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

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

Match 1: Aston Villa – Fulham: (Saturday February 5th: 3pm):

Aston Villa’s mini winning run came to an end when they lost 3-1 at Manchester United. This was no big surprise for me as I predicted them to lose. Villa’s last home game resulted in a 1-0 victory over high flying Manchester City. Villa have dropped a place in the table to 14th after losing on Tuesday as Fulham who were below them beat Newcastle 1-0 to leapfrog them. This betting game should then be an Interesting one.

Villa’s home record is average with wins over West Ham, West Brom, Blackpool, Everton & of course Manchester City last time out. They have also drawn with Manchester United, Chelsea (Good draws), Bolton & Birmingham. On the negative side they have lost three times to Arsenal, Spurs & Sunderland. A mixed bad you would agree but it is really Villa’s away record that has dragged them down into the lower half of the table. However, Villa have picked up recently with the signing of Darren Bent which seems to have revived them with vital wins over Manchester City & Wigan.

Fulham are on a good run with only one defeat since the holiday period which was a narrow 1-0 defeat at Liverpool. Since the new year Fulham have beaten Stoke (twice), West Brom & on Wednesday Newcastle. They drew at Wigan as well which was a good away pint & also have the added bonus of being in the 5th round of the FA Cup after wins over Peterborough & last Sunday when they thrashed Spurs 4-0! Fulham have only one once away this season at Stoke but have drawn 6 times & only lost 5 which isn’t too bad.

I think that Villa will win this game but only just & Darren Bent might be the difference.

Match prediction: Aston Villa to win
Score Prediction: Aston Villa 2 Fulham 1
Attendance Prediction: 35,000

Match 2: Everton – Blackpool: (Saturday February 5th: 3pm):

Everton played well at Arsenal on Tuesday but eventually went down 2-1 after taking a first half lead. Their goal may have been offside but they deserved to be in front at half time. Can’t imagine Manchester United being one nil down at half time to an offside goal at Old Trafford. Everton have spent most of the season in the bottom half of the table mainly due to the large amount of draws they have had this season. Yes, they are proving hard to beat but not converting the draws into wins.

Everton’s home form has yielded only three wins over Liverpool, Stoke & Spurs. It is the draws against Wigan, Bolton, Wolves & West Ham that have cost them. They did draw 3-3 with Manchester United but that was a point gained as they were 3-1 down until very late in the game. Also the defeats against Newcastle, West Brom & Arsenal have obviously also proved costly.

Everton now face Blackpool who have lost their last 4 league games, three of them at home. Their latest defeat was on Wednesday when they lost 3-1 to West Ham at home which was a bad game for them to lose as West Ham were bottom before the game.

Blackpool are now in serious danger of being sucked into the relegation fight as they are now 13th just 4 points above the drop zone. Blackpool’s away record is better than their home record as they have won 5 away compared to 3 at home. Blackpool lost their last away game 3-2 at West Brom & to be honest I can see them losing this game especially as Everton won their previous home game against Spurs in the League.

I predicted Blackpool to go down at the start of the season & then retracted that after their good run. I might have to revisit that decision. A home win.

Match prediction: An Everton win
Score Prediction: Everton 3 Blackpool 1
Attendance Prediction: 37,000

Match 3: Manchester City – West Brom: (Saturday February 5th: 3pm):

City dropped more points on Wednesday when they drew 2-2 at Birmingham & this after they had lost 1-0 at Aston Villa in their previous league game. Add to that a 1-1 FA Cup draw at 3rd Division Notts County & I reckon you have a crisis, sack the manager, etc, etc…..Are not the media dreadful, Yes you Radio 5 & the Papers.

Anyway I digress. City have now fallen three points behind Arsenal & having played a game more than the Gunners. Also, Chelsea have closed the gap on them as well to two points & again City have played a game more. Interesting times for the blue half of Manchester. They now face a West Brom side who are trying to pull away from the clubs fighting to starve off a relegation battle. West Brom drew 2-2 at home with Wigan on Tuesday which was ok as they needed to avoid defeat but it still leaves them three points above the drop zone. City have a good home record with only two defeats to Arsenal & Everton & wins over Liverpool, Wolves (Last home game), Blackpool, Newcastle, Aston Villa, Bolton & importantly Chelsea. The draws have come against Blackburn, Birmingham & Manchester United.

West Brom’s away record is not good. They have won just two games at Everton & Arsenal with draws at West Ham & Manchester United. Sadly (for them) they have lost 8 times. I’m afraid I can’t see West Brom providing a shock in this game & City should win this game to put pressure on the teams around them in the battle for the title & 4th place for the Champions League.

Match prediction: A home win
Score Prediction: Manchester City 3 West Brom 1
Attendance Prediction: 46,000

Match 4: Newcastle – Arsenal: (Saturday February 5th: 3pm):

Arsenal are still in the title race after they came from behind to beat Everton 2-1 on Tuesday. They are still however, 5 points behind Manchester United. If Arsenal are going to win the title then United need to drop some serious points & I can’t see that happening. Arsenal are still fighting on all four fronts. They are in the League cup final, through to the 5th round of the Cup & play Barcelona next week in the Champions League where I’m afraid I think they will fail & go out like they did last season.

