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Five things we’ve learned…

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It’s been another frenetic weekend of football and it’s given us more clues as who will be winning trophies, who will be going down and who is not good enough. Here’s our take on proceedings…..

1 Tottenham need new faces

Spurs may have continued their impressive home record with a goalless draw with Man Utd, but the stalemate highlighted that Harry Redknapp needs to bring in more players to mount a serious title challenge.
Tottenham (33/1 to win the Premier League) have lost just once at White Hart Lane this season and although Rafael van der Vaart looks the real deal, they still lack something in the attacking third. A stellar signing is needed this month……and not David Beckham!

2 Bolton are running out of steam

Owen Coyle has worked wonders with Wanderers this season, but their potential European bid looks to be running out of steam. Bolton (11/2 Top Six Finish) were very much second best in their 2-0 defeat at Stoke and face a tough run of fixtures in the next month, with games against Chelsea, Spurs and Everton in three of their next four league games. The Whites’ small squad looks to be feeling the pace now and the Bolton board may be reluctant to spend any major sums during the current window.

3 Beware if your team begins with a ‘W’

The bottom three in the Premier League consists of West Ham, Wolves and Wigan and don’t be surprised if it stays that way until May! ‘W’ looks to be the danger letter in the top flight, with a lack of consistency affecting all three teams. West Brom (3/1 to be relegated) may have beaten Blackpool on Saturday but their recent run, one win in seven games, suggests they should also be looking over their shoulders.

4 Any one of 15 teams can be promoted

The Championship is always a crazy, unpredictable division, but even more so this season! The battle for the three Premier League places is wide open and no fewer than 15 teams will still harbour hopes of reaching the promised land this season. QPR are the most consistent team in the league and should go up, whilst the 14 teams below them are very evenly matched. Watch out for the likes of Watford, Leicester and Hull (14/1 to win promotion) – the in-form teams in the division.

5 Walsall are doomed

It looks like Saddlers fans can start planning their trips around the League Two (Chesterfield 2/5f to go up) grounds next season, with things going from bad to worse for the Midlands outfit. Walsall were 2-0 up at home to Huddersfield on Saturday and eventually lost 4-2! That result leaves them seven points adrift of safety and still without a manager following Chris Hutchings’ recent departure. Harry Houdini would be hard pushed to escape from that position!

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10 things learnt this weekend

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Bet on the Premier LeagueThe wintry weather might have played havoc with the sporting fixtures but there was still plenty of entertainment. Here are 10 things we learnt from this weekend’s football.

1. That money talks on all levels in football as all the Premier League fixtures beat the big freeze apart from the so-called minnows of the top-flight, Blackpool. Bloomfield Road does not have under-soil heating and Manchester United were not given the chance to return to the top of the table – a stark reminder of the ‘haves’ and ‘have-nots’ in the game.

2. Chelsea have been playing down a crisis at the club but there is now nowhere to hide as lowly Everton took further points from the hitherto impregnable Stamford Bridge (Chelsea 7/4 to win Premier League).

3. West Brom are determined to shake off their ‘yo-yo’ club tag after a third win in four Premier League games saw the Baggies move up to eighth in the standings.

4. Arsenal may finally have the ammunition to challenge right to the end of the season this year after running out of steam in previous campaigns. They seem to be the team who could take advantage of Chelsea’s malaise and the fact that Manchester United have not really played that well all season.

5. Samir Nasri might be the reason why they do have genuine title ambitions after his superb double saw the Gunners back on top of the pile and in an excellent position going into the hectic festive period.

6. Blackburn are not as bad as a 7-1 score line at Old Trafford the previous weekend would suggest as their 3-0 success over Wolverhampton Wanderers made it four wins from six league games for Sam Allardyce’s men.

7. Time away from the game can be as important as training as Allardyce gave his squad extra rest days in midweek following the United mauling and it paid off with the comprehensive victory at Molineux (Wolves 4/7 to be relegated).

