Work From Home

Wednesday 28 March 2007

Championship 30th March Weekend

Leeds V Preston 0-2

Barnsley v Derby 0-2

Cardiff v Sunderland 1-1

QPR v West Brom 1-1

Wolves V Southampton 1-1

Birmingham v Coventry 2-1.

Championship 30th March Weekend

Leeds V Preston 0-2

Barnsley v Derby 0-2

Cardiff v Sunderland 1-1

QPR v West Brom 1-1

Wolves V Southampton 1-1

Birmingham v Coventry 2-1.

Premiership 31st March Tips

As i have not got much time to write this blog due to training i am just going to give tips out.

Bolton v Sheff Utd 2-0

Charlton v Wigan 2-1

Fulham V Portsmouth 1-0

Liverpool v Arsenal 2-1

Man Utd V Blackburn 3-0

Newcastle v Man City 2-0

Watford V CHelsea 0-3

West Ham V Boro 1-1

Spurs V Reading 3-1

Villa v Everton 1-1

Monday 19 March 2007

FA Cup Preview

Lets take a look at the Fa Cup replays taking place tonight.

Spurs v Chelsea 1-2

I do not think you get a second chance when you play Chelsea.They are not the most exciting team to watch but they are very effective.
Spurs had a great chance to knock them out when they were 3-1 up at one point,but some strange substitutions by Jol and some suicidal substitutions by Mourinho changed the game around.
Chelsea will be a different team tonight with a more orthodox defence including John Terry,Spurs are a great home team and are scoring lots of goals at the moment,even the keeper is getting in on the act,but they also concede goals easily too and that will be there down fall tonight.Chelsea will win this match,it will be tight but my tip is 2-1 to Chelsea.

Man Utd v Boro 2-0

Again like Chelsea you only have 1 chance to beat Utd and Boro blew it at the riverside.Tonight's match will be straightforward win for Utd who Will not need to get out of 2nd gear to win this match.The only danger is if Ferguson rests to many of his players,but i cannot see this happening.My tip 2-0

60% strike rate

Lets review the weekends predictions and see how I have done:

Premiership predictions:out of 10 games I predicted 2 correct scores and 3 correct results.

My tip of the day Charlton to win 2-0 proved correct.

Total Premiership/Cup Matches
Predicted 33
Correct scores 8
Correct results 12
20 out of 33
60% correct.

Championship
Predicted 18
Correct scores 3
Correct Results 3
6 out of 18
33% Correct

As my previous article stated that premiership is easier to predict as the Championship is a strange place to be.

Friday 16 March 2007

Premiership easier to predict

Just wanted to update you with my current strike rate from my Free Tips.

Overall i have Predicted 35 games
Of these 7 correct scores were predicted.
and 12 correct results.
Total of 19 correct predictions which means an overall strike rate of 54%.

If we look at the breakdown of the Free tips it makes interesting reading:

I have given 23 Free Tips for Premiership and Cup Matches (Europe and FA Cup).
Of these matches i Predicted 6 correct scores and had 9 Correct results.
15 out of 23 is a strike rate of 65%

The Championship i predicted 12 games
1 correct score
3 correct results
4 correct Tips from 12 matches is a strike rate of 33%.

It just shows that for thrills and spills and unexpected results the Championship is the one to watch.

Thursday 15 March 2007

Premiership Preview and Tips 17th/18th

Lets take a look at this weekends Premiership fixtures and predict some results.

Blackburn V West Ham 2-0

Blackburn are in great form at the moment and are a difficult team to beat at home.Strong defensively and with McCarthy up front always likely to score.West Ham on the other hand are woeful defensively and powder puff up front.Their will only be one winner in this game as Blackburn continue their march up the table and West Ham slip ever close to the Championship.
My Tip Blackburn Easy winners 2-0.

