who to back for each league this year.

hurst05

for the premiership id be going for a successful defence by chelsea although i think both manchester teams will run them to the end, chelsea have got pretty much the same squad with the addition of dangerous winger benayoun, man city have brought in some quality players and with the likes of tevez, adebayor, bellamy, barry, tour brothers etc they will be a team to watch for. he may not be the favourite but torres has now got gerrard, kuyt and cole supplying him the goods now. i think hell score bagfulls, and pool will do well under hodgson, however i dont think their squad is good enough for top 4.

1st - chelsea

2nd - man city

3rd - man utd

4th - arsenal

golden boot - torres

to the championship, probably the toughest year to call so far, the 3 teams relegated from the prem i believe arent good enough to blow the champ away like newcastle and west brom did. so who to back for the league, you have cardiff who have been right up there the past few seasons, and they look like the strongest contenders for the title, QPR have got dare i say it, a quality manager in neil warnock and hell be able to get that underachieving squad right up there, they have the quality, hull might be up there with the squad they have as will burnley, portsmouth im afraid could struggle. its between 4 teams for me, the other 2 being m'boro and reading, reading started poorly last season but shot up the league 2nd half and middlesborough have brought in the champ signing of the season in kris boyd, he's the one to back for golden boot.

my predicitons

1st - middlesborough

2nd - QPR

playoffs - reading, cardiff, hull, burnley

golden boot - kris boyd

league 1, my beloved owls were relegated fair and square last season but i think theyll will top the league come next may, weve made some great signings, winger sedgwick, strikers heffernan, morrison and season long loan neil mellor, along with tudgay and jermaine johnson i can see the owls scoring for fun, mellor, tudgay, johnson, heffernan and sedgwick have already been banging them in pre-season and it could be straight back up for the owls. 2nd is a tricky one with so many closely matched teams in league 1 this year, southampton look the best bet and would have gained promotion last season had it not been for the points deduction, but you could choose between a number of 6-7 teams to fill the play-offs. huddersfield were strong last season and with the addition of some quality players they will be up there, charlton will be hot on the heels having kept most of their team from last year, deon burton left which came as a suprise but that can only be good news for the owls. 

1st - owls

2nd - southampton

playoffs - huddersfield, charlton, plymouth, swindon

golden boot - heffernan (watch out for him, bagged about 5 goals in 2 games pre-season and has a great scoring record in league1)

i dont know enough of league 2 to make detailed comment but i think rotherham will come good this year and le fondre will get the golden boot aslong as he stays there.

35suited

Not the detail youve gone into but hears my picks

Prem Manu 11/4 TGS Van Persie 12/1

Champ Reading 12/1 TGS Maynard 12/1

Lg1 Brighton 14/1 TGS Mclean 14/1

Lg2 Northamtpon 14/1 TGS Akinfenwa 16/1

Nonleague Kettering 40/1 TGS Craddock 8/1

Champ League Manu 15/2

BADBOY985

think its to early to predict as not much has happened transfer wise.

35  mate dont fall for the van persie he will only break you heart(and your b/r) .  hes snaffled my cash for about the last 3 season.
starts like a train got me all excited then gets injured.

rory lambert looks like a shoe in for league 1 top scorer 9/2 is short but he scored for fun last you and southampton look certain to be near the top and unlike most of the othersides if he starts off well they wont be tempted to sell him in january

unknown_username

Prem. Chelsea
Champ. Notts Forrest
League 1. Peterborough
League 2. Bury

hurst05

suprised people fancy peterborough, i think there are much better teams in league 1, they were nothing special in champ, not saying the owls were but we went down on the last day. i think theyll be play off contenders next season nothing more, think the division is too strong, definately wont be wanting wednesday to stay down there for more than 1 season. struggle getting out of it, i just feel our signings have been excellent and we have a squad that would compete very well at champ level nevermind league 1. we'll see though, never doubt wednesday to let you down and break your heart.

silentbob

I usually wait until a few days before the start of the season before putting money on any of the winners cos there's still loads of transfers to be done but if I had to pick now then I'd back these:

PREM - Man Utd

CHAMPIONSHIP - err..................I really don't know yet. There's no one in that division that stands out above everyone else! Probably Boro but only cos they've signed Kris Boyd & he should get a fair few goals at this level.

