Leaderboard

The horse racing tips have had an indifferent period despite being well in profit, but @BillyHills changed nothing about how he makes his selections and that takes serious discipline and belief that the tide will turn. July saw a record month of profit, touching nearly £5000 from £20 stakes, which is awesome! Myself and @BillyHills have been on PL since the T-Rex was roaming the planet, but I've always said he IS Punters Lounge and a lot can be learned from him, along with plenty of other PL members. Spreadsheet results will be updated later today.

Many thanks Hopefully some kept the faith, thankfully the weather has been a lot more consistent this past 6 weeks and that has probably made the difference. I know some follow the top tracks thread and we turned that around from a £400 loss into a £900 profit with just £10 stakes. Just got to keep hold of it now

Wasn't last week good enough? Svetlana Kuznetsova (-3.5) to beat Kristie Ahn at 1.80 with Paddy Power Mihaela Buzarnescu (-3.5) to beat Sachia Vickery at 1.80 with Paddy Power Malek Jaziri to beat Evgeny Donskoy at 1.90 with Paddy Power One of the last chances that I'm giving to Kuznetsova, but yeah, she should still be way too strong for Ahn, who's dropped down a level recently. Buzarnescu is a very straightforward pick, on the other hand, I don't rate Vickery all that much, she's just average and home conditions can only get you so far. Finally, Jaziri has always been quite useful on American hards and he has a 4-0 record against Donskoy. The Russian's run in Umag means nothing to me, everyone's beating Lorenzi these days and Dzumhur was a bit mental on the day.

Nikoloz Basilashvili to beat Pablo Cuevas at 3.22 with Marathonbet Pretty drastic odds given that Basilashvili has already won three matches against decent opposition in this tournament. Cuevas has always been the better clay court player of the two and everything, but his form has been VERY shaky in recent times and I just don't believe that he can be trusted as a big favorite against players that can actually play, which Basilashvili can. In terms of value, there's only one play to make here and I prefer the outright win over the handicap lines (if Basilashvili loses, chances are that it's going to be by a big margin, he's often that kind of a guy). Vaclav Safranek to beat Rogerio Dutra Silva at 4.97 with Pinnacle Odds odds odds. Dutra Silva has many of these odd losses against worse players and Safranek will have the home conditions on his side here, so 5.00?

Finally we get to the start of the new season and looking forward to it being another profitable one. The last two season's especially have been very good and it would be nice to continue that into this one. Obviously being the first week it is going to be minimum stakes only as we start to feel our way into the season, but I do think there is value to be had. Certainly some people have already got some nice value on Alfreton who were amazingly over 3/1 to beat Kidderminster at home. Not exactly a gimmie, but the price was so wrong I thought it was an error. I didn't think it would go so left it alone and now at the time of writing Alfreton are pushing for favouritism so I certainly got that one wrong. The prices for me are right now so they won't be one of the tips. I have 5 bets though to hopefully get us off to a good start. Salford v Leyton Orient I have to take Salford on in the game which gets the season underway on BT Sport at 12.30. Orient were involved in the opening game of last season when I put up Sutton to beat them which they duly did as Orient proved very slow to get acclimatised to Non-League life. Now they have a season under their belts and they have a few months under Justin Edinburgh who improved them a lot when he took over. I think they will be in and around the play-offs and that means this is a very tricky opening fixture for big spending Salford. Graham Alexander is going to come up against some very good Non-League managers this season who know what it takes to win games at this level and Edinburgh is certainly one of them. I think they will be vulnerable in their first game of the season and the value for me is certainly with the away team at 14/5 with Marathon. Braintree v Halifax As I have mentioned in my ante-post preview I think Braintree are really going to struggle this season and their team doesn't look strong enough to survive at this level. Halifax are probably a bottom half side, but they at least have a side proven at this level which could be key in this opening game of the season. Granted teams that I think will do badly do sometimes win their opening games as Bognor did on the opening day of last season and they ended up going down, but I do think Halifax should be shorter than the 11/5 they are with Marathon to win this. Eastleigh v Solihull Eastleigh don't have the big bucks to spend anymore and there is one school of thought that it could help them as they have flattered to deceive for the last 3 seasons now when they did have the money. I'm not so sure myself and have a feeling they might struggle a bit again. Pretty much everyone thinks Solihull are going to go down and I find it hard to understand why. I do worry a bit about Tim Flowers as manager given his shocking record before, but that was a few years ago and he did well alongside Mark Yates last season to keep Moors up. They look a stronger team this time around and I think they might surprise a few people. With that in mind I will back them here at 23/10 (Skybet, William Hill and Betfair) to win on the opening day. Boston United v Guiseley Boston are one of my tips in the National League North and I think they can start the season with a win. I really like the signings they have made and they look especially strong up front and should score plenty of goals this season. Guiseley came down last season and I struggle to see them being capable of mounting a promotion push this time around. With that in mind I think the 67/50 on a home win with Marathon is worth taking. Bath City v Dartford Dartford should really have won the league last season, but they were just pipped by Havant and I think they might have blown their best chance for now of going back into the National League. They have a new managerial team in charge and losing Andy Pugh to a double broken leg in pre-season was a big blow. Bath could be in for a good season and look to have strengthened pretty well and it wouldn't surprise me at all if they finished above Saturday's opponents. I would certainly make them favourites to win this one so the 15/8 with Marathon looks a good bet. Leyton Orient 1pt @ 14/5 with Marathon Halifax 1pt @ 11/5 with Marathon Solihull 1pt @ 23/10 with Skybet, William Hill and Betfair Boston United 1pt @ 67/50 with Marathon Bath 1pt @ 15/8 with Marathon

I agree.....very hard working and deserve all the credit you get

Well said, we would all be lost without @BillyHills and @Sir Puntalot

EVERTON v SAINTS Having watched most of the opening weekends games, two teams that will struggle are Southampton and Cardiff. Cardiff are just out of their league. All Kudos to Warnock, but they are going to get battered most match days. Southampton just look rubbish to me. I don't rate Mark Hughes and he will have them playing like Stoke pretty soon. What is the saying "for a man who's only tool is a hammer, everything looks like a nail" ! There is nothing going forward ... no pace, little skill, and absolutely no finesse. Is Danny Ings the answer? No way. If you had to combine the number of top players that left Saints in the last 5 seasons, you could field a pretty solid team. At some stage this selling your best assets will catch up, and the greedy owners will spend time in the Championship. I thought Richarlison had an amazing game for Everton. 2 goals on your debut is fantastico. I think he could be the buy of the season. That second goal was a gem, as he used the defender to obstruct the goalkeeper view. Clinical. Brilliant top goal of the week for me. Everton were very good against the middle/bottom teams at home last season. Played 13 games, WON 10, 2 DRAW, 1 LOSS. Pretty decent numbers. OK the style of player under Allardyce was not so great but those numbers are brilliant. To me the Everton package this year is just miles better. Where they have to improve is holding/beating the top teams at home (awful record last season). A few decent results will get the home fans up and pumped. The home win at odds of 1.95 is a gift from the bookmakers BRIGHTON v MAN UNITED I remain unconvinced that United will challenge this season. Last season the away record was decent, but also had some weird results. Brighton won this fixture last season, and Newcastle also beat Man U. At 1.72 for the away win, is it worth a bet? Hmmmm , not sure here. One thing I see is a lack of 1st half goals away from Man United. Just 1 goal scored in 9 away games. Pretty poor, overly defensive, trying not to lose, is not the way to set up. Three bets that I would be looking at here are the HT draw, NO to both teams to score, and HT/FT (Draw/Man United). Brighton with 6 HT draws in their last 9 at home (league), while United cannot get the ball in the net 1st half away. I do not feel comfortable in this game, and would be betting smaller, and looking at longer odds type bets. Two things turn me off the Over 2.5 goals here. One, the machine learning prediction for over 2.5 goals is a little low. Two, Man United seem to down tools when going a goal or two up. There is no intensity to press for the 3rd goal. They will put it in neutral and try to hold on ... A game to observe, and not get involved in. CRYSTAL PALACE v LIVERPOOL I thought Liverpool were excellent in their opener. Naby Keita had an outstanding game, and just slotted in so easily. Playing at Liverpool will be a perfect fit for him. On the flip side here, Pellegrini had his team set up just waaaay to open. You just cannot play in this manner, against top teams away, in the Premier League. What's amazing to me is how well Liverpool have coped without Phillipe Coutinho. It has been a case of Phillipe WHO? They have not missed him at all. and he filled the coffers for them to make 2 or 3 great signings. SO first game away for them, and typical Liverpool banana skin game. These are the teams that Liverpool have messed up against in the past. Palace have some bite and teeth. Zaha will be dangerous but I think the signing of Max Meyer could be a master stroke. 22, pure quality, coming in from Schalke. I'm looking forward to watching this game as it could be one of the best of the weekend. Can Liverpool avoid the slip up, or will Palace shock them? I think the odds for the home win of 6-1 are decent.

