I can make two free transfers this week, and have decided to utilise both to bring in players who can potentially score more points. Lee Cattermole (Sunderland) and Frederic Piquionne (Portsmouth) makes way as they have not been scoring more than the two points for playing in each match, and Jack Rodwell (Everton) and Andrew Keogh (Wolverhampton Wanderers) take their places. Rodwell has been surprisingly ever-present for Everton this season and Andrew Keogh is playing against Portsmouth this week. Some transfer funds have also been freed up as a result.
Goalkeeper:
Ross Turnbull (Chelsea)
Defenders:
Vedran Corluka (Tottenham Hotspur)
Joseph Yobo (Everton)
Gael Clichy (Arsenal)
Midfielders:
Tim Cahill (Everton)
Aaron Lennon (Tottenham Hotspur)
Clint Dempsey (Fulham)
Jack Rodwell (Everton)
Shaun Wright-Phillips (Manchester City)
Forwards:
Wayne Rooney (Manchester United) captain
Andrew Keogh (Wolverhampton Wanderers)
Cech (suspended) makes way for Chelsea's reserve keeper Turnbull. Collins, Cole and Bent are also sidelined as they face difficult games against Manchester City, Liverpool and Manchester United respectively. Rooney takes the armband in anticipation of the visit of Sunderland.
My Team
Fantasy Premier League Team Selection for Gameweek 8 03 October, 2009
Betting Tips for Round 8 (03/10/2009 to 05/10/2009)
Wolverhampton Wanderers - Portsmouth
Home : 2.00 | Draw : 3.40 | Away: 3.75
Bet: £15 on Home Win
Couldn't resist a bet on Portsmouth's point-less run.
Hull City - Wigan Athletic
Home : 2.87 | Draw : 3.30 | Away: 2.40
Bet: £10 on Away Win
Taking a small gamble that these would be one of Wigan's better days.
Burnley - Birmingham City
Home : 2.20 | Draw : 3.30 | Away: 3.30
Bet: £10 on Home Win
Another small gamble, this time on Burnley's home form.
Aston Villa - Manchester City
Home : 2.62 | Draw : 3.30 | Away: 2.62
Bet: £10 on Away Win
I have no choice but to make smaller bets on longer odds this week, and this match completes the selection of bets.
Match Predictions for Round 8 (03/10/2009 to 05/10/2009)
Wolverhampton Wanderers - Portsmouth
Prediction: 2 - 1
I just can't see Portsmouth getting an away win at the moment.
Barnsley - Birmingham City
Prediction: 2 - 0
Barnsley should take all three points from this game at Turf Moor.
Hull City - Wigan Athletic
Prediction: 1 - 3
Wigan continues to confound me. They have been unpredictable this season. Nevertheless, I fancy them to beat a very poor Hull City.
Bolton Wanderers - Tottenham Hotspur
Prediction: 2 - 2
Spurs are definitely the better team here, but they don't particularly enjoy trips to the Reebok Stadium in recent times. Bolton might be able to force a draw. A high-scoring affair.
Manchester United - Sunderland
Prediction: 3 - 1
United on a run with players clicking into form. Should be a comfortable victory for them. That said, Sunderland with Darren Bent should be good for a goal.
Arsenal - Blackburn Rovers
Prediction: 3 - 0
Not much of a chance for Blackburn to cause any surprise at the Emirates.
Everton - Stoke City
Prediction: 2 - 1
Everton seemed to have put their early season woes behind them, and are starting to get points under their belt. Should be a home win here.
West Ham United - Fulham
Prediction: 1 - 1
After impressively over-performing last season, both teams now find themselves in the same boat around the relegation zone. I fancy Fulham to be able to get themselves out of trouble earlier, starting with a crucial away point.
Chelsea - Liverpool
Prediction: 2 - 2
Chelsea will want to bounce straight back after their shock defeat to Wigan last week. Liverpool are in excellent goalscoring form, averaging more than 3 goals a game so far. Going into this game, I feel that Liverpool has the slight edge and should be able to take a point away from Stamford Bridge.
Aston Villa - Manchester City
Prediction: 1 - 2
Another intriguing tie. Villa's run was brought to an end last week while City continues to rumble on. The return of Adebayor, and the form of Tevez and Bellamy should give them a firm advantage.
Summary Review: Round 7 (26/09/2009 to 28/09/2009) 02 October, 2009
Chelsea finally dropped their first points of the season, and it was actually quite a convincing win for Wigan Athletic. That was a major shock as Wigan had showed a tendency to struggle against the better teams this season, having previously shipped four and five goals to Arsenal and Manchester United respectively. While there is no doubt that Chelsea will bounce back from this defeat (what, you expect them to go on a losing streak?), it did demonstrate some of their vulnerabilities and their rivals can certainly take heart.
Liverpool racked up the goals against a pathetic looking Hull City as Torres waltzed his way through the opposition's something (I'm not sure what you call it, but it doesn't look like defence) three times. Speaking of hattricks, Robbie Keane did that, and went one better, as Tottenham Hotspur put five past Burnley. It's amazing how a team with a perfect record at home (against the likes of Manchester United no less) can be so rubbish away from it. Rubbish then leads us naturally to Portsmouth who, well, actually did show improvement against Everton, and could even be considered slightly unlucky not to take at least a point. But the cold hard fact is that they now still have no point. At this rate they are going, they will still have zero points at the end of the season (extrapolating the trend that is).
Sunderland put five past Wolverhampton Wanderers for an impressive 5 - 2 victory with Darren Bent continuing to find the net. He's starting to display the kind of scoring prowess previously on show at Charlton. Manchester City recovered from derby drama with Tevez scoring a brace to leave West Ham United in the relegation zone. How he must have wished he had scored against another of his former club last week instead.
Arsenal narrowly beat Fulham while Manchester United left Stoke City's home ground with more points that what most other teams could muster from the same encounter. Bolton Wanderers won a crucial relegation six-pointer at Birmingham City, but I guess both teams should be quite confident with realistically only two relegation places up for grabs this season (see Portsmouth, above). Finally, Blackburn Rovers ended Aston Villa's run with a last minute winner.
Predictions
Portsmouth - Everton
Prediction: 0 - 2
Result: 0 - 1
Blackburn Rovers - Aston Villa
Prediction: 1 - 1
Result: 2 - 1
Tottenham Hotspur - Burnley
Prediction: 2 - 0
Result: 5 - 0
Birmingham City - Bolton Wanderers
Prediction: 1 - 0
Result: 1 - 2
Wigan Athletic - Chelsea
Prediction: 0 - 3
Result: 3 - 1
Stoke City - Manchester United
Prediction: 1 - 2
Result: 0 - 2
Liverpool - Hull City
Prediction: 4 - 0
Result: 6 - 1
Fulham - Arsenal
Prediction: 1 - 3
Result: 0 - 1
Sunderland - Wolverhampton Wanderers
Prediction: 2 - 1
Result: 5 - 2
Manchester City - West Ham United
Prediction: 2 - 0
Result: 3 - 1
Round 7 Tally: 10 Predictions; 0 Correct Scores; 7 Correct Outcomes
Season Tally: 66 Predictions; 2 Correct Scores; 37 Correct Outcomes
Betting
Portsmouth - Everton
Bet: £20 on Away Win at 1.83
Result: Away Win (Won £16.60)
Birmingham City - Bolton Wanderers
Bet: £15 on Home Win at 2.25
Result: Away Win (Lost £15.00)
Sunderland - Wolverhampton Wanderers
Bet: £15 on Home Win at 1.72
Result: Home Win (Won £10.80)
Manchester City - West Ham United
Bet: £20 on Home Win at 1.40
Result: Home Win (Won £8.00)
Round 6 Tally: £70.00 in Bets; £20.40 in Takings
Season Tally: £465.00 in Bets; -£35.65 in Takings
Fantasy Football
My Team
55 points is not a disastrous gameweek total, but still poor enough to cause me a drop in overall rankings. The main cause of this would be Chelsea's unexpected result - Cech sent off and Cole conceded three. Fortunately, my other defenders all responded with clean sheets.
With an assist and a clean sheet, Lennon wasn't half bad a choice of captain, but what might have been if I had given the armband to Bent! One goal, three assists and maximum bonus for a total of 18 points!
