CHAMPIONS LEAGUE ..... BATE- STEAUA

BATE have done incredibly well to reach this stage and that is already seen as progress and a job well done. Think that their defensive shortcomings will find them out this evening , against the very experienced Romanians. Gheorgie Hagi's men have won all 5 starts since he took over, each by a one goal margin and are on a 13 game winning run.

The Steaua players are on a huge bonus to qualify for the group stages and should be capable of taking a lead back to Bucharest. The home side will attack for sure, that is their style, even minus their best striker and this will leave space for the visitors to exploit.

4 points Steaua -1/2 ball 1.78 asian line.

Good Luck.

PREMIERSHIP ..... FULHAM - BOLTON WANDERERS

Fulham are strong at home, have spent a lot of money, played well at Arsenal on sunday and were unlucky to lose.

One day's less rest is a small concern, but is offset by the fact that they have not had to leave the capital. They are set to be unchanged and have not lost their season opening home game for 14 years !

Bolton could not have started worse, losing 3-1 to Newcastle and having just 45% possession. They will be without Kevin Davies and Ricardo Vaz Te, who both collected injuries in that game and are likely to start with Diouf and Helguson ( well known to Fulham) up front. They have never won at Fulham in the Premiership, or for 6 years in their away opener.

4 points Fulham -1/4 ball 2.075 asian line.

Good Luck.

LIGUE 1 ... FC GIRONDINS de BORDEAUX - LE MANS

I like the hosts here and am very pleased with the odds. Le Mans have a 100% record to date, but are conceding a lot of chances to the opposition, that will not serve them well this evening.

Bordeaux have put up some very impressive stats, enjoying 61% (!) possession away at Auxerre in a 2-0 win, leading the attempts on goal count 12-6. At home to Lens, 55% possession and 13-4 attempts. They have yet to concede. Home win.

Squads.....

BORDEAUX :Ramé, Valverde – Brégerie, Chalmé, Diawara, Jemmali, Marange, Planus, Trémoulinas - Alonso, Diarra, Ducasse, Fernando, Micoud, Wendel - Bellion, Chamakh, Jussiê, Obertan.

LE LE MANS :Y.Pelé, Roche - Cerdan, Louvion, Basa, Pinault, I.Camara, Calvé, Loriot - Yebda, Sessegnon, Romaric, Matsui, Douillard - Gervinho, Grafite, De Melo, Samassa


6 points Bordeaux -1/2 ball 1.89 asian line.

Good Luck.

WEDNESDAY PLANS .........

At the moment, I do not have any !

There are some nice looking matches today, with almost full rounds in England and France, plus 12 vital Champions League ties.

I have written reviews of six matches on the email service today and will probably put a couple of them on the blog, a little later.

I say probably, because the actions of a few, have left me more than a little disillusioned with the blog. This site is free and has made a profit in 70% of the week's since it started, almost 17 months ago.

Yesterday there were 3/3 winning bets, plus some very valuable information about the Brentford match, 7 of the last 10 football bets have won, 12 from 16 on the email service. In addition, we were extremely unlucky not to record massive profits on the golf at the weekend. Yet still people want to complain about this FREE service and even worse, use the chatbox to abuse fellow readers, it is too much ! Which is why it has been removed.

Do not want any genuine (most of you) readers to waste their time, so, if I do decide to post today, it will not be until late afternoon.

Good Luck.

Oh dear !

I have removed the chatbox today and will not be putting it back onto this blog.

If anyone wants to contact me in the future, the best way to do so, as it always has been really, is via my email address. As anybody that has ever contacted me knows and hundreds of you have, I will always try to help with any queries.

On to the footy .....

ENGLAND ....LEAGUE CUP

SWANSEA - WALSALL
ACCRINGTON STANLEY - LEICESTER CITY

Just a few words about these two cup ties. I am siding with Swansea and Leicester, who both lost their opening league ties and will be keen to get back to winning ways asap.

Walsall opened with a 1-1 draw against Carlisle and are set to bet without 4 starters this evening. Swansea, who I wrote much about in my lower league preview, surprisingly (to me), lost their opener at Oldham. That, however, was a travesty of justice and even the Oldham boss, John Sheridan, admitted that his team were lucky and that the Swans "looked a very good side".

Roberto Martinez said that "if we play like that in 10 games, we will win 9 ". The Duffy / Scotland partnership up front, showed exceptional potential and I expect a home win this evening.

Accrington won at Wycombe, but hardly crossed the half way line in the first half. Martin Allen will want a win now and seems sure to field a very strong 11, they lost at home to Blackpool, but created 21 attempts on goal, hit the woodwork twice and faced a goalkeeper, at the top of his game. Away win.

6 points Swansea -1/2 ball 1.88
5 points Leicester -1/2 ball 2.085 asian line.

Good Luck.

CHAMPIONS LEAGUE ..... BENFICA - FC COPENHAGEN

FCK finally burst into life with a 5-2 win over Esbjerg at the weekend.