A good day on Saturday although Dorking and AFC Telford both failing to hold onto their 1 goal leads stopped it from being an excellent afternoon. Like last mid-week I have 6 bets with 1 on Monday night and the other 5 all on Tuesday. Dover v Havant & Waterlooville Havant were surprisingly well beaten by Barrow on the opening day of the season, but they have improved massively on that in their following two games. A goalless draw against Boreham Wood was followed up with a 1-1 draw against Fylde on Saturday where they outplayed their opponents and should have won. They have clearly got over the shock of their first game at this level and I think they have a great chance to get their first win of the season on the board on Tuesday night. Dover have only picked up a point so far in a 2-2 draw against Bromley last Tuesday and they weren't great when losing to Gateshead on Saturday. They only managed a couple of shots on Saturday and it seems like the new team might need a bit of time to get going. I think the away side are over priced at 113/50 with Marathon. Maidenhead v Wrexham I am a big fan of Alan Devonshire as a manager, but it looks like he could have his work cut out keeping Maidenhead in the league this season. They were bad against Gateshead and then lost to Solihull. They drew with Dagenham on Saturday and although they ended up with only 9 men on the pitch I don't think the form is anything to write home about as Dagenham have struggled themselves early doors. Thanks to leaving my iPod on the train on Saturday afternoon I didn't end up watching the Wrexham game on BT Sport as I had hoped, but they ran out 3-0 winners over Boreham Wood. Now the report suggests it was a little against the run of play, but crucially they were able to put the ball in the back of the net and I suspect that was a game that would have ended 0-0 last season. They haven't conceded a goal in their first 3 games and I can't believe they aren't shorter than they are. Marathon's 93/50 makes plenty of appeal. Maidstone v Leyton Orient Orient have started the season with 3 draws against Salford, Ebbsfleet and Barrow, but this looks a good chance to get that first win on the board. They didn't sound like they were at their best on Saturday when drawing 2-2 with Barrow, but they more than have the class to see off a Maidstone side who were very poor at the weekend. They do have a win on the board after beating Dagenham last week, but as mentioned above I am not sure that says a lot and losing 3-0 to Halifax on Saturday was not a great result. I would make Orient favourites for this so the 193/100 with Marathon looks big. AFC Telford v Brackley Into the National League North now. Telford were unfortunate not to win for us at the weekend with the late Guieseley equaliser a deflected effort. It continues their unbeaten start to the season though and I was amazed to see them as big as 15/8 (Marathon) to overcome a Brackley side who have had an indifferent start. A win against Alfreton last Tuesday was a good effort, but either side of that they have lost to Bradford Park Avenue and then on Saturday 4-2 to Darlington. Given they are at home I was surprised not to see Telford as the favourites for this and they have to be a bet at the prices. Wealdstone v Woking Two bets in the National League South starting with this game on Monday night. Woking are 3/3, but I am not sure that tells the full story. A dubious penalty in injury time got them a win at East Thurrock and then sending offs for their opponents have played a big part in them winning their other two matches. East Thurrock and Oxford City (who they beat on Saturday) are games against teams likely to be battling against relegation and they shouldn't really have to be relying on men getting sent off. Wealdstone have had a solid start to the season and they pushed Billericay hard on Saturday despite losing 1-0. If they can back that performance up here I think they have a great chance of adding to their opening day win against Weston. Marathon are 17/10 and I think that is on the right side of value. Slough v Weston-Super-Mare Speaking of Weston I am more than happy to oppose them again on Tuesday night. They were 2 up against St Albans and then ended up losing 3-2 and that makes it 8 goals conceded in just 3 games. Slough got their first win of the season on Saturday and as much as Gloucester were really bad, Slough should have won more easily than the 2-1 scoreline suggests. They should get plenty of chances in front of goal again on Tuesday night given Weston's shaky defence and I think they can follow up Saturday's win. Marathon's 34/25 looks a cracking price. Havant 1pt @ 113/50 with Marathon Wrexham 1pt @ 93/50 with Marathon Leyton Orient 1pt @ 193/100 with Marthon AFC Telford 1pt @ 15/8 with Marthon Wealdstone 1pt @ 17/10 with Marathon Slough 2pts @ 34/25 with Marathon

Tuesday was disappointing and I think we were a little unlucky not to pick up another couple of winners with the performances some of the picks put in. I am avoiding the National League this weekend. Nothing really stands out and there have been some strange results over the first couple of weekend's. Salford have not started well and are back out to 7/2 and can be backed at over 2/1 to beat Sutton tomorrow which was I price you wouldn't have predicted a week ago. I have 5 bets though and 3 of the 4 Step 3 leagues get underway on Saturday. Guiseley v AFC Telford The away side have started the season very strongly beating Southport 1-0 on the opening day and then getting a 0-0 draw at Kidderminster on Tuesday. They look set for a better season than last time around and I think they look a big price at 5/2 (188bet) to win this. The home side have lost both their opening two games and I think Marcus Bignot has got a very tough task to turn the relegated side around. If Telford can continue their good form from their first two games they have a decent chance of winning this. Nuneaton v Chorley I am going to oppose Nuneaton again on Saturday. It didn't quite pay off on Tuesday night as they held Hereford to a 0-0 draw, but Chorley have started the season in really strong fashion. An opening day victory over York was backed up when the beat Guiseley on Tuesday. They weren't far away from being one of my picks to win the league so I am not surprised they have got off to a flying start and I would make them favourites to win this. The 2/1 with Marathon on an away win makes plenty of appeal. Hampton & Richmond v Bath City I have been in Devon for a few days and have picked up the local paper so have been reading a fair bit about Torquay and all the goings on at Truro. Bath may have lost to Torquay 1-0 on Tuesday night, but even the Torquay manager and one of the players suggested they had been fortuante to pick up the 3 points as Bath had played really well. They will surely get their first win of the season on the board sooner rather than later and this game could well be it. Hampton pushed Hemel closer than I thought they would on Tuesday, but thankfully for us Hemel picked up the three points. I certainly think Bath have the stronger squad and they look over priced at 11/5 with Bet365. Weston-Super-Mare v St Albans The home side have started the season poorly. A 4-1 defeat to Wealdstone was followed up by a 1-1 against Truro on Tuesday night. Before Tuesday's game Truro's management team told the players they were quitting and although the players might have wanted to put in a performance for them the fact Weston couldn't take full advatange says a lot to me. They don't look in great defensive shape at all based on their first two games and St Albans should be able to punish them. A 3-2 win on the opening day to Hungerford was a fair effort and then they had a man sent off when a goal up at Woking on Tuesday and ended up losing 2-1. This game could well be easier than either of them so I will be backing them at 163/100 with Marathon. Bishops Stortford v Dorking Oddschecker is a mess as regards for Step 3 prices at the moment so I have only looked at Marathon's prices as chances are they will be biggest anyway. Dorking have been a big market mover in the title market which I think is more than down to the fact I have put them up and I think the vibes are really strong around the club this season that they can go very close. Now they do have a few injuries going into this game, but I think they have some strength in depth and they should still have too much for the home side. As you know I don't pay too much attention to friendly results but the home side lost all 7 of theirs and only scored twice. I am happy to take the 61/50 about the away side getting off to a strong start. AFC Telford 1pt @ 5/2 with 188bet Chorley 1pt @ 2/1 with Marathon Bath 1pt @ 11/5 with Bet365 St Albans 1pt @ 163/100 with Marathon Dorking 2pts @ 61/50 with Marathon

*Guys/Gals There may not be a table on Wednesday evening. Travelling down to Leicester and not back until Thursday PM Will catch up

