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A pal (associate, acquaintance, friend, family member, con artist) whispers in your ear, “Hey, I just acquired a tip on some sure bets. Man, you can’t lose on this!” Have you ever experienced this at one time or another? What was your response? Did you get all excited, empty your checking account and plop your money down? Or, did your radar go up as a result of you might have been highly suspicious, skeptical and smelled a rat?

We’ve All Been Taught Sure Bets Are For Suckers!

Why wouldn’t you believe in sure bets? In spite of everything, you have analyzed the event and the teams taking part are going in reverse directions. One has won 10 in a row and playing at home, the opponent has lost 12 in a row and are a bad road team. There is little question about it, the home group is going to smash ‘em. You’re taking all of your betting capital and possibly even borrow a bit (hey, this isn’t the lottery, it’s a sure bet) and put your money down. Then, you sit back and wait with a sure smugness that comes with certainty of outcome. While you’re waiting you determine how you’re going to spend the winnings. You know, that dream vacation, something for the spouse or possibly spoil your self with a well-deserved treat. Man, it is going to really feel good raking in all the money for a change.

The game begins. Immediately you notice one thing isn’t right. The home group that was a lock is playing sluggish…man, they’re sleep-walking. Haven’t they seen the games begun? And the visiting team…who lit the fire under them? OMIGD, this can’t be happening! Come on guys, get with it. Don’t let this slip away. Make it 11 wins in a row. This ought to be easy. Get your heads into the game.

In conclusion, they never do get their heads within the game and now you have lost it all. Not simply your personal money, but the borrowed cash as well.  All these dreams you had simply hours ago have become sheer panic! What are you going to do now? You have no stake left to make up your losses. You’ll be unable to pay again what you borrowed. Could it get any worse? Oh yah, nothing like sure bets!

Actually, There Are Sure Bets — Where You Always Win — Really!

In case you’re intent on choosing winners then, there isn’t any such thing as sure bets. However there’s a system whereby you’ll be able to win each time. Now, chances are you may not win lots on every wager, however, you will win. This type of betting known as arbitrage. It’s referred to by many names…arbitrage trading, arbitrage betting, sure bets, sure betting and a few others. Usually, it’s generally called arbing.

In this sort of betting, you don’t select winners. You do not even care who wins. Why? Since you cover all outcomes. Now, you don’t place all of your bets with one bookmaker. You choose an event then examine the chances with numerous bookmakers. With one bookmaker you bet on a group to win. Then, with a second bookmaker, you wager on that very same team not to win. We are saying to not win because of in some events a tie is possible and also you need to ensure that end result is covered as well.

As I mentioned above, you won’t win as much on each bet, nonetheless, you at all times win and by no means lose when you do it right. When you get the grasp of it, it’s child’s play.

Yes, there really are sure bets!

Myth 1:  A workout plan is all you will ever need
Most common of all myths, you will be forgiven if you had the same thoughts before this.  For you to achieve greater heights in your jumps, you not only need a workout or training plan,  you need a personalized system which will track your progress during training as well as non-training sessions.  It is not the amount of time that you spent in training that helps you improve your vertical jump.  It also involved the time spent outside of training, when your muscle masses are building and your muscles respond to reflexes from your training previously.

Myth 2:  You need ‘good genes’ to jump higher
Vertical jump is about your jumping ability and has nothing to do with genes.  Once in a while, you might find a person with better genes who excel at his vertical jump but this can only be true if he has incorporated a fair amount of training time to achieve that result.  

Myth 3: If you lift weights, you will increase your verticle jump
Anyone who carries this mentality will fail to achieve greater heights in their jumps.  Building muscles by lifting weights only increases your muscle masses, not the height to your jump.  You have to strengthen the right kind of muscles to get that dynamic lift.  And the right kind of muscles can only be trained using plyometric training.

Myth 4: Anyone can do that 5 sets of 10 workouts
Proper jump trainings are personalized to cater to your needs and monitor your progress.  Anyone telling you that you can only get the results from a fixed workout system is wrong and this will not help you achieve the jump height you want.  Our body, strength and stamina differ from each other.  Therefore the 12 workouts can only work for some people while others will see no improvement with the height of their jump.  

Myth 5: You will jump higher after taking these supplements
This is pure advertising myth created by the supplement product company.  There is no way any supplement can increase your vertical jump without going through the jump training.  Your muscles do not rely on supplements to give you an extra boost in your jump.  What they need are consistent trainings.
 
Now that you know that these myths are just that –  myths, you should be confident to undergo the proper training, to improve your vertical jump manual.