The Danish champions will certainly be the more battle hardened of the two, after several domestic games and progressing through a very tough second qualifying round against Beitar.

This is Benfica's first competitive game of the season and they will certainly "come on" for the outing. The side appears weaker on paper, following the loss of Miccoli and Simao, Manuel Fernandes will not start, as he is close to completing a move to Everton. Many supporters also have little confidence in their coach, who's days appear to be numbered.

These two met at the group stage last season, with the Portugese giants winning the home tie 3-1, thanks mainly to two early strikes. That game also came much later in the year, when any fitness advantage, had swung away from the Danes.

FCK are confident that they have learned much from that game and will perform much better this time round. I feel that they can keep it close and will take them with the handicap start.

Look out for Mads Laudrup, son of Michael, who may make his debut on a major european stage.

5 points FCK + 1.25 goals 1.75 asian line.

Good Luck

TUESDAY PLANS ....

Good Morning !

Football all the way today, I have put 4 selections on the email newsletter and will post 2-3 of them on the blog, with the first online in an hour or so.

Not involving myself in the Brentford -Bristol City match tonight, so, obviously, hope that the Bees will win, but am not so sure. Their very young team put up quite a promising performance in the 1-1 draw with Mansfield at the weekend, but still have a long way to go. They visibly tired late in the game and could, perhaps should, have lost, the visitors hitting the woodwork twice and the home keeper earning plaudits for his display.

City were unfortunate not to beat QPR in their first Championship start and created numerous chances. Their squad is not yet known for this evening, but as they recalled an onloan goalkeeper from Hereford, in order for him to play this evening, it would be fair to assume that they are taking things seriously.

The asian line opened with City -1/4 ball 1.93 and has been supported down to 1.76 in double quick time. Quite an interesting game and I am going to try to get along and lend my support, but no bet for me.

Back later.

MONDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL .....

I have been out today, yes, I do leave the house on occasion !

Not sure what to put on the blog for this evening, here are the email selections, minus the previews, as you will see, all have changed, most significantly.

Under the circumstances, feel it is best not to put any blog selection online, there is plenty to involve ourselves in tomorrow and we can wait till then.


SPL .... KILMARNOCK - DUNDEE UNITED

4 points Dundee United +1/2 ball 1.80 asian line.... now 1.70

CARLING CUP ..... PETERBOROUGH UNITED - SOUTHAMPTON

1.5 points Peterborough 3.60 Bet 365 .... now circa 3.30
4 points over" 2.5 goals 1.98 asian line..... now 1.90

LIGUE 2 ..... STADE BRESTOIS - BASTIA

4 points Brest level ball 1.76 asian line..... now 1.52

Good Luck.

WHAT A ROUND OF GOLF !

I do not like to talk about bad luck too much, these things tend to average out in the long run, but the events in the final round of the USPGA Championship, are worth repeating, if only to exorcise them from my mind !

Brett Wetterich was 6 shots up after 7 holes, playing a golfer without a birdie in 38 holes and managed to tie !

Ernie Els was my choice yesterday to finish runner up to Woods @ 6.0, he played, argubly, the best golf of the day, took second place early in the back nine and was about to go 4 clear of Woody Austin in third. When the American chipped into the hole from off the green, which fired him up to produce two birdies, Els then hit his one and only poor shot of the round, which cost him a stroke and second place by the same margin !

If that was not bad enough, I tipped Rose @7.0 on the email to be top European, only for him to be pipped by journeyman English pro Simon Dyson, shooting a low round of the day 64, 7 shots less than he had managed on any previous day !

Back shortly with some football news for this evening.

Hard to watch .....

Wetterich 3 up after 13, all square (!) after 15 ..... 3 holes to play

Glad I said a long way to go ......

Amazing the swings on this course , Wetterich 6 up after 7, 4 up after 9, now 2 up after 11 ! Long way to go though !

UPDATE ....

I have had several emails asking about the USPGA Championship scores, they can be followed on http://www.pga.com/pgachampionship/2007/scoring/index2.html . A long way to go, but Wetterich leads Villegas by six strokes after just 7 holes.

Good Luck.

CONFERENCE/ BLUE SQUARE PREMIERSHIP ....

TORQUAY UNITED - GRAYS

This match is being shown live on Setanta this evening and is an interesting fixture . Following relegation, Torquay have started from scratch, with a whole new set up, both on and off the pitch, including 15-16 new signings ! Pre season results have been promising and there is great expectation at Plainmoor. Think that they will have a good season and not many teams will relish the very long trip west, only 30 or so Grays supporters are making the trip for example.

Paul Buckle the new boss, started at Brentford and has spent his entire career in the lower/ non leagues and knows the game, at this level, inside out. He has made full use of his contacts and got together a team that should go well this year, but may take a few matches to fully gel. Grays are a team that under performed last year and sold a number of promising players, but have also made some interesting signings, have new management, a decent pre season and as always for them, look to be full of goals.

Think this will be an entertaining match, between two teams I will be watching closely this season, "over" for me, with both defences needing time to get acquainted.