Crystal Palace @3.2 Leeds @ 3.8 50 double

Less than a week to go until the start of the season and finally I have completed my ante-post look at the various leagues. The last two seasons have both seen over 20pts profit so hopefully at the very least that will be matched and it would be nice to go even better. Hopefully you have already got some nice prices on Billericay and Concord when I put them up a couple of weeks ago. I suspect some of these prices won't last either. National League Only one place to start and that is with Salford who you will struggle to get over 2/1 about now. That is a crazy price to win this league and anyone backing them now needs their head read in my view. If you are sitting on bet at the bigger prices then you will certainly have the value, but the big question is will they actually win the title? I don’t think they will. For me they have the wrong manager. John Askey was rumoured as a possible for the job and he would have been a much better choice than Graham Alexander in my view. It has been proven time and time again in this league that you need to know your Non-League football yet the Class of 92 have gone for someone who hasn’t been near a Non-League club in his career until this point. He could be in for a big shock as others have been in the past. As for the signings most of them do have Non-League experience so that is a good thing for them although despite what the players say they are clearly there for the money. You don’t drop down from League 1 back into Non-League football if you aren’t getting paid more cash. As for Adam Rooney to me it seems crazy that he would turn down playing big games against Celtic and Rangers to play Solihull Moors! Money doesn’t always work in this league as Forest Green proved and they had to go up via the play-offs in the end. No promoted club has gone straight up either and again Fleetwood could only make the play-offs in their first season. Chances are Salford are spending more money than either of those two, but it is impossible to know for certain. There is obviously a chance they could walk away with it, but for me as good as their squad is it doesn’t warrant the current stupid price and I am more than happy to look elsewhere. Chesterfield are the only other team in single figures and getting Martin Allen in as manager is a good move. He has made some decent enough signings although they were on a transfer embargo whilst a failed takeover was being discussed. That concerns me as I think they are a club who need the extra money a takeover would have brought. They have suffered a double relegation and it might just take a bit of time for Allen to change things around especially if he wasn’t able to bring in more players because of the embargo. Fans will want the play-offs, but I wonder if they might just miss out this season. Leyton Orient improved massively under Justin Edinburgh and as I said at the time it was a really good choice of manager for the club. Edinburgh cut his managerial teeth in Non-League and had plenty of success. He turned around a side who were in a relegation battle at the time and keeping Macauley Bonne is huge for them. They were on my shortlist and I was tempted to back them, but I just wonder about the strength in depth in the squad and they look more play-off contenders than title contenders for me at the moment. Gary Waddock has had to rebuild again at Aldershot although as we know that doesn’t mean they won’t make it a hat-trick of play-off appearances since Waddock came back. Again they were on my shortlist as I have full faith in Waddock putting together a squad capable of being in contention at the top of the table, but to me they just lack that little bit extra you need to win the title. Wrexham should have been in the play-offs last year and I am certain they would have been if Darren Keates had remained in charge instead of going to Walsall. As soon as he left they really struggled and in the end missed out on a play-off berth. Even when Keates was still in charge they drew too many games and a lack of a goal scorer was a big reason for that. They have gone with rookie manager Sam Ricketts and he has certainly tried to rectify the problem of a lack of goals. For me it has to be a watching brief with them as there is too much guesswork involved about if they can mount a title challenge. Sutton and Boreham Wood were both surprise play-off teams last season especially the latter. Sutton are a bigger price than they were last season when they ended up finishing 3rd, but I can’t see them repeating that feat. Wood are really going to miss Bruno Andrade and he really was the only player who caused Tranmere any problems in the Play-Off Final. I think they will slip back into mid-table this time around. I tipped Dover to go down last term, but I really should have known better given how well Chris Kinnear has done there. He has had to rebuild again, but he will surely have them nearer the top than the bottom. Hartlepool are interesting with Jeff Stelling now heavily involved in the club. They have made some interesting signings and they should certainly do better than last time around. They weren’t quite on my shortlist, but I will certainly be keeping a close eye on them. So for me at the prices I am happy to take 3 e/w in the hope that at the very least one of them hit the frame. The first one is Barnet. Getting John Still in as manger was a superb appointment and I have been really impressed with the signings he has made over the summer. Losing John Akinde was a big blow, but they look strong all over the park and they will basically have a new player in Dave Tarpey. He got injured in his 2nd game at the club and is only just on his way back. He proved in less than a month at Maidenhead last season that he was up to the task of scoring plenty of goals at this level and fingers crossed he can get back to peak form. I think they have a good chance of going straight back up. AFC Fylde are the other main pick. They might not have as much money as Salford, but they still signed Ryan Croasdale for £50k over the summer which again proves they are big spenders at this level. They looked like they were going to get nowhere near the play-offs, but they went on an incredible run of form once they got used to the division and fully deserved their spot in the play-offs. That was a bridge too far last time around, but they look stronger this season and keeping hold of Danny Rowe who will no doubt score 20+ goals again is a big plus to their chances. Everything points to them being capable of at least a top 3 finish this time around. The other team are another side who were promoted in 2016 and also reached the play-offs last season Ebbsfleet. They didn’t quite have the consistency all the way through the season to challenge for the title last term, but the squad looks to have evolved nicely over the summer and like Fylde they should be able to improve on their showing last season. They aren’t short of cash either so they have the capability of strengthening if needed. I always like getting involved in the relegation market and although as mentioned above I did tip Dover last year I also put up Woking which continues a good run on this front. Gateshead head the betting and it is easy to see why as they have had to go part-time and cut the budget. They have however also just been taken over so there could be some cash coming at some point so I wouldn’t want to get involved at the odds. Mark Yates did a great job to keep Solihull Moors up last season and that earned him a move to Macclesfield. Tim Flowers who joined at the same time as Yates has now taken over. His managerial career so far is poor, but they have a pretty decent looking squad and if Flowers has improved since he was last in charge of a football club then I think they will survive. Barrow look set to struggle. They were lucky to stay up last season and they might not be so fortunate this time around. Dagenham & Redbridge were tempting. It has been well publicised about how bad things are for them off the pitch and I am not sure getting Peter Taylor in as manger was a good move. As much as I don’t pay close attention to pre season friendlies, Dagenham have actually done pretty well in them so maybe they might be capable of surviving. Havant & Waterlooville won a really weak National League South last season, but Lee Bradbury has made some really good signings and they could actually surprise a few people this season. However the team who also came up via that league might not be so lucky. Braintree snuck into the play-offs by finishing 6th and they were 17 points behind Havant. They don’t look any stronger than last season to me and I think they will really struggle. I put them up a couple of years ago when they were relegated and they look a good bet to me to go straight back down. I will also back them to finish bottom with Skybet as I think they go into the season with the weakest squad in the league. National League North This looks wide open this season with quite a few teams seemingly going for promotion. Stockport head the betting and they probably do look to have their best chance of gaining promotion this time around. I think they will have to have another go via the play-offs though. Chester seem to have steadied themselves after relegation and have done well to get the Salford management duo in. Even so they nearly went bust and as much as they look to have built a decent side they don’t strike me as great value to land the title. York were really disappointing last season when I put them up over Salford. They look fairly strong, but I can see them doing a Stockport and find it pretty tough to get out of this division. Brackley did really well last season finishing 3rd and winning the FA Trophy. I’m not sure they will match that this time around, but they will be in play-off contention. Hereford have had 3 promotions now since reforming and will surely be in and around the play-offs, but I can’t have them as being potential winners. Kidderminster are as short as 8/1 which seems skinny although again they will surely be in and around the play-offs. Chorely always go well and should again. Spennymoor would have been in the play-offs last term if it wasn’t for a big backlog of fixtures and I am sure they can be up there again. Darlington look primed to do better than last season as well and Altrincham should do well after promotion. I have mentioned a lot of clubs there which shows how open it is, but I have decided to back three. Southport are the main bet. Liam Watson has won this league twice (once with Southport) so he knows exactly what it takes and I really like the squad he has built. They had a bizarre season last year going from being unbeatable, to not being able to win, back to being unbeatable before struggling again. They clearly mean business this time around and I think they will go very close. Boston weren’t really on my radar until I noticed how well they had signed over the summer and their front line looks really impressive. Again it seems like they mean business and they look set to have a proper promotion push this season. I put up Alfreton last season and they were pretty rubbish to be fair. However this time around they have Billy Heath as manager and he certainly knows what it takes to get out of this division. He has got players in who he knows well and also know what it takes to get out of this league. At 25/1 I can’t resist having a small play on them e/w in what looks a wide open league. National League South Now I usually wait until the week before the leagues start before I put my preview up, but this division I had two clear teams that I wanted to back (I may add a 3rd nearer the start of the season) and as a few more bookies have gone up with prices, and good ones at that, I am starting my tips a little earlier than usual. Now the 10/1 with BetVictor did not last long once I put it up this morning, but the 8/1 with Betway is still there to take at the time of writing. Now either Betway are happy to stand it for a few quid or the people who follow me don't have Betway accounts! I was in a bit of shock when I saw BetVictor go 10/1 because I was expecting bookies to be really cautious in pricing up Billericay. I thought we would see no bigger than 5/2 and in which case I would have looked to have taken them on, but at the prices they are I have to back them. First and key thing is that Tamplin is no longer manager so hopefully he will stay in the background. I certainly think he realised he was getting in the way during their massive dip in form and I don't think it was a coincidence that once he wasn't around performances improved a hell of a lot. Everyone was expecting them to walk away with the league last season and fair play to Dulwich for pushing them so close. The other issue last term though was the fact they over stretched themselves with cup runs and winning two of them and of course the bad weather which meant a huge backlog in fixtures. This time around they won't have a league cup to play, you would hope they don't take the County Cup so seriously and surely the weather can't be as bad as last season. Tamplin has gone on record saying the wage budget has been cut for this season as he doesn't have to offer so much money to players to play for the team. I also think there will be less players in the squad this time around which will also bring the cost down. The budget though is still massive for the division and there is little doubt in my mind that they have the best squad. Jake Robinson who scored over 50 goals for them last season is a proven scorer at this level having got 24 in the league for Hemel Hempstead the season before in just 30 games. Mosses Emmanuel has been added and he is proven in the National League and he will score plenty at this level. They have added well in other areas of the pitch as well and there is plenty of experience in the team not only at this level but above as well. Last season they proved on their cup runs that they can beat teams at this level and they beat a team in Harrogate who of course won promotion last season so that just went to show that they had the basis of a team who could already battle it out at the right end of the table at Step 