Arsenal take the best away record in the Premiership this season to Newcastle. Last time these two sides met at St James Park Arsenal won 3-1 (if I remember Correctly) & I can see a similar result this time out. Arsenal have only lost twice away this season at Manchester United & Chelsea but have won at Everton, Wolves, Blackburn, Aston Villa, West Ham, Birmingham & importantly Manchester City, a total of 7 wins, better than anyone else which is a credit to the way Arsenal play football. They have also managed draws at Liverpool, Wigan & Sunderland.

Newcastle lost at Fulham on Wednesday but have slightly improved under Alan Pardew since his appointment. They have an ok home record with wins against Liverpool, West Ham, Aston Villa & Sunderland while they have lost to Blackburn, Manchester City, Blackpool & Stoke. The draws have come against Spurs, Chelsea & Wigan.

In Newcastle’s last home game they drew 1-1 against Spurs but I think that Spurs North London Rivals Arsenal will go one better & win but knowing Arsenal it will be a nervous win at times.

Match prediction: Arsenal to win
Score Prediction: Newcastle 1 Arsenal 3
Attendance Prediction: 46,000

Match 5: Stoke – Sunderland: (Saturday February 5th: 12.45pm):

Stoke lost 2-0 at Liverpool on Wednesday just as I predicted. It was their 8th away defeat this season. Not good but they have a good home form & have at least won 3 times away which is more than a few clubs. Stoke now play Sunderland who lost only their second home game of the season when they went down 4-2 to Chelsea on Wednesday.

Stoke as I have said have a good home record with wins over Liverpool, Everton, Blackburn, Birmingham, Aston Villa & last time out at home 2-0 against Bolton. They have also drawn with Manchester City & West Ham. The defeats have come against Blackpool, Manchester United, Spurs & Fulham. Stoke are 11th in the table which I feel is more or less where they will end up come the end of the season.

Sunderland won their last away game at Blackpool which was their third away win of the season after wins at Chelsea & Aston Villa. Sunderland have also drawn away at Liverpool, Blackburn, Fulham, Tottenham & Wigan. The defeats list stands at 4 which is good. Sunderland’s away form has improved on last season as they only managed one away win last season at Bolton & that was on the opening day of the season.

I think that Stoke’s home form will just get them past the post but Sunderland should have the last laugh by finishing higher than them come the final day of the season.

Match prediction: A home win
Score Prediction: Stoke 2 Sunderland 0
Attendance Prediction: 27,000

Match 6: Spurs – Bolton: (Saturday February 5th: 3pm):

Spurs got a vital 1-0 win at Blackburn on Wednesday. It was their first win in the league since January 1st when they beat Fulham 1-0 at Home. Spurs have therefore closed the gap on Manchester City by two points as City could only draw at Birmingham but failed to close in on Chelsea as they won for the third time on the bounce when they beat Sunderland away. The gap between Spurs & Chelsea is still three points in the battle for 4th place & beyond. I suspect that the Chelsea Spurs game at Stamford Bridge will be crucial in deciding some issues in the table when it is played later in the season.

Spurs have a good home record & so they will start as favourites against Bolton who have now lost their last five away games on the bounce after only losing at Arsenal in their first 7 away games of the season. Spurs have beaten Blackburn, Wolves, Fulham, Aston Villa, Newcastle & Liverpool. The one point games have been against Manchester City, Manchester United, Sunderland, Chelsea & Everton. The defeats list stands at one & that was somehow against Wigan.

Bolton won at Wolves & West Ham earlier in the season & also drew at West Brom, Aston Villa, Everton & Wigan. To be fair Bolton have played well in their recent run of away defeats & have been a bit unlucky but I suspect that Spurs will simply be too good for them on Saturday as well as being very keen to avenge the 4-2 defeat that they suffered at Bolton earlier in the season.

Match prediction: Spurs to win
Score Prediction: Spurs 3 Bolton 1
Attendance Prediction: 36,000

Match 7: Wigan – Blackburn: (Saturday February 5th: 3pm):

Wigan gained a good point at West Brom on Tuesday which may have failed to close the gap on Albion & Birmingham who are just above them in the table but at least they didn’t fall further behind. Wigan have a poor home record with only two wins against Wolves & Albion. It is the amount of drawn games at home that has cost them as they have drawn 6 games against Liverpool, Sunderland, Fulham, Bolton, Arsenal & Stoke. The five defeats have not helped either & this explains why they are second from bottom in the table having slipped a place due to West Ham winning 3-1 at Blackpool on Wednesday.

Blackburn have a below average away record with three wins at Newcastle, Blackpool & West Brom to their credit but 8 defeats. It is Blackburn’s home record that sees them in 9th place. Blackburn as I have said many times this season will stay up unless they have a massive collapse in form.

I think as I have thought all season that Wigan will go down this season which will be a shame as I don’t like Rugby League & would like Wigan to do well. Oh well such is life.

A score draw then & a point that will be of more use to Blackburn than Wigan.

