PREMIERSHIP ..... Last round of the season

Conspiracy theorists have been having a field day this morning, with the principal idea that if Manchester United are beating West Ham by a number of goals late in the game, that Sheffield United will "let" Wigan win, thereby relegating the Hammers.

I am not getting involved in any of that myself, but it is certainly a possibility. The Tevez saga has upset the other strugglers and a visit to Old Trafford is never easy.

If this is to be the case, the one likely result is the half time draw in Sheffield. Of course all this will go out of the window, if West Ham take an early lead.

Whatever happens, we are in for an interesting afternoon.

I am looking at two "overs" in the Premiership this afternoon. As in most leagues at this stage of the season, we can expect more goals, the last 36 matches, over 3 weekends, have averaged 3.277 goals, which is almost 0.9 goals above the norm.

My first is the Middlesbrough-Fulham game, the reverse fixture ended 2-1 and this was a travesty of justice with Boro creating a hatful of chances and the Londoners goal led a charmed life. The spine of the Fulham team is missing, with Pearce, Brown and Bouba Diop all out. Last 4 of 5 here have been over and I favour goals at the Riverside.

Bolton are "over" in 5 from 6 starts and are certainly playing a more open style. Visitors Aston Villa are over in 3 from 6. Last 6 between the two have produced 22 goals, at an average of 3.67. Draw has little value for either and this could be quite entertaining.

4.5 points Boro-Fulham over 2.25 goals 1.70 asian line won + 3.15 pts
4.5 points Bolton-Villa over 2.25 goals 1.8 asian line won + 3.6 pts

1.5 points double both over 2.5 goals circa 4.0 won + 4.5 pts

Good Luck.

LA LIGA

Real Madrid trail Barcelona by just 2 points at the top of La Liga and are hunting their biggest rivals down, they look a team on a mission and VERY motivated.

Their opponents Espanol are sure to rest a host of players ahead of the UEFA Cup final on Wednesday. The visitors have conceded 8 in their last 3 away league starts, Real notched 7 in their last 3 at the Bernabeu.

History strongly favours the hosts, who have won the last 5, 4 of them by 2+, scoring an impressive 17 goals.

The chance to pass Barcelona and lead the Primera, if only for 24 hours, is a huge incentive and one that Real should claim with ease.

4.5 goals Real Madrid -1.5 goals 1.82 asian line. LOST - 4.5 pts

Good Luck.

FRENCH CUP FINAL .... MARSEILLE - SOCHAUX

Marseille are looking for their first real trophy since 1993 and are very motivated to win this. They were left devastated by their failure in last year's final, where they lost to bitter rivals PSG and are determined to make amends.

They welcome back Franck Ribery from suspension, his days at OM look numbered and he would love to leave them with a medal. They will be cheered by some 25,000 supporters who have travelled from the south.

Souchaux will be without their Brazilian striker Alvaro Santos ( 8 goals) and key defender Jeremie Brechet, will face a late test.

The two met just 13 days ago at the Stade Velodrome and OM dominated the match, winning 4-2, they look at the top of their form at present and REALLY want this one.

4.5 points Marseille -1/4 ball 1.75 asian line. 1-1 - 2.25 pts

Good luck.

LEAGUE 2 PLAY-OFFS .... BRISTOL ROVERS - LINCOLN CITY

Lincoln can hardly be looking forward to this, having lost in the last 4 play-offs, these things tend to get inside your head and the Imps have a huge mental hurdle to overcome.

Regular readers will know that,Bristol Rovers are a team I hold in high regard. They showed their resolve with a late winner at Hartlepool last week, to force their way into the play-offs and look a team going places.

They are without a loss in 7 and have a mean defence, that has conceded just once in that run and only more than one goal, a single time,in 16 starts. Only the Champions, Walsall, conceded fewer home goals and they are boosted by the return of Aaron Lescott from suspension.

A big club at this level, the Memorial ground sold out days ago and the home supporters should have a victory to cheer.

Lincoln have not won away for almost 3 months and their goals have dried up, only scoring in 2 of their last 7.

