avram grant

West Ham v Arsenal Betting Tip & Odds: Can West Ham realistically outgun the Gunners? It is highly unlikely, even with home advantage. We are all aware of the threat which Arsenal carry up front, and with the Hammers back line being anything but water tight, it is likely that Arsenal will come away with three points here. The home side have shown a bit more resilience of late, but this is a  much bigger test for them now. Can they take at least a point off their London rivals? It is unlikely and not expected. Arsenal really should get the upper hand here, they have shown what they can do on the road. Arsenal -1 Asian Handicap Evens at Bet365

West Ham to win: 11/2 at Bet365
Draw: 16/5 at Victor Chandler
Arsenal to win: 8/13 at Stan James

EPL Match Preview:  A gripping London derby for Saturday afternoon in the Premier League, one which could have big ramifications at the top and bottom of the league. It wasn’t too long ago that West Ham boss Avram Grant was odds on favourite to be the next Premier League manager to leave his post, but after a run of five undefeated matches, the Hammers boss has had something of a reprieve. A crucial first leg victory in the Carling Cup semi final in midweek over Birmingham will have helped things along as well. But West Ham needed that, as their last Premier League outing resulted in a bad day at the office for the Hammers. They were thrashed 5-0 at Newcastle. The Hammers are bottom of the Premier League still, but at least their current form has shown something of a mini recovering, and being just two points behind Fulham who are in fourteenth place, there is still a lot to play for. There are certainly a few teams immediately above the Hammers who are in a worse run of form than they are, so can the Hammers perform an escape act? A win over Arsenal would certainly to them wonders. At least West Ham are showing some battling qualities (epitomised by their 10-man victory over Birmingham), and are offering their fans a glimmer of hope that they will be OK. They have drafted in former England Full Back Wayne Bridge on loan from Manchester City to try and boost them, but they really are struggling with a growing injury list at the moment. Just to add to their survival problems, Victor Obinna, who was sent off against Birmingham in the Carling Cup in midweek starts a three match suspension.

There is no doubt that there is still a lot of pressure on Avram Grant, but at least they can show some improvement, however, the Hammers have not really covered themselves in much glory when Arsenal have come to visit Upton Park. The Hammers have not picked up a win over the Gunners in eight home matches now, and the overall head to head heavily favours the Gunners. For a side which has only won three home matches all season, it begs the question of just what they will be able to get out of this match. The thing is, they need something out of it, but how? Their best effort recently came in a 2-2 draw at Upton Park, back in the 2009/10 season, and they have already succumbed to Arsenal at the Emirates this season. That was a 1-0 victory for Arsenal then, but these are the margins by which West Ham are being kept down. A look at the head to head stats, sees that Arsenal have a 39% win percentage at Upton Park, while the Hammers have just a 24% win percentage. That is a poor record at home against a top club, although the goals scored in those matches are pretty close. In the 61 West Ham v Arsenal fixtures at Upton Park, West Ham have scored 80, Arsenal have scored 90. However, that is not a great reflection of recent trends, as West Ham have only scored in one league match out of the last eight against Arsenal (again, in that 2-2 draw). For West Ham, who have one of the worst defensive records in the league, and are struggling for goals, it could be another bleak afternoon for them.

As for Arsenal though, they will be looking to pick themselves up after a midweek Carling Cup first leg defeat against Ipswich. That was a huge surprise, and after only picking up a 1-1 draw against Leeds in the FA Cup third round before that, combined with a 0-0 draw against Man City in the Premier League, Arsenal have now not won in three matches. Arsenal go into the match with back up keeper Wojciech Szczesny between the sticks, and without Squillaci and Sagna at the back. Up front, Arsene Wenger can again rotate his forwards, bringing Robin Van Persie and Samir Nasri back into the fold. Arsenal clearly are the better team of the two, and they need a win to close the gap on Manchester United, albeit temporarily with the Red Devils playing Spurs on Sunday. The potency of Arsenal is there to see, and they have produced the most shots on target all season out of all Premier League teams, but their form has dipped just a little bit, winning just one in five matches now. It has been more of a case of frustration than anything else. They did play poorly against Ipswich to be fair, but as exemplified by the match against Manchester City, who were dourly negative, teams shut up shop against Arsenal, knowing that the Gunners have the potential to run riot in the goal scoring department.

