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Saturday 20^th February

English Premier League

West Ham United v Hull City

It’s yet another battle between two sides at the bottom of the table desperate for points as Phil Brown leads his Hull side to London set to take on improving West Ham.

The Hammers have finally begun to pick up points regularly for really the first time this season. Gianfranco Zola’s side have lost just one of their last 5 but at the same time, they’ve only won one of those. It may not be pretty reading compared to the form of the likes of Chelsea, Manchester United and Everton but when you put it alongside teams in and around them, there’s not too many who can rival it in terms of not losing games – which is fundamental at this stage of the season. Their last match saw a very convincing 2-0 win over high-flying Birmingham at home. It was a win that owed much to the influence of Carlton Cole. The England striker scored his first goal since returning from injury and he led the line exceptionally well. He can be the catalyst between now and the end of the season for the East London club and it’s imperative he remains fit and healthy. He was partnered upfront by one of the club’s new singings in the January window – Mido. The former Middlesborough, Wigan and Tottenham player has been a regular fixture in the Premier League so it was no real surprise to see him return to these shores last month. He could prove to be an astute signing between now and the end of the season and along with Benni McCarthy and Ilan, West Ham have certainly strengthened what had been a problematic area in the earlier part of the campaign.

Hull will again have to make do without the talismanic figure of Jimmy Bullard. The midfielder is still recovering from injury but could be given a place on the bench to boost team morale if nothing else, as the former Fulham man is without doubt the best and most important player at the football club. City will be looking for their first away win of the season on Saturday which is a damning statistic when you think that only they and Burnley remain winless on the road. They have scored a measly 7 goals as well on their travels, conceding 31, the 3^rd worst record in the division. Phil Brown is tasked with sorting this out but it remains to be seen whether he has the players and quality at his disposal to do so. Many feel that Hull were extremely lucky to survive their maiden season last year, with a horrendous run of form after Christmas meaning they relied upon other teams keeping them up whilst sending Newcastle down. This season they have performed at a decent enough level at home with 5 wins and 5 draws from 13 games but have let themselves down with some horrific away results. Their most recent away defeat came against Blackburn where the 1-0 reverse flattered them. It was a game which only ever looked like having the home side triumphant at the end, but poor finishing allied with some great saves from Boaz Myhill meant they were always in the game without ever really looking like scoring.

West Ham have won 2 and drawn 1 of their last 3 games and they’ve kept 3 clean sheets in the process. They have class all over the field from their keeper Rob Green, to Matthew Upson, Scott Parker, Valon Behrami through to Cole up top. It’s a very strong spine they have in their team and is arguably why they have by far the best goal difference of the 7 teams involved in the relegation battle. Their squad is packed full of international players, several of whom will be playing in South Africa this summer so they will be motivated even more so to go there on a high by helping their club out of this predicament.

Hull do not look the same team without Bullard in the midfield so the sooner they get him back the better they’ll be. Until he is fit enough to return, a lot of expectation will be heaped upon Stephen Hunt. The Irish wide player is the club’s top scorer this season with 6 and he’s been the subject of much interest despite only moving to the KC Stadium last summer. He’s the infectious player a club like Hull needs and he’s done will thus far. He can only do so much though and it’s upfront where they tend to fall down.

West Ham won this match pretty easily last season, winning 2-0. It was a performance which merited an even bigger margin of victory but I’m positive if you offered Zola any sort of win on Saturday, he wouldn’t care one bit about how they achieved it. Hull do not have enough upfront to worry a stronger West Ham defence whilst Cole looks to be getting back to his best and is likely to prove too much for a porous Tigers backline.

My selection: West Ham to beat Hull

Best odds available: Best priced 5/6 available with Boylesports

English Championship

Newcastle United v Preston North End

Newcastle will be looking to extend their unbeaten home record this season when Preston come calling on Saturday.