4 points "over" 2.5 goals 2.04 asian line.

Good Luck.

IRELAND..... EIRCOM FIRST DIVISION .....DUNDALK FC - COBH RAMBLERS

The top two in the league meet, with the visitors holding a 3 point lead.

Amazingly, Cobh lost their first two matches and are unbeaten since, in 21 starts. Including their last 10 on the road, where they are 4-6-0. I do not see them losing today, they will settle for the draw of course, knowing that will keep their advantage at the top. infact, with both first choice strikers suspended, that could be the limit of their ambition.

Dundalk's problems though are far worse, they have 6 players out and are very short in central defence. They are defending an unbeaten home record of 8-3-0, but are on a poor run with just 12 points from a possible 27.

H2h wise 5/7 and 6/9 have finished all square. All things considered, I just do not see a home win and make the stalemate, given all the stats, the most likely outcome.

6.5 points Cobh Ramblers +1/4 ball 1.94 asian line.

Good Luck.

USPGA CHAMPIONSHIP

17.50 cet TWO BALL .....BRETT WETTERICH- CAMILO VILLEGAS

Wetterich is very consistent in round 4 scoring, ranking 16th and 14th in the past two seasons, averaging just above 70 strokes per round. His Colombian opponent, is also fairly predictable 91st-101 ,averaging almost exactly 71.5 shots, a full 1.5 strokes per round greater.

Villegas started the event well enough, but has now gone 30 holes without a birdie ! Wetterich was 2 over par after 3 yesterday, but regrouped and finished on level par, he has improved his score each day 74-71-70 and should not be the outsider in this match up.

5 points Wetterich to beat Villegas 2.10 general quote... Hills/ Stan James/ Expekt etc

OUTRIGHT ... WITHOUT TIGER WOODS

If you have not already backed Scott, either in this, or in the Top ROW market, then you should take a little at the 15.0 still on offer. I am suggesting backing Ernie Els today, as a supplement to those wagers.

Woods aside, Els has played the last 36 holes better than any other of the leading contenders and in contention, from just off the pace, tends to finish his tournaments very strongly. He only has Ames , Austin and Senden ahead of him in the race and all three could easily wilt. Ames is undoubtedly the toughest of these, but is under a lot of pressure, following some ill judged comments about Tiger and we saw just last week, how those backfired on Rory Sabbatini .

4 points Els without Woods 6.0 general quote .... a little bigger on the exchanges.

Good Luck ..... back later with two football selections.

SUNDAY PLANS ......

I have three, maybe four bets for the blog today, will try to clarify that when posting the first selection, which will be inside the next hour.

There are an incredible number of fixtures in the coming week and with so much choice, I am very confident of a good start to the new season. Quite a few late goals went our way yesterday, which is very much a new experience and a pleasing one !

Back shortly.

CHAMPIONSHIP .... WOLVERHAMPTON WANDERERS - WATFORD

I have detailed my thoughts on the visitors in the Championship review. They face a tough start at Molineux, the home of many peoples idea of the champions. The hosts have made some eye catching signings, but have been rocked by the long term injury to goalkeeper Matt Murray.

Neither will want to lose this opener and a draw would certainly not surprise, nor would a Marlon King goal for the visitors.

4 points Watford +1/4 ball 2.03 asian line.

Good Luck.

PREMIERSHIP .... MIDDLESBROUGH - BLACKBURN ROVERS

Boro have real problems in central defence, with Woodgate, Huth and Pogatetz all missing, Gareth Southgate will be forced to plug the gap with youngsters, an all too familiar story from last year.

The pacey Rovers strike force, could cause all kinds of trouble and will be looking for their sixth straight win over the North East side.

Amazingly, in 12 Premiership seasons, Boro have claimed only one opening day win.

4 points Blackburn level ball asian line 1.97.

Back Later.

FOOTBALL LEAGUE 2 ....

MK DONS - BURY

The Dons have been well covered in my lower league preview and a big crowd is expected for this opener, in the new stadium.

Bury will definitely improve this season, but these are two teams, with vastly different resources at their disposal and I will be surprised if this is not a comfortable home win.

4 points MK Dons -3/4 ball asian line 1.88.

Good Luck.

SCOTLAND ... SPL .... HIBERNIAN - GRETNA

It was down to earth with a bump for Gretna last week, with a 4-0 home defeat by Falkirk. They have a lot of off the pitch problems and it is hard to get away from the suspicion that this is one promotion too many and that the fairytale, will not have a happy ending.

Hibs will be buoyed by the win in the Edinburgh derby on Monday and recorded two big cup wins over Gretna last season, 3-1 and 6-0.

6 points Hibernian -1.25 goals 2.0 asian line.


Good luck.

USPGA CHAMPIONSHIP .... DAY 3

Had a long look at the 2 ball matches for today and have found two nice looking bets, based mainly on the respective players, round 3 scoring record.

