200 Not Out

Ladies, gentlemen, boys, girls and the ruler of the planet Omicron Persei 8 (actually, who am I kidding? No girls read this), history today is made, for this will be my 200th post on this here blog! Many thanks to all who have read and contributed since the birth of this blog sometime early last year. This special 200th post will feature a bit of everything that we've tried to encapsulate since we started:

Tottenham might not win the Premier League or the Champions League. But we're certainly having fun watching them try
Harry Redknapp's side's Champions League debut has been most impressive, topping what looked like a tricky group (even moreimpressive after being pillaged by Young Boys for the first 30 minutes of their first qualifier), playing with real attacking gumption, while also maintaining a league position on the shoulder of the leading pack. With their impressive array of attacking options, their games have tended to be particularly entertaining, with their 16 league matches so far featuring an average of 2.8125 goals (regular readers of this blog will know of my belief that the under/over 2.5 goals stat is as good an indicator as any of a side's entertainment value and attacking potency). Even more impressively, their 8 European games so far have seen that average rise to a frankly preposterous 4.75 goals per game. Even their 0-0 draw on the opening day at home to man citeh was entertaining, as their attack peppered Joe Hart's goal with shot after shot. Their clash with Chelsea at White Hart Lane on Sunday is massive for both sides

Manchester United might have finally found replacements for Giggs and Scholes- it's just taken Sunderland and Wigan for them to realise this
The form of Danny Welbeck and Tom Cleverley during their loan spells has been particularly impressive. The technical abilities of the pair have never been in doubt, with the players now gaining invaluable Premier League experience (along with England Under 21 honours) in preparation for, they hope, places in Man Utd's first team next season. Both have also proved to be extremely versatile performers, with Welbeck impressing for Sunderland both upfront and from the left wing, and Cleverley featuring right across Wigan's midfield, capable of both pulling the strings from a central position, and running at full-backs and providing industry from the wings

Now, some tips for this weekend (assuming the games go ahead)

• West Brom's form appears to have picked up after a recent slump, and they make the short trip to Villa Park in good spirits having won their last 2 league games, and with Villa seriously out of form themselves, Coral's 11/4 on the Baggies to triumph looks massive. Worth a punt, especially considering this writer priced them up at 9/5
• There's much that unites Stoke and Blackpool- fond memories of Stanley Matthews, larger than life characters in charge and defiance of expectations in the Premier League. However, there's much that divides them, too, most notably their styles of play. While Stoke's physical, direct style is well-documented, Blackpool's quick, attack-minded gameplan has been a breath of fresh air, although it does leave them exposed to the sort of rapid counter-attacks that experienced Premier League teams are well-versed in, and the evolution in Tony Pulis' side that has seen them bring in speedy, direct wingmen Matthew Etherington and Jermaine Pennant means the Potters can now execute these kind of breaks, as well as offering a significant threat from set-pieces, another area Blackpool have been found wanting in on occasion this season. Admittedly Betfred's 4/6 on the home win is shorter than the 11/10 this writer has priced them at, it's still worth your while taking advantage of it
• Sky's advent of Monday Night Football (well, it was actually the NFL that came up with it) was designed for matches like Man Utd v Arsenal, a crucial game for both sides- a win for either side would be a huge boost for their title chances, with the top 4 all playing one another in the coming weeks. Last season, this clash very much went to stereotype- Arsenal dominating early on with some majestic football but failing to capitalise, with their defensive frailties costing them late in the game. These traits are still very much a part of their game, meaning Sportingbet's 28/1 on half-time/full-time Arsenal/Man Utd should be considered
• Wanna have a guess at what price you'll get on Real Sociedad, 6th in La Liga, having won their last 2 (including the Basque derby conquering of Athletic Bilbao), to win away at Barcelona on Sunday? Victor Chandler will give you 33/1. Yep, that's right, 33/1. A quid on them nets you £34 if they beat Pep Guardiola's superteam. Tempted?
• Have a wee flutter on the mighty Staggies tomorrow. New manager Willie McStay takes Ross County to Partick Thistle tomorrow, with Blue Square offering 7/4 on County taking all 3 points

The Return of Graeme's Silly Bet

After a long time away, the midweek stupid bet returns
This week I'm focusing on the UEFA secondary competition, the Europa League

Metalist Kharkiv to beat Debrecen
Hajduk Split to beat AEK Athens
Getafe to beat Odense BK
PSV to beat Sampdoria
Young Boys to beat Stuttgart
Zenit St Petersburg to beat Anderlecht
Levski Sofia to beat AA Gent
Atletico Madrid to beat Aris
Juventus to beat Lech Poznan
Man City to beat Red Bull Salzburg
Bayer Leverkusen to beat Rosenborg
Sporting to beat Lille

Place £1 on that at William Hill and it's 5975/1

I'm off out to the bookies to secure 6 grand. Tata now

Weekend Betting, Saturday 27th November

Scottish Category 1 referess may be on strike this weekend, but this writer isn't, so here's a look at this weekend's somewhat truncated fixture list:

• Aston Villa v Arsenal looks interesting, with one team managed by a Frenchman featuring plenty of talented youngsters who like to play quick, counter-attacking football but have been prone to late defensive lapses in recent weeks against...erm...you get the picture. Arsenal have lost their last 2 and must also now do without Cesc Fabregas for a couple of weeks, however they do have alternatives for his position, with Samir Nasri or Tomas Rosicky likely to play in Fabregas' advanced central midfield position, meaning they still possess a potent goal threat for an Aston Villa defence that is not always the most mobile. Villa themselves possess considerable attacking threat, with Ashley Young and Barry Bannan in particular thriving under the management of Gerard Houllier, and more than capable of troubling an Arsena backline that has looked distinctly unsettled without Thomas Vermaelen. All this makes the generally available 10/11 on over 2.5 goals worth snapping up
• After their impressive start, West Brom's form has nosedived, with the Baggies now dowin in 16th place in the league. Everton, meanwhile, have recovered somewhat form their traditional awful start, and can be backed at a general 4/7 to beat Roberto di Matteo's side at Goodison Park
• Quick word of warning for anyone blindly sticking Celtic on their accumulator tomorrow. Their opponents, caley thistle, are unbeaten in the league away from home for 364 days. That's not the sort of stat you oppose lightly
• It's El Clasico on Monday night (yes, Monday night. It's unknown if anyone's actually pleased about this), with Barcelona v Real Madrid set to feature a dramatic contrast in playing styles and mentalities. Madrid will travel to the Camp Nou set on not losing the game and will most likely look to frustrate Barcelona, therefore it's worth backing them to manage this at least until half time, with 0-0 half-time available at 5/2 with Blue Square

"Wonder if Brewster likes Willie. Maybe he'd be convinced if Willie got Wood"

Shifty and Graeme's (and Danny and Rory's) Latest Big Blog Adventure

Saturday 6th November 2010, Falkirk v Ross County

12:10pm
Graeme, Danny and Rory arrive in Falkirk, at Falkirk Grahamston station, conveniently situated in the centre of the town, and within walking distance of the imaginatively-named Falkirk Stadium. Shifty, however, due to Scotrail engineering works, ends up at Falkirk High station, which is on the other side of town, and therefore has to make a 20-minute cross-town trek to meet up with his chums. Why does a town the size of Falkirk need 2 railway stations anyway?

12:30
The group meet up in the Behind the Wall pub, and the first round of pints are ordered. The group notice that the pub are running a bus to the game, and then back to the pub afterwards, for free for anyone buying drinks. After some deilberation, the group decide to take up this offer of a free lift to the game.

12:50
Danny suggests a game- 20 questions, with the subject matter being obscure SPL and EPL players from the mid-1990s onwards. Classic names such as Hicham Zerouali, Theo Snelders, Billy Dodds and Mickael Silvestre all come up. The group also reminisce about the time when Shifty remarked that a particularly depressed-looking Davie Weir, immediately after one of Rangers' Champions League shellackings, looked like "his wife just died". NB: This is of course untrue. Mrs Weir met her maker throwing herself infront of the king's horse in the derby

13:20
Another drinking game. Name the ground, and if you've been there, take a drink. As the group are all fairly well-travelled, this didn't last long.

