The Golden Rule of Soccer Betting.

Never bet more than you can afford to lose. Never. Ever. Rule Number One in the Sports Gambler’s bible. But surely there are times when an outcome is so inevitable that you could bet a large sum of money and collect your guaranteed winnings within a day? Surely there must be exceptions to this golden rule? I would suggest that there are no exceptions. Consider the following tale of an unfortunate (or silly) punter from back in 2001. This is a true story and one that always sticks with me whenever I have an urge to gamble impulsively.

The date is Saturday September 29th 2001. The venue is White Hart Lane, North London, home of Tottenham Hotspur, or ‘Spurs’. The opponents are Manchester United who make the trip to London without key players Roy Keane (suspended) and Ryan Giggs (rested after midweek Champions League clash). There is a buzz in the air, a positive vibe amongst the home supporters who feel they can overcome the depleted United side. What followed was one of the most incredible days in Premier League history.

Tottenham Blow United Away Early – Cue the impulsive Gamble.

Spurs started the game at breakneck speed and before United had time to deal with the pressure, they found themselves two goals in arrears, thanks to Dean Richards and Les Ferdinand. The Red Devils were clearly shell-shocked and before they had time to regroup, the flying Christian Ziege made it 3-0 to Spurs before half time. One can only imagine the infamous ‘hairdryer’ routine dished out to the United players by fiery boss Alex Ferguson during the interval. Our story though, concerns a Tottenham fan who was at the game with his mates and girlfriend. With emotions running high, he convinced his girlfriend that it would be a sound investment to put their entire mortgage on a Tottenham win. With a 3-0 half-time lead the odds would have been ridiculously low, perhaps 1.03, but put enough money down, and 3% suddenly becomes a nice little earner. What could possibly go wrong? They had recently purchased a house together and with his girlfriend’s blessing, he contacted his finance broker and the bet was placed. Their house was now riding on the outcome of the game.

The Incredible Comeback.

One can only imagine the nervous tension and excitement that accompanied our soccer punting hero as the second half kicked off. He was probably planning what lavish holiday they could take or what spending spree they could enjoy. How rudely interrupted were his thoughts when Andy Cole pulled a goal back after 45 seconds of the second half. Less than quarter of an hour later French defender Laurent Blanc headed home a corner and, when Van Nistelrooy scored the equalising goal with over quarter of an hour left on the clock, hearts were in mouths for Spurs fans and emotional punters. Veron and Beckham made it 5-3 to the Red Devils by the end of what was a fascinating game and monumental comeback. It’s difficult not to feel some sympathy for the losing punter – he lost his house and in all probability his woman. However, the first piece of football betting advice and the most essential soccer betting tip you should learn is to never bet more than you can afford to lose, no matter how sure you are about the outcome. In soccer, as in sport, there are quite simply no guarantees.

Granted this was an unusual scenario and a comeback of this magnitude probably happens only once every few years. The point is that it CAN happen and for this reason it’s paramount to place bets within your means. Our professional soccer tipster has a wealth of experience, hints, tips and insights into best methods for successful football betting. Check out http://www.soccertips365.com for more info and weekly FREE soccer tips, picks and predictions.

Fulham stunned Chelsea at Craven Cottage with a 1-0 win although ugly scenes after the match threatened to mar a spectacular victory for Chris Coleman’s men. Luis Boa Morte fired the winner for the 7/1 Cottagers after 17 minutes while Didier Drogba had a Chelsea equaliser ruled out for handball.

Manchester United tightened their grip on second-place but made hard work of a 2-1 win at West Bromwich Albion. United, a best priced 1/2 saw Louis Saha net on 16 and 64 minutes although Nathan Ellington’s goal 12 minutes from time set up a tense finale.

Liverpool reduced Manchester United’s second place to two points but they have played two games more following Sunday’s 3-1 win at Newcastle United. Peter Crouch scored after nine minutes for the 11/8 Reds while Steven Gerrard doubled the advantage on 34. Shola Ameobi gave the Magpies hope five minutes before the break but Djibril Cisse’s penalty on 51 secured a precious away win.