Chelsea v Sheff Utd 4-0

Another win for Chelsea in midweek closes the gap on Utd to 6 points with the two sides due to meet in the middle of April,what a game that could be.Back to this game and another win for Chelsea to keep the pressure on.
Chelsea will have to much class for Sheff Utd and will win this comfortably.If Chelsea get an early goal it will be a big win for them as Utd will fold.Utd need a a few more victories to achieve there aim for this season of safety but this will not be a day when they get any points.
My Tip 4-0 Chelsea easy winners.

Man Utd v Bolton 3-1

When Utd went to Bolton earlier in the season nobody would have predicted a 4-0 win for them due to Bolton's very good home record.But the class of Rooney did for them that day and this game will be no different.Man Utd will be to good for Bolton (even if they do have a good record on this ground)and i expect them to win this game convincingly with Bolton getting a late consolation.
My Tip Utd 3-1 winners with Rooney scoring.

Boro V Man City 2-0

With City looking over there shoulders at Charlton who are 6 points behind them,they need to start to pick up points on their travels.I can not see anything but a Boro win due to the fact that Boro are good at home and City are awful away.City can not seem to score at the moment and this will be their downfall again.
My Tip Boro to score in each half 2-0.

Reading v Portsmouth 2-1

What a season this has been for Reading currently 7th in the table and looking to stay there or climb up a few places.Portsmouth on the other hand are in poor form especially away from home and i expect that form to continue.
My Tip Reading to continue their fight for a European place 2-1.

Spurs V Watford 3-0

Spurs are in great goal scoring form at the moment scoring 17 goals in their last 5 games they have also conceded 11 goals ion that time as well though.I think this game will be Spurs 1st clean sheet since they beat Fulham 4-0 in the cup.Watford are a good battling side but do not have the quality to win games in this division and i expect a easy Spurs win(as long as Jol does not meddle to much with his team like rest there key player Berbatov).
My Tip Spurs easy winners 3-0.

Wigan v Fulham 2-1

With both teams next to each other in the table,and both needing more points to guarantee their place in this league for next season this should be quite a good game.Wigan have improved dramatically in the last few games and are playing well.Fulham on the other hand do not win many games away from home and i expect that trend to continue.
My Tip Wigan to ease their relegation worries 2-1 .

On to Sunday's matches now:

Villa V Liverpool 0-2

I was very impressed with Liverpool last week against Barcelona if they had a bit of luck they would have won that game easily.If they continue to show the form from that game they will be far too good for Villa who are really just waiting for the season to end so they can build for next season.Villa's players are playing for their futures at the club but i expect Liverpool to be to strong for them and to keep another clean sheet.
My Tip Liverpool to be 2-0 winners and keep the pressure on Arsenal for 3rd place.

Charlton v Newcastle 2-0

A must win game for Charlton and i expect them to win this game against Newcastle who will be tired from their game on Thursday Night.Charlton can be a very strong home team and i expect Bent to fire them to a victory that will close the gap on the teams above them.
My Tip Bent double in a 2-0 win for Charlton.

Everton v Arsenal 1-0

This is a difficult game to predict and not a pretty game to watch.I think Arsenal struggle against sides that are physically strong and with the home crowd behind them Everton will not give Arsenal anytime to spend on the ball.
My Tip 1-0 win for Everton.

Those are my tips for the weekend.
Tip of the day is Charlton to beat Newcastle.

Championship 17th/18th march preview and Free tips

What a strange week it has been in the Championship only 1 of the top 8 sides winning,who would have thought that.A disastrous week for West Brom losing to Wolves and then losing there 3rd straight league game.Not only that they lose there skipper Davies for the season with a broken foot and another sending off the 3rd they have had in the last 3 home games.The defeat last night and the injury to Davies has cost them any chance of finishing in the top 2.One of the main problems they have is that there big players are not performing,Koumas,Kamara are not playing well at the moment,if theses players do not rediscover their form they will struggle to make the play offs.