13:40
The pub have the Bolton v Tottenham game on. With Bolton winning 3-0, Harry Redknapp's face looks even more hangdog than usual. During the 2nd half, the group all put £1 in a "corner kitty", and every time there is a corner in the match, the kitty moves to the next person. Graeme eventually claims the £4 jackpot

14:20
The bus arrives, and the group head off to the match. Shifty gets heckled for wearing his County top

14:40
The group arrive at the ground and make their way around to the away end, to join a travelling County support of about 200, among them an old boy in a rastafarian hat

15:00
The match kicks off, with Graeme having used his corner kitty jackpot to get the 50-50 tickets in

15:15
Some choice chants are forthcoming: "Referee, ya balloon!", followed by the excellent "Referee, you're about as much use as Anne Frank's drumkit" (Copyright Danny, 2010)

15:27
GOOOAALLL! 1-0 County, Andy Barrowman after some sexual work from Iain Vigurs. Jose Mourinho is said to be monitoring his progress

15:45
Half-time, County deservedly 1-0 up, and playing with some style and panache too. The half-time queue for pies as quite big, though, with only 2 folk serving. By the time the group get to the front, all the pies are gone, meaning Rory has to munch on a jumbo hotdog. This lack of pies leads to some frustration among the more senile members of the travelling support

16:00
The 2nd half kicks off as the group get their munch from the kiosk

16:30
County still leading 1-0 but having to absorb some pressure, although the Staggies do look threatening on the counter-attack. Graeme, while checking other scores on his phone, happens to notice that Celtic are running up a cricket score against Aberdeen

16:50
Peep-peep! Full time 1-0 County. A bully result. The group begin the walk back into town

17:20
The group pitch up in Sportsters, in the town centre, and pints are ordered. Shifty is told to remove his County top. What sort of sports bar doesn't allow its patrons to wear sports kit?
The group find a table next to a PC, and much laughs are had when they find that the most visited website on it is bebo

18:00
The group move on to another pub, the Scotia. Again, Shifty is asked to remove his County top, but the locals are more friendly here, and the group have another pint before heading off home.

20:00
The group arrive back at their own pads, and find that, after all attending County games, home and away, for many moons, they have been dismissed as a "notable fanny element" on the County forum. Happy days

Weekend Betting Preview, Saturday 6th November

Good evening, all. First things first, happy birthday Craig.



Now, down to business. The appearance of this entry on a Thursday has probably left you wondering that this writer is either a) super-organised or b) off out on the bevvy this weekend. It is the latter of those two options, and relates to the aforementioned birthday greeting. So, this weekend's tips, then (with it being a UEFA Cup Thursday, many games are on Sunday):

• In the Premier League (curiously, the more accurate moniker of Bundesliga and La Liga are Better League has yet to catch on), Manchester United should extend their current unbeaten run to 24 games by beating Wolves at Old Trafford on Saturday, despite "Irishman" Mick McCarthy's side's victory over citeh last weekend. Coral's 1/4 on a United win isn't going to make you a millionaire, though, so for a bit more value, have a look at a few other markets. United have been in good goalscoring form of late, and with Wolves shipping an average of just over 2 goals a game away from home, the general 6/10 available on over 2.5 goals should be snapped up. Another market favoured by this writer is the Anytime Goalscorer market- with Darren Fletcher and Anderson likely to miss out injured, and the possibility of Paul Scholes being rested with Wednesday's Manchester derby looming, there could be a starting place for Darron Gibson (SHOOT!) which makes bet365's 4/1 on him to score anytime appealing


• It's FA Cup 1st Round time! There are a number of "David v Goliath" clashes for you to blindly stick on an accumulator, and among them it's worh backing AFC Wimbledon (1/2), Carlisle (2/9), Port Vale (4/7), Hartlepool (4/11), Hereford (2/9) and Notts County (4/11). However, look a bit deeper and you can find a few potential shocks. One of those could take place at Highbury. No, Arsenal haven't decided to rebuild their old pad, but Fleetwood Town of the Conference host Walsall, who are currently bottom of League One, on a poor run of form and with just one league win away from home this season. Fleetwood Town, in decent form themselves, can be backed at a general 9/4 to beat The Saddlers


• As promised earlier, let's have a look at the Brazilian Grand Prix this weekend. The weather is likely to play a significant part in proceedings for Friday and Saturday at least, with a dry race currently forecast, although that could all yet change. If qualifying were to stay dry, then the general 16/1 available on local boy (and Interlagos specialist) Felipe Massa must be snapped up, even if only each-way. Elsewhere, on what is essentially a power circuit, the Mercedes engine is the donkey to have in the back of your motor, and after doing so in the last 2 races, Michael Schumacher could be set for another top 6 finish- Blue Square'll give you 3/1 on him doing just that. He's pretty handy in the wet, too

"I'm a pro athlete, I'm not trying to be the best at exercise"

Preview of Weekend Betting Preview

Ahoy, folks!

A quick line to say that I'll get a preview of this weekend's action up tonight, for tomorrow be featuring a classic game of Friday Football for this writer. I'll also hopefully squeeze in a quick bit about F1. On F1, looks to me judging by this article http://www.autosport.com/features/article.php/id/3151 that Autosport journo Mark Hughes has had his collar felt somewhat by Ferrari. Hughes is a well-respected F1 journalist from the north-east of England, and says his source is someone within the Ferrari team. Hmmm- I wonder if there's anyone in the Ferrari team who would have access to Felipe Massa's telemetry who's also from that part of the world?

Over and out


"What's this one called, Shrek?"

Weekend Betting, Saturday 16th October, and the incontinence problem among bookmakers

Getting these on the now as I'm off to Old Trafford tomorrow. K Stand Tier 2

Here are a few tips for the weekend, then:

• Arsenal, despite their recent aberration at home to West Brom, should have enough to comfortably dispose of a Birmingham side whose recent form can best be described as patchy. Boylesports' 1/3 is probably about right, along with over 2.5 goals at a general 1/2 in a game that usually produces them
• Aston Villa host Chelsea in the 5.30pm game, a fixture that Villa won 2-1 last season. Given this, and that Chelsea will be without Drogba, Lampard and Alex amongst others, the 4/1 generally available on Villa seems good value. This is a fixture that has caught Chelsea out in the past, indeed a trawl through this very blog's archives will produce this writer tipping Villa in this fixture last season. Also, you'll never guess where this writer was the day of that game. Also worth considering in this game is John Carew 1st goalscorer- the giant Norwegian will be relishing the prospect of facing a potentially makeshift Chelsea defence, and is available at a best price of 10/1 with bwin
• There are a few interesting bets to be had in the Championship this weekend. Doncaster to win away at Scunthorpe are great value at 15/8 with Stan James, while another away win in Yorkshire could be seen at Bramall Lane, with Burnley available at a general 7/4 to triumph over inconsistent Sheffield United. The best value bet, though, might just be Norwich to win away at QPR at an outstanding 9/2 with bet365. QPR's excellent start to the season has been well-documented, but Norwich under Paul Lambert have been quietly impressive on their return to the Championship and currently reside in 3rd place. The 9/2 on the Canaries could be a nice single if you're feeling brave, alternatively the double chance Norwich-Draw is available at a general 11/10
• It's official: the bookies have shat themselves! Many have suspended betting on Stirling Albion v Dundee tomorrow, and those that are still running markets have severely shortened Stirling Albion after the redundancies at Dundee today. Of the odds still available, Hills' 6/5 as as good as you'll find (they were 7/4 yesterday), and should be snapped up- Albion must surely now be favourites given the shedding of playing and coaching staff forced upon Dundee
• As regular readers of this blog will know, this writer tends to shy away from betting on his own teams, but the 4/1 offered by Ladbrokes on Ross County to win away at Dunfermline is very tempting, especially considering the return last weekend of strikers Andy Barrowman and Steven Craig for the Staggies

Remember the name, Shinji Kagawa

This Old Chestnut, and some other tips

A few tips coming up, along with an old favourite topic of mine:

England v Montenegro, Tuesday 12th October
Regular readers of this blog will know my feelings about the odds offered on England games, and once again they have gone far too short in their pricing for this game, with England at a general 1/4. Montenegro, despite their lack of experience competing as an independent nation, are not the minnows their 5th seeding for these qualifiers suggests. They are currently ranked 40th in the world (only 3 places below that world footballing superpower the Czech Republic), and have won all 3 of their games in this group so far, putting them well in contention for at least 2nd place in the group. They can be backed outright at a general 14/1, with the draw available at 11/2 with totesport- both are worth a small flutter, or alternatively one should be able to lay England at somewhere close to 4/1. Also, on the handicap market, Montenegro +2 appeals, and if you shop around you should find this bet available above evens. Finally, if you're looking for a couple of anytime goalscorers, then have a wee punt on Steven Gerrard (13/8 with Boylesports), who should be free from the general malaise affecting his club side, and Montenegro's main goal threat, short-lifing Roma striker Mirko Vucinic (19/4 with Unibet)