Premiership Predictions: March 5th to 7th: (Saturday to Monday) 2011

Match 1: Birmingham – West Brom: (Saturday March 5th: 12.45pm):

Birmingham had a fantastic result on Sunday in the League Cup final when they won 2-1 with a late goal. This was the first time that Birmingham had won a major final at Wembley & their first trophy since winning the same trophy in 1963. Well done to them as it is good that the so called lesser clubs win trophy’s.

Birmingham now play West Brom at home in a classic relegation six pointer as both sides are struggling against a drop into the Championship. Blues lost their last game at home 2-0 to improved Newcastle. Blues home form is not as strong as last season as the Newcastle defeat was their third defeat at home this season. The other defeats have come against Everton & Arsenal.

Blues have only won four home games this season & they were against Stoke, Blackpool, Chelsea & Blackburn. On a further plus note they have drawn with Manchester United, Manchester City, Aston Villa, Wigan, Spurs, Liverpool & West Ham. So their home record is not as bad as first seemed mainly because of the draws.

West Brom managed a rare point at Stoke on Monday with a late goal in a 1-1 draw. It was only their third away bore draw of the season, after draws at Manchester United & West Ham but more importantly it was only the 5th game this season that they have avoided defeat away from home in the premiership. Shocking away form but not as bad as Wolves.

I think that Blues will win this game as they will be full of confidence after their win against Arsenal last Sunday but it will be close. I also think that both clubs will stay up come the end of the season as well & in West Brom’s case probably only by a point.

Match prediction: Birmingham to win
Score Prediction: Birmingham 2 West Brom 1
Attendance Prediction: 27,000

Match 2: Arsenal – Sunderland: (Saturday March 5th: 3pm):

Arsenal are will be bitterly disappointed not to have won the League Cup final on Sunday. They gave the game away with a dreadful goalkeeping error that was more at home in the Sunday league than a Major final. However, they will have been lifted by Manchester United’s defeat at Chelsea on Tuesday night that means they are 4 points behind them but with a game in hand.

Arsenal obviously need to pick themselves off the floor & remind themselves that they are still in the title race. They now face a Sunderland side who are on a bad run. Sunderland have now lost their last 4 league games, the latest on Saturday when they went down 2-0 at Everton as predicted by yours truly. Sunderland’s away form is not too good. They have managed to win at Chelsea, Blackpool & Aston Villa. The draws have come at Liverpool, Blackburn, Wigan & Spurs but they have lost at Manchester United, Newcastle, Stoke, West Brom, Wolves & Fulham.

Arsenal’s home form is good, especially since the autumn period when they lost three times to Newcastle, Spurs & West Brom. In fact since they lost to Spurs in November they have only dropped one point at home & that was in a goalless draw with Manchester City. The wins at home then have come against Blackpool, West Ham, Birmingham, Wolves, Chelsea, Everton, Wigan, Bolton, Fulham & last time out Stoke whom they beat last Tuesday.

I think that Arsenal will start this game nervously but because of Sunderland’s recent bad form will take all three points to keep the pressure on Manchester United who play Liverpool away on Sunday.

Match prediction: A home win
Score Prediction: Arsenal 2 Sunderland 0
Attendance Prediction: 60,000

Match 3: Bolton – Aston Villa: (Saturday March 5th: 3pm):

Both sides had good results last Weekend. Bolton stopped their bad run of away defeats by drawing 1-1 at Newcastle & Villa beat Blackburn 4-1. I enjoyed the Villa win as I was at the game. These sides drew 1-1 earlier in the season at Villa Park & to be honest I can see a similar result in this game as both sides are on a good run & will probably cancel each other out.

Bolton’s home form is good with only two defeats against Liverpool & Chelsea. The wins have come against Newcastle, Stoke, West Brom, Wolves, Everton (last time out at home),Spurs & Blackburn. The draws were against Wigan, Manchester United & Blackpool. Bolton are higher in the table than Villa standing at 7th in the table opposed to Villa’s 12th place in the table.

Villa’s victory against Blackburn has lifted them to 12th as already mentioned & means they are 5 points above the relegation zone. Villa should be safe. Villa’s away record is not good with only two wins on the road at Wigan & Wolves & draws at Fulham, Chelsea, Birmingham & last time out at Blackpool 1-1. The list of defeats is long. They have been at Manchester United, Manchester City, Spurs, Blackburn, Stoke, Newcastle, Sunderland & Liverpool.