The home side returned to the top of the Championship on Wednesday with a 4-1 success of crisis club Crystal Palace. They had to come back from a goal down in the first half but their superior class and quality of player prevailed as they made chalked up their 12^th home win of the campaign. Despite being top for much of the season, Chris Houghton refused to rest on his laurels and strengthened his side during the transfer window. He brought in a total of 5 players on a mixture of loans and permanent deals and all 5 have played some part in the fixtures since. Arguably the most effective, certainly in an attacking sense, has been Wayne Routledge. The little winger joined from QPR and has made an immediate impact in the North East. He’s provided balance in a position which has seen many a player tried in it. He scored in the 4-1 win over his old club and he’s created several goals with his sharp wing play and accurate crossing. He’s a dream provider for the likes of Andy Carroll and Shola Ameobi, as well as fellow new signing, Leon Best. Newcastle have the best home defensive record in the league, and joint best overall. It’s been added to by the capture of Mike Williamson from Portsmouth. The former Watford stopper has slotted in seamlessly and looks to be the solid, no nonsense centre back that the club have been looking for in their attempts to go straight back up.

Preston are on to their 2^nd manager of the season with Darren Ferguson taking the reigns after the sacking of Alan Irvine. Ferguson has found it hard thus far with only 1 win in 5 league games. They suffered an embarrassing 5-2 thrashing on Tuesday away to Derby in a match which could easily have been even worse for North End had it not been for some woeful finishing from the Derby players. Everytime Derby attacked they looked threatening and their key players were afforded too much space, especially Rob Hulse who simply bullied the Preston centre halves whenever they did decided to get close to him. It’s worrying times for Ferguson as he’s unable to call upon a massive squad anyway, but when his key players such as Sean St Ledger and Ross Wallace are off the boil, it’s very difficult to bring anyone else in to freshen things up. They won’t find things any easier on Saturday when they travel north, especially when you consider they have lost 9 away games already this season, including 6 of the last 7.

Newcastle have been like a juggernaut at St James’ this year and they know it must continue to roll along with the league being so tight and also because their away form is not nearly as good as their home. It’s these type of games which will determine where they finish come May as everyone will drop points, but it’s dropping silly points such as a home game against a side out of form which will severely dent their promotion aspirations. Preston look far too weak at the back to hold out for anything other than damage limitation – comfortable home win.

My selection: Newcastle to beat Preston

Best odds available: Best priced 4/7 available with Stan James and Coral

Scottish Premier League

Motherwell v Hibernian

Motherwell are not quite out of the running for 3^rd place but they know that anything other than 3 points against the team currently in that position, Hibs, will all but end their hopes.

Craig Brown has done a fantastic job since taking over from Jim Gannon on a temporary basis until the end of the season. The former Scotland manager has led his new side to 7 matches unbeaten in the league, including 4 wins. What’s been most impressive about this is the fact he’s used exactly the same players as his predecessor but far more effectively. It’s a very young squad he’s working with so inconsistency could have been a problem – it’s been anything but. They’ve brushed aside Aberdeen and Kilmarnock away from home whilst winning against St Mirren and Hamilton at Fir Park of late, but there best performance was 10 days ago at home to Rangers. They dominated the match from start to finish and if not for a shocking offside call, would have been 2-0 up with 20 minutes to player. As it was, Rangers leveled the match late on but the home side earned many plaudits for their way of playing.

Hibs have had a good season up till now but there are signs there that they have ran out of good performances and that little bit of luck. They are now 3 games without a win and have conceded 10 goals in the process, taking only a solitary point which they had to rely on a last minute penalty against Aberdeen to earn. They have stuttered of late and it’s probably down to the fact they’ve overachieved in the first half of the season thanks to a load of Anthony Stokes’ goals and some excellent support from Liam Miller in the middle of the park. These two have failed to perform in the last couple of weeks which has had a serious effect on results. They can’t keep pulling them out the bag all season and it looks as though they are tired from their early season exertions, especially when you consider that both have played little football in the last couple of seasons.

