Rockettman
-
Posts
35 -
Joined
-
Last visited
Posts posted by Rockettman
-
-
Re: West Ham v Manchester United > Wed 17th April KEY STAT Both teams have scored in 11 of thelast 13 Premier League games at West Ham, but tonight could be different. INJURIES/SUSPENSIONS West Ham: Tomkins is a doubt, WinstonReid & George McCartney also struggling, Pogatetz could stand in. MarkNoble is close to a return, but this game may come too soon for Joe Cole. Man Utd: Sir Alex Ferguson has no newinjury problems to contend with, Young & Scholes remain sidelined. VERDICT United need 7 more points to clinchthe title, and would take a massive stride towards doing that with a win atWest Ham tonight. Traditionally Upton Park has not been the easiest of huntinggrounds for United, but they are cruising towards this title, Van Persie isback in the goals and Rooney just loves scoring against the hammers, with 8goals in total against them! Despite some decent performances of late, WestHams defence does not look at its strongest without the likes of Winston Reid,and I expect a potent away side to capitalize Andy Carroll has caused sidesproblems in recent weeks, but he has never scored against Man United, and theReds defence has only conceded 1 goals away from home in the Premier League inthe last 6 games... VALUE BET Back Man United To Win To Nil @ 11/5(Coral)
-
Re: Arsenal v Everton > Tue 16th April INJURIES/SUSPENSIONS Arsenal: Rosicky is back fromhamstring injury, Mertesacker has served his 1 game ban. Everton: No new problems for DavidMoyes. VERDICT Only weeks ago Arsenal wereconvincingly beaten in the North London derby and facing up to not qualifyingfor the Champions League for the first time under Arsene Wenger’s leadership. 4straight wins in the league have followed, but they needed a late late showagainst Norwich on Saturday. Everton are on top form, and have quietly closedthe gap on the Champions League in recent weeks. They have achieved draws atManchester City & Tottenham, in total drawing 47% of their away games thisseason. They have the potential to do the same tonight... VALUE BET Back The Draw @29/10 (Bet365)
-
Re: WC > Europe Qualification > 22 - 23 March SCOTLAND vs. WALES World Cup Qualifier Friday March 22nd 2013 8.00pm Kickoff! Live On Skysports 2 (programme starts at 7.30pm) KEY STAT Scotland have not won 3 consecutive games since 2007. INJURIES/SUSPENSIONS Scotland: The Scots have something of an injury crisis in centre midfield, with Liam Bridcutt set for a debut. Wales: Gareth Bale has shaken off an ankle injury, and will hope to continue his recent form for his county. VERDICT Scotland look to have turned the corner under Gordon Strachan, but they still sit bottom of their group without a win; I agree with others they should not be odds-on here. With the threat of Bale on the break, Chris Colemans boys represent value to pick up all 3 points for small stakes… VALUE BET Back Wales @4/1 (Coral)
-
Re: Championship > Tue 5th March The minefield that is betting on the Championship on a Tuesday night... 2 games interest me: Cardiff vs. Derby Cardiff have been excellent at home all season, and will be looking to bounce back from the defeat at Boro. Not sure if Hudson is still out but they should be able to cope against an out of form Derby side shocking on the road, without Will Hughes & now top goalscorer Jamie Ward. Cardiff have beaten Derby on their last 4 trips to Wales. Price doesn't scare me... Back Cardiff 1.73 Hills Leicester vs. Leeds Is it me or are Leicester too short here? They have started stumbling in recent weeks, losing 4 of their last 6 games, only beating an injury hit Blackburn at home. There's no doubting their home record has been excellent this season, but this may not be the time to face Leeds, who are showing signs of improvement. Leeds won this fixture 1-0 last season. At this price, on a Tuesday night, I shall be taking on the Foxes. Lay Leicester 1.69 Betfair
-
Southend squad decimatedwith injuries... 9 players out injured/suspended right now. Times so hard that centre forward Barry corr looks likely to start at centre back. Exiled Bilel mohsni was recalled on saturday but then he was swiftly sent off. Centre midfielder Michael timlin will be the biggest loss IMO. The only boost for us blues fans is the injuries mean cult hero freddy Eastwood could finally get a game! Orient should be favourites for this... No doubt
-
Re: Championship > Sat 15th December Have Wolves turned it around after back to back wins? Middlesbrough nursing quite a few injuries ahead of the weekend....... http://www.mfc.co.uk/page/news/latest/0,,1~3008502,00.html?