2. This division was not very strong at all last season and although it might be a bit stronger this time around I think their squad last season would have been in the play-offs and this stronger side should be capable of winning the title. I think at the very least they will be in the top 3 though and at the price they look a great e/w bet. 5/1 and 11/2 is available with other bookies and I still rate that a good price. Obviously there is one concern with backing them and that is if anything should happen to Tamplin. I certainly can't see him getting bored if they are contending for the title and anything that might happen off the pitch is a bigger worry. At the end of the day though I think it is pointless second guessing anything and going on the facts we have now and that is they look to have the best squad in the league. I will add to this preview when I write the full one in a couple of weeks and I will talk about some of the other sides who look contenders, but there is one other team who I am going to put up as a bet now because 25/1 (William Hill and BetVictor) is way too big a price. I am staying in Essex as well as Concord are the team in question. They were in a relegation battle last time around and only finished 17th so it might seem odd to want to back them to be in promotion contention this time around, but they have made plenty of statements of intent since the season finished. First of all they got Sammy Moore and Jack Midson in as manager and assistant manager from Leatherhead. They of course had great success there last season and the backlog in fixtures due to the weather and FA Cup run meant they just missed the play-offs. They were quick to announce signings as well and they were pretty impressive and you also have the management team who should be more than capable of still being able to hold their own at this level. Betway are only 14/1 and that would still be on the right side of value so the 25s has to be taken. Not surprisingly since writing the above Billericay have been massive movers and the team looks even stronger than it did when I put them up. The 25s has gone on Concord as well although I would still be happy to take the 20’s at the moment. Dartford should probably have won the league last season and might be regretting not going up when the league appeared to be the weakest it ever has been. They should be capable of going well again, but with a new manager in charge I think it will be more a play-off bid than a title one. Chelmsford are always there or thereabouts and will no doubt be bang in the play-off hunt once again. One season they will surely go up although if it is to be this year I think it will have to be via the play-offs, but a top 3 placing is certainly within their compass. Woking have done well I think to get Alan Dowson in as manager and he has made some good signings I think. The Woking fans have had little to cheer in the last couple of seasons and they should certainly be winning more games this season. Dowson of course did a fantastic job to get to the play-off final last term with Hampton & Richmond and although Gary McCann deserves a chance to manager at this level I find it hard to see them matching last season’s efforts. Torquay were the other relegated side and like Woking their fans have had little to cheer in recent seasons. I have to say though I don’t really fancy them at all and I think they are shorter in the betting than they should be. Bath City seem to be giving it a go this season and getting John Mills from Hereford looks a very shrewd bit of business. If you gave me a 4th pick it would be them and they should be capable of having their best season for a while. I put up Hemel and St Albans last season and both probably should have finished higher than they did. Both should go well again and although they won’t be carrying my money I think they should both be in the play-off mix. Wealdstone are a team who have flattered to deceive in the league a bit, but they again look to have a decent side on paper. It will be interesting to see how promoted teams Dulwich and Slough get on. Dulwich will no doubt be very easy on the eye to watch, but being away from Champion Hill and all the off field issues will stop them being play-off contenders for me, but it is great to see them finally reach this level. Chippenham appear to have strengthened and they might be dark horses to go well. The other tip though is going to be Welling. Manager Steve King isn’t to everyone’s taste, but his record is really good and he has won this league before. I thought the job he did at Whitehawk last season was incredible as he nearly kept them up and they didn’t win a game until New Years Day. Indeed I think I am right in saying that in 2018 alone Whitehawk were 3rd in the table. I thought it was a good move from Welling to get him in as manger and I like the signings he has made. 20/1 is available with every bookie who has the league priced up except Betway who are only 14’s and I would probably have them a shade shorter than that. Evo-Stik League South Premier If you aren’t aware we now have an extra league at Step 3 which means there are now 4 leagues to look at. What that means are fewer sides in each division and in my view it also means that the leagues won’t have too much depth to them. The weakest of them to me looks like being this league and it is one of the reasons why Weymouth are one of my stronger ante-post bets. In the end Hereford won the Evo-Stik Southern Premier fairly easily, but Kettering, Kings Lynn, Slough and Weymouth were all just behind and they in turn were miles clear of the rest. Weymouth won’t have any of those 4 to worry about this season and to me it gives them the perfect opportunity to start making their way back up the pyramid. The squad looks no weaker than last season and that may well be enough to see them take the title. The two biggest dangers for me are Taunton and Salisbury. Taunton won their league by 19 points last season and were only defeated once. There is no reason why they can’t go well again after that superb season. Salisbury were the team they beat into 2nd and I just can’t understand why they are shorter than Taunton in the betting. I’m guessing they have been priced on name and Taunton should be shorter. I do want Salisbury covered however because I do think they under-performed a bit last season and in a weak league they should go close as well. Gosport are a stupidly short price in my view. They were awful last season and as much as they probably knew they had to do very little to stay up I just don’t see how they can improve anywhere near enough to be involved at the other end of the table. It will be interesting to see how Craig McAllister and Matt Tubbs get on there, but they are priced up based on those two names and they should be more than double the price they are. Hendon were defeated on penalties in the Bostik Premier Play-Off Final by Dulwich, but they have lost Gary McCann as manager and I think it will be at least a season of rebuilding especially in a new league. Poole have come down from the National League South and they will be hoping to be in the play-off hunt at the very least and Staines should be as well. Outside of that and it is hard to see anyone having much of an impact and I think Weymouth should be a bit shorter in the betting than they are. Evo-Stik League Central Premier Kettering and Kings Lynn have ended up in this league and not surprisingly are at the head of the market and not surprisingly can barely be separated. To be honest I can’t really separate them either and at the prices I am happy to back them both. Both teams look to have evolved nicely and should be capable of backing up last season’s efforts. If pushed I would just favour Kettering as Kings Lynn have a new manager, but that would really be my only reason. Tamworth should be up their challenging after relegation last season. They have recruited well and although I am not backing them myself I wouldn’t put anyone off if they did fancy them. Stourbridge under performed last season although they had some big losses last summer after a good season before that. They could easily improve and be in the hunt this time around. AFC Rushden & Diamonds are near the head of the market, but for me that is more on name than anything else and they will be more play-off hopefuls than title contenders. There are two I like e/w at double figure prices. Leiston have always gone well in the Bostik Premier and although this is a new league for them they should be capable of going well in this league and wouldn’t have to do too much more to be in with a chance of a top 3 finish. At an even bigger price Rushall Olympic look over priced to me. They finished last season really strongly under Liam McDonald and they should be able to build on that this season. If they do then they can be top 3 contenders. Bostik Premier Either I have got this league completely wrong or the bookies have because 3 of my 4 bets are at huge prices. I have had Kingstonian on my mind to back for this league since May. The reason was they were making some really impressive early signings that signalled their intent of going for the title this season. Last season they treaded water a bit, but after they couldn’t get in the play-offs and they were always safe from relegation as only one team went down, I think they eased off and had this season in mind. With no Billericay or Dulwich around aiming for the title is a realistic ambition for a team like Kingstonian. I was expecting the bookies to have noticed their signings and put them in the front 5 in the betting. I nearly fell off my chair when I saw 33/1 with Bet365. That price is stupid for the level of quality in their squad. Now the one slight concern is at the time of writing their pre-season form has been pretty poor and ideally you would want to see better, but as I have said elsewhere I don’t pay too much attention to pre-season form as it really doesn’t count for an awful lot once the season starts. As I have seen one manager say why would you want your squad to peak in July when you want to be getting to your peak later in the season. The 33s has gone already but the 20/1 on offer is still a very good price Two others I like at massive prices are Enfield and Dorking. Enfield signing Billy Bricknell from Billericay is a superb signing and although they were disappointing last season they did finish in the play-offs the season before and that will surely be there aim at the very least again. Dorking have finally moved to their new ground and they seem to be showing plenty of ambition about making a promotion bid this season. They will want to go well to attract the fans and they should be capable of improving from last season. AFC Hornchurch have been installed as favourites which I find a bit surprising. I know they got over 100 points last season, but I would make them a bit bigger myself. Relegated sides Bognor Regis and Whitehawk are behind them, but I can’t have either. Bognor look a side in transition and were poor last season. If Steve King had remained at Whitehawk then I would have been all over them, but he hasn’t and I can’t have them given the players that have left. Folkestone need to prove they are more than one season wonders after a superb 3rd place last year, but they might well be able to do that. Carshalton, Lewes and Haringey are other promoted sides that near the top of the betting and might be capable of doing well. The one team near the head of the betting who I am betting though is Margate. They drew too many games last season and if they can turn some of them into victories then they should go very close to winning the title. I would probably have them at the top of the market so a double figure price looks a solid e/w bet. Evo-Stik Northern Premier So the final league to take a look at and there is every chance it could be between two promoted sides who both have cash to spend. South Shields are pretty short at 3/1, but for very good reason. They are a rare North East side who have shown the ambition to rise up through the pyramid and they are being well backed off the pitch to do just that. They will be hard to beat, but Basford are also well backed off the field and I am surprised they are available at a double figure price. They looked like they might go through the season unbeaten at one stage and although they ended up losing 4 the league was won well before the season’s end. They certainly should not be underestimated. Finally I am going to also cover Gainsborough Trinity who have come from the other direction. Lee Sinnott wasn’t able to keep them up, but he has been a superb manager since he started at Farsely back in 2003 and their forward line looks really impressive for the level. Speaking of Farsley they could go well and I wouldn’t totally write off the likes of Warrington, Workington and Scarborough either. However I really do think the winner will come from one of the 3 tips. National League Barnet 1pt e/w @ 14/1 with Bet365/Ladbrokes/Coral/Paddy Power/Betway/BetVictor AFC Fylde 1pt e/w @ 16/1 with Paddy Power Ebbsfleet 0.5pts e/w @ 25/1 with William Hill Braintree to be relegated 2pts @ 7/4 with 188bet/BetVictor Braintree to finish bottom 1pt @ 13/2 with Skybet National League South Billericay 1.5pts e/w at 10/1 with BetVictor (already advised) Concord Rangers 0.5pts e/w @ 25/1 with William Hill & BetVictor (already advised) Welling 0.5pts e/w @ 20/1 with Bet365 National League North Southport 1pt e/w @ 10/1 with Bet365/Betfred Boston United 0.5pts e/w @ 20/1 with William Hill Alfreton 0.5pts @ 25/1 with Betway Bostik Premier Kingstonian 1pt e/w @ 20/1 with Bet365 Margate 1pt e/w @ 10/1 with Betway Enfield 0.5pts e/w @ 40/1 with Bet365 Dorking 0.5pts e/w @ 33/1 with Bet365 Evo-Stik League Central Premier Kettering 1pt @ 6/1 with Betway Kings Lynn 1pt @ 13/2 with Betway Leiston 0.5pts e/w @ 12/1 with Betway Rushall Olympic 0.5pts e/w @ 20/1 with Bet365 Evo-Stik League Southern Premier Weymouth 2pts @ 13/2 with Bet365 Salisbury 0.5pts @ 7/1 with Bet365/Betway Taunton 0.5pts e/w @ 18/1 with Bet365 Evo-Stik League Northern Premier South Shields 2pts @ 3/1 with Bet365/Betway Basford 1pt e/w @ 10/1 with Bet365 Gainsborough Trinity 0.5pts @ 7/1 with Bet365

