Scotland > Premier League Ante-Post 2010/11 Season

[western skies]

Links to the latest odds will be added here as and when they become available. This thread is for all your season-long SPL bets. Please note that reasoning is required for all selections in this thread. Winner Winner without Old Firm To Finish Bottom

[chris_derry]

Re: Scotland > Premier League Ante-Post 2010/11 Season Celtic for the SPL - 5/6

[Jenspm]

Re: Scotland > Premier League Ante-Post 2010/11 Season

Celtic for the SPL - 5/6

:welcome to Punters Lounge! As stated in the OP, reasoning is required for all bets in this thread - why do you fancy Celtic?

[chris_derry]

Re: Scotland > Premier League Ante-Post 2010/11 Season Cheers Jesem! ...I hope I say this here; My league predictions: EPL - Chelsea CHAMP - QPR 1st - S'hampton 2nd - Bradford City SPL - Celtic And yours...? :notworthy

[chris_derry]

Re: Scotland > Premier League Ante-Post 2010/11 Season "Why do I fancy Celtic?..." Well as Neil lennon at the helm and the idea of signings and havving the money to sign decent players after the owrld Cup hype, I think he will strengthen the squad and deliver the goods at Park Head ahead of the other half of Glasgow. Rangers will be relying on a weakend squad with big losses in the goal scoring department. They will have to rebuild with youth players and havent got enough cover in the squad to cover injuries if and when they do occur. Celtic on the other habd have this. This again will be bolstered by signings that are done deals by now (IMO). Lennon has put the heart back into the Hoops and will inspire the team with his backroom staff of Thompson and Mallby, both Celtic legends. He will "bring back the thunder" and I believe that this is what will take the league title back to Park Head, his passion and signings. Rangers need a wee miracle if they are to do "3 in a row way nae dow".

[Knoxy]

Re: Scotland > Premier League Ante-Post 2010/11 Season Its true that Rangers will be a lot weaker in front of goal now that Boyd has moved on, and Novo as well for that matter, however i think that it is too early to be writing them off. Yes Celtic have been linked with some 'high profile' signings, but none of them have actually signed yet, and if Charlie Mulgrew is the level of player that is appearing on their radar, then they too have substantial squad worries. Campbell appears to be hedging his bets regarding who he signs for - his initial interest in signing for Celtic probably lessened after visiting the place. Bullard will command a high wage with no guarantees he will survive the season injury-free. McGeady will be moved on and unless Lennon is given the entire transfer fee to bolster his squad, they will find themselves lacking too. For as much as I dislike Dundee Utd, I hope they can keep their squad together and perhaps strengthen (loss of Webster will be a big blow) because on the basis of last season, they could potentially push a weaker Old Firm for longer.

[Aidybhoy]

Re: Scotland > Premier League Ante-Post 2010/11 Season I am obviously being biased but do think Celtic have a much better chance of winning the SPL this forthcoming season than the previous and to me it will be down to the Lennon factor. Whatever experience he is lacking I cannot help think he will make up for in raw passion and drive - this was evident in a lot of Celtic's last few games (Ross County apart). He has made and will continue to make a few signings and the question has to be if they will settle and adapt to life in Scotland but sometimes a change to a team can be a breath of fresh air. Mulgrew may take a bit of stick but he is a decent player who can handle the SPL - he was Aberdeens best player in his last season for them. However, in saying all this there is the SMITH factor to consider especially in his last season. Smith is a wily old fox and what he does not know about football and tactics is not worth knowing. He continually gets the best out of his teams and can spot a player who can defend when required or score a goal or two. In all this praise though his current team is being decimated by the banks and he is not able (at the time of writing this) to add to his squad. Boyd is away and Weir is yet another year older. It will be a big ask for Rangers this season. Celtic (I hope) have got their act together and with their new additions, a passionate manager who knows how to win and a team across the river who could be on their last legs I cant help but think the title will be changing hands again. But as I say, I am biased :ok

[SpiritOf67]

Re: Scotland > Premier League Ante-Post 2010/11 Season Have to fancy Celtic aswell, odds are plumetting as the fire-sale over at Govan continues. Rangers will badly miss the goals of Kris Boyd and one of their best players Kevin Thomson is on the verge of signing for Middlesbrough. It seems every player has his price and while Smith is a very good manager and knows how to win this league, even in the last few seasons it has been more Celtic's incompetence rather than Rangers being formidable that has seen them win the last two titles. 10/11 on bet365 is the best current price and I don't think that will last long. Does anyone know where I can find odds on the SPL top goalscorer? With Boyd away I think Morten Rasmussen has a real chance of ending the season as the top marksman, he showed last season he has a real eye for goal and his physical style suits this league well.