-
Re: Group H > Oct 23 (CFR Cluj, Galatasaray, Braga, Man Utd) KEY STATS [TABLE]
[TR] [TD]MAN UTD [/TD] [TD]BRAGA [/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]Have scored in their last 18 consecutive European matches [/TD] [TD]Unbeaten in their last 7 away games in Europe [/TD] [/TR] [/TABLE] INJURIES/SUSPENSIONS Man Utd: Rio Fedinand and Patrice Evra to be rested. Vidic, Jones & Smalling remain the longer term absentees. Braga: Douglão, Djamal and Paulo César have all stayed in Portugal due to injury. Ismaily and Ruben Amorim faced fitness tests in Monday's training session. Alan is a doubt after only recently returning from injury. VERDICT Manchester United learnt an important lesson last season about resting players in Champions League Football, but Sir Alex Ferguson has already announced could there be a weakened back line this evening with Buttner and Wootton coming in for the more experienced Evra and Ferdinand. The United defence has looked susceptible at its strongest this season, and could be tested yet again by a Braga side who have an outstanding away record in European football. Braga do have a number of fitness concerns, but are heading to Old Trafford without fear and confident of a positive result. Despite a huge number of chances, the Portuguese outfit failed to score at home to Cluj and were punished on the break twice to go down 2-0. The win against Galatasaray put them back on track, but they need to go for it tonight. Little value in backing the United victory so I can only agree with Kevshat in looking at both sides to hit the back of the net… VALUE BET Both teams to score @1.91 (Various) -
Re: Queens Park Rangers v Everton > Oct 21 KEY STATS [TABLE] [TR] [TD]QPR [/TD] [TD]EVERTON [/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]Yet to win in the league this season [/TD] [TD]Everton have only won once away to QPR in 25 years. [/TD] [/TR] [/TABLE] INJURIES/SUSPENSIONS QPR: Fitness worries over Boswinga, Ferdinand, Traore, Clint Hill and Fabio all look to have cleared up. Andy Johnson remains the long term absentee. Diakite is back from his 1 game suspension. Everton: This game may come too soon for Hibbert and Gibson. Fellaini is expected to be out for another week with a knee injury. VERDICT QPR and Mark Hughes are under severe pressure to win today. Bottom of the table with just 2 points from 7 games, it was not the start all were expecting at Loftus Road. The cash was splashed over the summer, and on paper they have a number of attacking options, but it is clear for all too see the money should have been spent on the defence. QPR have been making costly errors at the back of late, and have found themselves conceding early too often. Injuries have also played their part, and the International break has allowed a few defensive options time to recover. Could this be the day the tide turns? Everton have made a magnificent start to the season, and currently occupy a Champions League place. They have only lost one of the last 18 league games! Fellaini sits out todays game, and he could be a big loss. It is interesting to note they have only won once at Loftus Road in the last 25 years. For me Everton are not as strong on the road, and they are too short this afternoon. VALUE BET QPR Draw No Bet @8/5 (Pinnacle)
-
Re: Spurs v Chelsea > Oct 20 KEY STATS [TABLE] [TR] [TD]TOTTENHAM[/TD] [TD]CHELSEA[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]Tottenham have lost just 2 of their last 22 league games at home.[/TD] [TD]Have not won on their last 6 visits to White Hart Lane[/TD] [/TR] [/TABLE] INJURIES/SUSPENSIONS Tottenham: Naughton and Livermore are set for returns back to the match day squad, but Parker, Assou-Ekotto and Kaboul remain long term absentees. Chelsea: Bertrand, Lampard and Sturridge are all on the brink of a return to action, whilst John Terry serves the first game of his 4 match ban. VERDICT While a lot of the focus here will undoubtedly be on Villas-Boas facing his former club for the first time, it is important not to forget the recent improvements his side have made. Spurs are chasing a 5th successive league win for the first time in 2012, and are unbeaten since losing to Newcastle back on the 18th of August. AvB was criticized for his defensive approach to his first few league games, as they ended slipping to disappointing 1-1 draws against West Brom and Norwich, and contrary to common belief, we could see a similar approach being employed here. Confidence has grown since the stunning victory at Old Trafford, but whilst Tottenham do have a good chance of being the first side to