Wednesday 25 February 2015

Pools tips and best bets for weekend of Feb 28-Mar 1

Ten draws: Burnley v Swansea, Newcastle v Aston Villa, West Ham v Crystal Palace, Reading v Nottingham Forest, Notts County v Port Vale, Oldham v Preston, Walsall v Leyton Orient, Hartlepool v AFC Wimbledon, Mansfield v Dagenham & Redbridge, Ross v Dundee.

Best draws: Burnley v Swansea, West Ham v Crystal Palace, Oldham v Preston, Hartlepool v AFC Wimbledon, Ross v Dundee.

Best weekend away bets: Brentford, Wolves, Derby, Sheffield United, Tranmere, Hibernian.

Best weekend home bets: Arsenal, Manchester United, Stoke, West Bromwich, Blackpool, Bournemouth, Doncaster, Luton, Portsmouth, York.


Pick of the draws: Talk of Swansea being on the slide in the Premier League was halted by last Saturday's 2-1 home win over Manchester United. With relegation-threatened Burnley coming away from Chelsea with a coupon-busting 1-1 draw, both sides come into this fixture on the back of good results. Stalemate is the most likely outcome. West Ham spoilt all their fine work last Sunday by conceding a last-gasp penalty to Tottenham, who scrambled a 2-2 draw. Crystal Palace have revived under Alan Pardew and gave Arsenal an almighty scare last weekend. They are good enough to hold the Hammers. Preston are pushing hard for automatic promotion from League One and are capable of sharing the spoils at Oldham, who tend to be erratic. Hartlepool, the League Two's bottom club, are more resilient on their own ground and I believe they will deprive mid-table Wimbledon of maximum points. The improved form of Ross in the Scottish Premiership has seen them climb from last to 10th. Dundee, their visitors, have also perked up lately. Ross have not drawn a league game at home all season but I think that will change on Saturday.

Away days: Just when it seemed as if the wheels were about to come off, Brentford are back in the winning groove after home victories over Bournemouth and Blackpool. They are one point off the Championship play-offs and can strengthen their position by beating Birmingham, who appear to have hit the wall. Wolves, with eight goals and none conceded in their last two matches, are strongly fancied to make it three wins in a row when they travel to Cardiff. Leaders Derby will surely make their superiority count at Fulham, who are dropping down the table at an alarming rate. Sheffield United, League One promotion contenders, have already won eight away games. They will probably make it nine at lowly Crawley. Tranmere, fighting relegation from League Two, fought spiritedly before losing 3-2 at Portsmouth in midweek. That spirit should serve them well at Cheltenham, who have sunk into the relegation zone. There's no stopping Hibernian after early season wobbles in the Scottish Championship and they are a confident selection at Alloa.

Homes sweet homes: West Bromwich Albion, a different proposition under Tony Pulis, are well worth a punt against Southampton, who have slipped out of the Champions League qualifying places and seem to be a fading force in the Premier League. Blackpool, bottom of the Championship, may be doomed to go down but they can gain a rare success by defeating fellow strugglers Wigan, whose recent form can only encourage the Seasiders. York, 22nd out of 24 in League Two, have only two home wins to their credit but they may just have enough to see off Exeter, who have 11 more points but are in free-fall.


Pools info: Leicester v Chelsea (No 3 on coupon) and QPR v Tottenham (7) will be decided by the pools panel as Chelsea and Spurs are playing each other in the Capital One Cup final on Sunday.

Wednesday 18 February 2015

Pools tips and best bets for weekend of Feb 21-22

Ten draws: Everton v Leicester, Hull v Queens Park Rangers, Brighton v Birmingham, Huddersfield v Cardiff, Watford v Norwich, Leyton Orient v Oldham, Rochdale v Chesterfield, Northampton v York, Stevenage v Southend, Tranmere v Shrewsbury.

Best draws: Everton v Leicester, Brighton v Birmingham, Watford v Norwich, Northampton v York, Stevenage v Southend.

Best weekend away bets: Arsenal, West Bromwich, Bristol City, Gillingham, Mansfield, Dundee.

Best weekend home bets: Aston Villa, Manchester City, Tottenham, Blackburn, Millwall, Wolves, Sheffield United, Swindon, Carlisle, Newport.