5 points Bristol Rovers -1/4 ball 1.86 asian line. won 2-1 + 4.3 pts

Good Luck.

BUNDESLIGA .... ENERGIE COTTBUS- BAYERN MUNICH

We can expect quite a few goals in Germany today.

In yesterday's Ligue 2 preview, I wrote that "This was a bumper round for goals in Ligue 2 last season and I expect to see a few this evening" all matches finished "over". These stats are always worth a second look at this stage of the season and over the last 3 seasons, the final 3 rounds of the Bundesliga have averaged 69.13% "overs".

In the Cottbus-Bayern fixture we have two teams with nothing to play for, who should be relaxed and can provide an open,entertaining game.

Both are "over" in 3 from 5 and have each gone 5 without a clean sheet. H2h wise, 6 of the last 7 have been "over".

5 points Cottbus- Bayern over 2.5 goals 1.85 general. won + 4.25 pts

Back later.

SATURDAY PLANS ..........

I am looking at 3 or 4 bets today and will have the first online at around 12.30 cet.

Quite amazing in the tennis from Rome, we have the number 4 ranked player in the world, with 95 wins on clay and he is 18.5 to win his match ! The ridiculous thing is that he is still impossible to fancy, Rafa is heading towards 80 straight wins on dirt and will no doubt sweep Davydenko aside, like all the other pretenders.

In the other semi-final I was very close to taking Fernando Gonzalez, who, at circa 1.76 looks a reasonable price to see off Filippo Volandri, who has maybe done enough for one week. Gonzalez had a very productive end to 2006/ early 2007 and it was no surprise to see his form dip a little, it looks like it has returned at the right moment and it took the best of the best, to defeat him on the european clay circuit last season. Volandri is some way short of that level.

Back shortly.

LIGUE 2 ........DIJON - AJACCIO

My final selection for Friday is the "over" in the Dijon-Ajaccio match. Both are in mid table safety and should be looking to provide a little entertainment. The home team are likely to welcome back top striker Helder Esteves from a long term injury, which will give them a big boost. He has been on the score sheet for the reserves and his team mates would love to give him a goal tonight.

Dijon are "over" in 5 of their last 6, Ajaccio, who may experiment a little, in each of their last 3. This was a bumper round for goals in Ligue 2 last season and I expect to see a few this evening.

4.5 points over 2.25 goals Dijon-Ajaccio 1.92 asian line. won + 4.14 pts

Good Luck.

LIGUE 2 .... CAEN - REIMS

Caen are my strong selectionchoice to defeat Reims. The hosts still have promotion in their own hands and need 7 points from their last 3 starts, to ensure they start next season in

Ligue 1.

Having been in the top 3 since the second week of the season, failure to finish the job off, would be complete and utter disaster.

They are set to field an attacking line up, probably with 3 strikers and will be facing a severely weakend Reims defence. The visitors may experiment even further and blood several youngsters, with little to play for and only one away win all season, they might not be overly motivated.

Despite stuttering a little recently, Caen have continued to play decent football and given the visitors problems, should comfortably win this, their final home game of the season.

5 points Caen -1 ball asian line 1.73. void

I will be back later with another selection for this evening.

Good Luck.

GOOD MORNING !

A fairly quiet day today, not sure if I will put one, or two bets on the blog, but will definitely have something posted mid afternoon and will confirm details then.

Wow! Some heated conversations on the chat box in recent days and also some good tips.

Whenever the blog has hit a good run, I always give the same warning, that extended winning sequences are unsubstainable in the long run. There is no point in anybody getting overly excited about one single good, or bad day.

The blog has made just shy of 130 pts profit in the last 4 weeks alone, those are fantastic results, especially when you bear in mind that no bet over 6 points, has ever been suggested.

Sooner or later, results will get sticky, that might last one day, one week, or even longer. The ONLY target for the site, or any service I offer, is a solid long term profit and GOWI has delivered in that respect, for over one year.

Back later.

NETHERLANDS .... UEFA CUP PLAY-OFFS

I will side with Groningen to win their home game with Feyenoord.