The Gunners need to put pressure on United now, and cannot afford to lose any more ground at all right now. Fortunately for the Gunners, their away form has been pretty strong this season, only losing twice on the road, and their only blips have come on visits to Old Trafford and Stamford Bridge. Arsenal will be better than they were in midweek, and against West Ham, you really would expect them to come away with a win. They showed tremendous character in a win over Birmingham in their last Premier League away match, and that is what they need more of. None of the soporific, retreating into their shells or suffering naivety which has frustrated them of late. They need to find that ruthless edge and pick up three points. With their great record against West Ham in recent times, they look a pretty safe bet to get back to winning ways again. It will be a battle, as the Hammers will huff and puff against them, but there will probably be enough space for the Gunners to do the business.

Online Bookmaker Promotion: Popular online bookie BetFred (aka The Bonus King!) are running a West Ham v Arsenal betting promotion. This is their Double Delight, Hat-trick Heaven promotion. If the player you back as First Goalscorer in the match goes on to score a second, then BetFred will double the odds taken on that market. If that player then nets a hat trick, you will be rewarded with triple the original First Goalscorer Odds! Will the Gunners forwards get in amongst the goals? With top scorer Samir Nasri listed at 9/2 and Robin Van Persie at 7/2 as First Goalscorer, there is a great deal of value in this offer. New BetFred customers can earn themselves up to £50 in free bets when they open a new account with the bookie.

West Ham v Arsenal Premier League Betting Statistics

Last 5 Head to Head
Arsenal 1, West Ham 0
Arsenal 2, West Ham 0
West Ham 2, Arsenal 2
Arsenal 0, West Ham 0
West Ham 0, Arsenal 2

West Ham have an 27% win percentage at home in the league this season
Arsenal have a 55% win percentage away from home in the league this season

West Ham are on a streak of two home matches with no defeat
Arsenal are on a streak of two away matches with no defeat

West Ham have scored 14 goals, and conceded 16 at home
Arsenal have scored 20 and conceded 11 goals in their away matches

West Ham average 1.2 goals per match at home this season
Arsenal average 1.8 goals per match away from home this season

West Ham have scored the bulk of their goals in the 46-60 minute bracket
Arsenal have scored the majority of their goals in the 46-60 and 76-90 minute brackets

West Ham have opened the scoring in 31% of their matches
Arsenal have scored first in 61% of their matches

West Ham 2010/11 top scorer: Piquionne, 5
Arsenal 2010/11 top scorer: Nasri, 9

West Ham 2010/11 Season Form: P22 W4 D8 L10 GF22 GA38 Pts 20 (20th)
Arsenal 2010/11 Season Form: P21 W12 D4 L5 GF42 GA22 Pts 40 (3rd)

With Manchester City’s Roberto Mancini enjoying a brief flutter at the top of the Premier League (albeit jointly with Arsenal), the odds on him being the next manager to leave his post has lengthened. This is understandable, with things looking just a little bit better than it was when they lost back to back Premier League matches. But with just one defeat in their last eight matches now, City are gathering momentum, and Mancini looks safe, even with all the fuss involving Carlos Tevez. Mancini has drifted right out to 16/1 with SkyBet to be the next manager to leave. So, with Chris Hughton shoved out of the door at Newcastle, and Sam Allardyce being booted out of Blackburn, to many people’s surprise, who will be the third man on the chopping block this season in the Premier League? The market is looking just a little bit different now. West Ham manager Avram Grant is now the man everyone expects will be out of his job next, as the club have given him an ultimatum to win at least one of their next three Premier League matches. Those next three matches are against Blackburn, Fulham and Everton, with the first two of them away from home. It really could be curtains on Grant before the New Year and he makes a sound bet and is favourite in the market at 1/2 with Victor Chandler. But Grant of course, is not the only man under pressure.

Liverpool boss Roy Hodgson saw another uninspired match during the week in the Reds Europa League match. Understandably, he sent out a second string side, but none of the players looked as if they were really pushing hard for a place in the starting eleven. After suffering a 3-1 thrashing at the hands of Newcastle in their last match, Hodgson still has a lot on his plate. Being priced at 5/1 with Paddy Power to be the next man out of a job in the Premier League, it looks as if you have to start asking whether he can fill the potential of the club. It doesn’t appear so, and being twelve points back from the top of the league, there is a big mountain to climb for Hodgson. What may just save him, is a decent run of games against weaker opposition during December, with Fulham, Blackpool and Wolves to come. What of Chelsea’s Carlo Ancelotti? The Blues are certainly not in any kind of title winning form, and have a tough December ahead with matches against Manchester United and Arsenal to come. Could the Italian be out of a job sooner than later? Things certainly are not going his way at the moment, it has to be said, and the team are lacking confidence. Ancelotti is as short as 7/1 at William Hill, but for best value can be taken at 14/1 at Victor Chandler. Could a  crushing defeat against Manchester United on the weekend, see him ejected by Roman Abramovich? The owner reportedly isn’t happy with his clubs performances and the pressure is on the cool Italian. This could be a big defining weekend in the Premier League, for more than one reason.