[bookies worst enemy]

Re: Scotland > Premier League Ante-Post 2010/11 Season Max Exodus at Rangers:eek. Im going all out on Celtic too win the SPL........@10/11

[SpiritOf67]

Re: Scotland > Premier League Ante-Post 2010/11 Season

Max Exodus at Rangers:eek. Im going all out on Celtic too win the SPL........@10/11

10/11 is gone now, knew it wouldn't last- bet365 have cut it to 8/11. Should have got on but don't like having money tied up for a full season. Still 5/6 kicking around, I think Rangers will lose another few players and I don't see the players they bring in as being of great quality. Celtic are still in the hunt for more players with Lennon saying he wants another 4 and said it will be 'bedlam' when he returns from America tomorrow.

[bookies worst enemy]

Re: Scotland > Premier League Ante-Post 2010/11 Season

10/11 is gone now, knew it wouldn't last- bet365 have cut it to 8/11. Should have got on but don't like having money tied up for a full season. Still 5/6 kicking around, I think Rangers will lose another few players and I don't see the players they bring in as being of great quality. Celtic are still in the hunt for more players with Lennon saying he wants another 4 and said it will be 'bedlam' when he returns from America tomorrow.

Yeah i no, Damm i'm too late ended up getting 8/11 Paddy Power

[TheCerebralAssassin]

Re: Scotland > Premier League Ante-Post 2010/11 Season Not long until the big kick-off now. :clap The market which is interesting me at the moment is W/0 Rangers & Celtic. Hearts look decent value at 9/2. They managed to finish 3rd two seasons back but then struggled last season and it eventually cost Laszlo his job with Jim Jefferies coming in as his replacement. Jefferies managed to steady the ship and guided them to a top six finish. Jefferies is a bit of a legend at Hearts having previously guided them to a Scottish Cup win and a top three finish back in the 90's. Under mad Vlad Hearts have had numerous ins and outs on both the playing side and managerial side. Jefferies is a man who will command instant respect and should offer them some continuity. One of his first moves as manager has been to release former club captain Michael Stewart who was seen as a bad apple in the dressing room. Darren Barr and Kevin Kyle have both joined the club and both players will do very well imo. There's also talk of Paul Hartley joining the club and he too would be a decent signing. Jefferies seems to be going down the Scottish route as he tries to put his own stamp on the team. If Hearts can hold onto Driver and keep him fit, and add another few players to the squad then i think they'll go very close this season. It's still early days and so much can happen between now and the closing of the transfer window but that's my initial thought's anyway.

[bluemal]

Re: Scotland > Premier League Ante-Post 2010/11 Season Rangers dont usually sign players to the last couple of weeks of the transfer window and with Celtic linked to everyone in the world if Lennon gets this wrong next week in Champions League Qualifier they are no european games for them and will be sitting with two full teams of players Mowburys numpty's and Lennon's mob and we could see the best fans in the world (if there winning ) attendance will be like last season 30,000 forgot to say 11/10 Rangers paddy power

[SpiritOf67]

Re: Scotland > Premier League Ante-Post 2010/11 Season

Rangers dont usually sign players to the last couple of weeks of the transfer window and with Celtic linked to everyone in the world if Lennon gets this wrong next week in Champions League Qualifier they are no european games for them and will be sitting with two full teams of players Mowburys numpty's and Lennon's mob and we could see the best fans in the world (if there winning ) attendance will be like last season 30,000 forgot to say 11/10 Rangers paddy power

Thats incorrect, if Celtic lose to Braga they go into a qualifier for the Europa League so they won't be out of Europe altogether. In the highly unlikely event we did lose two games, if anything it would have us a lot fresher for the league campaign so don't know why your comparing the two. Rangers have a CL campaign to contend with aswell and they were out of their depth last year and are even worse this time around and with such a small squad they will struggle in games following the CL.

[TheCerebralAssassin]

Re: Scotland > Premier League Ante-Post 2010/11 Season With Walter Smith now committing himself to another season Rangers will once again be the team to beat. You just can't buy the experience Walter Smith has at this level. This is a man who has won 19 trophies domestically. Walter committing himself for another year is probably the biggest boost the team could have had over the summer. There was alot of debate over who'd become the next Celtic manager and in the end the board decided to go for Neil Lennon. There will be alot of ins and outs at Celtic this summer and the hardest part of Neil Lennon's job will be trying to gel the team together and creating that winning mentality. He is inexperienced but a lack of experience doesn't automatically mean he'll be a failure. Souness came in at Rangers with no experience and did an excellent job whereas Le Guen came in with experience but failed. Only time will tell whether or not he has the tactical nous and the ability to handle the pressure at this level. Lennon's made a bad start to his reign and failure to qualify for the Champions League would be a blow. Despite his disappointing start i feel they will improve over the course of the season and we will see a more competitive SPL. Rangers will be given more of a challenge this season and it could go right down to the wire but come next May i fancy Rangers to retain their title. Rangers are currently available at 5/4 for the title.

