Watford

Saturday 10th September

Sunderland v Chelsea

Top flight league action returns after a week of International football as Steve Bruce’s Sunderland, still without a win, entertain Chelsea at the Stadium of Light.

Sunderland have endured a tough start to their league campaign with just two points to show from their opening three games. They have found it hard to score goals having found the net just once which was on the opening day of the season. At the same time, however, they remain hard to break down which results in few teams getting the better of them. Liverpool could only manage a draw on the opening day of the season whilst Swansea, for all their efforts, had to settle for a point as well. It’s testament to the organsation of Bruce who prides himself on building from the back having been such an accomplished defender in his playing days. The Sunderland fans will be hoping that the new arrivals from the summer begin to click with Nicklas Bendtner the latest to sign on after agreeing a year long loan deal from Arsenal. He may just be the focal point the Black Cat’s need to push on and turn some draws into victories.

Chelsea remain unbeaten with two wins and a draw from their three games but few have been impressed with how they have reached their seven points. Andre Villas-Boas is learning the hard way in the Premier League that time is not a manager’s friend. Stuttering home wins against West Brom and Norwich followed an opening day draw with Stoke. The young manager said after that game that his side’s opponents were too physical and never played football in the correct manner – he may find history repeating itself tomorrow. Accused of lacking craft for a while now, Juan Mata and Raul Meireles who both arrived in August will be charged with providing that spark to ignite their title aspirations. Fernando Torres has looked sharper but is still to get off the mark this term whilst the likes of Frank Lampard, Didier Drogba and Nicholas Anelka are another year older.

Sunderland will make it difficult for Chelsea tomorrow with a five man midfield abley supported by a well drilled back four. Bendtner will likely start in place of Gyan who after the Ghanian injured himself in his country’s friendly against Brazil. Chelsea will also be without a striker in the shape of Drogba as he is still recovering from the vicious head injury he recieved in their last match against Norwich. This means Torres is likely to play through the middle with Mata and Florent Malouda possibly supporting him from the wide areas.

Chelsea have a magnificent record away to Sunderland winning on their last six visits. The home side will take heart from the fact they crushed Chelsea 3-0 last season at Stamford Bridge so they know it can be done. Personally I think Chelsea will be all the better for the International break and can seem them kicking on a bit now. Mata is a terrific addition to the squad and his trickery may well be the difference.

My Selection: Chelsea to beat Sunderland

Best odds available: 8/11 available with Paddypower

English Championship

Reading v Watford

Both Reading and Watford were much higher up the table for a lot of last season but they are looking up at most teams at the moment so both will be determined to get the points at the Madejski Stadium.

Brian McDermott must have been aware that this season would be even harder than his first full season last term. Not only did he need to pick his players up after losing out at Wembley in the play-off final, he also had to contend with the loss of key players such as Matt Mills and Shane Long. Both made big money moves and little of that money has been reinvested into the team. Adam Le Fondre has been brought in to shoulder the burden left by Long whilst Kaspars Gorkss has replaced Mills at the heart of the defence. Having impressively beaten Leicester at the Walkers Stadium in the middle of August, many would have expected the Royals to kick on but they have lost their next four games in all competitions. McDermott may well take some heart from the fact that every defeat has been by the odd goal but it’s little consolation as it still results in the same outcome – no points.

Watford have also had to contend with a shake-up in the summer as their manager, Malky Mackay has moved on to pastures new to take up the job at Cardiff. Sean Dyce, former player at the club, has come in but he has had to sell his best players as well. Danny Graham, last season’s top scorer, moved to Premier League side Swansea whilst Don Cowie has followed his former manager to Wales. It has resulted in Watford failing to win any of their five league games to date. Three draws with Birmingham, Coventry and Burnley, as well as defeats against West Ham and Derby have left many fans fearing the worst. The one positive that the Hornets can take solace from is the fact they have kept hold of their much sought after striker Marvin Sordell. Southampton were one of many sniffing about but he will be a Watford player until January at least.

Reading were one of the most impressive sides in the division last season and despite their departures, they still have a lot of quality. Le Fondre is a goalscorer and his move from Rotherham may prove to be a stroke of genius on McDermott’s part.

Watford on the other hand look likely to struggle this season. Dyce is very inexperienced and his signings have yet to impress. If it wasn’t for a last minute equaliser against Birmingham last time out then they would have been faced with the prospect of going into this match in second bottom place.

The home side look very attractive at the prices and with Le Fondre set to make his debut I can see them taking all three points tomorrow afternoon.

My Selection: Reading to beat Watford

Best odds available: 4/5 available with Betfred

English League One

Huddersfield v Tranmere Rovers
Huddersfield remain unbeaten but will face a tough test as Tranmere, who sit above them in the table, come visiting in search of extending their good run with their fourth victory of the season.

Having tipped up the Terriers in last week’s previews, they let readers (and myself) down as they could only manage a draw with rivals Oldham. Only the bar denied Alan Lee from helping Huddersfield to all three points but as it was, they settled for keeping their unbeaten record in tact. They will be looking to get back to winning ways tomorrow however as they cannot afford to keep drawing matches if they wish to pursue automatic promotion. With MK Dons and Sheffield United flying high at the top, Lee Clark will be aware that his side must be more ruthless infront of goal, especially on their travels. Their home record his strong, and has been for a while. Two wins and a draw from their first three matches, it already looks ominous for visiting opponents who will find it difficult to take anything from the Galpharm Stadium.