Ah, international midweeks. Finding value here is extremely difficult, particularly this week, which seems to have even more big team v little team matches than usual. One could fairly safely populate their coupon with Turkey, Germany, Czech Republic, Portugal and France, but there are a few interesting bets out there. Italy are a very tempting 5/6 with Unitbet to win at home to a Serbia side just off the back of a 3-1 home defeat to Estonia, while the general 4/6 on Russia to win in Macedonia should also be snapped up. A final, more speculative punt would be to back in-form Austria at a general 4/1 to win away at inconsistent and inexperienced Belgium. Tuck in, folks

What we've learned so far this season

Here are a few things we've learned so far this season, along with a few tips for this weekend:

Darren Bent- the gift that keeps on giving
Last season, this writer was quick to jump on the Darren Bent 1st goalscorer bandwagon, and made a healthy profit from doing so. He's started this season in good form as well, with 5 Premier League goals so far, 2 of them 1st, as well as getting off the mark internationally. This afternoon he's available at a shade under 7/1 1st goalscorer with Unibet, and 23/10 anytime scorer with Boylesports- outstanding value against a Manchester United defence that has conceded 9 goals in 5 away games in all competitions so far this season

Sir Alex Ferguson may have a sense of humour
When asked about Javier Hernandez's winning goal against Valencia, Sir Alex's response was along the lines of "he needs to work on his physique, but he's a fantastic finisher, it's like shelling peas to him". Hernandez bears the moniker "Chicharito" on the back of his shirt. Chicharito in Hernandez's mother tongue, Spanish, of course means "Little Pea". I'm here all week (Sir Alex isn't, though- he's not talking to anyone from the media for a month)

Steve McClaren is Wolfsburg boss, and was FC Twente boss last season
Commentators, pundits, journalists, WE ALL KNOW THIS. You do not need to remind us every time 1 of the 2 aforementioned teams comes up in conversation

A couple of tasty lower-league bets for you this afternoon
Rochdale (4th in League 1, unbeaten in their last 6, 2-2-0 away) are a very tasty 9/4 to win away at 11th place Exeter, while in League 2 table-topping Port Vale (won their last 5, 4-0-0 away from home) are a shade over (OVER!) 2/1 with Victor Chandler away at 12th-placed Oxford (no wins in their last 3, 1-1-2 at home). Tuck in to those, folks

Alessandro Del Piero: still got it
Il Pinturicchio has been in sparkling form for a stuttering Juventus side this season, and although the 35-year-old has yet to score in Serie A, he has been a joy to watch, creating opportunities for team-mates (and keeping new signing Simone Pepe mostly on the bench) and, along with Serbian winger Milos Krasic, providing flair and incision in an otherwise functional Juventus side. Extrabet offer 9/1 on him to get off the mark with the 1st goal in tomorrow night's game away to Inter

Rant

First and foremost, get well soon Tony. Hearing that the injury is not dissimilar to that suffered by ex-Arsenal striker Eduardo. Also, this writer attaches no blame to Broadfoot, the tackle was a legal one.

However, as the title suggests, there is a rant to be had tonight.

The "performance" of Rangers tonight, and the "tactics" used by the geriatric Walter Smith deserve the most fierce condemnation. Absolutely no attacking intent was displayed, with the sole aim of stopping their opponents. The term "anti-football" has been thrown at them. While I myself am reluctant to use it, one thing is true.

This is not football.

What appals this writer, though, is the reaction to this. Tomorrow's back pages (and probably a couple of front ones, too) will praise Rangers for "a superb defensive performance" and the like. The usual meaningless buzz-words forever associated with Scottish football, "commitment", "desire", "determination", will no doubt be bandied about. The brutal hacks of Lee McCulloch (the worst of which earned him a yellow card in injury-time. It could very easily have been red) will be glossed over as the "spirit" and "composure" of 874-year-old David Weir are praised to the hilt, overlooking the fact that his total lack of pace forces his teams to play incredibly deep to avoid him being exposed.

In a continuation of this theme, I think we all know that the Rangers approach will be adopted by Scotland next month against Czech Republic and Spain. Mercifully, McCulloch is suspended for the Czech Republic game. Even still, playing this way this writer finds it difficult to love the national team under prgamatic coach Craig Levein, and would be ashamed if United or County ever adopted anything like such an eye-wateringly grim approach.

You shoulf enjoy your football. When your team's playing Rangers though, it's difficult

Weekend Betting 3rd-4th September

Now, because some bright spark at UEFA thought that moving international qualifiers from Saturdays and Wednesdays to Fridays and Tuesdays (meaning that this writer msut endeavour to get away from work on time 2 nights as opposed to just 1, and can't enjoy very much pre-match bevvying at all), getting the weekend tips up on Friday simply will not do. So here are a few matches to keep an eye on this weekend (well, Friday):

• As ever, finding value among the qualifying matches is difficult, with many matches expected to be particularly one-sided- for instance, Serbia, Holland, Spain and Russia should all see off minnows Faroe Islands (for whom Ross County centre-back Atli Gregersen should feature), San Marino, Liechtenstein and Andorra respectively
• Still not great value, but Germany are available at a general 4/7 to win away in Belgium, who despite boasting a number of talented individuals, have been rather inconsistent in recent years
• Blue Square also offer 4/7 on Slovakia to beat FYR Macedonia at home- surprisingly generous considering Vladimir Weiss' men getting to the last 16 of the World Cup. 4/7 is a good price considering FYR Macedonia's lack of top-level talent to complement Inter forward Goran Pandev
• Norway impressed in a 2-1 friendly win over France last month, and are available at 10/11 with Betfred to win away to an Iceland side from whom they took 4 points during World Cup qualification. Striker Erik Huseklepp was particularly impressive against France, scoring twice, and he can be backed at a best price of 15/2 with Victor Chandler to score 1st in Reykjavik
• England should be nowhere near as short as the 3/10 general that they are currently quoted at. A much better bet is the half-time draw at 6/4

And remember: Bet safely. Bet Shifty

Manchester City v Liverpool, Monday 23rd August 2010

My Thoughts

Two teams here with ambitions of a top 4 finish, both with 1 point on the board thus far. While Liverpool were denied all 3 points on the opening weekend only by a rare late blunder by goalkeeper Pepe Reina, City never looked like getting 3 points at Spurs due to a complete lack of creativity and incision in the middle of the park. For Liverpool, Fernando Torres has been working his way back to full fitness following the World Cup, and could be ready to start with Joe Cole, who hasn't had the best of weeks, unavailable, although Woy Hodgson may well have Thursday's UEFA Cup tie away to Trabzonspor in mind when naming his team. City could hand home and full debuts respectively to Mario Balotelli and James Milner- they certainly need a more creative influence in central midfield, something the introduction of Milner could provide either as a direct replacement for perhaps Nigel de Jong or Gareth Barry, or wide left to allow David Silva to occupy a more central position

The Verdict
As aforementioned, both teams have aspirations of a top 4 finish and therefore would love all 3 points. However, a defeat for either would leave them 5 points off the top of the league, which even at this early stage of the season would leave them playing catch-up. Both managers are also likely to have one eye on UEFA Cup games on Thursday night. Draw

The Bet
The draw can be backed outright at a general 9/4. It's likely to be a cagey affair, so also consider under 2.5 goals at a best price of 4/6 with Boylesports. Also, with Fernando Torres still finding his form and fitness, Liverpool's best hope a goal with Joe Cole suspended could well be Steven Gerrard (who may or may not have obtained a superinjunction to prevent the reporting his alleged impregnation of a 15-year-old girl). He can be backed to score (as he may or may not have done in the aforementioned alleged incident) anytime at a best price of 7/2 with Paddy Power

Shifty's Season Preview Part 5

BBB

After the Wigan preview, let's stay in Lancashire and assess the chances of Blackpool, Blackburn and Bolton.