LEAGUE 1 - Southampton (although Wednesday offer better value for the ew bet)

LEAGUE 2 - Rotherham (but there's a few others I'm considering including Bradford, Wycombe, Port Vale & Bury plus it also depends on whether Rotherham manage to keep hold of Adam Le Fondre as well).

BADBOY985

In Response to Re: who to back for each league this year.:

I usually wait until a few days before the start of the season before putting money on any of the winners cos there's still loads of transfers to be done but if I had to pick now then I'd back these: PREM - Man Utd CHAMPIONSHIP - err..................I really don't know yet. There's no one in that division that stands out above everyone else! Probably Boro but only cos they've signed Kris Boyd & he should get a fair few goals at this level. LEAGUE 1 - Southampton (although Wednesday offer better value for the ew bet) LEAGUE 2 - Rotherham (but there's a few others I'm considering including Bradford, Wycombe, Port Vale & Bury plus it also depends on whether Rotherham manage to keep hold of Adam Le Fondre as well).
Posted by silentbob

jay, did you back pompey to go down at 10/1 after our discussion in may?
the tops it is now is 9/2 which still looks big as were on tour in america with a squad of 18 (one of whos just broke his leg) of who only 6 have ever played a first team game

silentbob

In Response to Re: who to back for each league this year.:

In Response to Re: who to back for each league this year. : jay, did you back pompey to go down at 10/1 after our discussion in may? the tops it is now is 9/2 which still looks big as were on tour in america with a squad of 18 (one of whos just broke his leg) of who only 6 have ever played a first team game
Posted by BADBOY985

No I didn't in the end. Thought long & hard about it but there's something nagging away at me that you'll stay up. I don't know why cos any sane person should've really snapped it up particularly with HMRC still on your case. Mind you though, that 9/2 still ain't all that bad considering the pending hearing.

If you don't exit administration before the start of the season do you know if you get another points deduction?

BADBOY985

think it all depends on the outcome of the court case if it get refused then i yhink we do

Mr_Miyagi

Premiership - Liverpool.  Think they are much better than 14-1

Championship - Boro

League 1 - Sheff Wed

League 2 - Rotherham

Champions League - Real Madrid

41k-1 odds for an accumulator.

DOHHHHHHH

golden boot - heffernan (watch out for him, bagged about 5 goals in 2 games pre-season and has a great scoring record in league1)

 
looooooooool - misses more sitters than bendtner !!

haha the Owls pinning their hopes on a Donny Donk! so sweeeeeeet.

Chelsea - Defoe
Forest - Billy Sharp
Brighton - Not sure if he's moved or not, but Rickie Lambert.
Shrewsbury - Le Fondre!!!

Has Akinfenwa not left N'top Gareth????? - I would love to see him back at donny......

cookie83

Prem - Arsenal (biased)
Champ - Cardiff
Lg 1 - Southampton
Lg 2 -  Northampton

unknown_username

chelsea
middlesborough
brighton
vale :-o

squeaker

I reckon  Premiership- Chelsea

Scottish Premier - Celtic

Championship - Middlesbro

English 1st - Southampton

Scottish 1st - Falkirk

Scottish 2nd - Livingston

hurst05

In Response to Re: who to back for each league this year.:

golden boot - heffernan (watch out for him, bagged about 5 goals in 2 games pre-season and has a great scoring record in league1)   looooooooool - misses more sitters than bendtner !! haha the Owls pinning their hopes on a Donny Donk! so sweeeeeeet. Chelsea - Defoe Forest - Billy Sharp Brighton - Not sure if he's moved or not, but Rickie Lambert. Shrewsbury - Le Fondre!!! Has Akinfenwa not left N'top Gareth????? - I would love to see him back at donny......
Posted by DOHHHHHHH

hes found the onion bag a fair few times already, im telling ya, watch this space. 

