Edgar has Landed!

Oh, what a time to be a Crystal Palace fan!

Just weeks, literally, after the Championship club were on the brink of going out of business, and on the very day it is announced they are 'officially' out of administration, the new owners and management team have pulled the most almighty, humongous rabbit out a seemingly invisible hat!

Days ago fellow championship rivals Cardiff were celebrating their very own coup in the form of Craig Bellamy, without a doubt a terrific footballer, but with a temperament that saw him more or less 'forced' out of the bright lights of Manchester, as he chose the somewhat less salubrious surroundings and the somewhat dimmer lights of his home town, as he joined Cardiff City F.C on loan.

Why Cardiff? Well Bellamy is a Welshman, he comes from Cardiff, has a home in the vicinity, his family are still based in Wales and he wants to play first-team football. He can have ALL that at Cardiff for the same money, instead of collecting splinters while sitting on the bench at City, playing second fiddle to fellow strikers: Tevez, Robinho, Adebayor, Jo, Santa Cruz and Balotelli.

I myself was scratching my head at the beginning of the week as I wondered how on earth a club struggling financially, not dissimilar to the plight that Palace found themselves in, could afford to bring on board such a player and offer him first team football for a 'mere' £45,000 per week (and that is only half of his contracted weekly wage), while those good citizens........er 'samaritans' at Eastlands, the blue side of Greater Manchester have agreed with the 'Bluebirds' to subsidize the outstanding balance of Bellamy's wages, the further £45,000 per week - sheer unadulterated madness!

In my humble opinion this year is promotion to the Premier League or bust for Cardiff City.........the scenario of putting all your eggs in one basket and 'hoping' for the most fruitful outcome. A BIG gamble that can only end one of two ways - glorious success over 46 league games resulting in Premier League football next season, or au revoir to English club football, the League of Wales awaits you!

Now the cynics out there may well point the finger at Palace and justifiably so. I wholly and naturally expect plenty of vigorous finger wagging in the direction of London SE25 over the forthcoming days and possibly weeks, and I fully understand and accept any sort of denigration and vilification regarding the events today.

How much you may well ask are this recently rescued club going to pay a 37 year-old former Dutch international who hasn't kicked a ball in anger for two years, to pull on Palace's red n' blue shirt?
Well you can be sure the new owners (CPFC2010) will have done their maths and that if this arrangement was a non-viable monetary option, the plug would have been pulled immediately. These guys have just saved the club, in no way will they put their money and the clubs security in jeopardy, less than 24 hours after exiting administration.

But in Edgar Davids (pictured right) you have a man and a football player that once graced the game across Europe, from the days of his Ajax debut back in 1992, followed by a glorious career at the likes of footballing giants AC Milan, Juventus, Barcelona, and Inter Milan, as well as a spell at Tottenham, winning numerous club trophies throughout his illustrious playing career, not to mention his 74 international caps for the Netherlands.

Now he is a Crystal Palace player on a 'pay-as-you-play deal', who will provide as much off the pitch as on it!
Crystal Palace have a football academy second only to Arsenal's, and the youngsters at Palace in the shape of Zaha, Cadogan, Clyne, Djilali, Scannell, Holland and Pinney to name but a few can surely only benefit from the arrival of a genuine 'footballing icon' at their Club, whether it be on the training ground, in the dressing room, in the form of advice or even as a shoulder to cry on!

The obvious income Davids will bring to the Club will more than likely come in the form of an initial (and hopefully a prolonged) increase in crowd attendances at Selhurst Park, from shirt sales and possibly even designer glasses. Any income by whatever means can only be of benefit to the Club.

The Club itself will undoubtably receive additional media exposure, possibly resulting in an increase in the number of live TV games shown, and therefore the increased revenue that is generated as a result.

On the otherhand maybe Davids will become an overbearing unwanted media distraction at the club, ruffle a few feathers and put a few noses out of joint amongst the more experienced, senior players already at the club. Maybe Davids will pick up a serious injury, be unable to sustain the level of fitness required, along with the hunger or desire and passion required on match day. A cold, wet Tuesday night fixture away at Deepdale, the Keepmoat or Turf Moor hardly rivals the Stadio Olimpico di Torino or the L'Estadi Camp Nou.

But football fans, even if Davids move to South London doesn't work our for whatever reason, remember he is on a 'pay-as-you-play' deal, an absolutely crucial condition of his contract, bearing in mind the current economic climate.
I believe every single football club in the country would like to have had the 'opportunity' of working with a player of his calibre, whether your club be Birmingham, Blackburn, Barnsley, Brighton or Bury!

Edgar Davids will be at Selhurst Park at tomorrow's game against Ipswich Town to be introduced to the crowd.