Too be fair to Villa their away record has improved since the signing of Darren Bent with the win at Wigan & two draws at Blackpool & Birmingham. The only defeat was at Manchester United which of course was expected.

Both sides to cancel each other out in a draw.

Match prediction: a Draw
Score Prediction: Bolton 1 Aston Villa 1
Attendance Prediction: 24,000

Match 4: Fulham – Blackburn: (Saturday March 5th: 3pm):

Fulham gained a very good point at Manchester City on Sunday in a 1-1 draw. I suppose it wasn’t really a surprise to Fulham fans as they are the draw specialists this season in the Prem. It was 14th draw of the season & their 8th away from home.

Fulham now play Blackburn at home hoping to pull further away from the drop zone. They are 5 points clear in 13th place. It is since the new year that Fulham’s form has improved with only defeats at Liverpool & at home to Bolton in the FA Cup 5th round. They have 6 home wins to their name against Wigan, West Brom, Stoke, Newcastle & Wolves. The draws have come against Manchester United, Birmingham, Aston Villa, Sunderland, Everton & last time out at home when they drew 0-0 with Chelsea. In fact they should have beaten Chelsea because they missed a last minute penalty to win. The defeats have come against Manchester City, West Ham & Spurs. So not a bad home record & it makes you wonder where Fulham would be in the table if they had turned a percentage of their draws into wins.

Blackburn have struggled recently with some heavy defeats mainly on Saturday when they lost 4-1 at Aston Villa. They have as a consequence dropped down the table to 14th, 4 points ahead of the bottom three. They should be safe from relegation but their recent form is of concern.

They have managed to win at Blackpool, Newcastle & West Brom but have lost at Liverpool, Stoke, Spurs, Sunderland, Aston Villa, Birmingham, Chelsea, Manchester United & Bolton.

It is Blackburn’s away record that will again let them down in this game but with Fulham it could be a draw. I am going to stick my neck out a go for a home win.

Match prediction: Fulham to win
Score Prediction: Fulham 2 Blackburn 1
Attendance Prediction: 26,000

Match 5: Newcastle – Everton: (Saturday March 5th: 3pm):

Newcastle drew at home with Bolton on Saturday which was not a good result for them as they were hoping to avenge the 5-1 defeat they suffered at Newcastle earlier in the season. Everton meanwhile had a dreadful result in the FA Cup 5th round against Championship side Reading on Tuesday when they lost 1-0 & this after they had beaten Chelsea in the 4th round at Stamford Bridge on penalties.

Everton will need to pick themselves up & to be honest I don’t think they will in this game as Newcastle’s home form has slowly improved as the season has progressed. They have beaten Aston Villa, Liverpool, Sunderland, West Ham & drawn with Bolton, Wigan, Fulham, Spurs & Chelsea. They are due a home win & I think they will in this game.

Everton’s away record is ok with a lot of draws. The draws have been at Liverpool, West Ham, Fulham, Spurs, Sunderland, Chelsea, & Blackpool. They have also won at Manchester City & Birmingham.

The list of defeats have come at Stoke, Blackburn, Aston Villa, Arsenal & last time out away at Bolton when they went down 2-0.

I think that as Everton will be low on confidence because of the Reading defeat & that Newcastle haven’t won at home since beating West Ham over the holiday period then the mags will win.

Match prediction: Newcastle to win
Score Prediction: Newcastle 2 Everton 1
Attendance Prediction: 45,000

Match 6: West Ham – Stoke: (Saturday March 5th: 3pm):

West Ham got a great win against Liverpool on Sunday when they beat them 3-1. It was a deserved win & only their 4th home win of the season & 6th overall. West ham now try to win two games on the bounce for the first time this season against a Stoke side who have a below par away record in the Premiership this season.

West Ham’s home wins have come against Wigan, Spurs, Wolves & Liverpool while the draws have come against West Brom, Everton, Fulham & Blackpool. The defeats (too many) have come against Birmingham, Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester City, Newcastle & Bolton. It is West ham’s home record of six defeats that has seen them struggle for most if not all of the season. West Ham are still in the bottom three but at least they are making a fight of staying up.

Earlier in the season these teams drew 1-1 at Stoke but this time I think that West Ham will go one better and gain three points against a Stoke side who have lost 10 times already away from home this season. They have on the plus side managed to win at Newcastle, Blackburn & West Brom plus a draw at Wigan.

It is Stoke’s home form that has kept them for most of the season in the top half of the table. They are safe from relegation bar an amazing slump. They are also into the quarter finals of the FA Cup as are West Ham. In fact both sides play each other at Stoke in the Quarter finals.