The visitors look very sorry for theirselves just now and blew their season big time, after looking booked for a place in the Champions League play-offs. Not sure how motivated they will be for today's match, they may feel they need a season free of european distraction to find some domestic form, coach Erwin Koeman has resigned and Leo Beenhakker, has taken temporary charge.

The hosts did the double over the side from Rotterdam during the league season, with a 7-0 goal difference, including 4-0 in the away game, just 4 weeks ago.

Feyenoord are a shadow of their former selves and have some major rebuilding to do, when they concede, the floodgates tend to open, as testified by the 42 away goals they have conceded this season. With just one win in 9 starts, they have conceded 3 or more goals, 7 times in 2007 and still have a handful of long term injuries.

4.5 points Groningen -1/2 ball 2.25 William Hill// Blue Square.... 2.15 + is acceptable.

won + 5.625 pts

Back later.

The end of the trial ...........

The GOWI PREMIUM EMAIL SERVICE trial period offer, will be withdrawn at midnight on Wednesday, May 9.

After which the subscription charge will revert to the standard rate, this will be your final chance to take advantage of the almost 60% savings.

However, as a thank you to anyone who signs up, or to anyone who has already subscribed, I am offering a further option of up to three, additional four weekly periods, at the reduced trial rate. This will be available until the 23rd of this month.

I have added Moneybookers as a payment option, in addition to being able to use any bank or credit card.

If you are still undecided about whether or not to take the plunge, as a one time only offer, you can subscribe for just a 7 day trial, with the opportunity to extend it, to the full 4 week period, if desired.

The blog made a massive profit last week of 48 points, but the email service was close to 70 !
A £5 unit stake on all selections, would have paid for the email service for 12 months, in just one week !

Full details can be found on this link. , or by clicking on the "read all about it" advert opposite.

Good Luck.

LIGUE 1 ...LILLE - SEDAN

Finally, I like Sedan here, 4 points from safety they HAVE to look for the win.

A visit to Lens should hold few fears at present, the home team have lost 6 from 7 and are the worse team in France, over the last third of the season, their Champions League campaign drained them.

In their last 10 starts, they have collected just 7 points, Sedan , given their league position, an impressive 15.

Lille are on vacation already, at least in their minds and we have to side with the visitors, you may read elsewhere that they have 4 doubts, these are minor knocks and all will play.

The draw has little value for Sedan, so it is the straight win for me.

4.5 points Sedan -1/2 ball 4.33 Paddy Power // 4.0 general- Sunderlands. lost -4.5 pts

Good luck.

LIGUE 1 ...... LYON - LENS

Tough for Lens, they sit in second place, with two inform teams directly behind them, both facing easy looking home games, whilst they must travel to the runaway leaders.

But is it really so bad ? Lyon have little to play for and are without 5 players with a real shortage of options up front, they will play with a lone striker. Although on a long unbeaten run, the Champions have drawn 6 from 10 and I guess that is the result, the visitors have targeted.

Their need is great, Lens plus the handicap start.

4.5 points Lens +1/2 ball 1.99 asian line. lost -4.5 pts

Good Luck.

LIGUE 1.... TROYES-RENNES

The hosts are 3 points from safety and really need the win, for them time is running out.

Rennes are still chasing a european spot and have pledged to "go for the win" on the club website.

Under the circumstances, we can surely expect an open encounter,in their last home game Troyes created an amazing 25 attempts on goal and the "over" 2 goal option looks excellent value. If that is not available to you, the 2.25 line is almost as good.

5 points "over" 2 goals 1.86 Troyes-Rennes asian line. won + 4.3 pts

Good Luck.

LIGUE 1 ... FC GIRONDINS de BORDEAUX - NANTES

Final home game of the season for blog favourites Bordeaux, who are on a golden run and have only conceded twice in 10 league starts.

They have Marseille, who look likely to win today, breathing down their neck in the race for a Champions League spot and cannot afford any slip ups.

Nantes have pretty much given up and are without a win and have scored just 2 goals in 6 starts.

The second best team in France, should win this comfortably enough.

5 points Bordeaux -1.25 ball 1.87 asian line.

lost -5 pts

Good Luck.