beat Chelsea in the league this season, the match is very evenly poised. Chelsea will undoubtedly be affected by the absence of John Terry, as he serves the first game of his 4 game suspension, but like Spurs, Chelsea come into the game on a great run of form. They have won their last 3 games, are unbeaten in their last 7 they sit 4 points clear at the top of the Premier League. The likes of Mata and Hazard have been sparkling of late, and even Fernando Torres has re-discovered his shooting boots, but can the Blues pick up all 3 points here? Having won down the road at the Emirates you would have to give Chelsea a strong chance, but I see the potential for both sides to cancel each other out here… VALUE BET Draw @12/5 (Various)
-
Re: Championship > October 19-20 SHEFFIELD WEDNESDAY vs. LEEDS INJURIES/SUSPENSIONS Sheffield Wednesday: No fresh injury concerns. Reda Johnson & Chris Lines are still out. Leeds: Late fitness checks for Rodolph Austin & Michael Tonge. Definitely out are Leigh Bromby, Ross McCormack, Ramon Nunez & Davide Somma. David Norris & Paul Green both pushing for recalls. KEY STATS [TABLE]
[TR] [TD]SHEFFIELD WED[/TD] [TD]LEEDS[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]Have not kept a clean sheet this season[/TD] [TD]Every away game has gone over 2.5 goals[/TD] [/TR] [/TABLE] VERDICT Sheffield Wednesday splashed the cash over the summer and made a stunning start that saw pundits comparing them to the Southampton side of last season. Could another side from League One gain a double promotion to the Premier League? Now 8 games without a win, confidence appears to have drained from the squad. Their big problem is clear for all to see… they have not kept a clean sheet thus far this season! Having said that, a closer look at their results shows all of the defeats came against sides who appear to be pushing for promotion this season. They’ve been beaten by Crystal Palace, Brighton, Huddersfield, Bolton, Wolves & Hull; all teams that look set for high placed finishes this season. Leeds are the latest promotion chasing side to visit Hillsborough this season, only tonight’s game will have a completely different atmosphere... it is a Yorkshire derby! Leeds come into the game unbeaten in their last 5 with narrow 1 goal victories in the league over Nottingham Forrest, Bristol City and Barnsley. Those are all sides the men in white would have expected to win, and this evenings match could be the toughest of the lot. Their injuries are clearing up, with McCormack now the only long term absentee of note, and this week has seen the excellent acquisition of Ryan Hall on loan from Southend. This is a transfer that for many may have slipped under the radar, but it is interesting to note Ryan has had more assists than any other player in the football league in the last 2 years. He is expected to take his place on the bench tonight. Given current form it is clear why everyone is looking at the away win and it’s hard to put anyone off, given the international break and the fact this is a derby I'm siding with goals in what looks certain to be an entertaining game… RECOMMENDATION Over 2.5 Goals @1.75 (Pinnacle) -
Re: WC - Europe Qualification > 12 October Last time out England scraped to a 1-1 draw at home to Ukraine, and Roy Hodgson has since seen John Terry retire from international football… but despite captain Steven Gerrard’s suspension, Frank Lampard being rested, and Ashley Cole having tweeted himself out of contention, it is a young hungry 3 Lions that take to the Wembley turf this evening, led by Wayne Rooney. With players fighting for places ahead of the big game against Poland, there is serious motivation to notch a cricket score against San Marino. The only negative we can find is Roy will stick with Danny Welbeck upfront, despite no goals in his last 12 games. San Marino are an amateur International football team, with just one professional player who currently plies his trade in the Italian 4th division. They have only ever won one friendly fixture, and never won a competitive game. In fact they haven’t hit the back of the net since scoring against Slovakia on October 11th 2008. Their recent losing run has seen them slip to the joint worst team in the FIFA world rankings as the 207th best team. The last time the sides met England hit 6 without reply, and this should be the minimum target this evening. Expectation has risen throughout the week, with 7-0 now the favourite scoreline, and if Danny Welbeck brings his shooting boots we see a thoroughly convincing victory... RECOMMENDATION Dutch 6-0 (13/2),7-0 (8/1),8-0 (16/1),9-0 (16/1) (Best prices Bet Victor)