A home win for West Ham then & will they survive this season?

Match prediction: A West Ham win
Score Prediction: West Ham 2 Stoke 1
Attendance Prediction: 36,000

Match 7: Manchester City – Wigan: (Saturday March 5th: 5.30pm):

City had a very disappointing 1-1 home draw with Fulham last Sunday. It now leaves them still in 4th place in the table but only two points ahead of Chelsea who also have a game in hand on them. This means that City need to get back to winning ways after defeat at Manchester United and of course the home draw with Fulham last Sunday.

They now play bottom side Wigan who fell to the bottom of the table after their 4-0 home defeat to leaders Manchester United last Saturday. I will mention the foul by Wayne Rooney that was not punished by the ref or the FA after the game in that Wigan’s chairman Dave Whelan was correct when he said that if it had been the other way around then the Wigan player would have been sent off & that there is one set of rules for United & another for the rest of the Premiership. How Alex Fergusson can complain about the ref after the Chelsea game is beyond me. What tunnel vision.

City have a good home record with wins against Chelsea, Blackpool, Aston Villa, Newcastle, Bolton, Wolves, West Brom, Liverpool & draws against Fulham, Birmingham, Manchester United & Blackburn. They have only lost twice against Arsenal & Everton.

Wigan have already lost at Arsenal, Blackburn, West Ham, Manchester United & Fulham but have won at Spurs & Wolves while drawing at Liverpool (last away game), Birmingham, Everton, Bolton & Newcastle. In fact their away record is slightly better than their home form as they have lost six times at home compared to five times away.

I think that City will bounce back to form & win this game & another nail in Wigan’s relegation battle.

Match prediction: A home win
Score Prediction: Manchester City 2 Wigan 0
Attendance Prediction: 45,000

Match 8: Liverpool – Manchester United: (Sunday March 6th: 1.30pm):

United lost 2-1 at Chelsea on Tuesday which means that they are still 4 points ahead of Arsenal but Arsenal have a game in hand now. It is looking interesting in the battle for the Title. The Chelsea defeat was only United’s second away defeat of the season & second overall as they are unbeaten at home this season & to be honest it is United’s home form that will probably see them crowned champions come the end of the season.

If United do somehow lose the title it will be their away form where the finger of blame will be pointed at. They have (for United) only won 4 games away this season which compares badly with Arsenal’s seven wins & Manchester City’s six. However, they as already mentioned only lost twice at Wolves & Chelsea even if both defeats have come recently. The rest of United’s games away have of course ended in draws & they have been at Fulham, Everton, Bolton, Birmingham, Aston Villa, Manchester City, Spurs & Sunderland.

Liverpool lost for the second time under Kenny Dalglish when they went down 3-1 at West Ham on Sunday. Liverpool despite improving under Dalglish have still got a dreadful away record with 9 defeats to their name. Liverpool have also lost at home twice to Blackpool & Wolves. However, Liverpool’s home record is good with wins against West Brom, Chelsea, Bolton, Blackburn, Fulham, West Ham, Aston Villa & Stoke.

I Can’t see United losing two away games on the trot & I also think that Liverpool are simply not that good so therefore despite Liverpool raising their game for this match I suspect it won’t be enough to prevent United taking all three betting bonus points.

Match Prediction: United to win
Score Prediction: Liverpool 1 Manchester United 2
Attendance prediction: 44,000

Match 9: Wolves – Spurs: (Sunday March 6th: 4pm):

Wolves had a great 4-0 win against Blackpool last Saturday a result that lifted them out of the bottom three only for West Brom’s draw at Stoke to put them back in the relegation zone. Wolves now face Spurs at home who lost their last away game 3-1 at Blackpool. This game will be Spurs 4th away on the trot, three in the Prem & one in Europe. They have won two of them at Sunderland & AC Milan but of course lost at Blackpool as already mentioned last week.

Spurs away form is good with wins at Blackburn, Arsenal, Aston Villa, Sunderland, Stoke & Fulham. They have also drawn at Newcastle, Birmingham & West Brom. The defeats have come at Everton, West Ham, Manchester United, Blackpool & Bolton. Spurs are 5th in the table one point behind Chelsea & are obviously fighting them for the last Champions League place.

Wolves home record is good & is the main reason that they have a chance of staying up in the Prem this season. They have beaten Manchester United, Stoke, Birmingham, Sunderland, Chelsea, Manchester City & of course Blackpool last Saturday. They have lost to Liverpool, Arsenal, Bolton & Wigan.

