Championship Tuesday 29th

QPR v Blackpool



Currently 5th in the league table, QPR go into this home game after a disappointing 2-0 defeat at home to Derby. Their home record is played 4 won 3 and lost 1. Some team news from bbc.com for QPR

"Lee Cook could start after recovering from a hip injury as QPR look to get back to winning ways against Blackpool.

Fellow midfielder Akos Buzsaky, who is back from an ankle injury, or loanee Daniel Parejo could make way, with Rowan Vine (leg) the only absentee."

Blackpool are currently 13th in the league and go into this game with a 1-1 draw at home against Coventry. They have a very good away record with played 4, 2 wins, 1 draw and 1 defeat. Team news from bbc.com

"Blackpool striker Daniel Nardiello could be a doubt as he has been dogged by a series of niggling injuries."

I think that QPR will bounce back with a win on Tuesday night after a disappointing result to Derby.

Ladbrokes have a home win priced at 8/13

Saturday 27th Sept Picks £500 Challenge

QPR vs Derby

QPR currently 4th in the league go into this game full of confidence after their 1-0 away win against Premiership side Aston Villa. Derby are currently 20th in the Championship league table and are yet to win away from home.

QPR look impressive at home and have won all 3 of their home games so far this season in the Championship, they have scored 8 goals at home while only conceding 2. Away from home Derby County have scored 2 goals and have conceded 4.

Team news from bbc.com "QPR striker Dexter Blackstock is set to start after being rested for the Carling Cup win at Aston Villa."

"Paul Jewell could field the same Derby side that drew with Cardiff after goalkeeper Roy Carroll's recovery from a back strain."

I think QPR will be to strong for Derby County and have home advantage. They will be full of confidence after this weeks Carling Cup win at Villa. Ladbrokes have QPR at 4/5 which I think is an excellent price.

QPR home win 4/5 (ladbrokes)

Reading vs Swansea

Reading go into this match with the best home record in the Championship with 3 games and 3 wins and scoring 12 goals while conceding 2. Reading are currently 6th in the league and play Swansea who are 11th.

Swansea's away record is 3 games 1 win and 2 defeats. Away from home they have only scored 1 goal and have conceded 4. Reading go into this game after playing extra time against Stoke in the Carling cup and were finally defeated in penalties. At home they have scored a lot of goals and have looked very entertaining.

I think this is worth a bet for a Reading home win. (I wouldn't dive into this match you never know with Reading).

Ladbrokes price home win 8/11

£5 in £500 Challenge

For my challenge I will be doing both of these teams in a double and will be placing £8 on the bet, hopefully it pays off.

Wednesday 23rd Football (£500 Challenge)

Football Tips for Wednesday 23rd

Brighton vs Man City
League 1 side Brighton are currently 13th in the league, they have the worst home record in the league with 4 games 2 draws and 2 defeats. On paper this is looking like Man City will win easily and I think they will, ladbrokes have a City win at 8/15 which I think is a very good price.

Man City are currently 5th in the Premiership and their away form is won 1 and lost 1. I think that City will be too strong in this replay game and I can't see them leaving with anything other than a win.

I'm really confident that City will win this game, Ladbrokes price is 8/15.

£5 in to £500 Challenge

So Birmingham, suffered their first defeat of the season and it cost me my £5 so my challenge has received its first loss. With £19.50 in the balance I now have to be careful with my bets but I need to make profit. So I will be doing a lot of research for matches this weekend. Keep checking to see what I will be placing my money on.


£5 in to £500 Challenge
Balance: £19.50
No of Bets: 4
Winning Bets: 3
Losing Best: 1

Championship Football Saturday 20th

Too keep my £5 into £500 challenge rolling I have picked 3 teams which I think is worth a go on Saturday.

Birmingham vs Blackpool



2nd Place Birmingham have looked unstoppable in the season so far, they are currently undefeated and have won 5 out of 6 games, one of them was a draw. They have played 3 games at home and have won them all, scoring 11 goals in the 3 games at home.

Blackpool are currently 17th in the league, their record stands at Won 2, drew 1 and lost 3 times. Away from home they have won 1 drew 1 and lost won but they have only managed the 2 goals away from home.

