Scottish Premier League - Boxing Day

[crowie]

Looks likely that Kris Boyd will be signing for Rangers at the start of January and there is also the possibility he may then be left out of the Killie game on Boxing Day. Check team news.

Edit: Boyd defo signing for Rangers, on BBC now, signs 1st Jan. No news about Killie's game on Boxing Day.

[Parahandy]

Even if Boyd plays on Boxing Day you would have to think it's very likely his mind will be elsewhere. With rumblings that Jeffries and Brown could be heading to Tannadice, this match might be best left alone.

[milners]

mmm bad news yesterday about Severin!!! Today's news is that the Aberdeen Fans are going mental after Calderwood opened his gob and spoke shite again!!!

Yup Calderwood is blaming the fans for Severin leaving due to the boo-boys recently!!!! Funny enough Calderwood said on saturday that if he was in the stand he would do the same, now today in the Daily Record he said part of the reason Severin left was due to the boo-boys. This has backfired for Calderwood the fans are now baying for blood and if we play really poorly against Motherwell the fans i think will turn on Calderwood. Talk about digging a hole for yourself.

[wazik]

I agree Falkirk must be a good bet on the handicap, gonna look into this more.

On the Killie game, I dont think Boyd will be playing, if he does though I wouldnt worry about his mind being somewhere else as there has been lots of speculation surrounding him since the start of the season so if he plays I dont think he'll be bothered about it.

I dont understand these rumours about Jeffries and Brown going to Dundee utd. OK, dundee are underperforming with the squad they have and the Killie fans tend to give Jeffries a hard time (not deservedly) and every year he has had to make cutbacks in the wage budget but surely with the youngsters and the team spirit at Killie a move would be the wrong decision, unless of course its purely based on the money we cant afford to pay him as he has already taken a pay cut.

[GaNgStA kEeKs]

Boyd definately won't be involved in the festive games according to Sky Sports News so it kind of adds another angle now to this game and i definately wouldn't back Killie now without Boyd.

United are always a side good for the odd performance against the better side here and there and do contain a squad that is one of the best in the league.

Colin Samuel is a player i have always liked and although he has had a rocky time at United so far he has looked like the player of old his last 2 games which can only be a good thing for United imo.

Paired with Miller up front and delivery from the likes of Robson for example you do have a pretty decent forward line that should give trouble to most sides in this league.

Slowly starting to think there could be a bit of value in United at 4.8 Betfair. Anyone care to agree and make me that little bit more confident?

[Beanie]

Good thread chaps and some really interesting thoughts

26 Dec-15:00 Celtic v Livingston 1/10 13/2 16/1

Barely a mention in the thread so far, and I think that's only fair. The prices and the Dunfermline game at Celtic Park should make most punters run a mile from this one. Even with 14 straight wins for Celtic games v Livi, the West Lothian side usually find the net at CP.

26 Dec-15:00 Dunfermline v Rangers 6/1 10/3 4/11

Likewise, its barely worth talking about. Dunfermline stink v either half of the Old Firm, but two games isn't enough to justify taking Rangers away at 1.40 or less.

26 Dec-15:00 Hearts v Falkirk 3/10 7/2 8/1

Can't add much to the thoughts in this thread - Hearts are way way too short here. I'll be laying the home I think - and this one looks like a gift of a fixture for punters.

26 Dec-15:00 Inverness CT v Hibernian 11/5 11/5 11/10

I'm tempted to agree with Milners on this one and edge towards Hibs at 2.30.

Granted ICT are a good side, but like Falkirk their home and away records are worlds apart, and likewise while they beat Hibs earlier this season the Edinburgh sides' European exertions and injuries have to be factored in.

Looking at Hibs last 4: A deserved 2-1 win over (a poor) Rangers, a 1-0 loss to DU which, as mentioned, could easily have been a 3 or 4 goal win for Hibs if they were anything like their usual selves in front of goal, a 3-2 loss to Celtic in which they played very well, and a 2-1 over Motherwell, which involved some of the best football I've seen this season, despite needing a last minute winner.

That all said ICT have lost just 1 in 5 at home and their competitive streak has them right in every game, so whatever I do I'll be treading very carefully.

I'll leave the other two to people who know much more right now

[Bigkegman]

11/8 with Lads on Hibs getting a result looks to be a good call - as previously mentioned Hibs are a form team - if ICT hadn't got a result against Celtic then I think Hibs would have been odds -on.

Fill yer stockings.

[Beanie]

I reckon I'll be on them Kegster.

Just to note hold onto your hats as Livi are getting ready for the much anticipated spending spree in January.

£200,000 for Wes Hoolihan from the Eircom League, who Shelbourne fans appear to rate very, very highly. Looks like a done deal.

And perhaps even loan bids for Agathe and Pearson - those will be long shots but not way out of the question - and with Dunfermline far too short on cash to do anything like that kind of business, relegation looks a little more clear cut.

[kompressaur]

Celtic v Livingston
Celtic midfielder Stilian Petrov is expected to be fit despite twisting his ankle in the draw at Inverness. Striker Chris Sutton is pushing for a return to the starting line-up but may find it hard to dislodge John Hartson and Shaun Maloney up front. Livingston are still without Derek Adams (ankle) and Graham Barrett (knee) and changes are not expected. Defender David McNamee still lacks match fitness after a long-term Achilles injury.