Last season Wolves beat Spurs in both league games but this season they have lost at White Hart Lane 3-1 earlier in the season. I think that both sides will cancel each other out & a point will not help either side in their bids at both ends of the table.

Match prediction: A draw
Score Prediction: Wolves 1 Spurs 1
Attendance Prediction: 27,000

Match 10: Blackpool – Chelsea.: (Monday March 7th: 8pm):

Blackpool had a great win against Spurs last Tuesday when they won 3-1, however, they were knocked back down to earth by getting thrashed 4-0 at Wolves on Saturday. The defeat at Wolves leaves Blackpool in 15th place just four points above the relegation zone.

Blackpool now face Chelsea who got back to winning ways on Tuesday night when they beat Manchester United 2-1 to inflict only United’s second League defeat of the season. Blackpool have a poor home record & it is in fact their away form that is keeping them out of the relegation zone. At home Blackpool have only won against Wolves, West Brom, Liverpool & of course Spurs. They have lost to Blackburn, Manchester City, Manchester United, Birmingham & West Ham. The draws have come against Fulham, Aston Villa & Everton.

Chelsea have lost five times away this season already which is simply not good enough by their recent high standards. The defeats have come at Wolves, Manchester City, Liverpool, Arsenal & Birmingham while they have drawn at Aston Villa, Newcastle, Spurs & Fulham. On the plus side they have won at Sunderland, Blackburn, Bolton, Wigan & West Ham. I think that Chelsea will record their 6th away win in this game at Blackpool.

The big question is if Chelsea will beat Spurs in the race for that last Champions League place?

Match Prediction: A Chelsea win
Score Prediction: Blackpool 1 Chelsea 3
Attendance Prediction: 17,000

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Premiership Predictions: April 9th to 11th: (Saturday to Monday) 2011

Match 1: Wolves – Everton: (Saturday April 9th: 12.45pm):

Wolves mini unbeaten run came to an end last Saturday when they went down 4-1 at Newcastle. They are still in the bottom three in 19th place but only one point from safety. A win in this game could see them move out of the bottom three as very few points as only three points separate Wigan in 20th place to Blackburn in 14th.

Wolves home record is not bad with wins against Stoke, Birmingham, Manchester City, Manchester United, Blackpool, Sunderland and Chelsea. They have also drawn against Spurs, West Ham and Newcastle. The 5 defeats have come against Bolton, Liverpool, Arsenal, Wigan and Aston Villa. So not a bad home record against an Everton side who have a good away record mainly because of a large amount of draws they have recorded. Everton have slowly improved since the new year and are now 7th in the table. I suspect they have left it too late to qualify for Europe but never the less they are in form which means that Wolves will have to play well to win this game.

Last time out at Home Wolves drew 3-3 with Spurs thanks to a late goal. A bore draw in this game would not be good for Wolves as it could leave them with more work to do in their bid to stay up for a second successive season.

Everton’s list of draws away have come at West Ham, Liverpool, Chelsea, Blackpool, Sunderland, Fulham and Spurs. The wins have come at Manchester City, Birmingham and Newcastle. On the other side of the coin they have lost at Stoke, Aston Villa, Blackburn, Bolton and Arsenal.

I think that Wolves will just sneak a win in this game but it will be a close game.

Match prediction: Wolves to win
Correct Score prediction: Wolves 2 Everton 1
Attendance prediction: 28,000

Match 2: Blackburn – Birmingham: (Saturday April 9th: 3pm):

Blackburn managed a great 0-0 draw at Arsenal last Saturday which helped them in their relegation fight and also I suspect gave them some much needed confidence in their battle to avoid the drop. They are now 14th but only two point above the drop zone. I think they will survive but it might be a bit nerve racking for their supporters.

Thankfully for Blackburn they have an ok home record with wins against Liverpool, Everton, Aston Villa, Wolves, West Brom and Wigan while they have drawn with Fulham, Blackpoll (Last home game), Newcastle, Sunderland and West Ham. The defeats have come against Arsenal, Chelsea, Spurs and Stoke. Not as good a home record as last season and hence why they are lower down the table then last term.

Birmingham won a vital game against Bolton last Saturday as I predicted and this result moved them out of the bottom three to 15th place. It was also revenge for Birmingham as they had lost at home to Bolton in the quarter finals of the FA Cup only a few weeks before hand.