'Edgar the Eagle' a Crystal Palace player, 20th August 2010 - What a story, what a coup, what football dreams are made of............. bring it on!

The New Management Team At Crystal Palace Football Club

New Palace manager Paul Hart with his assistant Dougie Freedman

Since Crystal Palace F.C went into administration on the 26th January 2010, there had been much speculation but no real concrete substantiation on the movement or otherwise of manager Neil Warnock.

However on Tuesday it was announced Neil was leaving the Club, to become Queens Park Rangers' fifth managerial appointment of the 2009/10 season. Along with Neil the backroom staff of Keith Curle and Mick Jones also left to join him in palatial West London.

I would like to say that I personally was a fan of Mr. Warnock, or to be more accurate I grew to become a fan, because I have to admit I was somewhat apprehensive when this gregarious, brash, Yorkshire born and bred, larger than life character was initially appointed two and a half years ago.

Some of the unsubstantiated comments allegedly made by Neil on his departure left a somewhat sour taste in mine and many other Palace supporters mouths. How true those comments were I am none to sure, as much as I am as to why he decided to leave in the first place.

Swapping one London club in a perilous financial position and potentially relegation bound for another in an equally precarious position on the field, albeit with an affluent but seemingly self-destructible and unpredictable boardroom, with just 14 games of the season to go, I simply fail to understand!
The truth may never be known outside of those immediately implicated.

However during Neil's tenure I was also impressed with the work of Neil's assistant Keith Curle, (the ex Manchester City and England International player).

Without trying to stick my oar in, I went to watch the Ivory Coast play South Korea (two of the World Cup qualifiers) in an international friendly at Loftus Road on Wednesday afternoon, and unsurprisingly bumped into Keith as he arrived at his 'new home.'

Out of interest I asked Keith if he had been offered the position of manager at Palace after Neil decided to leave, to which he replied 'no.'
I then put it to him that if he had been offered the managerial role at Palace would he in fact have taken it. His somewhat muted, low-key reply was ' yes.'

Now I have to say my heart sank at that moment, because in my eyes he would have been an ideal replacement for Neil for several reasons. The obvious ones being that he already knew the set-up at Palace, the players - their abilities and mind set, he had the experience of working with Neil, was well respected at the Club by the players and supporters alike, and therefore was in my humble opinion the best person to fill the void left by Neil's departure, and to take the Club forward.

However a new management team is in place and Neil Warnock is in the library listed under the ' history' section, and I look forward on a positive note to the arrival of our three new amigos in the shape of Paul Hart, his assistant, ex-Palace hero Dougie Freedman, and first team coach John Pemberton, also a former Crystal Palace player.

The new men in charge:

The Manager:
Paul Hart

Born on 4th May 1953 in Golborne, Lancashire, Paul Hart began his playing career in 1970 at Stockport County. In 1978 he made a £300,000 move to Leeds United as a replacement for Gordon McQueen, and spent another five years at Elland Road where he made 191 appearances.

He went on to play for a number of other clubs namely Nottingham Forest, Sheffield Wednesay, Birmingham and finally Notts County.

After announcing his retirement Paul was appointed manager of Chesterfield. He spent three years with the Spireites, which included an unsuccessful run to the play-offs, before a fall out with the Chairman led to his depature in 1991.

He then moved into youth coaching and was offered the role as head of Leeds United's Academy.
His young side won the FA Youth Cup in 1993 and 1997, while many of his young players went on to establish themselves in the Leeds side that reached the Champions League semi finals in 2001.

He then moved to Nottingham Forest to take charge of their Academy, but was promoted in 2001 to first team manager upon the departure of David Platt.
Hart was forced to take control of a club that had spiralled into crippling debt under Platt, and he had to accept losing a series of key players to balance the books.
Nonetheless Hart still managed to stablise the team and actually led them to the First Division play-off semi-finals in 2003.

He was offered the vacant managerial position at League One side Barnsley, before his departure by mutual consent.

A short spell in charge of Rushden & Diamonds followed in 2006, but it proved to be another short stay and he returned to youth team management at Portsmouth in 2007.

Two years later Pompey's first team manager, Tony Adams was removed from his post and Hart was offered the position as caretaker manager until the end of the 2008/09 season.
It was made permanent in July 2009, but he couldn't replicate the success he had the previous campaign and after a difficult start to the new season he left the club.

It led to a surprise move to QPR in December in a move that turned out to be another bizarre turn of events in the South West London club's managerial merry-go-round, because after less than month in charge he left Loftus Road.

On 2nd March 2010 Hart was appointed manager of Crystal Palace.