Dunfermline Ath v Rangers
Dunfermline will be without goalkeeper Allan McGregor as he is on loan from the opposition so Bryn Halliwell will make his seventh SPL appearance.
Simon Donnelly is expected to play but Yannick Zambernardi, Scott Morrison and Liam Horsted are all injured. Rangers striker Nacho Novo is pushing for his first start since September. But Alex Rae, Alan Hutton, Fernando Ricksen, Brahim Hemdani, Dado Prso, Julien Rodriguez, Olivier Bernard and Gavin Rae are all still missing.

Hearts v Falkirk
Hearts welcome back Takis Fyssas after the Greek defender missed the defeat at Rangers last weekend to attend the birth of his first child. Edgaras Jankauskas and Roman Bednar have returned to full fitness after playing with knocks but midfielder Saulius Mikoliunas is suspended. Falkirk head coach John Hughes is boosted by the return of four key players for the trip to Tynecastle. Steven Thomson, Stephen O'Donnell, Jack Ross and Andy Thomson are fit again.

Inverness CT v Hibernian
Inverness midfielder Tom Parratt has been ruled out until early next month with a toe infection. But former Hibs defender David Proctor returns after missing the draw with Celtic with a hamstring injury. Hibernian striker Garry O'Connor has shrugged off the ankle injury that forced him to withdraw during the warm-up to the win over Motherwell. Defender David Murphy is still absent with a thigh and ankle injury, while Dean Shiels has back trouble

Kilmarnock v Dundee United
Kilmarnock will be without top scorer Kris Boyd after the striker agreed a January move to Rangers. Midfielder Peter Leven and goalkeeper Graeme Smith are both recovering from surgery, while Gary Locke and Shaun Dillon are sidelined with injuries. Dundee United midfielder Grant Brebner faces a late fitness test after his long-standing calf problem flared up. And striker David Fernandez is in contention for a starting place after recovering from food poisoning

Motherwell v Aberdeen
Motherwell midfielder Richie Foran missed last week's defeat at Hibernian with an ankle injury but is now pushing for a return. Long-term injury victims Scott Leitch and Jim Paterson are still sidelined. Aberdeen are still without injured duo Scott Severin and Michael Hart but striker Steve Lovell may be fit to make a return after a lengthy lay-off. Richie Byrne and Chris Clark have been struggling with knocks but both men are expected to feature at Fir Park

bbc

[crowie]

Just two small bets for me as hinted earlier in the thread.

1pt on Falkirk +1.5 at Expekt

In short, Hearts form has dipped over the past month or so and they are playing a Falkirk side unbeaten in 5 away, the last two being at Hibs (won 3-2) and Rangers (drew 2-2). They are also finding the net on their travels with 8 in their last 3 aways. A goal here would help the bet but Hearts do have an excellent home defensive record of only 2 conceded all season. However they are dipping in form and the handicap of +1.5 in Falkirks favour will even see a 1 goal Hearts win end up a winning bet. Falkirk too keep it tight, hopefully within the handicap.


1pt lay Hibs at 2.40 with Betfair

This is effectively getting ICT plus the draw at 1.71. I agree with the comments about Hibs having an excellent away record this season and ICT only having one home win all season doesn't exactly make it a surefire punt. However I have to give ICT credit for their 7 match unbeaten run and they have only actually lost 1 in 11 (rather bizarrely 3-0 at home to Falkirk) since a defeat at Celtic earlier in the season. Celtic, Hearts, Hibs and Rangers have all been faced in that run and in every case, ICT have not lost.

Hibs could well win but I just think they are a bit too short for me.

[kompressaur]

Ladbrokes go 66/1 on Craig Wilson to get the first goal in the Dunf/Ranbgers game. He's as low as 16/1 now with skybet. I dont know whats it all about but might be worth a look.

[kompressaur]

soz Last goalscorer that is

[Beanie]

Hmmmm.....I'm beginning to fancy a bet on all 6 just cause its Xmas

Falkirk on the handicap really looks like the no brainer on the card and crowie has summed up why.

If I can get evens on Livi to score I'll take that. At Celtic Park we have a knack of finding the net, and if the worst comes to the worst Celtic will knock in their usual 4 or 5 and we'll sneak one as they switch off at the end. It is Xmas after all.

Rangers could just be a trifle short there and I'll consider a sneaky little lay in the morning.

Gonna take Hibs as mentioned - it really is tough to make sense of all the stats for both sides and I guess the split in opinion reflects that.

With Leven, Smith and Boyd playing no part for Killie, and Fernandez returning for United, I'll take them to get some sort of result and a lay of Killie might be in order at odds on.

Mibbe Motherwell too - Milners(or Calderwood ) reports that Aberdeen aren't too confident and Motherwell were fairly comfortable in this fixture in the CIS cup, and I cant say that much has changed since then. If anything Aberdeen are a bit poorer.

[kompressaur]

I'll take the 11/8 on Hibs at Ladbrokes. Good luck fellas and thanks

[Beanie]

Hibs out to 3.20