‘Well currently sit 8 points behind Saturday’s visitors so a win is a must to narrow the gap and put the pressure on between now and the split. Hibs were thumped 5-1 in midweek away to St Johnstone and it will be interesting to see how the players react on Saturday. I thought they looked out of ideas against Rangers last Sunday whilst their defence looked more vulnerable than it has done for much of the season. Motherwell are on a roll at the minute and the value certainly lies with a home win on Saturday.

My selection: Motherwell to beat Hibs

Best odds available: Best priced 6/4 available with several bookmakers including Skybet

There is a breakaway leader at the top of the scoring charts, with Wayne Rooney’s recent four-goal salvo against Hull shooting him clear of his nearest competitors. With the England striker scoring at the Emirates on Sunday, the bookmakers aren’t expecting anyone to usurp the Manchester United striker, with Coral prepared to offer a best price 4/9 ahead of the Red Devils’ encounter with Portsmouth on Saturday. It’s in this match where the 24-year-old could effectively win the contest, although stranger things have happened than someone bridging the five-goal gap at the top.

Especially when you consider that Didier Drogba has fifteen goals to his name this term after scoring the equaliser at the KC Stadium on Tuesday night. The Ivorian has a phenomenal strike rate in a blue shirt and Stan James’ 8/1 could be an interesting price when you consider he’s playing against favourite team Arsenal on Sunday! The bookmakers are still also offering each-way betting on the contest, with firms like bet365 offering 1/3 odds for the first two places and Sporting Bet offering 1/5 odds for the first three places.

Indeed, it’s crying out for a bookmaker to offer a “without Wayne Rooney” market, with Jermain Defoe (7/1 bet365) also having fifteen goals to his name and Darren Bent (20/1 bet365) having scored fourteen despite playing for a Sunderland team who have been struggling for months. Fernando Torres was the original favourite on this market at odds of around 4/1 and, while the Spaniard got off to a flying start for Liverpool, it was almost inevitable that injury would halt his in his tracks this term. Definitely one to swerve at short odds next term if he’s still playing at Anfield!

Meanwhile, there is a big chase for fourth place in the Premier League this term, something which would provide access to next season’s Champions League. There is a massive financial gulf between qualifying for Europe’s blue riband club competition and the Europa League, with Liverpool, Manchester City, Tottenham and Aston Villa all pushing hard to be in the top quartet. It’s Spurs who currently occupy that golden fourth place, with bet365 offering 10/3 that they are rubbing shoulders with the likes of Barca and Real next term.

However, the bookies think it’s more likely to be Manchester City who take their place among Europe’s elite. They certainly have the biggest finances, although they look defensively suspect away from home and odds of 10/11 (Paddy Power) that they snare a place in the Champions League might not be to everyone’s liking. Liverpool are still realistic contenders, having finished in the top four for several consecutive seasons and bet365 offer 15/8 that they feature in next season’s competition. Aston Villa might be the outsiders, although they have a strong first team and the backers of the 9/2 (Sporting Bet) might just have themselves a value bet.

While it’s clear that In-Play betting is becoming increasingly popular with customers, there are still many of us that like to place antepost bets either before or during the start of the football season. While a bet on a live game is often settled within minutes, a long-term bet means that you can enjoy your wager over the course of the season, before eventually it’s settled as a winner or loser by May.

There are still several issues to be decided in the Premier League, with the winner likely to come from a select group of two teams. Despite talk of Liverpool and Manchester City mounting a challenge this term, they are 100/1 (Sporting Bet) and 33/1 (Paddy Power) respectively to finish top of the pile. In addition, many people have started to write off Arsenal (for the second time this season) after the Gunners lost 3-1 at home to Manchester United on Sunday. Arsene Wenger’s team are now out to 10/1 with Sky Bet to win their first title since 2004, although it appears that they might not have enough quality.