Tottenham Hotspur continued their charge for a place in next season’s Champions League with a 2-0 win at Birmingham. Relegation threatened City held firm for 66 minutes until Aaron Lennon netted his first goal for the 5/4 Spurs. The in-form Robbie Keane added a second 13 minutes from the end to maintain Martin Jol’s side’s fourth placed position.

Arsenal are not giving up on league matters just yet and demolished Charlton 3-0 at Highbury. The Gunners were heavily odds on at 2/5 and took just 13 minutes to lead through Robert Pires. Emmanuel Adebayor got on the scoresheet after 32 and Alexsander Hleb completed the masterclass four minutes into the second half.

Blackburn also earned maximum points in a 3-2 win against Middlesbrough. The in-form Craig Bellamy opened the scoring for 5/6 Rovers after 11 minutes only for Mark Viduka to equalise five minutes later. Morten Gamst Pedersen restored the lead for Rovers but Fabio Rochemback levelled on 62. Bellamy fired in a superb personal second six minutes later to seal victory for Mark Hughes’ team.

Portsmouth edged towards three points off safety with a rousing 4-2 win at manager Harry Redknapp’s former club West Ham. Portsmouth, 7/2 outsiders before kick-off, found themselves 3-0 up at half time.

Everton may make a late bid for Europe after destroying Aston Villa 4-1, their sixth consecutive victory. James McFadden broke the deadlock after 16 minutes for the 4/5 Toffees and further goals from Tim Cahill and Leon Osman gave David Moyes’ side a commanding half-time lead. Debutante Gabriel Agbonlahor gave the Villains hope but Cahill netted his second of the game in stoppage time.

The formal name of the club is Blackburn Rovers Football Club, and they known by many nicknames, the most popular among which are Rovers, the Blue and Whites, and the Riversiders.

Founded in 1875, the squad host matches at their home venue of Ewood Park, in Blackburn, Lancashire, England, which has a capacity of just over 31,000.

The owners are the Trustees of the Jack Walker 1987 Settlement.

The chairman is John Williams, while the manager of the club is Sam Allardyce.

Blackburn won the Premier League in 1994-95, beating rivals Manchester United to the post, a year after they had ended in second place on the Premiership rungs.

Barely four years after winning the championship the Riversiders were relegated. Three years later they were back.

In two matches played this season, Rovers have a win and a loss; they won 1-0 in their opening match against Everton, and lost 2-1 to Birmingham City on the second weekend.

Pre-season Review:

Blackburn finished in 10th place, in last season’s Premiership campaign. They also got to the semi final at the League cup.

This relative good showing will put a weight of expectation on Sam Allardyce.

Transfers have been conspicuous by their relative absence at the Blackburn headquarters.

The following players comprise the Blue and Whites:

Robinson, Salgado, Samba, Olsson, Jones, Nelsen, Givet, Kalinic, Dunn, El-Hadji Diouf, Pedersen, Emerton, Bunn, Nzonzi, Hoilett, Andrews, Chimbonda, and Mame Diouf.

Their goalkeeper, Paul Robinson, got called up to represent England in a friendly against Hungary, and Blackburn called on Frank Fielding, who had never played for the Ewood Park side, to stand in for him.

The generously built Christopher Samba’s all-round skills as a goal scoring defender must make him Blackburn’s man for every occasion.

Alan Judge is back from Plymouth Argyle where he had been on loan over the past 18 months. Judge could get several starts this season in the absence of signings.

Manchester United’s Mame Biram Diouf is in on loan and expected to add to the goal count.

Yildiray Basturk has departed after an all too short tenure at Ewood Park after a less than impressive outing.

Steven Reid has left for West Bromwich Albion.

Blackburn will try to top last year’s good performance, and you can expect some Allardyce moves to strengthen that resolve while the transfer window is still open.