It is always a problem of time when it comes to managers holding on to their jobs. There has to be bad teams in the Premier League, and those in charge at the bottom dwelling clubs will be nervous about their next paycheck than others. However, with so much expectation around, and so much demand for success, even a failure to live up to expectations in the middle of the table can cost you your job. Look at Liverpool’s Roy Hodgson. The Reds aren’t going to get relegated, but they aren’t good enough to get back into the big four. Look at Man City’s Roberto Mancini, fourth in the league and yet still the outright favourite to be out of a job first as the weight of expectation looks to have gotten the better of him. He we take a look over the football betting list of candidates, as to who the Next Manager to Leave Post will be.

Roberto Mancini: 13/8 at William Hill

The knives are still out for Manchester City boss Roberto Mancini at the moment, as the bookies still have him down as favourite to be the next manager to leave his post. His cause won’t have been helped by two consecutive 0-0 draws, which pretty much sum up how cautious a side they are. Manchester City really missed a chance to get one over on rivals Manchester United at Old Trafford recently, and the reason why they didn’t is because they were not brave enough. All through the season, Mancini has taken a cautious approach to games, and while that’s been great for their defensive record, their goal scoring, despite spending big in the summer on a wealth of talent has been pitiful really. That is what has gotten them into trouble, despite sitting fourth in the Premier League. Mancini is a man under pressure. Mancini is a man who has won just once in their last five league games. Is he the next to go?

Avram Grant: 2/1 at Paddy Power

When you are looking for a next manager to sack, you generally swing your eyes down towards the bottom of the table, where the worst teams are. For that, you are then looking at West Ham and Avram Grant. After clinging onto their Premier League lives with their fingernails at the end of last season, with just one win in thirteen matches of the new season, the Hammers are looking set to play Championship football next year. Will a change of manager make a difference? Time surely must be running out on Avram Grant, with West Ham already five points adrift from safety at the bottom of the table. How much time will he be given?

Roy Hodgson: 6/1 at SkyBet

Things were starting to look up when they sunk Premier League Champions Chelsea at Anfield, but when you turn around and draw with Wigan and then lose to Stoke, you have be left wondering. Liverpool’s little burst of form, winning three matches in a row, fired them into relative mid table safety. But their inability to extend their good run, which can only knock confidence, will hurt them. The appointment of Roy Hodgson was questionable in the first place. He is a fixer, a man to take something bad and make them respectable. Liverpool fans want more than to be respectable, they want to be feared, they want to see some silverware heading to Anfield. It’s not going to happen under Hodgson this year, and strangely enough, Damien Comolli, who was brought in as Director of Football, have said that they are under no pressure to buy in the January transfer window. That will have Liverpool fans pulling their hair out. How long will Hodgson last?

Ian Holloway: 12/1 at Paddy Power

After a strong start to the season, Blackpool are finding wins hard to come by. What makes Holloway, who is always entertaining at press conferences, such a viable prospect, is that he is likely to up and leave. He has threatened to quit if the league fine Blackpool for fielding a side which had 10 changes in it from the previous match, against Aston Villa. They supposedly did it, as there was a much more winnable match coming up against West Ham a few days later. Blackpool have been battling and entertaining, but there are signs that they will struggle to keep their status in the Premier League. Will the board want to freshen things up to try and change that, or will Holloway walk away?

Roberto Martinez: 16/1 at Paddy Power

Poor old Wigan. A couple of seasons ago you would have looked at them and saw a good mid table team. Not so much now, and they are rightly being tipped to go down. They have been short on class all year, and even though Martinez is an exciting manager, he hasn’t got a lot to work with at the moment. They may just be ok in the end, as they just had a torrid start to the season. They seem to have gotten over that, losing just two of their last eight, so promising signs are ahead. They’ll probably stick with him for the season at least. Should be a little more secure than others on the list.

