It's time to have a look back and see how my predictions for the season have fared. I've waded through this here blog's archives to dig out how I thought each team would get on this season, and will post them on here over then next couple of days. Here goes:
Arsenal
What I Said: If luck is on their side, they could come very close to the title:
What Actually Happened: Title challengers well into the spring before a late-season, Fabianski-inspired collapse left them in something of a no-man's land behind the top 2 but ahead of the madding, Champions League-chasing crowd
Aston Villa
What I Said: Departures from an already stretched squad could lead to a long, disappointing season, and Villa sliding down the table
What Actually Happened: Disappointment in the cups, but Villa have just about managed to hang onto the coat-tails of the top 4
Birmingham City:
What I Said: Likely to be dour and unambitious yet resolute and organised, look best placed of the newly promoted sides to stay up
What Actually Happened: ALex McLeish's side stayed up comfortably, with an excellent defensive record, albeit without many goals. Joe Hart's performances have surely earned him a place in the England squad for the World Cup
The rest will follow soon....
Showing posts with label Birmingham City. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Birmingham City. Show all posts
Thursday, 6 May 2010
Friday, 26 March 2010
Birmingham City v Arsenal, Saturday 27th March
My Thoughts
Back in 2008, Arsenal arrived at St Andrews pursuing the league title, and they do the same here. However, back then this game saw Arsenal's title challenge (along with Eduardo's leg) buckle, as 10-man Birmingham managed a 2-2 draw. Arsenal, epitomised by the sulking William Gallas that day, never recovered that season, showing a real lack of mental strength. However, this is a different Arsenal side- recently away at Stoke, they were given a similar examination- with 20 minutes left, and Stoke gamely competing and holding Arsene Wenger's side at 1-1, Aaron Ramsey suffered an equally horrific leg break. Yet this did not defeat Arsenal- instead they rallied, and thanks to late goals from Cesc Fabregas and Thomas Vermaelen (the signing of the season in this writer's opinion), they won the game 3-1.
The Verdict
Birmingham's long winter unbeaten run is now over, with Alex Mcleish's outfit having lost 4 of their last 7 league games. However, they have still lost just twice in the league at home this season, and as such their target for this season has changed from the pre-season hope of avoiding a relegation scrap, to knocking on the door of the UEFA Cup (I'm still calling it that) places. However, Arsenal this season have much, much greater mental strength than witnessed in previous seasons- Nicklas Bendtner's late winner away at Hull is testament to that- and with Fabregas and probably Bendtner available again, Arsenal should edge this, even if they do have to play Mickael Silvestre in central defence in place of the suspended Thomas Vermaelen. On the subject of Arsenal central defenders, I bet Sol Campbell hasn't yet given up hope of a place in Fabio Capello's World Cup squad.
The Bet
Arsenal to win outright are available at a best price of 4/7 with Betfred. As for a correct score bet, 2-1 Arsenal looks tempting given that Wenger's men have averaged exactly 2 goals per game in the league away from home this season, but have only kept 3 clean sheets in those games. It's available at a very tempting 15/2 with Blue Square. Another tempting bet could be Half Time/ Full-Time Draw/Arsenal. 7 of Birmingham's home league games this season have been level at half-time, while Arsenal are developing a canny knack of scoring late goals- it's available at a best price of 7/2 with Skybet
Back in 2008, Arsenal arrived at St Andrews pursuing the league title, and they do the same here. However, back then this game saw Arsenal's title challenge (along with Eduardo's leg) buckle, as 10-man Birmingham managed a 2-2 draw. Arsenal, epitomised by the sulking William Gallas that day, never recovered that season, showing a real lack of mental strength. However, this is a different Arsenal side- recently away at Stoke, they were given a similar examination- with 20 minutes left, and Stoke gamely competing and holding Arsene Wenger's side at 1-1, Aaron Ramsey suffered an equally horrific leg break. Yet this did not defeat Arsenal- instead they rallied, and thanks to late goals from Cesc Fabregas and Thomas Vermaelen (the signing of the season in this writer's opinion), they won the game 3-1.
The Verdict
Birmingham's long winter unbeaten run is now over, with Alex Mcleish's outfit having lost 4 of their last 7 league games. However, they have still lost just twice in the league at home this season, and as such their target for this season has changed from the pre-season hope of avoiding a relegation scrap, to knocking on the door of the UEFA Cup (I'm still calling it that) places. However, Arsenal this season have much, much greater mental strength than witnessed in previous seasons- Nicklas Bendtner's late winner away at Hull is testament to that- and with Fabregas and probably Bendtner available again, Arsenal should edge this, even if they do have to play Mickael Silvestre in central defence in place of the suspended Thomas Vermaelen. On the subject of Arsenal central defenders, I bet Sol Campbell hasn't yet given up hope of a place in Fabio Capello's World Cup squad.