Nikoloz Basilashvili to beat Pablo Carreno-Busta at 3.75 with Unibet Leonardo Mayer to beat Diego Sebastian Schwartzman at 2.40 with Pinnacle I like these two underdogs in Hamburg today, both should have a decent chance of winning given their forms and the conditions. I do like PCB and DSS as players, but they are grinders more than anything and the Hamburg conditions aren't exactly great for grinding, as evidenced by many of the recent results. On top of that, Schwartzman also looked injured in his previous match (which is why I'm taking Mayer with a one-set bookie).

Unfortunately this section is just wide open to spammers and abuse, so it has been closed. Betting Systems & Strategies remains but will be guarded against similar things happening. As for the recent spat on the forum last night. We're ruthless in managing the forum because we have to be, otherwise it turns into Gerry Cottles Circus. @keef75 unfortunately put himself in the crossfire, but after an email exchange today has been re-instated today. Thanks Keith for emailing in. As I said to Keith in an email, we have such harmony on PL in general compared to years gone by when it was a war zone. That means we don't tolerate trouble/spamming etc... in any shape or form. back @keef75 and apologies you got caught up in that, but we're very hot on people thinking the forum is an advertising space for their own good. It's a hell of a job managing the forum and the rest of PL and we do it well, but sometimes we have to put our foot down or chaos starts. The likes of @BillyHills @CzechPunter @StevieDay1983 and myself try to do everything to make this place great, that's without the tech guys who don't post (cos they're nerds! ;-) ) and we'll continue to do that.

So the mid-week action was superb with 5 out of 6 winners. Obviously it was frustrating to be so close to all 6 winning given Havant were 3-1 up at one stage, but at the end of the day singles are were the day to day money is to be made and anything else is just a very nice bonus. Hopefully the good start to the season can be continued on Saturday and I have 7 bets across 3 of the 7 leagues. Barnet v Ebbsfleet (National League) Two teams I put up ante-post and I have been really disappointed with how Barnet have performed so far. They should be doing better than they are and as much as I think John Still will turn it around at some stage, I don't see how they can be odds on to win this game. Ebbslfeet have had a solid start to the season and have been playing better than their results suggest. They have only won one of their first 4 games, but they have been a bit unfortunate not to add to their points tally and they look in better shape than their hosts on Saturday. Marathon have an away win at 147/50 and that looks value to me. Maidstone v Barrow (National League) Barrow have had a superb start to the season especially given they were one of the market leaders to go down this season. To beat Chesterfield 3-2 on Tuesday night was a superb result even allowing for the fact Chesterfield went down to 10 men when they were 2-1 up. Their other 3 games have seen them beat Havant 3-0, get a fully deserved 2-2 draw at Leyton Orient and the one blip so far was a defeat at Halifax. Given that form I am not surprised to see they have been backed already for this, but at 13/5 (Marathon) I still think there is plenty of value to be had. I opposed Maidstone on Tuesday night with Orient and although they got 1 back late on to make it nervy, Orient were very comfortable for most of the evening. Barrow have certainly been the better of the two sides so far this season and they should be at least 74-15/8 for this in my view. Dartford v Wealdstone (National League South) Wealdstone may have needed a late penalty to see off Woking on Monday night, but they were good value for the victory and I am going to continue backing them at the weekend because they look a big price at Dartford. It will be a tough game, but for me there is noway they should be as big as 14/5 with Marathon as the teams are much closer together than the prices suggest. Dartford have had a tough start to the season fixture list wise and have done well enough to come away with 2 wins, a draw and a defeat. That defeat came on Tuesday night against Concord who have started the season in really good shape, but it showed that Dartford might not be quite up to the heights they achieved last season and with Wealdstone looking stronger I think they are more than up to picking up another 3 points here. Truro v Welling (National League South) To be fair to Truro they haven't done quite as badly as I thought they would after their management team left just before they played their 2nd game. They suffered their 2nd defeat of the season on Tuesday against Chippenham and they are yet to win this season, but picking up a couple of points is a fair achievement given all the off the field issues. Welling are favourites for this, but they should be. They did loose 3-0 against Billericay on Tuesday night, but they played better than the result suggests and they were playing the best team in the division. Truro are going to be in a relegation scrap this season and Welling should be looking at the play-offs and they should be up to winning this. Marathon go 131/100 about an away win. Slough v Torquay (National League South) Torquay were unbeaten in their first 3 games, but then lost on Tuesday night when losing to Oxford City 1-0. That is not a good result and as I wrote on here last weekend, they had been lucky to beat Bath in their 2nd game of the season. Beating East Thurrock in between those two games doesn't say a great deal given they have lost 4/4 and I think Slough can beat them. Slough made slightly harder work of it than I was hoping for when beating Weston on Tuesday, but crucially once they got 1 they added the 2nd pretty quickly to turn things around. This game will be tougher, but I think Slough have enough to see off a Torquay side who I think might be looking at mid-table obscurity this season. Hartley Wintney v Frome Town (Southern League South) The home side have got off to a cracking start in their first ever season at this level and it seems for now they are continuing on their form from last season when winning promotion. They have already beaten Poole and Gosport and this would look an easier game on paper. Frome drew with Hendon on the opening day and then lost to Tiverton on Tuesday. They were in all sorts of issues at the back end of last season and although they aren't as bad as that I certainly don't expect them to be in the top half of the table. The home side might drop away as the season progresses, but at the moment they are looking strong and Marathon's 27/20 is well worth taking. Kings Langley v Taunton (Southern League South) Taunton were only beaten late on by Weymouth on Tuesday night and that is a good effort against the favourites for promotion. As I wrote in my ante-post preview Taunton were really impressive when winning the league last season and they should be up there this time around as well. Kings Langley struggled badly last season and I fully expect them to be near the relegation zone this time around. Taunton at 11/8 with Marathon looks worth taking. Ebbsfleet 1pt @ 147/50 with Marathon Barrow 1pt @ 13/5 with Marathon Wealdstone 1pt @14/5 with Marathon Welling 2pts @ 131/100 with Marathon Slough 1pt @ 29/20 with Marathon Hartley Wintney 1pt @27/20 with Marathon Taunton 1pt @ 11/8 with Marathon

