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Posted: Fri Aug 15, 2008 5:11 pm Post subject: Back Of The Net 2008/2009
Profit 0.00
Well it's that time again! The UK Football season is a few weeks old and it's time for me to get the dust of the form books and impose my opinions on you once more!
This early in the season it is best to stick to the obvious. Carlisle had a stonking home record last season and even though their away record wasn't anything to write home about(if you will excuse the pun) they nearly got into an automatic promotion place on their home form alone. This is why I say they are a great bet this early on in the season at 4/6 to beat Crewe who have it all to prove.
That's the only English bet this week so north of the border we go to bonny Scotland.
Will this be the season when St Johnstone fufill their potential? Time will tell but i am willing to have a go on them at 5/6 when they host Dunfermline. Class should show and this should be 3 points for the Super J's.
The final bet of this first instalment of the new season is in the Scottish Division Three. After hammering my beloved Blue Brazil 4-1 on the opening day, and sitting pretty at the top of the table, Annan have showed that they are not going to be the whipping boys of the league as we all thought. They host previous whipping boys East Stirling and I think on league form so far, you have to say they have a good chance of beating The Shire. In a break from the obvious, take the 6/4 Hills offer on Annan.
So that's it for now folks. Bets this week are
Carlisle 4/6(Various)
St Johnstone 5/6(Bet365)
Annan Athletic 6/4(William Hill)
Happy Punting Folks!!!
Jimbob _________________ You're born with nothing, and better off that way,
As soon as you got something they send someone to try & take it away!
Sorry about the late entry but there is still a good few hours before the games kick off.
Leicester are my tips to win League One this season and should be winning games such as Tranmere(all due respect to them as they are by no means a bad team) with some to spare. It is for this reason that I would advise taking the 8/11 offered by Stan James amongst others.
Staying in League One, Northampton have a bucket load of injuries to first team players and, to coin a racing term, Millwall are yet to show this season and they are a decent price to get revenge on the cobblers for beating them in the Carling Cup. With the injuries Northampton have got, 14/5 is a stonking price on The Lions!
North of the border now and another team with a few injury problems is Airdrie. Even if Airdrie were fully fit Dunfermline are a superior team so 8/13 which is widely available is not a bad price at all on them to get a home win against injury hit and second from bottom Airdrie!
Stating the obvious a little but as regular readers will know, that's generally what I do in the early part of a season. Carlisle should continue their excellent home record of last season(and this season so far) when facing Yeovil today. They have a couple of injuries but nothing they can't handle and should produce the goods. 8/11 with Skybet.
Staying in League 1, Hereford have yet to get any points and Crewe have yet to show their hand. Hereford are coming off the back of a 6-1 thumping by Bristol Rovers and confidence in the camp can't be high. I think that, at the price, it is worth taking a chance on Crewe to win this game at 2/1 with Ladbrokes.
Partick have flown out of the traps this season and are second in the Scotish Division 1. Ross County on the other hand, have had a few problems and are rooted to the bottom of the table. Another no brainer really. Not much to say but get on Partick at 4/5 with Ladbrokes.
That's your lot for today folks. Bets this weekend are
Apologies for no column last week but I had a minor personal emergency on my hands. Anyway, all's well you will be pleased to hear. On with the show.
Leicester have a few worries on the injury front but should have enough skill when calling in the cavalry to beat Millwall. Especially as Millwall now boast on loan Tresor Kandol in their ranks. He is a rather over rated player if you ask me. 8/13 is widely available on Leicester. I suggest you have some of it.
Scunthorpe are in cracking form and Carlisle are not the ame team away from home so the 11/8 that Skybet are offering on a Scunthorpe win looks very tempting indeed. This is not a dead cert but certainly is a value bet if you ask me.
Another value bet is the MK Dons to beat Oldham. Oldham are sitting pretty at the top of the table but the Dons will give them a bit more of a test than they have received so far and at 16/5, it is certainly worth taking a chance on them.
Up in Scotland it is all about value as well as Elgin take on Annan and 6/4 on a full strength Elgin with home advantage against a team that has sprung a bit of a suprise but I still expect to be at the bottom of the league come the end of the season. The 6/4 mentioned is offered by Wiliam Hill amongst others.
So 4 selections this week and hopefully they will be a bit more succesful than most of this seasons selections so far.