Tranmere have surprised many with their start to the season after a few seasons at the other end of the table. Les Parry, formerly the club’s physio, has worked wonders on such a limited budget. From their first six matches they have won three and drawn two, their only defeat was against Notts County in a five goal thriller, losing out by the odd goal. They have secured two wins on the road, however, both down in London with Brentford and Leyton Orient losing out respectively. They are a team very much built from the back as they have scored just seven goals from their half dozen league games. Tomorrow will arguably be their biggest test as Huddersfield have been in the promotion shake-up the last couple of years so Parry will be able to see how far his side have come in recent weeks.

Tranmere are packed full of experience from the back four right through to the strikers. They do, however, have a very small squad so getting points early may well prove vital come the end of the season. As much as these sides are only seperated by a point, I believe Huddersfield, especially at home, are much better equipped to mount a serious charge for promotion and sustaining their good early season form. Having scored seven already at home, I’m banking on the Yorkshire side to get the better of tomorrow’s opponents.

My Selection: Huddersfield to beat Tranmere

Best odds available: 3/4 available with William Hill

Saturday 13^th November

English Premier League

Aston Villa v Manchester United

Gerard Houllier had many a battle with Manchester United and Sir Alex Ferguson when he was Liverpool boss so it’s a case of renewing old acquaintances as he now faces them as manager of Aston Villa.  

Houllier took over the Villa hot seat after Martin O’Neill sensationally quit the club just says before the start of the new Premier League season. Since taking the job it’s been a case of one step forward and two steps back until recently where they have put some sort of run together. One defeat in five league games has given them some much needed consistency and lifted them into the top half of the table. Villa have also had to contend with a number of injuries to players who have been a big part of their success in recent seasons. One of the most notable absences was Gabriel Agbonlahor. The striker has topped the scoring charts at Villa Park for the last couple of seasons and with him not in the side, they look a lot poorer. He’s beginning to get back to full fitness now and could start against United tomorrow.

Despite their problems this year, Villa have yet to taste defeat at home with three wins and three draws thus far. They have stifled Chelsea already this term so the signs are there that they can cope with the big boys when they come to town.

United are coming into this game off the back of a dour, disappointing and downright dull derby against City on Wednesday night. The first ever goalless derby draw in the history of the Premier League tells it all. Both sides were lacking in inspiration and any real desire to win the game. City will possibly get the brunt of the criticism as they were the home side; however Ferguson sent his team out in a defensive manner as well with one upfront. It’s getting to a stage in the season now where any dropped points are going to be even more crucial as Chelsea are beginning to stretch their lead to their magnificent and unstoppable home form. Already four points off the pace and with Chelsea at home to Sunderland this weekend; Ferguson knows that the margin for error is very small despite it only being the middle of November.

The away side will have it all to do as well when they travel to the Midlands tomorrow as they have won only one of their 6 away matches to date and haven’t been victorious at Villa Park for over three years in the league.

I am a firm believer of class and quality prevailing when push comes to shove and United certainly hold those cards tomorrow. However for them to win on the road for only the second time this season, they have to be much more adventurous and attacking, as it’s likely Houllier will play on the counter even though his side are at home.

I have had my fingers burnt a few times over the years when expecting United’s class to come to the fore, however I really believe that Ferguson will not want to slip further behind and because of this, he will go with two strikers. If they do, I expect an away win as Villa’s defence has been ropey when faced with two central players this term .

My selection: Manchester United to beat Aston Villa

Best odds available: 17/20 available with Blue Square

English Championship

Burnley v Watford

Both Burnley and Watford enjoyed flying starts to the season but things have since tailed off so they will be looking to get back on tract when they clash at Turf Moor.

Burnley really impressed at the start of the season, especially at home where they demolished sides at will. However they are currently on a run of just one win form their last seven games. The only real positive for manager Brian Laws is that they are also proving difficult to beat as they have only lost one game in that run. The problem for the clarets has been too many draws which can be just as harmful as losing a couple of matches. Their last three games have all been stalemates, admittedly against three decent teams in the shape of QPR, Norwich and Doncaster. Laws will be seeking a change in fortunes when Watford visit tomorrow in order to pick up some more points to boost their promotion hopes as they currently lie in ninth position, just a point off sixth place.

Malky Mackay will be experiencing the same feelings of frustration as his counterpart as Watford found themselves in the top six a month ago. A run of four defeats in six matches has witnessed a drop to 13^th and a further point off of tomorrow’s opponents. Watford’s main problem has been their inability to keep a clean sheet. They have only managed to prevent the opposition scoring in one of their last 10 matches. It will be a real source of annoyance for Mackay who was himself a no-nonsense defender during his playing career. Tuesday night’s defeat away to bottom dogs Crystal Palace basically highlighted their deficiencies as they held the lead in the second half only to make silly mistakes and end up with nothing.

Burnley still boast a very decent home record with just one defeat, and five wins, from eight matches played at Turf Moor in the league this season. Their sole defeat was a 4-0 hammering from Reading, however, which will still be fresh in the mind of the manager and players as another southern club visit tomorrow. Watford have been impressive on the road this term with wins over Norwich, Millwall and Sheffield United, however their three most recent matches on the road have all ended in defeat.

With their run of defeats on their travels, and Burnley’s pretty good form on their own patch, I think the home side will edge what is sure to be an entertaining game.

My selection: Burnley to beat Watford

Best odds available: 10/11 available with William Hill

English League Two

Rotherham v Oxford United

It’s not very often I delve into League Two but Rotherham host Oxford in match up which caught my eye throughout the week.