Assistant Manager:
Dougie Freedman

Born 25th May 1974 in Glasgow, Dougie Freedman began his career with top flight Queens Park Rangers in 1992, but never made their first team. Instead, he moved to Third Division Barnet on a free transfer in July 1994. He made his league debut in August 1994 and quickly became the club's leading player as he struck 24 goals in his debut season. A bright start to the following season convinced Crystal Palace to bid £800,000 to take him to Selhurst Park in September 1995.

Freedman instantly showed he could continue his goalscoring antics at the higher level when he netted 20 times in the 1995–96 season.

The following season saw a less prolific 11 goals scored by the Scotsman, but it was enough to help the club to the promotion play-offs. He then scored crucial goals in the 89th and 90th minutes of their semi-final tie with Wolves after coming off the bench with just 17 minutes left. Palace went on to win promotion in the Wembley final, beating Sheffield United 1–0.

In October 1997, Freedman moved ironically to Wolves on a loan spell and was signed permanently after impressing at the Molineux club. However, his spell with the club would only last until the end of the 1997–98 season, before Freedman was sold to Nottingham Forest for £950,000 in August 1998.

Nottingham Forest offered Freedman his first full season in the top flight in 1998–99, but Forest were relegated. He remained with the club for a further full season before rejoining Crystal Palace again in October 2000, this time for £600,000.

Freedman joined the club during a relegation threatened campaign, but one which ended with perhaps his most famous goal for the club. Relegation to the third tier loomed in Palace's final game of the season at Stockport County. With three minutes left and the score 0-0, Freedman dramatically pounced to score probably the most vital goal in the Club's history, and one which secured Palace's survival in the division.

The following campaign saw him bag 21 goals in all competitions, his best seasonal tally for the club. This also earned him a call-up to the Scottish national team, to add to his earlier Under 21 caps.

However the following season was less of a personal success. His fortunes were revived in 2003–04 though, as he re-established himself as a first choice regular under new manager Iain Dowie. A strong surge in the second-half of the season saw the club go from relegation contenders to the promotion play-offs. He was an unused substitute in the final though, which saw the club beat West Ham and win promotion to the top flight, the second time he had been promoted with the club.

However, life in the Premier League in 2004–05 saw Freedman often overlooked as the team employed only one striker in most games, with Andy Johnson being the preferred choice in this role.
He remained committed to the Palace cause of consolidating FA Premier League status by rejecting a loan bid from Leeds, and scored in their final game of the season, but could not prevent the club enduring Premier League relegation in 2005.

Back in the Championship the form of fellow strikers Johnson and Clinton Morrison limited his first-team opportunities, but he scored his 100th and 101st goals for Crystal Palace in a 3–2 win at rivals Brighton & Hove Albion on 20th November 2005. This made him only the seventh player in Palace history to have reached the century mark.

His coaching career began when he was appointed as the reserve team manager of Crystal Palace in November 2007. He was in this role alongside his playing duties for the club's first team.

Freedman joined League One club Leeds United on loan in early 2008, until the end of the season, where he made quite an impression. He helped them reach a play-off final at the age of 34.

After returning to Palace at the end of the season, Dougie was granted a testimonial match to reward him for ten years' service at the club over two spells.

In September 2008, Southend United announced the signing of Dougie Freedman on a two year contract. On 2nd March 2010 Freedman had his contract at Southend terminated by mutual consent and he returned to his former club Crystal Palace as the new assistant manager.

1st Team Coach:
John Pemberton

Born 18 November 1964 in Oldham, Lancashire John Pemberton started his career as a junior at Manchester United but was released in June 1983. He signed for Chadderton F.C, then Rochdale A.F.C before moving to Crewe Alexandra in 1985.

He initially came to prominence when he joined Crystal Palace in 1988, helping them win promotion to the First Division in 1989.
He appeared for Palace in the 1990 FA Cup Final against Manchester United at Wembley.

In 1990, Pemberton moved to Sheffield United. His most memorable moment game in 1993 when he scored the winning penalty in the shootout against Blackburn Rovers in the Quarter Final replay of the FA Cup. The following summer he was sold to Yorkshire rivals Leeds United.

Pemberton became something of a cult figure at Leeds owing to his determination and high work-rate. He appeared in a second Wembley final when he played for Leeds in the 1996 League Cup Final against Aston Villa, again, unfortunately for Pemberton his side was defeated.

He ended his career back at Crewe Alexandra with two appearances in the 1997–98 season.

Pemberton coached Nottingham Forest's reserve team to the Central League title in the 2007–08 season. In December 2008, following the dismissal of first-team manager Colin Calderwood, Pemberton was appointed as caretaker manager before Billy Davies was named as the new first-team boss. At the end of the 2008–09 season Davies re-organised his coaching staff, and Pemberton's contract was terminated by mutual consent after more than a decade as part of Forest's backroom team.