Todd Hamilton just cannot get anything going over the weekend and it has been the same story for two years. He is ranked 195 (last place) this year and 188th last, his stroke average on saturday's in 2007 is 76.14, over 5 shots per round worse that Brian Bateman, whom he is paired against today.

Bateman was +4 for his round yeaterday, but played "hungry" golf for the final 8 holes (-1), knowing that was the score he required to make the cut. Hamilton played the same stretch in 3 over par, doing his best to get the weekend off, but just failing !

As I have mentioned on numerous occasions, Steve Stricker is one of the better weekend players on tour. He shot a very nice round yesterday, three strokes fewer than Brett Wetterich, his partner this afternoon. Stricker is ranked 3rd on tour in 2007 ( 19th 2006) , with an average round of 68.92,almost 4 strokes ahead of Wetterich, who is toiling in 173rd spot.

3.5 points Bateman to beat Hamilton 1.91 Stan James // 1.90 Unibet// 1.85 Expekt

3.5 points Stricker to beat Wetterich 1.72 Hills // 1.70 Expekt

There is no liquidity for these 2 balls on the exchanges as I type , but this will probably change nearer tee off.

OUTRIGHT

Tiger is now quoted as low as 1.20 to claim his first major of the year and in his current form, there is no point in opposing him, although those odds are terribly short.

In the without Woods market, I feel Adam Scott could go close, he feels happy with his game, as reported yesterday, when his round of 68 was pretty impressive, playing the tough first nine ( his back nine) in -2 , a five stroke improvement over thursday. He will be one of the few that truly believes he can still catch Tiger and at 16-1, we can invest a little.

2.5 points Adam Scott outright without Tiger Woods 17.0 general quote.

Good Luck.

SATURDAY ....... WHAT'S HAPPENING !

Good Morning !

I have put plenty of content up overnight/ this morning, so something to read over breakfast.

In addition to the outright and J-League bet, I will post at least three more football selections and something for round 3 of the USPGA Championship, where Tiger put in an astonishing round yesterday and already holds a commanding lead.

Back later.

JAPAN J LEAGUE ..... URAWA REDS - KASHIWA REYSOL

Reds are bearing down on Gamba at the top of the table and will be determined to keep the pressure on, having reduced the gap to just two points.

They have won their last 5, conceding just a single goal and took the reverse fixture 2-0. Reysol are not in such fine shape, with just one win in six and will still have nightmares about their last trip here, which resulted in a 7-0 thumping, two seasons ago.

6 points Urawa -3/4 ball asian line 1.67

Good Luck.

LOWER LEAGUE PREVIEWS ......

CHAMPIONSHIP

Since Christmas , I have been very keen on the chances of Sheffield Wednesday this season. They are a big club, with fantastic support and have a coach, Brian Laws, that I could not have more respect for. Unfortunately, their failure to sign a proven goalscorer, which they desperately need, is likely to be their undoing. Laws has been close to getting his man on more than one occasion, but at the end of the day, he has not had the finances behind him, to complete the deal .... a shame. ALMOST AS SOON AS I WROTE THIS, FRANCIS JEFFERS SIGNED FOR THE OWLS, MAYBE HE WILL BE THE ANSWER.

Another team in a similar boat is Crystal Palace, they have had a nine match unbeaten pre season and have some VERY talented youngsters, especially Moses, coming through, but goals are likely to be tough to come by. This is definitely a team to keep an eye on and if a striker is signed, or one emerges, then a play-off spot is not out of the question.

I am opposing Charlton, who look to be happy to sell their Premiership quality stars and sign Championship replacements, they look a very short price to me and make little appeal, although they do have a coach that knows how to get out of this division.

Just a quick word about Sheffield United, the verdict is still out on James Beattie, but the signing of Billy Sharp, could be inspired. All at Scunthorpe are convinced that he will score plenty at this level and although a repeat of last years 30 strikes, is very unlikely, a small interest at 16-1 in the top scorer market, might provide a little fun.

Martin Allen and Leicester City ....... things will probably start well, it is at the business end of things that the jury is still out on MA. I like him a lot as a person, but as I have said before, he has still to prove that he has a plan b when things go wrong, let alone plan c.

So, how about a bet ? I am keen on Watford's chances, they have kept their squad fairly intact, several articles have made much of Hameur Bouazza leaving to join Fulham this week for £4m. Two things about that, I understand that he would not have been a guaranteed starter in any case and with a first name like that, surely he should have gone to West Ham !

Marlon King is back to full fitness and has looked sharp in pre season, he is a class act at this level and could provide 20 goals. They snatched Jobi McAnuff from Palace for £1.75m and he chose them ahead of a Premiership offer.

Supporters are raving about the Brazilian, Douglas Rinaldi, whose transfer from Veronapolis has been made permanent. The Hungarian player Tamas Priskin is a raw, but real talent and will add to the goal tally, along with Darius Henderson.

In addition Matt Jackson ( Wigan) and Mark Poom ( Arsenal) have joined and will add experience to a young, talented squad.