-
Re: Npower Football League Championship > 18th / 19th September I too was looking at back Wolves but I'm wavering... those of you who watched the Leicester game will know they were lucky to take all 3 points... both goals were set pieces with Leicester dominating for large periods and Wolves hanging on at the end! Wolves fans now appear to be in confident mood but this is midweek in the Championship, and their team is far from settled under Solbakken and doesn't look like a team about to embark on a winning run. Ipswich were incredibly unlucky to come away from Middlesbough with nothing... all indications suggest they were the better team but failed to take their chances, they conceded a second late on when pushing for the equaliser. Ipswich fans see this as their chance to turn the tide: http://www.ipswich.vitalfootball.co.uk/matchprere.asp?a=293616
-
Re: Spain v Rep of Ireland - June 14 If Ireland are to score in this game surely it would be from a set piece, Spain aren't the biggest. Looking at some of the large prices on the Irish defenders to score first with Stan James: Richard Dunne 50/1 St Ledger 100/1 O'Shea 125/1 Does O'Shea go up for corners for the Irish? I seem to remember him picking up a goal or 2 for Man Utd.
-
Re: Greece v Czech Republic June 12th I have to agree, this looks to be priced wrong to me. The Czechs were poor in qualifying, and are essentially a one man team. When that one man is Tomas Rosicky is he really going to carry a team? They have a terribly slow defence which seems intent on pushing up to the halfway line and was picked off with ease by the Russians, as they suffured the biggest defeat of the tournament so far! Greece showed real fight to pick up a commendable draw in the opening game against the hosts. Gekas doesn't look the most threatening striker to me but do they have any pace to throw on against this ageing Czech defence? Greece were undefeated in qualifying and without any big stars or expectation look more organised than the Czech Republic, and will come in on more of a high! Lay Czech Republic 2.4 Betfair
-
Re: Eurovision 2012 Obviously two of the most important factors when considering Eurovision are the draw (something like the of the last 8 winners only 1 has not performed in the last 8), and the number of neighbours they have to vote for them, but having found the time to look at every song, there are only a handful that stand out enough for me to actually go on and win the competition and these are: Ireland - Yes the Jedward boys song is catchy this year and they are crazy enough to stand out, with a great late draw (23) in the final they are in with a squeak. The only negative is who are the neighbours that will vote for them? 27.0 Betfair. Denmark - This is a really talented artist and a really good song, she wrote the song herself, and a very similar to one from another Scandinavian country (Sweden) came third last year. Not a bad draw at 15, but will it stand out enough? 29.0 Betfair Russia - For obvious reasons the grannies have a great chance with the public vote, they even have a story that they are competing to win money for their church that was destroyed by Stalin! The negative is clearly that they have been drawn 6. 7.4 Betfair Sweden - Great eurovision song, and they will get the Scandinavian vote, but how short are their odds? They haven't even been drawn yet. No value. 2.8 Betfair Ukraine - This is my rag. Last year I picked Azerbaijan, and this year for me it is Ukraine. If you listen to the songs it is a very current similar song to Sweden but comes from a country with more surrounding neighbours. They have finished in the top 4, 4 times in the last 8 years! To be currently trading at 65 on betfair seems a gift seen as they have a 40% chance of a late draw provided they survive tonights Semi Final. If they survive tonight they could be trading at half the price. The only negative I can find is that Poland are not competing this year, and that is usually their guaranteed 12 points, but I'm not sure if Poland are still voting on the final. Does anybody know? 65.0 Betfair
-
Re: England > The FA Cup 4th Round Replays > 7/8th February In theory in-form Sunderland should have too much for an injury hit Boro, but it is the cup, and it is a local derby! I expect O'Neill to send the Black Cats out looking to kill this tie off early, in the hope he can rest players in the second half for the big home game against Arsenal this weekend. Therefore I see value in the following: HT Sunderland @9/5 Bet Fred 4pts. Sunderland/Draw @16/1 SkyBet 1pt.
