Betting Blog

Moonshine camp hoping for sunshine around the corner

Andy Charles — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 11:47:44 +0000

The recent bout of cold weather has dealt something of a blow to the hopes of West Yorkshire-based jumps trainer Sue Smith who is very keen to get another run into her talented novice chaser Mr Moonshine ahead of a possible crack at the big guns in the Grade 1 RSA Chase at the Cheltenham Festival on March 14, writes Elliot Slater.

Smith, wife of show jumping legend Harvey, trains at Bingley way up on the hills not very far from‘Wuthering Heights’ country at Haworth, and there has been plenty of snow there over the last few days to make keeping her horses at peak fitness something of a difficult task. Mr Moonshine had shown progressive form this term before taking on the red-hot Grand Crus at Kempton Park on Boxing Day in the Grade 1 Feltham Novices Chase, where he raced prominently for much of the trip before fading approaching the home turn, eventually coming home in fifth place on ground that was quicker than ideal for him. Anyone following the Betfair Cheltenham Betting needs to bear that in mind.

Prior to Kempton the gelded son of Double Eclipse had been very much on an upward curve with wins in decent novice company at Carlisle and Haydock having been followed by a fine effort when third to the smart Gauvain in the Grade 2 Peterborough Chase at Huntingdon in December, still being in touch with the winner going to the final fence, only to weaken on the run-in, eventually coming home 15-lengths behind the winner. Anyone looking at Betfair online will be wondering if he can push on.

Smith is keen to let the eight-year-old, (whose ante-post odds for the staying novice championship event range from 25/1 to 50/1), take his chance at Cheltenham, but would be forced to look elsewhere if the ground is good or faster on the big day.

Birmingham v Portsmouth Preview

Mike — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 18:57:13 +0000

It was only a few years ago that both of these teams were plying their trade in the Premiership. Judging by current form, it shouldn’t be too long before Birmingham are back there, but the same cannot be said of Portsmouth who are in all sorts of problems on and off the pitch.

Birmingham’s campaign has been one big rollercoaster although at the moment, the Blues are in full flow. Following a tricky start to the season, Chris Hughton’s men approach this game in some excellent form and currently sit in 5th position. Having accumulated forty seven points, this means that the St Andrews outfit are just five behind the automatic positions. Furthermore, there is every chance that they will narrow this margin in the next few weeks, with Birmingham on a run that has seen them fail to lose in their last eleven games. To make their supporters even more optimistic ahead of this game, the Blues are the only team in the Championship who have an unbeaten home record.

While Birmingham appear to be constantly improving, the same certainly cannot be said about Portsmouth. Pompey are in severe financial difficulties and having been hit by a winding up petition a couple of weeks ago, there is even the possibility that the Fratton Park outfit could go out of business. Their supporters will also be very concerned about the possibility of entering administration, which would be disastrous considering the ten point penalty that accompanies such a situation. With Pompey currently sat on thirty four points, administration would send them into the relegation zone and make their situation even less appealing for a prospective buyer. In terms of recent form, Steve Cotterill’s men have put together some inconsistent results in recent weeks having won two and lost two of their last four. Their supporters may carry at least some confidence into this game though, after the club managed to score an unexpected 3-0 away win over Peterborough last week.

In comparison with other games in the division, this is a fixture that has occurred rarely over the last few years. Overall, Birmingham hold the better head-to-head statistics, with the Blues winning 37 to Portsmouth’s 24. In terms of recent games, the last match between these two was in the Premiership back in 2010. Birmingham ended up grabbing a 2-1 away victory there, while they also won the reverse fixture 1-0.

It is clear to see that Portsmouth are really scrapping for anything they can get their hands on at the moment and that was obvious in their last game against Peterborough. However, Birmingham have a fantastic record at St Andrews and because of that and their superb recent form, our tip will be a 2-0 win for Chris Hughton’s men.

Liverpool v Tottenham Preview

Mike — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 12:50:43 +0000

With some pundits suggesting that Tottenham have replaced Liverpool as one of the ‘big four’, this game is the perfect opportunity for Kenny Dalglish’s men to prove otherwise. However, with eleven points already separating the two, it would be fair to say that the Reds have plenty of work to do to climb up the table and reach the 3rd spot that Spurs currently find themselves in.

After a promising start to the campaign, it now looks as though Liverpool will struggle to even reach Europe after a disastrous few months. Kenny Dalglish’s side currently sit in 7th position, two points away from 5th place Arsenal, meaning that they are going to be under a lot of pressure as the season counts down. In terms of recent form, the Reds have performed very well following a 3-1 defeat to Bolton a couple of weeks ago. After progressing to the Carling Cup final, the Anfield outfit proceeded to knock Man Utd out of the FA Cup and then record a comfortable 3-0 victory over Wolves. It is also worth mentioning that Liverpool are one of only two teams in the Premier League not to lose a home fixture this season.

Tottenham on the other hand are having their best season for years and some optimists at White Hart Lane may even be looking for their side to launch a serious bid at the title. With eight points currently separating them from top spot, that could be a tough ask although victory in this clash would nevertheless narrow that margin significantly. Their recent form is highly impressive as well, with Spurs losing just one of their last twelve. With that being said, their away form in the Premier League has been slightly troublesome, with Harry Redknapp’s side winning just one of their last four on the road.