Coach Adrian Boothroyd is held in high esteem at the club and has assembled a good team around him, feel that they have to go close.

5 points Watford to gain promotion 4.0 general quote .... Hills / Corals/Sky

DIVISION 1

Much like in the Championship, I have had a long term fancy for this division and "jumped ship" fairly late in the day. Millwall were my original choice, with Swansea my number two.

The Lions had a fantastic run from Christmas onwards last year and from bottom of the table, almost made the playoffs ! However, I have heard tale of some unrest at The New Den and the occasional bust up, fights often break out in training, but sometimes it goes a bit further and this involved two of the bigger names at the club. Anyway, I would not rule them out completely, Willie Donachie has done wonders in his short time in charge, but I have heard enough, to put me off.

This brings me to Swansea and I am confident that they will go very close. They do not need to progress too much, only missing out on the play offs by one spot and three points last season.

Roberto Martinez took over in February and was a breath of fresh air, playing decent, entertaining football and winning over the fans big time. He sold Lee Trundle in the summer, but this was a transfer that need to happen and £1m plus for a 31yo, tier 3 player, albeit a very good one, yes please !

They have replaced him with Jason Scotland, 26 goals at St Johnstone last season and Darryl Duffy from Hull City, who has already won the fan's hearts. Martinez looks to have got the mix right, making six overseas captures, including players from Spain and Holland, in addition to some promising young talent from Premiership clubs, he already had some experienced hands at his disposal.

Pre season has gone very well, they beat Levante 2-0 at the Liberty Stadium, with two goals disallowed and the crossbar scared more than once. That was a problem last season, Swansea hitting the woodwork on 33 occasions ! A little more accuracy and they could have gone much closer than 7th, they look a better all round team, this time round.

I have quite a lot of information/ views about teams in this, Division 2 and the Conference, but will keep things, solely to my selections. as I have promised to publish this on the blog and need to hold back some opinions for now.

2.5 points Swansea outright 11.0 general quote
5 points Swansea promoted 4.0 Bet365/Tote/ Boyle/ Sky

DIVISION 2

I like Milton Keynes Dons, the new stadium is ready, a 30,000 all seater and the whole club is geared up to bigger things. The team of Paul ince and Ray Mathias and it is a team, have replaced Martin Allen and promotion has to be gained this season.

They have played and shone against Chelsea, West Ham and Watford in pre season and in, Leon Knight and Kevin Gallen they have two strikers who should fill their boots at this level. The experienced Colin Cameron has joined from Coventry and will help the host of promising youngsters the club has, flourish.

Simply cannot see them not improving on last year's 4th spot and they look cast iron "each way" .

2 points win Milton Keynes Dons 9.0 general
5 points promotion 3.0 Tote/ Stan James/Bet 365.

CONFERENCE / BLUE SQUARE PREMIER

I have just one bet here, it is a very short price, but is something of a banker to my eyes. In their 4 seasons in the Conference, Aldershot have finished 5-4-13-9 and would have been much higher last year, if they had not had such a dire start.

Former QPR manager Gary Waddock is now in charge and recent results have looked promising, a 5-0 win over local rivals Farnborough, was followed by a 0-0 draw with the Charlton first team and a 1-1 tie with a strong Fulham team, after which the new boss said ...

"I am extremely pleased considering the opposition that we were playing. They had players that are worth millions of pounds but we put in a performance that in spells we were the better team.
"However it counts for nothing and I have told my players that we have to start doing that for the next ten months or so. Their keeper paid off two or three really good saves after the break and we will need to be a bit more ruthless in front of goal".

This is a team that could go close and can be backed outright at around the 23.0 mark, new league sponsors Blue Square offer a 1.72 quote for them to be in the top 12 of the table, which they will do. At least 3 of the 4 promoted teams look very weak, so the Shots will not have too many to beat.

6 points Aldershot to finish in the top half 1.72 Blue Square.

Good Luck

FRANCE LIGUE 2 .....

GRENOBLE - REIMS

The home team have yet to concede this season, but after opening with a 0-0 draw with promotion candidates Sedan, will want to give their fans a positive result. They are traditionally fairly strong at home , losing just twice in 20 starts.

They have no real injury concerns, only Juan is injured and will have positive expectations from this game, having won 5-1 last year.

Reims took a frightful hammering at Nantes on the opening day and are very uncomfortable on the road, as borne out by their record of just one win in 20 and 6 in 58 ! They are without 5-6 players today, most of whom would be considered starters, their midfield looks especially weakened.

4 points Grenoble -1/2 ball 1.75 asian line.

NIORT - SEDAN

We have talked many times about how strong Niort are at home, they are 24-15-1 in the last two seasons, just one loss in 40 starts ! Nothing looks likely to change there this season, they play with a lot of confidence and simply defeat does not really enter their calculations.

Sedan will be a tough nut to crack, 1-0 down with a handful of minutes to play v Gueugnon last week, they kept trying and scored three very late goals, to turn the match on it's head.

However, at level ball ,I have to stick with the hosts.

