derby county

Saturday 6^th February

English Premier League

Liverpool v Everton

The second Merseyside derby of the season takes place at Anfield as the home side look to move into 4^th place in the table when they take on an in form Everton.

Rafa Benitez knows how important it is for his Liverpool side to finish in the Champions League places this season so anything other than a win here would be a catastrophic blow to their chances. As a result, this derby game takes on even more significance than it normally would. Liverpool are currently unbeaten in 6 league games, a run of games in which they have won 4 and drawn 2. The pick of their wins was against Tottenham last month where they played a more controlled game and always looked like winning. They are beginning to keep clean sheets as well with more regularity, conceding only 1 goal in those 6 matches, a last minute equalizer against Stoke. Benitez has finally stuck with a team selection and formation which has brought more consistent and better results and performances. They are still nowhere near the level they were last season but much better than earlier on in the season. Captain Steven Gerrard is back fit but he must start producing more often this season as he’s been disappointing in the first half of the campaign.

Everton are beginning to play like everyone expected them to from the start of the season. David Moyes’ side have had no luck whatsoever with injuries but now that the treatment room is beginning to empty, performances and results have improved dramatically. The blue half of Merseyside are unbeaten in 10 league matches, by far their best run of the season. They have won 5 of the 10, including their last 3. There have been several reasons for their resurgence in form, one of them is the loan signing of Landon Donovan on loan from the MLS. Donovan has provided a goalscoring threat from wide for the Toffees which they were missing in the early part of the season so it has given opposition defences more to think about. This has meant there has been more freedom for the likes of Tim Cahill and Steven Pienaar to play centrally and behind the striker, allowing them to play their natural game has inevitably brought more goals and in turn, points. Cahill notched the winner last weekend away at Wigan as well as at home against Sunderland whilst Pienaar has 3 in his last 5 games.

Liverpool will have to do without their main man upfront again as Fernando Torres is still absent. Glen Johnson is also still out so Jamie Carragher will fill the right back slot once again which will mean Soti Kyriagkos keeps his place at the heart of defence. He has been in good form of late but I remain very unconvinced that he’s good enough for a club like Liverpool. He was extremely error prone when at Rangers a few years ago and even against Stoke his concentration was lacking at times. He’ll be up against it tomorrow with all the attacking threat on show for Everton from all over the park. The away side are also brilliant at set-pieces so concentration is a must.  Everton will have Yakubu and Joseph Yobo back from international duty but both may have to settle for a place on the bench as the side are in such good form at the moment.

I expect their will be goals tomorrow afternoon despite both sides defences playing well of late. This will be the hardest match both sides have faced on their good runs in my opinion, simply because it is a derby game and the pace of the match will be even greater than it normally is in the Premier League. I’m not convinced Liverpool are good enough to beat Everton tomorrow despite being in decent form results wise. They were woeful against Wolves a fortnight ago whilst they were lucky not to concede last week at home to Bolton. Everton are playing far better than their city neighbours but they’ve not won at Anfield in the last decade so they know how hard it will be to take all 3 points back to Goodison. With all this considered I feel the wise money is on a scoring draw. However there may also be value in Everton draw no bet. The blue’s are in terrific form and records are there to be broken. I’m not convinced of the Liverpool defence and with Everton so strong at set pieces, they stand a good chance of breaking their Anfield hoodoo.

My selections: Liverpool and Everton to draw at a best priced 5/2 available with Skybet

                            Everton to beat Liverpool ‘draw no bet’ at a best priced 11/4 with Boylesports

Providing Liverpool do not win, you’ll be in profit should you back both of these bets at level stakes. Should the game end in a draw you will also receive your stake back on the DNB wager.

English Championship

Sheffield United v Derby County

Kevin Blackwell will be glad to get his side back to home comforts after two successive away defeats as Sheffield United take on Derby County at Bramall Lane.

The blades have got themselves back into the promotion picture after a run of good from since the end of December. They’ve won their last 4 home matches and unbeaten in the last 5, conceding zero goals in the process, so it doesn’t take a genius to work out where their strengths currently lie. They have, however, conceded 6 in the last two away games, against West Brom and Watford. Blackwell was left seething after both performances so will be demanding a much improved display tomorrow. With the 4^th best home record in the division, it is not inconceivable that they can put their poor away form behind them and get back to winning ways.

Derby put in a massive performance last weekend in their local derby against Nottingham Forest. Forest had been unbeaten in 16 league matches and had not lost away from home all season before their visit to Pride Park. 90 minutes and a Rob Hulse goal later, both records were away and Derby received a massive morale boost in their bid to stay in the Championship. Their away from, however, is not great at all with only 2 wins from 14 games on the road. Nigel Clough would no doubt be happy with a point and his side will be in buoyant mood after their heroics last Saturday.

Michael Tonge is no stranger to playing at Bramall lane after playing there for 8 years. This time, however, the midfielder will be lining up for the away side after his loan move from Stoke at the start of the week. He’ll likely go straight into the side as he’ll be match fit after a similar spell at Preston North End. Chris Morgan is out injured for the home side as is Andrew Taylor and Marcel Seip, so it will be a defensive reshuffle for Blackwell. The Blades have won their last two home games against tomorrow’s opponents and know that another victory is vital in their quest for a play-off place.