I expect Blackburn to do as well or even better than last year, with the black cloud of possible relegation lifted.

The Red Devils conquered its 8th victory in a row, whereas City couldn’t do anything against the Gunners, jeopardizing like this the chance to recover the 1st position.

On Sunday, March 8th, both Manchester clubs played their 32nd fixture of the season and consequently to those encounters United has opened an 8-points-gap between it and the Sky Blues. The day started with the Red Devils hosting the Queens Park Rangers, which have been in and out of the relegation zone during the last five rounds. Within the first 15 minutes a controversial call by the referee Lee Mason left the Rangers with 10 men for the rest of the match, when their captain, Shaun Derry, was sent off for fouling Ashley Young, who was visibly offside. The penalty was charged by United’s higher scorer of the season, Wayne Rooney, who reached his 22nd goal from 29 games.

Even missing a man QPR keep up with United and really did the best it could, during the rest of first half and half of the second part the Rangers stopped each attempt of scoring from the Red Devils. But at the 68th minute the 37-year-old Paul Scholes -who came back from his retirement in January to give a hand to his beloved club-, took control of the situation and after intercepting a pass from Rafael Da Silva, executed a low drive from a 25 yards that gave Ferguson’s men the double lead and triumph.

Following United’s match, it was the turn for Manchester City to meet the Gunners; for this the Sky Blues went south, to the Emirates Stadium in London. Both clubs fought hard to score during the entire clash, even too hard maybe, for it was the game with more cards of the round: 2 yellow cards for Arsenal and 5 for City (two of them were for Balotelli). In the end, the Gunners consistency earned them the victory with a beautiful goal from long distance by Mikel Arteta within the last four minutes of the match.

It certainly was a stressful match for Roberto Mancini, who let show his rage in the end, especially when the uncontrollable Mario Balotelli was sent off the field for the second yellow card after fouling Sagna for a second time. The Italian striker is well-known for his supercilious comments about himself and for being capricious on the field, therefore and due to late statements given by Mancini it looks like the coach is getting tired of his fellow countryman. Anyway, the fact is that City is 8 points away from the Red Devils and it has only six matches ahead to make an effort to still the championship from its neighbors -which have been doing a better job than the Sky Blues.

After drawing levels on their last weekend’s fixture against City, the Black Cats did it again this weekend on their encounter with Tottenham at the Stadium of Light; but this time the final result was left in zeros, as neither of the clubs were able to score. Sunderland held back the Spurs from going head-to-head with Arsenal, which now leaves Redknapp’s men 2 points behind, with 59 points and more rivals to worry about. Because the Spurs will now have to protect their back from Chelsea and Newcastle, which continue tied in 56 points -quite close to Tottenham.

The other matches from round 32: Swansea 0-2 Newcastle; Stoke City 2-1 Wolves; West Bromwich Albion 3-0 Blackburn; Norwich 2-2 Everton; Liverpool 1-1 Aston Villa; Chelsea 2-1 Wigan; Bolton 0-3 Fulham.

White Hart Lane is set to witness Premier League action when Tottenham host Aston Villa, on Monday, November 21, 2011, in match week 12.

Tottenham are coming off an impressive 3-1 win away at Fulham, in match week 11. Gareth Bale gave the visitors the early lead, on 10 minutes; Lennon and Defoe added one each within a minute of each other just before the interval, amd the sieds went into the break, with Spurs leading by 3-0. Nothing was to prepare Tottenham for the ferocious fight back that Fulham launched in the second half. The pressure told on their defence and Kaboul’s own goal in the 58th minute was a result of that. But despite the Cottagers’ dominance, Spurs hung on, and were lucky to get away with three full points.