LIGUE 1 ...... SOCHAUX - MONACO

The home team face Marseille in the Cup Final at the weekend and Sochaux coach ,Alain Perrin, has made it clear where his priorities lie. Stating " I must put out a team against Monaco that doesn't threaten the physical freshness of the squad for Saturday."

The big game for them this week, is not taking place today and I have to side with their opponents, who have little to play for, but have only lost once in 12 and also, only once, in 5 visits here. Jan Koller claims that they are very motivated to finish the season as strong as possible and he is too big to argue with !

4 points Monaco +1/4 ball 2.01 asian line. lost -4 pts

Good Luck.

TUESDAY ROUND UP .....

OK, no damage done today, with one winner and one loser. Oxford blew a lead and a clear one on one with the keeper at 1-1 in the second half, but probably Exeter deserved it on the night.

No bets, but I wrote this on the tennis... " Igor Andreev (circa 3.35) and Radek Stepanek (2.54), look a little overpriced against Ferrer and Haas respectively." Needless to say both won !

I think Wednesday looks a very exciting day, with some strong bets on the football, make sure that you check in .

Good Night !

RAPID VIENNA - FK AUSTRIA

Vienna derby tonight when Rapid entertain FK Austria, I have received a good word for the hosts, from a solid source.

The visitors are likely to be without 6-7 players, the only drawback is that this is a fixture normally dominated by the visitors, but you can't have everything.

Both should be looking for the win to close the gap on Pasching in 3rd place.

Given the team news and information, the quote looks very good, although it has fallen a little from this morning .

5.5 points Rapid -1/4 ball 1.82. won +4.51 pts

Good Luck.

CONFERENCE PLAY-OFF ...... OXFORD UNITED - EXETER CITY

Oxford are the biggest club to ever play in the Conference and are desperate to get out of this division at the first attempt.

They looked to be coasting to the title early season, but a mid season slump put paid to those dreams. However, they have rediscovered their form,recent displays have been rather good and certainly more in line with the class of player, manager Jim Smith, has at his disposal.

In the first leg, United could have finished the tie off in the first 30 minutes or so, if they had taken another of the many chances that came their way and added to their 1-0 lead, there would have been little hope for Exeter.

The City defence looked a little slow and Oxford have a LOT of pace, especially in wide positions and can really exploit this tonight.

United might be nervous in front of what is likely to be a sell out crowd, so the opening could be very cautious, but, sooner or later, Exeter will have to come forward in search of a goal and that is when I expect Oxford to score.

The more adventurous may wish to try the double result, draw-home, but I will advise the straight win.

5 points Oxford -1/2 ball 1.85 asian line. lost -5 pts

Back later.

ATP MASTERS TENNIS ..... ROMA

I have spent several hours looking at the Tennis Masters in Rome today and seriously considered three bets, eventually deciding to wait for another day.

However, I will briefly give you a quick round up of each, let me start by saying that this surface is one of the quicker clay courts.

Igor Andreev (circa 3.35) and Radek Stepanek (2.54), looked a little overpriced against Ferrer and Haas respectively.

Ferrer is very talented on the dirt, but his Russian opponent is no slouch, leads the h2h 2-1, including a win in their only meeting on clay. He is 76-51 lifetime on the surface and is motivated to get his ranking back to it's former heights.

Haas is not very happy on clay and prefers the quicker surfaces, he did make the final here in 2002, but leaving that aside, has just one win in his last six visits to Rome.

Stepanek is a respectable 8-4 here and took a set off Nadal in 2005, this should be close.

I was very interesting in laying James Blake to win 2-0 in sets against Gael Monfils. The talented Frenchman has had a long run of injuries and a host of first round losses this season, but has shown signs, albeit small, of a return to form.

Blake has lost 3 years running here in the opening round and has not played for a month.

Monfils made the semis here last year, losing only to Rafa, he also had a strong showing at Roland Garros, where he beat Blake, in 5 very long sets, their only previous meeting on clay.

So, that sounded pretty good, but then I heard that he has just withdrawn from Hamburg next week and I have been unable to find out why. Given his recent injury problems, it is too big a risk to back him, without that knowledge.

