English Prem 2/3/4th Jan

[Swooperman]

2 Jan-12:00 West Brom v Aston Villa 6/4 21/10 13/8
2 Jan-12:45 West Ham v Chelsea 7/1 11/4 2/5
2 Jan-15:00 Birmingham v Wigan 11/8 11/5 17/10
2 Jan-15:00 Bolton v Liverpool 11/5 11/5 11/10
2 Jan-15:00 Everton v Charlton 11/8 11/5 17/10
2 Jan-15:00 Fulham v Sunderland 4/7 5/2 9/2
2 Jan-15:00 Newcastle v Middlesbrough 4/5 11/5 10/3
2 Jan-19:35 Blackburn v Portsmouth 8/11 9/4 7/2
3 Jan-20:00 Arsenal v Man Utd 7/5 2/1 9/5
4 Jan-20:00 Man City v Tottenham 5/4 9/4 9/5
all odds B365

[crowie]

Bolton are 4.10 at Expekt which is a fair bit above the 3.20 on Bet365. Looks a biggish price even given Liverpools fantastic recent run and form.

[GaNgStA kEeKs]

Agreed Crowie.

Will be back later at some point wiht my views but at the minute i am fancying.

WBA
Bolton 1X
Boro
Blackburn
Man Utd
Man City too

Only thought i would like a couple, after listing them there i just couldn't stop. Will post analysis etc tonight or tomorow.

[Swooperman]

Think Albion look quite big @ 6/4. I dont think we'll roll over at all but I certainly would want more than 13/8......draw looks about right as thats most likely for me.

Charlton & Wigan look big too, & I dont like Boro but Newcastle arent looking great taking those injuries into account.

[Kop66]

I've just got back from Anfield and i've got to admit one or two players are looking tired, they had to work really hard to break down a 9 man defence today. I would gladly take a point at Bolton and we havent faired to well there in recent seasons.

I'm going to take a look at the team news for Man City v Spurs (Wed), i've just a feeling Spurs might grab a win here, nice price too.

[corsair]

The teams are coming to an end of the hectic festive schedule... It would be interesting to note which teams have been hit hard by tiredness and injuries during this period and bet against them...

What comes to my mind right now is West Ham and Newcastle....

[Bigkegman]

The way Arsenal are playing just now I would suggest the Man Utd have to be backed.

I agree the schedule is really not good for a betting point of view but entertaining for the fans that go to the games week in and week out it must be good.

All I can go from is the games that are shown on Sky Sports and Prem Plus but Man Utd are looking good. Ronaldo has got on the scoresheet and once again Shrek looked to have had a very good game.

The 7/4 on offer about Man Utd is too good to miss. I don't like backing on Man Utd to win as I feel more and more commentators sit their drinking their tea out of Man Ure cups whilst being wrapped up in their Man Ure scarfs.

Anyhow AWAY win for me.

Will I order the Pizza for Highbury this year or will they already have done it ?

[GaNgStA kEeKs]

Bah, just a short and sweet analysis from me today due to the fact my main source of stats etc is down at the minute

Newcastle v Boro

Big derby match here and this is really massive for both sides in all honesty. Taylor who has been superb for the Geordies this season had a massive setback last week getting injured meaning he missed 3 month.

If that wasn't bad enough last game out Newcastle have now lost two of their most influential players this season. Given has been absolutely phenomenal for Newcastle making some world class saves which have kept them in many of the games this season and without him they wuld be in a far worse position than they are.

The same can be said about Owen. He has given the whole place a huge lift and they look a differet side with him on their frontline. He has chipped in with his fair share of goals also and thta is a devastating blow to the squad.

Tough to see where Newcastle's goals are going to come from. Shearer is out of sorts, but has been good with Owen partnering him. The lack of pace is really hitting him hard now.

Luque is still not 100% match fit yet, and even so he hasn't impressed anyone at all this season.

Then you have Ameobi and Chopra and the least said about them the better so its going to be tough for them.

I quite like the look of Boro 0.5 on the asian handicap. Don't think tey will get beat and although im tempted with the outright win for them at nice odds this bet gives myself some cover.

Boro are a side that are very inconsistent but always have a big performance in them and with a good attacking frontline up against an out of sorts Newcastle backline and minus Given's heroics to save them i really like this bet.

Boro 0.5 Asian @ 1.9 Betfair 2pts

[slick]

just in the middle of a couple of things here but first thoughts are some nice odds to had here and i'll add more later.

Villla allthough not renown to excel in Derbys look tempting @ 13/8 on their current form.

Wigan should see off Birmingham who are the worst prem side i've seen all season @ 17/10

Blackburn @ 8/11 look tempting too against Pompey who are going through the motions of a new manager but BBurn are in fighting form @ the mo and should dispel them.