Cheers everyone always nice to make people money and as much as we were all close to a big pay day at least we all made money and that it the important thing. Things won’t always go as well as that so important to enjoy it when it does. Saturdays stuff should be up tomorrow evening.

Robin Haase (-1.5 sets) to beat Filip Krajinovic at 2.50 with Pinnacle Filips first match after Wimbledon ended in a straight sets loss to Karen Khachanov and this one wont be any easier. Robin can be very efficient in serving and he's always dangerous with stable play from the baseline. I don't trust Filip on faster hardcourts either since it's obvious from his stats on the challenger tour that he isn't a hardcourt player. Clay is his best surface. Robin should take this in straight sets.

It was a solid start to the new season with 3 winning bets out of the 5. As always there were some really interesting results across the 3 leagues and I am pretty sure very few people would have said that Barrow, Gateshead and Halifax would have been the top 3 in the National League at the end of day 1. I have 6 bets for the mid-week action with 1 on Monday and the others on Tuesday. Barnet v Braintree The National League fixture list on Tuesday night looks really tough from a punting point of view and I don't think it is worth getting involved bar this game. I was tempted by Solihull again given Maidenhead were disappointing in their opening game, but Solihull sounded like they were a bit lucky to win on Saturday and the price is only slight value. Onto this game and Barnet did everything but score against Aldershot on Saturday. They managed 8 shots off target and had 9 on target whilst getting 11 corners. Not surprisingly the Aldershot keeper Jake Coles was man of the match. Another keeper who was man of the match was Braintree's. They lost 2-0 to Halifax but Ben Killip kept it 2 when it really should have been more. I know it is dangerous to make assumptions based on one game, but it is fair to say that my pre-season thoughts that Braintree look a weak team for this level were backed up. Given I think Barnet will go close to winning the league they will surely be capable of beating the keeper on Tuesday night. I think they can cover the -1 handicap and 888's 9/5 about them doing so makes plenty of appeal. Eastbourne v Welling I think the home side will struggle this season. Regular readers will know I opposed them a fair bit last time around and it proved quite profitable. They look like they might have a weaker team this time around and a goalless draw against Oxford City, another team who look set to struggle, is hardly great. Welling got their season off to a great start beating Dulwich 2-0. It was very hot in London on Saturday and so that didn't help the entertainment value of the game, but it was a decent effort nonetheless. Steve King has got a strong looking squad and I think they should be more than capable of beating Eastbourne. Marathon go 161/100 and it looks a solid bet. Hampton & Richmond v Hemel Hempsted I really couldn't understand the logic in the Racing Post tipping up Hampton to win the title. They seemed to think that McCann getting a load of Hendon players in will help them, but that is a flawed logic for me given they couldn't win promotion from the league below. Only one player who played in the play-off final against Braintree started against Slough on Saturday and I think it showed in the performance. Granted they got a draw, but Slough deserved a victory and I struggle to see how Hampton can reach the play-offs this season. Hemel got their season off to the perfect start in beating Chippenham 4-2. They look set to go well again and I certianly think they can finish above their hosts on Tuesday night. 17/10 with Boylesports looks a good price to me. Curzon Ashton v Chester The home side got off to a winning start on Saturday when beating Darlington which was a decent effort although they were gifted their equaliser thanks to the Darlington keeper. I think this game will be tougher and Chester look a big price. They drew 0-0 on Saturday against Spennymoor, but the reports suggest it was a really good game between two decent sides. If Chester can take that performance into this game on Monday night then I think the 11/5 with Betfred will look a very big price. Brackley v Alfreton So I dodged a bullet by missing the price on Alfreton on Saturday as they drew 3-3 against Kidderminster in a game they were 2-1 up at half time, but then had to come from 3-2 down. Attacking wise they clearly don't have an issue although the defence didn't look strong especially in that 2nd half where they conceded twice. Even so a point against Kiddie isn't a bad result by any means and I think at over 3/1 they are over priced again here. Brackley got their season off with a defeat at Bradford Park Avenue and they didn't really get going until it was too late in that match. I just wonder if they can go as well as they did last season and although this is a tricky fixture for Alfreton if they can certainly trouble Brackley and the price is too big. Nuneaton v Hereford I make Hereford the best bet of the mid-week fixtures. They put in a superb performance on Saturday to beat Blyth 3-0 and they dominated the game throughout. They should be capable of challenging for promotion again this season and I think they can make it back to back victories here. Nuneaton could only draw 0-0 at Ashton on the opening day and this match will be much tougher. I can't really work out why Nuneaton are even favourites for this and the 9/4 about an away win with BetVictor looks a huge price. Barnet -1 1pt @ 9/5 with 888 Welling 1pt @ 161/100 with Marathon Hemel Hempsted 1pt @ 17/10 with Boylesports Chester 1pt @ 11/5 with Betfred Alfreton 1pt @ 31/10 with BetVictor Hereford 2pts @ 9/4 with BetVictor

I wasn't that impressed with Derby to be honest, so how Leeds are pushing 3/1 (4.00) considering how well they played at the weekend is puzzling. They look setup to attack home or away. Only 1 game but Leeds looked a side that could trouble anyone on that performance. I'd have Leeds around 2.70 ish based on both performances.

Ryan Harrison to beat Cameron Norrie at 1.80 with bet365 Ryan played a big match last night, didn't drop serve all match and deserved to reach the semifinal. The same cannot be said about Cameron who only reached the semi by benefit of a second set withdrawal by Nick Kyrgios who showed no eagerness at all to play and practically gave the match away to Cameron. Ryan showed some great composure in saving several break points in his last match and his big serve and good baseline play saved him several times in those situations. I expect him to do the same here and eventually reach his second consecutive Atlanta final.

Nikoloz Basilashvili to beat Nicolas Jarry at 2.20 with Unibet Looks like 50/50 to me. The previous picks on Basil obviously had more value, but I don't see how he's the underdog in this one.

Shuai Zhang to beat Margarita Gasparyan at 1.50 with Paddy Power I don't believe that Gasparyan is ready to face WTA-level opponents just yet. The road back is going to be long and Zhang really isn't the easiest test in home conditions. She didn't have too many problems against Lisicki today and Gasparyan should be a step down, not a step up.

I can start winning now. Thanks again for all the hard work in the back room at PL. Cheers, thanks ... TA!