Two football bets today, which I will post this afternoon.

Back later.

SPL .... DUNFERMLINE - MOTHERWELL

I will stick with Dunfermline to defeat Motherwell in a must win game for the hosts. The Pars once again trail St Mirren by 4 points at the foot of the table and will be all guns blazing for the win.

Well are not 100% safe theirselves and need a point from 3 matches to secure survival. However, they are not playing too well at present, are missing several players and their need is not quite so desperate.

But the main reason to support the home team is their wonderful form. This is a side that bears little comparison to the early season shambles, that went under the same name. They have a Cup Final appearance ahead of them, a european spot booked for next season and a string of fantastic results against the best teams in Scotland.

5 points -1/2 ball Dunfermline 2.0 general quote. won + 5 pts

Good Luck.

CONFERENCE PLAY-OFF ...... MORECAMBE - YORK CITY

Morecambe host York, in this second leg play-off game, which is to be shown live on Sky TV.

They START all square, thanks mainly to the heroics of the Morecambe goalkeeper, whose display kept the first match scoreless.

City can lay claim to being the best away side in England, with 13 wins on the road. They won here in the league (3-1) , will be cheered on by 1,200 travelling supporters and look the, slightly more classy outfit.

I would not be overly surprised if this went to extra time, but am happy to take the visitors with the handicap start.

4 points York +1/4 ball 1.84 asian line. lost 2-1 -4 pts

Good Luck.

LIGUE 2 ... CRETEIL US - MONTPELLIER HERAULT SC - CHATEAUROUX LB

Creteil host Montpellier, in a real six pointer at the foot of Ligue 1, although in this case, maybe we should call it a "two pointer" as I feel a draw is the likely outcome.

The hosts have drawn 3 of their last 6 and a point will keep them two above Montpellier and a couple of places outside the drop zone.

The visitors have drawn 2 of the last 3, the stalemate will take them level in the final relegation spot with Brest, with 2 of their final 3 at home.

H2h makes interesting reading, with 6 of the last 7 finishing all square.

If pushed for an asian selection, I would take the visitors with the handicap start, but feel the draw offers much better value.

4 points Creteil-Montpellier draw 3.0 Sunderlands/ Bet 365/ Blue Square LOST -4 points

Good Luck.

WEEKLY REVIEW ....

Another profitable day, but we almost hit the jackpot, Steve Stricker our 25-1 selection, finishing runner up to Tiger Woods, in the Wachovia Championship. Stricker was the only golfer to push the best player on the planet and at least landed the place part of our wager. That really could have been the icing on a wonderful week.

WEEK 57 , 25 bets, 17 winners (68%), profit +54.308 ROI +48.06% (113).

This is the 43rd winning week from 57.

Good Luck.

MONDAY ..... Bank Holiday in the UK, raining of course, looking at 3-4 selections today, one I consider very strong.

LIGUE 1 ...... MONACO - MARSEILLE

Last but definitely not least, I like MarseiLle in the derby game at Monaco.

The hosts are in good form, unbeaten in 11, but are only playing for local bragging rights.

Marseille are 4 points off second (and third) place and a coveted, Champions League spot, with this game in hand. One of the teams above them,Lens, face a midweek trip to runaway leaders Lyon in midweek, while OM have an easy looking home fixture awaiting them.

Therefore, if they can take at least a point today, they will have a real chance of playing in Europe's premier competition, next season. The goals have started to flow for them with 14 in the last 6, they have a fully fit squad to choose from, only missing the suspended defender Zubar. I do not see them losing.

5.5 points Marseille +1/4 ball 1.68 asian line. won 2-1 + 3.74 pts

Good Luck

LA LIGA ...... REAL MADRID - SEVILLA

Real Madrid are my confident choice, to defeat fellow title challengers Seville, in a game where surely both will look for the win. A draw would leave Barcelona 3 points clear at the top and neither would feel comfortable with that.

Real have won 5 from 6 and have only lost one in 11, they are in their best form of the season and playing with a lot of confidence.