Fantasy Premier League Team Selection for Gameweek 7 26 September, 2009
No transfers for me this week. The only players I want to ship out are Lee Cattermole (injured) and Frederic Piquionne (playing for Portsmouth), but their values are insufficient for me to bring in the players I want this week (someone from Liverpool or Manchester City), so I'm saving the one free transfer for next week.
Goalkeeper:
Petr Cech (Chelsea)
Defenders:
Ashley Cole (Chelsea)
Vedran Corluka (Tottenham Hotspur)
Joseph Yobo (Everton)
Gael Clichy (Arsenal)
Midfielders:
Tim Cahill (Everton)
Aaron Lennon (Tottenham Hotspur) captain
Lee Cattermole (Sunderland)
Shaun Wright-Phillips (Manchester City)
Forwards:
Wayne Rooney (Manchester United)
Darren Bent (Sunderland)
Clint Dempsey (playing against Arsenal) and Frederic Piquionne (playing for Portsmouth) are benched for tactical reasons, while James Collins can count himself unlucky to be in the same boat those two - I simply can't leave out any of the other eleven players. However, he will probably be substituted in as Lee Cattermole is expected to be out with an injury.
Aaron Lennon takes the captaincy as Spurs have a potential score-able match against Burnley.
My Team
Betting Tips for Round 7 (26/09/2009 to 28/09/2009)
Portsmouth - Everton
Home: 4.33 | Draw: 3.50 | Away: 1.83
Bet: £20 on Away Win
Everton should be able to get a comfortable win.
Birmingham City - Bolton Wanderers
Home: 2.25 | Draw: 3.25 | Away: 3.25
Bet: £15 on Home Win
A tough one, but the attractive odds of 2.25 compensates for that.
Sunderland - Wolverhampton Wanderers
Home: 1.72 | Draw: 3.50 | Away: 5.00
Bet: £15 on Home Win
Sunderland the better team, and are at home.
Manchester City - West Ham United
Home: 1.40 | Draw: 4.50 | Away: 8.00
Bet: £20 on Home Win
Should be a straightforward win for City.
Match Predictions for Round 7 (26/09/2009 to 28/09/2009)
Portsmouth - Everton
Prediction: 0 - 2
Everton looked to have turned the corner with their recent results, while Portsmouth are still searching for their first point. They will have to continue looking next week.
Blackburn Rovers - Aston Villa
Prediction: 1 - 1
Villa have won both their away games this season, but I have a feeling that Blackburn may just be able to hold out for a point.
Tottenham Hotspur - Burnley
Prediction: 2 - 0
It will be interesting to see how Spurs recover from two defeats in a row after such a great start. Burnley have not got a single point from their travels so far. Spurs should be good for all three points.
Birmingham City - Bolton Wanderers
Prediction: 1 - 0
Surprisingly, Birmingham now have the third best defensive record in the league, behind only Chelsea and Aston Villa. On the other hand, they have scored the fewest (on par with Portsmouth). A low-scoring win for the home team then.
Wigan Athletic - Chelsea
Prediction: 0 - 3
Wigan have thus far been trashed by Manchester United and Arsenal. I expect Chelsea to put them to the sword next.
Stoke City - Manchester United
Prediction: 1 - 2
Britannia Stadium is not an easy place to get points from - even Chelsea needed a very late goal to take three points. United will probably face the same tough battle.
Liverpool - Hull City
Prediction: 4 - 0
Liverpool are in fine scoring form, and have the tendency to walk over smaller teams at home. Hull is in trouble.
Fulham - Arsenal
Prediction: 1 - 3
The worry for Arsenal must be that they are conceding too many goals away from home - 7 in 3 games so far, but Fulham aren't exactly showing the level of performance that they were capable of last season.
Sunderland - Wolverhampton Wanderers
Prediction: 2 - 1
No joy for Mick McCarthy on his return to his former club.
Manchester City - West Ham United
Prediction: 2 - 0
Manchester City should bounce back from derby-day drama. West Ham aren't as convincing this season.
Summary Review: Round 6 (19/09/2009 and 20/09/2009)
What a Manchester derby! It had almost everything - goals, controversy, late drama, probably just short of a red card or two! Manchester City must have thought that they would be leaving Old Trafford with a hard-earned point and at least equal bragging rights when Craig Bellamy seized on Rio Ferdinand's mistake to put them level for the third time in the match. But Manchester United had other ideas, and with a swing of his right boot, Michael Owen justified Alex Ferguson's decision to sign him up. Speaking of "signing him up", Carlos Tevez won his fitness battle to feature in the match, and added to the spice with a typically determined assist and an agonising miss.
The other big match of the weekend was the London derby between Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur. It was a comparatively one-sided affair, and that is like describing Mount Everest as tall. The matter of fact is that Chelsea waltzed past Spurs 3-0 to make it six wins out of six. That match too was not without controversy, however. Spurs arguably should have been given a penalty kick at a critical time when they were still only a goal down.
Arsenal scored an easy 4-0 win over Wigan Athletic, while Liverpool laboured to yet another 3-2 away win, this time against West Ham United. Aston Villa piled further pressure on Portsmouth by expectedly inflicting their sixth defeat of the season. Pompey at the moment are as pointless as this blog! Everton looked to have put their early season troubles behind with a convincing win against Blackburn Rovers. Blackburn, on the other hand, look to be wading deeper into trouble and must hope to chalk up some good results soon.
Elsewhere, Burnley kept their impressive home record with a win against Sunderland. Their tally at Turf Moor now stands at three out of three - not bad considering the other two wins were against Manchester United and Everton. Fellow promoted clubs Birmingham City and Wolverhampton Wanderers too racked up crucial three points against Hull City and Fulham respectively, while Bolton Wanderers and Stoke City shared a goal and a point apiece.
Predictions
Burnley - Sunderland
Prediction: 1 - 2
Result: 3 - 1
Arsenal - Wigan Athletic
Prediction: 3 - 1
Result: 4 - 0
Bolton Wanderers - Stoke City
Prediction: 2 - 2
Result: 1 - 1
Hull City - Birmingham City
Prediction: 0 - 0
Result: 0 - 1
Aston Villa - Portsmouth
Prediction: 2 - 0
Result: 2 - 0
West Ham United - Liverpool
Prediction: 1 - 2
Result: 2 - 3
Manchester United - Manchester City
Prediction: 2 - 2
Result: 4 - 3
Wolverhampton Wanderers - Fulham
Prediction: 1 - 2
Result: 2 - 1
Everton - Blackburn Rovers
Prediction: 2 - 1
Result: 3 - 0
Chelsea - Tottenham Hotspur
Prediction: 2 - 0
Result: 3 - 0
Round 6 Tally: 10 Predictions; 1 Correct Scores; 6 Correct Outcomes
Season Tally: 56 Predictions; 2 Correct Scores; 30 Correct Outcomes
Betting
Burnley - Sunderland
Bet: £15 on Away Win at 2.50
Result: Home Win (Lost £15.00)
Aston Villa - Portsmouth
Bet: £30 on Home Win at 1.36
Result: Home Win (Won £10.80)
Manchester United - Manchester City
Bet: £10 on Draw at 3.75
Result: Home Win (Lost £10.00)
Everton - Blackburn Rovers
Bet: £15 on Home Win at 1.80
Result: Home Win (Won £12.00)
Round 6 Tally: £70.00 in Bets; -£2.20 in Takings
Season Tally: £395.00 in Bets; -£56.05 in Takings
Fantasy Football
My Team
A very good gameweek, with all of my goalkeepers and defenders (Cech, Cole, Collins, Yobo and Clichy) keeping clean sheets, and both of my forwards (Rooney and Bent) scoring. Even Cole and Yobo weighed in with goals!
It would have been perfect, though, if some of my midfielders actually did anything noteworthy. (To be fair, Cahill did keep a clean sheet for an additional point.)
Fantasy Premier League Team Selection for Gameweek 6 19 September, 2009
I have brought in Aston Villa's James Collins for Birmingham City's Franck Queudrue who is injured. Villa should keep a clean sheet against Portsmouth.
Goalkeeper:
Petr Cech (Chelsea)
Defenders:
Ashley Cole (Chelsea)
James Collins (Aston Villa)
Joseph Yobo (Everton)
Gael Clichy (Arsenal) captain
Midfielders:
Tim Cahill (Everton)
Clint Dempsey (Fulham)
Lee Cattermole (Sunderland)
Shaun Wright-Phillips (Manchester City)
Forwards:
Wayne Rooney (Manchester United)
Darren Bent (Sunderland)
The two Spurs players, Lennon and Corluka remain on the bench for their side's trip to Stamford Bridge. Piquionne too sits out as I don't see Portsmouth getting much joy at Villa Park. Clichy takes the armband as his side faces Wigan at home.