Been crunching some numbers this week and been looking at the growth of the Naps competition I have added all the totals since Jan 2016 to July 2018 100 bets to qualify as the lists are rather long. 2016

Let me go at this again think I actually got a correct score in my first weeks predictions, success Cardiff V Newcastle. Newcastle were a shade unlucky against Spurs on Saturday, with Spurs quality edging them home, Cardiff at home will be tough just because it's their first home match and the crowd will be vocal, however I think Newcastle will also just have enough here and I see a sneaky 0-1 away win for the toon army. Everton v Southampton. Home win for me, I think Everton's performance against Wolves was ok, and unfortunate in my opinion to go down to 10 men, Southamptons lack of fire power will cause Saints fans concern this season and I am going for Everton 2-0. Leicester V Wolves. as I said last week Leicester are industrious but I may have done them an injustice their performance against United suggest Leicester could be a dark horse for the top 6. Wolves as we know have flashed the cash and do have a couple of quality players, but I feel the foxes will have more bite than the Wolves, Leicester 3 Wolves 1. Now I will say Spurs looked a little shaky against Newcastle, but I think they will be fine at home to Fulham, Fulham who were actually quite unlucky to lose 2-0 at home to Palace as they had plenty of chances, however I think they will draw another blank here, with Spurs running out 3-0 winners. Last of the Saturday games and what a start for the gooners, First City and now Chelsea, after a dodgy first half Arsenal showed some good signs second half before City killed it, that said I think a 2-1 Home win for Chelsea here Burnley v Watford, if I am honest these sort of games I find hard to predict, So I am basing this just on home advantage and Burnley running out 3-2 winners Poor Huddersfield, a bit like the gooners Chelsea and City First two games, a 3-0 reverse at home for the Terriers, and it will not get any better for them in this, City may have a field day, and can see a 5 or 6 here. so I'll plump for 5-0 Brighton V United. I distinctly remember United toiling at Brighton last year and it will be the same, United for me lack creativity, which is madness when you have a Pogba and a Mata, so maybe it's just the managers tactics, nooooooooooo surely not Mourinho's fault. Brighton for me will be desperate to collect as many home points as they can I know I know a cliche for which I apologise. with all that I have said in this I think United will limp to a 0-1 away win. Palace V Liverpool. Palace will be ecstatic with their 2-0 away win at Fulham, as will Liverpool with their 4-0 dispatch of the Hammers, I don't see Liverpool having this fixture all their own way, Palace offer speed and flair in Zaha but he won't be enough Liverpool to win 2-1

I am not agree about Wawrinka. Swartzman has no big wins on hard so far, he is good fighter, but nothing more. On other side Wawrinka doesn't need advertising, ok he is after injury, but to beat Kyrgios and Fuscovics who are good players, it's mean something to me. He had good fight with Nadal as well. So seems he is back. And there will be easy victory against Argentinian one. Plus looking to bet on Kontoveit, as if she will show at least 2/3 of her power, she must beat Chech veteran easily. Double for me today: Wawrinka+Kontoveit @3.8 Good luck!!!

Overall Stats from : Jan 2016-July 2018

2017

Duckhee Lee to beat Yibing Wu at 2.29 with Pinnacle Pretty good chance that Duckhee wins this. Not because he is higher ranked but more because of Yibings recent injury problems, he's just started to come back and it will probably take some time for him to find his game again. He was good against Henri Laaksonen last week but one good performance is not enough to convince me that he can beat Duckhee.

Ok guys, enough, lets move on

Hyeon Chung to beat Taylor Fritz at 1.95 I'm well aware that this is Chung's first match back from injury and thus there is a large degree of risk involved in this bet. However, besides going out to Haase in the first round of the Madrid Masters (when he was clearly injured), he has won a few matches in other tournaments he has played, making the quarter-finals of the Miami and Indian Wells Masters. Fritz has done well this year, but mainly on the Challenger circuit.

The Punters Lounge Festival Tipsters competition is back for Glorious Goodwood. 5 days of top class racing starting on July 31st Rules: 1 selection per race throughout the 5 days at Goodwood Bets settled to £1 level stakes - WIN Only Bets settled at SP Highest accumulative total over 5 days wins £60 cash (via PayPal) Runner Up wins £25 and the third place wins £15, all prizes via your PayPal account. Top three receive Punters Lounge Mug & Pen sets (if not already won one) No edits allowed in selection posts No losses incurred for losers or Non Runners Replacement selections for NR's can be posted but must be before the first race deadline All Bets must be posted prior to the first race each day (no exceptions) Not compulsory to enter all 5 days (so if you miss the first day or two you can still take part) Leaderboard posted each evening.

July 22 Rainbow, Bluemal and Kev all hit double figure priced winners

2.45 Stratford G'DAY AUSSIE 1pt win 16/1 William Hill BOG

NEWTON ABBOT 5:20 Mamoo @ 14/1 bet365 e/w thanks Mamoo….from Neil King yard the 5yo has been a winner of a hurdle race at 2m 4f on soft ground off 103 last December at Fakenham class 4 race but since then another five races with no place finishes which has seen him drop to 99 mark.The yard have picked a race that's increasing the distance to 3m2f105y for the first time but he's shown signs in last race at Fontwell 2m 6f (good) that he could be getting back to form when 4th beaten 4.5 lengths , the question is if the stamina holds out over the extended trip , The yard booked Jack Quinlan and off 99 mark he's also 4lbs lower than that winning mark

Tennis Black Friday Hello Everyone, Well....you guessed it right. I am the pioneer of Tennis Black Friday perhaps borne out of a lack of something better to do....or maybe just easily coined out of pure undiluted thought and imagination. However, it is what it is. Black Friday come early. I came up with this idea just pondering over the numerous rain delays that have plagued tournaments in the last week or so causing stress and hectic schedules to players and most of all creating huge opportunities for punters. The effect of matches being stopped and started ultimately leads to inconsistent and uncertain outcomes in various permutations of expectations. Players become frustrated and confused from not knowing when they are playing or from suddenly being faced with the prospect of playing two long matches in one day. The bookies on the other hand lose track of their pricing methodology and do not really know how to price up certain players. Out of the resulting confusion bookies like Paddy Power already reknowned for their dodgy behaviour of manipulating numbers, blank their inplay screens as their once dependable faculties begin to buffer. Collectively in enjoying the fun of Black Friday, we can all come together as one potent unit (lol) to open our eyes like hawks looking for bargains and possible power failures. My idea of a power failure is something like this; Sabalenka vs Keys with the amount of games and three set matches and narrow escapes that Sabalenka has already had, despite her scintillating form, she should experience power failure against a very fresh Maidison Keys. I also think Anisimova will benefit from the continuous mayhem with a bit of confidence drawn from the combination of beating Martic, an extra day's rest and home advantage. Anisimova should win a set and possibly more. Finally to enjoy the best of both worlds, I have decided to quickly take the day trip to New Haven to wholly benefit from the experience and come back in enough time to join play at Cincinatti. This is where I find my bargain of the day with Maria Mateas standing a more than decent chance of flooring a waning Kristina Pliskova. Okay, lets not be greedy guys. we can take the Mateas 5,5 head start for a confident win. I will look to a big shout from bullish tennis hawks like Czech and Four Leaves (lol) for some more spice. Good Luck everyone and happy Black Friday!!!