On 2nd March 2010 Pemberton was appointed first team coach at Crystal Palace.


May I take this opportunity to wish the new management team the best of luck for the remainder of the season.
As a Palace fan, on behalf of all Palace fans, can I ask that each of you give 100% in your efforts to keep 'The Eagles' in the Championship. In return you will have our whole hearted support in these difficult times.

'Best Bet' - Championship Betting Tips with Betfair

Hello and welcome to my latest guest blog, where I shall be previewing this weekend's Coca-Cola Championship fixtures, as well as looking at some of the LIVE TV games in more detail.

Hopefully I can try and win you some cash with my best football bet tips.

After a week of International action it’s time to get back to league business as we enter the final, crucial stages of the Championship Season.

Here's my pick of the action:

Bristol City v Preston North End
Saturday 4th April KO 17.20 LIVE ON SKY SPORTS

With games running out both these sides know they have to pick up results quickly if they are to secure a play-off place. Alan Irvine’s Preston lie seventh, just two points outside the play-off positions. Meanwhile Gary Johnson’s City, play-off finalists last season of course, lurk just three points further behind.

Current Match odds:

Bristol City 5/4 The Draw 12/5 Preston 13/5

Scorecast:
Bristol C 1-0 13/2 2-0 12/1 2-1 17/2 3-0 27/1

Preston 0-1 10/1 0-2 20/1 1-2 12/1 0-3 59/1

Draw 0-0 9/1 1-1 6/1 2-2 15/1

My 'best bet' prediction:

This is a clash between two very evenly matched sides, who both are in need of maximum points in their quest for a play-off place. However I just cannot separate the two sides, so I will have to sit on the fence on this one and I predict the points are shared at Ashton Gate.
1-1 Draw @ 6/1


Birmingham v Wolves
Monday 6th April KO 19.45 LIVE ON SKY SPORTS

Mick McCarthy’s Wolves are so close to the Premiership they can almost taste it. One side which will be desperate to stop them will be near rivals Birmingham, who would love to put the brakes on Wanderers’ title charge, and give their own a real boost.

Current Match odds:

Birmingham 13/8 The Draw 9/4 Wolves 85/40

Scorecast:
Birmingham 1-0 7/1 2-0 13/1 2-1 10/1 3-0 35/1

Wolves 0-1 8/1 0-2 16/1 1-2 10/1 0-3 45/1

Draw 0-0 17/2 1-1 6/1 2-2 17/1

My 'best bet' prediction:

Another pair of closely matched sides and it is bound to be a fast-paced competitive encounter. But after a sticky start to the year Wolves are gaining momentum again and I think they will end the season in style.
Wolves 2-0 win @ 16/1

The best of the rest:

Fancy a sections list this weekend? A multiple bet can win you some 'serious' cash.

Here are my tips for this weekend’s matches:

Home Wins:

Norwich v Sheff Wed
Sheff Utd v Ipswich
Southampton v Charlton

Away Wins:

Coventry v Reading
Derby v Burnley

Draws:

Barnsley v Nottm Forest
Blackpool v Plymouth
QPR v Crystal Palace
Cardiff v Swansea

My Tip Of The Weekend:

Doncaster v Watford

Doncaster have surprised everyone recently with their recent run of form lifting themselves away from danger. Just two points separate these sides but with home advantage I fancy Rovers to take all three points.
Donny to win 2-1 @ 9/1

'Best Bet' - Championship Betting Tips with Betfair

Hello, I'm Tom Mallows and welcome to my latest fortnightly football betting preview on behalf of this site.

I shall be looking at this weekend’s Coca-Cola Championship fixtures, along with some of the LIVE TV games in more detail, and hopefully I can try and win you some cash with my 'best bet' football tips.

Last time out it was a weekend of shocks as the likes of Forest, Plymouth and Sheffield Wednesday came up with some coupon busting victories. Here’s hoping for more luck this week.....

Doncaster Rovers v Birmingham City
Saturday 14th March KO 17.20 LIVE ON SKY SPORTS

Despite being favourites with the bookies for relegation, Doncaster have been on a great run of late, winning four and drawing one of their last six, to move ten points clear of the drop zone. Birmingham, meanwhile, appear to be wobbling at the other end. Deprived of many of their strikers, goal-scoring has been a problem, and they will have to improve if they are to secure automatic promotion.