8. Tottenham are going to have to learn how to turn draws into wins away from White Hart Lane. They are currently in great form and Harry Redknapp said he expected to take all three points from the clash with Birmingham City but they have now drawn two and lost three away from north London – is that good enough for the top four?

9. Carlos Tevez needs to learn a bit of humility after his hissy fit following boss Roberto Mancini’s decision to substitute him in the 90th minute against Bolton. He had already scored the goal that won the game and a bit of respect for his boss would not have done any harm at all – and set a better example for the kids (Tevez 11/4 to be top Premier League scorer).

10. Life at Upton Park is like a creaky roller-coaster ride at an old seaside pleasure park. It is constantly up and down and you never know if the wheels might fall off completely after West Ham’s midweek thrashing of Man United was followed up by yet another Premier League reverse, this time at Sunderland.

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10 things we now know…

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It has been a busy weekend of football. Here is what we have learned in the last two days (check out midweek match prices on totesport.com).

1) Fans who declared earlier in the season that Chelsea were going to walk the title race were completely, and utterly, wrong. The Blues were on fire at the start of the campaign, but three losses out of four has seen their lead at the top of the Premier League diminish and they are now having to scrap like the rest of them (Chelsea 6/5 Man United 11/5, Arsenal 4/1, Man City 8/1 – Premier League outright).

2) Wayne Rooney has some way to go if he wants to win over the Manchester United fans. It was a mixed reception from the Old Trafford fans when he came on as a substitute, and many claim the cheers among the jeers were for Paul Scholes rather than Rooney. If Rooney (22/1 – Premier League top goalscorer) had not fluffed his lines and scored on Saturday he might be back in their good books, but time will probably make the best healer. Speaking of cold receptions???

3) Fans will boo only when they are winning. Arsenal fans were vocal in their hatred towards William Gallas for long periods – but only up to when Tottenham pulled back their lead. Then suddenly the booing stopped and the Gunners fans went strangely silent as Younes Kaboul gave the visitors a shock win. Harry Redknapp had made Gallas captain and declared him the undoubted man of the match – has the Frenchman made Arsene Wenger realise he made a mistake?

4) Another Arsenal one, everyone always knew Wenger was not exactly Mr Muscle, but we were shocked to see him lose a fight with a bottle of water after Spurs got their third goal. Shocking, but ultimately funny for all watching on TV.

5) Rangers have been suffering with huge injury problems and as a result their defence is leaking goals. They went behind to the mighty Kilmarnock before launching a comeback, and that tendency to concede goals does not bode well considering Manchester United, with Rooney back in the line-up, are heading to Ibrox in the Champions League on Wednesday (7/2 Rangers 5/ draw 4/5 Manchester United – match prices).

6) Newcastle United striker Andy Carroll (14/1 – top Premier League goalscorer) really cares for his club. The way he chased after the ball after getting the goal back at Bolton and raised one arm in salute to the Geordie fans showed how much his heart his in Newcastle. The same definitely cannot be said about Fabricio Colloccini, however, as his cowardly and shocking assault on Johan Elmander was not the actions of a man who values the badge on his chest.

7) Could we have seen the goal of the season already? The superb volley from Luke Varney was a sublime moment. A finer dipping volley from 30 yards we are not likely to see this season, and it is just another great moment among an amazing season for Blackpool (4/5 to stay up) so far.

8) What has happened to the West Brom that beat Arsenal and drew with Manchester United? They rose as high as fourth in the Premier League and now they sit only two points above the relegation zone and are looking a shadow of the side they were. Roberto Di Matteo needs to inspire a win sooner rather than later, or it could be a repeat of Burnley’s campaign last time out and you know how that ended (West Brom 11/4 to be relegated).

9) Is the Middlesbrough job a poisoned chalice? They were touted as Championship favourites, Gordon Strachan failed and walked away and now Tony Mowbray is already feeling the wrath of the Boro fans after only a few weeks. How long will the Riverside faithful put up with sitting in the relegation places?