4 points Niort level ball 1.90 asian line.


Good Luck.

USPGA CHAMPIONSHIP .... DAY 2

I have been looking at today's 3 balls / match ups and have a couple of bets.

Jim Furyk is nor a golfer that I like to oppose too often, he is very consistent and always gives his best. However, he is simply not fit, after withdrawing last week, his participation in this event has been in doubt, almost until he started. If this was not a major, I doubt he would have teed off.

As recently as Tuesday, he struggled to complete 9 holes and has had a lot of manipulation on his upper back, which is very stiff. The hot humid conditions are an aid of sorts to this problem, but create other concerns. Furyk did not manage a birdie yesterday and shot 5 over par. We have to oppose him at the moment, Pinnacle have paired him with Luke Donald and that will do for me.

Alternatively, the third member of the 3 ball is Jonathan Byrd and if you wish to take that option, Donald is 2.42 on the exchanges, to beat the other two. The British golfer shot 3 strokes better than Furyk yesterday and that followed a fine closing display at Bridgestone last week, where his weekend figures of 67-70 were bettered only by Tiger Woods.

Elsewhere I like the 3 ball chances of Adam Scott, who is up against Taylor and Howell. Scott had a real mixed bag yesterday, which ended +2, with 5 birdies, he is not always the quickest starter in any case and we can expect him to come on strong today. Coming into the event, he had spent a lot of time with Butch Harmon his coach and claimed to be peaking. The indications were there last weekend, when like Donald, he finished very well at the WGC event.

6 points Donald to beat Furyk 1.943 Pinnacle Sports.

4 points Scott to beat Howell and Taylor 2.0 exchanges .. plenty of 1.97 as I write.

Back later with some football.

PREMIERSHIP ANTE POST

As promised, here are my thoughts on the Premiership, I have decided to reproduce them exactly as they were given to email subscribers, as I write, it appears all the odds are still available. Will put the lower leagues up overnight, or first thing tomorrow morning.......


I really feel that there are some excellent bets in this email and suggest that, even if you do not normally bet long term, that you take a long hard look at the contents.

OUTRIGHT

No real shocks for me here, United should retain their crown. Much has been written about the challenge from Liverpool this season and the money the Merseysiders have spent. They should indeed close the gap, but have a lot of ground to make up and need to start collecting wins on the road. Away from Anfield 18 goals, a total fewer than Wigan and Fulham and only two more than relegated Charlton, was nowhere near good enough.

Chelsea already enter the season with injury concerns and seem dependent on the goals of Didier Drogba, who will be missing for several weeks in mid season at the Cup of Nations.

United were lucky with injuries last season, but look much stronger this time round, what team in world football would not be, with the addition of Tevez, Nani, Anderson and Hargreaves. The defence still looks a little suspect, but Sir Alex's men scored 19 goals more than anyone else last season, that is a full half goal per game and they hardly look likely to score fewer this time round.

6 points Manchester United 2.375 outright, general quote.

Not going to put this up as a bet, but Tottenham should prove to be the best of the rest, currently quoted at 2.375, without the big 4. They have held on to Dimitar Berbatov and spent a fortune on Darren Bent, Robbie Keane has signed a new contract and even a poacher like Jermain Defoe, will be lucky to get a look in. With Lennon, Bale and Chimbonda eager to get forward at every opportunity, they have a surplus of attacking options.

The big minus is that Ledley King is out for 2-3 months and the Dawson- Gardner partnership, has yet to prove it works. Regardless of that, they looked booked for 5th place at worse, a spot they have occupied for the last two seasons.

Spent a long time looking at the handicap list and like the look of Mark Hughes' Blackburn Rovers.They have no shortage of pace and goals up front with Roque Santa Cruz joining Benni McCarthy and Jason Roberts, with David Bentley and Morten Gamst Pedersen just behind, they will be a match for all but the very best. They were quite adventurous on the road last year, only Bolton outside the top 4 had more wins, if they can win a few more at Ewood Park, they should improve on last years 10th spot. Maybe a repeat of 2005's 6th place is possible and that should take them close on the handicap, where they receive a 34 points start. Ladbrokes looks the place to go, as they give fewer points to the teams I see as potential dangers.

If that is not available to you,or makes limited appeal, they can be backed at 6.0 for a top 6 spot with Bet 365/ Ladbrokes and Paddy Power, amongst others.

2 points each way Blackburn Rovers +34 points handicap 16.0 1/5 odds 1234 Ladbrokes.

GOALSCORERS

I covered this in an earlier message, at that time I did not suggest a bet. If you missed that, it went a lot like this ....