Current Match odds:

Doncaster 15/8 The Draw 9/4 Birmingham 15/8

Scorecast:
Doncaster 1-0 15/2 2-0 15/1 3-0 41/1

Birmingham 0-1 15/2 0-2 14/1 0-3 39/1

Draw 0-0 17/2 1-1 11/2 2-2 18/1


My ‘best bet’ prediction:

Given their respective league positions, this would normally be an away win banker! But Rovers are in decent form and I fancy them to sneak a narrow home victory.
Doncaster 1-0 win @ 15/2.


Bristol City v Cardiff City

Sunday 15th March KO 13.15 LIVE ON SKY SPORTS

Just three places and two points separate these sides in what is becoming an exciting race for the play-off positions. Cardiff could have pulled further clear in midweek but slumped to a surprise defeat to struggling Norwich. Bristol City, meanwhile, are joint top of the form league, with seven wins out of their last ten games.

Current Match odds:

Bristol City 6/4 The Draw 9/2 Cardiff 2/1

Scorecast:
Bristol C 1-0 7/1 2-0 13/1 2-1 9/1 3-0 31/1

Cardiff 0-1 17/2 0-2 16/1 1-2 11/1 0-3 47/1

Draw 0-0 9/1 1-1 11/2 2-2 17/1


My 'best bet' prediction:

I believe this one will go to form. Gary Johnson’s 'Robins' are gaining momentum at just the right time, and I fancy them with home advantage to gain all three points on Saturday.
Bristol City 2-0 win @ 13/1.

The best of the rest:
Fancy a sections list this weekend? A multiple bet can win you some 'serious' cash.

Here are my tips for this weekend’s matches:

Home Wins:

Burnley v Nottm Forest
Reading v Ipswich
Swansea v Crystal Palace
Wolverhampton v Charlton

Away Wins:

Southampton v QPR
Watford v Sheff Wed

Draws:

Norwich v Plymouth
Barnsley v Blackpool
Sheff Utd v Derby

My Tip Of The Weekend:

Coventry have been in pretty good form of late, and put up a brave effort against Chelsea in the FA Cup recently. I fancy Chris Coleman's Sky Blues to turn over Preston and come away from Deepdale with a surprise away win.
Coventry 2-0 win @ 28/1.

Go to Betfair for all the latest football betting this weekend.

'Best Bet' - Championship Betting Tips with Betfair

Hi, my name is Tom Mallows, online sports writer with Betfair.
I am guest writing on this blog where I shall be previewing all the weekend games in The Championship along with the Carling Cup Final.
In addition, I will also be looking in detail at a couple of the weekends LIVE TV games.

Every fortnight, I will bring you all the latest football odds, preview the biggest matches, and hopefully try and win you some cash with my 'best bet' football tips.

A fortnight ago I had a 4 home win multiple bet come in, (see my article on 12th Feb) as Birmingham, Bristol City, Preston & Arsenal ALL won their respective games as I predicted.

'My tip of the weekend' was in the FA Cup tie between Coventry and Blackburn. I fancied the Sky Blues to turn over their Premier League opponents 2-1 at Ewood Park at odds of 20/1, and all was going swimmingly until Rovers' Chris Samba scored an equalizer in the third minute of injury time. C'est la vie!

This week the Championship returns with a full set of fixtures along with a Wembley date for Man Utd and Spurs. Here’s my pick of the action:

Carling Cup Final - Man Utd v Tottenham
Sunday 1st March KO 16:00 LIVE ON SKY

Go to Betfair for all the latest football betting on the 2009 Carling Cup Final.

With the World Club Championship already in the bag, United take their second step towards an unprecedented quadruple on Sunday with a clash against Harry Redknapp’s Tottenham. The London club face a battle just to stay in the Premier League and after playing two games already this week, you could forgive Redknapp for not seeing this as a priority.

Current Match Odds:

Man Utd 4/9 Tottenham 9/4.

Scorecast:
Man Utd 1-0 13/2 2-0 13/2 3-0 15/1

Tottenham 1-0 12/1 2-0 37/1 3-0 89/1


My 'best bet' prediction:

I’m sure Spurs will put up a brave fight and will not relinquish their hold on the Cup easily, but I think United have to much quality for Spurs all over the park and I can't see an upset on Sunday.
Man Utd 2-1 Tottenham @ 8-1


Sheff Utd v Birmingham
Sunday 1st March KO 12:15 LIVE ON SKY

Alex McLeish’s Birmingham need to re-discover their shooting boots if they are to secure automatic promotion after firing blanks against Palace and Coventry in recent weeks. Sheff Utd are in the hunt for a play-off place, but have struggled to find any consistency this year.