Which leaves us with Chelsea and Manchester United. The Blues have been trading at odds-on for most of the season and the Blues are still available at a best price 5/6 (bet365), despite drawing with Hull on Tuesday. Carlo Ancelotti’s team still have to visit Old Trafford this season, something which might convince many that the Red Devils are clearly the value bet at 6/4 (Ladbrokes). With United having an easy match against Portsmouth on Saturday and Chelsea entertaining Arsenal on Sunday, it could be all change at the top.

While only three teams can possibly win the Premier League, it’s fair to say that eleven sides could be relegated this term. Some shrewd punters were backing Portsmouth at fancy odds of 5/1 before the season started, although their financial state and bad opening results saw Pompey quickly start trading at odds-on. It seems implausible that they are going to get out of the bottom three by the end of the season, although Coral and Victor Chandler are still prepared to offer odds of 1/5.

If Avram Grant’s team are doomed, then every other team will believe that they can escape the drop. Indeed, Hull City didn’t look like a team destined for the drop when drawing with Chelsea on Tuesday and Coral have eased the Tigers to 8/11 on their relegation market. Phil Brown’s team never give up and actually have form at the KC Stadium which might allow them to survive. Burnley are the same price (8/11 bet365) to return to the Championship next term, with the Clarets sinking like a stone in previous months. You could have backed them at around 4/1 when they had a bright opening to the campaign, although they need some inspiration from somewhere.

Wolves (11/8 Ladbrokes), Bolton (7/2 William Hill), Wigan (5/1 Ladbrokes) and West Ham (6/1 Stan James) are definitely too close to the bottom of the league for comfort, with the Hammers a surprisingly big price purely because they have new owners who have drafted in Benni McCarthy and Mido. It promises to be a scrap to the death at the wrong end of the Premier League table.

Arsenal’s recent strong run of form has seen them reach the top of the table, although the bookmakers are in little doubt as to which team are likely to finish as champions. Despite the Gunners occupying first place, firms such as Ladbrokes and bet365 are prepared to offer 3/1 about Arsene Wenger’s team winning their first title since 2004. This is despite the North London bridging a gap of eight points that existed between them and Chelsea at the end of October when the Blues won 3-0 at the Emirates Stadium.

Indeed, Carlo Ancelotti’s team are no better than 4/5 (Sky Bet) to regain top spot in the Premier League and remain there until the end of the season. Chelsea started the season in blistering fashion, although away defeats to Aston Villa to Wigan proved that this team weren’t invincible. Although they showed little sign of missing their African Nations Cup participants when beating Sunderland 7-2 last Saturday, the Blues have some tricky fixtures with Arsenal visiting Stamford Bridge on 7th February. Meanwhile, the title favourites have consecutive away trips to Liverpool, Tottenham and Manchester United in April and May.

Manchester United are expected to beat Hull City on Saturday and actually leave Chelsea sitting in third place. Although the Red Devils have been wobbling in the past couple of months, it’s clear that Sir Alex Ferguson has experienced big problems with injured defenders and it will be with a sigh of relief that Rio Ferdinand will return to the back line.

With Nemanja Vidic also expected back in the team, it’s possible that the champions could enjoy a run of clean sheets that occurred last season from Boxing Day until February. Something like this would surely put them in pole position and bet365 and Sporting Bet’s 3/1 that they manage a fourth consecutive title could be the value proposition. However, there is a nagging doubt that this United team just can’t reach the same heights that they did when Cristiano Ronaldo was in the team.

Meanwhile, the race for fourth place in the Premier League is hotting up, on the basis that the above trio occupy the top three places. Many of the top bookmakers offer odds on which team will land a top four finish and Manchester City are the 6/5 favourites (Ladbrokes). Although Roberto Mancini’s team are level with Tottenham and a point better off than Liverpool (having a game in hand on both teams), their recent defeat at Everton suggested defensive concerns which could hinder their ambition.