Lets Preview this weekends fixtures then starting with another local derby for the Baggies:

Albion v Blues: 1-2

A very difficult game for both sides,Blues have a very good record against Albion in recent years and i expect them to win again on Sunday.At the moment Albion are not playing well,and unlike Blues who can play badly and still win Albion can't.Darren Carter has performed well for Albion every time he has got the chance recently but Mowbray does not seem to fancy him,why i do not know.Albion might have a chance if they can freshen the side up a bit maybe bringing Ellington in to the side after his suspension and resting Phillips,and starting Carter in place of Chaplow.At the back i think a recall for Perry is due with the problems they have got there.This will enable Mcshane to continue at right back.I do not think this will happen though and that's why i think Blues who are missing Mcsheffrey who is a big loss for them will win this Derby comfortably.
My Free Tip is for Blues to win 2-1 after going 2-0 up.

Soton V Colchester 3-0

This will be an easy win for the Saints with Colchester slipping down the table after what was looking to be a very good season for them.(still a good 1st season for them)Saints having lost their last 3 games also need the 3 points desperately to keep pace with the top 7.
Saints will win this game and keep the pressure on the teams above.MyFree Tip 3-0 to the Saints.

Derby V Cardiff 0-1

Derby are another of the top sides that are struggling for form recently.This is Derby last game against any of the top 8 sides in what looks like on paper a very easy run in.I think Cardiff will have a bit too much for Derby and will win what i am sure is going to be a tight game.Cardiff will have to start the game the way they finished against the Saints on Tuesday if they want to take all the points.My free Tip a 1-0 win for Cardiff.

Preston V Burnley 2-0

A Lancashire derby is our next game with Preston seemingly winning 1 and losing1.This game will be different though due to the fact that Burnley can not seem to win at the moment.After all their early season promise when they were at the top of the table they are now looking over their shoulders with only 4 points separating them from the bottom 3.Derby games are unpredictable usually and if Burnley are going to win a game this season this will probably be it.But my Free tip is a 2-0 win for Preston.

Sheff Wed v Wolves 0-2

This will be another win for Wolves away from home where they have been very good this season.Wolves concede very few goals in matches and are always likely to nick a goal.The Blip in midweek was expected due to the fact they had to put in a very high intensity performance only a couple of days previous to beat West Brom.With a few more days rest they will get back to winning ways against a Sheff Wed side who's season is over now they have passed the 50 points mark. My free tip 2-0 to Wolves.

Sunderland v Hull 2-0

Another side who did not win when they would have been expecting to in midweek.This game though will go to plan for Sunderland,i expect them to beat a Hull side that have picked up in recent weeks to give them a chance of staying up,but i think Sunderland will have to much class for them.My Free tip is for Sunderland to get back to winning ways 2-0.

That's my Free Tips for this weekend and if they come true this is how the table will look on Sunday Afternoon:

1 Blues 73
2 Sundland 70
3 Derby 70
4 Preston 68
5 Wolves 68
6 Cardiff 66
7 Albion 63
8 Soton 63

Obviously as always i do not want this to happen i want Albion to win all their games and the rest to lose or draw (come on you Baggies).

Wednesday 14 March 2007

Premiership & Uefa Cup Preview and Free Tips

Lets take a look at the games that are taking place tonight and tomorrow night.

Man City v Chelsea. My Tip 0-2

A Game Chelsea have to win and a game Man City can not lose.Chelsea are currently 9 points behind Utd and need the 3 points to put a bit of pressure on them.Anything less than a win will probably cost them the title.Man City need points to keep there premiership place.At the moment they are 6 points above the relegation zone but are looking over there shoulder due to the poor run they are on.City have beaten Chelsea here before when an Anelka penalty gave Keegan's side a 1 Nil win.Tonight will be different though and i fully expect Chelsea to power past City who are struggling to score goals to close the gap at the top.