JackPears

Can't see Heffernan being top scorer, fancy Morrison to get more for us (if he gets fit).

beginluck

'boro for championship, good shout

joe759017

prem man  city  championship PRESTON NORTH END  leaugr 1 sheff wends  leauge 2 morecambe

joe759017

oh yes them with tower 2 get relegated with least points ever in prem and most goals conceided

Salad_Face

Don't bother backing Cardiff, were destined to remain in the championship for the next 100 years. Not sure who I'd back to win, no team have particularly impressed me with their signings. Even with Boyd I can't see Boro putting up much of a challenge.

emilyegg

Glasgow Rangers at 11/10 for the SPL is PRINTING MONEY.

silentbob

Right then, with less than a week to go til the start of the new Football League season I've finally got round to putting my money where my mouth is.

Premier League - Man Utd @ 5/2

I don't care what anyone says I can only see the PL being a two horse race again. City are being touted as 3rd favourites @ 11/2 which is a little short imo. Yes, they've signed some quality players in the shape of Toure, Silva, Boateng & Kolarov but these are all players that will need time to settle in the EPL. I've no doubt they'll be challenging for a top 4 spot but the ultimate prize will be out of reach for this season. It's a similar story with Arsenal & Liverpool too. Whilst they'll also be fighting for a top 4 spot none of them are consistent enough to push for the top spot which leaves us with Manyoo & Chelski. Sir red nose wants to overtake Liverpool's record before retiring & I fancy this could be the year he does it particularly if Chelski lose their other Cole this summer.

Championship - Reading @ 11/1

This is the division that gave me the most problems picking a winner. Usually there are 2-3 teams every year that everyone would back (Newcastle & West Brom last year) but this time round there's not really anyone who stands out & the division is that close that out of 24 teams, only 2 are priced at 100/1 or more! Boro are the favourites @11/2 & if Kris Boyd can score at this level the same way he did in the Scottish leagues then they may well see the silverware at the Riverside come May. However, I think their biggest downfall is inconsistency & if Boyd fails to click or loses form the biggest winners could well be the bookies. 

Other strong contenders are Forest @ 8/1 (they've pretty much got the same squad as last season & will need to improve their away form massively), Burnley @ 9/1 (can't see it myself) & QPR @ 11/1 (with Warnock in charge they could be a decent shout). The dark horses could well be Bristol City who, with Steve Coppell in charge, have made some decent signings & just might be worth an e/w look @ 12/1. However, my pick for this division goes to Reading @ 11/1. Brian McDermott took over just before Christmas on a caretaker basis & despite a slow start under his leadership they turned around not only performances but more crucially results & in the end they narrowly missed out on the play offs. They had a strong finish to last season & have had a strong pre season & start at home to Scunthorpe on Saturday so have a great chance of starting the season well.

League 1 - Huddersfield @ 7/1

What's this? Not backing Southampton? Am I mad? Quite possibly but I have my reasons. Firstly, the 15/8 on offer for Southampton to take it down is too short for a 46 game campaign. Secondly, they'll rely heavily on goals from Ricky Lambert & whilst he's a quality striker (particularly at this level) he is only human & you have to wonder what could happen if he suffered a prolonged period of loss of form or even picked up an injury? Thirdly is Alan Pardew. Don't get me wrong, I like the guy & appreciate what he achieved whilst with West Ham but I always found his teams generally perform better when they're the underdogs. I'm not saying that Southampton won't win this division but I do feel that if you're prepared to take a slightly bigger risk then there is much better value out there & this comes in the shape of Huddersfield. They were simply awesome at the Galpharm last season & ultimately it was their away form that saw them miss out on promotion last time round. Lee Clark has not only managed to keep all his major squad members at the club but has also added some extra quality & more importantly experienced players to bolster his ranks . The 7/1 on offer is a good price & if they can sort out their away form then it should mean promotion next year.

League 2 - Rotherham @ 10/1

Another division where it's been tough to pick a winner so ultimately it comes down to who is capable of scoring most goals & with Adam Le Fondre up front that choice was narrowed down to one. He got 27 league goals last year & I can see him carrying on where he left off. They'll need a little improvement from last year as they drew too many at home & lost too many away but they still got into the play offs & I fancy them to go one better this time round. They won't be without competition though & some of the other favourites are also worth a look. Bradford, with Peter Taylor at the helm are currently 7/1 favourites but need to be more consistent, Wycombe look a decent shout e/w @ 9/1 & if Chesterfield can acclimatise to their new stadium quickly then they're also worth a look @ 10/1 too.