Seville will be without Adriano and Navarro, who both collected knocks in the UEFA Cup tie with Osasuna. The season is taking it's toll and several others, will play, carrying knocks.

History favours the hosts, who have won 5 of the last six meetings at the Bernabeu.

5.5 points Real Madrid -1/2 ball 1.90 general. won 3-2 + 4.95 pts

Good Luck

UPDATE ....

I have defended my decision to offer the subscription service, in several direct emails in recent days. This is not a problem, I said that I was happy to answer any questions and that remains the case.

The concerns seem to centre more around the fact, that I have chosen to advertise the service in a particular way, rather than against the actual facility.

Let me try to explain, I have been sending out a daily email for a long time to friends/contacts. Until I advertised the service, no one, or very few, would know that there were 4-5 selections by email and only 2-3 on the blog.

Today for example, I put 4 selections on the site before lunchtime, normally everyone would think that a lot. Because I mentioned that more football bets had been sent out, I am "advertising"......... well, of course I am !

Sometimes, albeit rarely,I can pass on things in an email, that should not be on an open forum, on others, the odds change ( more frequent) and it is no longer viable to put them on the site. On occasion, there will simply not be time, I also have a family and personal life.

The blog is not like 99% of others, with one or two posts per week/month, or just a list of bets without explanation, it is better than that. But it is a big commitment and involves a lot of man hours, any money raised from the subscription service will help me ease that burden and in turn, that should make for a better blog.

Yes, I am "pushing" it a bit at the moment, but you should be able to live with that, this was a blog without even an affiliate button for almost one year. The trial period will be ending soon and the service will receive less attention, with the post at the top of the page removed.

As promised, I will be posting two further selections for this evening's action and will also be publishing details of the end of the trial ...... you have been warned !

Good Luck.

PREMIERSHIP ...... ARSENAL - CHELSEA

The Gunners can move into 3rd with a win and anything other than a victory for the Blues, will hand the title to Man United.

Like most of the big 4, there is not much love lost between these two and both will be desperate for the 3 points. Arsenal have scored in every home league game, except for the 0-1 loss to West Ham, where they bombarded the Hammers goal, almost non stop, with something like 30 attempts on goal, Robert Green was unbeatable that day.

Chelsea are unquestionably tired, that has been obvious for several weeks, even Arsene Wenger commented on this in the press yesterday, maybe he reads the blog ! The general feeling now amongst the top clubs, is that it is almost impossible to fight for the domestic titles and the major european honour. With the FA Cup cited as being the biggest distraction, as it clashes constantly,with the Champions League.

Think we will see more teams copying Liverpool's approach next season, who could go the other way and lauch an all out campaign for the Premiership.

Back to the match in hand, this could be quite open and I would be surprised if we do not see at least two goals.

4.5 points over 2 goals Arsenal-Chelsea 1.70 asian line. result 1-1 void bet

I will be back a little later, with two bets for this evening's European action.

Good Luck.

SCOTTISH PREMIER LEAGUE .... HEARTS - ABERDEEN

I favour Hearts who have to defeat Aberdeen, to keep their UEFA Cup hopes alive. They currently trail the visitors, who have still to play Celtic and Rangers, by 4 points.

The hosts won 3-1 at Celtic Park last week, with Laryea Kingston pulling the strings and tearing the Champions apart at times. Crucially, he is available today, following his appeal against a suspension and should prove the difference between the two.

The Dons will obviously be looking for a point, so I see plenty of value in the hosts -1/4 ball, with our losses limited with the draw.

4.5 points Hearts -1/4 ball 1.82 asian line. result 1-1 -2.25 pts

Good Luck.

SERIE A .... TORINO - ASCOLI

Very heavy support for the hosts. once again the heavy hitters are looking to take on Ascoli.

I am not interested in the 1.17, or whatever they are now, but will stick with the "over" bet, which served us so well in the visitor's midweek game. Link.

Torino are goal shy, but are surely aware that they will probably require at least 2 goals to prevail. Hard not to see Ascoli, with 3 strikers and their gung-ho approach, not scoring.