The Bet
Arsenal to win outright are available at a best price of 4/7 with Betfred. As for a correct score bet, 2-1 Arsenal looks tempting given that Wenger's men have averaged exactly 2 goals per game in the league away from home this season, but have only kept 3 clean sheets in those games. It's available at a very tempting 15/2 with Blue Square. Another tempting bet could be Half Time/ Full-Time Draw/Arsenal. 7 of Birmingham's home league games this season have been level at half-time, while Arsenal are developing a canny knack of scoring late goals- it's available at a best price of 7/2 with Skybet
Tuesday, 15 December 2009
Birmingham City v Blackburn Rovers, Tuesday 15th December
My Thoughts
Two sides heading into this one on somewhat different form: Birmingham are unbeaten in 7 games, with Lee Bowyer showing the kind of form that once got him an England cap, and Joe Hart proving to be something of a revelation in goals, with 6 clean sheets to his name so far this season. Indeed' Alex Mcleish's side will go 6th if they win this one. Blackburn, meanwhile, have not won in their last 4 league games, and have scored a grand total of 0 goals in that run. They are also hampered by the abscence of David Dunn for this match. Rovers' record away from Ewood Park so far this season is a dismal 1-1-6, while Birmingham's 4-2-2 at home is respectable.
The Verdict
Everything points to a home win in this one, and this pundit can't argue against that. Birmingham are solid, compact, and have experience in the middle of the park, with the lively Chucho Benitez adapting nicely to the Premier League. It says a lot about Blackburn's form so far that many people are talking about goalkeeper Paul Robinson as a contender for the England World Cup squad, despite conceding an average of 2.62 goals per away game.
The Bet
Birmingham are outstanding value at 11/10 with William Hill. Apart from that, other bets to consider would be Benitez, James McFadden or dead-ball expert Sebastian Larsson to score anytime
Two sides heading into this one on somewhat different form: Birmingham are unbeaten in 7 games, with Lee Bowyer showing the kind of form that once got him an England cap, and Joe Hart proving to be something of a revelation in goals, with 6 clean sheets to his name so far this season. Indeed' Alex Mcleish's side will go 6th if they win this one. Blackburn, meanwhile, have not won in their last 4 league games, and have scored a grand total of 0 goals in that run. They are also hampered by the abscence of David Dunn for this match. Rovers' record away from Ewood Park so far this season is a dismal 1-1-6, while Birmingham's 4-2-2 at home is respectable.
The Verdict
Everything points to a home win in this one, and this pundit can't argue against that. Birmingham are solid, compact, and have experience in the middle of the park, with the lively Chucho Benitez adapting nicely to the Premier League. It says a lot about Blackburn's form so far that many people are talking about goalkeeper Paul Robinson as a contender for the England World Cup squad, despite conceding an average of 2.62 goals per away game.
The Bet
Birmingham are outstanding value at 11/10 with William Hill. Apart from that, other bets to consider would be Benitez, James McFadden or dead-ball expert Sebastian Larsson to score anytime
Friday, 20 November 2009
Some random bets that be taking my interest
With the Premier League back in action this weekend, here are a few more bets that look like providing good value:
- Sunderland v Arsenal over 2.5 goals- best price 4/6 with Coral. Arsenal have scored a preposterous 55 goals in 19 games in all competitions this season (10 of their 11 Premier League games this season have featured over 2.5 goals), and even without the injured Robin van Persie and Nicklas Bendtner, Arsene Wenger's side still carry plenty of goalscoring menace for a Sunderland side whose 1st choice keeper Craig Gordon is out injured. Also factor in the current goalscoring form of Darren Bent for Sunderland, and the fact that Arsenal's defence may well include Mickael Silvestre at left-back. Statistically speaking, Arsenal's 11 Premier League games have featured an average of 4.54 goals per game (this is actually insane), while Sunderland's matches themselves have averaged 3.25 per game. If you're feeling really brave, one could even be tempted by over 3.5 goals, available at a best price of 6/4 with Boylesports
- Chelsea really ought to be beating Wolves quite comfortably, and a best price of a general 1/6 reflects this. Therefore, it's necessary to look elsewhere if you want a decent value bet on this game. If you're looking for a correct score, then anything between 2-0 and 6-0 is probably worth considering. Chelsea haven't conceded at home since the opening day of the season, and after getting a pasting from Arsenal last week, it's difficult to imagine Wolves being terribly adventurous in this one (also consider that seeing footballers in blue adidas shirts probably brings Wolves striker Kevin Doyle out in a cold sweat right now), so, at a best price of 8/11 with Blue Square, Chelsea to win to nil could represent decent value