Chris Hughton: 16/1 at SkyBet

Well, Newcastle have certainly been enjoying their share of the headlines on their return to the Premier League, and that is understandable. They are up to eighth in the league, and have striker Andy Carroll making his full England debut. You would think it’s not all bad up north, right? Wrong. He has been under immense pressure right from the word go, and the club want to ensure that they stay in the Premier League. There are hints that he may just not last the season, and may just butt heads with the club. That will be unfortunate as he has done nothing short of a brilliant job. Likely to last a little longer than some of the above, so would be unlikely to be the first.

There are three things certain in life: death, taxes and a Premier League manager being relieved of his duties before the end of the season. There were surprisingly few sackings last season as clubs looked for continuity in the English top flight, although the bookies will be expecting to price up this market several times as the campaign progresses.

It’s no surprise to see Newcastle United manager Chris Hughton feature as favourite (11/2 Ladbrokes) across the board, despite leading the Magpies to the Championship title last season. Indeed, he’s as short as 4/1 with William Hill to win this unwanted race and will come under pressure if the north-east club don’t get off to a fast start.

However, you might think that the board will stick with someone who couldn’t have done any better last term and there are more viable candidates. It will certainly be interesting to see what happens at Manchester City with such high expectations from the club’s owners and Roberto Mancini is as short as 4/1 (Paddy Power) to be axed first. However, you can currently get 7/1 with Ladbrokes if you think the Italian might suffer a similar fate to Mark Hughes last term.

Roberto Martinez struggled to keep Wigan afloat in the Premier League last season and there are many people (myself included) who think that the Spaniard’s tactical approach is not particularly effective when it comes to survival in the top flight. William Hill go 7/1 that he wins this unwanted Sack Race, while Mick McCarthy (14/1 William Hill) is another man likely to be feeling the pressure if Wolves get off to a slow start.

It’s interesting to note that there’s a big disparity between odds when it comes to Owen Coyle. The Scot left Burnley for Bolton last season and the supporters will be expecting him to steer Wanderers towards mid-table and beyond. However, the signing of Martin Petrov might not prevent them from floundering again and totesport’s 22/1 about him being the next Premier League manager out of a job looks like a big price. Ladbrokes go just 10/1 – perhaps they know something!

Alex Ferguson (80/1 totesport) and Arsene Wenger (66/1 Paddy Power) look to be among the untouchables and they will probably choose to stand down at the end of a season rather than halfway through a campaign. Carlo Ancelotti (40/1 totesport) is probably slightly less safe, although the most attractive outsider is Martin O’Neill (16/1 William Hill) who has regularly been linked with a departure from Villa Park. Perhaps the Irishman might feel that he’s taken the club as far as  possible this season, while the potential departures of Luke Young and James Milner could push him over the edge.

Sam Allardyce (16/1 Paddy Power), Steve Bruce (16/1 totesport) and Avram Grant (25/1 William Hill) have managed several clubs between them in the Premier League, although they seem to have the backing of their respective chairmen.

While it’s only possible for three sides to go down this term, it’s difficult to predict the trio that will be playing in the Championship next season. As always, there are far more teams scrapping at the foot of the Premier League than contesting matters at the top of the table, with over half the division only two defeats away from trouble.

Portsmouth are clearly in pole position to fall through the top flight trapdoor and the bookmakers were cutting the odds on the Hampshire club before a ball had been kicked. Although the club are in the hands of new owners and cashflow was originally attributed to the player wages not being paid on time, it now appears as though money’s too tight to mention and Pompey are no bigger than 4/11 (Coral) to be relegated. Avram Grant has his hands tied as far as signing new players is concerned and the current squad don’t seem good enough.

However, it’s tougher to choose the two that might join them in England’s second division next term. Hull City have been odds-on for the drop since the season began and the Tigers currently trade at 4/6 (bet365) despite their 0-0 draw at Tottenham on Saturday. This result came about through an inspired goalkeeping display from Boaz Myhill and the keeper can’t be expected heroics like this every match! The other team now priced at odds-on is Burnley (5/6 Paddy Power), despite an impressive performance at Old Trafford at the weekend. Brian Laws seemed to inspire his new side and they could have been ahead against the champions had they taken their chances.