Villa V Arsenal My Tip 1-1

What a bad couple of weeks for Arsenal.Dumped out of every competition in the last couple of weeks they now have only a champions league spot to play for.Villa have showed improvement under O'neil and will give the Gunners a tough game tonight.With the injury problems that Arsenal have i do not expect them to keep a clean sheet tonight as i feel that Carew will cause there back line lots of problems.Arsenal are 5 points ahead of Bolton in the battle for a Champions League spot for next season something Arsenal can't afford not to be in,being just a point behind Liverpool with 2 games in hand Wenger will fully expect Arsenal to not only qualify for the Champions League but to also finish in 3rd place.I do not think this will happen though and the best Aresenal will acheive will be 4th place.Villa need a couple more wins to guarantee there place in the top league next season and tonight they will pick up at least 1 point towards this aim.

Spurs V Braga My Tip 3-1

This should be a straight forward win for Spurs who are 3-2 up from the 1st leg.I expect Spurs to have to much up front for Braga and will easily progress to the next round.

Az v Newcastle My Tip 1-2

A more difficult game for Newcastle 4-2 up form the 1st leg they should progress as the form they have showed in this competition has been very good.The 2 away goals Az have is a concern but i do expect Newcastle to score in this game.

Will This be the end of Pearce

Tonight could be the night that will seal Pearce fate as Manager of Man City.They play Chelsea at home in a crunch game for both ends of the table.
Both teams need to win for very different reasons.Man City need some points to stop there slide down the table and maybe keep Pearce in a job.Chelsea need the win to keep the pressure on Utd and cut the gap to 6 points.
Before we preview the game lets talk about the manager that is under extreme pressure.

Pearce record at City is P86 W31 D17 L38.A fairly average record for a manager to have.
In his 1st full season in charge City finished 15th in the Premiership.This season they lie in 17th place 6 points above the relegation zone but with 2 games in hand against tonight's opponents and Arsenal.
Man City have a terrific support who crave success,these turned on Pearce after the Blackburn defeat on Sunday.
Pearce has spent £11m on players since he has been in charge none of whom have really payed off.Spending £6m on Samaras who has scored 11 goals in 49 appearances.At the moment not worth the money.Vassell was bought for £2m and has scored 12 goals in 66 appearances.Not much better.
I think the problem that Pearce has had is the fact that his side have gone out the Carling Cup to lower league opposition in the last two years.Doncaster 2005 & Chesterfield 2006.This is where Man city have struggled badly away from home.8 wins from 36 matches is not good enough for any side.
Pearce has asked for more money in the summer to spend on players but do the board trust him to spend it wisely and make a difference.This is the reason i feel he will be sacked in the near future.Man city are not a club who have money to waste and when it comes down to it i think the board will sack him rather than back him.
Who will be the next manager.I do not think a current Premiership manager will want the job at City so they will have to trawl the lower leagues to find a promising young manager to replace him.
Read my next article for the preview of the game.

Monday 12 March 2007

62.5% strike rate

So how many of my predictions have come true so far.Well if you check out my blogs you will see that:

24 matches have been predicted
9 correct results
6 correct scores.
15 correct predictions out of 24 is 62.5% strike rate.

I hope to improve this over the rest of the season so stick with me and maybe earn yourself some money if you agree with me.

Championship Preview w/c 12th march

Another week and more surprise results in the championship promotion race.
With Preston,West Brom & Southampton all slipping up we are now reaching the crucial point of the season with 9 or 10 games left to play,if any of the 3rd to 8Th placed teams want to finish in the top two places they can not afford any more slip ups.

On to this weeks matches then:

Coventry v Wolves 2-1

With Wolves buoyant from there local derby win over the baggies they go into this game in great form after winning the previous 6 games.Coventry have picked up of late as well since the appointment of Dowie as manager and this will be a difficult game for Wolves especially as they have only a days rest after there high intensity performance.

Derby V QPR 3-0

This will probably be one of the easiest games of the season for Derby with QPR in turmoil after a poor run of results.Derby will have to much quality for a poor QPR team who could find themselves in the bottom 3 after this game.

Norwich V Birmingham 0-1

A difficult game for the league leaders but the Blues have shown that they can play badly and still win.The Blues are not the most entertaining team to watch but they know how to grind out results.Norwich need a couple of wins to confirm there safety but i expect them to lose tonight.