- Birmingham v Fulham is one of those games that, at first glance, looks like resulting in a draw. Alex Mcleish's Birmingham side have drawn their last 2, while Roy Hodgson's Fulham have drawn 3 of their last 5. The draw can be backed at a best price of 23/10 with Victor Chandler. Another bet worth considering here is under 2.5 goals- neither side have been exactly potent infront of goal this season (Birmingham have scored just 4 goals in 6 Premier League home games this season, with Fulham managing 7 in 6 away games), while at the same time having reasonably solid defensive records, therefore Skybet's 4/6 on under 2.5 goals is worth considering
Friday, 14 August 2009
Shifty's Season Preview Part 2 of This is going to take a while
Birmingham City
If their Championship campaign last season is anything to go by, then Birmingham will probably be one of the most binary teams in the league this season (as any computer geek will tell you, binary is a computing language consisting entirely of 1s and 0s): expect Alex Mcleish's side to be dour and unambitious yet resolute and organised. Up top, their front line will consist of sometimes 2, but more likely 1, from James Mcfadden, Kevin Phillips, new signing Christan Benitez, Garry O'Connor, Cameron Jerome and Marcus Bent: with the exception of the ageing Phillips, none of these men have ever been prolific in the Premier League, and with a lack of mobility and quality in the midfield, staffed by the likes of Lee Carsley, Damien Johnson and Barry Ferguson, they are unlikely to get the quality of service required to change that. Still, defensively they were very strong last season, and new keeper Joe Hart will be eager to claim a place at the 2010 World Cup, should the english qualify.
Verdict: A lot will depend on how the plethora of new centre-backs at St Andrews (Scott Dann, Roger Johnson and Geovanny Espinoza, along with left-back Gregory Vignal) adapt to the Premier League. If they quickly settle in, and the Brummies keep a few clean sheets, then they look best placed of the newly-promoted sides to stay up. If one can find them above evens to stay up, then take it
Blackburn Rovers
It's debatable whether Blackburn avoided relegation last season because of miracle-working by Sam Allardyce, or simply due to the fact that the teams who finished below them were simply awful. This writer is tempted to disagree with Allardyce and conclude that it was the latter. With this in mind, Rovers have seeked to strengthen an already solid rearguard with the permanent signing of Frenchman Gael Givet, as well as adding Dane Lars Jacobsen at right-back. The retention of left-back cum midfielder Stephen Warnock is crucial to Rovers hopes this season. Young French midfielder Stephen N'Znozi has also featured prominently in pre-season, and will be looking to compete with the likes of David Dunn and Stephen Reid to fill the Tugay-shaped hole in the Rovers midfield. Much will be expected of the mercurial Morten Gamst Pedersen on the left wing this season. Up front, Allardyce has inevitably lost Roque Santa Cruz to man citeh-al-magoo, and has reinvested a sizeable chunk of his transfer fee in Croatian forward Nikola Kalinic, for a figure that varies between £6 million and £12 million, depending on which newspaper you read, with Franco di Santo also joining on loan from CSKA London, thereby negating the need for the comedy show that was Christoper Samba in attack.
Verdict: Rovers didn't lose many games last season under Allardyce: expect this to continue, as Rovers contine to play something of a "pragmatic" style. Incidentally, they've been bottom of the league's disciplinary table for 4 of the last 5 seasons, and, as already mentioned in previous posts, this writer would advise you put money on them to "achieve" this again, especially given that Kiwi Ryan Nelsen, who may or may not strangle sheep in his spare time, has been retained. If they can find a regular source of goals, then mid-table should beckon.
Next update to follow at lunchtime
If their Championship campaign last season is anything to go by, then Birmingham will probably be one of the most binary teams in the league this season (as any computer geek will tell you, binary is a computing language consisting entirely of 1s and 0s): expect Alex Mcleish's side to be dour and unambitious yet resolute and organised. Up top, their front line will consist of sometimes 2, but more likely 1, from James Mcfadden, Kevin Phillips, new signing Christan Benitez, Garry O'Connor, Cameron Jerome and Marcus Bent: with the exception of the ageing Phillips, none of these men have ever been prolific in the Premier League, and with a lack of mobility and quality in the midfield, staffed by the likes of Lee Carsley, Damien Johnson and Barry Ferguson, they are unlikely to get the quality of service required to change that. Still, defensively they were very strong last season, and new keeper Joe Hart will be eager to claim a place at the 2010 World Cup, should the english qualify.