Betting Tips for Round 6 (19/09/2009 and 20/09/2009)
Burnley - Sunderland
Home: 2.80 | Draw: 3.30 | Away: 2.50
Bet: £15 on Away Win
Attractive odds on the form team.
Aston Villa - Portsmouth
Home: 1.36 | Draw: 4.50 | Away: 9.00
Bet: £30 on Home Win
Probably the easiest bet of the round.
Manchester United - Manchester City
Home: 1.61 | Draw: 3.75 | Away: 5.50
Bet: £10 on Draw
United are the favourites here. But their midweek travel, and this being a derby, makes 3.75 very attractive for a draw. Worth a small bet.
Everton - Blackburn Rovers
Home: 1.80 | Draw: 3.50 | Away: 4.50
Bet: £15 on Home Win
I put a bit of money on Everton turning the corner here.
Match Predictions for Round 6 (19/09/2009 and 20/09/2009)
Burnley - Sunderland
Prediction: 1 - 2
Successive defeats against Chelsea and Liverpool do not mean much - they could happen to any team. But Sunderland are in fine form and will want to take all three points from this one.
Arsenal - Wigan Athletic
Prediction: 3 - 1
After two defeats on the road, Arsenal will look forward to playing at home again. They had to travel midweek, but should still have enough in their tank to see off Wigan.
Bolton Wanderers - Stoke City
Prediction: 2 - 2
Bolton finally got their season underway last weekend, while Stoke are already riding high above expectations in eighth. Probably a draw between two teams playing quite a similar style of football.
Hull City - Birmingham City
Prediction: 0 - 0
A match between two teams who will probably be fighting for survival at the end of the season. Both teams will not want to lose, and neither may offer enough to win anyway.
Aston Villa - Portsmouth
Prediction: 2 - 0
Portsmouth are in dire straits and this trip to Villa Park will be what they least needed. Villa have won their last three, and I can't see them not winning this home game.
West Ham United - Liverpool
Prediction: 1 - 2
West Ham may fancy their chances of taking a point at home, but I think Liverpool will sneak a narrow away win, possibly with another late decisive goal.
Manchester United - Manchester City
Prediction: 2 - 2
The big question on everyone's lips is whether Tevez will face his former club. This will have a bearing on the result too, since Bellamy is the only other forward able to play. I think he will play at least some part, and that he will have a hand in at least a goal. United will be recovering from their long midweek trip to Turkey.
Wolverhampton Wanderers - Fulham
Prediction: 1 - 2
Fulham were very good against Everton last week, and with Damien Duff clicking into form, will come away with a win.
Everton - Blackburn Rovers
Prediction: 2 - 1
Unbelievably, Everton has already conceded 10 this season. That's 2.5 per game, a ratio higher than any other team's. Most people may point to the departure of Lescott, but their heaviest defeat came when he was still in the side! They will just have to stabilise themselves, and I can just see that happening, but they probably still won't keep a clean sheet this time round.
Chelsea - Tottenham Hotspur
Prediction: 2 - 0
If Spurs played like they did against ten men last week, Chelsea should not have too much of a problem seeing them off. This Chelsea team will not be dropping many points, and I can see them winning almost all their home games.
Summary Review: Round 5 (12/09/2009 and 13/09/2009) 18 September, 2009
It was a weekend where Manchester City enhanced their title credentials while fellow pace setters Tottenham Hotspur were somewhat put in their place. City put four past Arsenal at home and Spurs were undone by Manchester United despite taking a very early lead and playing against ten men for half an hour. How Arsene Wenger must hate Manchester by now, and could this game against the defending champions be a micro-reflection of how Spurs' season is going to pan out?
Title favourites Chelsea are showing that they are able to get three points anywhere and anyhow. Another late winner after being a goal down - this time against Stoke City - saw them maintain their perfect start to the season. I can't see them dropping many points this season, and I can't see any team getting more points than them. Liverpool kept pace with a convincing with against Burnley. I don't remember Benayoun scoring many goals, but this must have been at least his second hat-trick already in a Liverpool shirt.
Aston Villa and Sunderland continued with their fine form; extending difficult starts so far for Birmingham City and Hull City. Villa got a narrow win over Birmingham, while Sunderland had a much easier time against Hull. Speaking of difficult starts, in the bottom-of-the-table clash, Bolton Wanderers came away from Fratton Park leaving Portsmouth with zero points from five games.
Finally, Blackburn Rovers, Fulham, and Wigan Athletic scored home wins against Wolverhampton Wanderers, Everton, and West Ham United respectively. Everton, who finished fifth last season, seems to be having trouble finding their feet this season, having just three points from four games.
Predictions
Portsmouth - Bolton Wanderers
Prediction: 2 - 1
Result: 2 - 3
Blackburn Rovers - Wolverhampton Wanderers
Prediction: 2 - 1
Result: 3 - 1
Wigan Athletic - West Ham United
Prediction: 2 - 2
Result: 1 - 0
Liverpool - Burnley
Prediction: 3 - 0
Result: 4 - 0
Stoke City - Chelsea
Prediction: 1 - 3
Result: 1 - 2
Sunderland - Hull City
Prediction: 2 - 0
Result: 4 - 1
Manchester City - Arsenal
Prediction: 1 - 1
Result: 4 - 2
Tottenham Hotspur - Manchester United
Prediction: 1 - 2
Result: 1 - 3
Birmingham City - Aston Villa
Prediction: 1 - 1
Result: 0 - 1
Fulham - Everton
Prediction: 1 - 1
Result: 2 - 1
Round 5 Tally: 10 Predictions; 0 Correct Scores; 5 Correct Outcomes
Season Tally: 46 Predictions; 1 Correct Scores; 24 Correct Outcomes
Betting
Portsmouth - Bolton Wanderers
Bet: £20 on Home Win at 2.60
Result: Away Win (Lost £20.00)
Sunderland - Hull City
Bet: £25 on Home Win at 1.80
Result: Home Win (Won £20.00)
Tottenham Hotspur - Manchester United
Bet: £10 on Draw at 3.40
Result: Away Win (Lost £10.00)
Round 4 Tally: £55.00 in Bets; -£10.00 in Takings
Season Tally: £325.00 in Bets; -£53.85 in Takings
Fantasy Football
Another decent gameweek, with the right selection of captain - Darrent Bent scoring twice for Sunderland against Hull City!
It was a good attacking gameweek in general. Wayne Rooney, Tim Cahill and Shaun Wright-Phillips all contributed goals while Lee Cattermole also had a good game.
None of the defenders and midfielders kept a clean sheet, as Petr Cech, Ashley Cole, Joseph Yobo and Gael Clichy produced a miserable total of four points.
Fantasy Premier League Team Selection for Gameweek 5 12 September, 2009
I've transferred out Cameron Jerome who is currently injured, and brought in Portsmouth's Frederic Piquionne. Portsmouth have a win-able match against Bolton, and this forward could prove to be good value for money.
Goalkeeper:
Petr Cech (Chelsea)
Defenders:
Ashley Cole (Chelsea)
Joseph Yobo (Everton)
Gael Clichy (Arsenal)
Midfielders:
Tim Cahill (Everton)
Clint Dempsey (Fulham)
Lee Cattermole (Sunderland)
Shaun Wright-Phillips (Manchester City)
Forwards:
Frederic Piquionne (Portsmouth)
Wayne Rooney (Manchester United)
Darren Bent (Sunderland) captain
The two Spurs players get relegated to the bench through no fault of theirs, as their team faces a difficult match. Queudrue also remains benched against an in-form Aston Villa. The choice for captain is a difficult one this week, as the more prominent players are either facing tough opponents or playing away. I've plumped for Bent to score against Hull.
Betting Tips for Round 5 (12/09/2009 and 13/09/2009)
Portsmouth - Bolton Wanderers
Home: 2.60 | Draw: 3.25 | Away: 2.7
Bet: £20 on Home Win
Both teams quite evenly match. Good odds for a home win.
Sunderland - Hull City
Home: 1.80 | Draw: 3.25 | Away: 5.0
Bet: £25 on Home Win
Sunderland are the more settled and better team for this one, and with home advantage, 1.80 for a home win is definitely worth a flutter.