New Arsenal signing Eduardo Da Silva, looks set to take the Premiership by storm and given the number of chances the Gunners create, could even have a chance in the league topscorer market, where he is quoted at 26.0. He really has only Van Persie and Adebayor for competition in the Arsenal market and this proven goalscorer, 7 in 12 games for Croatia and 34 in his domestic league last season, could be outstanding value at 3.25.
The Manchester United market is worth a second look. Carlos Tevez has been made favourite at 3.00, ahead of Rooney and Ronaldo, both quoted at 3.50, after those talented three, it is 7.0 Saha and 13.0 Solksjaer, who are not likely to see too much start time.
Given that Tevez took time to get going at West Ham and as an emotional individual, may well have been affected by the transfer wrangle, I would have to look to oppose him. Hard to see Ronaldo having as good a season this time round, even if he does, he will struggle to match his tally of 17 goals. Which leaves us with Rooney, who despite having a rough time for much of last season, still notched 14 goals and will surely have benifitted more than most, from the summer break. He appeared in good shape in the Inter game in midweek, when almost 74,000 turned up for a friendly game !

The more I think about these markets the better the bets look, in the Arsenal list, Adebayor might miss 3-4 weeks, due to the Cup of Nations. Zagreb fans are convinced that Da Siva is the real deal and will turn into the poacher that the Gunners have been crying out for.

4 points Edourdo da Silva top Arsenal scorer 3.25 Sunderlands// 3.0 paddy power/ sky


Rooney really looks good value in the Manchester United list, just cannot see him not improving on last years total. He looks hungry at the moment and is looking to improve upon his record of a goal every 2.5 games for United. I read that much of his pre season work has been aimed at work in the box, indicating that he will be the target man this campaign.

Sunderlands also have a massive quote of 51.0 Nani, who scored a much talked about goal last night and is regarded as the best young talent in Portugal, not quite sure where that leaves Ronaldo ! A small saver must be worthwhile, he is as low as 13.0 with Hills, of course, only the quickest of you are likely to get on this price. he is the same quote online as Alan Smith, who moved to Newcastle a week ago !

6 points Rooney top Manchester United goalscorer 3.50 Sunderlands.. 3.25 Sky/ Hills
0.5 points Nani 51.0 Sunderlands.

Good Luck.

TODAY'S FOOTBALL ....

FINLAND .... MYPA- HAKA

Mypa's performance levels dropped off after 70 minutes of their game on Monday and afterwards, this was explained as tiredness!

They must now play again, with one day's less rest than Haka, who have scored 9 in their last 3 matches, boast a very nice 4-0-2 away record and can go top with a win. The hosts have not scored in two, conceding six goals and lost their last 4 home games against Haka.

3.5 points Haka +1/4 ball asian line 1.70.

FRIENDLY .... GENOA- TORINO

Torino seem much happier at home and had a tough, come from behind win against Brugges, just two days ago.

This is Genoa's first big home friendly and they had a nice recent run out, winning 5-0 at Trento.

The visitors must be expected to field a weakened team, in what is their 3rd start, in just 6 days.

3.5 points Genoa -1/4 ball 1.96 asian line.

Good Luck.

USPGA CHAMPIONSHIP..... SOUTHERN HILLS G.C, TULSA, OKLAHOMA

Conditions are set to be brutal, the course itself is tough, but with the weather forecast to be hot (38 celsius) and very humid, only the fittest will flourish. You will certainly not want to be lugging round too much excess weight, for 4-6 hours each day.

Top US player without Tiger Woods

Steve Stricker looks good in this market, he is finally fulfilling the potential he showed early in his career and seems to be competitive in every major. He has been 6th and 13th in the last two US Opens, was 8th at Carnoustie and 7th in this event last year. Interestingly, he also has a 3rd place finish at this venue in the Tour Championship back in 1996, that course knowledge will stand him in good stead and he looks sure to give us a run for our money, at a fine price.

2 points each way 1/4 odds 1234 Stricker 26.0 general quote.

Back later with some football news for today.

SCOTTISH LEAGUE CUP

PARTICK- AIRDRIE

Partick drew their league opener at Stirling, but dominated the game, created a lot of chances and should have had a commanding lead, before conceding a late equaliser. They can field a stronger line up today with two suspended and one injured regular, set to return and according to their manager are very motivated and "going all out for the win", this evening.

4.5 points Partick -1/2 ball 2.03 asian line.

STRANRAER - MONTROSE

Stranraer look a team heading in the right direction. They were, perhaps, a little unfortunate to be relegated via the play offs last season, as they ended the season strongly, losing just 3 of their last 12 starts. Following a decent pre season, where they suffered just two narrow losses to SPL teams, they played some very nice football in a 3-0 win over Forfar, they will definitely be considered promotion candidates and meet a Montrose side that finished 3rd from bottom last year, adrift of the team above and have already started with a loss, this time round.

5.5 points Stranraer -3/4 ball 2.135 asian line.

Good Luck.

FRIENDLY .... GLENTORAN - MANCHESTER UNITED

I put the following on the email service early today, but two things have changed, Ronaldo did not board the plane to Belfast and the odds were removed after 30 minutes or so....

United are playing two friendlies today, this and another at Dunfermline, they are splitting the squad between the two fixtures.