Current Match Odds:

Sheff Utd 6/4 The Draw 12/5 Birmingham 9/4

Scorecast:
Sheff Utd 1-0 7/1 2-0 12/1 3-0 30/1

Birmingham 1-0 17/2 2-0 16/1 3-0 49/1

The Draw 0-0 9/1 1-1 6/1 2-2 17/1

My 'best bet' prediction:

Birmingham are nine points and five places better off than their opponents and despite their striking woes I’m backing them to come away with a narrow win.
Sheff Utd 0-1 Birmingham @ 17/2


The best of the rest:
Fancy a sections list this weekend?
A multiple bet can win you some 'serious' cash.

Here are my tips for this weekend’s matches:

Home Wins:

Bristol City v Blackpool
Burnley v Sheff Wed
Reading v Nottm Forest
Swansea v Charlton
Wolverhampton v Plymouth

Away Wins:

Doncaster v Derby
Barnsley v QPR
Watford v Crystal Palace
Southampton v Cardiff

Draws:

Preston v Ipswich
Norwich v Coventry

My Tip Of The Weekend:

Neil Warnock's Palace make the short trip to Vicarage Road on Saturday, to take on a recently rejuvenated Watford side under the stewardship of Brendan Rogers. However after holding Birmingham to a goalless draw on Tuesday night, I fancy 'The Eagles' to take all three points.
Palace to win 2-0 at decent odds of 18/1.

'Best Bet' - Championship Betting Tips with Betfair

Hi, my name is Tom Mallows, online sports writer with Betfair.
I am guest writing on this blog where I shall be previewing all the weekend games in The Championship along with a selection of Premier League fixtures

In addition, I will also be looking in detail at some of the weekend's LIVE TV games.

Every fortnight, I will bring you all the latest odds, preview the biggest matches, and hopefully try and win you some cash with my 'best bet' football tips.

This weekend sees seven fixtures in the Championship and six tasty looking fixtures in the FA Cup Fifth Round involving Championship sides. Here's my pick of the action:


Watford v Chelsea
Saturday 14th February KO 17:30 LIVE ON SETANTA

Both these sides have had their troubles recently. 1984 finalists Watford, in the Premier League just two years ago, now find themselves struggling at the wrong end of the Championship. Manager Brendan Rogers will be facing the side he left earlier in the season to take over at Vicarage Road.

Chelsea meanwhile have endured a mini-crisis of their own, slipping behind in the title race and sacking boss Luis Felipe Scolari this week after just five months in the job. Guus Hiddink is widely tipped to take temporary charge – but not in time for Saturday.

Current Match odds:

Watford 9-1 Draw 4/1 Chelsea 5/2

Scorecast:
Watford 1-0 24/1 2-0 84/1 3-0 319/1

Chelsea 0-1 13/2 0-2 6/1 0-3 10/1

Draw 0-0 14/1 1-1 10/1 2-2 26/1


My ‘best bet’ prediction:

Chelsea may have their troubles, but I think they will have too much quality for Watford. It won’t be easy through, so my football betting advice would be to back a low scoring away win.
2-0 Chelsea win @ 6-1.


Swansea v Fulham
Saturday 14th February KO 12.45 LIVE ON ITV1

This has all the ingredients for a cup upset. The Premier League side who struggle on the road travel to a lower division side high in confidence and fresh from knocking out Premier League Opposition in the last round.
Roberto Martinez has done a great job with Swansea. Not only has he guided them to the FA Cup 5th round but his side look well set for a late promotion charge, couple this with their attractive attacking brand of football, they are a tough proposition for anyone at the moment.

Fulham boss Roy Hodgson has invested wisely to help the club into mid-table following last seasons last-gasp relegation escape. But the team still has a poor away record and that could count against them on Saturday.

Current Match odds:

Swansea 7/4 Draw 5/2 Fulham 15/8

Scorecast:
Swansea 1-0 8/1 2-0 14/1 3-0 35/1 2-1 11/1

Fulham 0-1 8/1 0-2 17/1 0-3 47/1 1-2 11/1

Draw 0-0 6/1 1-1 10/1 2-2 18/1


My 'best bet' prediction:

I smell an upset here, and an opportunity to make some cash. A 2-0 home win carries some decent looking odds.
Swansea 2-0 Fulham @ 14/1.

The best of the rest:
Fancy a sections list this weekend?
A multiple bet can win you some 'serious' cash.

Here are my tips for this weekend’s matches:

Home Wins:

Birmingham v. Notts Forest
Bristol City v. Southampton
Preston v. Norwich
Arsenal v. Cardiff

Away Wins:

Doncaster v. Sheff Wed
Derby v. Man Utd
Charlton v. Plymouth

Draws:

Burnley v. Wolves
Ipswich v. Blackpool
Sheff Utd v. Hull

My Tip Of The Weekend:

I fancy Chris Coleman's Coventry to spring a FA Cup surprise against Blackburn at Ewood Park. Sam Allarydce's side are deep in a Premier League relegation battle and may take their eye off the ball on Saturday.
Blackburn 1-2 Coventry @ 20/1.

