EPL Aug 14 to 15 Plays from North of the Border

[Toronto_Mike]

Starting Bankroll: $10,000
Record: 6-8 -$1552.50
Totals 2-0
Big Plays: 0-0

That Man Utd game turned out to be a major disaster, but props to Reading for holding their ground. On to round 2, where some teams will not be playing due to European encounters.

Tottenham vs Everton
Tottenham 1.80
Draw 3.40
Everton 4.33

Tottenham face a tough encounter against the Toffees, although playing at the Lane has always been a sign of good faith for the Spurs. Both meetings last year resulted in an away victory. Mind you before that victory Everton had not won at The Lane in 21 years. I still think Tottenham needs time and aren't worth a punt if they have no threat on the wings. Last game saw how vital Lennon is. His pace is surely missed. At the back, Kaboul did fairly well on his debut and be interesting to see who Jol will partner with him. I don't really fancy this match, both teams are quality squads, but they just have a few key players missing that can disrupt the flow. I'm going to wait on the live bet rather than playing the flow, would like to know how the game is going and i am going to follow wuntun's advise for this match. I think people are overreacting to Tottenham's defeat, playing at home makes a huge difference and knowning that Everton does struggle on the road at times, this could be a great home win.
Bet: NO BET
Prediction: Tottenham 2-0 Everton
Goal Scorers: Tottenham, Darren Bent, Dimitar Berbatov

 

[Sir Tyler]

Hello TM,
I believe this match ends in a DRAW,so i'll be playing the +.5.
I know the SPURS are money at White Hart,but they're off to
a slow start once again IMO.
Everton has been improving at every facet of the game and
are now a serious team.(road games still need improving)
I believe the public will pound the SPURS after their defeat
to SUNDERLAND.
Why didn't the line open at -150 on the SPURS at home????
Anyways,GL on your season and your VILLANS.

 

[Toronto_Mike]

I already mentioned how i would not play Everton until Tim Cahill is back from Injury. Once Cahill and Arteta are together, then i'll start putting my money on them. The fact that tradition still holds true in all aspects of the game, i think its going to take Everton a long time to win another game at the Lane. There is no reason why Tottenham should be listed at -150 because that would be just a poor assumption.
If you are going to base a team's overall performance on ONE game then you are making a big mistake. Did you even watch that game? Don't go all nuts on stats, its best to see what the team manager will do to adjust to the situation. That is why i'm going to just play this on a live in game. GL to you.

 

[Toronto_Mike]

adding:
Carling Cup
Norwich vs Barnet
Norwich -1.25 @ 2.025 $200 to win $205

 

[CollegeKingRex]

Nifty start for Everton, as the game is not barely 10 percent old and they've already scored. Tottenham's offensive struggles have continued to this point...

 

[CollegeKingRex]

Gardner answers in the 27th minute and ties it at 1. My under is officially cooked.

 

[Toronto_Mike]

2-1 Everton, wuntun and i were going nuts wondering what to do and whenever we think another goal is coming it pops in, argh!

 

[Toronto_Mike]

Sir Tyler,
your Everton play is shaping up very nice 3-1 Everton now.

 

[Toronto_Mike]

for a team i tipped to finish 6th and the manager as the manager of the year i sure as hell don't back them well enough

 

[Sir Tyler]

TM,
The SPURS cost me big money last year(betting on them at the start
of the season).
Game is not over yet.LOL
If TOTTENHAM was suppose to win the line should of been -150 or more.
-120 for the SPURS at home is to easy to take.IMO

Are you going big on ASTON when they play in NEWCASTLE?? Not me.LOL

GL on your live betting.
No totals or live betting in LAS VEGAS.

 

[Toronto_Mike]

adding:
Champs League Qualifying
Lazio ML @ 1.72 $200 to win $144

Lazio just tied it.

 

[Toronto_Mike]

TM,
The SPURS cost me big money last year(betting on them at the start
of the season).
Game is not over yet.LOL
If TOTTENHAM was suppose to win the line should of been -150 or more.
-120 for the SPURS at home is to easy to take.IMO

Are you going big on ASTON when they play in NEWCASTLE?? Not me.LOL

GL on your live betting.
No totals or live betting in LAS VEGAS.

Take the over on that game bud. I"ll be taking more Overs with Aston Villa throughout the course of the season. Our D is shit but the offense is pretty much run and gun. I think Martins is just going to cause too much problems for our backline.