I think that Birmingham will continue this form and get another home win, the price at ladbrokes for this game is 4/9 and is worth a bet in my eyes.


Bolton vs Arsenal


Bolton are currently 13th in the table, they are currently undefeated at home with 1 win and 1 draw. Their overall record is currently 1 win 1 draw and 2 defeats. The game that they have won was at home against Stoke City and the draw was against West Brom. It must be said that Bolton look bad this season and I expect Arsenal to be to strong for them.

Arsenal 3rd in the table look impressive this season apart from a 1-0 defeat away to Fulham but against Newcastle they played world class football and defeated them 3-0. Their overall record is 3 wins and 1 defeat.

I think Arsenal will come out on top and Ladbrokes price this game at 4/7

For my £5 into £500 Challenge I will be doing Birmingham and Arsenal in a double betting £5, this will hopefully get me a profit of £11.35

£5 into £500 Challenge

With my two successful bets last night my total is slowly increasing. I had £5 on Wolves which give me a profit of £3.50 then I had £5 on Preston and Chelsea this then give me a profit of £6.00. I would like to add that with 3 bets am still a lot of my target off £500 but the profits will increase when I increase the money.

So this is how it now looks

£5 in to £500 Challenge
Balance: £24.50
No of Bets: 3
Winning Bets: 3
Losing Best: 0

£5 into £500 Challenge

With my balance now at £15 I'm going to have a go on Championship and Champions League matches tonight.

Wolverhampton v Crystal Palace

Wolves go into this game currently leading the Championship table. Their record is won 4 and drew 1. They have played 2 games at home so far this season and they have won both games. Crystal Palace are currently 18th in the table and are yet to win away from home or even get a point.

Team news from bbc.co.uk

"Wolves are waiting on the fitness of Chris Iwelumo (groin) for their game against Crystal Palace but defender Matt Hill (knee) is definitely out."

"Crystal Palace manager Neil Warnock is set to be without new striker Alan Lee for a second successive match. Like Lee, James Scowcroft has a hamstring problem, while John Oster and Paddy McCarthy are also struggling. "

With Crystal Palaces current away form and Wolves just looking unstoppable this season, I think that this will be a good bet. I will place £5 of my total onto this game and with ladbrokes price 8/11 this will hopefully get me £8.50.

Preston N.E v Nottingham Forrest

Preston go into this game undefeated in the Championship and have currently got a 100% home record. They are currently 3rd in the league and will hope to leave with another 3 points tonight. Nottingham Forrest are currently 21st and have the worst away form with 2 defeats and conceding 8 goals.

Preston will be pushing to get promoted this year and will be certainly eying up the win at home tonight. Ladbrokes have this game priced at 4/5. For my £500 challenge I will be doing a double with Preston and Chelsea.

Tottenham v Aston Villa

Tottenham go into this game with a poor record so far this season. They are currently 20th in the table and have only 1 point from 3 games. With defeats to Middlesbrough and Sunderland. Spurs haven't had the start to the season which they would have wanted. It must be said but that their only point is an impressive 1-1 draw with Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.

Aston Villa are currently 12th in the league and have 4 points from 3 games. Their only win was a 4-2 win at Manchester City, thanks to a Agbonlahor hat trick. Villa's last game was at home to Liverpool where they managed a 0-0 draw.

Team news from bbc.co.uk

"Croatian defender Vedran Corluka and Russian striker Roman Pavlyuchenko could both make their Spurs debuts."

"Craig Gardner withdrew from the England Under-21 squad in midweek but is expected to fit, while Steve Sidwell (knee) is again unlikely to feature. "

I must say that this match is extremely hard to judge and I'll not be placing any money on myself. Tottenham will be deserate to get their first 3 points and will have the advantage of playing at home. Looking around at other sites most people are going for the over 2.5 goals, which looks like a good bet at 4/5, but with home advantage I think Tottenham will get their first win in the league.

Ladbrokes have Tottenham priced at 6/5

£5 into £500 Challenge

So I started my challenge of turning £5 into £500 before Christmas 2008. My first bet was £5 on Birmingham and Arsenal to win in a double. It was a bald move to get my get challenge started but my balance is now £15.00. My next bet will be involving this weeks Champions League\Championship fixtures. Keep in touch with this blog so you can keep track of my progress. I am very optimistic that I will reach my target of £500. Check tomorrow also for the Tottenham v Aston Villa preview.