Match prediction: A score draw
Score Prediction: Wigan 1 Blackburn 1
Attendance Prediction: 16,000

Match 8: Wolves – Manchester United: (Saturday February 5th: 5.30pm):

Wolves lost away again on Wednesday when they went down 1-0 at Bolton. They have now slipped to bottom of the table after West Ham’s win at Blackpool. Difficult times for Wolves in their bid to stay in the Premiership for a third season. Wolves home form is midtable form with five wins, two draws & five defeats. It is of course their dreadful away form that sees them bottom of the table as they have managed only one win & one draw out of 11 games.

Wolves now play a Manchester United side who have yet to lose a game in the league this season. This I can’t understand but that is football. United have a near perfect home record which was continued with a 3-1 win against Aston Villa on Tuesday. Away despite their unbeaten record they have won just three & drawn eight. Last time out away United won 3-2 at Blackpool & to be honest I really can’t see Wolves ending United’s unbeaten record. For the record the list of games that United have drawn away have been at Spurs, Manchester City, Everton, Bolton, Sunderland, Birmingham, Fulham & Aston Villa.

Sorry Wolves but I can’t see you adding to your home wins over Stoke, Sunderland, Manchester City, Birmingham & Chelsea. Victory number four then for United on the road then.

Match prediction: A Manchester United win
Score Prediction: Wolves 1 Manchester United 2
Attendance Prediction: 27,000

Match 9: Chelsea – Liverpool: (Sunday February 6th: 4pm):

Liverpool won again on Wednesday when they beat Stoke 2-0. This was their third league win on the trot after wins against Wolves & Fulham. Unbelievably Liverpool have now moved up the table to the dizzy heights of 7th, just two points behind Sunderland above them. Liverpool won’t make the Champions League but they might get into the UEFA Cup if they keep up this winning run.

They now face Chelsea whom they beat at home earlier in the season which to date I feel has been their best result this season. This will be a difficult game for Liverpool as they have a very poor away record with only two wins to their credit & 8 defeats. Chelsea have also returned to form with three successive wins in the league against Blackburn, Bolton & on Tuesday against Sunderland when they won 4-2 away.

This fixture also has the added bonus of Chelsea’s new signing from Liverpool Torres who I believe will be playing in the game. I suspect he will make a massive difference in this game for Chelsea & until the end of the season.

A home win then but it should be a very interesting game to watch if you can afford the crazy admission price.

Match Prediction: Chelsea to win
Score Prediction: Chelsea 2 Liverpool 0
Attendance prediction: 41,000

Match 10: West Ham – Birmingham: (Sunday February 6th: 1.30pm):

West Ham had a great win on Wednesday when they won 3-1 at falling Blackpool. They have now moved off the bottom of the table to third from bottom & are now only behind Birmingham on goal Difference. Can the hammers survive? We will see. They now face the very side they are trying to overtake in what is a very big relegation game.

West Ham have a poor home record with just three wins to their credit against Spurs, Wolves & Wigan. They have also managed draws with West Brom, Blackpool, Everton & Fulham but they have managed to lose to Chelsea, Manchester City, Arsenal, Bolton & Newcastle. Not good then but the hammers if you look at their record have managed to beat their fellow relegation rivals, so a Home win?

Birmingham have only won once away & that was a few weeks ago at Blackpool. They have however gained draws at Bolton, Fulham, Aston Villa, Manchester City & Sunderland. Last time out away Birmingham were thrashed 5-0 at Manchester United which was their 5th away defeat after defeats at Arsenal, West Brom, Wolves & Stoke.

I think that the hammers will win this game & leapfrog above Birmingham who are beginning to pay for the large amount of draws they have had this season.

Match Prediction: A West Ham win
Score Prediction: West Ham 2 Birmingham 1
Attendance Prediction: 35,000

Premiership Predictions: January 22nd to 24th January (Saturday to Monday) 2011:

Match 1: Wolves – Liverpool: (Saturday January 22nd: 12.45pm):

Liverpool gained a point in a 2-2 draw with Everton in the Merseyside derby but they are still in a relegation fight as they are still only 4 points ahead of the drop zone in 13th place. Liverpool now take their dreadful away form to Wolves who have a reasonable home record with wins against Chelsea (last home game), Sunderland, Stoke, Birmingham & Manchester City. They have also drawn with West Ham & Newcastle. The defeats have come against Aston Villa, Bolton & Wigan. It is Wolves home record that is giving them a chance of staying up as they have only won one game away so far this season & that was against Liverpool over the Holiday period. Wolves unlike Liverpool are still in the FA Cup after they beat Championship side Doncaster Rovers 5-0 in their FA Cup replay on Tuesday Night.

So can Liverpool improve on their away record of only one away win at Bolton & two draws at Wigan & Birmingham. The long list of defeats which at present stands at 8 has seen them lose at Stoke, Everton, Manchester City, Manchester United, Blackburn, Blackpool, Spurs & Newcastle. Liverpool need to start winning under Dalglish & fast. They lost their last away league game 2-1 at Blackpool. They are also out of the FA Cup having lost 1-0 at Old Trafford against Manchester United & their league cup interest was ended by 4th Division Northampton Town at Anfield on penalties.