10) Money maybe can buy success. There has been massive debate in the Premier League about buying glory (Man City et al), but is it being proven to work down in the Blue Square Premier?  Steve Evans spent huge money for a non-league side during the summer on what is being called ‘Project Promotion’, up to £250,000 on Richard Brodie, and their 7-0 win over Altrincham sees them riding high in the table.

It is, however, a good feeling for old-school football fans to see AFC Wimbledon beating them to top spot. Tradition rather than exuberance is leading the way but for how long?

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10 things we learned about the weekend’s football

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1) Lorient are laughing all the way to the bank after selling Laurent Koscielny to Arsenal for £9.7m as he is not any kind of answer to their defensive problems – Gunners fans can breathe a sigh of relief though as the red card against Newcastle means he is banned for two games (Arsenal 4/7 to beat Wolves on Wednesday).

2) Arsenal also still have keeper problems as Lukasz Fabianski played up to his nickname – Flappyhandski – as Newcastle stunned the Gunners at the Emirates on Sunday.

3) Andy Carroll is proving any doubters wrong and that he may well have deserved a place in the England team. The 21-year-old will be hoping he is still firing when the next squad is announced by Fabio Capello.

4) Liverpool’s Fernando Torres (8/1 to finish as the Premier League’s Top Scorer) is proving the old adage true that ‘form is temporary, class is permanent’ following his two-goal demolition job on champions Chelsea.

5) Spurs are struggling to balance their domestic and European commitments, and badly need Jermain Defoe back from his ankle problem as the club has mustered just 13 goals in 11 Premier League games, despite smashing seven in two past Euro champions Inter Milan.

6) Teams do not always get what they deserve – just ask Mick McCarthy. Wolves played well enough to win at a misfiring Manchester United but a 93rd-minute goal keeps Wolves in the bottom two and United (3/1 to win the Premier League) in the title hunt – always play to the whistle!

7) His heart may not be in it but Carlos Tevez is capable of showing that money can indeed buy you a title after Man City ended their three-match losing streak at West Brom.

8) Alternatively tune in to watch Real Madrid, no shrinking violets when it comes to splashing the cash, and they are tearing up in La Liga, remain unbeaten in all competitions and are banging in goals for fun. Maybe Jose Mourinho really is the Special One.

9) Blackpool (11/10 to stay up) have been a breathe of fresh air in the Premier League this season and look as though they will continue to be so after another good performance – plus Ian Holloway is always good for a post-match quote.

10) West Ham (Evens to be relegated) are in bad enough trouble as it is without throwing away a 2-0 goal lead, apparently through complacency, and it’s the fourth time this season they have surrendered a winning position. The Hammers are going to continue to struggle unless they improve their resilience.

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10 things we’ve learned from the Premier League this weekend

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1)      Sunderland (8/1 Top Six Finish) need to improve defensively and Steve Bruce is this week’s most unpopular person on Wearside.

2)      Feuding Manchester City are far from the finished article and don’t look title contenders (City 2/5 Top Four Finish).

3)      Manchester United are not the same team without Wayne Rooney (Rooney 16/1 Premier League Top Scorer), but is Nani the new Ronaldo?

4)      Liverpool need Fernando Torres fit and on form to qualify for Europe….as there’s nobody else!

5)      Tottenham are not good enough to mount a title challenge and will never get a refereeing decision at Old Trafford!

6)      Aston Villa are going to take a while to get to grips with what Monsieur Houllier requires!  Not sure the fans will remain patient though (Villa 14/1 Top Four Finish).

7)      Start counting your money if you’ve backed West Ham to be relegated – not even Scott Parker or Rob Green can save the Hammers from the drop (Hammers 10/11 to be relegated).

8)      Blackburn can actually play some football and Benjani could keep them in the top flight this season.

9)      Fabio Capello hopefully has a short memory, as Joey Barton looks good enough for a call-up to the England squad (1/6 to win Euro 2012 Qualifying Group G).

10)   Everton are the in-form team in the league but don’t count your chickens on a European place – a lack of goals could cost them.

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