Preston V Ipswich 2-0

Preston need to win this match to keep there automatic promotion hopes alive,anything but a win will see them fall to far away from the top two and will also see them struggling to make a play off spot.Ipswich are a real Jekyll and Hyde side who hit 5 away at Hull but then lose at home to Southend.Preston need for the points will give them the edge in this game though.

Southampton v Cardiff 2-1

The big game of the night where the Saints desperately need the points to claw back the gap that is starting to open up from the top 7.The Saints start 3 points behind Cardiff and a defeat is unthinkable.Cardiff have struggled away from home recently and i expect them to struggle again tonight.

Sunderland v Stoke 1-0

Sunderland are on a roll and pulling in Derby in the race for 2nd place.I fully expect Sunderland to win this game and deal a fatal blow to Stokes play off hopes.It will not be pretty to watch but Sunderland will have the quality to just nick a winner.

West Brom V Palace 1-0

West Brom have got to win this match to have any chance of making the top 2 in fact they probably need to win 8 out of there last 9 games to have any chance at all.Fresh from the dissapointment of there defeat in the local derby i think they will (or i hope they will)just have enough to beat a palace team who have to win every game to make the play offs i don't think they will make the playoffs and this game may spell the end of there season.The baggies to nick it on a nervy night hopefully there better players may be able to find there form again.

Ok these are my predictions and if they are correct this is what the table will look like:

1 Brum 73pts
2 Derby 72pts
3 Sund 69pts
4 Albion 66pts
5 Preston 65pts
6 Wolves 65pts
7 Soton 62pts
8 Cardiff 62pts.

Friday 9 March 2007

Fa Cup Predictions 10th/11th march

Lets take a look at this weekends FA Cup games to see if we can get some more predictions correct.

Middlesbrough V Man Utd.

Well after an unconvincing win over Lille in midweek Man Utd travel to the riverside looking to progress in another cup competition.With injuries and suspension's taking there toll on the Utd Squad they will be playing a weakened team this weekend.Larsson will be playing his last game for the club (that's if his stay is not extended) but will the Utd field the rest of his big hitters.I think this is the lowest priority for the Utd Manager and with Boro having a decent home record especially against the better teams i think this could be a difficult game for Utd.
My Prediction 2-1. Utd going out.

Chelsea V Spurs

Another game and another win for Chelsea against a Spurs team who will be tired from there midweek European exertions.Spurs have improved in recent weeks but without King in there back line are always liable to concede.I think this will be a good game to watch and expect Chelsea to get thru to the Semi's.
My Prediction 2-0.

Blackburn V Man City.

I think this will be quite entertaining to watch as Man City are on a dreadful run of form and do not seem to be able to keep clean sheets.I think Blackburn will win this game easily due to there decent home form.
My Prediction 3-1.

Plymouth v Watford

This game will lack quality but will be played at a very high tempo Plymouth will throw everything at Watford but i expect Watford to be better suited to playing against a Championship side then they are against Premiership side.With plenty of up and at em football i think Watford will just nick it to progress to the next round.
My Prediction 1-2

Monday 5 March 2007

Champions League Preview w/c 5th March

The first match we will look at is Liverpool v Barcelona.

What a performance by Liverpool a couple of weeks ago in the Nou Camp.If Liverpool are going to qualify for the quarter finals another performance like that one will be needed.
Barcelona will score at Anfield,but they will concede as well.Liverpool will have to defend like they did in the Nou Camp and maybe a bit better as Eto is rumoured to be back.Barcelona are a much stiffer proposition with Eto in the side going forward that is but as always you always expect them to concede with there dodgy defence, a midfield that does not know how to defend and a goalkeeper who must be the managers son to continue to get into the side.You would think a side with the amount of money that Barcelona have would be able to buy a decent keeper.(As you might conclude from this that i do not rate him at all).Anyway back to my prediction i think it will be another great game and a very tight game but i will go for a 1-1 draw to put Liverpool thru to the next round 3-2 on agg.

Chelsea V Porto.