Aston Villa prevailed over Norwich 3-2 in a one-sided home game, at Villa Park, in match week 11. Darren Bent and Gabriel Agbonlahor starred for Villa, as first, Bent cancelled out Pilkington’s 26th minute strike for Norwich, barely five minutes later, and Agbonlahor gave his side the lead 3 minutes after the break. Bent completed a brace, almost on the hour, and despite a 78th minute reduction of the margin, by Morison, Norwich were outclassed on the day. For Villa manager Alex McLeish, it was a welcome show of mental toughness by his wards, who should aim to build on the momentum, in match week 12, in a season in which they have been fairly inconsistent.

Head to head, in the last 10 years, Tottenham and Villa have met in 20 league games, with Spurs having won on 8 occasions with Villa winning on 4 others, with the remaining 8 matches ending in stalemates. The last time these teams met was in December 2010; that match hosted by Villa was won 2-1 by Spurs.

Tottenham have won 7, lost 2, and drawn the remaining 1 of their last 10 league matches, while Villa have won 3, drawn 5 and lost 2 of their last 10 league games.

Currently in 5th place on the league table, Spurs have hosted 4 home games, this season, winning 3 and losing 1, while Villa, who are in 8th place have had 4 draws and 1 loss in their 5 away games.

Tottenham’s starting eleven against Fulham: Friedel, Walker, Kaboul, King, Assou-Ekotto, Lennon, Parker, Modric, Bale, Van der Vaart, Adebayor.

Aston Villa’s starting eleven against Norwich: Given, Hutton, Dunne, Collins. Warnock, N’Zogbia, Herd, Petrov, Heskey, Bent, Agbonlahor.

A split round gave us 6 matches that didn’t cause much change on the standings, but two blasting scores from the Manchester clubs and a new surprise from Wigan.

This round was split due to the matches Liverpool vs. Everton and Tottenham vs. Chelsea from the FA Cup played between April 14th and 15th, 2012. Therefore, those four clubs and their rivals for this round will be meeting in a couple of weeks; meanwhile the other twelve teams had their encounters through Saturday 14th and Monday 16th. The clubs on both ends of the table remain in the same positions, but some did earn necessary points. So, following their games the Manchester clubs at the top of the Premier League continue separated by 5 points, since each achieved a nice victory on their last fixture.

Roberto Mancini’s men travelled east on Saturday to visit the Carrow Road Stadium for its second match with Norwich; unfortunately for the Canaries, they had the same luck than on the 1st leg. One more time the Argentineans were responsible of the massacre, which started with the forward Carlos Tevez at 18′, when assisted by David Silva, made a shot from outside the penalty area and scored it -just the first of his hat-trick. The second was a perfect combination between Sergio Aguero and Tevez, who end up back-heeling the ball to his fellow countryman that without hesitations fired it into John Ruddy’s goal. The Sky Blues double lead was kept for the rest of first half and the first 5 minutes of second half, when the Canaries saw an open door and took advantage of it.

At the 51′ the substitute, Andrew Surman, scored all by himself the only goal from his team, which at the moment raised hopes in vain, for within the last 17 minutes of the clash the Citizens placed other four marks. Carlos Tevez scored two of those goals, the first one (73′) arrived when Ruddy blocked a drive from Yaya Toure and the ball flew near the Argentinean, who headed it from inside the box. Then Tevez found the third chance with a low shot that placed in the middle of the goal at the 80th minute; that was the fifth goal for his team, for Aguero by them had scored the fourth (75′). Finally, in the very last minute, Adam Johnson completed the 6-1 with a sweeping move that sent the ball to the bottom right corner of the goal.

The Red Devils recovered from Wednesday’s Wigan defeat, but again involved with some controversy. A week ago United obtained the lead on the match with QPR through a controversial penalty for a foul on Ashley Young and so it happened again at the Old Trafford against the Villans. The opening on the score sheet from Saturday was achieved through a penalty goal charged by Wayne Rooney, after Young was apparently tripped by Ciaran Clark, who actually had minimal contact with the midfielder. Nevertheless, with or without the penalty, MU would’ve won, for Danny Welbeck scored two minutes before the mid-time break, followed in second half by Wayne’s second (73′) and later by Nani’s last-minute goal.