There’s big team news to report ahead of this clash for Liverpool, with Luis Suarez poised to return for the Reds having finally completed his eight match suspension. Other than that Kenny Dalglish has no other concerns, although Steve Gerrard is likely to return having missed out on Liverpool’s last fixture. Tottenham meanwhile could have several problems, with the likes of Jermaine Defoe, Emmanuel Adebayor and Rafael van der Vaart all struggling with fitness problems. That could pave the way for Louis Saha to make his debut, while Harry Redknapp will also be without Tom Huddlestone, Aaron Lennon and William Gallas who are all on the treatment table.

As for a prediction, our tip is going to be for the Liverpool victory. The Reds have a very good record at Anfield this year and with Tottenham struggling on their travels in recent weeks, we expect a narrow 2-1 win for Kenny Dalglish’s side.

Newcastle v Aston Villa Preview

Mike — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 11:37:47 +0000

Expectations for these two sides were quite similar at the start of the season, with both aiming to achieve a top half position. For Newcastle, that goal certainly seems plausible, with the Magpies currently sat on the verge of the European places in 6th spot. However, Aston Villa are having a more difficult campaign and Alex McLeish’s men must improve if they are to better their current position of 13th.

Newcastle’s campaign has been nothing short of fantastic and despite concerns from their supporters at the start of the year, Alan Pardew appears to be doing a grand job at St James’ Park. The Magpies find themselves on the brink of the European places in 6th place and with just three points separating them from 4th, they could even qualify for the Champions League this term. It has to be said that Pardew’s side experienced something of a stutter a couple of weeks ago, after suffering defeats to Fulham and Brighton. However, after winning their last game against Blackburn, they now appear to be back on track. Moreover, having won their last three games at St James’ Park, they must be full of confidence ahead of this clash.

Aston Villa supporters on the other hand are no impressed with what they have seen this term. With most of them opposed against the appointment of Alex McLeish in the first place, their current position of 13th certainly isn’t going down very well. However, it has to be said that Villa have made improvements over the last few weeks in regard to their league form. The Villans approach this clash having lost just once in their last six in the Premiership, although having thrown a 2-0 lead against Arsenal in their last game in the FA Cup, confidence could still be quite low. Still, Villa have recorded some very good away results in the league recently and having won their last two and not lost in their last five, some of their supporters may carry some optimism to the North East.

Newcastle supporters are eagerly awaiting this clash for the reason that big signing Papiss Cisse looks set to start for the Magpies. Furthermore, after serving his country at the Africa Cup of Nations, Demba Ba will return to the reckoning as well. On a sour note, Yohan Cabaye is still suspended and will not be featuring. There’s less positivity for the visitors on the other hand, with Aston Villa set to be without three players ahead of the game as Gabriel Agbonlahor, Marc Albrighton and James Collins look set to miss out as injuries hinder them.

This is another difficult game to predict, with Newcastle possessing good home form and Villa producing some good results on the road in recent weeks. Bearing this in mind, our tip will be a 1-1 draw.

Chelsea v Man Utd Preview

Mike — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 23:35:14 +0000

For the past few years this would have been an absolutely massive game for both of these clubs, with both Chelsea and Man Utd seen as two of the regular title contenders. However, following the emergence of Manchester City, there is much more pressure on both of these sides and it appears as though Chelsea are already out of the race to claim top spot. United on the other hand still have everything to play for, with Sir Alex Ferguson’s men sat just three points behind league leaders City as they look to keep hold of their title.

It would be fair to say that Andre Villas-Boas’ debut season in English football hasn’t exactly gone as he would have wished, with Chelsea rarely making any serious advances towards top spot throughout the campaign. In fact, the Blues have been out of the title race for some time, and the fact they are already fifteen points behind the league leaders speaks volumes. Instead, their main aim simply must be Champions League qualification, which at the moment is certainly in their grasp. Villas-Boas’ men approach this clash with some poor form by their own standards, having drawn against newly-promoted Swansea and Norwich in their last two games. Their home form is at least picking up a little though, with the Stamford Bridge outfit winning their last two on their own turf.

Just like most teams in the Premier League, Man Utd’s season hasn’t been without its bad patches although it now looks as though the Old Trafford side are well and truly over theirs. Despite a shaky spell around the turn of the year, the Red Devils have made big improvements in recent weeks and approach this game having won their last three in the league. Their supporters will have been bitterly disappointed to have been knocked out of the FA Cup by fierce rivals Liverpool a couple of weeks ago, yet there is no doubt that their main aim is the Premier League title.

As for team news, after being in the headlines throughout the last week, John Terry has the chance to get out of the spotlight as a knee injury prevents him from featuring in this clash. His absence will probably pave the way for Gary Cahill to make his debut, although the Chelsea defence has been weakened further through Ashley Cole’s suspension. Man Utd on the other hand have several players returning to the reckoning, with Tom Cleverley, Ashley Young, Nani and Wayne Rooney all poised to take part in some capacity. On a more negative note, Anders Lindegaard has been ruled out with an ankle injury for the next six weeks and will be replaced by under-fire David de Gea.

With Manchester United having several players returning for this game, they appear to be very strong ahead of the clash. However, Sir Alex Ferguson’s men have not won at Stamford Bridge in ten years and with Chelsea possessing some reasonable home form at the moment, our tip will be a 1-1 score line.