This will be a very straight forward win for Chelsea.Porto are very poor travellers in Europe and i think Chelsea will win easily. 2-0.

Arsenal v Psv

This is a tough game for Arsenal.PSV are a decent side and difficult to break down.The Arsenal fans will have to be patient during this game as i can see it going down to the wire.I do not think Arsenal will be able to keep a clean sheet which means they will have to score 3 to go thru.A tall order but on any given day Arsenal are a great side capable of beating anybody.I do not think they will score 3 though and i think it will be season over by the end of Wednesday night and Wenger will be moaning about injuries and refereeing decisions.1-1 is my prediction (hope i am wrong as i would like to see all the English clubs doing well in Europe).

Man Utd V Lille

Another straight forward game for an English side with Man Utd winning easily to knock out this boring bunch of whingers.Man utd have a great record at home in Europe and are a far superior side to Lille.2-0.

Milan V Celtic

Just a step to far for Celtic,to have any chance of progressing they needed to win there home tie but 0-0 draw means they will bow out of Europe with there heads held high.3-0 to Milan who will have a very comfortable night.

Prediction results

Well what a weekend for my premiership predictions:
5 correct scores
2 other correct results.
7 out of 10 not bad even if i do say so myself.

Lets see if i can keep this going with my next Article previewing the Champions league matches this week.

Thursday 1 March 2007

Premiership Predictions weekend 3rd & 4th march

OK lets take a look at this weekend's fixtures and see if we can get some right.
The big game of the weekend is of course:

Liverpool v Man Utd:

This match has come at a bad time for both clubs with the 2nd leg of there champions league matches next week.It will be interesting to see what team both managers will field.With Man Utd needing to win to prevent Chelsea from gaining ground on them i am sure Fergie will field his strongest team possible.Liverpool on the other hand will not win the title so there best chance for a trophy is the Champions League so Rafa will probably rest some of his stars much i suspect to Liverpool fans dismay as i know they love to beat Utd. Man Utd have done well on this ground in recent years so my prediction is 0-1.

Arsenal v Reading:

It's been a bad week for Arsenal beaten in both cups despite putting in some good performances.Reading on the other hand are having a fantastic season and scared Utd on Tuesday night by coming from 3 nil down to lose 3-2.Despite Arsenal's injury problems you have to back them to win this game being the home team my prediction 2-1.

Portsmouth v Chelsea:

Chelsea fresh from winning the first trophy of the season despite not playing very well will be far to strong for a Pompey side that have struggled in recent weeks.My prediction 0-2.

Fulham V Villa :

Well i watched Fulham get battered by Spurs 2 wks ago and then go on and out play Utd the following week but still lose.Which Fulham team will turn up.Villa on the other hand have not played for what seems months so they should be very fresh and with new players aiming to impress this could be a very entertaining game.I think a draw will do for Villa to stop the rot away from home. My Prediction 1-1.

Man City V Wigan:

Not got a lot to say about these two struggling teams apart from Wigan have started to perform much better of late.A great performance at Arsenal would have seen them come away with the 3 points but for some strange decisions by the officials. My Prediction 0-1.

Newcastle V Middlesbrough:

Well Newcastle are in indifferent form Boro were taken to extra time by the baggies so what will happen in this local derby.Derby games often end in a draw but i think Boro might just nick this one.My Prediction 1-2.

Sheff Utd V Everton

Again both teams have been up and down this year Sheff Utd Being a much stronger outfit at home than away from home.I cannot see anything other than a draw in this game as i think both teams will cancel each other out.My Prediction 0-0.

Watford V Charlton:

A must win game for both teams Watford need the win the most otherwise they will have no chance of staying up (not that they have much chance anyway) and Charlton need the win (being the only side with a chance of staying up out of the bottom 3 clubs) to close the gap on Wigan and the rest.I think Charlton fresh from there win last week and with Darren Bent back and scoring will be too strong for Watford.My Prediction 0-2.