Rotherham were well and truly hammered during the week when hosting Huddersfield in the Johnstone Paint Trophy. A 5-2 reverse was sore to take from local rivals but with the form Lee Clark’s men are on at the moment in League One, it’s no great shame. In the league Rotherham have been very poor of late and have not won match since their victory over Accrington Stanley a month ago. One of the pre-season favourites for promotion, the Millers have faded in recent weeks but with Ronnie Moore in charge they have plenty of experience at the helm as well as some excellent individual players.

Oxford United sit comfortably in mid table after gaining promotion from the Conference last season. Their form has also tailed off of late with only one success from their last six matches. They haven’t even managed to gain a draw from the other five matches which will be a massive worry for Chris Wilder who is experiencing managing a side in League football for the first time in his career. He has moved to quell his side’s recent problems with the signing of three new players who should all face Rotherham on Saturday. Paul Wotton and Steven McLean have joined on loan from League one clubs whilst Ben Futcher also comes in on a temporary deal from fellow League Two side, and Wilder’s former club, Bury.  

Rotherham have to contend with placing at the vast and open spaces of the Don Valley Stadium where atmosphere is at a premium. They have coped relatively well with this hindrance as one defeat from eight games would testify. Oxford have been poor travellers since their return to league football with only one success from seven matches.

It may be more of a speculative punt due to the unpredictable nature of the league, but with a striker like Adam Le Fondre, top scorer in League Two, a win is never far away and with the price on the home win being what it is, I believe it represents huge value.

My selection: Rotherham to beat Oxford United

Best odds available: 5/4 available with Victor Chandler

Stamford Bridge
Sunday, January 3
Kick-off: 3pm

This is what life without some of their most influential players will be like for Chelsea. While the African Cup of Nations are on for most of the January, Chelsea will be without Didier Drogba, Salomon Kalou, John Obi Mikel and Michael Essien for the first time on Sunday. This could be very testing times for Chelsea, with Drogba such an important factor for them. While they have been struggling for form of late, they still top the Premier League, but are looking a little short on confidence. With Nicolas Anelka struggling with an injury, January looks to really test the London club’s mettle.

But fortunately for boss Carlo Ancelotti, French striker Anelka has been passed fit, and will be the main source of goals for Chelsea. He has formed an excellent partnership with Didier Drogba, and when the big Ivorian has been missing, like in the early parts of the Champions League when he was banned, Anelka really stepped up and grabbed some important goals. Without Drogba and Kalou, Chelsea are short on strikers with first team experience.

Watford, who are hanging around mid table in the Championship, have lost  four of their last six away games, which isn’t ideal form to take to the top side in England. One of the main threats from Watford, should come from midfielder Tom Cleverly who is on loan from Manchester United. Other loan-ee, striker Heider Helguson has returned to his QPR and so there will be some re-shuffling to do ahead of the visit to Stamford Bridge. In many ways there will be more pressure on Chelsea to perform than Watford, who aren’t expected to cause an upset, and so should just enjoy a good day out.

But the Chelsea fans and board do demand results, and this could be a good game to rediscover some of the form that they will need to push on through January, and remain as favourites to take the Premier League title away from Old Trafford. The should be in for a comfortable ride if they play to their potential.

Chelsea to win: 1/6 at Bet365
Draw: 7/1 at SkyBet
Watford to win: 20/1 at Victor Chandler

Betting Advice: Chelsea may have only won 2 games out of their last 6, but they still ooze quality, they just need to rediscover their confident touch. They will be stronger than Watford, and will, more likely than not, put out something close to a full strength team. Home advantage will be an extra boost for the Blues as they have not lost there all season.
Under 2.5 Goals – 6/4 at Bet365

Saturday 12^th December

English Championship

Watford v Derby County

Derby look to end their awful run of form on the road but they’ll find it extremely difficult to get anything from Watford who have now won their last four matches at Vicarage Road.

Watford continued their recent run of good form at home with a convincing, but hard fought, victory over London rivals QPR on Monday night. Despite going a goal behind early on, Malky MacKay’s side stuck to playing their football and got their rewards with three well worked goals against a good Rangers’ side. Tom Cleverley was again at the heart of everything that was good about the Hornets’ play and he’ll be the biggest threat to Derby tomorrow afternoon. His loan deal from Man United has been extended and he’ll now finish the season with the Championship side which will be a huge boost for everyone at the club.

Derby have failed to score in their last 5 away matches, but have still managed to pick up a couple of draws in that run of games. They are by far the lowest scorers away from home in the league with a measly 5 so Nigel Clough has attempted to make them harder to beat on the road because of this. They got a good point in midweek when travelling north to Preston but they are also a side lacking confidence so they should find Watford a different proposition altogether.

Watford will be hoping that the Henri Lansbury, the young midfielder on loan from Arsenal, will be fit to play after missing Monday’s victory. He has an excellent understanding with Cleverley and their styles of play complement each other. Derby will have to do without Dean Leacock who was injured in the stalemate with Preston which will mean a reshuffle at the back and this could be their downfall as he’s looked impressive of late, as well as being the organiser at the back.

Derby have struggled against the better sides in the league all season long. Nearly all their victories have come against sides in and around them at the foot of the table so I don’t hold out much hope for them tomorrow, home win.

My selection: Watford to beat Derby County

Best odds available: 19/20 available with several bookmakers including Victor Chandler

English Premier League

Manchester United v Aston Villa

8 points and 3 places separate these sides in the current Premier League as Martin O’Neill’s pretenders travel to the reigning Champions, Manchester United.