Man U @ 9/5 against the worst Arsenal side i've seen in a long while should do well here with a few old scores to settle, Rooneys bang on form while Henry looks only half the player he was last yr should make this a great game with the Reds wanting this game more than probably any this season prem wise.

[crowie]

Arsenal were truely dreadful v Villa on Saturday but they are also a very different side on their own pitch. Should be a good game but will probably not bet on it.

Bolton were out to 4.35 with Expekt this morning (maybe their odds compiler was on the pish last night) but are back at 4.10 now. Interesting that Laddies, who I always think are a bit shrewd, go shortest on Bolton at 3.20.

[Swooperman]

I wouldnt take Villa at Albion Slick, I might be wrong but I dont remember winning there in the 2 previous years theyve been up. We always seem to get a lucky draw & toddle off home tbh & with it being a 6-pointer if we lost I think a draw will do again.

I remember last year we were as lucky as fcuk to get away with 1-1

[GaNgStA kEeKs]

Dunno about Villa Slick.

I quite fancied WBA to do the business. They have been decent at home recently picking up wins over Spurs, Man City and Arsnal recently which is games i think many expected them to get nothing from.

Villa are a touch and go side. They have the players and quality but seem to be lacking that cutting edge or something.

Im with you on Man Utd though, thinking of going quite large here as Arsenal are very poor at the minute. For the attacking and creativeness they are known for it seems to be all non existent at the minute.

Rooney is absolutely flying at the minute like you say. Man Utd also have Van Nistelrooy and Saha both bang in form so attacking wise they are looking very good.

Still always a concern about them at the back though isn't there.

[mrmuzeman]

My advice on Man U would be to definitely take them if they wander up to 2/1 (afta commision) on betfair. Those odds would be too high for sure. Anything over 6/4 I wouldnt put anyone off it either tho with Rooney about and that dodgy Arsenal defence.

RE : Everton

I again struggle to come up with what will happen in this game. None of the outcomes will suprise me, win, lose or draw. The only piece of relevant team news I can offer up is that Arteta is back and he is our most consistently good performer which is a plus. Neville is still banned.

[GETT1NLOTS]

My first thoughts are on a home win for Fulham. I think that Sunderland losing to Everton at home virtually sealed their doom relegation wise (in their own minds) and the fact that they lost to a 90th minute goal after playing quite well will have knocked the stuffing out of them even more.

Contrast that to Fulham who lost away to Portsmouth after they had dominated the first 20 minutes and I think that they will go into the game against Sunderland absolutely determined to make sure of these three points and steer away from the drop zone.

In short I think Sunderland will be beaten by Fulham due to what happened to both sides on the 31st December and their contrasting mental approach to this game as a result.

4/7 on Fulham seems a decent price to me.

[GETT1NLOTS]

This from the BBC seems to strengthen my resolve on a Fulham home win.

BIG-MATCH FACTS


FULHAM have not had too much to cheer about over the holiday period. Sandwiched between away defeats to Chelsea and Portsmouth, came their only point from a 3-3 home draw with Aston Villa when they surrendered the lead three times. Indeed a 2-1 victory over Blackburn at Craven Cottage on 27 November is their only maximum in six Premiership outings.


Liam Ridgewell's second goal for Aston Villa on Wednesday night denied Fulham a fifth successive home Premiership victory. West Ham and Manchester United are the only clubs to have left the Cottage with maximum points, and Birmingham are the only club to have kept a clean sheet in a Premiership game at the Thames-side club.


Fulham have always had the measure of Sunderland in the Premiership. They've won three and drawn one of four Premiership contests, doing the 'double' over them in their most recent exchanges three seasons ago.


SUNDERLAND are in grave danger of breaking their own record of the lowest points tally ever in a Premiership season. They have six from 19 games, and must pick up more than double that from the second half of the season to exceed the 19 they accrued when relegated in 2002/03. They visit London for the fourth successive time and go in search of their first point after consecutive losses at Arsenal, Spurs and Charlton. Mick McCarthy's side have lost 15 of 19 League games this season and picked up just one point from the last 33 available.


The Wearsiders have only maximum claimed points from the 0-2 victory at Middlesbrough on 24 September. They've failed to find the net in half of their eight away League encounters and conceded 11 goals in the last four.


The Black Cats have not enjoyed a League victory over Fulham since completing the 'double' over them in the 1987/88 season when both were in the old Third Division. Sunderland's last top flight victory over the Cottagers was 3-0 on 23 August 1967 at Roker Park, but you have to go back over 53 years to find their last top League victory on Fulham turf. That was 0-1 on 12 April 1952.