Tottenham Hotspur - Manchester United
Home: 3.10 | Draw: 3.40 | Away: 2.25
Bet: £10 on Draw
I predict that United will sneak away with a win. However, I also feel that the match will be much closer than the odds suggests
Match Predictions for Round 5 (12/09/2009 and 13/09/2009)
Portsmouth - Bolton Wanderers
Prediction: 2 - 1
A bottom of the table clash between the only two teams who have yet to garner a single point. It's still early in the season but this could already be a vital relegation six-pointer. I pick Portsmouth to win narrowly with the help of home advantage and some new signings.
Blackburn Rovers - Wolverhampton Wanderers
Prediction: 2 - 1
Blackburn is enduring another slow start to the season. However, I would take them to slowly pick up vital points, starting with a win against Wolves.
Wigan Athletic - West Ham United
Prediction: 2 - 2
After an exciting opening day win, Wigan then suffered three defeats on the trot. A goal-filled draw on the cards.
Liverpool - Burnley
Prediction: 3 - 0
Burnley are starting to see the reality of life in the Premier League following last round's defeat to Chelsea, and Liverpool will be in no mood to pass up the chance to take three home points.
Stoke City - Chelsea
Prediction: 1 - 3
Stoke are sitting pretty in fifth place at the moment, but Chelsea are simply formidable this season. Should be a comfortable win for the away side.
Sunderland - Hull City
Prediction: 2 - 0
Sunderland's new signings have settled in well, with Cattermole a key figure in their midfield, and Bent scoring the goals. Should be a home win without much fuss.
Manchester City - Arsenal
Prediction: 1 - 1
Perhaps the biggest surprise at this stage of the season is the fact that City have yet to concede a goal - that and the fact that their new signings have settled so soon. Arsenal, though, are stronger than any of the sides they have faced so far, and I fancy both teams to share the points.
Tottenham Hotspur - Manchester United
Prediction: 1 - 2
Spurs have already beaten Liverpool this season, so United will not be a totally daunting challenge. But I can just see United sneaking an away win in this match.
Birmingham City - Aston Villa
Prediction: 1 - 1
Aston Villa are the better of the two sides, but in this derby match, Birmingham should play out of their skin to secure a point.
Fulham - Everton
Prediction: 1 - 1
Both teams still finding their way this season. A share of the points.
Summary Review: Round 4 (29/08/2009 and 30/08/2009) 01 September, 2009
How Arsenal failed to leave Old Trafford with at least a point I do not know. Just what was Abou Diaby thinking when he headed Manchester United into the lead? That was a header any of United's attacking player on that day would have been proud off. Deserved or not, Arsenal's perfect start to the season has ended. But, if they can put out such a performance week in week out. they won't be throwing away too many points this season and will surely be thereabouts come May.
With Arsenal's run ended, Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester City remain the teams yet to drop a point this season, keeping up their good work with wins against Burnley, Birmingham City and Portsmouth respectively. Chelsea must now be early-season favourites for the title, while Spurs and City look good for some Champions League football next season. The next few weeks will be interesting though, as Spurs face both Manchester United and Chelsea while City will square up against Arsenal and their neighbours, United. Those matches will be true tests of their footballing credentials this season.
Liverpool needed to come from behind twice to eventually take all three points against Bolton Wanderers, and it was no less dramatic for their city rivals Everton, who needed a last minute penalty to beat Wigan Athletic - their first win (and first points) of the season - and move away from the bottom of the table.
Aston Villa's season continues to improve as they follow up last week's victory against Liverpool with a deserved win against Fulham. Finally, Blackburn Rovers and West Ham United shared the spoils, Wolverhampton Wanderers and Hull City took a point each, and Stoke City took all three crucial points against Sunderland with a typical Stoke City goal.
Predictions
Chelsea - Burnley
Prediction: 2 - 0
Result: 3 - 0
Tottenham Hotspur - Birmingham City
Prediction: 3 - 1
Result: 2 - 1
Blackburn Rovers - West Ham United
Prediction: 1 - 1
Result: 0 - 0
Bolton Wanderers - Liverpool
Prediction: 0 - 2
Result: 2 - 3
Stoke City - Sunderland
Prediction: 1 - 2
Result: 1 - 0
Wolverhampton Wanderers - Hull City
Prediction: 2 - 2
Result: 1 - 1
Manchester United - Arsenal
Prediction: 1 - 1
Result: 2 - 1
Portsmouth - Manchester City
Prediction: 1 - 3
Result: 0 - 1
Everton - Wigan Athletic
Prediction: 2 - 1
Result: 2 - 1
Aston Villa - Fulham
Prediction: 1 - 0
Result: 2 - 0
Round 4 Tally: 10 Predictions; 1 Correct Scores; 8 Correct Outcomes
Season Tally: 36 Predictions; 1 Correct Scores; 19 Correct Outcomes
Betting
Stoke City - Sunderland
Bet: £15 on Away Win at 3.20
Result: Home Win (Lost £15.00)
Bolton Wanderers - Liverpool
Bet: £15 on Away Win at 1.57
Result: Away Win (Won £8.55)
Portsmouth - Manchester City
Bet: £20 on Away Win at 1.61
Result: Home Win (Won £12.20)
Everton - Wigan Athletic
Bet: £20 on Everton at 1.80
Result: Home Win (Won £16.00)
Round 4 Tally: £70.00 in Bets; £21.75 in Takings
Season Tally: £270.00 in Bets; -£43.85 in Takings
Fantasy Football
A smashing game week with my captain Ashley Cole fully justifying his armband with a goal, a clean sheet and some bonus points for good measure. Petr Cech finally scores a clean sheet, while Aaron Lennon and Wayne Rooney continued their good form with goals and bonuses.
If the team can keep up such good form, honours will not be too far off at the end of the season!
Fantasy Premier League Team Selection for Gameweek 4 28 August, 2009
I've had enough of Yuri Zhirkov being injured, and have decided to bring in Ashley Cole in his place. I really need one more fit Chelsea player on the field against Burnley.
Goalkeeper:
Petr Cech (Chelsea)
Defenders:
Ashley Cole (Chelsea) captain
Vedran Corluka (Tottenham Hotspur)
Joseph Yobo (Everton)
Midfielders:
Tim Cahill (Everton)
Aaron Lennon (Tottenham Hotspur)
Clint Dempsey (Fulham)
Lee Cattermole (Sunderland)
Shaun Wright-Phillips (Manchester City)
Forwards:
Wayne Rooney (Manchester United)
Darren Bent (Sunderland)
I'm keeping Clichy on the bench as Arsenal travel to Old Trafford. Jerome is reportedly injured, while his team-mate Queudrue takes the final bench spot as Spurs (Birmingham's opponents for this gameweek) look quite capable of finding the net recently. I'm also looking forward to Ashley Cole making attacking contributions in addition to keeping a clean sheet against Burnley.
Betting Tips for Round 4 (29/08/2009 and 30/08/2009)
Stoke City - Sunderland
Home: 2.30 | Draw: 3.20 | Away: 3.20
Bet: £15 on Away Win
I fancy Sunderland to win this, and they are definitely worth a punt at 3.20.
Bolton Wanderers - Liverpool
Home: 6.50 | Draw: 3.60 | Away: 1.57
Bet: £15 on Away Win
Not the most attractive odds on offer, but should still be comfortable enough for a bet on Liverpool.
Portsmouth - Manchester City
Home: 5.50 | Draw: 3.75 | Away: 1.61
Bet: £20 on Away Win
I really can't see Portsmouth stopping City here.
Everton - Wigan Athletic
Home: 1.80 | Draw: 3.50 | Away: 4.50
Bet: £20 on Everton
Everton to finally notch up a win!
Match Predictions for Round 4 (29/08/2009 and 30/08/2009)
Chelsea - Burnley
Prediction: 2 - 0
On paper this is a massive mismatch in Chelsea's favour. However, the same could have been said when Burnley played Manchester United last week and they did show that they are capable of holding their own against the bigger boys. That said, Chelsea doesn't look like dropping many points this season, and should take all three points with at least two goals to the good.
Tottenham Hotspur - Birmingham City
Prediction: 3 - 1
It may be too early to judge, but it does look like Spurs have a really good chance to break into the top four this season - the first time since they were down with food poisoning. The recent form of Defoe, Lennon and Modric should ensure a comfortable victory.