-
Re: England > Barclays Premier League > 2-4 January The value in United is already eroded... I see decent value in the draw right now. Yes Newcastle havn't beaten them since 2001, but 4 of the last 8 have been draws!
-
Re: England > Weekend > Premier League > 1-2 October Everton now 9/4 at home to a Liverpool side who have been poor on the road recently. Granted its a derby, anything can happy, but this is the value bet. Perhaps its something to do with the doubt over Cahill but there's still a chance he will play! Before facing Man City, Everton were actually unbeaten in 5, winning 4. Value bet in the Prem this weekend for me: Everton 3.25 Betfair
-
Re: England > Weekend > Premier League > 17-18 September Watched Newcastle a few times already this season and they have been rather lucky thus far... the QPR match just summed this up! If QPR had a striker of premiership quality it could have been 3 or 4 nil. Their biggest worry is clearly their inability to score goals... and if you can't score goals against rejects Gabiddon, Anton Ferdinand and Traore you have little hope against this Villa defence. Aston Villa clean sheet@ 2/1 Ladbrokes
-
-
Re: England: League Two Aug 16
Unfortunately you can't wait for 2 goalkeeping errors and a debatable penalty... but shocking second half performance!!! Crawley :@A bad night for those of us who backed Southend in some form, seems they capitulated after conceeding the first. I hate Crawley. -
Re: England: League Two Aug 16
I'm trying to get hold of some ruddy team news but Southend don't seem keen on releasing any info as yet. The only issue that concerns me is Southend fatigue' date=' having played 120 minutes more than Crawley in a short space of time. Southend +1 @ 9/10 (Pinnacle) does look very tempting for me but I am currently agonising over several bets for tonight. For all the people that back Southend tonight I wish the best of luck.[/quote'] The only long term absentee that is a miss is Barry Corr (20 goals upfront last season)... but he is more than covered for by Dickinson and Neil Harris. At the back we could miss one of our centre backs with Phillips touch and go and Barker only just back from injury, but we rested Bilel Mohsni at the weekend so he could well be thrown back in tonight. He's our best player by a mile and could make a massive difference. The +1 handicap is rather appealing! -
Re: England: League Two Aug 16
As a Southend fan I'm shocked by this price... we have improved massively over the Summer. Held onto all of our good players and added that extra bit of quality! Sturrock is doing a great job. Our win at the weekend was our first away win for a while, but I see no reason why we can't get something out of this game too! There are no major injury concerns that we can't cover & we have a decent crowd heading over there in optimistic mood! 1pt Southend @ 6.0 Betfair 5pts Southend +3/4 @ 2.15 Bet365Crawley V Southend Would love to hear peoples views on this one, the Southend price is massive and a Southend + handicap could be on the cards here. Are Crawley a physcial side? What is the Southend style in comparison? My concerns would be that Southend have played a lot of football in a short space of time, going to extra time in the cup and then 2 away games in quick succession, fatigue could be a real factor in this game. The bookies have clearly disappeared up Crawleys arsse this season and this might be a game where there's value opposing them. -
Re: England > Weekend > Championship > 13-14 August As much as I don't like short priced away favourites I'm taking West Ham at Doncaster nice and early. Donny had 7 players out before their trip to Brighton, with a rather susceptible looking defence. With the injuries picked up for Hayter and Sharp looking serious they couldn't be facing the Hammers at a worse time. West Ham 11/10 Corals
Championship > 19th - 20th April
in Championship Predictions
Posted
Re: Championship > 19th - 20th April Just beware that Burnleys top gs Charlie Austin is now out for the season... they have only won 1 home game since mid January & it was against Bristol City. Conversely I feel the pressure is now off Cardiff having achieved promotion, and they now have the motivation to go for the title. Sure there are some Bluebirds fans on here who can offer more of an opinion...