Portsmouth flop is expected to take the Southampton job

Tony Adams is Sky Bet’s 8/11 favourite to be named Saints’ boss

Photo Credit: Chris Ison/PA Wire

After months of bad news, things seemed to be looking up for Southampton last week: the club were saved from going instinct and star player Kelvin Davis spurned West Ham’s advances to stay at St Mary’s.

However, any Saints fans who were getting their hopes up about a brighter future will have been disappointed to hear that after much talk of Gordon Strachan - the man who took them to the 2003 FA Cup Final - returning, Tony Adams is Sky Bet’s 8/11 favourite for the job.

Adams spent three-and-a-half months in charge of Portsmouth last season before being sacked and the last man to take charge of Southampton shortly after leaving Pompey - Harry Redknapp - got them relegated and deserted

Posted: July 13th, 2009 by Michael Lintorn | 1 Comment

Five reasons why it’s not worth backing Manchester City to be the best of the rest

Click here to claim a free £25 no loss bet with Betfair

chickendinner aren’t stupid enough to say that Man City have no chance of a top-five finish - after all they could have Robinho, Samuel Eto’o and Carlos Tevez up-front. They should have challenged for fifth last year though but ended up closer to West Brom than Arsenal, so the odds of 5/4 with Bet365 on them being best of the rest this season seem far too short. Here’s why we think you’d be better off backing Everton or maybe even Spurs:

Click here for the latest odds on who will be the “best of the rest”

1. Manchester City are still yet to finish any higher than eighth in the Premier League, a feat they achieved under Stuart Pearce in 2004-05.

2. Since Blackburn’s title win in 1994-95, just four sides have ended the season as the best of the rest: Newcastle, Leeds, Tottenham and Everton. Spurs and Everton are the only two to have done it in the last five years.

Posted: July 9th, 2009 by Michael Lintorn | 6 Comments

Everything you need to know about Man United/Tottenham

Man Utd/Spurs, Saturday 5.30pm, Setanta Sports 1, £25 Free Bet

Harry Redknapp promised a month ago that Tottenham would have a major say in the title race. Spurs lived up to that vow by beating Chelsea and effectively ending their bid and Liverpool fans will be praying that they are equally effective against Manchester United. We’ve teamed up with Betfair to produce this Big Match Wizard brimming with superfacts and statistics that help you figure out what impact each individual player is likely to have on proceedings. Click here to check it out now!

Posted: April 24th, 2009 by Michael Lintorn | Add Comment

Where Manchester United are most likely to drop six points

chickendinner provide the straws for Liverpool fans to clutch

Paddy Power think the title race is over and offer just 1/14 on Manchester United winning for the third straight season. To stop them, Liverpool must win all their remaining games and hope that the Red Devils drop six points. It’s all very unlikely but rather than accepting a premature end to an exciting campaign, we decided to look at where the holders are most likely to slip up:

Tottenham (h)
Spurs are unbeaten in six league meetings with the Big Four sides and have lost just one away game against a top-half side. Harry Redknapp’s side have lost one of their last nine and he has won there with West Ham and Portsmouth. Spurs haven’t won an away league match against a Big Four side since August 1993 - when they beat Liverpool 2-1 at Anfield.
Verdict: United could drop two points here but three is unlikely.

Middlesbrough (a)

Posted: April 23rd, 2009 by Michael Lintorn | 1 Comment

Aston Villa haven’t beaten a top ten team at home all season

Six stats about this weekend’s football

1. Aston Villa have played every team in the top-half at home this season and they have failed to win one of those games. Every other club in the Premier League have beaten at least one of the ten.

2. Spurs have lost just one of nineteen home games under Harry Redknapp and are now the sixth-best performing Premier League team since the weekend he arrived.

3. chickendinner felt Tony Adams was unlucky to get the sack two months ago but Portsmouth are flourishing under Paul Hart, losing just one of ten games under the former Nottingham Forest boss.

4. Lyon’s hopes of an eighth straight Ligue 1 title are in jeopardy after a run of two wins in seven, which leaves them four points off top with six to go.

5. Wolfsburg were languishing in eighth at the end of January before a run of ten straight wins propelled them to the Bundesliga top spot.

6. It’s easy to see why Arsene Wenger regrets not signing Didier Drogba when he had the chance; the striker has scored eight goals in his last seven meetings with Arsenal.

Posted: April 20th, 2009 by Michael Lintorn | Add Comment

Paul Hart’s good start, Boro’s strong home form and more

Five stats about this weekend’s football

1. Only Manchester United and Liverpool have taken more points at home than Tottenham since Harry Redknapp took over in October. Spurs have won seven, drew four and lost one of their twelve under the former Portsmouth boss.

2. Middlesbrough are now unbeaten in six league games at the Riverside and would be four points clear of the drop right now if only home results were taken into account.

Posted: April 14th, 2009 by Michael Lintorn | Add Comment