Birmingham have only won two away games this season at Blackpool and West Ham, both of these wins have come in the second half of the season. Last time out away Blues lost 2-1 at bottom placed Wigan which it goes without saying was a bad result for them. Blues have drawn away a few times at Everton, Manchester City, Sunderland, Bolton, Aston Villa and Fulham but have lost at Manchester United, Wigan, Arsenal, Wolves, West Brom and Stoke. A mixed bag really and it is their away form that has generally let them down this season with the large amount of draws.

A home win but I think that come the end of the season both sides will survive.

Match prediction: A home win
Correct Score prediction: Blackburn 2 Birmingham 0
Attendance prediction: 24,000

Match 3: Bolton – West Ham: (Saturday April 9th: 3pm):

Bolton’s bad away run (apart from the FA Cup) continued last Saturday when they lost again, this time at relegation threatened Birmingham City. It was Bolton’s 9th away defeat of the season. However, at home Bolton have been a different beast with 8 wins and only two defeats to Liverpool and Chelsea. The eight wins have come against Everton, Newcastle, Wolves, West Brom, Stoke, Spurs, Blackburn and last time out at home 3-2 against struggling Aston Villa. Bolton are also into the FA Cup semi finals and play Stoke City at Wembley the week after this. It will be a game that will give Bolton a chance of reaching their first FA Cup final since they beat Manchester United 2-0 in the 1958 final (I think?).

West Ham come to Bolton with a relegation away record but they did manage a draw at Spurs in their last away game in a 0-0 scoreline. They failed to build on that good result however, when they threw away a 2-0 half time lead to lose 4-2 at home last Saturday to Manchester United. That result dumped them back into the relegation places again.

West Ham have managed only two away wins this season at Fulham and Blackpool but have drawn seven times at Blackburn, Everton, Wolves, Stoke, Birmingham, West Brom and of course Spurs in their last away game. The defeats have come at Liverpool, Arsenal, Sunderland, Aston Villa, Newcastle and Manchester United. If only West ham could have turned a few of their draws into wins then they would be out of the bottom three.

As West Ham had such a bad result last weekend and Bolton are so strong at home I think that Bolton will win and no I don’t think that West Ham are going to stay up.

Match prediction: a home win
Correct Score prediction: Bolton 3 West Ham 1
Attendance prediction: 25,000

Match 4: Chelsea – Wigan: (Saturday April 9th: 3pm):

Chelsea had a bad result on Wednesday when they lost 1-0 at home to Manchester United in the first leg of their Champions League quarter final. Can’t see Chelsea winning the second leg and going through which means that Chelsea are set to win nothing this season after claiming the double last year.

Chelsea are more or less out of the Premiership title race as well after dropping two points at Stoke last Saturday which leaves them in 4th place some 11 points adrift of leaders Manchester United. Yes they have a game in hand but I feel that at this stage of the season it is too big a gap to bridge for Chelsea.

Chelsea should however qualify for the Champions league for next season which at one point this season was something they might not achieve. They have a 5 point lead over Spurs who are fading fast. The game between the two sides at Stamford Bridge before the season ends will I suspect confirm their 4th place finish. Chelsea have a good home record with only 2 league defeats to Sunderland and Liverpool and 2 draws against Everton and Aston Villa. The wins total at home stands at 10 which is up their with the best this season. It is away where they have dropped too many points.

Wigan come to Chelsea with a record of just two wins and six defeats which helps explain why they are bottom of the table and heading for the Championship. The two wins cam at Spurs and Wolves.

I really can’t see Wigan winning this game or even drawing, so a home win and further confirmation if any needed that Wigan will be relegated.

Match prediction: Chelsea to win
Correct Score prediction: Chelsea 3 Wigan 0
Attendance prediction: 41,000

Match 5: Manchester United – Fulham: (Saturday April 9th: 3pm):

United are more or less their in terms of winning the title that they lost to Chelsea last season. Last Saturday they came from 2-0 down at half time away at West Ham to win 4-2. Never mind that the penalty to put them in the lead was a bit harsh as they would have won anyway. With Arsenal failing to win again in a 0-0 draw against Blackburn, United have taken a seven point lead at the top. This will be enough I think for them to win the title as Arsenal can’t win to save their lives and United are on fire.

United also had a great result in the week when they won 1-0 at Chelsea in the quarter finals of the Champions League. I think they will finish the job at home in the second leg. They are also in the FA Cup semi finals against Manchester City and it is looking more and more like 1999 for United.

United have the best home record in the Premiership with 14 wins and only the draw against West Brom out of 15 games. It is this impressive home record that has enabled United to stay top despite a below average away record (for them).