In addition, Liverpool look like they have created a siege mentality and some might think 7/4 (bet365) is a big price about a team that feature in the top four of the Premier League so regularly. With key players to return from injury and the luck to go their way at some point, perhaps they will edge it. Then again, Tottenham could usurp both teams, with the return of Aaron Lennon clearly crucial to their hopes of making the top four. Ladbrokes make them 7/2 chances.

David Sullivan and David Gold have recently bought 50% of West Ham United and the bookmakers are sensing a wind of change at Upton Park. The club are heavily in debt to the tune of over £100 million and, although Sullivan claimed this week that Gianfranco Zola’s position as manager is safe until the end of the season, firms have taken a more cynical view. Paddy Power offer 6/4 that the Italian is the next Premier League manager to leave his post and Sky Bet go even shorter with their quote of 5/4. The former Chelsea striker is a popular figure with Hammers supporters, although it’s possible that the new owners will want to draft in their own candidate.

Indeed, Sky Bet have created a ‘Next West Ham Manager’ market and the strong favourite is Mark Hughes. The UK-based bookmaker offer just 10/11 that the former Manchester City manager is brought in and the Welshman did perform minor miracles at Blackburn Rovers with a shoestring budget. Despite being Zola’s predecessor, Sky Bet have Alan Curbishley next on the list at 7/1, with former Hammer Slaven Bilic also available at these odds and declaring an interesting in English football management.

Meanwhile, Rafael Benitez is unsurprisingly short at 5/2 (Paddy Power) on the ‘Next Manager to Leave’ market, although the Spaniard has been trading at short odds before and lived to tell the tale. It appears that the Liverpool manager had a vote of confidence from co-owner George Gillett this week, who described him as ‘one of the world’s top managers’. It doesn’t appear as though any exit from Anfield is imminent, although this is a bet that might be profitable if no other manager steps down between now and May.

There doesn’t appear to be too many other managers whose positions are in threat at the moment, although Sky Bet don’t think Sam Allardyce is out of the woods despite Blackburn’s recent 2-0 win over Fulham. They offer 5/1 that the former Bolton gaffer is the next to walk, although Paddy Power are happy to lay him at odds of 9/1. His former number two Phil Brown is also required to produce the results that will keep the Tigers in the Premier League or face the sack and Paddy Power go 7/1 about the Hull manager which is the same as Sky Bet.

Meanwhile, Sky Bet have created a number of other manager specials, including Next Liverpool Manager. Unsurprisingly, Kenny Dalglish is 5/2 favourite as he’s the obvious temporary successor to Benitez, although Guus Hiddink (5/2) and Jose Mourinho (3/1) are more viable candidates to assume the Anfield hotseat. Perhaps the Special One is waiting for Sir Alex Ferguson to vacate the Old Trafford manager’s position, with Sky Bet making him 3/1 co-favourite to manage Manchester United next. Martin O’Neill also appears to be in the running.

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)

It seemed too good to be true on Saturday. Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea seemed like a successful treble in the making, with Burnley, Hull City and Sunderland all facing mammoth tasks to get something out of their matches. While the Black Cats found themselves trailing 4-0 at half-time to an outstanding Blues performance, the other teams did themselves enormous credit and illustrated the perils of lumping on favourites at odds-on in the Premier League.

While Manchester United were a pre-match 1/4 with bet365 against a Clarets team that have been very travel-sick this season, punters that had backed Sir Alex Ferguson’s team were made to sweat before the champions found a breakthrough just after the hour mark. While Brian Laws’ appointment has met with a negative press, he sent out an organised and determined side that created a few chances of their own. The Red Devils were 4/7 on bet365’s In-Play market before Dimitar Berbatov scored and illustrated the advantages of betting during the live action.