£5 in to £500 Challenge
Balance: £15.00
No of Bets: 1
Winning Bets: 1
Losing Best: 0

Saturdays Premiership Matches

Saturday 13th Sept English Premiership

Blackburn v Arsenal

Blackburn go into this match suffering from a 4-1 defeat away to West ham and they currently lay 10th in the table with 4 points from 3 games. The last home match in the league they played was against newly promoted Hull, Blackburn should be disappointed that they could only manage a draw in this game. Their only win of the season was against Everton away at Goodison Park, it was a good start to the season as Paul Ince's men left with 3 points in a 3-2 thriller. Blackburn have a poor record against Arsenal, only winning against them the once in 5 seasons. Blackburn will go into this game looking for their first home win of the season while Arsenal will be looking for their first away point.

Arsenal are currently 4th in the league with 6 points from 3 games. With the 3-0 demolition against Newcastle they will be going into this game with confidence but they will be missing new signing Samir Nasri with a knee problem. Arsenals only away game of the season was against Rivals Fulham and they suffered a 1-0 defeat.

I think this will be a difficult match but I think that Arsenal have the talent to over come the challenge of Blackburn. Arsenal away win is price 5/6 (ladbrokes)

Birmingham v Doncaster

Birmingham are currently undefeated in this league so far this season and have a 100% win record at home. They have conceded two goals and have scored 6 so far in the Championship. Birmingham are also yet to concede a goal at home, and their league record so far is won 3 and drawn 1. They are currently in 3rd place in the league.

Doncaster have the tough task of travelling to the St Andrews stadium, their league record stands at won 2 and lost 2. Away from home they have won 1 and lost 1, with their victory coming at QPR. With two matches away from home they have scored 1 and conceded 2.

Some team news from bbc.co.uk (click for full article), "Birmingham boss Alex McLeish is waiting on the fitness of James McFadden, Sebastian Larsson and Maik Taylor, who all return from international duty."

"Striker Cameron Jerome could feature after scoring twice for the reserves on his return from a torn thigh muscle in the 3-3 draw with Manchester United."

I think this match will be difficult for Birmingham, I don't think that they will run out clear winners but I think they will get the result they deserve.

Birmingham to win 4/7 ladbrokes

Thursday Football

Lewes v Rushden and Diamonds


League Form
Rushden are currently 16th in the league, and Lewes are laying low in 22nd. Rushden's last match was at home to Crawley Town, they were defeated 1-0 with a goal deep into injury time and they played well against Crawley considering they are in 3rd place. Rusden haven't won in 6 games in the league. Lewes however are yet to win a match this season so far and have only recorded 3 draws in 8 games.

Lewes Home Form
Lewes have been poor at home this year with 1 draw and 3 defeats. They have the worst home record in the league. They have managed to conceded 10 goals in 3 games at home and only scoring once in a 4-1 defeat.

Rushden and Diamonds Away form
It has to be noted that Rushden play better away from home, with 1 win, 2 draws and 1 defeat. Their goal difference isn't too bad either by scoring 4 goals and conceding 4.

So I and going with a Rushden and Diamonds win, they don't have a bad goal scoring record and aren't too bad away from home. I think they should prove to be too good for Lewes who will be looking for their first win but with their defensive record I think Rushden will do the business.

Rushden and Diamonds win at 8/11
Ladbrokes

Dundalk v Kildare County 1/4

Dundalk go into this game being on top of the league and also they are undefeated in 6 games at home in the league.

Kildare how ever are rock bottom of the league, they have conceded 46 goals in 25 games and have only managed to score 23 themselves.

A bit of team news from rte.ie (click for full article) should be taken into consideration as well

"Dundalk will be without joint top scorer Paul Crowley for the visit of Kildare County"

"Kildare manager John Ryan will not relish the prospect of visiting the top side in the division, an injury crisis adds to worries. Craig Mooney (groin), Paul Donnolly (knee) and Colin Osborne (ankle) are all absent"

So a Dundalk win at 1/4

So for my tonight i will be doing a double with Dundalk and Rushden. At ladbrokes this will be at evens so am going to put on £5

Good Luck to everyone on tonights games

Recap on tips

Northern Ireland 0-0 Czech Republic (Home)
Maybe I was a little too optimistic when I said a Northern Ireland win but a draw was a very good result. I believed they could have got the win but it just wasn't to be. Looking back I still think it wasn't a bad shout and was worth the go.