Fulham now arrive at Old Trafford with a good away record mainly down to the large amount of draws they have recorded on their travels this season., eight in total. They have only won one game away at Stoke but the eight draws have come at Blackburn, Blackpool, West Ham, Newcastle, Aston Villa, Wigan, Bolton and impressively Manchester City. Last Sunday they beat Blackpool 3-0 at home to move upto 10th place in the table. In their last away game they lost 2-1 at Everton, which was their 6th away defeat.

I really can’t see Fulham gaining a draw or heaven forbid a win in this game despite the fact that United struggled to beat Bolton in their last game 1-0 at with a very late goal. An easy home win for United then and another three points towards the title.

Match prediction: A home win
Correct Score prediction: Manchester United 2 Fulham 0
Attendance prediction: 73,000

Match 6: Sunderland – West Brom: (Saturday April 9th: 3pm):

Sunderland were thrashed 5-0 at Manchester City last Sunday and they have now gone 7 games without a win since beating Blackpool away in late January. This run of form has coincided with the departure of Darren Bent so it is not hard to see where the problem lies for them. In fact they have failed to score in their last 4 games and have only gained one point in this 7 game run which was a 0-0 draw at Arsenal which says more about Arsenal’s season then it does Sunderland’s.

Sunderland have a good home record but they have started losing at home recently after going the first half of the season unbeaten at home. They have now lost 4 times at home since Christmas to Blackpool, Liverpool, Spurs and Chelsea. The wins this season at home have come against Aston Villa, West Ham, Blackburn, Manchester City, Bolton and Stoke. No home win since they beat Blackburn over the holiday period. Can’t see them winning this game either as West Brom have improved greatly since Roy Hodgson took over.

West Brom are beginning to look like they will stay up after they came from behind to beat Liverpool at home last Saturday. They have now moved upto 13th, some 4 points ahead of the bottom three. They still have some work to do but I think they are going to make it. In West Brom’s last away game they had a great 3-1 at Birmingham which was only their 3rd away win this season but a very timely one. Their other wins were at Arsenal and Everton while they have drawn at West Ham, Stoke and somehow Manchester United earlier in the season when they were 2-0 down at half time. In fact they are the only side to take points off Manchester United at home.

I think that both sides will cancel each other out. The point will be useful for West Brom but for Sunderland it will a most unwelcome addition to their winless run.

Match prediction: A draw
Correct Score prediction: Sunderland 1 West Brom 1
Attendance prediction: 36,000

Match 7: Spurs – Stoke: (Saturday April 9th: 3pm):

Spurs had a dreadful result on Tuesday night in the Champions League when they went down 4-0 to Real Madrid with some massive help from the referee. He decided to send their top striker off in the first half when the score was only 1-0 for a foul that looked to me pretty harmless. Funny that Arsenal had their striker sent off against Barcelona for an even more stupid reason as well as two English clubs meeting at the quarter final stage and you could believe to wonder that UEFA does not like English clubs? No way, UEFA are as decent and fair as FIFA. They are both the same, i.e., corrupt and evil…

Spurs will never go through in the second leg so they need to somehow recover and beat Stoke or they will fail to get back into the Champions league for next season as they are 5 points adrift of Chelsea in 5th place. Spurs have now gone 4 games in the league without a win (6 if you include Europe). They have not won since the 2-1 win at Sunderland on the 12th February. Thankfully for them Chelsea dropped two points last Saturday which of course helped them.

Spurs now play a Stoke side who are happier as they are in the FA Cup semi finals and happily safe in midtable well away from the relegation dog fight at the bottom of the table. Stoke have a good home record but a poor away one. They have lost 11 times already this season away having only recorded 3 wins at Newcastle, Blackburn and West Brom.

Spurs have a good home record with 7 wins six draws and only the one defeat to Wigan against their name. Because of this I think that even though Spurs will struggle in this game because of confidence being low they will win a close game.

Match prediction: A Spurs win
Correct Score prediction: Spurs 2 Stoke 1
Attendance prediction: 36,000

Match 8: Blackpool – Arsenal: (Sunday April 10th: 1.30pm):

Arsenal have more or less blown their title chances after failing to beat lowly Blackburn at home last Saturday in a 0-0 draw. The gunners have now gone 3 league games without a win and six overall which has seen them get knocked out of the Champions League by Barcelona, beaten 2-1 by Birmingham in the League cup final and knocked out of the FA Cup by Manchester United. The three league games they have failed to win have all ended in draws and you have to ask has any club been on a more deflating run in recent years?