Derby will have put in a massive amount of energy last weekend, both physically and mentally. It will be interesting to see how they react to that expenditure tomorrow but I have a sneaky feeling that they will fail to maintain those levels this time around. There is a reason they are where they are and it is inconsistency.

My selection: Sheffield United to beat Derby County at a best priced 5/6 available with Coral

Saturday 17^th October

English Premier League

Sunderland v Liverpool

Steve Bruce enjoyed many victories over the red half of Merseyside as captain of Manchester United so he’ll be hoping for something similar as his Sunderland side host Liverpool in an intriguing encounter.

Sunderland were a rash swing of Anton Ferdinand’s right boot of taking all three points home from Old Trafford last time out. The Mackems have had a bright start to the season in Bruce’s first season in charge and were very unlucky against Man United, a game where they took the lead twice. Due to new ownership, Sunderland invested heavily in personnel over the summer months. Their big signings included Michael Turner from Hull, Lorik Cana from Marseille and Frazier Campbell from Man United. However, it’s been another of their signings who has really grabbed the headlines – Darren Bent. The former Ipswich, Charlton and Tottenham hitman has been on fire for his new club, notching 7 goals in 8 league games. He’s scored against United and Chelsea already and has formed an interesting partnership with Kenwyne Jones. Sunderland currently sit in 8^th position with 13 points, 9 of which have been accumulated at home with their sole defeat at the Stadium of Light coming against Chelsea in August. Their points total is fully deserved although their position in the table may be false. Despite being unlucky against United, they have struggled in their more difficult matches, i.e. at home to Chelsea and away to the likes of Burnley and Stoke. Their victories have tended to come against the weaker sides on the road in the shape of Hull and Wolves whilst their sole success on their travels was against a slow starting Bolton side.

I spoke about Liverpool a fortnight or so ago and since then not much has changed. Their strengths still lie in Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres whilst their weaknesses remain at the back and in the middle of the park where they still miss Xabi Alonso. These weaknesses were exposed in their last match before the international break, away to Chelsea. Obviously a difficult place to go to but they were incredibly poor in my opinion and lacked a creative spark. Lucas continued to look out his depth in this company whilst they lacked an out and out threat from midfield as Gerrard was used in a more advanced role. Torres may also not have been a 100% fit but there’s no doubting that Chelsea deserved their victory. Thankfully for Rafa Benitez he’s not taking his side to play Chelsea on Saturday. He’ll be hoping for the same Liverpool side who ground out entertaining victories over West Ham and Bolton in their only two away victories to date. The secret to those wins? Gerrard and Torres! Both were at the forefront of these games and took them by the scruff of the neck.

Sunderland will look to keep things simple and play a 4-4-2 with Jones and Bent leading their charge upfront. The likes of Steed Malbranque and Andy Reid could prove pivotal for Bruce on Saturday, the wide players always seem to trouble Liverpool’s full backs so a lot will depend on how they do and if they are able to get crosses into the box for their strikers. Liverpool will look to their main men to get them a much needed 3 points with Torres likely to return after being absent from Spain’s side during the week, Gerrard, who also missed his country’s midweek match, is a certainty to be fit for Saturday. One player who must surely start is Yossi Benayoun. The little playmaker links midfield to forward better than anyone else at the club so a lot of Liverpool’s positive play revolves round him, if he starts Liverpool will create chances. Obviously I don’t know what Benitez is thinking with regards to team selection but I’m not taken with Sunderland just yet so I feel the 10/11 available for Liverpool is a very good value bet. Also, should Benayoun start I think his ability to arrive late in the box should give him opportunity to add to his 3 goal tally in the league this season.

My selection: Liverpool to beat Sunderland

Best odds available: 10/11 available with Bet365

Other selections: Yossi Benayoun to score anytime

Best odds available: 7/2 available with Extrabet

English Championship

Leicester City v Derby County

These sides have not met each other in over two years so the rivalry, if possible, will be even greater when Leicester City entertain Derby on Saturday in a fiery Midlands derby.

Leicester have been hard to beat on their return to England’s 2^nd tier after promotion last season. Nigel Pearson’s side have lost just twice in 11 matches, winning 4. One of the reasons they are so hard to beat is their strong defensive unit. Pearson, himself a defender at the top level, has built from the back and makes a point of having a consistent backline. This is proved by 4 of his back five (including the goalkeeper) playing in all of the clubs 11 league matches. City have conceded 11 in that time but 3 of those came in the one game against Watford away from home, more specifically, a 19 minute spell in that game. They have allowed the opposition just five goals in the same amount of matches at the Walkers Stadium. From these games, Leicester have won 3 and lost just the once, against Preston in what was their most recent home game. They have defeated Swansea, Blackpool and Barnsley who all like to get the ball played through the midfield as opposed to going long like Preston. This form has seen them rise to 7^th in the table level on points with Sheffield United.