[Jase82]

Re: Scotland > Premier League Ante-Post 2010/11 Season

With Walter Smith now committing himself to another season Rangers will once again be the team to beat. You just can't buy the experience Walter Smith has at this level. This is a man who has won 19 trophies domestically. Walter committing himself for another year is probably the biggest boost the team could have had over the summer. There was alot of debate over who'd become the next Celtic manager and in the end the board decided to go for Neil Lennon. There will be alot of ins and outs at Celtic this summer and the hardest part of Neil Lennon's job will be trying to gel the team together and creating that winning mentality. He is inexperienced but a lack of experience doesn't automatically mean he'll be a failure. Souness came in at Rangers with no experience and did an excellent job whereas Le Guen came in with experience but failed. Only time will tell whether or not he has the tactical nous and the ability to handle the pressure at this level. Lennon's made a bad start to his reign and failure to qualify for the Champions League would be a blow. Despite his disappointing start i feel they will improve over the course of the season and we will see a more competitive SPL. Rangers will be given more of a challenge this season and it could go right down to the wire but come next May i fancy Rangers to retain their title. Rangers are currently available at 5/4 for the title.

:welcome back mate :ok Not sure I folllow the optimism on Rangers though tbh. Losing too many of their best players for my liking.

[TheCerebralAssassin]

Re: Scotland > Premier League Ante-Post 2010/11 Season

:welcome back mate :ok Not sure I folllow the optimism on Rangers though tbh. Losing too many of their best players for my liking.

Thanks mate, looking forward to following your tips this season. :D We've only lost one of our best players, Boyd. From the players sold he is the only one who will be difficult to replace. There are areas which need strengthening but it's still early days. Players will arrive before the closing of the window. Up front is obviously the key area where we need to strengthen after losing Boyd. Thomson will also be a loss but in Davis, Edu and McCulloch we have strength in depth in the central area. We're still short out wide so that will also need to be addressed. Wilson going isn't a problem as Webster is a ready made replacement. Novo will be missed as a squad man. Walter has consistently said he's happy with the business plan. I don't think he would have stayed unless he felt he could build a side capable of retaining the title and it's hard not to have faith in the man considering everything he's done.

[The Quiet Man]

Re: Scotland > Premier League Ante-Post 2010/11 Season What a fantastic place to come for impartial advice on ante post betting on the SPL winners......is there any Old Firm Fan out there that fancies their own side not to win the League?:unsure It's a waste of a thread if every Celtic fan backs Celtic and every Rangers fan backs Rangers:wall:wall:wall TQM

[SpiritOf67]

Re: Scotland > Premier League Ante-Post 2010/11 Season

What a fantastic place to come for impartial advice on ante post betting on the SPL winners......is there any Old Firm Fan out there that fancies their own side not to win the League?:unsure It's a waste of a thread if every Celtic fan backs Celtic and every Rangers fan backs Rangers:wall:wall:wall TQM

Your a waste of time, all you ever post in the SPL threads is nonsense like this. Who do you think will win it? What do you think about your team Aberdeen? Can you contribute anything decent. Rangers are in financial crisis and have lost some of their best players. Despite having an inexperienced manager and having a poor result midweek, needing time to gel, all the evidence points to Celtic having a better side with more strength in depth. People have posted good reasoning yet you come on and spout your nonsense as usual.

[TheCerebralAssassin]

Re: Scotland > Premier League Ante-Post 2010/11 Season

What a fantastic place to come for impartial advice on ante post betting on the SPL winners......is there any Old Firm Fan out there that fancies their own side not to win the League?:unsure It's a waste of a thread if every Celtic fan backs Celtic and every Rangers fan backs Rangers:wall:wall:wall TQM

You can take anyone's opinion with a pinch of salt if you wish but with all due respect you haven't offered much to the thread yourself.