Arsenal are now 7 points behind Manchester United in second place with a game in hand and the way they are playing it is I suspect a gap too big for them to bridge in the title race. They now take to Blackpool the best away record in the League as they have won seven and drawn five while only losing two at Chelsea and Manchester United. The seven wins have come at Birmingham, West Ham, Wolves, Blackburn, Everton, Manchester City and Aston Villa. Last time out away Arsenal came from 2-0 down to draw 2-2 at West Brom.

Blackpool lost again on Sunday, this time 3-0 at Fulham and are now staring relegation in the face as they are in 17th place just one point above the drop zone. After a great first half to the season It is looking like Blackpool are going to do what Burnley did last season and get relegated after a good first half of the season. That would be a shame for the club and their fans.

Blackpool have an average home record with wins against Spurs, Liverpool, Wolves, West Brom and draws against Everton, Fulham, Aston Villa while losing to Sunderland, Birmingham, West Ham, Manchester United, Chelsea, Manchester City and Blackburn. More games lost at home than won.

I think that as Blackpool are on a bad run and that Arsenal have to win sooner or later than Arsenal will prevail and come away with a win but I suspect that it will be a close game.

Match prediction: Arsenal to win
Correct Score prediction: Blackpool 1 Arsenal 2
Attendance prediction: 17,000

Match 9: Aston Villa – Newcastle: (Sunday April 10th: 4pm):

Aston Villa grabbed a much needed point at Everton last Saturday when they drew 2-2. It still leaves Villa in trouble at the bottom of the table though as they are in 16th place just two points above safety. Villa now play Newcastle at home in a game they have to win to put some daylight between themselves and the bottom three. Villa lost their last home game 1-0 to Wolves which was a crap result. Villa have now lost 4 times at home this season, the other defeats coming against Arsenal, Sunderland and Spurs. They have however managed to beat West Ham, West Brom, Blackburn, Manchester City, Everton and Blackpool while drawing with Fulham, Birmingham, Manchester United, Chelsea and Bolton. Not a bad home record then but undermined by their away form where they have only managed two wins.

Newcastle are safely in midtable after their 4-1 win over relegation threatened Wolves last Saturday. Newcastle have a average away record. They have won at Everton, West Ham, Wigan , Birmingham and Arsenal but lost at West Brom, Fulham, Manchester United, Manchester City, Spurs, Bolton and Stoke which was their last away game when they were hammered 4-0. To even things out they have managed draws at Sunderland, Blackburn and Wolves.

I think that Villa will win this game, just but it will be a much needed win for Villa. The big question is if the win will keep the locals happy as they are pissed off with their manager. I don’t think so and if I was in charge at Villa I would be seriously looking at Changing the manager in the summer.

Match prediction: A home win
Correct Score prediction: Aston Villa 2 Newcastle 1
Attendance Prediction: 36,000

Match 10: Liverpool – Manchester City: (Monday April 11th: 8pm):

City bounced back from their defeat to Chelsea by thrashing luckless Sunderland 5-0 at home last Sunday which took them above Chelsea into third place, one point above Chelsea who of course could only draw at Stoke on the Saturday. City are also through to the FA Cup semi finals where they play their bitter city rivals United at Wembley.

City drew this fixture last season 2-2 and have beaten Liverpool at home 3-0 already this season so Liverpool will be hoping for some revenge in this game. They might have trouble getting it. Liverpool have a good home record as apposed to their dreadful away form where they have lost 10 times already, the latest being last Saturday when they lost 2-1 at West Brom despite taking the lead. At home Liverpool have only lost twice to Blackpool and Wolves. They have drawn with Arsenal, Everton, Sunderland and Wigan but on the plus side they have won nine. The nine wins have come against Manchester United, Chelsea, Bolton, Blackburn, Stoke, Aston Villa, West Ham, West Brom and Fulham. Under Dalglish Liverpool have not lost at home and as City’s away form has dipped a bit in the last few games I think they will both cancel each other out in this game.

City have a good away record with 6 wins but they have lost five times and three of those defeats have come recently at Aston Villa, Manchester United and Chelsea. The other two defeats came earlier in the season at Sunderland and Wolves. The six wins for the record have come at Wigan, Blackpool, Newcastle, West Ham, Fulham and West Brom.

I think that both sides will cancel each other out and for city they should be playing in the Champions League next season which should piss off Liverpool fans as they think they should be doing just that.

Match prediction: A draw
Correct Score prediction: Liverpool 2 Manchester City 2
Attendance Prediction: 44,000