I think that this will be a close game & that both sides will cancel each other out. I think that if this fixture had taken place when Roy Hodgson was Liverpool manager then I would be predicting a Home win.

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

Match 2: Arsenal – Wigan: (Saturday January 22nd: 3pm):

Arsenal are on a three game run that could shape the future of their season. On Wednesday they Played Leeds United away in the FA Cup and won 3-1. They now face Huddersfield at home in the 4th round. On Saturday they play Wigan in the Premiership & next week they play Championship side Ipswich in an attempt to claw back a 1-0 defeat from the first semi final leg. They should win against Wigan & Ipswich.

Arsenal’s home form has improved since they lost to Spurs. They have beaten Chelsea & Fulham as well as drawing with Manchester City. Arsenal have somehow lost three times this season at home to West Brom, Newcastle & already mentioned Spurs. On the plus side they have managed to beat Fulham, Birmingham, Blackpool, West Ham, Bolton & Chelsea. Bizarrely Arsenal’s away record is better than their home form because they have only lost twice away at Manchester United & Chelsea.

Arsenal have already beaten Wigan at home this season in the League cup quarter finals when they won 2-0. They also played Wigan away over Xmas when they drew 2-2 conceding a late goal which at the time frustrated them especially when you consider Wigan’s league placing. Wigan have managed to win at Wolves & Spurs as well as draws at Birmingham, Everton & Bolton last time out away.

Can’t see Wigan making it win no three on the road & so another three points to Arsenal in their title challenge.

Match prediction: Arsenal to win
Score Prediction: Arsenal 3 Wigan 1
Attendance Prediction: 60,000

Match 3: Blackpool – Sunderland: (Saturday January 22nd: 3pm):

Blackpool lost at West Brom on Saturday but they are still in 10th place in the table on 28 points which is a wonderful return for them after 21 games. Blackpool now face Sunderland who have managed two away wins so far this season at Chelsea & last time out at Aston Villa.

Sunderland lost to Notts County in the FA cup a few weeks ago & have also just lost their top striker Darren Bent to Aston Villa which has not gone down well with Sunderland as they didn’t want to see him leave. Sunderland did draw their last game thanks to a 94th minute goal against their deadly rivals Newcastle when they drew 1-1 last Sunday. It will be interesting to see how they react in this game against Blackpool who as everybody knows are having a great season. Sunderland apart from the two away wins they have managed have also drawn at Spurs, Blackburn, Wigan, Fulham & Liverpool but have lost at Manchester United, West Brom, Wolves, Newcastle & Wigan.

Blackpool have a good home record with wins against West Brom, Wolves & Liverpool while they have drawn with Fulham & Everton. The defeats have come against Blackburn, Manchester City & Birmingham. They have in fact won more games away than at home. I think that Blackpool will catch Sunderland feeling sorry for them selves & hence win.

Match prediction: A home win
Score Prediction: Blackpool 2 Sunderland 1
Attendance Prediction: 16,000

Match 4: Everton – West Ham: (Saturday January 22nd: 3pm):

Amazingly West ham’s manager is still in a job despite the press reporting that he would be leaving. Could it be that the media have got it wrong? Never they are always correct. West Ham lost at home to Arsenal as I predicted last Saturday which leaves them still bottom & adrift by two points which is not that much. There is still hope I suspect but I think they won’t survive.

West Ham are still in the FA Cup after beating Barnsley & of course play the second leg of their League cup semi final next week when they play Birmingham City with a 2-1 lead from the first leg. It is their league form that is causing concern. They have only won once away at Fulham & drawn at Stoke, Blackburn, Wolves & Birmingham. The list of defeats have been at Liverpool, Sunderland, Newcastle, Arsenal & Aston Villa. Not good.

Everton’s home form improved with the win over Spurs in their last home game which was only their third of the season after wins against Stoke & Liverpool. They have dropped points in draws against Bolton, Wigan, Manchester United, Wolves & defeats to West Brom, Newcastle & Arsenal.

I think that Everton are in better form than West Ham & are also still in the Cup after beating Scunthorpe away 4-1. A home win then for Everton & a second successive home win for them.

Match prediction: Everton to win
Score Prediction: Everton 3 West Ham 1
Attendance Prediction: 36,000

Match 5: Fulham – Stoke: (Saturday January 22nd: 3pm):

Fulham are in good form & have moved out of the relegation zone & upto 15th place. Fulham won their last home game when they thrashed West Brom 4-0 & followed that up with a 6-2 thrashing of Peterborough in the FA Cup & then drawing away at Wigan last Saturday 1-1.

Fulham won the previous fixture between these two sides over Christmas when they won 2-0 for their first & so far only away win this season. This should be a difficult game as Stoke are no pushovers as their 8th place in the table would suggest. Stoke have already won away at Newcastle, Blackburn & West Brom & drawn at Wigan. The defeats have come at Manchester United, Wolves, Bolton, Everton, & Chelsea. A mixed bag then.