 

[Toronto_Mike]

Birmingham vs Sunderland
Birmingham 2.30
Draw 3.25
Sunderland 3.00

The 2 newly promoted squads face each other in the 2nd round at St. Andrews. Both played some great football over the weekend although Birmingham caused Chelsea more of a fit then Sunderland did to Tottenham. Now, Birmingham will want to kick off their home session with a victory. During the Chelsea match, it was a great sign and confidence booster for Mikael Forssell to score a goal. Consistently being injured, the talented Finn will look to rebound this season and help the Birmingham attack. Birmingham manager Steve Bruce will most likely field the same squad he had over the weekend. Roy Keane on the other hand has mentioned he might tweak out his squad. This game does not strike goal fest to me and both teams will take out a much more conservative approach. The under looks ideal here but the price is not worth it right now. I'm going to pass on this game and see which team can take advantage of the first meeting and progress from there.
Bet: NO BET
Prediction: Birmingham 0-0 Sunderland

 

[Toronto_Mike]

Fulham vs Bolton
Fulham 2.20
Draw 3.25
Bolton 3.20

Fulham opened up with a 2-1 defeat to Arsenal but really gave the Gunners all they can chew. Bolton were humbled at the Reebok by Sam Allardyce and Newcastle 1-3. Quite simply put it, Fulham looked more ready for the season then Bolton, who still seems to be quite unorganized without Allardyce. Sammy Lee will be frustrated with first choice forward Kevin Davies' recent injury as well Ricardo Vaz Te is unavailable, meaning Sammy Lee will have to make a quick adjustment to find a comrade for Anelka to partner upfront. El-Hadji Diouf looks set to start up front but his mind maybe elsewhere since he has had a few disputes with regards to playing time and contract. Fulham have a fully fit squad from Sunday and its most likely that manager Lawrie Sanchez will use it. Plenty of new players will mark their home debut, so the fans will be interested in seening what sort of prospects Sanchez has brought into the Cottage. I mentioned in my season previews that Fulham would be one of the teams to look out for the season as well for betting terms. I'm going to stick by it
Bet: Fulham -0.25 @ 2.00 $300 to win $300
Prediction: Fulham 2-1 Bolton
Goal Scorers: Fulham, David Healy, Diomansy Kamara Bolton, Nicolas Anelka

 

[Toronto_Mike]

Manchester City vs Derby
Manchester City 1.61
Draw 3.60
Derby 5.50

Manchester City came out with a convincing performance in a 2-0 victory over West Ham. Being the home opener, the fans expect some fireworks after a pathetic display last season at the City Stadium. No injury worries for City but they still will have to start second choice keeper Kasper Schmeichel in goal since Andreas Isaksson is still recovering from a thumb injury. Expect the same starters on Saturday to come out today. Derby manager Billy Davies just recently signed a contract extension and will look to repay the club back with a fine display today. The Rams will have a the same starters that fought bravely against Pompey over the weekend, however, getting points on the road might be the death of Derby. To stay in the Premiership they need to get some points on the road, and last season at the Championship, they weren't that great defensively on the road. They scraped to a lot of close games but at this level and a team that is boasted with talent such as Manchester City, Derby will have a harder time to really contend with their oppositions attack. I think Manchester City should win this tie fairly easily but i am somewhat worried about their defense at times and keeper, Sven must emphasis how dreadful the team played at home last season and that the fans expect some goals so look for an explosive home opener.
Bet: Over 2.5 @ 2.05 $300 to win $315
Rolando Bianchi to score anytime @ 2.50 $50 to win $75
Prediction: Manchester City 4-2 Derby
Goal Scorers: Manchester City, 2 Rolando Bianchi, Valeri Bojinov, Elano Derby, Robert Earnshaw, Steve Howard

 

[Toronto_Mike]

Portsmouth vs Manchester Utd
Portsmouth 5.50
Draw 3.60
Manchester Utd 1.61

Manchester Utd head to Fratton Park where they suffered one of their five defeats last season. After a barrage of attacks against Reading lead to nothing and an injured Rooney, many will start to wonder how they will turn around today. Good thing Carlos Tevez is aboard, he will be a direct replacement to Rooney upfront and will be looked upon as the energizer for the squad. Pretty sure the team morale is a little shaken knowing one of their key players is out for two months, however, Man Utd still have tremendous squad depth that can compete at the highest of levels. Portsmouth will need to figure out what happened against Derby. They still show signs of being a very poor road team and now they open their home stand to the defending champions. At Fratton Park, Pompey is quite a different side. Having only suffered 3 defeats last season to the 3 most unusual suspects, Bolton, Charlton and Chelsea, Harry Redknapp's men will be confident they can get something going here. Main concern for Pompey is their defense, with Sol Campbell not 100% fit after suffering a groin injury as well as Pedro Mendes. This leaves Pompey rather vulnerable at the back. I cannot see Utd being shutdown twice in a row here. But i cannot see why Pompey's newly formed attack will not cause any problems for Vidic and Ferdinand, there are some very physical players for Pompey who i think will be extremely crucial in this game. However, I think this is a bounce back game for Utd. Should be a close game but not worth the straight up odds, therefore i'm going to suggest that this game gets the goals. This match up has gone over 2.5 in the last 6 meetings, i think it will continue
Bet: Over 2.5 @ 2.05 $200 to win $210
Both teams to score @ 1.90 $200 to win $180
Prediction: Portsmouth 1-2 Manchester Utd
Goal Scorers: Portsmouth, David Nugent Manchester Utd, Cristiano Ronaldo, Carlos Tevez