[jtw1]

Re: Scotland > Premier League Ante-Post 2010/11 Season

What a fantastic place to come for impartial advice on ante post betting on the SPL winners......is there any Old Firm Fan out there that fancies their own side not to win the League?:unsure It's a waste of a thread if every Celtic fan backs Celtic and every Rangers fan backs Rangers:wall:wall:wall TQM

Know where your coming from TQM but unfortunately it will probably be the same old 2 horse race again so it's no great shock for the OF guys to fancy their own side . I would think the best option is to ask who fancies the winner w/o Rangers/Celtic ?? that would be a better question , as that would appear to be between 5 teams imo If i were to place a bet on that market right now i would a couple bets - HEARTS @ 5.5 with Wm Hill [ ok so i'm going for my own team but listening to what guys who go to the games are saying , i think at those odds they're worth a bet ] and also MOTHERWELL @ 9.0 with Skybet , Craig Brown has made a great impact on the team as was apparent last season and i think they could well improve this season .

[TheCerebralAssassin]

Re: Scotland > Premier League Ante-Post 2010/11 Season I agree Motherwell could be dark horses for the w/o Rangers & Celtic market. Brown did an incredible job last season and he seems to have carried it into this season with a decent start in Europe.

[theoldmaster]

Re: Scotland > Premier League Ante-Post 2010/11 Season top scorer JON DALY EW at 20/1, for me a real value bet, while we can expect the old firm to provide the winner in this market we with boyd gone there is no real stand out in this market. Daly was tremendous last term scoring well into double figures for united and he has improved every season he has been at tannadice, Daly has to be a favourite for this market not withstanding the OF, elsewhere Kyle who probably kept Killie up last term is at Hearts and you would think should score more at Hearts but i'm not convinced he will, my own team Aberdeen are in transition with McGhee finally getting rid of most of Calderwoods shirkers, the new strikers brought in Magennis and Vernon, Josh was highly sought after inj the English leagues but the dons secured his services but he is young and rough round the edges i have little doubt he will be learning in his first SPL season, Vernon is best described as a consistent journyman not a out and out striker but his record is around a goal every 4 games however i have a hunch he might surprise folk in front of goal and prove to be a real threat,

[TheCerebralAssassin]

Re: Scotland > Premier League Ante-Post 2010/11 Season

top scorer JON DALY EW at 20/1, for me a real value bet, while we can expect the old firm to provide the winner in this market we with boyd gone there is no real stand out in this market. Daly was tremendous last term scoring well into double figures for united and he has improved every season he has been at tannadice, Daly has to be a favourite for this market not withstanding the OF, elsewhere Kyle who probably kept Killie up last term is at Hearts and you would think should score more at Hearts but i'm not convinced he will, my own team Aberdeen are in transition with McGhee finally getting rid of most of Calderwoods shirkers, the new strikers brought in Magennis and Vernon, Josh was highly sought after inj the English leagues but the dons secured his services but he is young and rough round the edges i have little doubt he will be learning in his first SPL season, Vernon is best described as a consistent journyman not a out and out striker but his record is around a goal every 4 games however i have a hunch he might surprise folk in front of goal and prove to be a real threat,

Jon Daly - Started 17 Sub 7 Goals 13 He certainly had an impressive goals for games ration last season but the problem is he appears to be injury prone and when he is fit he doesn't always start. 2009/2010 17 starts, 2008/2009 16 starts, 2007/2008 3 starts, 2006/2007. If you're looking at Dundee Utd i think Goodwillie would be a better bet. I would wait until the end of the transfer window before looking at this market as alot of players will come and go between now and then.

[The Mug]

Re: Scotland > Premier League Ante-Post 2010/11 Season The standout bet in the SPL for me is Dundee United to finish above Hibernian @ 4/5 (Paddy Power). Utd finished nine points ahead of Hibs at the end of last season, and haven't made wholesale changes to a squad that has plenty of attacking talent. Andy Webster returning to Rangers is a big loss, but they should still have enough to be aiming for third place at least. Hibs started excellently last season, but their form beyond Christmas was absolutely woeful, as other teams presumably worked out how to stifle Stokes and Riordan - their two best players. Their midfield seems quite weak (John Rankin seems to be attracting a lot of criticism from Hibs fans in particular), and their defence and goalkeeper(s) are dodgy to say the least. Their pre-season has been disrupted by having to compete in the Europa League qualifiers (where they're all but out having been gubbed 3-0 in Slovenia by Maribor in the first leg), and I can't see them having a particularly good season. While evens on Hearts finishing above Hibs is probably a fair enough price, 4/5 for Utd to do the same seems generous to me. I'd consider the 8/13 offered by Ladbrokes to be an accurate price, so this represents a bit of value.