Go to Betfair for all the latest football betting for this weekend’s FA Cup games, plus all the latest Cheltenham odds for the Festival in March.

The Play-Offs - 21 Years Of Reasons To Shed Tears Of Joy & Despair!

As the football season creeps past the half-way stage, supporters of many clubs up & down the country must be looking at their OWN clubs current plight, & thinking not where they want to finish, (we all want OUR team to finish top!) but where realistically would be a reasonable, acceptable, honest, achievable position come the end of the season in May.

I am, as it happens just one of those fans!

My Club, Crystal Palace (a club I support with a passion) are currently a respectable eighth in the Championship, have not got a proverbial pot to piss in financially, due mainly to an oversized squad of mediocre players with limited ability on impermeable contracts, (that we cannot shift even if we were to try & offload them at a Sunday morning boot fair), along with its fair share of internal wrangling.

I am not using this as a platform for slinging mud or lambasting my own Club, as I am well aware that quite a few football clubs are in similar situations, due in part to the current financial climate.

On a positive note, we at Palace have one of the best young academy's in the country, which we acknowledge as fans & is something we are all very proud of.
It is a fantastic achievement by the Club & I am sure the quality of the young players coming through is something that other clubs of our size & ilk can only dream about!

I digress.......where was I, the play-offs.

This season the Championship has thus far been dominated by three clubs, basically leaving the rest of the league to scrap it out for the remaining three places that would secure a play-off spot, & the potentially lucrative opportunity to reach the 'promised land' of the Premier League.
In doing so this would generate an estimated cash injection of £30million plus to the successful team, depending on what one chooses to utilize as their source of information.

This Championship season boasts a number of low, medium & high profile clubs jostling for the remaining play-off places, including the likes of Sheffield United, Burnley, Preston, QPR, Cardiff, Swansea & Ipswich, as well as Palace.

The play-offs were introduced in 1986/87, so there have been 21 previous years of reasons for supporters to shed tears & joy or despair at some point since the late 1980's.
Martin Lange was the man responsible for the end-of-season extravaganza. Lange saw promotion play-offs as a means of rekindling supporter interest in the lower divisions, thereby bringing the clubs much-needed extra income.
The play-offs remain with us today because they have met, and arguably exceeded their expectations.
Since their introduction attendances across the lower three divisions have more than doubled. It is hard to argue that Lange's innovation has been at least partly responsible for such a dramatic increase.

Supporters have accepted the play-offs with a mixture of enthusiasm & intrepidation. The matches themselves invariably produce extraordinary levels of drama, incredible scorelines & the reason for this has in part been due to an astonishing number of crucial late goals!

Of course, a sudden-death contest determining a club's fate for the whole of the season inevitably leads to heightened emotions, the fall-out from which has given plenty of ammunition to opponents of the system.

In the Championship play-offs the disappointment has been greatest for Preston & Ipswich, with a record six unsuccessful attempts each. No other clubs have tackled the play-offs so often, so unsuccessfully!

Crystal Palace though, are the undisputed play-off masters. Palace have one of the best overall records in the play-offs, with three victories, a losing final and two losing semi-finals. And all of them were for a place in the top division.

In the first two seasons the play-offs were introduced, the third to fifth sides from what was then the 'old' Division 2 competed with the fourth from bottom side in the 'old' Division 1.
In most other seasons the play-offs were for the third to sixth placed sides, but in both 1990/91 and 1994/95 this was different due to League restructuring.
In the first of those years the fourth to seventh sides took part whilst in 1994/95 it was the second to fifth sides.

Ignoring those first two seasons when the format was significantly different, the winners of the play-off final in the other 19 seasons have been:

Highest placed club - 6 times
Second highest placed club - 4 times
Third highest placed club - 5 times
Lowest placed club - 4 times

These statistics simply emphasise the fact that there is no real benefit in finishing in a higher League position.

Of the six teams in total that have finished third in the league and were promoted via the play-offs to the top flight, three of those teams have been in the last three consecutive seasons, namely Watford, Derby & Hull.

For the record in 1989/90 the winners at Wembley were not actually promoted. Although Swindon Town beat Sunderland in the final, it was the losing side who were eventually promoted after Swindon were punished for financial irregularities.

If Palace can make the play-offs come May, then I feel as a fan we will have by far & away over-achieved our pre-season expectations, but once there we all know it becomes a lottery, & in Neil Warnock, Palace have a man & a manager who CAN win the jackpot!