Ian Holloway's Blackpool must be one of the most favoured relegation candidates in Premier League history at a general 2/7, and it's difficult to argue against that. So I won't bother.

The squad lacks not only quality but also quantity, and the morale of those players must surely be affected by the late payment of their promotion bonuses- given that they've had to spend money to bring Bloomfield Road up to Premier League standards, Holloway is unlikely to have much leeway to do anything other than raid the reserve teams of bigger clubs for a few loan deals, a tactic they had success with last season with Everton's Seamus Coleman and Aston Villa's Barry Bannan both impressing. Even if Holloway finds another few gems (and Charlie Adam continues his Championship form), they are unlikely to be anywhere other that 20th come May.

Blackpool prediction: 20th
How they'll cope with the home-grown rule: Absolutely fine- their squad is almost exclusively home-grown players, although it's still some way short of the permitted 25.

Blackburn Rovers ended last season very well, finishing 10th. The football under Sam Allardyce wasn't easy on the eye (and never has been under Allardyce) but Blackburn were difficult to beat, particularly at home, as their 10-6-3 record at Ewood Park shows. Allardyce must address their lack of potency in attack, though- their top scorer, David Dunn, managed just 9 league goals, and it's by no means certain that he'll be fit for all 38 games. Allardyce has brought in Manchester United youngster Mame Biram Diouf (allowing him the possibility of a Diouf and Diouf strike partnership), but one suspects they may still struggle to match last season's achievements. They have enough steel and defensive solidity, though, to avoid being dragged into a relegation scrap.

Prediction: 13th
How they'll cope with the homegrown rule: Just about OK. Allardyce may yet add more Premier League experience, particularly in attack
RoversBet: Their lack of a proven Premier League goalscorer means Paddy Power's 25/1 on them to be the Premier League's lowest scorers is very tempting, especially when you consider the more cavalier styles of the 3 promoted sides

Bolton Wanderers under Owen Coyle were a more aesthetically pleasing side than under the deeply unpopular Gary Megson, finishing 14th. They look well placed to continue their improvement, with Coyle promising more entertaining football. Defensively, they are solid- Jussi Jaaskelainen has excelled in this league for a number of years, while Gary Cahill's England debut should come at some point this season. In midfield, Lee Chung-Yong has adapted very well to the Premier League, and was one of the few players in the league to have a good World Cup, while on the opposite flank Martin Petrov could be the free transfer of the summer. Up top, Kevin Davies provides bulk and a physical presence (if not massively prolific infront of goal), while Johan Elmander must surely start to justify his £9 million price tag. The Trotters' squad features a good mix of experienced Premier League campaigners, such as Davies and Jaaskelainen, along with promising youngsters such as Lee, Cahill, Marcos Alonso and Mark Davies (as opposed to the Allardyce regime, which almost exclusively contained 30-something journeymen booting both the ball and the opposition into the air). A top 10 finish is within their reach, provided they can maintain their upward trend under Coyle

Prediction: 10th
How they'll cope with the home-grown rule: Fine. No problems for Coyle in this department, with his side containing experienced Premier League home-grown players such as Davies, Zat Knight, Paul Robinson and Jlloyd Samuel alongside young talent such as Cahill, Mark Davies (a much more cultured technician than Kevin. They are, unsurprisingly, not related, which is unusual, as most people in Bolton are related to each other), Fabrice Muamba and Chris Basham
BoltonBet: Ladbrokes offer 5/1 on Bolton to finish in the top 10

Shifty's Season Preview: the SPL

My Thoughts

Both halves of the Old Firm have seen their squads change significantly- while Celtic have added quantity and quality sufficient for the SPL (how the likes of Daryl Murphy and Charlie Mulgrew will cope in the Europa League remains to be seen, however), Rangers have lost a significant number of players. While the losses of Steven Smith, DaMarcus Beasley and perhaps even Nacho Novo may not be felt, they will surely miss the goalscoring ability of Kris Boyd, and the balance in midfield offered by Kevin Thomson (the merits of having a left-footed player alongside a right-footed player in the centre of the park are much under-appreciated), and the loss of promising centre-back Danny Wilson to, in all probability, Liverpool's reserve team, will be a blow. While it's unlikely Rangers will be playing Champions League football after Christmas, their continental exploits will surely stretch their slimmed-down squad to its limits. Admittedly, Celtic are unlikely to go much further in the Europa League, but their bigger squad means they are better-equipped to compete on 2 fronts, which is why this writer is tipping Neil Lennon's side to reclaim the title. Lennon adapted well to life as an SPL manager, with Celtic winning all their league games under him last season, losing only to Ross County in the Scottish Cup Semi-Final.

Behind them, the rest of the top 6 looks fairly clear-cut. Dundee United look solid, if perhaps short of a 20-goal striker, while Motherwell look set to continue their improvement under Craig Brown, and can't be ruled out from a challenge for 3rd. Hearts could well move above Hibs if Australian comedian Jim Jefferies can keep Kevin Kyle fit- as long as referees continue not to penalise him in the SPL, he'll continue to climb all over defenders for headers, while Hibs' season imploded towards the end of last season- John Hughes' side never really recovered from their Scottish Cup exit at the hands of Ross County.

Down nearer the bottom, Aberdeen and St Johnstone have outside chances of making the top 6, with the other 4 teams (Hamilton, Inverness, Kilmarnock and St Mirren) battling (often literally- don't expect much football to be played at this end of the division) to avoid the drop. The caravan-dwellers from Inverness have SPL experience in their ranks, and look arguably the best placed of the 4 to survive. Hamilton will miss James McArthur, but have the ability to scrap their way out of trouble, and as long as they can find a reliable goalscorer, they should just be OK. Kilmarnock under new manager Mixu Paatelainen have adopted a novel transfer policy this summer of signing players who have the same name as established quality players, namely Mohammed Sissoko and David Silva. Unfortunately for them, Juventus and Manchester City are likely to notice should Paatelainen attempt to swap his players for their more famous namesakes, although this writer is considering changing his name to Bastian Schweinsteiger in an attempt to get a game at Rugby Park. The favourites for relegation, however, must be St Mirren. Gus Macpherson has left to be replaced by former Cowdenbeath boss Danny Lennon, who has taken a number of his old players with him to St Mirren. Lennon clearly trusts these players, but there's no getting away from the fact that Paul McQuade and Gareth Wardlaw were 3rd division players 12 months ago. Factor in the loss of the excellent Andy Dorman, and St Mirren look set for the drop.

Bet: St Mirren to be relegated @ 11/4 general

Shifty's Season Preview Part 4

Wigan Athletic

Wigan under Roberto Martinez last season were consistently inconsistent. Wins over Arsenal, Chelsea, Aston Villa and Liverpool were followed up by a 4-0 defeat to Portsmouth, 2 5-0 defeats at the hands of Manchester United and 2 8 goal beatings in London.
Over the summer, Martinez had lost experienced campaigners Titus Bramble, Mario Melchiot and Paul Scharner (who is still a free agent. Someone's going to get themselves a real bargain if they snap him up), bringing in Paraguayan centre-back Antolin Alcaraz, Argentinian centre-forward Mauro Boselli, Bolton reserve keeper Ali Al-Habsi and Hamilton midfielder James McArthur. While all these signings have their merits (Alcaraz had a particularly impressive World Cup, Boselli has a good track record in Argentina and McArthur has excelled for Hamilton for a number of seasons despite his tender years), they have a total of 0 Premier League games under their belts. Assuming they can keep hold of Maynor Figueroa, Charles N'Zogbia and Hugo Rodallega, they do have the makings of a good footballing side, however they look more likely to be involved in a relegation scrap, which they may be unable to battle their way out of, particularly given that only Blackpool appear to be significantly worse than them.