Blackburn Rovers - West Ham United
Prediction: 1 - 1
Two teams that are not that far apart in strength, but Blackburn seems to be having a slightly more difficult start. Home advantage should help them to their first point of the season.
Bolton Wanderers - Liverpool
Prediction: 0 - 2
Liverpool dominated Stoke last week, and should have no problem against a similar team in Bolton, who have so far got nothing - in two fixtures against relatively manageable opponents.
Stoke City - Sunderland
Prediction: 1 - 2
Both teams have performed to expectations so far, getting results that were true to form. I predicted Sunderland to do well this season and finish comfortably in mid-table, and I like what I see so far. Hence I'm taking them to take all three points in a close encounter.
Wolverhampton Wanderers - Hull City
Prediction: 2 - 2
I can see more than a couple of goals in this match, but can't see the three points going either way.
Manchester United - Arsenal
Prediction: 1 - 1
First encounter between two of the big four this season. Arsenal have been devastating so far, but they have yet to meet the likes of United, who on the other hand, have already experienced a blip against Burnley. Both teams will not want lose such a big game at such an early stage, and will not be too unhappy with a point each.
Portsmouth - Manchester City
Prediction: 1 - 3
Manchester City are actually quite a well-balanced team (as long as they don't try to field all of their available forwards at once) especially with the addition of Lescott. Portsmouth are in a spot of bother and will be in real relegation danger unless they can strengthen their squad a little. Shouldn't be too awkward for City.
Everton - Wigan Athletic
Prediction: 2 - 1
The Lescott saga did not end in Everton's favour, but it should still provide some welcome relief. They still need a replacement centre-back though, to keep up any aspirations of Europe this season. Wigan showed both promise and naivety in their games so far and will just narrowly lose this one.
Aston Villa - Fulham
Prediction: 1 - 0
A very close match to call. On paper Villa are well capable of winning this one, though Fulham will provide stiff opposition. A one-goal victory for the home side seems the most likely outcome.
Summary Review: Round 3 (22/08/2009 to 24/08/2009) 26 August, 2009
Aston Villa provided the biggest talking point of the round, beating Liverpool 3 - 1 at Anfield. Liverpool now have as many defeats this season as they had for the whole of the last, and will have to look for improvements to keep up with their title challenge. Despite what Rafa Benitez believes, Lucas is not going to fill the gaping hole left behind by Alonso. But what a huge three points it was for Villa, who were looking short of ideas in their opening day defeat.
Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur both made it three wins out of three with victories over Fulham and West Ham United respectively. Chelsea in particular, are looking like they are going to methodically and systematically take three points from every match.
Arsenal maintained their perfect start to the season (albeit being a game behind) and continued to give their goal difference an early boost. They put four past Portsmouth to make it ten goals in two games. Equally, Manchester City have won both of their games so far, this time beating Wolverhampton Wanderers as most would have expected. Perhaps less predicted, is the fact that they are now the only team in the league yet to have conceded a goal.
Manchester United put five past Wigan Athletic in a game of two contrasting halves. They had struggled to find a breakthrough in the first half but ran out comfortable winners in the end. Burnley, their conquerors in midweek, continued to turn predictions on their head with another 1 - 0 win, this time against Everton who find themselves at the bottom of the table for now.
Elsewhere, Hull City and Sunderland registered home wins against Bolton Wanderers and Blackburn Rovers respectively while Birmingham City and Stoke City played out a tedious goalless draw (the only draw in the league so far after twenty-six games).
Predictions
Arsenal - Portsmouth
Prediction: 2 - 0
Result: 4 - 1
Birmingham City - Stoke City
Prediction: 2 - 1
Result: 0 - 0
Hull City - Bolton Wanderers
Prediction: 1 - 1
Result: 1 - 0
Sunderland - Blackburn Rovers
Prediction: 1 - 1
Result: 2 - 1
Manchester City - Wolverhampton Wanderers
Prediction: 2 - 0
Result: 1 - 0
Wigan Athletic - Manchester United
Prediction: 1 - 1
Result: 0 - 5
West Ham United - Tottenham Hotspur
Prediction: 2 - 1
Result: 1 - 2
Burnley - Everton
Prediction: 0 - 1
Result: 1 - 0
Fulham - Chelsea
Prediction: 1 - 2
Result: 0 - 2
Liverpool - Aston Villa
Prediction: 2 - 0
Result: 1 - 3
Round 3 Tally: 10 Predictions; 0 Correct Scores; 3 Correct Outcomes
Season Tally: 26 Predictions; 0 Correct Scores; 11 Correct Outcomes
Betting
Birmingham City - Stoke City
Bet: £10 on Home Win at 2.25
Result: Draw (Lost £10.00)
Sunderland - Blackburn Rovers
Bet: £10 on Draw at 3.60
Result: Home Win (Lost £10.00)
West Ham United - Tottenham Hotspur
Bet: £10 on Home Win at 3.00
Result: Away Win (Lost £10.00)
Burnley - Everton
Bet: £20 on Away Win at 2.30
Result: Home Win (Lost £20.00)
Round 2 Tally: £50.00 in Bets; -£50.00 in Takings
Season Tally: £200.00 in Bets; -£65.60 in Takings
Fantasy Football
Finally a more decent gameweek (as compared to the last two). Significant contributions from Cech, Queudrue, Lennon, Cattermole, Wright-Philips and Rooney saw my team notch up 56 points.
I have to do a better job choosing my captain though. Rooney (my captain for the last gameweek) should have been selected to score double points in this gameweek instead.
Overall, 56 points is a good improvement, but more progress is needed if my team are to be contending for any sort of honour this season.
Oh and by the way, if you're interested, you can follow the exploits of my fantasy team here.
Fantasy Premier League Team Selection for Gameweek 3 21 August, 2009
Shaun Wright-Phillips get drafted in as Manchester City start the season better than I had expected. In addition, their next two matches (against Wolves and Portsmouth) should give their players a good chance to perform well. Marouane Fellaini is the player to make way as I look to hedge my bets on Everton. I have another two of their players in my squad, and three seemed a little excessive given their recent uncertainties.
Goalkeeper:
Petr Cech (Chelsea)
Defenders:
Franck Queudrue (Birmingham City)
Vedran Corluka (Tottenham Hotspur)
Joseph Yobo (Everton)
Gael Clichy (Arsenal)
Midfielders:
Tim Cahill (Everton)
Aaron Lennon (Tottenham Hotspur)
Shaun Wright-Phillips (Manchester City) captain
Forwards:
Cameron Jerome (Birmingham City)
Wayne Rooney (Manchester United)
Darren Bent (Sunderland)
Zhirkov and Cattermole are benched as they appear to be injury doubts. Dempsey also sits out as Fulham face tough opponents in Chelsea. Wright-Phillips captains the side as City should do well against Wolves.
Betting Tips for Round 3 (22/08/2009 to 24/08/2009)
Birmingham City - Stoke City
Home: 2.25 | Draw: 3.25 | Away: 3.25
Bet: £10 on Home Win
Quite nice odds on the home team given that both teams are quite evenly matched.
Sunderland - Blackburn Rovers
Home: 2.10 | Draw: 3.60 | Away: 3.25
Bet: £10 on Draw
I predict that this match will be much closer than what the bookmakers think.
West Ham United - Tottenham Hotspur
Home: 3.00 | Draw: 3.25 | Away: 2.37
Bet: £10 on Home Win
Spurs are rightly the favourites for this one, but West Ham under Zola are not incapable of causing a surprise. Worth a flutter on the home team.
Burnley - Everton
Home: 3.20 | Draw: 3.20 | Away: 2.30
Bet: £20 on Away Win
The odds have probably shifted after the various events of the last week, which would suit those who still think that Everton are strong enough to win this match.
Match Predictions for Round 3 (22/08/2009 to 24/08/2009)
Arsenal - Portsmouth
Prediction: 2 - 0
Arsenal are too strong for Portsmouth (who look like they could be in for a long hard season). However, those looking forward to a goal feast may want to adjust their expectations; Everton were simply woeful in defence that day.
Birmingham City - Stoke City
Prediction: 2 - 1
A match between two equally-matched teams. I fancy the home team to narrowly take the three points.
Hull City - Bolton Wanderers
Prediction: 1 - 1
On paper probably the least exciting match of the round. They should cancel each other out.
Sunderland - Blackburn Rovers
Prediction: 1 - 1
There will not be many goals in this match, and yet, I can't see either team keeping a clean sheet as well.