Pick of the draws: Although Leicester, bottom of the Premier League, have lost their last three matches, they could have got something out of all of them. They are not playing as badly as their form suggests and it wouldn't surprise me if they held Everton, who have only three wins to their credit at Goodison Park and are having an indifferent season. Championship strugglers Brighton have already drawn six home games. I've a feeling that will become seven when they face Birmingham on Saturday. Birmingham are also used to stalemates, having drawn seven of their away fixtures. Watford v Norwich is one of the more attractive fixtures of the weekend. Both sides have boosted their promotion challenge with good results recently and it is hard to pick a winner. York, two points clear of the relegation zone in League Two, played superbly to beat fellow strugglers Tranmere 2-0 last Saturday and can come away from Northampton with a point. Stevenage returned to winning ways with a 3-1 victory at Hartlepool and will probably give as good as they get against Southend, who are two points off an automatic promotion place.

Away days: Arsenal have been fragile away from the Emirates but they have a good chance to rectify that at Crystal Palace, who seem more vulnerable at Selhurst Park. West Bromwich Albion have made great strides under Tony Pulis and are strongly recommended against Sunderland, who are reeling from their fifth round FA Cup exit at the hands of League One Bradford City and in danger of slipping into the Premier League relegation zone. Bristol City, top of League One, look a banker at Colchester, whose home defeats have gone into double figures, and it is impossible to ignore on-form Gillingham's claims at bottom club Yeovil. Mansfield's chances of avoiding relegation from League Two improved when they beat high-flying Luton in midweek and another victory, this time at Oxford, shouldn't be beyond them. Dundee have moved into the top half of the Scottish Premiership and ought to account for Motherwell, who are having a terrible season.

Homes sweet homes: Aston Villa are already feeling the benefit of a change of manager and are more upbeat about avoiding relegation from the Premier League. I fancy them to get three points against inconsistent Stoke, whose confidence may have been damaged by a surprising FA Cup exit at Blackburn. Millwall, third from bottom in the Championship, won't go down without a fight and I believe they will record a rare home win against Fulham, who appear to have taken two steps back after a giant leap forward. League Two promotion challengers Wycombe have lost their way recently. They make the long journey to lowly Carlisle, who are battling hard to stay in the Football League and are worth a punt. 

Wednesday 11 February 2015

Pools tips and best bets for weekend of Feb 14-15

Ten draws: Gillingham v MK Dons, Peterborough v Rochdale, Mansfield v Northampton, Morecambe v Dagenham & Redbridge, Altrincham v Forest Green, Eastleigh v Torquay, Grimsby v Bristol Rovers, Lincoln v Chester, Ross v Motherwell, Raith v Falkirk.

Best draws: Gillingham v MK Dons, Peterborough v Rochdale, Grimsby v Bristol Rovers, Lincoln v Chester, Ross v Motherwell.

Best weekend away bets: Leicester, Nottingham Forest, Swindon, Bury, Aberdeen, Elgin.

Best weekend home bets: Bolton, Bournemouth, Chesterfield, Oldham, Hartlepool, Luton, Portsmouth, Southend, Wycombe, Dunfermline.


Pick of the draws: Gillingham are on a roll in League One, beating Sheffield United (home) and Peterborough (away) in the space of four days. They can hold MK Dons, whose promotion hopes took a knock on Monday when they lost at Bradford City. Peterborough's promotion challenge has faded mainly because they have lost seven matches at home. They will have a job making ground advantage count against Rochdale, who are particularly strong away. The Conference has several draw possibilities this weekend, especially Grimsby (4th) v Bristol Rovers (3rd). Both former League clubs are in fine form. Chester, once threatened by relegation, have pulled well away from the danger zone and are more than capable of gaining a point at Lincoln. It is hard to make a case for either Ross or Motherwell, bottom and second bottom respectively in the Scottish Premiership. They meet on Saturday and a draw is the likely outcome.

Away days: Leicester, propping up the Premier League, are due a change of fortune, having unluckily lost to Crystal Palace (home) and Arsenal (away) in the past week. They are well worth a punt at Aston Villa in the FA Cup fifth round on Sunday, especially as Villa don't know where their next goal - let alone their next win - is coming from. Blackpool are doomed to relegation from the Championship and their visitors on Saturday, Nottingham Forest, will surely take advantage. League One high-flyers Swindon lost at Oldham in midweek. They will be eager to make amends and will probably do so at Scunthorpe, whose home record is unimpressive. Bury are contesting a play-off place in League Two and are recommended to prevail at Cheltenham, who are hovering just above the relegation zone. Aberdeen are giving Celtic a good run for their money in the Scottish Premiership and are a confident selection to beat Hamilton. Elgin have markedly improved in Scottish League Two and must  be fancied to inflict further misery on bottom club East Stirling.