Verdict: A lot will depend on how the plethora of new centre-backs at St Andrews (Scott Dann, Roger Johnson and Geovanny Espinoza, along with left-back Gregory Vignal) adapt to the Premier League. If they quickly settle in, and the Brummies keep a few clean sheets, then they look best placed of the newly-promoted sides to stay up. If one can find them above evens to stay up, then take it
Blackburn Rovers
It's debatable whether Blackburn avoided relegation last season because of miracle-working by Sam Allardyce, or simply due to the fact that the teams who finished below them were simply awful. This writer is tempted to disagree with Allardyce and conclude that it was the latter. With this in mind, Rovers have seeked to strengthen an already solid rearguard with the permanent signing of Frenchman Gael Givet, as well as adding Dane Lars Jacobsen at right-back. The retention of left-back cum midfielder Stephen Warnock is crucial to Rovers hopes this season. Young French midfielder Stephen N'Znozi has also featured prominently in pre-season, and will be looking to compete with the likes of David Dunn and Stephen Reid to fill the Tugay-shaped hole in the Rovers midfield. Much will be expected of the mercurial Morten Gamst Pedersen on the left wing this season. Up front, Allardyce has inevitably lost Roque Santa Cruz to man citeh-al-magoo, and has reinvested a sizeable chunk of his transfer fee in Croatian forward Nikola Kalinic, for a figure that varies between £6 million and £12 million, depending on which newspaper you read, with Franco di Santo also joining on loan from CSKA London, thereby negating the need for the comedy show that was Christoper Samba in attack.
Verdict: Rovers didn't lose many games last season under Allardyce: expect this to continue, as Rovers contine to play something of a "pragmatic" style. Incidentally, they've been bottom of the league's disciplinary table for 4 of the last 5 seasons, and, as already mentioned in previous posts, this writer would advise you put money on them to "achieve" this again, especially given that Kiwi Ryan Nelsen, who may or may not strangle sheep in his spare time, has been retained. If they can find a regular source of goals, then mid-table should beckon.
Next update to follow at lunchtime
Friday, 24 April 2009
Birmingham City v Preston North End, Saturday 25th April
My Thoughts
A win for Birmingham takes them up into the Premier League. It really is as simple as that for Alex Mcleish's side, as they face a Preston side fresh off the back of ending Cardiff's automatic promotion challenge with an emphatic 6-0 romp at Deepdale last Saturday, a result which means Alan Irvine's side still themselves have a mathematical chance of making the play-offs. Birmingham's home form this season has been predominantly solid. They are not among the division's highest scorers, but the experienced Maik Taylor (who should be back in goals following suspension) forms part of a solid, cohesive unit at the back, which is helped by a midfield never short on effort. Preston travel to St Andrews in buoyant mood after that 6-0 win over Cardiff, but also with a poor away record this season away from home: only 4 wins away from home this season, the 18th best record in the Championship.
The Verdict
Birmingham have been solid if unspectacular in their promotion push this season, and are unbeaten in 10 at St Andrews. I can see this being another tight game, but Birmingham should be able to do enough to get the win to take them back up. Home win
The Bet
Birmingham can be backed at 5/6 with Betfred to win, although it may also be worth considering under 2.5 goals, which is available across the market at 4/6
A win for Birmingham takes them up into the Premier League. It really is as simple as that for Alex Mcleish's side, as they face a Preston side fresh off the back of ending Cardiff's automatic promotion challenge with an emphatic 6-0 romp at Deepdale last Saturday, a result which means Alan Irvine's side still themselves have a mathematical chance of making the play-offs. Birmingham's home form this season has been predominantly solid. They are not among the division's highest scorers, but the experienced Maik Taylor (who should be back in goals following suspension) forms part of a solid, cohesive unit at the back, which is helped by a midfield never short on effort. Preston travel to St Andrews in buoyant mood after that 6-0 win over Cardiff, but also with a poor away record this season away from home: only 4 wins away from home this season, the 18th best record in the Championship.
The Verdict
Birmingham have been solid if unspectacular in their promotion push this season, and are unbeaten in 10 at St Andrews. I can see this being another tight game, but Birmingham should be able to do enough to get the win to take them back up. Home win
The Bet
Birmingham can be backed at 5/6 with Betfred to win, although it may also be worth considering under 2.5 goals, which is available across the market at 4/6
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