Man United’s defensive problems have been well documented of late and it’s a case of everybody rolling their sleeves up and mucking in while their recognised defenders sit out through injury. This has been the case for the likes of Darren Fletcher and Michael Carrick. Both of whom are superb midfielders but they have also proven themselves to be adept at playing centre half in the last couple of matches. They get some respite this week though with the likely return of Nemanja Vidic who has got over his flu bug. He should be a certainty to return to the line-up. United will be looking to Wayne Rooney and Ryan Giggs to provide the spark going forward as both were at the centre of everything last weekend at Upton Park. They have an understanding which makes them almost impossible to stop when both are on form.

Aston Villa have won two and drawn two of their last 4 matches so come into this match in decent enough form but most of those games and points have come at Villa Park. Their away form is patchy this season with 2 wins, 3 draws and 2 defeats. It’s not the worst record by any means, but they have dropped some silly points on the road already, especially against West Ham and Wolves. They only picked up 1 point from these games and both were games where they should have won as they were on top for long spells and their quality was far higher. They do score goals on the road though and they’ll feel they can cause United’s makeshift defence problems, especially in the air with either Emile Heskey or John Carew partnering Gabby Agbonlahor upfront.

It’s hard to see anything but a United win in this match as they are beginning to hit form and scoring goals from all over the park. Michael Owen has staked his claim for a starting spot with his midweek hat-trick but it doesn’t matter who plays, they’ll create a plethora of chances throughout the game. Their patched up side will also have its biggest test with Villa in good scoring form as well and capable of scoring goals from a variety of positions. With this in mind I fancy over 2 goals as well as the home win.

My selection: Manchester United to beat Aston Villa – 1/2 available at William Hill

Other selection: Over 2 goals – 4/5 available with Skybet

English League one

Huddersfield v Gillingham

Notoriously poor travellers Gillingham travel to a side who have not been beaten at home all season in the shape of Huddersfield.

I’ve previewed Huddersfield already this term and they haven’t changed much since then. They score an incredible amount of goals at home and they tend to win most of these games. 7 points from a possible 9 in their last 3 home games, with 11 goals scored and 4 conceded in that time. They dropped points in their last home match however when drawing 3-3 with lowly Tranmere which was a surprise considering how efficient the Terriers have been at home.

Gillingham have it all to do if they are to get anything other than a hiding tomorrow. They have a solitary point from their 10 away matches and have conceded 24 goals on the road, scoring just 7. It’s horrific reading for a team who are so hard to beat at their own place. They have already lost to Leeds United, Southampton and MK Dons away from home, by at least 2 goals as well. They also have to do without key defender Josh Gowling which will leave them even more vulnerable at the back.

Huddersfield are one of the best sides in League 1 and must be the most free flowing, attacking team in the division at home. They score goals for fun and always look to attack no matter who they are playing, emphasised by their 2-2  draw with top of the table Leeds at Elland Road last weekend. The more cautious amongst us may wish to take the 1/2 for a home win but I’m taking a slightly riskier bet and taking the home side to be winning at half time and full time as well as Huddersfield minus a goal.

My selections: Huddersfield to be winning at HT/FT – available at 6/5 with Coral

                              Huddersfield (-1) to beat Gillingham – available at 5/4 with Bluesquare

Saturday 21^st November

English Championship

Watford v Scunthorpe

Watford, who currently sit in 12^th position, entertain a Scunthorpe side who are battling to avoid relegation and have lost their last 3 matches in the league.

Malky Mackay had a big turnaround of players during the summer months and opted to, as many managers do, to go with mostly younger players with a sprinkling of experienced players thrown in to nurture the fresh talent. Two players who have grabbed a lot of the headlines since moving to Vicarage Road are Henri Lansbury from Arsenal and Tom Cleverley from Manchester United. Both youngsters are initially on loan until January and have really struck up an exciting partnership in the Hornets midfield. Cleverley has 6 goals to his name whilst Lansbury has scored twice. Their performances this season have earned them call-up’s to the Under 21’s. Another player who joined during the summer was Danny Graham from Carlisle. The striker gives Watford a focal point upfront and his presence and ability to hold the ball up brings the likes of Cleverley and Lansbury into play, as well as wide man Don Cowie.

I previewed Scunthorpe’s last match which was also on the road against my selection Blackpool. I highlighted their weaknesses before that match and having seen the highlights from the game, they’re still suffering from a lack of quality and this level and making basic errors in defence. A plus point for them since that match is the return of star man Gary Hooper. The influential striker is back to full fitness and will return upfront alongside Paul Hayes. Hooper has 5 goals and is joint top scorer with Grant McCann so his return to the side is a big plus. A big negative for Scunny however, is the absence of goalkeeper Joe Murphy who is suspended after being sent off against Blackpool. He has been an ever present virtually for his 3 years at the club so it’s difficult to imagine anything else other than this having a negative impact on Nigel Adkins’ side. Josh Lillis will deputise for Murphy and it will be interesting to see how the youngster handles the occasion tomorrow afternoon as it will be only his 4^th start in the league in nearly 4 seasons.

When I previewed the Blackpool – Scunthorpe match I picked out Ben Burgess as one of the home side’s key men as he will take the brunt of challenges and enable the better footballers in his side to play. The exact same applies here with Danny Graham. He will go toe to toe with Scunthorpe captain Rob Jones who is their best defender but this will mean there will be space freed up for Cowie, Lansbury and Cleverley. I just don’t think Scunthorpe’s defence is good enough to cope with that trio, especially if, as I suspect, Graham occupies Jones.