Coca-Cola Championship Team Of The Season-2007/08

Watch a video of a fictional team comprising The Best Players Of The 2007/08 Season in the English Championship Football League.

Click on the 'Link' below to watch this video.

Link

Players include:
Adriano Basso (Bristol City), Danny Shittu (Watford), Mark Hudson (Crystal Palace), Carl Hoefkens (West Brom), Michael Turner (Hull), Liam Lawrence (Stoke), Peter Halmosi (Plymouth), Akos Buzsaky (QPR),
Victor Moses (Crystal Palace), Sylvan Ebanks-Blake (Wolves), Kevin Phillips (West Brom). Manager: Gary Johnson (Bristol City).

Do you agree with these selections?
If NOT, then tell me which players you think should or should not be included in the Championship Team Of The Season.

Please post your comments below.

'Premiers**t - You're Having a Laugh'

Don't talk to me about the 'magnificent' spectacle of the Premiership! The tremendous ding-dong battle to win the title etc etc.
The Premiership is great for mainly one thing - plenty of revenue in the form of TV money for all the clubs involved and not a lot else!

There's a two horse race at each end of the table, Man U versus Chelski and Watford versus Charlton, and then 16 other mediocre teams battling it out for mid-table respectability.....I think is the well overused media pundits terminology.

Look at the likes of Spurs, Pompey, Everton and Blackburn. All battling it out for what?
A UEFA Cup spot, which is basically an overrated cup tournament for Champions League rejects, teams finishing 5th or worse in the Premiership, along with the domestic cup winners that cold potentially could come from anywhere in the Football League.
I'm sure the opportunity to start the season in July, and the prospect of visiting the respective pastures new of the Champions of such historical football nations as Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, Slovenia and Slovakia must be huge!
The lure of a few bob to line the the pockets of the already overpaid players, board and management alike is the only odour I can smell!
Two words springs to mind.......Dull and Greed!

It is self-defeating in it's very nature.
Remember the fans! They are the ones who have to pay for this potential 11 month season.
Jet-setting abroad, hotel accommodation where necessary, match tickets and beer all add up to a more than average priced midweek non-adventure, such as a meal with the opposition, namely her indoors or a trip to the local pub with the lads, equally unpopular with the Missus. (But she knows where you are, and in her eyes at least that beats blowing the family budget on gallivanting around The Balkans).
Not to mention the time taken off from work, whether as holiday or sick.
Do the Clubs care? Is the Pope a Jew?

Dare I say it, but maybe the likes of Pompey and Reading could even step up to the UEFA Cup mark this year.....which would in itself be an incredible and more than likely one-off achievement for both Coppell's and Redknapp's sides this season. But not something their fans will have experienced previously or are likely too again for sometime after.
Pity all the magnificent fans of all the above mentioned clubs, and shame on the clubs themselves for providing such mediocre 'entertainment' for most of the season whatever the final outcome, at extortionate entry prices!

Now drop down a division to the Championship and you can watch a terrific example of weekly unpredictability all season, due to a much more level playing field. High octane passion fuelled local derbies, particularly in The Midlands this season and the possibility of about 4 or 5 teams fighting it out for automatic promotion and a further 6 or more in with a chance of making the play-offs. At the wrong end their are probably still any of 6 or 7 sides that might drop down a division. All this will undoubtedly still be unfolding come mid-April.
That's what I would endeavour to call entertainment, fierce competition, and value for money.... all season round.

A couple of months ago Brucie was a goner, now he's Singing the Blues.
Cardiff under Dave Jones got off to a magnificent start, now they are rocking badly, Preston are up there again despite a change in stewardship, and Southampton look really dangerous.
WBA, Wolves and Palace were all expected to make the top 6 if not automatic promotion pre-season, but all are finding the going tough!
There may be no Gerrard, Lampard, Rooney, Ronaldo, or Henry in the Championship but there are some quality players on view including the likes of Upson and McShefferey at Birmingham, Nugent at Preston, Vine at Luton, Rasiak and Bale at Southampton, Halford at Colchester and Eastwood at Southend to name but a few, along with some excellent coaches and managers doing the rounds.
Look at Burley at Southampton, Mowbray at WBA, Laws at Wednesday, Davies at Derby, Pullis at Stoke and of course Williams at Colchester.

A Championship XI to match much of the Premiership mediocrity:
Hoult/Upson/Halford/Alexander/Bale/McShefferey/Cook/Skachel/Vine/Nugent/Eastwood, and there are many more good enough to make up a squad.

All good news for fans' of Championship Clubs.