However, those that backed Tottenham either before or during the game had their fingers burnt, with Spurs once again failing to beat so-called lesser opposition at White Hart Lane. Punters will now be leaving Harry Redknapp out of their weekend accumulators for the rest of the season, with the bookies rubbing their hands together after offering pre-match odds of 2/7 about the home team. On another day, it could have been quite different with Hull keeper Boaz Myhill producing a goalkeeping masterclass for the Tigers, although Tottenham do seem to lack the nous to break down stubborn opposition after losing at home to Stoke and Wolves.

Chelsea proved to be the Saturday banker and are clearly the stand-out team in the Premier League right now. However, the Blues only get three points for their 7-2 mauling of Sunderland, although it clearly pays to study the line-ups before placing your bets. After all, Steve Bruce explained after the game that with Michael Turner, Anton Ferdinand and Nyron Nosworthy missing, the manager had to play midfielders in defence and that was a core explanation as to why a talented side were out of sight after just twenty minutes.

However, a victory of this nature is a rarity in the Premier League these days, with teams generally being well-organised and capable of pulling off a shock. Since the first few weeks of the season, putting the ‘top six’ sides in any kind of multiple bet is now more than a calculated risk, especially as Liverpool have failed to put together any kind of consistent run since the campaign began. At the moment, it’s far more sensible to look at single bets and perhaps the odd double, with some swotting up on likely team selections likely to yield more dividends. With Aston Villa and Arsenal likely to be well-fancied in doubles on Sunday, we shall see if blindly backing the favourites pays off or continues to be a risky business.

The Irish bookmaker have been known to take some unusual steps in the past, usually by paying out on a team winning a league well before it becomes a mathematical possibility. Indeed, there have been several occasions when Paddy Power have got it wrong and ended up paying out on Manchester United and Arsenal or Celtic and Rangers in the same season! Now it appears that they have been courting controversy again with their popular Last Man Standing competition.

In fairness to them, they were caught between a rock and a hard place when the snow started falling last week, leading to seven of the ten Premier League fixtures being postponed. Many contestants in the Last Man Standing competition took advantage of this by selecting a team in a match which had been postponed, but which Paddy Power hadn’t managed to void on time. Therefore, they were left with a situation whereby contestants had either:

1)    Deliberately picked a ‘postponed’ team
2)    Been forced to pick one of the six teams that were actually playing a match between Saturday and Monday
3)    Innocently picked a team and then seen their match postponed nearer to the time

Quite rightly, Paddy Power have decided to allow all participants to progress in the respective competitions, although some will feel a sense of injustice due to:

a)    picking a team that won the match, eg Manchester City, while others went for Manchester United or Arsenal
b)    no longer being able to pick Manchester City in the competition, while others went for Burnley, Wigan and Stoke etc, knowing the games would be postponed

It’s an unusual circumstance, although if you’re like me and one of the 101 left in the ‘Week 15’ competition, then it’s no longer a level playing field. I managed to pick Wigan although my first choice ‘postponed’ team would have been Burnley, especially as they have now lost Owen Coyle as manager and it’s doubtful they will win many more matches this season!

Nevertheless, with Manchester United, Chelsea and Manchester City left to pick, it promises to be an interesting few weeks, with the draw insurance still available for one particular week. This is the time when it pays to look at the fixture list for the weeks ahead and assess likely home wins (always slightly dangerous to go for away picks). Many of the previous contests have seen more than one winner, with the contestants being left with the dregs to pick from when it gets towards the tenth week of the competition!

One thing that Paddy Power should be applauded for is the moneyback specials that are regularly available at their website. They have commemorated Owen Coyle’s return to Bolton as manager by offering a refund to all losing first / last goalscorer, correct score and scorecast singles if Wanderers give their new gaffer a dream start by winning the match. Click here for more details.

