the young lad Vaughn gaining experience game by game , Cahill could be out for this one which will me a blow for the toffee's as they have gone up a gear since his return a couple of months ago .

But Blackburn are more than capable of matching Everton on their day and hence the reason i'm going to select Everton on the handicap.

Everton 0, +0.5 @ 1.85

Portsmouth v Chelsea
Portmouth season allthough never that great at home has dipped slightly of late and they will be hard pushed to get a result against a very in form Chelsea side here.

I would have been more confident had Benjani not been at Fratton park any longer having bagged a hat trick in one of their only few home wins a couple of week ago but even so I see no reason to oppose Chelsea.

Chelsea are on a great run at the moment having nine wins on the bounce both league and cup and not being beat in twelve.
And thats not with a fully fit squad but quite a few players either out injured or on African Nations duty.

As i've mentioned in the last few weeks diversity has knitted together a soild unit here with fringe players taking full advantage of their chance of a good run in the first team and players like SWP really coming of age.

Anelka has also been a huge bonus for them and now he has manged to get his first goal for Chelsea and got to know his new team mates I expect him to get a hat full form here on in until the end of the season.

Chelsea win , Anelka to score.

Reading v Bolton
Points in this match will be vital for both sides as they try to create a gap between themselves and relegation places, leaving the loser in their wake.

Reading look to have been struggling lately with no wins since before christmas but to be fair to them they have played a lot of the top sides in that period and do have quite an injury list.

Bolton on the other hand do seem to be at full strength but arev now lacking any fire power up front since Anelka moved and and Diouf in Africa for the nations cup allthough there is a race on at the moment to get him back since Senegal were knocked out but its not ideal preparation.

Tough game to call but i'm gonna give Reading the nod due to home advantage and Boltons inability to score of late.

Reading Win.

Tottenham v Man Utd
Probably the game of the weekend this one and a pity its not the evening KO so we can watch it as this fixture usually produces goals and surprises.

Two in form side at the moment and both capable of goals but its impossible to back against Man United in the current form they are in.

Ronaldo obvioulsy stands out from the rest as he just cannot stop scoring at the moment but with players like Scholsey back in the fold United only seem to get stronger and stronger.

Spurs did put up a good fight against them at old Trafford in the cup lasy week and didnt really deserve to get beat 3-1 as they did create chances themselves that deserved better finishing but even so man for man United do look the stronger team with only Berbatov standing any chance of getting into the rags side.

Keane is in fine form at the moment for Spurs but you know what u get with him unlike Ronaldo and Rooney for United who can run you ragged and create things from nothing.

Looking at the prospective team sheets now and i can see nothing other than a Man U win and probably a few goals as both sides are so offensive, the rags in every sense of the word.

Man u win +2.5 goals.

Wigan v West Ham
strange one here as i thought Wigan did well against Chelsea in the cup only to play so poorly against a Boro side albeit away but who should have been there for the taking or at least a point.
maybe i'm a bit to harsh on Midlesbrough there as they have picked up lately and playing some decent football but wigan will have been looking to get something from that match and failed abysmally especially with Heskey, Bent and Sibeski fit and raring to go.

West Ham on the other hand had a cracking result against Liverpool last week and after watching them twice on the bounce away to Man City in the cup and league do look a decent oufit lately especially on the break allthough they can be a bit shakey at the back.

Ljungberg is also beginning to look a bit more like his oldself lately and his workrate could have a final say in how the hammers season finally turns out, same to with Carlton Cole who has really caught my eye this year and has looked dangerous up front every time i've seen him play and no doubt once Ashton finds his feet again they will be quite a force up front.

I would give West Ham the nod here but if Wigan can produce a display like they did in there last home game against Chelsea then they could give the Hammers a hard game hence the reason i'm going to take the safer option of the handicap once more and take West Ham on the level.

AH West Ham 0: @ 1.96

Liverpool v Sunderland
Quite convincing win for Sunderland midweek against Birmigham with new boy prica looking quite impressive in his first outing grabbing a goal and possibly two only for it to be ruled out in a controversial decison depending on which way u saw it.

Kenwyn Jones once more had a blinder and should prove a threat here if Richardson recovers from injury in time as they do seem to be hitting it off.

