Wednesday 30 October 2013

Pools tips for weekend of November 2-3

Ten draws: Arsenal v Liverpool, Cardiff v Swansea, Hull v Sunderland, West Ham v Aston Villa, Birmingham v Charlton, Blackburn v Middlesbrough, Swindon v Port Vale, Accrington v Wycombe, Alfreton v FC Halifax, St Mirren v Ross.

Best draws: Hull v Sunderland, West Ham v Aston Villa, Blackburn v Middlesbrough, Swindon v Port Vale, Accrington v Wycombe.

Best weekend away bets: Manchester United, Southampton, Brentford, Bradford City, Sheffield United, St Johnstone.

Best weekend home bets: Everton, Manchester City, West Bromwich Albion, Leeds, Coventry, Peterborough, Preston, Wolves, Chesterfield, Hartlepool.


Pick of the draws: Sunderland, under new manager Gus Poyet, got their season up and running by beating Newcastle at the Stadium of Light last Sunday. That result meant they climbed off the bottom of the Premier League and I'm taking them to maintain their momentum against Hull. West Ham have averaged only a goal a game this season, which is why they may find it difficult to overcome Aston Villa, who are doing better away than at home. Middlesbrough, under acting manager Mark Venus, gained their best result this season in the Championship last Friday when they beat Doncaster 4-0 at home. That will give them confidence for their trip to Ewood Park, where they play Blackburn. Swindon seem to be on a downer in League One, having lost their past two matches. They clash with Port Vale, who are right behind them in the table. Accrington look in better shape now, despite still propping up League Two. The last-gasp away win at Morecambe last Saturday will have done them a power of good and I can see them holding Wycombe.

Away days: Manchester United may have turned the Premier League corner after those late goals against Stoke last Saturday and I fear for Fulham, their troubled hosts. Southampton are one of the surprise packets of the season, having conceded only three league goals. They should be backed against Stoke, who may feel the effects of playing extra time against Birmingham in the midweek Capital One Cup. After an indifferent start to the League One season, Brentford have climbed into promotion contention and they are worth a punt to take maximum points at Crawley. Bradford City, despite recent setbacks, look nailed on to prevail at Crewe, who are leaking goals regularly. Sheffield United, under new manager Nigel Clough, have moved out of the relegation zone and I believe they will  continue their improvement against Shrewsbury. In the Scottish Premiership, St Johnstone, convincing 2-0 winners over Motherwell, are strongly fancied to pile on more agony for bottom club Hearts.

Homes sweet homes: Manager Roberto Martinez must be pleased with the progress he's making at Everton. I believe his team will get the better of Tottenham, whose results have been better than their performances. Peterborough's unexpected defeat at Colchester last weekend resulted in them slipping out of the League One automatic promotion slots. However, they can rectify that when they host table-topping Leyton Orient. Orient's away record is as good as Peterborough's home form but I've a feeling Peterborough will make ground advantage count. Improving Hartlepool were, by all accounts, unlucky to lose at Scunthorpe last Saturday and I think they will recover in their League Two fixture against Dagenham & Redbridge.


Pools info: Ipswich v Barnsley (match No 14 on the coupon) is being played on Friday and is therefore void.

Wednesday 23 October 2013

Pools tips for weekend of October 26-27

Ten draws: Chelsea v Man City, Sunderland v Newcastle, Bradford City v Wolves, Stevenage v Crawley, Exeter v Burton, Scunthorpe v Hartlepool, York v Fleetwood, Hibernian v Aberdeen, St Johnstone v Motherwell, Dumbarton v Cowdenbeath.

Best draws: Chelsea v Man City, Sunderland v Newcastle, Scunthorpe v Hartlepool, York v Fleetwood, St Johnstone v Motherwell.

Best weekend away bets: Everton, Nottingham Forest, Preston, Coventry, Rochdale, Portsmouth.

Best weekend home bets: Man Utd, Norwich, Swansea, Tottenham, Burnley, Charlton, Leicester, Port Vale, Mansfield, Wycombe.


Pick of the draws: Two Premier League heavyweights clash at Stamford Bridge and both Chelsea and Manchester City are running into form. Gus Poyet's debut as Sunderland manager could hardly have got off to a worse start at Swansea last weekend but I believe Sunderland will have enough pride to get something from their clash with their bitter rivals Newcastle. Hartlepool's rise from the depths of League Two has been astonishing and I'm taking them to continue their good run at Scunthorpe. Promotion contenders Fleetwood are faring better away than at home, which is why I think they will come away from York with a point. Motherwell are making a strong claim for second place in the Scottish Premiership but St Johnstone are tough nuts to crack at home.

