Eight steps to identify this season’s Golden Boot winner

Click here for the latest odds on who will be 2009-10’s top-scorer

The bookmakers seem to agree on who the 15 leading contenders to be next season’s Premier League top-scorer are: Fernando Torres, Didier Drogba, Nicolas Anelka, Wayne Rooney, Steven Gerrard, Michael Owen, Robinho, Robin van Persie, Emmanuel Adebayor, Dimitar Berbatov, Jermain Defoe, Carlos Tevez, Andrey Arshavin, Frank Lampard and Roque Santa Cruz. We’ve used some trends to whittle down the 15 and leave one man standing:

Over the last decade Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink (2000-01) is the only player to have won it in his first season with a new club.
That rules out: Michael Owen, Carlos Tevez, Roque Santa Cruz

The last nine winners were all playing for a Big Four side.
That rules out: Robinho, Jermain Defoe

Cristiano Ronaldo is the only player to have been Premier League top-scorer without always playing as an out-and-out striker.
That rules out: Steven Gerrard, Frank Lampard, Andrey Arshavin

The last British top-scorer was Kevin Phillips in 1999-00.
That rules out: Wayne Rooney

Still standing: Fernando Torres, Didier Drogba, Nicolas Anelka, Robin van

Posted: July 10th, 2009 by Michael Lintorn | Add Comment

Bet on who Carlo Ancelotti’s first Chelsea signing will be

Alexandre Pato is 9/2 to be the next new arrival at the Bridge

Paddy Power have opened a market on who Carlo Ancelotti will sign first for Chelsea with the Italian’s former colleague Alexandre Pato the 9/2 favourite.

Surprisingly, given reports that he wants to sign each of the few AC Milan players under the age of 35, the rest of the contenders come from a broad range of clubs and countries, with Yuri Zhirkov and Glen Johnson 11/2, Franck Ribery 13/2 and Emmanuel Adebayor and Karim Benzema 10/1.

Posted: June 3rd, 2009 by Michael Lintorn | Add Comment

Five reasons why Arsenal should beat Man Utd tonight

Arsenal/Manchester United, 7.45pm, ITV1, Free Bets, Best Odds

Arsenal have underperformed in their two previous semi-final matches this season but Arsene Wenger is confident that his side will deliver tonight and the statistics support him. And if Emmanuel Adebayor can keep his head out of the Milanese clouds for just 90 minutes, his partnership with Robin van Persie could make the difference:

Click here to claim a £25 no loss bet when backing Arsenal at 2.92 on Betfair. The Gunners are currently 4.4 to progress.

1. Arsenal have won two and drawn one of their three home games against Manchester United at the Emirates.

2. The Gunners are currently enjoying their best home form of the season having won six straight matches there.

Posted: May 5th, 2009 by Michael Lintorn | 1 Comment

Five reasons why Arsenal are unlikely to win at El Madrigal

Villarreal/Arsenal, 7.45pm, ITV4, Free Bets, Best Odds

Arsenal are enjoying their best form in over a year and are capable of delivering on the road in Europe - as results away to Inter and AC Milan have shown. But while they are capable of excellence, more often than not they disappoint, which is why we find it hard to justify backing the visitors at the general price of 8/5:

1. Arsenal have won just three of their last fourteen Champions League away games (excluding qualifiers), which is a win percentage of just 21%.

2. Today is the four-year anniversary of Villarreal’s last European home defeat. Since then they have played fifteen, winning eight and drawing seven.

3. The Yellow Submarine haven’t lost at home in 2009 and have only lost two of their last 34 games at El Madrigal. Those losses came against league leaders Barcelona and Real Valladolid, who have won seven games against the top seven this season.

Posted: April 7th, 2009 by Michael Lintorn | Add Comment

Five reasons why Villa won’t do the double over Arsenal

Aston Villa/Arsenal, 5.15pm, Sky Sports 1, Best Odds, Free Bets

Having kept three clean sheets in four games against the Big Four this season, Aston Villa are favourites to pull six points clear of an Arsenal team missing captain Cesc Fabregas and last season’s top-scorer Emmanuel Adebayor. However, chickendinner are confident that Arsenal won’t be losing their sixth league game of the season just yet and here are five reasons why:

1. It’s been over ten years since Aston Villa last recorded a home win over the Gunners, when they triumphed 3-2 in December 1998.

2. Aston Villa haven’t won successive home league games this season and they have only done so twice in the last fourteen months.