Nigel Clough is in his first full season as Derby manager and is under no illusion as to where his side must improve – away from home. The Rams have picked up one point from a possible 15 on the road this season, losing 13 goals in the process. A couple of their defeats have came against good sides such as rivals Nottingham Forest and Cardiff City, however they’ve also lost to the weaker sides in the league such as Scunthorpe. Their solitary point came against Blackpool back in the middle of August so improvement is a must if they want to avoid a relegation battle later in the season. There’s no doubting County possess a bit of quality, Kris Commons, Rob Hulse and Miles Addison are very decent players. They do, however, look weak in the middle of the park with veteran Robbie Savage playing every match so far alongside Lee Croft and Jake Livermore. I’ve never been impressed with them at the back and their makeshift centre half partnership of Lee McEveley and Darren Leacock do not look the most commanding of duos.

 Local derbies can often be a lottery from a betting perspective but there are a lot of things in Leicester’s favour going into Saturday’s clash. Their home form has been sound whilst Derby’s away form is deplorably bad. They also have the right mix upfront to trouble and unsettle Derby’s lightweight back four. Matty Fryatt and Steve Howard have an excellent blend for the Foxes and I think their understanding will go a long way to ensuring another home win in a tight and hard fought contest.

Fryatt has scored in 3 of City’s last four home matches, nothing the first goal of the game in two of those occasions so it may be worth following him again to do likewise on Saturday.

My selections: Leicester City to beat Derby County

Best odds available: 10/11 with Ladbrokes

Other selections: Matty Fryatt to score the first goal

Best odds available: 9/2 with several bookmakers including Skybet

Good Luck and Happy Punting

The end of the war in ’45 saw the resumption of competitive football in the form of the F.A. Cup.

During hostilities the league set-up was two "first divisions", North and South and lesser regional leagues. On this occasion the two finalists were both from the Southern Section, Charlton Athletic and Derby County. 98,000 saw they game which went into extra time, but not without a couple of "firsts". Jacky Stamp, (Derby centre forward), shot for goal only for the ball to burst in mid-air. Just as it had done in a regional league game between the same sides the previous week.

First blood went to Derby when Charlton’s left half Bert Turner put thru’ his own. Almost immediately Charlton went on the attack and Turner equalised. The first person to get on both score sheets in an F.A. Cup Final.The  game went to extra-time, for only the second time at Wembley. Derby went on to win 4 – 1.Charlton gained their revenge next season. beating second division Burnley 1 – 0 in extra-time.

No team dominated in the early years after ’45 until Newcastle won 3 times between ’51 and ’55. In amongst these successes was the MATTHEWS FINAL. Bolton lead 3 –1 with some 22 mins remaining. Matthews completed one of his dazzling runs with a cross for Mortenson to score his and the teams second goal. Mortenson went on to score the only Cup Final hat-trick at the old stadium.

The next outstanding happening was in the 55/56 final,  when City, having lost the previous year, beat Birmingham 3 – 1. With their goalkeeper, Bert Trautman playing for the last 20 mins with a broken neck.The club doctor stated that the slightest jolt to the neck could have paralysed if not killed him. I watched that game on T V and Trautman was awesome.

Two years later Man Utd lost to Bolton Wanderers. This was three months after the Munich disaster. United were allowed to sign players who had already played in that seasons cup games. The only time it has been allowed. Not surprisingly Bolton ran out 2 – 0 winners. United’s second consecutive Cup final defeat. They made amends beating Leicester City 3 -1 in 62/63.

The sixties really belonged to ‘Spurs with a double success in 60/61 and 61/62. Follwed by a third in  66/67.

The 64/65 final would add a new name to the trophy now matter who had won. It turned out to be one of Liverpool‘s numerous successes. Leeds had to wait until 71/72 for their first ever Cup Final win. The following season when they attempted to retain the trophy, they were surpisingly beaten by a Porterfield goal for Sunderland.
No one team dominated during the Seventies, and the start of the Eighties saw three years of replays. ‘Spurs winning the first two of these for yet another double final success.

Everton won in 83/84 and were beaten in each of the following two seasons. The second of which saw the first ever Merseyside Derby Final. Repeated three seasons later, when Liverpool  also repeated their victory. The shock of the decade came in 87/88 when WIMBLEDON beat all the odds and Liverpool by a single goal.
‘Spurs saw in the next decade with a 2 – 1 defeat of Notts Forest.

The next nineteen years have been a virtual monopoly fo the "BIG FOUR". Only twice has an "outsider" won the Cup. Everton 94/95 and last year Portsmouth were successful.

When the F.A. Cup is mentioned the thoughts often tend to wander to the few clubs who have also achieved the Cup and League Double. With some hundred and twenty finals decided only six teams have achieved the Double. Preston, Aston Villa, ‘Spurs and Liverpool have one success each Whilst Arsenal and Man. Utd have three each.

The spread of these successes shows no pattern whatsoever. Two between 1889 and 1897 then a blank until 1961. A ten year gap to the next and then another barren spell until 1986.Then there was a fistful (four) between 1994 and 1999. The last occasion was 2002.

Although the "Big Four" appear to have most things their own way, none seems to be able to really dominate as Man. Utd did in the nineties.