Manchester City - Wolverhampton Wanderers
Prediction: 2 - 0
I can't see how City are going to rotate their five first team forwards this season and keep all of them happy. Scoring two and keeping a clean sheet against a team still finding their feet in the league should not be a problem though.
Wigan Athletic - Manchester United
Prediction: 1 - 1
Most of United's first choice defenders are in the treatment room, and their forwards are struggling to score. A good chance for Wigan to finally get some joy in this fixture.
West Ham United - Tottenham Hotspur
Prediction: 2 - 1
Spurs are sitting pretty at the top of the table, but I fancy West Ham to take all three points in this one.
Burnley - Everton
Prediction: 0 - 1
Everton are about to lose their defensive lynchpin. But yet, I can just about see David Moyes getting a clean sheet out of them. That, and the awful performance against Arsenal would have given them plenty to work on for the past week.
Fulham - Chelsea
Prediction: 1 - 2
Fulham under Roy Hodgson have improved tremendously, and will be no pushovers. Chelsea under Carlo Ancelotti are also starting to show that they are able to grind out wins whatever it takes. I take Chelsea to score another late goal here.
Liverpool - Aston Villa
Prediction: 2 - 0
Villa looked worryingly clueless against Wigan on the opening day of the season. The way they played seemed to be screaming out mid-table mediocrity, and with Manchester City, Fulham and even Sunderland improving, that might just be where they will end up. Liverpool should carry forward the momentum that they built up in the match against Stoke.
Rant: What's Going On At Anfield? 20 August, 2009
The new season's barely a week old, and already there were worries about Rafa Benitez's future at Liverpool. A day before their game against Stoke, rumours began to surface that Benitez had, (or was about to, depending on who you believe) leave his post. Hours later, things got worse as bookmakers stopped taking bets on him being the first Premiership manager to leave his club this season.
A good win against Stoke City, coupled with denials from both club and manager have since made things look more rosy, but Liverpool fans might worry about whether it is just paper over deeper running fault lines, and rightly so too.
Rafa Benitez is probably Liverpool's best manager in more than a decade. He has got them closer to the Premiership title than they have ever been since its inception, in addition to delivering the biggest prize in club football.
Fans who remember Gerard Houllier, or (worse) Roy Evans, or (gasp!) Graeme Souness will know how difficult it was in those days before Benitez took over.
Simply put, Liverpool have got to keep hold of Benitez to retain any real hope of winning silverware this season. Any upheaval in this area will yet again set them back a few steps.
Summary Review: Round 2 (18/08/2009 and 19/08/2009)
Biggest result of the round was definitely Burnley's win over Manchester United. United saw more of the ball, had chances to score (a penalty, no less). and would not be undeserved had they left Turf Moor with a point or three. However, most crucially, they did not score, and Burnley can take heart from their performance and the three points; they might just continue to prove their critics wrong and stay in the Premier League.
Tottenham Hotspur continued their good start to the season by putting five past Hull City. They are starting to look a very balanced and formidable side. Palacios is doing brilliantly in the middle while on the flanks, Modric and Lennon are providing plenty of penetration.
Liverpool got their season kick started with a solid home win over Stoke City while Chelsea had to come from behind once again, this time against Sunderland. The two remaining matches of a reduced fixture round saw the other two promoted teams - Wolverhampton Wanderers and Birmingham City - post their first wins, against Wigan Athletic and Portsmouth respectively.
Predictions
Sunderland - Chelsea
Prediction: 0 - 1
Result: 1 - 3
Wigan Athletic - Wolverhampton Wanderers
Prediction: 2 - 0
Result: 0 - 1
Birmingham City - Portsmouth
Prediction: 2 - 1
Result: 1 - 0
Hull City - Tottenham Hotspur
Prediction: 1 - 2
Result: 1 - 5
Burnley - Manchester United
Prediction: 1 - 3
Result: 1 - 0
Liverpool - Stoke City
Prediction: 3 - 1
Result: 4 - 0
Round 2 Tally: 6 Predictions; 0 Correct Scores; 4 Correct Outcomes
Season Tally: 16 Predictions; 0 Correct Scores; 8 Correct Outcomes
Betting
Wigan Athletic - Wolverhampton Wanderers
Bet: £20 on Home Win at 1.72
Result: Away Win (Lost £20.00)
Birmingham City - Portsmouth
Bet: £20 on Home Win at 2.10
Result: Home Win (Won £22.00)
Hull City - Tottenham Hotspur
Bet: £20 on Away Win at 2.00
Result: Away Win (Won £20.00)
Round 2 Tally: £60.00 in Bets; £22.00 in Takings
Season Tally: £150.00 in Bets; -£15.60 in Takings
Fantasy Football
Another poor gameweek saw my team take just 30 points. Franck Queudrue (clean sheet), Aaron Lennon (assists and bonus) and Darren Bent (goal) were the only significant scorers for the team (i.e. they got more than just the one or two points for being involved in a match).
Petr Cech still failed to get a clean sheet, Yuri Zhirkov still have yet to recover from injury, and Wayne Rooney - my captain for the gameweek - did not make a goalscoring contribution against Burnley as I had hoped (why didn't he take that penalty instead).
From last season's experience, to be in a chance of taking any prize, a team has to score an average of at least 60 to 70 points each gameweek. After two gameweeks, my team has got just a total score of 61 points.
Fantasy Premier League Team Selection for Gameweek 2 18 August, 2009
I have transferred out Martin Skrtel (Liverpool) as he will be out for the next couple of weeks, and brought in Franck Quedrue (Birmingham City) on a stop-gap basis as Birmingham have a couple of home games coming up against relatively easier teams.
Goalkeeper:
Petr Cech (Chelsea)
Defenders:
Yuri Zhirkov (Chelsea)
Franck Quedrue (Birmingham City)
Vedran Corluka (Tottenham Hotspur)
Midfielders:
Tim Cahill (Everton)
Aaron Lennon (Tottenham Hotspur)
Clint Dempsey (Fulham)
Lee Cattermole (Sunderland)
Forwards:
Cameron Jerome (Birmingham City)
Darren Bent (Sunderland)
Wayne Rooney (Manchester United) captain
Team selection for this gameweek is a no-brainer due to the fact that there will only be six games to be played; there will only be at most nine players scoring points for me! Rooney takes the captain's armband as I fancy him to score a goal or perhaps lay on an assist against Burnley.
Betting Tips for Round 2 (18/08/2009 and 19/08/2009)
Wigan Athletic - Wolverhampton Wanderers
Home: 1.72 | Draw: 3.50 | Away: 5.00
Bet: £20 on Home Win
Bank on Wigan continuing their impressive start to the season and overcoming newly promoted Wolves.
Birmingham City - Portsmouth
Home: 2.10 | Draw: 3.30 | Away: 3.50
Bet: £20 on Home Win
Attractive odds for the home team as both teams are quite evenly matched.
Hull City - Tottenham Hotspur
Home: 4.00 | Draw: 3.20 | Away: 2.00
Bet: £20 on Away Win
By no means a straightforward match for Spurs, but worth a small flutter on them come away with a narrow win.
Match Predictions for Round 2 (18/08/2009 and 19/08/2009)
Sunderland - Chelsea
Prediction: 0 - 1
Chelsea's experience and quality should see them past Sunderland, but it will be a narrow win as Sunderland have shown that they are no pushovers.
Wigan Athletic - Wolverhamption Wanderers
Prediction: 2 - 0
Wigan did very well to come away from Villa Park with all three points, and the question will be whether they can keep up that level of performance week after week. That remains to be seen, but they should still be good enough to beat newly promoted Wolves.
Birmingham City - Portsmouth
Prediction: 2 - 1
A narrow defeat to Manchester United was did not tell the complete story as Birmingham could easily have lost by a few more. However, I still fancy them to take all three points as Portsmouth have clearly been weakened by key departures.
Hull City - Tottenham Hotspur
Prediction: 1 - 2
Spurs were very impressive against Liverpool and should win this one, though Hull City might be in with a chance of taking at least a point if they play as they did against Chelsea.
Burnley - Manchester United
Prediction: 1 - 3
Manchester United's injury woes deepened with Evans joining Ferdinand and Vidic on the sideline. Their attack should still be too good for Burnley though.
Liverpool - Stoke City
Prediction: 3 - 1
With Agger already out, the worst time to lose Skrtel as well would precisely be just before playing Stoke. Liverpool's defence will have to be on their toes to prevent Stoke scoring from a set piece. Fortunately for them, Torres and Gerrard will be more than a handful for Stoke's defenders.