If you haven't noticed this columnh hasn't exactly flown out of the traps this season so this week a few short priced punts that will hopefully get us back on track.
Millwall have been in good form this season and Cheltenham are not doing that well at all. Although it remains to be seen whether Drissa Diallo can turn the fortunes of Cheltenham round, I say he can't and 3/4 with Bluesq is a very good price for Millwall.
Over in League2, Bradford are playing Bournemouth and they should anihilate them! There is not a lot to say about this really other than Bradford are a far superior team to Bournemouth and are at home. 4/6 with Hills and the first Gold Bet of the season!
In the Scottish Division1, Partick Thistle are hosting Morton . Morton have struggled since coming up from Division Two and are not enjoying life in the league above. This together with the fact that Partick are under achieving in my opinion means that the 4/5 offered with Extrabet is a very good bet indeed. Get on!
Now for a slightly higher price. Arbroath are playing Queens Park and, according to various websites, they needed 3 players on emergency loan and the deadline for the match was running out. I can't seem to find out whether they got these three players or not but if they didn't, the 15/8 offered by Extrabet on Queens Park looks very tasty indeed. Even if they did you would have to question the standard of players as if they were that desperate with time running out they may not have got the players they were after. Beggers can't be choosers & all that. It is for these reasons that I say the 15/8 is a pretty decent shout!
So bets this week are
GOLD BET
Bradford 4/6(Hills)
Standard Bets
Millwall 3/4(Bluesq)
Partick Thistle 4/5(Extrabet)
Queens Park 15/8(Extrabet)
Until next week folks
Jimbob _________________ You're born with nothing, and better off that way,
As soon as you got something they send someone to try & take it away!
Once again it appears that my beloved Leeds United are the only team in League 1 who know how to beat Carlisle on their own turf. I don't know what is so special about Brunton Park but Carlisle are certainly a completely different team when they are there as opposed to on the road. I think that Tranmere will find this out today and recommend a punt on Carlisle. 10/11 is widely available.
Meanwhile, down in Legue 2, Aldershot are taking on unbeaten Bury. Aldershot are a class act and are capable of beating any team in the league but Bury are the best team in the league and Aldershot have a few injury problems so I think the 15/8 that quite a few bookies are offering on a Bury win is value indeed. Get on!
Nothing north of the border interests me today so just the two bets this week. As I always say, don't bet for the sake of it.
Bets this week are
Carlisle 10/11(Various)
Bury 15/8(various)
Until Next week folks
Jimbob _________________ You're born with nothing, and better off that way,
As soon as you got something they send someone to try & take it away!
Family commitments yet again meant no article last week. This column has been a bit stop-start from the start of the season and for that I apologise but it will become more regular from now on i promise. I will also update the profit(or in this case loss at the moment) asap.
Bristol Rovers are just one point above Huddersfield in the league. In fairnesss, they have played one extra game but Huddersfield have had a relatively easy start to the season and haven't exactly shone. Rovers on the other hand, it's fair to say have had their fair share of problems and if they can get going, I expect them to finish significantly higher than Huddersfield come the end of the season. I hope they can get going today and at generous odds of 3/1, they might just prove the bookies wrong on this occasion.
Crewe have had a disastrous start to the season and are not exactly the greatest team on earth to start off with. MK Dons should be able to capitalise on this today and notch up an away win. The bookies are somewhat in disagreement on the chances of MK Dons winning today. They are as low as Evens in some places but as high as 5/4 in others. I tend to agree with the ones who have them as Evens so advise taking the 5/4!
Down in League Two, Luton are having all sorts of issues and the latest in a long line is some problems getting a team together. Because of this they are a bit of an unknown quantity today with a lot of teenagers & players that haven't been seen yet. Now these players could well go & make a name for themselves and put the senior team members to shame, but they could not. It really is impossible to tell but Accrington Stanley are certainly where the value is at a massive 4/1 with Skybet. A bit of a gamble, but one worth taking at that price I would say!
Meanwhile, north of the border...
Queen Of The South are looking like they're going to walk away with Division One! Even at this early stage in the season it's hard to see anybody else winning the league. They did stumble out of the blocks but now they've got it together they look unstoppable. Airdrie on the other hand, are looking like they'll get involved in a relegation battle if they're not careful. The 11/10 Coral are offering on a Queen Of The South win is a good price. Take it! This is a Gold Bet!