Russia v Wales (Home)
Wales played better than I expected, and with Gareth Bale missing a penalty it could have been a different story. Still Russia scraped through with a win thanks to a late winner. Good call in the end up.

Iceland 1-2 Scotland (Away)
Scotland played well but it was a bit hairy near the end with Captain McManus sent off in the 76min and then Eidur Gudjohnsen scoring from the spot to make it 2-1. Some dodgy defending from the Scots but they still pulled through. Might stay clear off Scotland after tonight tho.

Croatia 1-4 England (Away)
I was chancing my arm when I said an England win, no one would have guested that they would have won so comfortably. In the end a good shout and England shut the press up for another while.

Tip of the Day
David Healy didn't get the goal I wanted, I didn't expect a 0-0 draw to be honest but that just goes to show you never know what will happen. Still think it was worth a wee punt.

Other Tips
I had the Czechs to win with 3 or more goals for anyone that didn't have confidence in Northern Ireland. I was really surprised that this ended 0-0. With the Czech Republics lack of clean sheets I would have expected goals. Just wasn't to be.

I also had Marek Jankulovski to score at any time at Windsor and Mladen Petric for first goal scorer against England, these didn't pay off for me. Looking back maybe not two of the greatest bets

Just the three went my way tonight, hopefully I'll learn from my mistakes and make some wiser bets in the future. Looking on the good side a good call on England and Scotland.

My Tips for today

Northern Ireland v Czech Republic 4/1

Russia v Wales 2/7

Iceland v Scotland 5/4

Croatia v England 11/5

Tip of the Day
Healy to Score at any time 5/2

Other Tips
Czech Republic to win with 3 or more goals scored in the match 11/5
Marek Jankulovski to score at any time 4/1
Mladen Petric for first goal scorer 7/1

I wish everyone luck with todays game

Northern Ireland v Czech Republic

Northern Ireland head into this needing a win to keep their realistic dreams of qualification in sight. The away team are no mugs but better teams have left Windsor park with their tails down.

The Czechs didn't have too great of a Euro 2008 campaign winning their opener 1-0 with Switzerland and then losing 3-1 to Portugal and 3-2 to Turkey. They went on to draw 2-2 against England at Wembley, they had been unlucky not to win and would have but only for a injury time goal from Joe Cole.

A few bets for scoring at any time catch my eye, Marek Jankulovski 4/1 might be a good call the Czech Player of the Year takes quite a few of the free kicks but he's only got 10 goals in 67 games, not bad for a left back that likes to get forward.

Ladbrokes have Czech Republic to win with 3 or more goals scored in the match at 11/5, this might not be a bad bet either, I think there could well be a few goals and I would say that the Czech Republic would win if it wasn't for me being a NI fan, so this is going to be biased.

Northern Ireland go into this game with a 2-1 defeat away to Slovakia on Saturday. Overall it was a disappointing and the players should feel like they deserved some kind of a result. They will go into this game determined to get a result and will be backed by the Windsor Park crowd.

Yet again am going for another dodgy shout and say a Northern Ireland win 4/1 at Ladbrokes.

Who Knows?

Bet of the Day

Bet of the Day for Wednesday 10th September

David Healy to Score at anytime against Czech Republic

Healy's tally is now 34 goals in 65 games for his country so how he can be on offer at 5/2 sounds like a really good bet for me. He's scored in the last five games at Windsor park, scoring against the likes of Spain, Sweden and Denmark.

It's also to note that Czech Republic is without a clean sheet in five games. So with David Healy in front of a roaring Northern Ireland crowd will be up for this game and also to prove his worth for first team football back at his club

I'am sticking a fiver on this at 5/2 at ladbrokes should get me about £18

Thanks to http://www.bettingzone.co.uk for the tip

Russia v Wales

Wales will have a difficult match away to Russia and will be doing well to come home with any result. Wales go into this game with a win on Saturday against Azerbaijan but only thanks to a late 83rd minute winner from Teenage striker Sam Vokes. Prior to the match Wales lost at home to Georgia and were only beaten by a late goal in injury time. Wales have looked lazy and sluggish in their last few games and I think Russia will be to strong for them away from home.

