Toon army to be happier this weekend

There were four football bets last weekend, three of them won and the good run continues. Unfortunately there is nothing comparable over the next few days and this wIll be a short message apart from dwelling on NEWCASTLE’s chances at home to Birmingham in the Championship.

At long last the Blues are improving and, as things stand, they occupy a play-off place. The Barnsley defeat last week was a nasty jolt, though, and they have a job on their hands at St James’s Park.

I suspect Newcastle banished their demons via a three-match losing run. They were poor against Blackburn, missed out in the penalty shoot-out against Hull and then had two men sent off in the 2-1 defeat at Nottingham Forest. They very nearly saved it and I doubt that any other championship team would have held out for so long with only nine men.
Sometimes you have a spell where everything goes wrong and my guess is that Newcastle have got theirs out of their system and will go clear again. I’m assuming the 8/13 with 188bet will have disappeared by the time I finish this and we are probably looking at 1 to 2 or 4/9.

The prices about the top teams in the Premier League are very short indeed and I imagine Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool will feature very strongly in many accumulators. I think Liverpool v West Ham is the safest home bet of those three but I don’t really want to play at 1 to 3.

Through no fault of their own, Hull are the poorest team in the section and Crystal Palace, boosted by a clear-cut victory over Southampton to end a worrying run of defeats, may well prove too strong for them. But 13/10 about the away team is generally a poor offer when there is no appreciable gap in class and I am happy to look on.
Tottenham need the Europa League the way they need another armpit but they will have to get on with it, having dropped out of the Champions League. The trip to Old Trafford sets up the most fascinating encounter of the weekend with the draw making some appeal but this is a match to enjoy without getting involved on the financial side.
Southampton cannot be backed at odds-on to beat Boro following the desperately disappointing exit from the Europa League. With Charlie Austin injured and some of the players showing signs of tiredness, they may struggle against an underrated team and Boro are generously priced at 5/1.

Apart from the Newcastle game, Reading v Sheffield Wednesday is a Championship match I wouldn’t mind seeing. Wednesday have moved into contention again after just missing out last term, while Reading have surprised their nearest and dearest and invariably score at home. If I can find some even money, or 10//11 at worst, I shall risk a little on Both Teams To Score

NEWCASTLE 40 units at 4/9 to beat Birmingham
Reading v Sheffield Wednesday 15 units Both Teams To Score