The snow has been falling in the UK for over a week, creating havoc up and down the country. Only two Premier League matches survived the weather on Saturday, with Arsenal managing to get their game on with Everton and Birmingham managing to successfully host champions Manchester United. Perhaps the Gunners wish they hadn’t bothered trying so hard after needing a deflected Tomas Rosicky effort to nick a draw against the Toffees. While Arsene Wenger had plenty of players out injured (not to mention Alexandre Song and Emmanuel Eboue at the African Nations Cup), it’s possible that the snow teeming down at the Emirates was a factor in David Moyes’ men nearly landing the spoils.

Similarly, at St Andrews later that day, Birmingham managed to continue their unbeaten run by drawing with Manchester United. While the Red Devils dominated possession in the first half, they only created one clear-cut chance, with their desire to pass the ball quickly suffering due to the bobbling pitch. Although the under soil surface was in operation, the grass was easily torn under the player’s studs and it undoubtedly played into the hands of the home side, who could have won the game at the death.

Last week, we saw Stoke City race into a three-goal lead at half-time in their match with Fulham, an example of a visiting team being ‘caught cold’ quite literally! There is unlikely to be another occasion where the Cottagers are 3-0 down at the break this season and much of this is surely down to the sub-zero temperatures, the break in training routines and the mental uncertainty of whether a match is likely to go ahead. It happened at Elland Road as well, where Leeds just couldn’t get going against a Wycombe team fighting for their lives at the foot of the table.

Meanwhile, up in Scotland, Glasgow Rangers somehow conspired to give away a 2-0 lead at Hamilton. The Gers conceded three goals before half-time and needed a second-half penalty to earn a replay. However, the cold weather had nothing to do with Angola surrendering a 4-0 lead against Mali to draw 4-4 in the African Nations Cup!

With the cold weather likely to stick around for the coming weekend, we should be focusing on matches like Stoke v Liverpool, Chelsea v Sunderland and Bolton v Arsenal as matches where a team at big odds-on might not be the ‘dead cert’ they were in August. It has nothing to do with some of the ‘bigger’ clubs having a wide range of nationalities within the squad (especially if some are from Russia or Scandinavia!), but more to do with how team spirit plays a bigger part in a cold climate.

A lot of the sport around the UK has been cancelled or postponed due to the adverse weather gripping Great Britain and Ireland. As fun as it is to step outside and build snowmen and throw snowballs at younger siblings, the one downside to the sub-zero temperatures and snow fall that has befallen the UK, is that it causes havoc with the sporting calendar. Already on Wednesday, the Carling Cup Semi Final First Legs between Blackburn v Aston Villa, and the much anticipated Manchester City v Manchester United clashes got wiped out, along with Bolton’s trip to the Emirates Stadium in the Premier League. Generously, Arsenal have said that they will pay the costs incurred by Bolton fans who had travelled south for the match, as the game was not officially called off until five hours before kick off. Some plucky travellers had already made their way to London, and the Gunners have admirably stepped up to the plate to reimburse the hardened Bolton fans.

Premier League Matches Off
The Premier League fixture list is leading the way in cancellations, a lot of the major safety concerns over the fans’ collective safety in making their way to football stadia across the nation. League leaders Chelsea have had their game against Hull called off, along with Burnley v Stoke, Fulham v Portsmouth and Sunderland v Bolton. This will give Manchester United the chance to race to the top of the league, if they can win at Birmingham in their match. The St Andrews pitch is fine, and staff have been working around the clock to keep the surrounding areas clear, but there still remains the chance of it being called off if overnight ice plagues the area too much. This is much the case with other matches.

The big Sunday afternoon showdown between Liverpool and Tottenham has also definitely fallen foul of the terrible weather though, and the game between Wigan v Aston Villa is in some jeopardy because of some failing under-soil heating. There will be a morning inspection at the DW Stadium to see if the game goes ahead or not.