Ferdinand, Vidic, Evra, Nani, Anderson, Carrick and O'Shea were all pencilled in for Belfast and I have just heard that Ronaldo is set to play some part too, but that is unconfirmed. TBH it makes little difference, they should be far too strong and capable of running in a few goals, even at "half pace" Espanol played here little more than a week ago and ran out 6-0 winners.

5.5 points Man Utd -1.75 balls 2.09 asian line.

This is being shown live on Sky, so bookmakers will be forced to produce odds later this afternoon. Blue Square have the number of goals that United will score and 3 @4.0, plus 4 or more @ 3.80, which offer combined odds of just a shade under 2.0 , are not too bad. Glentoran will be fielding a second choice keeper and will give every member of the squad an outing. It is more important to say you played against Man U, than to beat them ! One 37 yo full back, who has been playing for 22 years, said that this was the highlight of his career..... a friendly !

Paddy Power, have some first and anytime goalscorer prices, with Rooney, Ronaldo etc all listed, of course this is a heavily "over round book" , but there still looks to be some nice value.
Nani and Anderson will play and are 8 (2.8) and 9 (3.0) respectively, Carrick is an eyecatching 17 (4.5) and even Ferdinand 29 (7.5) might fancy his chances.

If the asian line come up later and is close to my original selected level, then I suggest you take it, if not and you want an interest, the Blue Square offer looks ok. Either way, you should take a chance on at least one of the scorers with PP, remember, money is refunded on first goalscorers if they do not start, or come on after the goal is scored and "anytimers" must take part at some stage. A little on Carrick is my choice.

0.5 points Carrick to score first 17.0 Paddy Power.
1.5 points Carrick to score anytime 4.50 Paddy Power.

Good Luck.

WEDNESDAY PLANS ......... and what's to come ...

I am probably going to post three selections on the blog today, all football and will have the first of these online in an hour or so.

Going to put some outright selections for the coming english domestic season, over the next couple of days. Have some "specials" and a "handicap" selection in the Premiership and will also give my views on the lower leagues, my strongest selection is in Division 1, which is the league I know the best, despite my team no longer competing at that elevated level !

There are going to be some major changes in the coming weeks, the new website is almost ready and should be up and running by the end of next week, maybe earlier. GAMBLING AND OTHER WHOLESOME INTERESTS will continue here for a while, but will also be incorporated into the new site, with additional content, the two will continue in tandem for several months and will, of course, both be free to view. There will be a lot of extra facilities at GOWI's new home, with just a few limited to subscribers. I will give further details and the url, after the weekend.

Back shortly.

Forgot this ......

I AM PLANNING TO TWEAK THE "POINTS " SYSTEM A LITTLE.....

Starting tomorrow, I will be making the difference between strong and average bets a little bigger. I think that this will lead to greater profits in the long run, there will be more 6 point selections, but fewer at the 5 or 5.5 level, so overall, total stakes will not change much.

Good Luck.

SCOTTISH LEAGUE CUP .... FORFAR - PETERHEAD

Peterhead are looking to bounce back from a 4-1 home defeat at the weekend, they did not play well, which was surprising after a very promising pre season, but even so, created a host of chances and were denied many times by the opposing goalkeeper. This is a team that looks to have plenty of goals in them.

They travel to meet a hapless Forfar side that have now lost 10 in a row. Following relegation last season, a 3-0 defeat at Stranraer was the last way they wanted to start 07-08.

These two met 4 times last season, with Peterhead collecting 10 points and 15 goals, winning on their last 3 visits to Station Park. Away win and the visitors to prove that they have a lot more to offer.

5.5 points Peterhead -1/4 ball 1.85 asian line.

Good Luck.

FRIENDLY .... WALSALL - ASTON VILLA

Walsall and Villa have a close relationship and normally play this pre season fixture.

Last year the visitors won 5-0 and 3-0 in 2005, more than half the stadium will be taken up by circa 4000 Villa fans and Martin O'Neill will be looking to build on the 3-0 win over Inter Milan, the latest in a series of promising pre season performances.

Understand that Walsall will probably rest a few key players ahead of the league start, hard not to see a two goal win for the Premiership side.

5 points Aston Villa -1 ball 1.96 asian line.

Good Luck.

CHAMPIONS LEAGUE QUALIFICATION ..... LEVSKI SOFIA - TAMPERE

I have to believe that the overall quality of Levski will win through, they are a very strong home side 30-2-0 since last domestic loss and have only conceded 9 goals in two seasons. This match has been moved to the national stadium, but I do not see this as making much difference, they are on familiar ground there and the improved playing surface, should be to their advantage.

They were a little rusty in the first leg, but improved as the game wore on and will be a week nearer peak fitness now. Trailing by a goal, they will, of course, be seeking the two goal victory.

Just saw the confirmed team news for Levski .... Petkov, Milanov , Wagner , Benzoukan, Stoichev, Richard, M.Ivanov, Bardon, Telkiiski, Yovov, Domovchiyski .

The last named striker was rated doubtful, so this is a big boost for the hosts.

4.5 points Levski -1.5 balls asian line 2.04.

Good Luck.