Well that's all I have to say for now. Bets this week are
GOLD BET
Queen Of The South 11/10(Coral)
Standard Bets
Bristol Rovers 3/1(Ladbrokes among others)
MK Dons 5/4(Coral among others)
Accrington Stanley 4/1(Skybet)
Happy punting folks...
Jimbob _________________ You're born with nothing, and better off that way,
As soon as you got something they send someone to try & take it away!
Having scoured the English and Scottish leagues this week, I can only see one bet so this column will be pretty short today.
Livingston have a few injury problems and Clyde are almost at full strengh. Having said this, I still think Livingston will have the fire power to beat Clyde and at a price of 13/10, are definitely worth taking a chance on. They've stumbled the last few games losing 6-1 to Queen Of The South and 1-0 to St Johnstone and will see this as a golden opportunity to get their campaign back on track.
I told you it'd be a short one. Bet this week is;
Livingston 13/10(Totesport)
Happy Punting folks _________________ You're born with nothing, and better off that way,
As soon as you got something they send someone to try & take it away!
Bradford are flying high & will want to keep the momentum going by beating Barnet. They should do this easily even with a couple of doubts over fitness in the squad. Barnet are no push overs and can produce cracking results when they want to but all too often, seem not to want to so I think the 8/13 offered by Coral amongst others should be taken.
The only other match I can see worth betting on is also in League 2 & concerns the leaders Wycombe, and their visit to Rotherham. Like Barnet, Rotherham can pull decent performances out of the bag at times so this is no certainty but Wycombe have stumbled a little in recent weeks and were very lucky to beat Accrinton Stanley last week. They will have a point to prove and they'll want to stay top of the table. If they don't win today, & Bradford beat Barnet, Bradford go top. With all of this in mind, the 2/1 offered by Ladbrokes & Coral simply MUST be taken.
The FA Cup is the greatest domestic competion in World football bar none! Unfortunately, I don't view it as a very good betting medium though.
I have found a bet that is strictly a value bet & that's Mansfield to beat Chesterfield today. Having been to Saltergate many times and I do have somewhat of a soft spot for the Spireites and the town of Chesterfield in general, I can tell you that anything can happen in this game. It's a local derby & not only that, but an FA Cup Game to boot! The most likely thing to happen is Chesterfield winning comfortably but Skybet are offering 11/2 on a Mansfied victory which is quite frankly too big a price to turn down.
I've had my fingers burnt backing Queen Of The South before but that doesn't scare me off! I really can't see them losing to Morton today even with their injury and suspension problems. As they have these problems they are a backable price at 4/6! Get on!
That's your lot for today folks! Bets this week are;
Mansfield 11/2(Skybet)
Queen Of The South 4/6(Ladbrokes)
By the way I will definitely get the profit/loss record worked out before the next article.
Until next week folks.
Jimbob _________________ You're born with nothing, and better off that way,
As soon as you got something they send someone to try & take it away!
A couple of games in League 1 that are of interest this week. The first being Carlisle vs Cheltenham. Carlisle are not the team they were last year where they were all but unbeatable at home. Having said this, I'm still, perhaps foolishly, expecting them to mount a challenge this season. They had a good win against Brighton last weekend and can get something resembling a run going today when they host Cheltenham. 4/5 with Ladbrokes, amongst others, is a fair price.
A realistic goal for Stockport this season would be to make it into the plsy offs. If they are to achieve this, they must beat teams such as bottom side Crewe. I fully expect them to do so and think the bookies have priced this one wrong. Bet365 are offering 13/8 on a Stockport victory. This is a great price and should be taken.
No bets in Scotland this week so bets are;
Carlisle 4/5(Ladbrokes)
Stockport 13/8(Bet365) _________________ You're born with nothing, and better off that way,
As soon as you got something they send someone to try & take it away!
First of all apologies for no article the last couple of weeks. For personal reasons I'm afraid it's not been possible.
I was determined to do an article this week but probably won't get to do one tomorrow & definitely not Saturday so here I am on Thursday night. The problem with it being this early is that there's not much team news to go on which is a big part of my selection process.
Anyway, here goes...