Rant: Dream Debuts 17 August, 2009
A highlight on the five players who made goalscoring debuts for their new clubs in the opening weekend of the season.
Stephen Hunt
Petr Cech's nightmare gave Chelsea a scare again when he took advantage of their failure to clear their lines properly to score the first goal of the season. Hull were just minutes away from leaving Stamford Bridge with a point when Drogba struck a late winner for Chelsea.
Emmanuel Adebayor
Gave Manchester City an early lead with a crucial and well-taken goal. Perhaps a sign of bigger things to come both from City and their new signing.
Darren Bent
Scored the winning goal to give Sunderland a winning start to the season with a typical Darren Bent goal. An accurate an powerful header at the far post showed why Steve Bruce was so keen to have him on board.
Thomas Vermaelen
Powered home a header to score Arsenal's second (of an eventual six) goals against Everton. Also did well defensively to keep Everton at bay and helped Arsenal to a very impressive start to the season - a perfect reply to detractors who were questioning their title credentials.
Sebastien Bassong
Broke Liverpool's resolve by putting Spurs in front for the second time in the match just minutes after Gerrard had pegged them back from the spot. Performed admirably at the back as well - in tandem with Ledley King - to keep a Liverpool front line spearheaded by Torres relatively quiet.
Summary Review: Round 1 (15/08/2009 and 16/08/2009)
Arsenal were the big winners of the weekend, tearing apart Everton at Goodison Park. Elsewhere, Chelsea were the better team but required a late wonder (or fluke) goal from Drogba to bag all three points against Hull, Manchester United ran out comfortable but narrow winners against Birmingham, and Liverpool went down to an impressive Spurs side at White Hart Lane.
Good solid away wins too for Fulham, West Ham, Manchester City, Sunderland and Wigan, all of whom kept clean sheets as well. Manchester City's project seemed to have taken off positively while Wigan made light of key departures to totally dominate proceedings at Villa Park.
Finally, Stoke beat Burnley with a couple of goals resulting from set pieces, as all three newly promoted sides went away with no point on the opening weekend.
Predictions
Chelsea - Hull City
Prediction: 3 - 0
Result: 2 - 1
Portsmouth - Fulham
Prediction: 1 - 2
Result: 0 - 1
Wolverhampton Wanderers - West Ham United
Prediction: 2 - 2
Result: 0 - 2
Blackburn Rovers - Manchester City
Prediction: 1 - 1
Result: 0 - 2
Bolton Wanderers - Sunderland
Prediction: 1 - 1
Result: 0 - 1
Aston Villa - Wigan Athletic
Prediction: 2 - 0
Result: 0 - 2
Stoke City - Burnley
Prediction: 1 - 0
Result: 2 - 0
Everton - Arsenal
Prediction: 2 - 2
Result: 1 - 6
Manchester United - Birmingham
Prediction: 2 - 1
Result: 1 - 0
Tottenham Hotspur - Liverpool
Prediction: 1 - 1
Result: 2 - 1
Round 1 Tally: 10 Predictions; 0 Correct Scores; 4 Correct Outcomes
Season Tally: 10 Predictions; 0 Correct Scores; 4 Correct Outcomes
Betting
Aston Villa - Wigan Athletic
Bet: £50 on Home Win at 1.72
Result: Away Win (Lost £50.00)
Portsmouth - Fulham
Bet: £20 on Away Win at 2.62
Result: Away Win (Won £32.40)
Everton - Arsenal
Bet: £10 on Draw at 3.20
Result: Away Win (Lost £10.00)
Tottenham Hotspur - Liverpool
Bet: £10 on Draw at 3.30
Result: Home Win (Lost £10.00)
Round 1 Tally: £90.00 in Bets; -£37.60 in Takings
Season Tally: £90.00 in Bets; -£37.60 in Takings
Fantasy Football
I made a boo-boo on this one. After writing about the team that I had intended to put out, I must have forgotten to actually save the team. I ended up with Bent and Fellaini on the bench as unused substitutes, and Jerome in the team as captain!
Hence I ended up with a miserly 31 points for this round. That's not to say that I would have gotten many more points had my intended team were really put out though; I would have taken just 4 more points.
Rant: Why Players Got Their Heads Turned by Manchester City 16 August, 2009
Regardless of what those players said, i do not believe that City will be challenging for the title or even a Champions League placing for the next two years. They will more likely be jostling with Everton, Villa and Spurs for Europa League qualification.
Of course, it is the higher wages that Manchester City are willing to offer, or at least in part because of that. But this has already been talked about to death. My take is that the wages they get are not just simply higher (in the sense of maybe £5,000 or £10,000 more). No. What these players are getting is equivalent to what top players in top teams are being paid.
Make no mistake. Barry, Tevez, Toure, Adebayor and Lescott are very good players. Barry and Lescott were one of the best players for Villa and Everton respectively last season, Tevez was an important player in Manchester United's past two successful campaigns, and Adebayor was second top goalscorer for Arsenal last season (and their top scorer the season before).
But they are not top players. Simply put, Barry is no Alonso, Tevez is not as good as Rooney, Adebayor is not in the same class as Eto'o, and Terry is a better player than either Toure or Lescott.
And yet, what these players are being paid (or will be paid, in the case of Lescott) at City, are probably in the same bracket as what Alonso, Rooney, Eto'o and Terry are being paid at Real Madrid, Manchester United, Inter and Chelsea respectively.
That is also probably why City have failed to attract players like Terry and Eto'o (though they did come a bit close with Terry). Yes, Terry and Eto'o would probably have been paid even higher at City, but they are alredy recognised as two of the top players in the world, and it is considerably harder to lure them with just higher wages alone (similar reasons to why they failed with Kaka previously).
Comment: Wenger's Myopia 15 August, 2009
Comment on article on ESPN Soccernet - Wenger admits to seeing what he didn't see
So Arsene Wenger has finally admitted what we have suspected all along - that he didn't have poor eyesight and did in fact witness his players' wrongdoings, contrary to what he had previously claimed.
Frankly, I don't see what's wrong with doing that (protecting his players in front of the press). To build a closely-knit team who are willing to fight for one another and to fight for the manager, a little bit of blind loyalty and siege mentality is needed. And this is no more true than with regards to the manager - he cannot afford to lose any of the respect or trust that his players have for him. Contrast this with the mess up caused by Hull City manager Phil Brown.
Of course, the media will not agree with this as it gives them less to write about.
Fantasy Premier League Team Selection for Gameweek 1
Goalkeeper:
Petr Cech (Chelsea) captain
Defenders:
Gael Clichy (Arsenal)
Yuri Zhirkov (Chelsea)
Martin Skrtel (Liverpool)
Midfielders:
Marouane Fellaini (Everton)
Tim Cahill (Everton)
Aaron Lennon (Tottenham Hotspur)
Clint Dempsey (Fulham)
Lee Cattermole (Sunderland)
Forwards:
Darren Bent (Sunderland)
Wayne Rooney (Manchester United)
I've left Joseph Yobo and Vedran Corluka on the bench as their teams are facing Arsenal and Liverpool respectively, and are likely to let in at least one or two goals. Cameron Jerome sits out as I don't fancy him contributing much at Old Trafford. Petr Cech has been named as captain as I fancy Chelsea to keep a clean sheet (and Yuri Zhirkov is still a slight injury doubt).
Betting Tips for Round 1 (15/08/2009 and 16/08/2009)
In this series, I will be making virtual bets on selected matches - selected matches because not all games may be worth having a go. I will also be keeping track of my cumulative winnings/losses (hopefully winnings!). For this purpose, i will be using odds offered by Ladbrokes.
Some of my betting tips may even contradict the predictions that I gave in the earlier post (or so it will seem). That is because when betting, I consider the odds offered and not simply plump for the favourites. I may predict that a team will scrap past their opponents, but the odds offered for the other team may make them a more valuable proposition.
Here's this weekend's tips for a start.
Aston Villa - Wigan Athletic
Home: 1.72 | Draw: 3.50 | Away: 5.00
Bet: £50 on Home Win
Pretty decent odds of 1.72 in a match which should not pose major problems for the home team.
Portsmouth - Fulham
Home: 2.62 | Draw: 3.30 | Away: 2.62
Bet: £20 on Away Win
I feel that Fulham are slight favourites in this match even after discounting for home advantage. Worth a small bet given the odds of 2.62.