Fulham have won only 4 games this season & three of them have been at home against West Brom, Wolves & Wigan. They have however, drawn 11 games this season which explains why they are so low in the table compared to the last few. The drawn games at home have been against Birmingham, Everton, Aston Villa, Manchester United & Sunderland. Fulham have lost against Manchester City, Spurs & West Ham. I think that Fulham’s recent return to form will just carry them over the line in this game as well as the fact that Stoke do appear venerable away.

Match prediction: A Fulham win
Score Prediction: Fulham 2 Stoke 1
Attendance Prediction: 26,000

Match 6: Manchester United – Birmingham: (Saturday January 22nd: 3pm):

Manchester United have only dropped two pints at home this season which was of course the 2-2 draw against West Brom, which seems a long time ago. United have won the rest. The list of teams to fail is Arsenal, Liverpool, Blackburn, Wigan, Stoke, Wolves, Sunderland, Spurs & Newcastle. If there is a reason why United are top of the table then this is it.

United now face Birmingham at home after they saw their lead reduced to goal difference after they drew 0-0 at Spurs & both Manchester City & Arsenal won. It should be United’s home record that should see them crowned as Champions come the end of the season. We will see.

Birmingham have only won one game away this season & that was last time out away against Blackpool when they won 2-1. They also won 4-1 at Championship side Millwall 4-1 which was a good result so they are not entirely clueless away. To back this up they have managed to draw at Manchester City, Sunderland, Bolton, Fulham & Aston Villa. Some of those draws were difficult places to come away with a point. The defeats have come at West Brom, Wolves, Arsenal & Stoke.

Just because United have such a good home record I think they will win.

Match prediction: Manchester United to win
Score Prediction: Manchester United 2 Birmingham 0
Attendance Prediction: 75,000

Match 7: Newcastle – Tottenham: (Sunday January 22nd: 3pm):

This should be a good game from two sides who like to attack. Spurs are higher in the table & having a better season. Newcastle were knocked out of the FA Cup by 4th division Stevenage a couple of weeks ago which was a very bad result for them. However, since the appointment of Alan Pardew their form has improved in the league. They thrashed West Ham in their last home game & last Sunday drew at Sunderland & were in fact very unlucky not to win as they only conceded to Sunderland in the 94th minute in a 1-1 draw. Newcastle have in fact only lost twice since Pardew was appointed & one of those defeats was against Spurs when they lost 1-0 away. The other defeat was a 3-1 home defeat against Manchester City.

Newcastle’s home record has seen them beat Aston Villa, Liverpool, Sunderland & of course West Ham last time out at home. They have also drawn with Fulham, Chelsea & Wigan but have lost to Blackburn, Stoke & Manchester City.

Spurs have a good away record winning at Stoke, Fulham, Aston Villa & Arsenal while drawing at Birmingham, West Brom & Birmingham. The defeats have been at Manchester United, Bolton, West Ham (?) & Everton last time out away.

I think that this game will end in a draw because sides are playing well & will cancel each other out.

Match prediction: A Score draw
Score Prediction: Newcastle 1 Spurs 1
Attendance Prediction: 46,000

Match 8: Aston Villa – Manchester City: (Saturday January 22nd: 5.30pm):

Villa managed a 1-1 draw at local rivals Birmingham City last Sunday when they came from behind for their point. This should be a very difficult game for Villa as City have the second best away record in the division behind Arsenal. City have won already at West Ham, Newcastle, Wigan, Fulham & West Brom & drawn at Arsenal, Spurs & Stoke. Their only defeats have come at Sunderland & Wolves.

So a good away record against a villa side who have lost their last two home games against Sunderland & Spurs. Thankfully the draws against Chelsea & Birmingham have kept them out of the bottom three but only just as they are 17th above the drop zone on goal difference. Their home record reads three defeats, Arsenal being the other defeat they have suffered at home. They have managed to beat West Ham, West Brom, Blackpool & Everton & drawn with Bolton, Birmingham, Manchester United & Chelsea. If Villa’s home form goes which it is looking like doing so then they will fall into the bottom three because their away form is so bad with just one win, though they did manage to win 3-1 at Sheffield United in the FA Cup.

A City win then to keep them in second place & the big question is if they will win the title at the expense of their great city rivals? No is my view.

Match prediction: A City win
Score Prediction: Aston Villa 1 Manchester City 3
Attendance Prediction: 38,000

Match 9: Blackburn – West Brom: (Sunday January 23rd: 4pm):

Blackburn are higher than West Brom in the table thanks in no small part to the 3-1 victory they had at the Hawthorns over the holiday period. Blackburn are 11th & West Brom 14th but only three points separates the two teams. My bet is that both sides will stay up this season.

West Brom won last Saturday when they beat Blackpool 3-2 to end a bad run they had been on. Perhaps it is just as well that they are out of the FA Cup as it is more important that they stay in the Premiership than the distraction of an FA Cup. Blackburn are in the 4th round however after beating Championship leaders QPR 1-0 in the last round. Last Saturday Blackburn lost 2-0 at Chelsea but I don’t think they will be too disappointed as their fans will still be celebrating their victory over Liverpool in their last home game when they won 3-1.