Indeed, the Clarets’ price has shortened in the past fortnight, with Ladbrokes offering a stand-out 11/10 on them being relegated a fortnight ago. This is mainly to do with the exit of Owen Coyle to Bolton, although the Scot’s managerial debut saw the Trotters lose 2-0 to Arsenal. They face the same opponents at the Emirates on Wednesday and it’s something of a surprise to see 3/1 available at bet365 that Wanderers go down. After all, they occupy nineteenth place for a reason and Coyle might not have money to spend in January.

Not these are the only four teams in danger of the drop! Wolverhampton Wanderers are looking very shaky and Victor Chandler’s 11/8 looks like an interesting price about Mick McCarthy’s team. After all, they were pretty shabby when losing 2-0 at home to Wigan and they don’t seem to have the requisite quality to do anything than hover above the drop zone. Perhaps Sky Bet are closer to the mark with their 4/5 quote about a team who have scored just seventeen goals in twenty-one games.

It’s a battle that looks set to go down to the wire and we might expect West Ham to be one of the teams scrapping for survival. The Hammers are due to be acquired by new owners during January, although it doesn’t appear as though this will happen in time to enable Gianfranco Zola to ease the severe injury crisis that affects the club. Stan James offer an attractive 4/1 about the London side dropping down, although they did deliver a gutsy display to draw 0-0 at Villa Park.

Wigan (13/2 bet365), Blackburn (11/1 Victor Chandler), Stoke City (14/1 Ladbrokes) and even Sunderland (25/1 Coral) aren’t totally safe yet, especially with the Black Cats now just four points off the drop zone after their 7-2 drubbing at Chelsea.

RELEGATION
Portsmouth 4/11 (Coral)
Hull City 4/6 (bet365)
Burnley 5/6 (Paddy Power)
Wolves 11/8 (Victor Chandler)
Bolton 3/1 (bet365)
West Ham 4/1 (Stan James)
Wigan 13/2 (bet365)
Blackburn 11/1 (Victor Chandler)
Stoke City 14/1 (Ladbrokes)
Sunderland 25/1 (Coral)

Finally, along came a quiet weekend where I could watch the early match on Saturday and strike some In-Play bets down at bet365. It was a rollercoaster ride, especially with some highly unusual results!

Portsmouth v Liverpool was the lunchtime kick-off, with bet365 going 8/13 about the visitors before the match kicks off. Pompey look an attractive bet at 5/1, although will they be even bigger when the game starts? Last season’s fixture between these teams finished 3-2, although all the goals were scored in the second-half, so I’ll be thinking about an Over 2.5 Goals bet if the odds start to drift above even money.

Thirteen minutes gone and it’s been a cagey match. Liverpool have forced corners in the 11th and 12th minute and bet365 now offer 1/14 about the Reds in the race to 5 corners market. With Portmouth playing only one man up front, they appear to have set up to try and contain their opponents. The draw on the half-time result market has gone into 4/5, with Avram Grant’s team looking as though they would be happy to get to the interval with the match all square.

Half an hour gone at Fratton Park and still not much happening. It’s a game where both teams seem preoccupied with not conceding, with Fernando Torres and Frederic Piquionne cutting isolated figures for their respective teams. The Reds have now drifted to 8/11 with bet365 and those that think Liverpool will win might be waiting until they hit even money. Meanwhile, Pompey have clawed it back on the corners battle and it’s now three apiece. They had been 10/1 not so long ago!

After 35 mins, Avram Grant’s team find the breakthrough and bet365 cut their match odds to 6/5. The draw is available at 2/1 and Liverpool are 5/2, although the Reds look demoralised by falling behind and it’s the home team who are pressing forward. As half-time approaches, it gets even worse for the visitors and all markets are suspended after Javier Mascherano’s reckless challenge on Tal Ben Haim. You can almost hear the traders frantically working with their calculators to price up the latest markets and Portsmouth are now 1/2 with bet365 to win the match. Liverpool have gone from a pre-match 8/13 to an In-Play 7/1, with the Reds having to reshape after the loss of their midfielder.

The game continues to drift away from Liverpool in the second half, with Pompey available at 2/5 in the 56th minute, 1/3 in the 64th minute and 1/4 in the 76th minute. The Reds simply don’t look like scoring and Frederic Piquionne puts them out of their misery in the 82nd minute.

It just goes to show that it often pays to go against the grain, especially as Liverpool rarely threatened when they went 1-0 down at Fratton Park, although the home team could be backed at odds-against until Javier Mascherano was sent off. Click here to check out the latest In-Play markets at bet365.