Watford have won their last two games at home, playing some lovely football as well. They annihilated Sheffield Wednesday 4-1 before easily dispatching Preston in their last match, 2-0. Scunthorpe have now lost 6 of their 8 away matches and I can’t see any other course of events tomorrow, other than for that figure increasing to 7.

My selection: Watford to beat Scunthorpe

Best odds available: 5/6 with Victor Chandler

English Championship

Ipswich Town v Sheffield Wednesday

We stay in the Championship for the 2^nd match-up of the week as Roy Keane’s improving Ipswich side take on struggling Sheffield Wednesday in a match both sides will be keen to pick up 3 points to move up the table.

It took 15 games for Ipswich to record their first win of the season which was a surprise to many considering they were favourites with some bookies at the start of the season. Their major problem thus far has been the amount of draws they have accumulated as opposed to losing too many games. They have lost just one more than Cardiff who sit 3^rd in the table but they have drawn 9 times which is the joint highest in the English Leagues. They are currently unbeaten in 5 and that run has included games against the likes of Swansea and Watford. Their attacking options are good with Carlos Edwards and Grant Leadbitter brought in from Sunderland strengthening the midfield and a crop of strikers including Jon Walters, Jon Stead and Tamas Priskin.  They are, however, rather lightweight at the back and have yet to find a settled back four. This is emphasised in the goals conceded column where they have allowed 11 goals in 8 home games and kept only 2 clean sheets all season.

Sheffield Wednesday are falling fast under Brian Laws with only 1 win in their last 7 matches and no away win in the league since the end of August. They have had to contend with a lot of injuries however and an unsettled side rarely leads to positive results. Aside from former Town players Tommy Miller, Laws has a fully fit squad to choose from going into tomorrow evening’s match so there will be no excuse if they turn in another poor performance. Wednesday’s inability to come back after going a goal down is a major problem. They have failed to win any match after going behind and have only managed to secure a point on two occasions. It’s a real problem for Laws and it was noticeable against Watford that the heads went down as soon as they went 3-1 down right at the start of the 2^nd half.

Ipswich, I believe, are in a false position. Their squad is a lot stronger than the current table suggests so I don’t think we can pay too much attention to that at the moment. Keane has a vision for this side and if you watch and listen to him in interviews he’s not panicking one bit. They have not lost a match in over a month, and whilst winning only once, they are improving game on game. Both sides are near to full strength and with that in mind, I feel the home side have the better squad of players as well as being the inform side so it’s an easy decision for me, home win!

My selection: Ipswich to beat Sheffield Wednesday

Best odds available: Evens with several bookmakers including Skybet

English League 1

Millwall v Wycombe

For the 2^nd week in a row I’m previewing a Wycombe Wanderers match, this time, they’re on their travels once again this time facing Millwall at the New Den.

Kenny Jackett’s Millwall side are in 7^th place in League 1, 2 points outside the play-off positions. They are unbeaten in 7 in the league, winning 4 and are unbeaten at home all season and have the 2^nd best defensive record in the league. Their star men thus far have been James Henry, on loan from Reading, and veteran striker Neil Harris, who is incidentally 12 years Henry’s senior. Millwall start the season in a relatively slow fashion but much of that was down to a plethora of injuries to important players. Paul Robinson, Darren Ward and Zak Whitbread have all been missing for most of the season, with Whitbread still absent. Their return to the side has saw a change in results and more consistent performances.

I’m pleased to say that both my bets involving Wycombe came in last week and both came in rather easily. They were destroyed 6-0 by a rampant Huddersfield side who are one place above Wycombe’s opponent’s tomorrow afternoon. Gary Waddock’s charges also played their FA Cup replay midweek and duly lost 2-0 away to Brighton. There will come a time when the manager changes his attacking philosophy, there simply has to. It’s refreshing to see a manager set out his team to win no matter what the game but to do that there must be a sizeable amount of quality to play with and I don’t think Wycombe have enough quality to take games to the likes of Millwall and Huddersfield.

It will come as no surprise to discover that I am siding with the home side this week. It’s not only a lack of quality in the Wycombe ranks, but also the fact they’ll be playing their 3^rd away match inside a week. That is a lot to ask of any team, and considering they have failed to win a match on the road all season, it’s too much to ask of Wycombe. I’m going for Millwall minus a goal at rather generous 11/8.

My selection: Millwall (-1) to beat Wycombe Wanderers

Best odds available: 13/10 at Sportingbet

Good lucky and Happy punting

by Matthew Chapple

With the championship season just four games old, there has already been a few surprise results with both Derby and Crystal palace occupying two of the relegation places. The biggest shock of the season so far came on the opening day with new boys Doncaster defeating Derby at Pride Park. Derby, who are widely tipped by several to be serious promotion contenders, have already given themselves a mountain to climb under Paul Jewell and are without a win after their first 4 league fixtures.

Crystal Palace are the other side who have made a dreadful start to the season. Two draws and two defeats see them lye in 22nd in the league and are also without a win from their first 4 fixtures.

Several have made undefeated starts to the season with Wolves, Preston, Birmingham, and Bristol City all yet to taste defeat. Wolves currently occupy top spot on goal difference which was largely down to their two terrific home victorys over Sheffield Wednesday which finished 4-1 and their 5-1 rout over Nottingham Forest.

Another surprise is that none of the three new clubs occupy any of the relegation places with Nottingham Forest the lowest out of three in the league in 16th. After Doncasters opening victory at Derby they went on to get 4 points from their next 3 matches.

