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Squirrels 'Football League' Thread
As the new season in England gets underway it's my intention just to concentrate on all the leagues that I know best - namely the Championship and Leagues 1 & 2 in England. I did have previews written up of each division but since the season has already started I won't bother with that. I'll start with a couple of ante-post bets (below) and then post picks as the season goes on, most of the time I will give some reasoning with a pick but sometimes time might not allow that.
So, to begin, a couple of ante-post bets that I like:
Billy Sharp - Championship top scorer @ +1600
I was mighty impressed with Sharp on loan at Donny last year and he could well net a sackful with a full season in the team. He toiled a bit at Sheffield United because of their long ball style but Doncaster like to get it down and play a bit, a style which suits Sharp to a tee - he also takes penalties and free kicks which is an added bonus. Bellamy and Chopra at Cardiff are ahead of him in the betting, but those being in the same team I see them sharing the goals for however long Bellamy is on loan there for, and the other 2 main market contenders are both Middlesbrough strikers who are never going to score a lot of goals with Gordon Strickens style of play.
Leicester City (Championship) to be promoted @ +600
Having lost in the playoff semi finals thanks to a cocky penalty attempt by Yann Kermogant, ex-boss Nigel Pearson swannied off to pastures new to be replaced by Paulo Sousa. The Foxes are a hard team to beat and as was shown on opening day this season they can give it a go when they are getting beaten and there is definitely goals in this team. Sousa likes to try and play good football and Pearson built this team with a similar mentality, the return of DJ Campbell to partner Matty Fryatt is a massive plus for the foxes. I have many questions about all the top teams in this division and Leicester are the best value in the promotion market to me.
Clinton Morrison - League One top scorer @ +1200
This big fella is a true championship striker and has an excellent record at that level and stepping down in class and into a division thats more suited to physical football should do him good. He is a big, mardy, arrogant rooster_eater who will take no shiat from any defenders and can kick them off the park if he has to. The only question mark that may stop him netting 20 goals is injury, but he's played the last couple of games and is slowly returning to fitness and not showing any signs of his old injury affecting him. Lambert is favourite in this market but I think last year was "his" year and there are plenty of questions about his knee long term too. Tough division this with alot of good strikers in, but at this price for a championship striker who's playing on a team who I expect to be promoted at the 1st attempt is a good deal.
Tranmere Rovers (League One) to be relegated @ +250
Tranmere narrowly avoided the drop last season but I think the improved class in teams promoted from the division below will see them fall through the trapdoor this time out. Les Parry inherited an awful team from John Barnes and its not possible to polish a turd in such a short space of time. They are a very young team and dont have any money at all, would not be surprised if they were one of the teams who went into administration this coming season as fans stay away and revenues die off - I dont see how Tranmere can survive this season.
Those are the ante-posts that stand out to me but its a VERY tough season to call in each of the 3 divisions, I dont think there has been parity like this for a long time. There are probably 12 teams who will fancy their chances at getting promoted from each division, and probably 12 who will be fearful of relegation too - Its gonna be a fun season.
I'm in the process of analysing the weekends card right now so will be back tomorrow to kick this thread off properly - its going to be a long and awesome season for fans of the football league.
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Originally Posted by Squirrel