[TheCerebralAssassin]

Re: Scotland > Premier League Ante-Post 2010/11 Season That's a good find Mug. The Hibs we saw during the first half of the season and the Hibs we saw during the second half of the season were two different sides. It's just a case of which one turns up this season. They certainly haven't made the best of starts to the season after a 3-0 defeat away to Maribor. Dundee Utd's problem could be finding a leader at the back. In the space of 12 months they've lost two captains in Lee Wilkie and Andy Webster. Darren Dods is now 36 so you just wonder how much he has left in him. In saying that they've still managed to keep the bulk of their squad together and if they can find a decent centre back i think they'll comfortably finish above Hibs. There's a long way to go in the transfer window though, i know there's been strong interest in Goodwillie and Conway.

[The Mug]

Re: Scotland > Premier League Ante-Post 2010/11 Season Hibs fans have been wanting Yogi Hughes sacked for months now - I hope he stays! :tongue2 On that note, McBookie.com have Hughes to be the first SPL manager to leave @ 5/1; not betting it myself, but not the worst bet I've ever seen, either! The only SPL antepost bet I've added to my Utd-Hibs season match bet is a small wager on Goodwillie to be top goalscorer (e/w) @ 33/1 (Bet365).

[TheCerebralAssassin]

Re: Scotland > Premier League Ante-Post 2010/11 Season Three days to go! :nana So far Rangers have managed to hold onto the majority of their big players. McGregor, Bougherra, Davis and Miller remain Rangers players and these guys offer a solid spine to the team. They still have a very strong first 11 but they lack strength in depth. Boyd was the biggest loss over the summer and the club have made a £4m offer for Nikica Jelavic as they attempt to replace him. The deal may fall through for whatever reason but at least we now know Walter has money to spend. Kevin Thomson was the other main loss. Although Thomson was good on his day he was also injury prone and inconsistent, he’s certainly replaceable. Davis is expected to move to his preferred central role this season so they still look short in the wide areas. Walter has spoken about the need to bring in a minimum of three players and if he can do that then I think Rangers will be very difficult to overcome this season. Holding onto Davis is also imperative. Most players are replaceable but they’d have a tough job on their hands trying to replace him.

Celtic had huge problems throughout the squad last season and we’re now seeing wholesale changes for the second season running. There’s been a turnover of 14 players over the summer and that figure will most certainly rise. It’s very difficult to get any continuity when this happens. They’ve lost their first choice goalkeeper, their best striker and now their most creative midfielder looks likely to join Sparktak Moscow. They’ve also got all sorts of problems defensively and although they have money to spend, finding a settled side will be the hard part.

Rangers only need to make 2 or 3 changes to their first-team whereas Celtic could be looking at 8 or 9 changes to the team who played for the most part of last season.

There’s all sorts of rumours flying around regarding transfer activity at both clubs and what happens over the coming weeks will have a huge say in where the title goes.

I’ve put a small amount on Rangers at 5/4. It’s still too early to confidently make a judgement. I think we’ll all have a better idea come September 1st.

[RangersthenChelsea]

Re: Scotland > Premier League Ante-Post 2010/11 Season The next few days before the window closing will go a long way to deciding the Title. Walter made good signings recently and they have given their newbie manager a chance with the scattergun spending approach. Will it be enough to beat Walter with a novice? If you believe in the importance of a manager lump on Rangers for 3-in-a-row, I do :notworthy

[TheCerebralAssassin]

Re: Scotland > Premier League Ante-Post 2010/11 Season I've lumped on Rangers at 6/5. I've always felt Rangers would be favourties going into the new season after Walter commited himself to another year. Celtic fans expected Rangers to be replacing the likes of Boyd and Thomson with the kids but i think that was more in hope than expectation. All summer long Walter has consistently stated that he has money to spend. The work Walter has done in the transfer market over the last couple of weeks has really impressed me. Jelavic, Weiss and Beattie look like terrific replacements for the departed. For the first time in years Rangers have found a natural winger which should mean we'll see Davis playing more often in his preferred central role. Weiss was sensational today when he came on and i expect him to rip up this league. Jelavic and Beattie will offer excellent competition up front. Beattie isn't quite match fit but already today we saw signs of a partnership developing. For Rangers' first goal he was quick to react and showed terrific awareness to cut it back to Miller for a tap in. Miller just seems to be on fire atm and he'll be a key man this season. We are now seeing a man in his prime. I actually think Rangers will be a much stronger side this season than they were last. I still think Celtic are capable of offering more of a challenge but come the end of the season i expect Rangers to make it 3 in a row.