Blue Square Conference - Luton @ 6/4

Had it not been for their poor early season form last year they would've walked this division. As it was they ended up finshing 2nd behind champions Stevenage & missed out in the play offs when they lost to York City. As long as they get off to a decent start this time round they really should walk this league.

I've had £5 e/w on these 5 @ 9239/1 & as long as all five finish in the e/w positions (top 2 in prem, top 3 in all other divisions) then the payout is over £450 anyway so some decent rewards for a couple of slightly bigger risks.

I've also done £1 e/w with the 4 divisional top scorers as follows (all paying 1/4 odds for top 4):

PREM - Darren Bent @ 18/1

CHAMP - Kris Boyd @ 6/1

L1 - Theo Robinson @ 25/1

L2 - Adam Le Fondre @ 7/1

These 4 are paying a whopping 27,663/1 (with a payout of over £270 if they all finish in the e/w positions)

Good luck peeps

-JINKY-

The biggie first   SPL - CELTIC  , PREM - MAN UTD , CHAMP - MIDDLESBROUGH
                       L1 - MK DONS (would like yeovill just for there kit)
                       L2 -WYCOMBE .

-JINKY-

In Response to Re: who to back for each league this year.:

Glasgow Rangers at 11/10 for the SPL is PRINTING MONEY.
Posted by emilyegg

FELL OUT WITH YOU

emilyegg

Sorry Jinky :0(. I cant stand Scotlands Shame either, just think that Lennon is a BAD appointment for the Bhoys, which could hand the title to them by default.

Might even have a few bob on Hearts....the making of a good young team there.

bornablade

In Response to Re: who to back for each league this year.:

suprised people fancy peterborough, i think there are much better teams in league 1, they were nothing special in champ, not saying the owls were but we went down on the last day. i think theyll be play off contenders next season nothing more, think the division is too strong, definately wont be wanting wednesday to stay down there for more than 1 season. struggle getting out of it, i just feel our signings have been excellent and we have a squad that would compete very well at champ level nevermind league 1. we'll see though, never doubt wednesday to let you down and break your heart.
Posted by hurst05

against a team that had had points deducted!
I think weds are going to struggle this season tbh and will be lucky to make play offs. Ijust hope that
all your financial woes do not turn you into another leeds.
before you start having a go I also think we will struggle to get as high as last season
and with Blackwell at the helm we may be looking nearer the bottom of the league than the top

DOHHHHHHH

First championship manager to get the sack? - Ian Blackwell? I wonder what the odds are on that, he's already under pressure and if they start slow, he could be gone inside 8 games IMO.

Hope not, I sh 1t myself everytime theres a managerial casualty, as they all want o

Salad_Face

Never liked Blackwell but if they were going to sack him they should really have done it in the summer. He's only taken them backwards since they lost in the play off final and now he's brought a load of players in.

unknown_username

shrewsbury would be a good bet 4 league 2...

-JINKY-

After my last post whent to bookies to stick a couple of quid on it
and made a mistake now have  Man u 5/2 . Middlesb 6/1 , Plymouth 16/1 ,Wycombe 11/1 , THE TIC 8/11 . KTF

Brrrrrrr

Premier League : Liverpool (Roy Hodgson might do sensisble things like playing a settled team)

Championship: Leicester (A biased choice as I'm a City fan, but Sousa seems like a good manager and there's no obvious champs like Newcastle last season)

League 1: Peterborough (Gary Johnson is a good manager and the chairman's very wealthy if players reqd)

League 2: Stevenage (Often happens that a team from Conference goes straight up)

If they all come up then the accumulator I've put on will let me play poker at a higher level than normal!!

PS: Donut64, picking Notts Forest as Championship winners might wind some Forest fans up...they HATE their team being called Notts, I've made that mistake once and never again!

Can't wait for it to finally get underway!!!