Sticking-me-neck-on-the-line-predicted-finishing-position: 18th

How they'll cope with the home-grown rule: Oh dear. 3 more homegrown players are needed. Wigan scout South America very impressively, less so South Lancashire

Shifty's Season Preview Part 3

Wolves

Last season, Mick McCarthy's lot battled their way to safety, although they owe their survival to the sides below them all being absolute murder. During the summer, McCarthy has been busy, raiding 2 of the sides who were below them for reinforcements- Steven Mouyokolo and Stephen Hunt signed from Hull, with Steven Fletcher arriving from Burnley. It remains to be seen how those 3, along with left-back Stephen Ward, will be able to tell when McCarthy bawls out in his Yorkshire (note Yorkshire, NOT IRISH) drawl, "Stephen! Fookin get stuck in and lump it!" who is actually required to fookin get stuck in and lump it. During the World Cup, McCarthy also demonstrated a shocking lack of basic knowledge of the game- a couple of his "highlights" including:

• "Is that the Veron?" upon seeing Juan Sebastian Veron in central midfield for Argentina. When the taxpayer is generously funding your appearance as an "expert" in South Africa, the least you can do is do a bit of research
• "Can they not have Smith marking him?" upon seeing that Greece had deployed Sokratis Papastathopoulos as a man-marker on Lionel Messi

Still, he had one advantage over Mark Lawrenson in that this writer did not feel compelled to complain to OFCOM about him.

Back to Wolves. They stayed up last season but the football wasn't exactly awe-inspiring, as they managed just 32 goals last season. McCarthy often played just Kevin Doyle on his own upfront, with 5 in midfield- it remains to be seen if the signing of Fletcher will lead to a change to 2 upfront or a place either on the bench or in a wide midfield position for one of them. Behind the front line, new man Hunt will add endeavour on the wing, while Serbian Nenad Milijas will look to establish himself as a regular, having offered creativity and the odd long-range thunderbolt sporadically last season. Other than that, the midfield is hard-working and combative, but offers little penetration, and the passing ranges of centre-backs Jody Craddock and Christophe Berra are limited, although Craddock did get his head on a number of Milijas set-pieces last season- indeed, he was their 2nd top scorer. With 5. All told, they look set for another struggle, with failure the likely end result.

Sticking-me-neck-on-the-line-predicted-finishing-position: 19th

How they will cope with the home-grown rule: Fine. Wolves have a decent record of promoting academy graduates (Wayne Hennessey and Stephen Ward 2 of the most recent to make the 1st team) and much of their Championship-winning side who were recruited as promising youngsters from smaller clubs are still at Molineux

Shifty's Season Preview Part 2

Everton

As previously explained, the teams are being written up in a completely random order. This is to ensure each team gets a fair write-up (I'll probably be running round looking even more like a madman than normal to get them all done by next Saturday).

So to Everton. After a horrific start to last season, both in terms of results and injuries, Everton did well to recover to 8th place, just missing out on a UEFA Cup (yes, I'm still calling it that) place. On the plus side, this means that their Thursdays are free this season. However, this does mean David Moyes has had little room to manoeuvre in the transfer market, a couple of young forwards notwithstanding.

Moyes has built a strong team at Goodison Park: the spine of the team is strong, provided by the likes of Phil Neville, Tim Howard, Tony Hibbert, Johnny Heitinga (Howard Webb's first appointment at Goodison will be interesting) and the fit-again Phil Jagielka, with flair and incision coming from the impressive Steven Pienaar, Mikel Arteta and Russian Lad Dinyar Bilyaletdinov. In attack, in Louis Saha and Yakubu they have 2 players who, injury permitting, could score 20 goals a season. Their resurgence in the 2nd half of the season (in the 2010 table, they are 3rd) was built mainly on an excellent home record of 11-6-2, as well as developing a handy knack of scoring late goals- 21 of their 60 league goals were scored in the last 15 minutes of games.

What will work against them is the continuing splashing of the petrodollars by other sides, but as long as they can stay clear of injuries, then with 1 or 2 additions (more on them in a minute) they can better last season's 8th place finish

Sticking-my-neck-on-the-line-predicted-finishing-position: 6th

How they'll cope with the new home-grown rule: Well, seeing as you ask, they might be a bit short. Hibbert, Jagielka, Neville, Baines, Osman, Vaughan and Anichebe are their only current homegrown players (Jack Rodwell is not yet 21, and therefore does not count as 1 of the required 8). Don't be surprised to see them linked with a loan move for David Bentley

Bet: Everton to finish in the top 6 @7/4 with Stan James

Shifty's Season Preview Part 1

It's that time of year again: Season Preview time! Here's part 1 of a few, it'll probably be a mad dash to get them all on in time for next Saturday, but I'll manage it. Hopefully.

Stoke City

Right, hold on a minute here, you're thinking. Why not start with Arsenal, as per the alphabet, you ask. Well, as I hinted at earlier, this has sprung up on me quickly, and to start with Arsenal and go alphabetically would probably not give me enough time to properly write up the chances of the Ts and the Ws of the league.

So we begin with Stoke, who, after last season's 11th place finish, have established themselves in the league, and also the shinpads of many of its players (get well soon, Aaron Ramsey). Their summer transfer activity has so far been notable for its complete non-existence, although that could change if boss Tony Pulis finds a player with a throw-in akin to that of Rory Delap who can actually contribute in open play. Transfer speculation linking them with Carlton Cole is said to be wide of the mark, though.

Their playing "style" is well-documented, and despite managing an improvement from 12th place in 08/09 to 11th last season, the football didn't improve- don't count on that changing this term unless Pulis plans a late swoop for a ball-playing midfielder more comfortable in possession than the likes of Salif Diao, Delap, Amdy Faye or Glenn Whelan. One area they did improve on last season was their away form- while just 4 away wins is still nothing to shout about, it nevertheless represents progress.

While their defence is hard-as-nails, marshalled by a rejuvenated Thomas Sorensen (who developed a handy knack of saving penalties, which helped cover the backsides of a defence who gave away far too many of them), they simply must score more than last season's meagre total of 34 goals with winger Matthew Etherington top scorer with just 5. Etherington, like Sorensen, has found a new lease of life at the Britannia Stadium, and providing Pulis can find a new frontman (or get more goals out of his current motley crew of James Beattie, Dave Kitson, Mamady Sidibe and Ricardo Fuller) to get on the end of Etherington's deliveries, they should comfortably survive again without ever threatening the top 8.

Sticking-me-neck-on-the-line-predicted-finishing-position: 11th

How will they cope with the home-grown rule: Fine. Pulis' squad largely contains British players

Bet: Worst disciplinary record @ 5/1 with Victor Chandler. They'll battle it out with Blackburn (literally on October 2) for this somewhat dubious honour

Holy jeebus, the new season has come up on me quickly

Ahoy-ahoy!

With the new season starting this/next weekend, it's time for me to get my season previews up. Rest assured, folks, these will all be on in time for the big kick-off, along with a guide to how each of the Premier League teams are looking regarding the new "home-grown" rule, and no shortage of tips.

Also, anyone else noticed the relative lack of publicity for the new Premier League season compared to previous seasons? Have Sky Sports finally accepted that it's actually not the best league around, and don't particularly want to push a league containing the players exposed so ruthlessly by Germany at the World Cup?

And another thing. Sky are unhappy about OFCOM forcing them to let other providers offer their sports channels. WE GET IT RUPERT

I love this woman

Shifty's Team of The World Cup before someone duffs it up in the Final

Well, I had a go at the start of the knockout stage, with mixed results. Here's my definitive World Cup Team of the Tournament (we'll be adopting a 4-2-3-1 formation). Any suggestions or questions (for example, why would a police force tell us someone had been tasered when their autopsy shows no such signs?) then please leave a comment

Goalkeeper: My initial team had Uruguay's Fernando Muslera, but he has looked shaky in the knockout stages. Most folk will probably opt for Iker Casillas, but as regular readers of this blog will know, I'm obnoxious and perverse about these things, and enjoy being different. Step forward (not too far forward, though, or you'll get lobbed) Portugal's Eduardo

Right-back: Maicon got the number 2 shirt initially, but Brazil's early exit combined with the outstanding performances of Phillipp Lahm means the Germany captain gets the nod ahead of Holland's Gregory van der Wiel and Uruguay's Jorge Fucile

Centre-backs: Ricardo Carvalho and Ryan Nelsen got the nod 1st time round, but both are displaced by players whose teams have advanced further. Gerard Pique and Arne Friedrich have both been outstanding

Left-back: Again, a player who starred early on is replaced by someone who has taken his team all the way- Giovanni van Bronckhorst replaces Fabio Coentrao here

Central midfield: This team will play with 2 deep-lying midfielders as opposed to just Rafael Marquez in the initial team. Bayern Munchen pair Mark van Bommel and Bastian Schweinsteiger have both excelled, and their familiarity with each other will be an asset at the heart of this team