Bolton V Blackburn:

Well this game is being shown on Sky why i do not know as i do not think this will be worth watching.Blackburn will play there spoiling game and as both sides are both physical (nothing wrong with that)i think there will be free kick after free kick a stop start dull game that will probably be won by a goal from a set piece.My Prediction 1-0.

West Ham V Spurs

What a great couple of weeks for Spurs 4 Nil win over Fulham and then a 4-1 win over Bolton.West Ham on the other hand will have to win this game to have any chance of survival.A 4-0 defeat to Charlton last week is not acceptable and it looks from the outside that they have just thrown in the towel.I suppose with the signing of Quashie from the Baggies in January we should have known they were going to be relegated (relegated with soton,wba) not someone you want to have around when you are struggling.(I am sure it was not all his fault).Anyway back to the game this again is being shown on sky and i think this one will be a cracker.My prediction 1-3.



These are my thoughts on the weekend matches and my predictions.I do not claim to be an expert and if you choose to follow my predictions on your head be it.If you do follow my predictions and they make you some money i would just like to say that all donations are welcome.

Championship Promotion Race.01/03/2007

Well what a big weekend this could turn out to be in the race for promotion.
Six of the top six teams play each other.
West Brom v Sunderland.
Bham v Cardiff.
Preston v Southampton.

Lets look at each game and see if i can predict the result

West Brom v Sunderland. brings together 2 of the in form teams in the division (i know the top 8 are all in form but these two have both won 4 of the last 6 games.
It promises to be a cracker of a game with both teams better going forward then defending.With the Baggies going into extra time in midweek and having played a lot of games recently.i feel the best they can hope for is a draw. My prediction 2-2.

Bham V Cardiff.Bham fans are not happy with Bruce or the team.I say you are top of the league what more do you want.I know you have not been playing flowing football but you are winning matches which is the most important thing for example look at Arsenal they play free flowing football but the only competition they can win now is the champions League and that dream may be over by this time next week.Sorry i digress i think this game will see a Cardiff win they played well last week at the Albion even though they were without some key players.Bham fans will get on the teams back especially if Cardiff score first. My prediction 1-2.

Preston V Southampton this is the Monday night game on sky and should be a very good game with the Saints being the highest scorers away from home.Preston have seen a dip in form recently losing 3 of the last 6 games, with the Saints losing 2 of the last 6.In what will be an entertaining game my prediction 1-3.

The other two top 8 teams Derby & Wolves have slightly easier games against Luton & Colchester respectively.
Wolves Are the form team winning 5 of the last six games mainly 1 Nil but this does not matter i remember the Baggies winning 1 Nil a lot a few years ago to get promotion.As i said the most important thing is winning and getting 3 points.

My predictions are:
Luton v Wolves 0-2
Derby V Colchester 1-0.
If these predictions are correct then the table will look like this on Monday night:

1 Derby 66 pts
2 Albion 64 pts
3 Bham 64 pts
4 Soton 62 pts
5 Cardiff 62 pts
6 Wolves 62 pts
7 Sundland 61 pts
8 Preston 59 pts

Obviously i hope Albion win and the rest either draw or lose but we shall wait and see.

These are my thoughts on the weekend matches and my predictions.I do not claim to be an expert and if you choose to follow my predictions on your head be it.If you do follow my predictions and they make you some money i would just like to say that all donations are welcome.

West Brom v Middlesborough FA Cup Replay 27/2/07

Well that is the end of this year's cup run for West Brom.This may be a blessing in disguise but like all fans i like us to win every game.
The first 50 minutes we dominated the game and maybe should have been at least two goals up.Then Boro came back into the game and maybe deserved the draw in the end.It amazed me that it seemed every time Boateng fouled someone which he did a lot he was allowed to get away with it but amazingly we ended up with 2 yellow cards and 1 red card.Maybe Refs are biased to Premiership teams after all.
And then the dreaded penalties and you just knew that poor young Sherjill Mcdonald was going to miss.Hopefully this will not unduly affect his future in the game and he will be able to put this behind him and maybe hit the winner for us against Sunderland on saturday.It's a funny old game as someone once said.