 

[CollegeKingRex]

Four to Two? Shit bro, your bet should be for $3K and not $300 if that's the case!!!

GL today, with you on the sUNDERland total...

 

[Toronto_Mike]

Reading vs Chelsea
Reading 5.50
Draw 3.60
Chelsea 1.61

Both teams came out with a positive result on the weekend, Reading held a barrage of Man Utd attacks and earned a brave point at Old Trafford and shall now be happy to be back home. Chelsea had to fight off a determined Birmingham squad before Michael Essien scored a stunner. Both teams will be missing influential players who dictate the flow for each team. John Terry is still out but right back Paulo Ferreira is back from injury. Michael Essien is going to be a game time decision and its important to know whether or not he is starting. If he is going to skip this match, you could see a wide open game. Reading will still be missing forward Leroy Lita and whats worse Dave Kitson is suspended after a stupid challenge he made just 40 seconds into his substitution. It looks like Kevin Doyle will be the lone forward upfront and perhaps. Another thing to watch out is how Stephen Hunt and Petr Cech react to one another after the clash they had last year with resulted in a fractured skull for Cech. Cech may have some nerves but as a professional you must move on. Also, this game marks the return of former Reading midfielder Steve Sidwell who is now regarded as a traitor because of his request for more money. Former teammate and captain Graheme Murty has mentioned how the midfield has a huge gap to fill since the departure of Sidwell, and even though the likes of new signing Emerse Fae was brought in to fill that gap, it will be difficult to replace. Now, i think we may see a similar sort of game as we did between Reading and Man Utd however, with the gap at the back for Chelsea, Reading might be willing to take on a few chances at goal which could result to a lot of Chelsea counter attacks. Shaun Wright Phillips had a tremendous first game as well as Florent Malouda, so if Reading aren't careful they will be burnt by the pace of those two players. Its hard to really play unders in Chelsea matches without John Terry so I think there should be some value in this over. Chelsea have the offensive power but defensively they are still struggling.
Bet: Over 2.5 @ 2.05 $200 to win $210
Prediction: Reading 1-3 Chelsea
Goal Scorers: Reading, Stephen Hunt Chelsea, Didier Drogba, Shaun Wright Phillips, Claudio Pizzaro

 

[Toronto_Mike]

Wigan vs Middlesbrough
Wigan 2.30
Draw 3.25
Middlesbrough 3.00

Not a game I am really interested in but this is definitely one game both teams will take in big strides. Both squads are tipped to be bottom dwellers fighting out to stay in the Premiership. Middlesbrough still have a whole list of injuries so they will play with the same squad they had vs Blackburn with plenty of gap in the backline. Wigan may want to take advantage of the current situation especially playing at home. Henri Camara is available for selection after recovering from a knee injury, that should give manager Chris Hutchings some sort of option upfront. Boro will want at least a point in this match however, Wigan have their priorities and understand a win here against fellow relegation contenders will be an added morale boost. Remember, that Boro is still a pathetic road team no matter what, having only won 2 games on the road last season. I'm skipping this game, there's too much possibilities here, better options elsewhere and still a long season. I'm more interested in knowing the outcome and getting a better understanding of how each team can pan out against other lower table clubs.
Bet: NO BET
Prediction: Wigan 2-1 Middlesbrough
Goal Scorers: Wigan, Emile Heskey, Julius Aghahowa Middlesbrough Ayegbeni Yakubu

 

[Greencastle]

Good luck with the plays man.

Like the Man United over, but I don't trust Fulham.

 

[miksa]

Pompey without Lauren and Campbell, im tempted by the over now too

 

[Toronto_Mike]

Birmingham 2-2 Sunderland
Fulham 2-1 Bolton +$300
Manchester City 1-0 Derby -$350
Portsmouth 1-1 Manchester Utd -$20
Reading 1-2 Chelsea +$210
Wigan 2-1 Middlesbrough

3-3 +$140