West Brom have managed to win this season at Arsenal & Everton & have also picked up draws at West Ham, Manchester United & that I’m afraid is it as they have lost the rest of their away games at Chelsea, Liverpool, Wigan, Bolton, West Brom & A thriller at the Villa when they lost 2-1. Ha. Not a good away record then & they come up against a Blackburn side who have beaten Liverpool, Everton, Wigan & Wolves but they have lost to Arsenal, Chelsea & Stoke. A mixed bag that includes draws with Fulham, Sunderland & West Ham.

Blackburn’s home form should be enough to take the three points methinks.

Match Prediction: Blackburn to win
Score Prediction: Blackburn 2 West Brom 1
Attendance prediction: 24,000

Match 10: Bolton – Chelsea: (Monday January 24th: 8pm):

This game should be a difficult one for Chelsea as Bolton despite their recent bad away form are still doing well at home. They have in fact only lost once at home this season & that was a 1-0 defeat against Liverpool some months ago. For the rest of the season Bolton have beaten Spurs, Blackburn, West Brom, Stoke & Newcastle as well as drawing with Fulham, Manchester United, Birmingham & Wigan (Last home League Game). As mentioned the only defeat was against Liverpool.

Chelsea come into the game having beaten Blackburn at home 2-0 last Saturday & will hoping to build upon that following some bad results away from home the last month or so. They lost at Wolves last time away which was their 5th away defeat of the season & 6th overall. Chelsea because of their bad run just before & over the holidays have slipped to 4th in the table (They were top for three months) & are 7 points behind Manchester United & City. I can’t see Chelsea regaining their title & to be honest unless their chairman puts some serious money in for transfers than the natural cycle of the side will be only decline from now on in. It must be questionable if they will qualify for the Champions League.

Bolton have a good home record & Chelsea have a recent bad away one so it would seem obvious to me that Bolton must start the game as favourites.

Match Prediction: A Bolton win
Score Prediction: Bolton 2 Chelsea 1
Attendance Prediction: 26,000

Best Correct Predictions of the week: 

“Everton beating Liverpool by the correct score of 2-0 & Bolton also winning by the correct score against Stoke 2-1” 

Hello everyone. Last weeks results gave me 4 out of 10 for correct results which was disappointing but I made up for that by getting 2 correct scores. They were Everton beating Liverpool 2-0 & Bolton beating Stoke 2-1. They were my 5th & 6th correct scores of the season so far. My other correct results were Arsenal beating Birmingham & Manchester City beating Blackpool away. If Blackpool hadn’t have scored their late second consolation goal then I would have been on three correct scores but that is the nature of football predicting. 

In midweek I had much better joy with the champions League when I correctly predicted 4 out of 5 correct results which means I have now predicted 10 out of 14 Champions league games correct in terms of results. Like the International predictions this is much better than my Premiership predictions. You figure it out especially as last season I achieved a success rate of 57% for Premiership predictions. 

Let’s hope for an improvement. 

Good luck for this weeks fixtures. 

Match 1: Tottenham – Everton: (Saturday October 23rd: 12.45pm): 

Spurs as I predicted lost away to Inter Milan on Wednesday night. The 4-3 scoreline sounds looks like they ran Inter close but that wasn’t the case as they were 4-0 down at half time & only Inter taking their foot of the peddle allowed Spurs into the game late on when they scored 2 very late goals. The result was never in question. This is not to take anything away from Spurs who battled back well & with ten men for most of the game. I suspect the home game at White Hart lane will be a much closer game. 

Spurs league record has improved of late & that was proved by their 2-1 at Fulham last Saturday after they had come from behind to beat Aston Villa 2-1 in their home game. They now face an Everton side who have won two games on the bounce after a crap start. 

Everton beat their nearest & not so dearest rivals Liverpool 2-0 last Sunday which was after they had won their first game of the season 2-0 away at Birmingham. So both sides are in form & that is why I think this game will end in a draw. 

Should be a good game & if you can afford the price of a ticket & manage to get one I suggest you attend. 

Match prediction: A score draw 
Score Prediction: Spurs 1 Everton 1 
Attendance Prediction: 36,000 

Match 2: Birmingham – Blackpool: (Saturday October 23rd: 3pm): 

Birmingham lost again last weekend, this time (as Predicted) at Arsenal but they were unlucky. Arsenal’s first goal when Birmingham were leading 1-0 was a very dubious penalty which should have not been awarded. This turned the game around & Arsenal scored a second to win the game. Birmingham are now 17th in the table just above the bottom three by the 1 point. They have failed to win in four games with just the one point (a 0-0 draw with Wigan). They have also lost their proud unbeaten home record which stretched back to last September when they lost 2-0 at home to Everton in their last home game. 

Blackpool were very unlucky last Sunday when they lost to Manchester City 3-2. They had a goal disallowed incorrectly when the score was 0-0 & Manchester City’s first goal looked offside as well. To be fair to the ref City’s goal looked ok when first viewed live. This made Andy Gray’s arrogant attitude upon seeing the replay that the ref got it incorrect rather unpleasant. The ref did not have the pleasure of a second viewing Mr Gray. Let’s see you referee a game. 