18/08/2018 EPL Fixtures and Predictions (1) Cardiff vs Newcastle Neil Warnock and Rafael Benitez are meeting once again but this time in Premier league to renew their rivalry. Benitez dominated over Warnock in championship games with his tactical approach. Newcastle lost to Tottenham but managed to score, whereas Cardiff lost 2-0 to Bournemouth. Striking power of Benitez is far much better than Cardiff.Salomon Randon is a good striker and currently on loan with Newcastle, Ayoze Perez,Joselu ,Christian Atsu and many more. Given that Newcastle have been in premier league for one year now, they are experienced and will edge over promoted Cardiff with a narrow win. I predict away win Cardiff 0-1 Newcastle Christian Atsu to score or Assist. (2) Tottenham vs Fulham Tottenham is still a strong team. Pochettino never made any signings but he is confident of the team to compete with big teams for EPL trophy. Fulham is a newly promoted team and lacks experience in the premier league. The two teams once met in FA cup and Pochettino's side thrashed Fulham 3-0. Most of the Tottenham players participated in Russia world cup and they arent fully fit to thrash Fulham well. I predict home win Tottenham 2-0 Fulham Cristian Eriksen to assist/score Harry Kane to score (3) Everton vs Southampton I predict 2-2FT Sigurdsion to score Charlie Austin to score (4) Westham vs Bournemouth I predict home win Westham 2-0 Bournemouth (5) Chelsea vs Arsenal I predict away win Chelsea 1-2 Arsenal Sunday 19/08/2018 EPL fixtures and predictions (1) Burnley vs Watford This is a tough encounter between Sean Dyche and Javi Gracia team. Watford is on form having lost none of its friendly games. They started the league well beating Brighton 2-0, with 16 shots and 6 on target. Burnley had also 16 shots, 6 on target but were unlucky and got a 0-0 draw with Southampton. Burnley has a good defensive set up, whereas Watford has improved both in defense and striking. I predict Draw 1-1 FT (2) Manchester city vs Huddersfield Manchester City started the league on a high note beating Arsenal 2-0, while Huddersfield lost 0-3 to Chelsea. David Wagner team has a very poor defensive & midfield setup. Pep's squad has the best midfield and striking power and I oversee Citizens thrashing Huddersfield with no mercy. I predict comfortable home win Manchester city 5-0 Huddersfield Sergio Aquero to score Raheem Sterling to score Lorey Sane to Assist (3) Brighton vs Manchester United Chris Houghton and Jose Mourinho have met 4 times ( 3 Wins,1 Loss), twice in EPl both teams sharing 3 points and Once in FA cup( Man U won 2-0). The four encounters resulted to UNDER 2.5. Manchester united have started the league on a low note with few shots on target but the strikers are not yet on form to score many goals. Brighton had ZERO shots on target during Watford game which they lost 0-2. I predict away win Brighton 0-2 Man U FT R.Lukaku to score. Alexis Sanchez to score.

205 Ripon: Consolation Handicap 6/6 Aged 6 or under We lose Royal Brave, Related, Red Pike, Holiday Magic 6/6 Won at 6f previously We lose Dark Shot 6/6 Ran within 35 days We lose Boundsy 5/6 Ran at least 4 times that season We lose Handsome Dude 4/6 Carried at least 9st 6lbs We lose Rantan, Patrick, Hee Haw, Pennsylvania Dutch, Mr Wagyu 4/6 Placed first 4 last time We lose Gin In The Inn, Paddy Power Selection: 1pt Quick Look 7/1 Hills

Real Madrid vs Atletico Madrid The 2018 UEFA Super Cup will see a Madrid derby between Champions League winners Real Madrid and Europa League champions Atletico Madrid in a game that is set to be played this Wednesday in an 8pm kick-off at the A. Le Coq Arena in Tallinn, Estonia. This game summarises how superior the La Liga clubs are in European competition right now. The fact that this is Real Madrid's third consecutive appearance in this show piece event is a remarkable achievement. It is their sixth appearance in total and they have won on four occasions. Real Madrid are entering a new era under Julen Lopetegui. After the chaos that his departure from the Spain national team job caused at the World Cup this summer, he has not exactly kept his head in the sand with the high-profile departure of Cristiano Ronaldo and the hugely controversial signing of former Chelsea goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois. The signings of defender Alvaro Odriozola and attacker Vinicius Junior have also seen fans murmur both positive and negative sounds about the new head coach. Things are slightly more settled with Atletico Madrid. Diego Simeone remains in charge for his eighth consecutive season with the club. The double signing of Thomas Lemar and Rodri has set tongues wagging about how this could be the season that Atletico finally win their first La Liga title since 2014. The departure of Kevin Gameiro is unlikely to dampen the optimism. It's always hard to tell how these semi-competitive games will go. I just have a feeling that the familiarity and experience that Simeone has with his players could well trump the fresh ideas of Lopetegui. The jury are still out on the former goalkeeper as a manager despite the early signs proving encouraging. The Real Madrid job is one that can often be the fall of many a talented manager. Has he taken it on too early? I really do fancy Atletico here. Losing Ronaldo is huge. He bailed them out a lot of times over the past few years. The idea that Gareth Bale will simply slot in and replace Ronaldo as the star man is outrageous. As good as Bale is, it's impossible to replace one of the greatest players of all-time let alone expect instant results as well. If Lopetegui doesn't manage this Real team brilliantly they could be in for a tough season. Atletico Madrid To Lift Trophy @ 2.25 with Paddy Power BTTS @ 1.75 with Betway @vasilli07, @Xcout, @Icongene, @KikoCy, @DrBetter, @Duuc, @DrO, @immortal--, @Notorious, @betcatalog, @KingSoccertips, @discipline, @Pep004, @HastGill1, @ElPrincipito007, @salmonman, @DW_United, @allthethings, @MightyWell, @liamcorrigan86, @mijOsim, @dorleywilliams, @soccerprediction123, @jamiedavies02, @TOTTI3, @LePapo, @seifer365, @MPLouis, @Jack A, @JJG, @Pipoca, @neilovan, @wcz, @newjack, @matt-e-matticle, @EBTA, @cluelessG, @mtom, @Marek76, @allyhibs, and @WinningAdvice, will any of you guys be placing bets on this game?

FC Copenhagen - CSKA Sofia Both teams to score: Yes Odds: 2@bet365 Stake: 2/10 It's do or die for CSKA. After taking the lead last week CSKA lost 2-1 at home, which makes the chances of proceeding very slim, but the team has left for the Danish capital in high spirits and will hope to cause major upset. To be honest, I doubt they can do it, but at least I am certain they will give a hard time to their opponents. Last week CSKA started brightly but then the referee decided to take a decisive part in the game, and after a couple of absolutely shocking and deliberate decision against CSKA (admitted even by Copenhagen's manager), the visitors managed to turn things around and played very well in the second half. CSKA will be without one of their main CB who was sent off last week and without the regular LB who got injured in the training prior to the first match. On the bright side, the captain Bodurov (CB) is back as is midfielder Malinov. CSKA's striker Maurides is on fire having scored 8 goals in 7 games so far and once again he will be the main threat to the danish defense. As for Copenhagen, they showed more maturity and waited patiently their chances. They are aware that tomorrow CSKA will search for an early opening and I am sure they will wait for their chance on the break. Overall, the game should be entertaining and I can see both teams scoring, which makes the odds quite appealing. Good luck!

Gllavintoby WOWWW!

Cheers. A pleasing afternoon which wasn't far away from being an excellent afternoon as the two losing bets were both in front until fairly late on in their games.

Grigor Dimitrov to beat Kevin Anderson at 2.21 with Pinnacle Kevin isn't serving at his best right now. He's a bit lower in his standard than usual. He made up for it with good baseline play in his last match but that was only what was enough to beat Ilya Ivashka but Grigor can do a lot more damage than Ilya did. Grigor also owns a 6-1 record in this matchup having won all last 5 meetings with last one being in Stockholm 2016. Grigor seems to have picked up some form in Toronto that I haven't seen from him all season so I think he'll beat Kevin again. It's at least more likely than the odds suggest so at 2.21 I'm more than happy to bet on the bulgarian.

Grigor Dimitrov to beat Francis Tiafoe at 1.75 with BetVictor Diego Schwartzman (+1.5 sets) to beat Marin Cilic at 1.74 with Pinnacle Tiafoe did well to beat Raonic in the previous round, but it seemed to be more about the Canadian losing energy at the end of the match, which is something Grigor shouldn't have any problems with. He should now be boosted by a cracking win over Verdasco and that's why I fancy him quite strongly here, the forehand should do enough damage. And, well, I'm also continuing to ride the Schwartzman wave, not much explanation needed there I believe.

Cork 305 Arctic Fire 7/4 bet365 You know what they say if it looks too good to be true it probably is! I thought Arctic Fire was going to be around even money or odds on here and if he was still trained by Mullins he would have been. He came back from injury last time out here and ran a blinder to be third behind Good Thyne Tara and was never really put into the race with a chance of winning it. Should really be putting these away.

Yeah, I think Derby could be a slow burner under Frank Lampard. Think they'll need to ride some tough times before. I think Leeds could be the opposite under Marcelo Bielsa. I'm given to understand he's making the players train three times a day to increase their fitness. Yes, that will work short term but over the course of a 46-game season they'll suffer burn out. His approach reminds me of that ex-Fulham manager Felix Magath. I can totally see Leeds setting the pace before Christmas but potentially falling off in the New Year. Still, that means they should be backed for the time being in my opinion.

Adrian Mannarino to beat Sam Querrey at 2.37 with bet365 I think Adrian deserves a bet here. He reached the quarterfinal of Rogers cup last season and Sam is in awful form and add that Adrian owns a 3-1 record in this matchup having won 3 times on american soil in US open, Cincinnati and Miami. And what we get is a probable win for Adrian.

Good game all, gutted I couldn't finish the job, tough HU and enjoyable game.