For obvious reasons i'm not Roy Keane's greatest fan but i have to take my hat off to him and say he's doing a great job in the so short time he has had in management as i did expect him to sink this yr with the players he had at his disposal and thought he would have gone for tried and tested old timers like Dwight Yorke to get him out of a hole but he has come up with some good young players who are doing a job for him, hard to believe he's barely been in management for 12 months.

Anyhow this now becomes a huge game for Liverpool since their midweek defeat to West Ham and they can no longer afford any hiccups as if they go out of the Champs league they'll find it hard to qualify for next yrs comp and that would really set the cat amongst the pigeons so far as Benitez's position is concerened.

Liverpool have the players but just don't seem to be producing in the league this year yet look a different side in the Champs League, they do though seem to win the games that matter and i would expect them to do the same here but at those odds i won't be touching them allthough it has to be said Sunderland have never drew or beat anybody of note this season in the Prem.

Liverpool win + 2.5 goals.

[slick]

Newcastle v Middlesbrough
Huge game for Keegan here who can ill afford to lose this one, the penny is no doubt just about dropping now as to how big a task he has really took on board with the recent run of results he has suffered with not one premiership win or goal since he took over.

From a personal point of view i think he's a yesterdays man and doesnt really see how much the Premiership has moved on since he jacked it in with City as his current views seem to show as he seems more intersted in players that were doing it way back then rather than players who would do a job for the Magpies now, Van Buyten being a prime example.
he was the player who saved city from relegation 4 yrs ago and Keegan decided not to take on board, but the first player he was after as soon as he walked into Newcastle obviously wise to his past mistakes, pity he never realised that at the time and at 30 yrs old come thursday Van Buyten is well past his sell by date.

The Beckham rumours may have only been that but i wouldent be surprised to find them to be true as Keegan has admitted himself that he's watched no football for the last three yrs, WTF are Newcastle playing at.

They will get their just deserts and i wouldent be surprised to see them go down this season tell the truth.

Back to the Boro match, out of the two sides its Middlesbrough who have made in roads since the new yr and they are playing good football and scoring unlike Newcastle , transfer window has come and gone and apart from Denis Wise being appointed an executive on football related matters they have brought in nobody else of note.

The sooner the Newcastle boardroom realise they are deep in the shite the better as they are on a one way rd to disaster at the moment wasting cash on petty positions that are doing the club no good what so ever.

Boro on the other hand have rode their luck, never sacked their manager when Newcastle and a lot of other clubs would have done so and are now reaping the rewards, Woodgate may now have gone but its not as if he was playing regular football anyhow and boro's main problem was scoring goals which they have took notice of and recruited a class player in Alfonzo Alves, may have cost a few bob but at least they have adressed the problem and he's the calibre of player who should do well.

I was thinking of doing the Asian Handicap once more on this game for Boro but as its a derby of sorts and Keegans so stuck in the past I'm going to go all out and predict a Middlesbrough win as the pressure is not with them.

Just checking out the bbc site to see if Alves was playing and came across this sentence from Keegan about Sundays game which shows how out of touch he is..

"That could be quite a few at this club. Damien Duff is a player who can turn a game; certainly Charles N'Zogbia can; I think James Milner can; certainly Michael Owen can and Mark Viduka can."

3 or 4 yrs ago that may have made sense.

Boro Win.

Fulham v Aston Villa
Allthough Ashley young is out suspended and no Mellberg you would expect Villa to get a win here on Fulhams current form, hold my horses I see Mellberg is still at Villa after checking team news , soz about that as i thought he had gone to juventus.

Even better still then as villa will be looking for all three points here to break into the top 4 so long as results elsewhere go their way and theres every possibility they may on this weekends fixture list.

I'm Trying to find some positive's regarding Fulham but i can't alltough I have done my best to support them all season as i fancied them to come good as i thought on numerous occassions they were unlucky but when it becomes a habit its time to bail out.

Villa win

[fasteddy]

That Villa DNB @ 2.00 from Laddies query?...

I use betrescue.com/betexplorer.com for odds available at the time of writing , but I always have trouble accessing ladbrokes site here in China so wasn't able to double check this week, but it is still being advertised on betrescue today, so if it was wrong I'm sorry about that as I do make sure as much as possible that the odds are available.

Villa -0.25 @ 2.00 is generally available, so it could have been an error, OR the price moved and you were all too fuckn slow!!!