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

Betfair punters expect Santa Cruz and Bellamy to be sold

Use Betfair to garner public opinion on who’s staying and going

In the summer there were so many ongoing transfer sagas that ended with the player in question staying put, with Cristiano Ronaldo, Xabi Alonso, Emmanuel Adebayor, Frank Lampard, Didier Drogba, Andrei Arshavin and Samuel Eto’o just being a few examples.

With so many players’ futures again up in the air this month it is tough to figure out which rumours to believe and which to immediately dismiss. One way of establishing the general opinion is to check Betfair’s transfer specials markets, which offer prices on a number of players staying or leaving their current clubs in the transfer window

To make things easier, chickendinner have compiled a list of each player you can bet on and what their current prices are to stay and go:

Posted: January 8th, 2009 by Michael Lintorn | Add Comment

Keane and Ince’s struggles make for intriguing betting

Vulnerable managers drift out in the next manager to go market

Roy Keane is now 4/7 with SkyBet to be the next Premier League manager to leave their post and Paul Ince is not far behind at 9/4 - meaning that some other vulnerable bosses are reaching big prices.

Things are going badly at Sunderland but they have more points than they had at this stage last season and will do even if they lose their next four games. There is a danger of Roy Keane quitting but it seems unlikely that Niall Quinn will make the rash decision to sack his compatriot at this stage because while there is a sense that they are underperforming for the money spent, they were going nowhere before Keane arrived.

Posted: December 3rd, 2008 by Michael Lintorn | Add Comment