Right wing: Thomas Muller has emerged as an absolute megastar from relative obscurity at this tournament- he's a leading contender for the Golden Boot and Young Player of the Tournament, and takes the place of Alexis Sanchez in this team. Much has been made of Miroslav Klose's pursuit of Ronaldo's World Cup scoring record; come 2018, Muller could have that record of 15 well within his sights

Left wing: Arjen Robben. The Dutch taught everyone how to manage a player carrying an injury into the tournament. Never left the bench until 20 minutes from the end of the dead rubber group game against Cameroon, Robben was then able to add another dimension to Bert van Marwijk's functional outfit, and was influential in the knockout stages. Incidentally, Robben's inclusion brings the number of Bayern Munchen players in this team to 5

Playmaker: Wesley Sneijder
Sneijder has been a class above at this World Cup, adding guile to an at times pragmatic Holland team, scoring 5 goals in the process, practically unheard of for a midfielder

Striker: Now here's an interesting one. The 3 players behind this guy have all had successful tournaments because of the ability of the striker to occupy defenders, sometimes to the detriment of their own scoring record. That still doesn't mean Heskey's any use, though. This rules out deploying David Villa (who has spent much of the tournament starting wide left and moving towards goal) or Diego Forlan (who has found much joy playing just off the front, and with Suarez and Cavani operating in the channels ahead of him) in this position- were the team opting for a basic 4-4-2, then they would probably be the partnership of choice, but as aforementioned on this blog, 4-4-2 is dead. One trait that this team would have is the ability to break quickly down the flanks through Muller and Robben (Villa could have been an option on the left, but would not provide the natural width offered by Robben), therefore requiring a finisher inside the box. Step forward Bayern Munchen player number 6, Miroslav Klose

Shifty's Team of the World Cup so far

Basically, I have long held the opinion that anything Mick Mccarthy can do, I can do better. So, when I saw the Irishman with the broad Yorkshire accent pick his team of the tournament on the Guardian website this morning, I decided to have a go myself. Unlike Mccarthy, who picked 11 players in no shape, with many of them out of position, I have decided to try and pick something which could work as a team, in a 4-3-3 formation.

Goalkeeper: Fernando Muslera (Uruguay). World Cup Sticker Book Status: Got

One of only 2 goalkeepers to have kept a clean sheet in all 3 of his side's games so far (Muslera got the nod just infront of Portugal's Eduardo, who would warm the bench for this side if there was one). Muslera has been commanding behind an ever-changing defence both in terms of personnel and shape- Uruguay have altered between a back 3 and a back 4 during the tournament so far. He has dealt with everything that has been thrown at him so far, and, with the Uruguayan front line lead by Diego Forlan in fine form so far, a continuation of his current form could see Uruguay go a long way

Right-back: Maicon (Brazil). World Cup Sticker Book Status: Got

Brazil's rampaging right-back edges out Holland's talented but rash Gregory van der Wiel and Germany captain Philipp Lahm in a position where, apart from the three aforementioned number 2s, no-one has really stood out: Argentina's Jonas Gutierrez is yet to be properly tested defensively, Portugal have used 3 so far, Spain's Sergio Ramos has yet to hit top form and Glen Johnson has looked shaky. Chile play with 3 central defenders, of whom Gary Medel looks like having the attributes required to play this position

Left-back: Fabio Coentrao (Portugal). World Cup Sticker Book Status: Not in book

One of the stars of the tournament so far, the 22-year-old only started to estabish himself for Benfica this season, before making the breakthrough into Carlos Queiroz's side. He has defended dilligently, and has ventured forward at every opportunity, getting involved in a number of Portugal's 7 goals against North Korea, using his pace to get into advanced positions, where his crossing has been excellent. Expect rumours of Real Madrid/Barcelona/Premier League interest to appear soon

Centre-backs: Ricardo Carvalho (Portugal, Got) and Ryan Nelsen (New Zealand, Got)

Carvalho has once again demonstrated his ability at the highest level, as well as an understanding of the dark arts of the game (and getting away with it) that is uneuqalled on the world stage. New Zealand's performances were nothing short of heroic, with Nelsen the perfect embodiment of that, displaying not only immense bravery but also good organisational and communication skills in marshalling the less experienced players around him, namely Tommy Smith and Winston Reid, both of whom should also get honourable mentions in this category

Defensive Midfield: Rafael Marquez (Mexico, Got)

Nominally a centre-back for Barcelona, Marquez has been used at the base of Javier Aguirre's 3 man midfield, the position he plays for this team. He brings the ball out of defence well, with short, quick, simple passes to his more forward-thinking team-mates, as well as providing useful height at set-pieces, as seen in the opening game, along with cover in central defence.

Central Midfield: Juan Sebastian Veron (Argentina, Need) and Angel Di Maria (Argentina, Got)

Seba Veron has been a joy to watch so far- such composure on the ball, with a fantastic passing range ('tis a very rare sight, Veron giving the ball away) and a ferocious strike. At 35, he no longer has the legs to run up and down the park for 90 minutes, but next to him he has the livewire Di Maria, who normally plays as a left-winger for Benfica (linking up with Coentrao), but an ingenious move by Diego Maradona has seen him stationed nominally in central midfield for Argentina alongside Veron, but with license to push on.

Outside-Right: Alexis Sanchez (Chile, Got)

Arguably the player of the tournament so far. Chile have been ultra-entertaining so far, with Sanchez on the right wing the pick of a very exciting young group. He has bags of tricks, plenty of pace and a great work ethic, tracking back when required. Another thing he does well that has drifted out of the game is that he holds his position wide when not in possession, thereby stretching the game and restricting any forward runs from the opposing full-back. His club Udinese will do well to keep him, although if they do lose him, they're likely to receive a transfer fee in excess of £20 million

Outside Left: Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal, Got)

Has single-handedly led Portugal's attack. Has shown only flashes of his immense talent, but expect him to improve as the tournament goes on. Along with Sanchez, he just edges out Landon Donovan, Giovani dos Santos, Lionel Messi and Lukas Podolski for these positions

Centre-Forward: Diego Forlan (Uruguay, Got)

Forlan has been imperious so far, dictating the pace of the game from a slightly deeper position. He would operate just off the front in this team, moving away from the opposition centre-backs, allowing Ronaldo to move onto the shoulder of the last defender. Another contender for this position would be Gonzalo Higuain, but Forlan's all-round game has been much better than the poacher Higuain

The World Cup So Far Part 1

After the first week of matches, here are a few things we've learned from South Africa 2010 so far:

The Contenders- South American sides on top
At this stage, the most likely winners of the tournament are Argentina and Brazil. Diego Maradona's side possess such potency going forward that, even with some slight uncertainties over their defence (one has to wonder whether or not makeshift right-back Jonas Gutierrez would cope with an Arjen Robben up against him, with only Javier Mascherano likely to offer any help from midfield), they could simply outscore teams with their array of attacking talent. Brazil have the ominous look of a team that, unlike previous Brazil sides, can sacrifice flair and grind out results even when they are not playing well. They have no such doubts at right-back, with Maicon likely to be a key attacking outlet. Also among the favourites at this stage are Germany (despite their loss to Serbia, they should still make at least the quarter-finals) and Holland, who, like Brazil, have added extra steel and organisation to their undoubted attacking talent- they should also be able to add Arjen Robben to their side in the later stages.

Of the other heavyweights, Spain have work to do. Along with the Barcelona side from whom some of this seleccion is drawn, their playing style has been found out. Jose Mourinho and Ottmar Hitzfeld have both shown that, by congesting the centre of the park when not in possession and forcing the opposition into the wide areas, and by avoiding trying to retain possesstion in the centre and by moving the ball quickly to the front, Spain and Barcelona can be stopped. Vicente Del Bosque seems reluctant to change his ways, although he may have to consider starting with Jesus Navas on the right wing to try and beat Honduras, who will no doubt copy the Hitzfeld model. France are heading for a disgraceful early exit and deservedly so. A similar fate may well await England- even if they make it out of their group, a tough 2nd round tie awaits them against either Germany, a vibrant Ghana or a steely Serbia. Italy, even taking into account their tradition of starting a tournament slowly. don't look anything like potential winners- quarter-finals at best for them on current form.