Away days: Aston Villa looked lame and lacklustre when losing at home to Spurs last Sunday. Their opponents Everton are doing well under new manager Roberto Martinez and can take three points. In the Championship, Nottingham Forest were surprisingly held to a draw by Bournemouth last Saturday. They will probably take out their frustration on bottom-of-the-table Yeovil. Preston returned to winning ways at Gillingham in League One and will be looking forward to their match at lowly Notts County. Coventry ended Leyton Orient's unbeaten record and are going from strength to strength. They are certainly worth a punt at Walsall, who have been indifferent at home. Rochdale are the new and surprise leaders of League Two and they can celebrate by defeating Dagenham & Redbridge. Portsmouth are also worth supporting at struggling Torquay.

Homes sweet homes: Norwich did not deserve to lose by such an emphatic margin at Arsenal last Saturday and should be too strong for Cardiff, who are slipping towards the Premier League relegation zone and undermined by internal strife. Queens Park Rangers are the only unbeaten side in the top four divisions but I've a hunch that run will end on Saturday when Championship leaders Burnley are their hosts. Burnley have taken the division by storm and can stretch their lead over Harry Redknapp's men. Charlton gained a much-needed victory at Blackburn last weekend. They are better than their low position indicates and can prove that point by beating Wigan, who have already lost four times on the road this season. 

Thursday 17 October 2013

Pools tips for weekend of October 19-20

Ten draws: Aston Villa v Tottenham, Ipswich v Burnley, Leeds v Birmingham, Crewe v Bristol City, Gillingham v Preston, MK Dons v Rotherham, Accrington v Oxford, Bristol Rovers v Wycombe, Kilmarnock v Ross, Cowdenbeath v Morton.

Best draws: Aston Villa v Tottenham, Leeds v Birmingham, Gillingham v Preston, Accrington v Oxford, Cowdenbeath v Morton.

Best away bets: West Bromwich Albion, Manchester City, Bradford City, Leyton Orient, Mansfield, St Johnstone.

Best home bets: Arsenal, Chelsea, Swansea, Barnsley, Blackburn, Yeovil, Peterborough, Sheffield United, Portsmouth, Dundee.


Pick of the draws: Spurs must have been jolted by their heavy home defeat to West Ham and although they won 4-0 at Aston Villa in the Capital One Cup, Villa are in better shape now, having beaten Manchester City recently. Leeds have slumped to the bottom half of the Championship and may have their work cut out to beat Birmingham, who have shown they can score goals. Just as Gillingham have started climbing the League One table they sack manager Martin Allen. Despite this odd decision I fancy them to hold Preston, who have lost their past three games. Accrington, who are propping up League Two, drew at AFC Wimbledon last weekend despite playing most of the match with 10 men. That should inspire them to at least a point against promotion contenders Oxford. The bottom-of-the-table clash in the Scottish Championship between Cowdenbeath and Morton is likely to end all square.

Away days: Improving West Bromwich Albion should edge out Stoke in their Premier League clash. Manchester City are the pools forecasters' nightmare at the moment but I believe they will have one of their good days against West Ham. League One high-flyers Bradford City surprisingly slipped up against lowly Tranmere last Sunday but I'm tipping them to recover at Crawley. Leyton Orient, one of only two unbeaten sides in the four English divisions, are one of the success stories of the season and should be backed at Tranmere. Promoted Mansfield have climbed into the League Two play-off positions and will probably be too strong for troubled Torquay. Fresh from a morale-boosting 4-0 victory over Inverness Caledonian Thistle, St Johnstone should have too much firepower for St Mirren.

Homes sweet homes: Barnsley, the bottom Championship club, played well despite recent defeats by Leicester and Queens Park Rangers and have a fighting chance to move up the table against inconsistent Middlesbrough. Yeovil are a little unlucky to find themselves in the relegation zone and I've a hunch they will beat Brighton, who have gone backwards this season. Sheffield United are without a manager and bottom of League One. However, they almost retrieved a three-goal deficit against Coventry at Sixfields last Sunday, so there is not much wrong with their spirit. Don't be surprised if they defeat middle-of-the-table Port Vale.





Wednesday 9 October 2013

Pools tips for weekend of October 12-13


Ten draws: Coventry v Sheff Utd, Stevenage v Brentford, Fleetwood v Chesterfield, Oxford v Northampton, York v Scunthorpe, Nuneaton v Braintree, Salisbury v Grimsby, Southport v Kidderminster, Woking v FC Halifax, Alloa v Falkirk.

Best draws: Fleetwood v Chesterfield, Oxford v Northampton, York v Scunthorpe, Nuneaton v Braintree, Alloa v Falkirk.

Best away bets: Wolves, Walsall, Gillingham, Portsmouth, Cambridge, Hamilton.

Best home bets: Bradford City, Preston, Rotherham, Dagenham & Redbridge, Exeter, Gateshead, Lincoln, Luton, East Fife, Forfar.