Everton - Arsenal
Home: 3.00 | Draw: 3.20 | Away: 2.37
Bet: £10 on Draw
The away team is the stronger team, but not by much, and the home team is good enough to spring a surprise or two. A small flutter on a likely outcome.
Tottenham Hotspur - Liverpool
Home: 3.00 | Draw: 3.30 | Away: 2.30
Bet: £10 on Draw
Same reasoning as the match up between Everton and Arsenal. An away win is not a foregone conclusion even though Liverpool will rightly be the favourites.
Match Predictions for Round 1 (15/08/2009 and 16/08/2009)
Chelsea - Hull City
Prediction: 3 - 0
My feeling is that Hull City will struggle badly this season, and Chelsea under Ancelotti will simply be too strong for them, especially since this game is at Stamford Bridge
Portsmouth - Fulham
Prediction: 1 - 2
Fulham to continue the good work they left off last season, and will scrape through with a narrow win for this away game.
Wolverhampton Wanderers - West Ham United
Prediction: 2 - 2
Even though I predicted that Wolves will be in for a relegation struggle, they may start off the season relatively well with momentum carried forward from their Championship exploits. West Ham will have to come to terms with the departure of Neill.
Blackburn Rovers - Manchester City
Prediction: 1 - 1
Blackburn will be more solid this season under the continued stewardship of Allardyce. Manchester City will finish the season strongly (if they have not sacked Hughes by then), but may start off slower as the new signings get to know one another better.
Bolton Wanderers - Sunderland
Prediction: 1 - 1
Bolton will again be steady but unspectacular. Sunderland will do better this season under Bruce and with a number of key signings, but will have to settle for an away draw on the opening day.
Aston Villa - Wigan Athletic
Prediction: 2 - 0
Wigan is another team that I predicted to struggle this season, especially earlier on as Martinez is finding his feet in the Premiership. Aston Villa faded away towards the second half of last season, but with a decent squad and a summer of rest, this fixture should not pose big problems for them.
Stoke City - Burnley
Prediction: 1 - 0
Will probably be a boring match with few chances for both teams. Stoke to nick it with one of their typical goals.
Everton - Arsenal
Prediction: 2 - 2
Will be one of the more exciting matches this round. Arsenal with their attacking prowess will not be short of goals. Unfortunately for them, Everton will be capable of scoring a couple as well, with proven goalscorers like Cahill, Saha, Jo and Fellaini, especially when the centre of defence is still a suspect area for Arsenal.
Manchester United - Birmingham
Prediction: 2 - 1
Easy match for Manchester United but only on paper. In reality, they will have to come to terms with the departure of Ronaldo in the earlier part of the season, and in addition, will be missing a couple of players (especially Vidic) through injury.
Tottenham Hotspur - Liverpool
Prediction: 1 - 1
Another of the more exciting matches for the round. Tottenham will do better this season with the improving Lennon and Modric, and the partnership of Crouch and Defoe. Liverpool will be happy with an opening day draw away to a good team, with Gerrard and Torres again the key men, as they get used to life without Alonso.
My Fantasy League Squad 14 August, 2009
My squad for the Fantasy Premier League game:
Goalkeepers
Petr Cech (Chelsea, £6.5) - Ancelotti will make Chelsea hard to beat and strong defensively. Expect clean sheets along the way.
Ross Turnbull (Chelsea, £5.0) - In fact, I'm so confident about Chelsea keeping clean sheets, that i'm choosing Turnbull, for the times when Cech does not play.
Defenders
Martin Skrtel (Liverpool, £6.0) - Liverpool won't be conceding too many either, and Skrtel should get plenty of games if he stays fit this season.
Joseph Yobo (Everton, £6.0) - Significantly cheaper than his partner Lescott in a well-organised defence. Should get games with Jagielka out till November.
Yuri Zhirkov (Chelsea, £7.5) - Not just for Chelsea's ability to keep clean sheet, but also for his attacking abilities and for the chance that he may sometimes play further upfield.
Verdran Corluka (Tottenham Hotspur, £5.5) - Good performer in a Tottenham team that should do better this season than the last. Also tends to push up.
Gael Clichy (Arsenal, £6.5) - Another attack-minded fullback. Shouldn't be conceding too many goals either.
Midfielders
Tim Cahill (Everton, £8.5) - Proven goalscoring midfielder.
Aaron Lennon (Tottenham Hotspur, £7.5) - His final ball has been improving last season, and should continue to do so this season, and coupled with his pace, should be grabbing a few assists and goals.
Clint Dempsey (Fulham, £6.5) - Key player of a Fulham team that performed beyond expectations last season. Won't fare too badly this season either.
Lee Cattermole (Sunderland, £5.0) - Won't account for too many goals or assists, but should be putting in many key performances in the centre of Sunderland's midfield.
Marouane Fellaini (Everton, £7.0) - Another goalscoring midfielder who also usually plays well.
Forwards
Darren Bent (Sunderland, £7.0) - Proven goalscorer who should get more opportunities at Sunderland.
Wayne Rooney (Manchester United, £11.0) - More chances to play in the centre will result in more goals and assists.
Cameron Jerome (Birmingham City, £4.5) - Most promising player for that price range.
League Table Predictions for the New Season 13 August, 2009
The Top Four
1. Chelsea - Little to choose between them and Manchester United. My guess is that Ancelotti will continue the good work done by Hiddink towards the end of last season, and will make them difficult to beat once again (as they were under Mourinho).
2. Manchester United - Ronaldo's departure will be a huge loss, but may yet allow players like Rooney, Berbatov and Nani to shine. I don't expect them to do much worse than last season, but probably enough for Chelsea to nick it.
3. Liverpool - My feeling is that Alonso's departure will be felt even more keenly by Liverpool than Ronaldo's by Manchester United. He was their engine room allowing Gerrard to roam free behind Torres.
4. Arsenal - Still have not signed the dominant defensive midfielder that they lacked. The maturing talents of Fabregas, Walcott and Wilshere, and a full pre-season for Arshavin will see them do better than last season, but not enough to threaten the top three positions.
Europe Hopefuls
5. Manchester City - Good signings all round. Barry will be crucial for them, operating alongside Ireland behind the likes of Robinho and Tevez. But they will need a couple of big signings to really push for a top-four place - players like Terry and Eto'o.
6. Everton - A lack of squad improvement sees them drop a place. Their current squad and manager are good enough to keep them in the Europa Cup position though.
7. Tottenham Hotspur - Made a few interesting signings. Crouch will be complement the likes of Keane and Defoe, and Bassong should provide useful defensive backup.
8. Aston Villa - I don't see Downing being better than Young or Milner, but he will definitely help ease the burden on a thin squad. A lack of further substantial strenthening sees them overtaken by both Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur.
9. Fulham - Punched above their weight last season, and much this season will depend on whether they can keep hold of Hangeland.
Mid-Table Safety
10. Sunderland - The arrival of Bruce, and good signings in key areas of the pitch (Cattermole and Bent) sees them improving significantly on last season's showing.
11. West Ham United - Great job done by Zola last season, but a lack of transfer funds and the departure of Neill means that they are unlikely to improve on that showing.
12. Blackburn Rovers - More time for Allardyce to work on the squad after the successful rescue job last season. An improvement on the cards.
13. Bolton Wanderers - I don't expect them to make further progress under Megson, though he did well to keep them in safety and will continue to do the same this season.
14. Portsmouth - Almost in the same boat as Bolton. An unspectacular manager who will keep them away from relegation, and a lack of transfer money to improve on the squad.
The Strugglers
15. Stoke City - Did well with an unconventional style of play last season. Can't see them doing as well this season, but should still finish ahead of this pack.
16. Birmingham City - Their collective Premier League experience will be crucial and will see them just about avoid going straight back down.
17. Wigan Athletic - Will miss Bruce, and will miss Cattermole and Valencia. Martinez is talented but may be too inexperienced for the Premier League. Will be fighting for their lives.
18. Wolverhampton Wanderers - A decent squad with a decent chance of staying up. Will be scraping with Wigan for that valuable 17th place.
19. Hull City - I still think that Brown lost his squad with that on-pitch team talk last season. Things went downhill from then on and they survived by the skin of their teeth. Expect the downhill journey to carry on this season.
20. Burnley Another young talented manager, but the squad will just be too lightweight to avoid the drop.
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