Of the other sides, Chile, Uruguay and Mexico have all looked impressive- it would be no surprise to see at least 1 of them in the quarter-finals. Chile's madcap 3-3-1-3 formation, combined with some slick, accurate passing at high tempo made them a joy to watch against Honduras, with Alexis Sanchez on the right of the 3 man attack particularly impressive. Uruguay were solid if unspectacular in their opener against France, but were a class above against South Africa- coach Oscar Tabarez moving Diego Forlan into the trequartista position working beautifully, as Forlan ran the show, continually finding space behind South Africa's flat midfield (more on that later). Mexico were equally impressive with their fluid 4-3-3 system, full of neat passing and movement, with Guillermo Franco the pivot in attack off whom the livewire Giovani Dos Santos and Carlos Vela can operate.

The Formations- The Death of 4-4-2
As I mentioned before, the South American sides have had the edge so far- but intriguingly, one thing that all the contenders mentioned have in common is that none of them (Argentina, Brazil, Germany, Holland, Mexico, Chile and Uruguay) play 4-4-2. Argentina play a quasi-4-3-3, which almost becomes a diamond 4-4-2 when Messi drops away from Higuain and Tevez. Having Mascherano in the DMC positions allows Di Maria the freedom to push on as an orthodox left-winger, with Veron (or Maxi Rodriguez) playing more centrally. Brazil play a fairly regulation 4-2-3-1, with 2 holding midfielders in Gilberto Silva and Felipe Melo allowing Maicon and Michel Bastos bombing forward from the full-back positions. Germany also play 4-2-3-1, although their 2 central midfield players (Schweinsteiger and Khedira) are given more license to push forward- in actual fact, when Phillip Lahm pushes on, their system almost becomes a back 3, with the more defensively-minded Holger Badstuber sitting back and moving more centrally, with right-sided centre-back Arne Friedrich covering Lahm. For Holland, replace the 2 DMCs with Mark van Bommel and Nigel de Jong, until they both get suspended. Mexico, as aforementioned, play a very fluid 4-3-3, with the emphasis being on moving the ball quickly and accurately, with width being provided by Carlos Salcido from left-back, and Efrain Juarez from the right. Chile's 3-3-1-3 formation has made them arguably the best team to watch so far- their game against Spain should be a treat, while Uruguay moved from a back 3 against France to a 4-3-1-2 against South Africa designed to allow Diego Forlan to dictate the game against a flat 4-4-2.

Shifty's End of Season Awards in association with Morningwood Industries

The rumours, speculation, and provocative texts from former Serbian Under-21 international Scott Djukic can now stop. The votes have been counted and verified, it's time to announce the winners of Shifty's End of Season Awards:

Player of the Year:
The majority of the voting panel went for Lionel Messi, with honourable mentions for Kevin Nolan, Wayne Rooney, Diego Milito and Richard Brittain. Shifty's rapid recovery from a broken metatarsal also gets a mention

Goal of the Season:
Plenty of suggestions for this award, ranging from Arjen Robben's millimetre-perfect volley for Bayern Munchen against Man Utd, Benjamin Huggel putting a beautiful finish (in off the underside of the bar is to goalscoring what the reacharound is to foreplay) to a fantastic team move, Karim Benzema finishing after that backheel from Guti, Duda from Malaga scoring direct from a corner (I thought it was just me who could do that) and numerous other golazos! from La Liga. But this award has to go to Steven Craig's goal for Ross County against Celtic in the Scottish Cup Semi Final, as it's the goal that the majority voted for. You see, at ShiftysLastWord, we give the people what they want, unlike the Scottish PFA. You won't see us fixing the result of a vote just so an Old Firm player can win. This blog tries to keep the sweary words on here to a minimum, but in the case of the Scottish PFA ignoring the results of the fans' poll in their goal of the season awards to give the award to an Old Firm player, we feel the following is justified:

FRASER WISHART IS A HORSE'S ARSE

Gaffer of the Season:
Derek Adams. Youngest ever manager to lead his side to a Scottish Cup Final- he will one day manage a much bigger club than Ross County

Best-Dressed Man of the Season:
Derek Adams was again the front-runner for this award for sartorial excellence. But after receiving a recommendation from former Serbian Under-21 international Scott Djukic, another candidate entered the running. And, for having the audacity to, in amongst thousands of orange boiler suit-clad Dutch supporters and kilted Scotland fans, wear a suit, and at the Scottish Cup Final opt for the classic kilt-and-County top look, Shifty's taking this award for himself

The How Is He Still Being Paid to Play Professional Football Award
Many contenders here, among them half the Aberdeen team, Joey Barton and Ross Tokely. Michael Carrick was a front runner, but his form only really suffered after his disastrous stint as a centre-back, so this award goes to a player who was truly rotten, the French Charlie Adam, Jerome Rothen

Moment of the Season
Many of the judging panel put forward Steven Craig's goal, but having already given Craig goal of the season, methinks we need to give the award to someone else. As mentioned before, Wayne Rooney has had a magnificent season, one of the high points coming back in January. Carling Cup Semi-Final, 2nd Leg. A pulsating Manchester derby was set to go to extra time, until Ryan Giggs swung a cross over from the right. Up leapt the boy Rooney infront of the Stretford End and BANG! Some of the judging panel were at the game, and experienced what was by far the best atmosphere at Old Trafford for many, many years. The blue-blooded noisy neighbours had been well and truly silenced. Fook off back to Stockport

Stat of the Season
From the Sids 2010: In Feburary, Catalan hospitals reported a 45% increase in the birthrate- exactly 9 months after Andres Iniesta's last-minute goal that took Barcelona into the Champions League Final

Shifty's World Cup Preview: Group G

This looks set to be one of the most interesting, and high-scoring, groups of the World Cup. Brazil are, along with Spain, favourites to lift the trophy on July 11. They should qualify comfortably from a group that also contains their B team (Portugal), Sven Goran Eriksson's Ivory Coast, and Kim Jong-Il's North Korea.

Brazil
Dunga's outfit topped the South American qualification section, and won last summer's Confederations Cup in South Africa. Their array of attacking talent is as impressive as ever- Sevilla frontman Luis Fabiano will lead the line, with midfield support likely to come from Benfica's industrious wideman Ramires on the right, Robinho on the left and Kaka in the middle in a 4-2-3-1 formation, with backup being provided in the form of Elano, Julio Baptista and Nilmar- Lyon forward Michel Bastos, who has been deputising at left-back, could also be pushed back into his natural position. But this Brazil team lacks the flair, the joie de vivre, the kamikaze attacking instincts of previous Brazilian sides. Dunga, very much a destroyer himself, will send his side out with 2 defensive midfielders in Gilberto Silva and Felipe Melo- both players' remit does not extend into the opposing half, and neither has the range of passing to be able to open the game up. Expect Maicon to get the nod at right-back over Dani Alves to provide an extra outlet on the right, but no-one has made the left-back position their own. Expect them to be solid in defence nonetheless- Inter's Julio Cesar has established himself as 1st choice, and, unusually for Brazilian keepers, he's actually good, although he's a slight inury doubt for the start of the tournament. Should he miss out, Spurs' Heurelho Gomes has proved himself to be an able deputy. They should progress comfortably enough from this group (the quality of the opposition they face is not of a sufficient standard to turn them over), however they could struggle to break down a side who can contain their front 4. They also face a probable 2nd round match against a Chile side who could simply outscore them, or even worse Spain.