Pick of the draws: I'm taking League Two leaders Chesterfield to recover from the shock of losing 4-3 at Morecambe after leading 3-0 last weekend and believe they will share the spoils with Fleetwood, their closest challengers. Oxford's home form is distinctly wobbly and I've a hunch they will drop more points against struggling Northampton, who gained a much-needed victory at AFC Wimbledon last Saturday. York have sprung into life recently but so have their opponents Scunthorpe, who have moved into the play-off places. Braintree's healthy position in the Skrill Premier is down to their away form, so they are my tip to hold Nuneaton, who have gone off the boil recently. In the Scottish Championship, I find it impossible to separate Alloa and Falkirk. 

Away days: I think Wolves will boost their League One promotion challenge by beating Carlisle. Walsall have had some good results on the road and I can see them getting another at Colchester, who are sliding down the table. Gillingham have climbed out of the danger zone with two wins in a row. Have a punt on them making it three at Shrewsbury, who have only won once at home. In League Two, Portsmouth have also won two on the spin and will be confident of taking maximum points at Plymouth. Cambridge United, leading the Skrill Premier by nine points, must be fancied at lowly Chester FC and the same can be said for Scottish Championship leaders Hamilton, who travel to bottom club Morton.

Homes sweet homes: Mid-table Gateshead can take advantage of Alfreton's poor away form in the Skrill Premier. Alfreton have already lost five away matches. I predict success for East Fife and Forfar, the two lowest clubs in Scottish League One. Bottom-of-the-table East Fife gained a creditable away point at Stenhousemuir last weekend and can build on that good result against Ayr. Forfar thrashed second-placed Dunfermline 4-0 last Saturday, so a visit from Stranraer should hold no fears.


Pools info: The matches at Bristol City (2 on the coupon), Notts County (7), Raith (40), Annan (45), Montrose (47) and Stirling (49) have been postponed and will be panel verdicts.

I scored five out of six with my recommended away bets last weekend.

Tuesday 1 October 2013

Pools tips for weekend of October 5-6

Ten draws: Southampton v Swansea, Bournemouth v Millwall, Derby v Leeds, Brentford v Rotherham, Peterborough v Preston, Shrewsbury v Carlisle, Bury v Newport, Portsmouth v Rochdale, Torquay v York, Ross v Aberdeen.

Best draws: Southampton v Swansea, Brentford v Rotherham, Shrewsbury v Carlisle, Torquay v York, Ross v Aberdeen.


                                         Weekend best bets



Aways: Aston Villa, Chelsea, Nottingham Forest, Watford, Wolves, Dundee.


Homes: Liverpool, Tottenham, Middlesbrough, Queens Park Rangers, Notts County, Stevenage, Swindon, AFC Wimbledon, Exeter, Hearts.


                                      

Pick of the draws: Southampton, lying fifth, are exceeding expectations in the Premier League but Swansea are seldom easy opponents and I'm tipping them to come away from St Mary's with a point. Brentford returned to form by winning at Coventry last Sunday but Rotherham are unbeaten away in League One and were unlucky to lose to fellow promotion contenders Peterborough last weekend. The appointment of Graham Kavanagh as manager has put a spring in Carlisle's step and I'll be surprised if they come away from Shrewsbury empty-handed. York's 4-2 home victory over Portsmouth in League Two last Saturday was possibly one of the more significant results of the weekend. Coming after a 1-1 draw at Wycombe, it appears that York are on the up and they will approach a long trip to Torquay with more confidence. Aberdeen missed a chance to move closer to the Scottish Premiership leaders when they were held 1-1 at St Mirren. I think they will have to settle for another draw - this time at Ross.

Away days: On a good day Aston Villa are capable of beating most Premier League sides. Having defeated Manchester City at home last Saturday, a trip to promoted Hull should hold no fears. I feel there is far more to come from Jose Mourinho's Chelsea than they have shown so far and they can confirm this by defeating Norwich on Sunday. Nottingham Forest look stronger than Brighton in the Championship this season and much the same can be said for Gianfranco Zola's Watford in relation to Huddersfield, whom they visit on Saturday. Promotion-seeking Wolves have already won three games on the road in League One and I believe they will make it four against Colchester. Cowdenbeath are near the foot of the Scottish Championship and Dundee can take advantage of their plight.

Homes sweet homes: Notts County are second bottom in League One but their position should be healthier after they have played a demoralised Crewe on Saturday. Crewe have just one win from nine league matches and the worst goal difference in the division, having suffered heavy home defeats by Walsall and Gillingham. Lowly Stevenage have a good chance of gaining their first home win of the season against Coventry, whose spirited recovery from a 10-point deduction for entering administration has ground to a halt. Hearts have been severely handicapped in the Scottish Premiership by a 15-point deduction. However, they can lift some of the gloom by beating the team immediately above them, St Mirren.

Pools info: Partick v Hibernian (match No 46 on the coupon) has been put back to Monday and will be a panel verdict.