Outright Betting: With Birmingham winning 3 out of the first 4 fixtures they are justified 10/3 favourties to win the league and judging by their early performances, they should go close. Wolves look good value at 11/2. They eased past their first few league games especially at home and look the team to beat in my opinion. Reading will be thereabouts come the end of the season and the bookies think so too and have priced reading up as third favourties at 7/1 while the new rich boys, QPR are currently 9/1 to win the Championship outright.

Relegation Odds: With both Blackpool and Barnsley not getting particularly good starts the bookies have priced them up as favourites for the drop with Blackpool 5/4 and Barnsley 11/8. The value looks to be with Derby County at 7/1. They are winless in 4 games and have just 1 point to their name. Their performances have been poor and haven’t really looked like winning any of the first 4 fixtures. Burnley lack quality and at 11/4 they look a fair bet for relegation and they should be around the foot of the table come the end of the season.

How we rate each team chances individually.

Barnsley
Players In: Luke Steele, Iain Hume, Roberto Colace, Mounir El Haimour, Darren Moore
Players Out: Paul Reid, Sam Togwell
Key player: Iain Hume
Prediction: 21st Despite making it all the way to the semi-final of the Fa Cup last season they struggled in their domestic campaign and finished 18th. They have a distinct lack of quality especially up front and they will struggle for fire-power in front of goal. We expect them to be around the bottom again this season.

Birmingham
Players In: Lee Carsley, Kevin Phillips, Marcus Bent, Kemy Agustien, Quincy Owusu-Abeyie
Players Out: Adam Lezgdins, Fabrice Muamba, Daniel de Ridder, Olivier Kapo, Sone Aluko
Key Player: Kevin Phillips
Prediction: 2nd They were unfortunate to be relegated last season as they got some decent results in the Premiership. They have kept the basic structure of the team while adding the likes of Everton’s Lee Carsley and West Brom’s Kevin Phillips. They have made a decent start to the season and they should be challenging for the automatic spots this season.

Blackpool
Players In: Matt Gilks, Joe Martin, Alex Babtiste, Steve Kabba, Jermaine Wright, Adam Hammill, David Vaughan, Marlon Broomes, Rob Edwards, Sone Aluko, Alan Gow
Players Out: Marcus Bean, Keigan Parker, Michael Jackson, Wes Hoolahan, Kaspars Gorkss
Key Player: Daniel Nardiello
Prediction: 23rd They did extremely well to avoid any sort of relegation battle come the end of the season but with a lack of quality, we fancy them to have a difficult season this time around. With just 4 points from the first 4 fixtures it doesn’t look too good.

Bristol City
Players In: Nicky Maynard, Gavin Williams, John Akinde
Players Out: Alex Russell, Nick Carle, Darren Byfield, Richard Keogh
Key Player: Nicky Maynard
Prediction: 9th They had a fantastic season last year and were unfortunate in the play-off’s. Once again they have made a great satrt to the season and with 8 points from the first 4 games they currently lye in 4th position and look on course for another good season. They were the surprise team last season but we doubt they will beat that and we fancy them to settle in the top half of the table this time around.

Burnley
Players In:Martin Paterson, Kevin McDonald, Christian Kalvenes, Diego Penny, Remco van der Schaaf, Chris Eagles, Russell Anderson, Steven Thompson
Players Out: John Spicer, Kyle Lafferty, James O’Connor, Jon Harley, Djemba-Djemba, David Unsworth
Key Player: Martin Paterson
Prediction: 22nd Burnley finished in mid-table last term and will be lucky to surive this season in our opinion. Chris Eagles should provide them with creativity while fan will be looking towards Martin paterson for goals this season after they let Kyle Lafferty go to Rangers. With just a single points form the opening fixtures the writing looks on the cards already. They lack quality and look set to face a relegation fight this season.

Cardiff
Players In: Darren Dennehy, Ross McCormack, Mark Kennedy, Jay Bothroyd, Eddie Johnson, Peter Encklemen
Players Out: Aaron Ramsey, David Forde, Warren Feeney, Robbie Fowler, Steven Thompson, Jimmy Flyod-Hasselbaink, Trevor Sinclair
Key Player: Joe Ledley
Prediction: 7th Cardiff somewhat sacrificed their league campaign for a great cup run in the FA Cup which seen them lose 1-0 to Portsmouth in the final. They will be disappointed with the departure of Aaron Ramsey who had a lot of potential and doesn’t seem as if Cardiff have found a replacement. Joe Ledley will be key if they are to push for the play-off’s this season but we think they will just come up short.

Charlton
Players In: Stuart Fleetwood, Martin Cranie, Hameur Bouazza
Players Out: Patrick McCarthy, Darren Randolph, Chris Iwelumo, Marcus Bent, Madjid Bougherra, Osei Sankofa, Sam Sodje, Ben Thatcher, Jerome Thomas, Amdy Faye,
Key Player: Marcus Bent
Prediction: 8th We’re not impressed with their lack of incoming transfers but they do posses some decent players in the final third. I think their season will rely heavily on a good start. If they hit a win less streak then they could start struggling. 6 points from 4 games isn’t the ideal start they would have hoped for and we doubt they will make a claim for one of the play-off spots.

Coventry
Players In: Guillaume Beuzelin, Aron Gunnarsson, Keiren Westwood, Freddy Eastwood, Steven Wright, Clinton Morrison
Players Out: Liam Davis, Julian Gray, Donovan Simmonds
Key Player: Freddy Eastwood
Prediction: 10th They had a poor season last year and were lucky not to go down. A new manager at the helm in Chris Coleman and their new signing Freddy Eastwood could one of the buys of the season. The welsh international is a proven goalscorer at this level and his goals this season will be crucial for Coventry’s ambitions. I don’t think they have the credentials to push for promotion and might have to settle for a mid-table finish.