Also continuing in a victorious path is Wigan, which this time had Arsenal as victim, with two goals in the first 8 minutes of the clash. Although the Gunner Thomas Vermaelen got in the scoring sheet with a headed goal at 21′, he couldn’t do more to beat the goals from Franco Di Santo (7′) and Jordi Gomez (8′). Another winner was Sunderland, which climbed two spots following the draw with Wolves that continue on the bottom of the board. The Swans also managed to climb after triumphing home 3-0 against Blackburn; although they tied in 42 points West Bromwich and Stoke City, the three goals they scored to their visitors gave them an advantage on the Goal Difference.

The other results from Round 34: West Bromwich 1-0 QPR; Sunderland 0-0 Wolves. Postponed for May 1st and 2nd: Liverpool vs. Fulham; Stoke vs. Everton; Chelsea vs. Newcastle; Bolton vs. Tottenham.

Home wins will dominate this weekend’s results, Tottenham will pip Arsenal to fourth spot and Bolton will play in the Intertoto Cup this summer at the expense of Newcastle writes David Walker.

Arsenal vs Wigan Athletic

Following Thursday’s 3-1 win at Manchester City, Arsenal need to win this match if they have any hope of pipping Tottenham to fourth place. Despite a congested fixture list due to their final appearance in the Champions League they have won seven of their last 10 matches and have won 13 matches in front of their own fans this season. The Gunners have not been beaten at Highbury since West Ham’s 3-2 victory on 1 February while Wigan have lost three out of their last four and have won just three of their last nine matches.

Walker’s Word: Close, but no cigar, Arsenal @ 1/4.

Aston Villa vs Sunderland

Matches between these two are traditionally low scoring affairs. Five Premiership meetings at Villa Park all have produced two goals or less with Villa winning 1-0 twice, drawing 1-1 once and twice 0-0. Sunderland have been awful all season but have produced two away victories against fellow relegated sides West Brom and Middlesbrough and finally won at home against Fulham on Thursday. Villa will most likely win but are no value at the available price, especially with Sunderland buoyed by their recent victory. A bet on the «unders» is a more sensible investment.

Walker’s Word: Under 2.5 goals @ 4/5.

Blackburn Rovers vs Manchester City

Blackburn secured sixth place in the league and UEFA Cup football with a win against Champions Chelsea on Tuesday but will want to close the gap on both Arsenal and Spurs to mark a successful season. They won’t have a better opportunity to finish the season on a high against a poor City team which has lost nine of their last 11 matches. Victories against Aston Villa and Sunderland being the only bright spots in a dismal run of results.

Walker’s Word: More misery for City, home win @ 7/10.

Bolton Wanderers vs Birmingham City

Birmingham are unbeaten on their last two visits to the Reebok but were on the end of a 4-2 beating back in 2003. Bolton have a solid home record of late, winning four of their last six with defeats coming against Manchester United and Chelsea. Birmingham owner David Sullivan criticised his players commitment this week which will not do much for overall squad morale. Steve Bruce’s side have not won in 11 matches on the road since beating Sunderland 1-0 on 26 November.

Walker’s Word: Home win @ 8/13.

Everton vs West Bromwich Albion

Everton have won the last two meetings at Goodison Park and will want revenge for the 4-0 hammering they received by the relegated Baggies back in November. Everton were on a bad run then but have improved considerably in the subsequent months and only lost three in their last 10 matches. David Moyes’ side have won six in their last 10 home matches but not won in their last three in front of their home fans. This will be a great way to sign off on a positive note and try and achieve a top 10 finish. West Brom are without a win in 12 and have lost four of the last seven away.

Walker’s Word: Everton to finish strongly @ 4/6.