Blackpool won their last away game against Liverpool 2-1 & they have also managed to win at Wigan & Newcastle as apposed to just the one point at home in three attempts. I think that Blackpool will win this game to leave Birmingham in the bottom three as Birmingham are on a bad run & Blackpool seem to have that never say die spirit which seems to be serving them well so far away from home. 

Match prediction: Blackpool to win 
Score Prediction: Birmingham 1 Blackpool 2 
Attendance Prediction: 22,000 

Match 3: Chelsea – Wolves: (Saturday October 23rd: 3pm): 

Well if I get the prediction incorrect for this game then I might as well take up predicting Conkers. Chelsea should win this game like they have all their other home games so far. They are top of the table despite dropping two points at Aston Villa last Saturday. Chelsea are also doing well in the Champions League as well after winning away in Moscow on Tuesday night to keep them top of their group. They have won all three of their games in Europe. 

The only game Chelsea have lost all season was the 1-0 defeat at Manchester City who are of course second in the table behind them. Wolves are third from bottom in the table above Liverpool & West Ham only on goal difference. They drew at home with West Ham last Saturday 1-1 & that result means that they have not won since the opening day of the season when they beat Stoke 2-1. 

A home win then & let’s hope I am not conker predicting next week. 

Match prediction: Chelsea to win 
Score Prediction: Chelsea 4 Wolves 0 
Attendance Prediction: 41,000 

Match 4: Sunderland – Aston Villa: (Saturday October 23rd: 3pm): 

Sunderland bored me & everyone else to death in their 0-0 draw at Blackburn on Monday. Aside from that it was a good point for Sunderland who are beginning to improve their away form. The Blackburn draw was their forth away point of the season after drawing at Liverpool, WBA & Wigan. At home Sunderland are playing well with victory against Manchester City & draws against Arsenal & Manchester United. However, the 1-0 win against Manchester City is their only win so far in the premiership this season but they have only lost once this season & that was a 1-0 defeat at WBA so their record is good so far but they do need a win to pull them up the table. 

Aston Villa can’t boast as good a record as Sunderland as they have already lost at Newcastle, Stoke & Spurs. At home however they are undefeated. Their only away points so far was the 2-1 win at Wolves. 

Villa got a good point against Chelsea last Saturday but it is away they are dropping points & so for that reason I think they will lose this game but one thing I am sure about is that they won’t get beat 6-0 like they did at Newcastle on their last visit to the North East. 

Match prediction: Sunderland to win 
Score Prediction: Sunderland 2 Aston Villa 1 
Attendance Prediction: 41,000 

Match 5: West Brom – Fulham: (Saturday October 23rd: 3pm): 

West Brom are defying me & everyone else who said that they would go down this season. Their latest result was a great 2-2 draw at Manchester United & that when they were 2-0 down. This result followed hard on the heels of their great 3-2 win at Arsenal.. In between they drew 1-1 at home with if form Bolton. Albion are now upto 6th in the table which by my reckoning is the highest place they have occupied since the early 1980’s. Good luck to them & I am glad they are proving me incorrect. 

Albion have beaten Sunderland & Birmingham at home so far this season & drawn with Bolton. They now face Fulham who lost their unbeaten record at home to Spurs last Saturday. Fulham are still unbeaten away from home with draws at Bolton, Blackpool, Blackburn & West Ham. A good record that is better than last season so far. 

Can’t see Fulham winning this game as they are due to lose away from home & a lot of sides who lose one game tend to lose the next (don’t ask me why). 

A home win then & at this rate Albion will be knocking on the door of European qualification. 

Match prediction: WBA to win 
Score Prediction: WBA 2 Fulham 1 
Attendance Prediction: 22,000 

Match 6: Wigan – Bolton: (Saturday October 23rd: 3pm): 

Wigan will be annoyed that they failed to win on Saturday at Newcastle when they threw away at 2-0 lead to draw 2-2. However, they are improving after a bad start. They are now 15th in the table after wins against Wolves at home & the shock 1-0 at Spurs which kick started their season. They have only lost once in their six games & that was a home defeat to Manchester City. They have managed draws against Sunderland at home & a draw at Birmingham in this run. Will they continue this run against Bolton? 

Bolton beat Stoke at home last Saturday as I predicted for their first home win of the season. They have already won away earlier in the season when they won 3-1 at West ham. They have also managed draws at Aston Villa & WBA. 

Bolton have only lost one game this season & that was at Arsenal 4-1. Can’t see them losing this game & in fact I think they will end Wigan’s little run & beat them for their second away win this season. 

Match prediction: Bolton to win 
Score Prediction: Wigan 1 Bolton 2 
Attendance Prediction: 15,000 

Match 7: West Ham – Newcastle: (Saturday October 23rd: 5.30pm):

West Ham grabbed another point last Saturday when they drew 1-1 at Wolves. They are now still in the bottom three but at least they are not cut adrift as they are just the one point away from safety. 