The visitors last six matches have produced 31 goals and every game 4 or more. Would not put anyone off trying the over 3.5 goals (circa 2.90), but, given the hosts short coming's, I will stick with the traditional line this time.

5 points over 2.5 goals Torino-Ascoli 1.77 Betfair. lost -5 points

Good Luck.

GOOD MORNING !

Another strong day yesterday, with 3 winners, two at very good odds and over 15 points profit.

A little unsure about my plans for the blog today, a massive 7 football selections have been sent out to email subscribers, it looks a VERY interesting day.

Certain that you can see the problem, time will have to dictate exactly what I put on here, three of the matches start in just 90 minutes.

I will do what I can, please check back shortly, 30 minutes or so, previews will be brief.

Good Luck.

US PGA GOLF .....

WAICHOVIA CHAMPIONSHIP

Tiger Woods 1.91

Rory Sabbatini 3.75

Vijay Singh 5.50

Arron Oberholser 13.00

Phil Mickelson 17.00

Steve Stricker 26.00

Ken Duke 29.00

Trevor Immelman 51.00

Stewart Cink 67.00

Anthony Kim 81.00

1/5 the odds for the first 3 places.

The odds are supplied by blog sponsor Sunderlands.

Sabatini leads by one stroke from Tiger, with VJ and Oberholser a shot further back. Stricker and Duke are another stroke adrift, Big Phil sits four strokes off the lead at 7 under par.

Going to suggest a tiny interest, each way on Steve Stricker at 25-1, he is first for driving accuracy and putting this week and if he can just improve his approach shots a tiny amount, could go very close.

Stricker has a good final round scoring record in recent years, only Tiger did better in 2006 and we have discussed on many occasions, how important this is. Link.

1 point each way Steve Stricker 26.0 1/5 odds place 123 Sunderlands, other companies may release odds a little later. 2nd (close !) profit +4 pts

Dear Reader ..................

The blog has undergone a lot of changes recently and hopefully, will continue to evolve.

In the coming weeks, I will be offering some extended services on the site. There is absolutely no obligation for anyone to subscribe, or participate, in any of the offers.

These are products already in place, they work in tandem with, not instead of GOWI.

Firstly, let me say and this is very important, that the blog will continue to be free to view to everyone, in exactly the same way as it has been, for the past 13 months. It is my "baby" and too much time and effort has been put into it, to do otherwise. NOTHING WILL CHANGE.

However, it is a truism in life, that you get what you pay for and the PREMIUM GOWI EMAIL SERVICE, which is advertised opposite, is not free, but offers good value for money and should quickly pay for itself.

This is a daily email which I have provided to friends and contacts for some time and following requests from several of you, for a more personal service, have decided to offer it to blog readers, for a limited period at a trial price.

If anyone is interested, full details can be found by clicking on the advert opposite, or by emailing me.

Good Luck.

LIGUE 1 ... RENNES - FC GIRONDINS de BORDEAUX

Bordeaux have done us proud recently, they travel to meet another in form team in Rennes and the match looks very drawish.

Having hauled theirselves up to second place in the table, the visitors will fight tooth and nail, not to allow another direct competitor back into the hunt for a coveted Champions League spot.

They look likely to start with just one striker and will pack the midfield, looking to keep things tight and that is their strength.

Les Girondins are unbeaten in 9, conceding only 2 goals and none in the last 5. There seems little doubt that they are the second best team in France at present and we have to take them, with the handicap start.

4.5 points Bordeaux + 1/4 ball 2.03 asian line. RESULT 0-0 + 2.3175 pts

Good Luck.

DIVISION 2 .......... HARTLEPOOL UNITED - BRISTOL ROVERS

I cannot desert Bristol Rovers, who have to win at Hartlepool, to secure a play-off spot and have done us several favours recently.

Pool are still fighting for the title, but have appeared to be going through the motions in the past month, since promotion was confirmed and have 2 key players suspended today.

Rovers are unbeaten in 7 and look a classy, more motivated team, on a mission..

3 points Bristol Rovers -1/2 ball 3.35 gneral quote .....centrebet/expekt .

won 2-1 + 7.05 pts

Good Luck.