Fulham vs Middlesbrough

Fulham have won three of last four head to head meetings at Craven Cottage but were beaten 2-0 last season. Fulham have a superb home record this season, winning 12 out of 16 matches and finally won their first match away from home last weekend at Manchester City. I wouldn’t be surprised if a host of Middlesbrough first team regulars are rested in view of the UEFA Cup final on 10 May so a home win is the call here.

Walker’s Word: Fulham’s home form to prevail @ 8/11.

Manchester United vs Charlton Athletic

United must win this match at all costs if they are to finish second in the Premiership after dropping seemingly «banker» points to Middlesbrough and Sunderland in recent weeks. Alex Ferguson’s side have won five out of six Premiership meetings at Old Trafford while Charlton have not won on the road in 13 attempts. Alan Curbishley will be ending his tenure with the Addicks with a third consecutive defeat.

Walker’s Word: One for the big hitters, United @ 1/4.

Newcastle United vs Chelsea

Newcastle are unbeaten in last three meetings at St James’ Park, drawing 1-1 last season and winning two meetings prior to that. However, after losing to Blackburn in midweek, Chelsea will not tolerate two defeats on the spin following their title win and may just spoil Newcastle’s party. If the Magpies lose and Bolton beat Birmingham, it will be Sam Allardyce’s side that finishes seventh and earns a place in the Intertoto Cup.

Walker’s Word: Chelsea to finish with a win @ 7/5.

Portsmouth vs Liverpool

Portmsouth have won six out of nine but now they have secured survival for another season the edge may be taken off their performance. The same cannot be said for Liverpool who chasing second spot along with Manchester United and only a win will do. Liverpool have won their last eight matches, 10 if you include their involvement in the FA Cup and have won their last four on the road.

Walker’s Word: Liverpool to make it nine in a row @ 7/10.

West Ham United vs Tottenham Hotspur

West Ham have enjoyed a fantastic season on their return to the Premiership and have secured UEFA Cup football due to reaching the FA Cup final. The squad may have their minds on the FA Cup and manager Alan Pardew may rest key players while Tottenham need a win to guarantee themselves a fourth placed finish and a possible Champions League spot next term. Spurs are looking to finish strongly after their derby draw with Arsenal and defeat of Bolton and one final push should see them finish ahead of bitter rivals Arsenal no matter what the result in their clash with Wigan Athletic.

Walker’s Word: Tottenham @ 5/6.

Spanish striker Fernando Torres scored twice in the dying minutes against Chelsea at Anfield yesterday to help revive Liverpool’s slim chance of claiming the Premier League title.  The 2-0 victory over Chelsea on Sunday, in the game of the weekend, cut Manchester United’s lead to two points, although Utd do have the security of a game in hand.  We would have to say that the lead is really 5 points, unless something slightly unexpected happens.

The game appeared to be heading for a draw when Torres popped up at the near post to beat Alex to the ball and glanced home a cross by Fabio Aurelio, it was 89th minute. It was a superbly taken header and the relief was palpable.  His second goal was far easier and came in the 94th minute.  It was a simple tap-in after Chelsea defender Ashley Cole lost the ball inside the penalty area in a tackle with Yossi Benayoun.

The result, (the first time Liverpool have completed a double over Chelsea since the 1989/90 season, which was also the last season Liverpool won the title) enabled Liverpool to leapfrog Chelsea into second place. The Reds are two points behind Man United, who edged Everton 1-0 on Saturday, but as I mentioned above, Utd have a game in hand on both their main rivals. Man United have 53 points from 23 games, Liverpool have 51 from 24 and Chelsea 48 from 24.  You had to feel that yesterday’s game was really a must win for both team’s if they were to stand any chance of catching Utd in the title race.  I see no way back now for Scolari and Chelsea and the Blues manager almost admitted as much after the game.  At least he’s realistic.

