First published in Racing & Football Outlook September 7-13, 2010 With the Euro 2012 qualifiers having rudely interrupted the start of the new season, it’s a good time to assess what has happened so far. The most obvious point to make about the current Premier League table is that Chelsea’s position is unlikely to change come...
INTER TOO SHORT TO RETAIN SCUDETTO
First published in Racing & Football Outlook August 31-September 6, 2010 Last week, I wrote about the arrival of Jose Mourinho at Real Madrid and, like all the great managers, he’s a master of timing his arrival at each new club he takes on. After all, there is no point turning up to a...
MOURINHO FACTOR WILL MAKE THE DIFFERENCE
First published in Racing & Football Outlook August 24-30, 2010 Much of my summer has been spent building automatic trading systems to use with my Outlook Index price forecasts, to what I hope will be devastating effect on Betfair.It’s been an interesting process and has given me the chance to think generally about systems and...
PUNTERS SHOULD SIT TIGHT BUT CLUBS SHOULD ACT NOW
Even with just a couple of games on the board, the dust is starting to settle, although it is a little more agitated at Ashton Gate and Bramall Lane as both Steve Coppell at Bristol City and Kevin Blackwell at Sheffield United parted company with their clubs, albeit in what appear to be very...
PREMIER LEAGUE GAP NARROWS BUT TOP TWO TO RULE AGAIN
First published Racing & Football Outlook August 10-16, 2010 And now for the final part of my pre-season trilogy – the Premier League. The range of markets increases every season and, given the liquidity in this division, I hope the top flight will be as profitable for Outlook Index readers this year as it...
LEGAL EAGLES MAY HAVE THE BIGGEST SAY IN LEAGUE
First published in Racing & Football Outlook August 3-9, 2010 Last week’s look at Scottish football had, by necessity, to make its observations through a lens distorted by financial chaos, particularly at Rangers. South of the border, however, that financial chaos is at an altogether different level, with club after club throughout the Football...
ACCIES COULD BE THE EARLY MOVERS WITHOUT OLD FIRM
First published in Racing & Football Outlook July 27-August 2, 2010 While there’s always plenty of change in each of the other divisions north and south of the border, when it comes to the top flights, we can narrow the field down very easily. That means there’s always a sense of deja vu at...
TRANSFER HYPE IS HOT AIR FOR RATINGS-MAD PUNTERS
First published in Racing & Football Outlook July 20-26, 2010 The no-man’s land of the close season is never as bad as in a barren year for summer football and, after an intriguing if unspectacular affair in South Africa, I can’t complain about the short gap with no meaningful football to bet on this...
HODGSON HAS HIS WORK CUT OUT AT POOL
First published in Racing & Football Outlook July 13-19, 2010 After one of the most enjoyable World Cups I can remember, there isn’t that much time left for summer holidays and the like before it’s back to the start of the next four-year cycle. With events in South Africa taking centre stage for the...
LOCK IN A PROFIT FROM MY FLYING WORLD CUP TIPS
First published in Racing & Football Outlook July 6-12, 2010 WITH under a week to go, this World Cup is reaching an amazing climax, not least for those of you who bought the Outlook’s World Cup Betting Guide which not only was a terrific read but also contained one of my more fulfilling Index...
GERMANS CONTINUE TO GET STRONGER
First published in Racing & Football Outlook June 29-July 5, 2010 SITTING in a bar watching England’s pathetic exit from the World Cup, it wasn’t so much a case of being surprised at seeing Fabio Capello’s team fall apart but rather shock that they had failed so miserably to reassemble themselves after that dismal...
NO VALUE IN THE MARADONA AND MESSI SHOW
First published in Racing & Football Outlook June 22-28, 2010 There’s been so much football over the past week, with so many twists and turns that I’ve barely cleared the sleep from my eyes every day before I find myself sat down in front of the computer, armed with a pot of coffee, and...
IT’S EASY TO GET CARRIED AWAY WITH THE EARLY GAMES
First published in Racing & Football Outlook June 15-21, 2010 Four days into the competition, it’s way too early to say with any degree of honesty or accuracy how things are really going to pan out at the World Cup. And, with the first round of games still being played as we go to...
RATINGS SAY FRANCE OR GERMANY LOOK LIKE THE GROUP STAGE VALUE
First published Racing & Football Outlook June 8-14, 2010 Anyone with the stamina to have watched both of England’s dismal warm-up games will be glad the phoney war is over and ready for something more meaningful in South Africa. The games against Mexico and Japan can’t have told anyone anything they didn’t already know...
THERE’S VALUE IN THE DUTCH GROUP
First published in Racing & Football Outlook June 1-7, 2010 Anyone who bought a copy of our World Cup Betting Guide (now available in all good newsagents) will wonder how it’s possible that it doesn’t include every single possible stat and fact on the face on the planet. However, even that gargantuan publication didn’t...
RELEGATION NO FORMALITY FOR PROMOTED SIDES
HATTERS ARE DESTINED TO STRUGGLE
BEFORE we can turn to the World Cup, there’s still plenty of domestic stuff to work through before international football takes centre stage. In fact, there’s no better time to view the serene vista of the domestic game provided by the Outlook Index given that, at present, the pub conversations are still obsessed with...
NO VALUE IN LEAGUE 1 PLAY-OFFS
First published in Racing & Football Outlook May 11-17, 2010 On reflection it’s probably the right result that saw Leeds finally win promotion on Saturday and how they, Norwich and the play-off winners might fare is something that we will be looking at over the summer. I am still mindful, however, of the comments...
THERE’S LOTS TO LIKE ABOUT THE FOXES
WITH most of the promotion and relegation spots now sorted out and the World Cup only just over a month away, for me at least, the domestic season is limping towards a conclusion. A somewhat impatient Championship finished a week earlier than everyone else at the weekend and, along with the other competitions, I...
VILLA HAVE IMPROVED – BUT SO HAVE THE OTHERS
First published in Racing & Football Outlook April 27-May 3, 2010 OVER the years I’ve made no secret of my love – betting wise at least – for that minuscule group of managers who ply their trade at the highest level of the game. I’ve got nothing against the likes of Sam Allardyce and...
THE OLD FIRM CAN BE SPLIT
CELTIC’S 3-2 win over Hibernian was enough to prolong this season’s SPL for another week before Rangers finally confirm themselves as champions. Rangers retaining the title is impressive given that they were on the verge of going bust a season or so ago and seemingly haven’t been able to buy a player since the...