Rochdale had an embarrasing defeat to Forest Green in the cup last week but the good news for them is that they can now concentrate on the league and the realistic target of getting into the play offs. When teams have slipped on a banana skin in the cup they quite often come out all guns firing in their next league match as they are trying to prove a point. Bournemouth are doing a sterling job of overturning their points penalty & I expect them to be in the Football league next season but I think Rochdale will be too much for them in all honesty. 4/5 on Rochdale with Bet365 is a good price.
In Scotland, I think Berwick are a stonking price to beat Annan Athletic. Annan have suprised us all this season. This punter certainly thought they were going to be the new Shire and bankers for accumulators across the land. A bookies nightmare! However they soon proved me wrong by hammering my beloved Cowdenbeath 4-1 at Central Park on the opening day of the season. Their results after that haven't been too shoddy considering either. However, I still say Berwick, who seem to have picked up a bit since the supporters takeover(I know they've lost a couple of games but seem to be heading in the right direction I think) are a great price at 11/5 with Coral to beat Annan.
Both these selections are subject to both Rochdale & Berwick not having a silly amount of players out;
Rochdale 4/5(Bet365)
Berwick 11/5(Coral)
Until next time folks...
Jimbob _________________ You're born with nothing, and better off that way,
As soon as you got something they send someone to try & take it away!
I'm very sorry I haven't been able to give this column the time it warrants recentlt, family, work, and technical problems have forbidden it I'm afraid but I have two bets this week.
The first is Northampton who are not having the best of seasons but despite their lowly league position, their results haven't been that bad recently & they should have the firepower to beat Crewe who are pretty dire even without the injury problems they currently have. I think 5/6 is a great price for The Cobblers & will be getting seriously involved.
The other bet I have is more of a speculative(some would say stupid) bet. It involve Elgin to beat Forfar. Elgin are languishing right at the footy of the table but as Ross Jack has taken over there could be a spot of the old 'New Manager Syndrome' around the team and Forfar are pretty appaling anyway. At 11/2 with Bet365, I will be having a small bet! Come and join me if your silly enough!
So that's the first BOTN for a while over & done with folks. Bets this week are;
Northampton 5/6(Totesport)
Elgin 11/2(Bet365). _________________ You're born with nothing, and better off that way,
As soon as you got something they send someone to try & take it away!
This week we start off with somewhat of an obvious pick.
Oldham have an amazing record at home and Swindon aren't that clever away. There's not many injury worries for either team and Oldham should show their class in this and overcome Swindon. William Hill says 4/6 they will. A short price but it should be shorter so I suggest you get stuck in people!
Another obvious 4/6 shot in League 2 is Wycombe to beat Accrington. The league leaders have suffered what is(for them) a minor stumble the last few weeks but should be able to put that right against an Accrington Stanley side who haven't won away since October. Not a lot else to say about this match really. 4/6 with Ladbrokes among others.
North of the border now and a slightly less obvious pick. If the game goes ahead, it may well be worth having a little bit on Ross County to beat Livingston. The reason the game may not go ahead is that the Livingston players are threatening to strike over non payment of wages. This has to be good news for Ross County as even if the Livingston players don't strike, the morale of the team must be very low and there's a chance they may not be playing to the best of their abilities. Betdirect go 2/1 on a Ross County win and that's a good price. These two teams are reasonably matched in terms of skill and the presumed morale of Livingston gives the edge to Ross County in my opinion.
So bets this week are;
Oldham 4/6(William Hill)
Wycombe 4/6(Ladbrokes among others)
Ross County 2/1(Betdirect)
Until next week folks.
Jimbob _________________ You're born with nothing, and better off that way,
As soon as you got something they send someone to try & take it away!
Brunton Park is not the fortress it once was for Carlisle and with some key players out on the sidelines, I think that they have their work cut out to get anything from a Stockport side that have a realistic chance of getting in the play offs this season. To accomplish that feat, they need to win games like this and it won't be easy. Carlisle still can be quite handy at home but I think Stockport are up to the challenge. 21/10 with Coral is a good price.
There's a very important game going on north of the border between Montrose and East Stirling. Montrose have home advantage and a full side while East Stirling have a couple of doubts. Both neck & neck on points but with The Shire having a game in hand, Montrose simply have to win this game. I for one think they will and advise you to take the 23/20 offered by William Hill.
So bets this week are;
Stockport- 21/10
Montrose- 23/20
Happy punting folks
Jimbob
_________________ You're born with nothing, and better off that way,
As soon as you got something they send someone to try & take it away!
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