Benetiz has also had a month to forget.  It is clear that both he and Scolari have not been coping too well with the pressure that Ferguson and Utd have been applying over the last month or so and everything started to unravel for Benitez with his ill advised, petty and worst of all, deliberate and pre-planned rant at Ferguson.  I have become increasingly confused by some, if not most, of the Spaniard’s decision making and what he has done to Robbie Keane beggars believe quite frankly.  Why did he bother buying the guy in the first place, never mind spend over £20million, if is he was hardly ever going to play him.  That must be the record for the quickest career destroyed.  Plus when you consider that Keane adores the club, he must be heartbroken.  Don’t be surprised to see Keane leave before the transfer window shuts at 5pm GMT this evening.  It is likely to be at £15million.  Wow, great business Benitez, a £5million loss after only about 6 months. Unbelievable!   Anyway, back to the game.  Chelsea played the last 30 minutes with 10 men after Frank Lampard was red carded for a sliding tackle on Xabi Alonso. In a game littered with fouls, referee Mike Riley also booked four Liverpool and three Chelsea players.  Replays showed the red card to be a little harsh.  Perhaps a yellow for the foot being raised but you have to say Lampard won the ball first.  However, it must be said that the Rules state (and I’m paraphrasing here) that even if you win the ball the tackle can’t be uncontrolled.

That said, what also gets me about referees is that a short time earlier Steven Gerrard committed a similar foul yet was not even booked, never mind sent off.  Where is the consistency?  Answer, there isn’t any.  Then, in an amazing incident in extra time, the Chelsea full back Bosingwa, whilst not 2 yards from the linesman and in full view of everybody, literally kicked Dirk Kuyt in the back with all his studs.  Nothing happened.  Everybody, apart from the officials apparently, saw it and all Mike Riley did was tell people to be «calm»!  It was cowardly and pathetic act and I wish I was on the Disciplinary Board because I would take great pleasure in banning the coward!

However, for Liverpool the most important fact of the afternoon if that after four straight league and cup draws that have dropped Liverpool from first to third, this victory took a little of the pressure off Rafa Benitez, for a short time anyway.  To be able to claim the title though, Liverpool cannot afford to drop many more points, because quite simply, Utd won’t.  The game at Old Trafford on March 14th could go a long long way to deciding the whether Liverpool claim their 19th league title or Man Utd draw level with Liverpool with 18 each.

A glut of home wins dominates this weekend’s predictions and Sunderland could add another twist to the relegation battle at large odds. Love them or loathe them, Chelsea will be in the FA Cup final along with Middlesbrough writes David Walker.

Saturday 22 April

Arsenal vs Tottenham Hotspur

The race for fourth place hots up in this lunchtime offering as Arsenal look to make up the four point gap that separates them from their north London rivals. The statistics point to a home win. The Gunners have won the last six home Premiership fixtures against Spurs and seven out of 13 overall. Tottenham Hotspur have not had any joy at Highbury since the Premiership began in 1992/93 when they won 3-1. Forgotten striker John Hendry scored twice on one of his few appearances in a Spurs shirt following a £5,000 switch from Dundee.

Walker’s Word: Arsenal to close the gap @ 4/5.

Bolton Wanderers vs Charlton Athletic

Bolton ended a run of five consecutive league defeats with a goalless draw against West Brom on Monday and this match could be a similar yawnfest. Two of the four last meetings between these sides have produced goalless draws while Charlton seem to love a 0-0 result as it has featured in five of their last 10 Premiership matches.

Walker’s Word: Another bore draw @ 23/10 and and 0-0 @ 17/2.

Everton vs Birmingham City

Birmingham City are running out of games if they are to survive in the Premiership and are unlikely to get any favours this Saturday. Steve Bruce’s side have not won at Everton since winning promotion to the top flight but have drawn 1-1 twice in the last three meetings. Their chances of victory are slim and they haven’t won at Goodison Park since 1957 and have lost 11 times on the road this season.

Walker’s Word: Home win @ 11/10.

Newcastle United vs West Bromwich Albion

Under Glenn Roeder, Newcastle are one of the form teams in the Premiership. They have won their last four matches in a row and this is a great opportunity to make it five. The Magpies have won both Premiership meetings at St James Park while the Baggies have not won there since 1977. Bryan Robson’s side have won away from home once all season and are unlikely to improve that record this weekend.