Russia didn't have a bad Euro 2008 campaign they only lost to Spain in the opening game of the tournament 4-1 and then beaten by them again in the Semi Finals 3-0 (Spain went on to win the tournament undefeated). Russia beat Greece, Netherlands and Sweden on the way to the semi's.

Russia will be to strong for wales and will easily win this game. Ladbrokes price at 2/7

Iceland v Scotland

Scotland will be eager to get their first win this Wednesday, after being beat 1-0 on Saturday to FYR Macedonia, the team now travel to Iceland in search for a victory. Defeat increases the pressure on Scotland to take something from Wednesday's qualifier. Iceland however looked impressive away to Norway and they will be happy that they left with a point after a 2-2 draw.

Scotland haven't had a victory in their last 5 games With a 3-1 defect away to Czech Republic and struggling at home to Northern Ireland with a 0-0 draw. Iceland haven't looked too good either going into the World Cup Qualifiers with a 1-1 draw with Azerbaijan and a 1-0 defeat to wales at home.

Rangers striker Kenny Miller has been called into the squad after missing training on Monday night but has shaken off the knock and should play a part in the fixture. Graham Alexander has also been declared fit for the game.

West Brom midfielder James Morrison has dropped out with a knee injury. Hibs forward Steven Fletcher has been called up and captain Stephen McManus will play despite an ankle knock. Scotland are heading into the game missing a few first team players David Weir, Kevin Thomson, Kevin McNaughton, Callum Davidson, Garry O'Connor, David Marshall, Alan Hutton and Barry Ferguson all will not travel to Iceland.

I think Scotland will win this one, but its Scotland so who knows. With Scotland being 16th in the world and Iceland a way down in 107th you should think Scotland should win this one but with alot of players missing and low confidence. Iceland might prove difficult to beat at home for Scotland but I can see the Scots doing the job and leaving with a victory.

So'l I will go for a Scotland win at 5/4

Safely turn £5 Into £20 for Wed 10th Sep

Russia v Wales Home win 1/3
Turkey v Belgium Home win 8/15
Iceland vs Scotland Away win 5/4

Will get you £23.44
(All bets are at Ladbrokes prices)

Croatia v England

With a Croatia 3-0 win on Saturday, and having beat England twice in the last qualifying campaign, the Croatia team will be full of confidence. England haven't looked the best in recent games and have managed a nervy 2-0 against Andorra thanks to a Joe Cole double against a team 186th in the world rankings. Croatia will be the favorites going into this game and will have home advantage.

This is a match not to bet to much money on because it can't be decided, Croatia are going to be strong at home and at Euro 2008 they have proved to be difficult to beat. They were undefeated in the tournament were only put out by Turkey on penalties in the Quarter Finals. Beating Austria, Germany and Poland on the way. They also only conceded two goals in four matches in the tournament. Croatia are ranked 5th in the world and England are 10 places behind them in 15th.

England will have a few players missing, Steven Gerrard being the most important player to be ruled out. Rio Ferdinand will be called up to the squad but may not start (will be updated soon). Michael Carrick, Owen Hargreaves and Micheal Owen also will not appear in the fixture.

England will be desperate to make up for their two defeats last season to Croatia and will have more experience playing under Fabio Capello but during the last match away to Andorra, Capello was unhappy at Wayne Rooney and Joe Cole for not listening to his tactics during the game. Capello said he had asked both Rooney and Cole to support Heskey up front, but felt that once they had gone 2-0 the pair were dropping too deep into midfield

Croatia will have a strong team but I think England will get the business done and will leave with a win. By reading the statistics my brain is telling me that Croatia should win the game but my gut feeling is saying England.

So am going to brave and say an England win. Ladbrokes have it at 11/5

Ladbrokes prices

Croatia Win - 5/4
Draw- 2/1
England Win - 11/5

I also think that Mladen Petric 7/1 for first goal scorer would be a good bet.