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

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

Manchester City have an opportunity to out-do United

Manchester City/Aalborg, 7.45pm, ITV4, Free Bets, Best Odds

Manchester United may be on the verge of winning every trophy going and breaking records on the way but their rivals have a chance to achieve something that Sir Alex Ferguson couldn’t this season: a home win over Aalborg. The Red Devils were held 2-2 by the Danes in December and City will be looking to out-do them tonight:

Strong home team versus decent away side

» Manchester City have won five consecutive home games, conceding just two goals in the process.

» The Citizens have won three and drawn one of their four UEFA Cup games at Eastlands this season (excluding qualifiers). However the opposition scored and lost by just one goal in all three victories (2-1, 3-2, 2-1).

» Aalborg are unbeaten in seven away games and have won four of their last five on the road. They average just 1.00 points per league home game this season compared to 1.89 away.

Posted: March 12th, 2009 by Michael Lintorn | Add Comment

The five favourites to succeed Mark Hughes at Man City

4/1 Mourinho leads a host of big names in the betting

In the summer, Mark Hughes was one of the frontrunners to take Jose Mourinho’s old job at Chelsea but just five months after Sparky took charge of Manchester City, Mourinho has been installed as the favourite to succeed him. Here’s our take on the frontrunners in SkyBet’s market:

Jose Mourinho 4/1
It’s only five months since Mourinho took charge of Inter Milan yet he finds himself in the curious position of simultaneously being favourite to become the next manager of Manchester City and Manchester United. The former Chelsea boss became the first man ever to win the Premier League in his first season but do City really want a manager who will turn their exciting young attacking talent into flair-free workhorses?

Frank Rijkaard 5/1
Two years ago Rijkaard guided Barcelona to a La Liga/Champions League double but his stock has plummeted since then and he was axed earlier this year after a run of just three wins in thirteen league games saw Barca finish trophyless in third. The fact his inexperienced successor Josep Guardiola has instantly taken the Catalan club to the top spot while scoring seventeen goals in their last three home games makes you wonder where the Dutchman was going wrong.

Roberto Mancini 5/1
The Italian kindly ended Inter Milan’s seventeen year wait for the title by winning three in a row (the first of which was handed to them after Juventus’ enforced relegation and Milan’s points deduction) but his reward for such drastic over-achievement was the sack this summer. The best jobs he’s been linked to recently have been at West Ham and QPR so he would probably jump at the chance to manage Manchester City.

Posted: November 12th, 2008 by Michael Lintorn | Add Comment