Crystal palace
Players In: Patrick McCarthy, Johannes Ertl, Darryl Flahavan, Jos Van Nieuwstadt, Jose Fonte, Simon Thomas, Nick Carle, John Oster, Leandre Griffit, Alan Lee
Players Out: Jeff Hughes, Lewis Spencer, Mark Kennedy, John Bostock, Tony Craig, Clinton Morrison, Tom Soares, Dougie Freedman
Key Player: Nick Carle
Prediction: 6th Crystal palace made it to play-off’s last season and we fancy a repeat this season despite their poor start to the season. Neil Warnock has built a decent side at Palace and his side have the ability to push for promotion back to the top flight once again. One negative for me was them letting go of Clinton Morrison to league rivals Coventry. The forward bagged 16 goals in the championship last season and will be missed.

Derby
Players In: Kris Commons, Steve Davies, Nathan Ellington, Paul Connolly, Ruben Zadkovich, Paul Green, Jordan Stewart, Martin Albrechtsen, Liam Dickinson, Przemyslaw Kazmierczak, Rob Hulse
Players Out: Robert Earnshaw, Kenny Miller, Michael Johnson, Lee Holmes, David Jones, Darren Moore, Jason Beardsley, Craig Fagan, Tyron Mears, Eddie Lewis
Key Player: Rob Hulse
Prediction: 12th Despite them dropping down from the premiership we reckon they will have a difficult season. They were the worst ever team to play in the Premiership last season and they haven’t strengthen enough for us to think they will bounce straight back up. Add that to their poor start to the season we reckon they will find things tougher then they first expected in the Championship. Kris Commons and Rob Hulse look decent signings but we’re not too confident of their defence. A tough season ahead predicted which could see the end of Paul Jewell.

Doncaster
Players In:John Spicer, Darren Byfield, Tomi Ameobi, Matthew Mills, Jos van Niewstadt, James Chambers
Players Out: Paul Green, Stephen Roberts, Mark McCammon
Key Player: Darren Byfield
Prediction:19th Doncaster made it into the championship via the play-offs from League one and although they didn’t go up through automatic promotion, we fancy them to do well this season. They have a solid look about them and they could give some of the bigger sides in the league a surprise when they play them. Derby have already found this out when they lsot at home to Doncaster 1-0. Going by their first few performances they should have enough to stay up.

Ipswich
Players In: Pim Balkestein, Gareth McAuley, Kevin Lisbie, Richard Wright, Ivan Campo, Ben Thatcher, Moritz Volz, Johnathan Stead
Players Out: Gavin Williams, Gary Roberts, Nick Colgan
Key Player: Johnathan Walters
Prediction: 3rd Ipswich are a team with a great home record. They were the best home side of last season with just the on defeat at Portman Road. We didn’t think many would beat them at Portman Road this season but with two straight home defeats it has certainly made us concentrate harder. Although they have made apoor start to the season by their own standards, we still fancy them to at least get one of the 4 play-off positions. A distinct lack of transfers into the club is a slight concern but we fancy them to go well and possibly sneak automatic promotion.

Norwich
Players In: Sammy Clingan, Wes Hoolahan, Ryan Bertrand, Dejan Stefanovic, Elliot Omozusi, Arturo Lupoli, David Bell, Stuart Nelson
Players Out: Matt Gliks, Andrew Cave-Brown
Key Player: Arturo Lupoli
Prediction: 14th Norwich finished 17th last season which is unacceptable for a club with their recent history. They lacked goals last season and have brought in some strikers wit h the aim of putting it right this season. However they still lack quality in the midfield and there is a lack of quality creative players in their squad. If they can provide the former Arsenal youngster, Lupoli with regular service then they may go well but they are very incocnsistent and we fancy them to have another poor season.

Nottingham Forest
Players In: Robert Earnshaw, Guy Moussi, Andy Cole, Joe Garner, Paul Anderson, Mickael Darnet, Lee Martin
Players Out: Kris Commons, Matt Lockwood, Alan Power, Sammy Clingan, Grant Holt, Junior Agogo
Key Player: Robert Earnshaw
Prediction: 17th Last seasons League two runners-up Nottingham Forest look to have enough to see off relegation for one season at least. The signing of Robert Earnshaw from Derby County is a massive positive. The welsh international has bags of pace and can score at this level. If Nottingham are to survive then his goals will play a key part. A 5-1 hammering against Wolves won;t go down too nciely with the players but their other 3 performances look good enough for us to think they should settle nicely in the bottom half of table.

Plymouth Argyle
Players In: Jason Puncheon, Karl Duguid, Yala Bolsaie, Graham Stack, Emlie Mpenza, Nicolas Marin, paul Gallagher, Chris Barker, Simon Walton
Players Out: Paul Connolly, Paul Wotton, Najim Abdou, Peter Halmosi
Key Player: Emile Mpenza
Prediction: 15th I live near Plymouth and the fans are not too optimistic about the season ahead. Plymouth have let several of their best players go over the past year with the likes of Ebanks-Blake going to Wolves in January and their most high profile of them all in Peter Halmosi who couldn’t resist the lure of the premiership with Hull City. Emile Mpenza is a fantastic signing for Sturrock and he could be crucial for Plymouth this season. After a decent season last year we fancy them to finish in mid-table this term.