West Ham drew their last home game with Fulham 1-1. They have won just the one game so far this season & that was a 1-0 win against Spurs. West Ham had a dreadful start to the season & didn’t pick up a point until their 1-1 draw at Stoke in their 5th game. They are now unbeaten in their last four games. They appear to be slowly turning the corner. 

They now face a Newcastle side who they must be targeting as one of the sides they can catch in the table as they are two points above them. Newcastle have won twice this season, at home to Aston Villa & away at Everton. They lost their last away game at Manchester City 2-1 & to be honest I think they will lose this game as they are not playing that well so far. 

A home win then & the question has to be as to which of these sides will go down? 

Match prediction: West Ham to win 
Score Prediction: West ham 2 Newcastle 1 
Attendance Prediction: 36,000 

Match 8: Stoke – Manchester United: (Sunday October 24th: 1.30pm): 

Wayne Rooney’s announcement that he wants to leave the club is good for United’s rivals but obviously not so good for the club. I personally believe that Rooney wants to leave because of the shit written about him in the Press & the TV & Radio’s constant confirmation of their lies as if they are facts. Rooney has already sued papers for two other false claims in the past year & won. He won damages for allegations that he had hit his wife in an argument in a nightclub which was false & also for the papers saying that he had booked his holiday’s for the day after the England Germany game in the World cup before that game. Again this was not True. Add to that the lies about John Terry having an affair with Vanessa Perroncel (she is suing all the papers) & the case of David Beckham where Rebecca loos lied about her affair with him (she kept his ph which her PR agency had lent him & then got the nanny to text her ph as if it was from him) & you have a media that constantly lies about football players in order to make money. 

You won’t have read that all of the above cases have gone to court. The opposite is the case in that they are referenced as if they are fact, yet what is really serious is that the Editors & Staff of these papers not to mention the TV/Radio know that these stories are not true yet they still carry on lying. We have the worst media in the world & it is the main reason I think why he & his wife wants out of the country. His wife was constantly followed by photographers & reporters when her sister was ill. Is this really in the Public interest? No, of course it isn’t but the media judge themselves as there is know body to check them. 

Of course the media will not acknowledge that they are the problem & it will be every other reason (Money, lack of loyalty etc) as to why he wants to leave. The end result is that United who have not won an away game this season in the league will probably not win anything this season as their best player will not be playing for them. The financial restrictions forced upon them by their American owners means that they can’t compete with the top clubs anymore. 

I think that Stoke will win this game because United are in a mini slump which could end up with them following Liverpool. 

A good season for Stoke so far which looks set to continue despite their 2-1 defeat at Bolton last Saturday but United are set for a winter of discontent I fear. 

Match prediction: Stoke to win 
Score Prediction: Stoke City 2 Manchester United 1 
Attendance Prediction: 27,000

Match 9: Liverpool – Blackburn: (Sunday October 24th: 3pm): 

Liverpool are in a relegation fight & they don’t appear to really realise that fact or have the players to get them out of the mess they find themselves in. however, I think they will stay up simply for the reason that I simply can’t believe that they will go down. 

They lost again on Sunday at Arch local Rivals Everton 2-0 as I predicted. That result means that they have only won one game so far this season in the League. They have also been knocked out of the League cup by lowly 4th Division side Northampton Town who lost at home 4-3 to Hereford on Saturday after being 3-0 up. Hmm. I said that Liverpool would beat Blackpool in their last home game but they lost. This time against Blackburn I am again going to predict a Liverpool win because they have to win sooner or later & what better side than Blackburn who are normally travel shy on the road. 

Blackburn like just about everybody else are above Liverpool in the table despite only drawing with Sunderland on Saturday & losing their previous away game at Stoke. They have nine points only three more than Liverpool. 

A home win then for the new owners but it looks like being a crap season for the red side of Merseyside. 

Match Prediction: Liverpool to win 
Score Prediction: Liverpool 2 Blackburn 1 
Attendance prediction: 43,000 

Match 10: Manchester City – Arsenal: (Sunday October 24th: 4pm): 

City are going well & their fans must be laughing at what is going on at Old Trafford. I really can see City finishing above United this season. City won their third game on the trot by winning 3-2 at Blackpool last Sunday. They are now second in the table behind Chelsea by only two points. It’s looking interesting at the top. 

City now face an Arsenal side that got back to winning ways last Saturday by beating Birmingham 2-1. They also won again in Europe on Tuesday. Arsenal seem to be playing better in Europe at present which will be poising questions for their manager. 

Arsenal lost this fixture last season 4-2 & I think they will lose again as they have a recent record of not doing well against the top sides as proved very recently when they lost their last away game at Chelsea 2-0. 

The big question I suspect in Manchester is if City will finish with a trophy this season to end their run of not winning anything of note since the League cup win of 1976. 

Match Prediction: Manchester City to win 
Score Prediction: Manchester City 3 Arsenal 1 
Attendance Prediction: 46,000 

That’s all for this week everybody. 

See you next week for more Premiership action.. 

Douglas Martin

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