Championship, League One and League Two Matches Off
The Premier League, is of course, not the only league affected. The Championship has been hit just as hard, with seven matches called off already, including leader’s Newcastle’s visit to Reading. Such is the chaos, only three matches remain in the Championship at the moment, and these are Cardiff v Blackpool, Coventry v Barnsley and Derby v Scunthorpe.
There are just two games in League One which have survived so far, and they are games involving the top two teams, Leeds v Wycombe and Norwich v Exeter.
If you are the supporter of a League Two team, then you may as well just stay in bed with a hot chocolate, as all matches in the league have been cancelled already. All FA Trophy games have also been cancelled.

Horse Racing Matches Off
The meetings at Ffos Las, Punchestown, Sedgefield and Wincanton have all been called off for Saturday, so you will probably need to get online and play some virtual racing at your online bookmakers, like SportingBet provide, if you need to fill the void. There will definitely be no snow there! Alternatively you can seek out some horse racing from across the pond, as providers like Stan James offer good coverage on US and Canadian meetings. Sunday’s meetings at Hereford and Leopardstown have also been cancelled, as well as Monday’s cards at Taunton and Ayr. Newcastle’s meeting for Tuesday has already been cancelled too. That all pretty much puts an end to the National Hunt racing for the weekend.
Incidentally, Lingfield (which ran on Friday) and Kempton will hold inspections on Saturday morning, and Catterick will be checked on Monday ahead of Thursday’s race card.

Rugby Union Matches Off
Yep, even those hardened, rugged, tough Rugby players get to miss out on their sporting action this weekend, and can sit at home sipping tea in their gown and slippers. Leaders Saracens will get a break this weekend, as their match with Sale was called off, more due to the safety of spectators than anything to do with the pitch. It will be a quiet weekend in the Guinness Premiership as there is only one surviving fixture there so far, and that is the meeting of Leicester v Wasps (if you’re looking for a good bet on this, then Leicester -7 Handicap with BetFred at 4/5 looks pretty decent). Note that this match has been brought forward to a 3.30pm kick off from its scheduled 5.15 start.

With all this disruption for the weekend ahead, the punter in you need not fret. There is plenty of action still going on around in the British Isles and across the World. Why not take advantage of this, as it a great time to stay indoors and feast your eyes over some indoor sports. It is times like this when it is perfectly acceptable to be an armchair fan.

Snooker On!
The Snooker Masters start on Sunday, with Jimmy White playing Mark King. As a big snooker fan, I want to see him win, but remember to bet with your head and not your heart. King should win it (1/2 at Ladbrokes best price). Tough to call a winner for the tournament from outside Ronnie O’Sullivan (11/4 at SkyBet), but personally I fancy Mark Selby at an each way bet at 10/1 with BetFred).

Darts On!
The BDO Darts Championship is at the semi final stages. Sadly it doesn’t have that precious darting factor of having Sid Waddell’s awesome commentary on the games, as he takes care of the PDC Darts coverage, but all the same, it is a chance to enjoy some top flight darts. Martin Adams (11/8 at Boylesports) is favourite but do not discount top seed Tony O’Shea who is out at a very generous 3/1 also with Boylesports.

Tennis On!
No bad weather down under, or out in the middle East, where all of the new season of Tennis is getting underway on the WTA and ATP Tours. There’s a Rafael Nadal v Nikolay Davydenko final, Andy Murray and Laura Robson taking on Spain in the final of the Hopman Cup, Andy Roddick charging towards the Brisbane Open title, and a dream final in the WTA Brisbane final between Kim Clijsters and Justine Henin. Clijsters. A nice double would be Clijsters and Nadal to win their respective Final matches (both 8/11 at Stan James).

So, Keep the laptop handy, as this is the perfect opportunity to play with live in-play match betting with your online bookmaker. They should all provide that service, as with Virtual Sports as well (which Bet365 incidentally run a great service of). If you need a bookmaker, then have a quick look around at any of the links on this website, and take advantage of some excellent sign up offers, many of which will involve you receiving some kind of free bet.