Preston
Players In: Barry Nicholsen, Ross Wallace, Jon Parkin, Stephen Elliott
Players Out: Tamas Priskin
Key Player: Neil Mellor
Prediction: 13th Preston struggled for the majority of last season and spent a lot of the time near the foot of the table. The eventually finished in 15th and with the lack of activity in the transfer market this summer they won’t be too far away from where they finished last season. They have made a great start to the new season though and have 10 points from their first 4 games beating some of the favourites for promotion. Their start to the season is very good but they are a inconsistent side and we doubt they can keep it up throughout the season.

Queens Park Rangers
Players In: Radek Cerny, Peter Ramage, Emmanuel Ledesma, Kaspars Gorkss, Dani Parejo, Samuel Di Carmine
Players Out: Stefan Bailey, Jake Cole, Daniel Nardiello, Zesh Rehman. Simon Walton, Chris Barker
Key Player: Emmanuel Ledesma
Prediction: 4th QPR fans are confident they can win the title this season. With new investors from the world of Formula 1 they have the cash to push for promotion and a minimum of a play-off spot will be expected from the fans. They have brought in a decent keeper in former spurs shot stopper Radek Cerny and Ledesma is a classy winger who can deliver a good ball. The board have already expressed that they aim to be in the premiership within the next couple of season and we think this could be their year but it will take a lot of work.

Reading
Players In: Noel Hunt, Chris Armstrong
Players Out: Adam Bygrave, Ben Hamer, Glenn Little, Dave Kitson, Scott Davies, Ibrahima Sonko
Key Player: Kevin Doyle
Prediction: 5th Despite Reading being relegated from the Premiership they have managed to keep the majority of their best players. Leroy Lite, Steven Hunt and Kevin Doyle have all stayed at the club with their only big departure being Glen little to Portsmouth. They have started fairly well and are in 6th position after 4 games. They have enough quality to regain their premiership status and we expect them to be in the play-off’s come the end of the season.

Sheffield United
Players In: Greg Halford, Sun Jihai, Darius Henderson, Justin Haber, David Cotterill
Players Out: Chris Lucketti, Rob Hulse, Ben Starosta, Luton Shelton, Johnathan Stead, Michael Tonge, Chris Armstrong,
Key Player: James Beattie
Prediction: 11th A disappointing season last term saw them finish in 9th. They are a club expected to push for promotion each season but are very inconsistent. They did well to keep hold of James Beattie who scored 21 league goals last season. Even with Kevin Blackwell at the helm i can’t see them mounting a promotion challenge this season and will have to settle for another average campaign in mid-table.

Sheffield Wednesday
Players In: James O’Connor, Tony McMahon, Jimmy Smith
Players Out: Burten O’brien
Key Player: James O’Connor
Prediction: 24th Sheffield Wednesday seem to struggle each season and were tipped for relegation last season. They do lack fire-power in front of goal and with no recognised signings they will be in for another difficult campaign and a dogfight at the foot of the table looks inevitable.

Southampton
Players In: Chris Perry, Lee Holmes, Paul Wotton, Tommy Forecast, Morgan Schneiderlin, Anthony Pulis, Jack Cork
Players Out: Cedric Baseya, Andrew Davis
Key Player: Bradley Wright-Phillips
Prediction: 20th Another former Premiership club on the decline. After their stint in the top flight they have seriously struggled for results in the championships and were very fortunate not to go down last season and their survival went down to the last day of the season which saw Leicester take their place in the last relegation spot. A team who lack goals and confidence and if they get off to a bad start, their could be no way back for the Saints.

Swansea
Players In: Ashley Williams, Mark Gower, Federico Bessone, Albert Serran, Fabien Brandy, Stefan Morrision
Players Out: Kevin Austin, Kevin Amankwaah, Darryl Duffy, Darren Way
Key Player: Jason Scotland
Prediction: 18th Last season League one champions will be hoping to avoid a relegation fight but with a lack of depth within the squad they could have one on their hands. Despite manager Martinez making some signings over the summer they do lack a potent striker and could struggle somewhat for goals. Going on their first couple of performances they should have enough to pull off survival though.

Watford
Players In: Jon Harley
Players Out: Nathan Ellington, Jordan Stewart, Toumani Diagoura, Steve Kabba, Darius Henderson, Moses Ashikodi, Danni Shittu
Key Player: Tommy Smith
Prediction: 16th After a great start to last season which seen them top of the league at Christmas, they fell off the pace and only just managed to get the last play-off spot. They went out at the first hurdle to eventual play-off winners Hull City. Their does seem to be cash problems at the club also with Boothroyd being forced to sell several key players with Nathan Ellington, Steve Kabba and Darius Henderson all departing the club. With very little coming into the club they look in trouble. They are widely tipped to struggle this season and we reckon they will finish 10 places behind their position last season in 16th.

Wolves
Players In: Sam Vokes, Richard Stearman, David Jones, Chris Iwelumo, Matthew Hill
Players Out: Freddy Eastwood, Matt Bailey, Seyi Olofinjana, Elliott Bennett, Lee Collins, Jay Bothroyd, Charles Mulgrew
Key Player: Michael Kightly
Prediction: 1st Manager Mick McCarthy has made some decent signings over the summer in a bid to improve on last seasons finish of 7th. Wolves had a disappointing season last term and were fancied to at least get a play-off spot. Welsh international Sam Vokes looks a decent proposition for the future while Chris Iwelumo should be what they need to get the goals to push them higher up the league. They have made the best start to the season out of any of the championship clubs and with them currently in first place, we fancy them to remain their aslong as they keep up the good performances.