Homes sweet homes: Bolton have looked a different team since Neil Lennon was appointed manager and I believe they will surprise high-riding Watford, who can beat the best in the Championship but also lose to the worst. Hartlepool, last in League Two, are gradually closing the gap between them and the other sides threatened by relegation. They beat Northampton in midweek and I fancy them to defeat injury-hit Stevenage on Saturday. If Portsmouth start scoring some goals they will rapidly climb the League Two table because they are defensively sound. I've a hunch they will find their shooting boots against Exeter at Fratton Park.

Pools info: Coventry v Bradford City (No 3 on coupon) and Notts County v Preston (8) will be decided by the pools panel while Rangers v Hibernian (47) is void. Three of my five best draws were correct last weekend: Burnley v West Brom, Port Vale v Bradford City and Bury v Exeter.

Betting info: Four of my six away selections were correct last weekend. Chelsea, Chesterfield, Burton and Inverness were the successful teams.








Wednesday 4 February 2015

Pools tips and best bets for weekend of Feb 7-8

Ten draws: Burnley v West Brom, Queens Park Rangers v Southampton, Tottenham v Arsenal, Leeds v Brentford, Colchester v Crewe, Port Vale v Bradford City, Scunthorpe v Oldham, Bury v Exeter, Cambridge v Wycombe, Atletico Madrid v Real Madrid.

Best draws: Burnley v West Brom, Tottenham v Arsenal, Leeds v Brentford, Port Vale v Bradford City, Bury v Exeter.

Best weekend away bets: Chelsea, Manchester United, Peterborough, Chesterfield, Burton, Inverness.

Best weekend home bets: Middlesbrough, Millwall, Norwich, Preston, Rochdale, Swindon, AFC Wimbledon, Plymouth, Portsmouth, York.


Pick of the draws: West Brom will want to make amends for their heavy home defeat against Tottenham last Saturday and can do so on Sunday at Turf Moor against Premier League newcomers Burnley, who have faltered recently. Tottenham and Arsenal, two of the in-form teams, clash at White Hart Lane in the early Saturday kick-off. Tottenham's Harry Kane is a striker to be feared and Christian Erikson is a match-winner but Arsenal's newly acquired resilience should earn them a point and it would not surprise me to see a repeat of the 1-1 draw at the Emirates last September. Leeds, with two consecutive wins, are showing signs of climbing the Championship table but they face a tough assignment against Brentford, who have already won seven times on their travels and are genuine promotion contenders. This looks one of the likeliest draws on the coupon. Bradford City's FA Cup heroics have tended to mask their under-achievement in League One, so don't be shocked if they drop points at Port Vale. Exeter, in League Two, are better away than at home and I'm taking them to hold Bury, who have climbed back into the play-off places.

Away days: I cannot visualise Premier League leaders Chelsea letting goal-shy Aston Villa off the hook. Villa, with only 11 league goals this season, are lucky there are four sides below them in the table. West Ham's hopes of qualifying for next season's Champions League are fading fast and I expect third-placed Manchester United to take advantage of the Hammers' deteriorating form. League One Peterborough are getting back into the groove and are backed to succeed at Fleetwood, whose Highbury Stadium is by no means a fortress. Although Chesterfield sold leading scorer Eoin Doyle to Cardiff for £1m before the transfer deadline, they may still be good enough to defeat Notts County, who have already suffered seven home losses. Burton, second in League Two, are responding to the management of Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink and will fancy their chances of maximum points at struggling Cheltenham. Inverness Caledonian Thistle, with seven away victories, are my tip to triumph at Partick in the fifth round of the Scottish Cup.

Homes sweet homes: Millwall's battle to avoid relegation from the Championship received a much-needed boost last weekend when they won at Nottingham Forest. I believe they'll gain another three points when Huddersfield come to visit. Three defeats in a row have damaged Newport's promotion challenge in League Two. Wimbledon are capable of beating most teams on their day and I've a hunch they will leave Newport pointless again. By all accounts, lowly York were desperately unlucky to lose at high-flying Southend last Saturday. Luck often evens itself out and York are well worth a punt against Dagenham & Redbridge, who are only two points better off in League Two.