Walker’s Word: Five on the spin for Newcastle @ 4/5.

Portsmouth vs Sunderland

On first glance this looks like a guaranteed home win. Portsmouth had won six on the bounce until they crashed 2-1 at Charlton on Bank Holiday Monday while Sunderland have nothing to play for after being relegated. Right? Wrong. Portsmouth may have hammered Sunderland 4-1 at the Stadium of Light back in October but have not beaten them at Fratton Park in the league since 1992. Since then, Sunderland have won three out of five visits, including two 4-1 wins. Add to that the fact Sunderland have nothing to lose while Portsmouth could succumb to nerves and you have a very tasty away victory proposition and at large odds to boot. There could be another twist to the relegation battle yet.

Walker’s Word: Sunderland to cause a shock @ 8/1.

FA Cup

Chelsea vs Liverpool

Chelsea have an impeccable home record against Liverpool which puts them in pole position for a place in the FA Cup final. The Blues have won 10 out of 14 Premiership meetings at Stamford Bridge, losing just once, 1-0, in 2004. Chelsea have been beaten just once inside 90 minutes at home this season, against Barcelona in the Champions League and have won 17 out of 18 Premiership matches in front of their own fans. This is the first time the pair have met in the FA Cup since 1997, when Chelsea fought back from 2-0 down to win 4-2.

Walker’s Word: Chelsea to march on @ 6/5.

Sunday 23 April

Middlesbrough vs West Ham United

The bookmakers have priced up West Ham as favourites given their positional superiority in the Premiership, but seem to have ignored the fact that the Hammers have not won at Middlesbrough in the Premiership. Steve McClaren’s side have won seven out of eight meetings with West Ham’s last victory at Middlesbrough coming in 1990 when both sides were in the old second division.

Walker’s Word: Boro’s home record to prevail @ 6/4.

How time flies. It is unbelievable to think Robbie Keane is still just 27 years old. He has been around for such a long time. The Irish international has never enjoyed Champions League football and he seems ready to step into the big stage. Keane is presently at the centre of a supposed transfer struggle between Liverpool and his current employers Tottenham.

He has been very patient with Tottenham and now he wants a guarantee of champions league football which Liverpool of course can offer every season. Perhaps, Keane has now realized that to be a great player you have to play on the big stage.

He has more chances of winning silverware at Anfield, I mean Champions League Title not Carling Cup. Sorry to all Spur fans but truth be told Keane has more silverware chances with Liverpool than he does with Tottenham.

He started his impressive career at Wolverhampton Wanders and Coventry. He was one of the hottest talents in British football yet found himself in a bad situation at Inter Milan and Leeds United after the then coach of Inter Marcello Lippi was sacked and Leeds ran into their much-publicized mess afterwards.

Funny enough he turned down Liverpool earlier in his career to join Wolverhampton Wanderers. He believed he has a great chance to break into the first team of Wolves than Liverpool. Keane progressed through their youth ranks and made his professional debut aged 17 on August 9, 1997, where he scored twice against Norwich City. He went on to be the club’s leading scorer in the following season as his profile rose.

Keane is known for his trademark goal celebration, during which he runs towards one of the corner flags and performs a cartwheel and forward roll, finishing by «firing» his hands like a gun. He once swapped the gun mime for a crossbow after scoring a goal for Spurs in the 2005-06 season. He stopped performing the celebration for about a year, because the manager at the time Martin Jol thought he would get injured. He brought it back for one more time to celebrate his 100th goal for the club on 19 January 2008.

Keane claimed in a television interview that he would only bring the celebration back should Spurs win the League Cup, a feat they achieved on 24 February 2008 in a 2-1 Victory against Chelsea FC at Wembley Stadium. However, this claim never came to fruition as Keane was not amongst the scorers that day.

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