Portugal
It's unfair to describe this lot as Cristiano Ronaldo + 10 others. After all, they have a top-class goalkeeper in Eduardo of Sporting Braga, the defence features Chelsea pair Paulo Ferreira and Ricardo Carvalho, Porto's midfield anchorman Raul Meireles.....you know what, this is just Cristiano Ronaldo + 10 others. Coach Carlos Queiroz struggled to get the best out of Ronaldo during qualifying, with CR9 scoring a total of 0 times as Portugal limped through qualifying, needing a play-off victory over Bosnia. There are doubts over the fitness over Real Madrid central defender Pepe (who has been bewilderingly deployed in midfield), and, Ronaldo besides, there is a dearth of top-class players. Queiroz's attacking options were further limited this week with Nani being ruled out of the tournament after injuring himself performing an acrobatic overhead kick in training (no, really)- add to this concerns over the fading influence of Deco (against Brazil, Gilberto Silva and Felipe Melo will surely have him for breakfast) and, Ronaldo apart, a lacklustre front line (apart from THAT howitzer of a free-kick for Porto against Inter a few years back, Hugo Almeida has done little of note), and an earlyish exit beckons. It's hard to see them getting beyond the last 16

Ivory Coast
The Sven Goran Eriksson World Tour makes its latest stop-off with Ivory Coast for this summer, before a probable move to a biggish European club. His squad arrive in South Africa after a poor showing in the African Nations Cup earlier this year, having been knocked out in the quarter-finals by a so-so Algeria side. Eriksson has had little time to stamp his authority on a side that possesses real strength and quality in some positions, but is desperately lacking in others, so much so that Hibs centre-back Souleymane Bamba is a likely starter alongside Kolo Toure. Behind a positionally clueless, foul-o-matic clown and Souleymane Bamba is Boubacar Barry, who has looked out of his depth at this level. The midfield is strong defensively and physically, with Didier Zokora and Yaya Toure among the best in La Liga, however there is a real lack of creativity- while Zokora and Toure are both excellent at winning the ball and are competent ball-carriers, neither of them have an extensive passing range. In attack, much (if not all) depends on the fitness of Didier Drogba- while the likes of Kader Keita, Salomon Kalou, Aruna Dindane and Gervinho can all play just off a frontman (or as wide attackers in a 4-3-3), none of them can lead the line with the physicality and hold-up ability of Drogba. With Drogba likely to miss what looks like being the crucial opening game against Portugal, the Ivorians may suffer a similar fate as they did in 2006, where a strong, well-fancied team were drawn in a "Group of Death" with Holland and Argentina, and were edged out.

North Korea
Underdogs? Yes. Underestimated? For sure. North Korea have been written off as mere cannon fodder, set for a gubbing in all 3 games. They have already gone down in World Cup folklore for their fantastically audacious attempt to increase their attacking options at the World Cup by registering striker Kim Myong-Won as their 3rd goalkeeper. They came through almost 2 years of qualifying matches to get to the tournament, conceding just 5 goals in the process. Their draw is undeniably tough, although facing such strong sides may actually help them: during qualifying, even against lesser lights such as Turkmenistan and Saudi Arabia, coach Kim Jong-Hun set his side out with 5 across the back, looking to utilise striker Jong Tae-Se's pace and power on the counterattack. Against sides with the attacking prowess of Brazil and Portugal, Shifty's Coaching Manual states that the best way to neutralise attack-minded sides is to station 9 or 10 men deep, behind the ball. There will be no expectations or criticisms of the side from home (dissent isn't generally tolerated by Kim Jong-Il), and so anything they get will be a bonus. The team have been together for longer than any other in South Africa (domestic-based players, which is most of them, have been given the last few months off league duty to prepare as a national squad) and have a great spirit about them. Recent friendly results have been encouraging (including a 2-2 draw against fellow qualifiers, and disciples of defensive play, Greece) and, should Kim Jong-Il allow it, many players will harbour aspirations of a move to Europe (North Korean- Russian diplomatic relations are said to be good). They may well struggle to avoid being tonked by Brazil in their opening game but, as long as they can bounce back from that, an off-colour Portugal and a Drogba-less Ivory Coast could be in for a nasty shock. You have not seen the last of North Korea

The bets for Group G:
Brazil to win 9 group stage points: best price 13/5 with Bodog
North Korea to qualify for round 2: best price 16/1 with bwin

Shifty's World Cup Preview: Group F

Reigning champions Italy are favourites to progress, with the other 2nd round place likely to be a straight fight between Paraguay and Slovakia, with New Zealand coach Ricki Herbert freely admitting his side are happy just to be in South Africa

Italy
After stepping down for Euro 2008, World Cup-winning coach Marcello Lippi has stuck faith with much of the side that triumphed in Germany in 2006- as many as 9 of the team that won the World Cup are likely starters this time round, which has its pluses and minuses: one of the main strengths of that side was their mental strength and resilience; Lippi created a siege mentality within the squad in the wake of the Calciopoli scandal. However, even back then some of the side seemed past their best, and their likely starting line-up contains 7 players over 30. There are concerns about a lack of mobility in a central midfield likely to contain 2 of those 30-somethings, namely Andrea Pirlo and Gennaro Gattuso, around whom doubts surround; Pirlo has been struggling with a calf injury, while Gattuso is no longer a 1st-choice at AC Milan, and hasn't had much match practice this season. At the back, while Gigi Buffon is one of the very best keepers in the world, there are doubts about the rest of the defence. Fabio Cannavaro has had a woeful season for Juventus (who have now released him. After the World Cup, he's off to the Middle East for some nice petrodollars) and AC Milan full-back is another of the over 30s and looks it. Lippi has at least replaced Marco Materazzi, although his replacement Giorgio Chiellini hasn't fully convinced- it will be interesting to see if Lippi puts in one or both of promising younger options Leonardo Bonucci and Domenico Criscito. Back in 2006, Lippi recognised his lack of a truly top-class centre-forward, and thus decided to take an arsenal of 6 attackers, all with different qualities, a decision that paid dividends. He has adopted a similar approach this time. The forward line features the goalscoring instincts of Alberto Gilardino and Gianpaolo Pazzini, the workrate and industry of Marco Borriello, Serie A's top scorer Antonio Di Natale, the physical presence of Vincenzo Iaquinta and the unpredictablility of Fabio Quagrialella. Providing Lippi's team can provide service to whichever 2 or 3 start in attack, they should progress comfortably, although they may struggle to make an impression beyond that

Paraguay
Argentinian coach Gerardo Martino's side qualified impressively for their 4th consecutive World Cup. They boast an impressive array of attacking talent, even without striker Salvdor Cabanas, who was shot in the head (no, really) in January; Benfica's Oscar Cardozo is set to be partnered by 1 or 2 from Man City benchwarmer Roque Santa Cruz, Dortmund striker Nelson Valdez or Pachuca's Edgar Benitez. And then there's the man this writer is tipping to make a big impact this summer, Valdez's strike partner at Dortmund, Lucas Barrios. Argentinian-born Barrios only received his Paraguayan citizenship earlier this year, but has already found the new for Martino's side in warm-up games, after a fantastic first season in Germany. He too is in contention to start with Cardozo. The problems for Paraguay, however, lie in midfield and defence. If Martino wants to go with 3 of his strikers upfront, then he'll have to swith to 4-3-3, a formation that Paraguay struggled with during qualifying- Martino may yet go 4-4-2 and use Barrios as an impact sub. The defence, which features Sunderland centre-back Paulo Da Silva, is solid enough alongisde the experienced Julio Cesar Caceres, however behind them 5ft 10 keeper Justo Villar is suspect at crosses. They do, though, have sufficient firepower to get them into round 2

Slovakia
This is their first appearance at a World Cup as an independent nation. They took great pride in defeating the Czech Republic in qualifying, and sealed top spot in Group 3 with a 1-0 win away to Poland. They have some highly-rated individuals- Martin Skrtel and Vladimir Weiss Jr (Vladimir Weiss Sr is the coach, and represented Czechosolvakia at Italia 90) both have Premier League experience, while talented Napoli playmaker Marek Hamsik captains the side at the tender age of 22. The squad is a young one- their provisional 30-man squad contained only 5 players into their 30s- with much of the focus being on Hamsik. There is no doubting Hamsik's ability, and he may well find himself moving on to an even bigger stage after the World Cup, but can he lead his side to round 2, particularly given doubts over Skrtel's fitness? They may just fall short

New Zealand
With the recent seismic shift in the Earth's surface that resulted in Australia becoming part of Asia, the Oceania qualifying section suddenly became New Zealand's to lose. They managed to see off the collective might of New Caledonia, Vanuatu, Fiji, Vanderreal and Bahrain to make it to their first World Cup since 1982. I may have made one of those teams up. Expect Ricki Herbert's side to go with 4-4-2 or 4-5-1, with hard-as-nails Blackburn centre-back Ryan Nelsen captaining the side. While they lack the ability to seriously challenge for a place in round 2, they will look to threaten from set pieces, while they are industrious and hard-working. It's difficult to see them managing even 1 point from their 3 games against superior side, but they won't embarass themselves

The bets for Group F:
Italy to win Group F: best price 8/15 with Blue Square
Paraguay top goalscorer Oscar Cardozo: best price 4/1 with bet365
Slovakia to win 3 group points: best price 10/3 with Blue Square
New Zealand to score over 1.5 goals: best price 4/5 with bwin