TUESDAY was a pretty exciting day – the Racing Post's antepost pullout hit the shops and I've spent hours pouring over the stats, transfer ins and outs and team verdicts.
I don't use it for the tips – just the info – and I already had an idea about who I was picking to win the leagues in England and Scotland and will finalise my picks between now and the weekend.
The Post's verdicts on the Premier League suggest it's a two-horse race between Chelsea and Man City although Man Utd are given a sniff. For me Chelsea will be the team to beat after Jose Mourinho sorted out last season's problems with some astute signings.
In the Championship I've had my eye on Derby and again they are well quoted but it's a tough league to pick a winner.
Preston each way in League One and Portsmouth and Luton in League Two are the lower-league sides I'm likely to back.
In Scotland I picked four out of four champions last season but it wasn't that difficult and all were favourites.
Celtic are again unbackable in the Premier League so take Aberdeen to win without them. Rangers should edge out Hearts in the Championship and I can't see past League One favourites Dunfermline who have bought well and started the season with two good wins.
That leaves League Two and it's the toughest to call. East Fife are the favourites and Barry Ferguson's Clyde are being backed but I may have an each-way punt on Albion Rovers – or not touch until a few weeks into the campaign.
So with the new league season days away let's hear your thoughts and I'll put up my recommended bets on Thursday or Friday.
In December 2020 we sadly 
Hearts…..cert ;-)
My mad £10 bet will be Chelsea, Derby, Sheff Utd, Portsmouth,Aberdeen,Rangers,Dunfermline,East Fife,
26718.67/1 acca. Lol You never know.
i believe:
england: manutd-chelsea-mancity the top 3
england FA cup: manutd – winner 90%
scotland: celtic – winner 99%
france: psg – winner 99%
cyprus: apoel – winner 99%
greece: olympiakos – winner 80%
spain: barca – winner 70%
germany: bayern munich – winner 90%
italy: juventus???
kris, the ones I’d argue with you on are Man Utd to win the FA Cup – how can that be a 90 per cent chance? Also Barcelona are second favourites in Spain and I’ll be on Real Madrid.
mr f, man utd always play for FA, and i believe they will win it coz of the coach who does excellent work on tournaments and also i dont believe that they will stay with empty hands this year…
all here believe the top 3 will be man utd – city – chelsea. the league i believe that utd they dont have the same possibilities of the other 2 coz is building a new team this year and the same i believe will do and real madrid.
so stays chelsea or city for league and barca for spain.
kris, I know they do but no one can say they have a 90 per cent chance of winning the FA Cup. Any one of the big teams could win it – at the end of the day so much depends on the draw. Man Utd could get Rochdale at home in the first round or Chelsea away.
kris you forgetting 1999 when they withdrew (as holders as well) from the FA cup deciding to play in a world club competition ?
i really think Arsenal will finish above united this year and make a real push for the title. they are stronger than last season (during which they were top of the league for significantly longer than any other team), Sanchez being a huge addition with Khedeira possily on the way too, have the massive monkey of not having won anything for ages off their back, and have players like Ozil who will most likely be able to offer more this year having acclimatised to a new country and a new league. United have a good new manager and renewed confidence, but they don’t suddenly have a great team.
Ad, I’d go for Man Utd ahead of Arsenal. Don’t underestimate Van Gaal’s influence – he’ll make a couple of big signings before the start of the season and have them up there challenging. At the moment I’m thinking 1. Chelsea, 2, City, 3. Utd and 4. Liverpool but United have to make those buys and get in Hummels if possible.
Just a thought…if you’ve got an antepost accumulator with BetVictor, BetFred or PaddyPower, Monaco are 1/4 to finish in the top 3 in France. It seems highly likely, so if you’re looking for a final odds boost, it looks a decent addition.
Early thoughts are:
Chelsea w/o Manchester Clubs
Derby Top 6 Finish
Preston Top 6 Finish
Portsmouth Top 7 Finish
Aberdeen w/o Celtic
Hearts w/o Rangers
Dunfermline to win League 1
Monaco Top 3 Finish
Accumulator pays 92/1 at Paddy Power.
I know it’s an 8 fold and therefore unlikely, but just wanting to know what you guys reckon to that?
Tommy, the 8fold should give you a run for your money but as you says it’s an 8fold so risky.
Mr F, say I take a couple of them out, which ones would you recommend losing?
Man Utd to be leading@xmas 9/2. I can see the reds getting off to a flyer with the fixture computer being so kind to them in the opening few months.
Looks good to me tommy tucker! Good luck with that :)
I know it’s early days but the way Rangers performed last night wouldn’t fill even the most ardent of fans with confidence. They were utterly dominated by a Hibs side who, despite the hype about how poor they are, took it right to them in the second half and but for some poor finishing they could have been 1-4 clear before Rangers got the help they were looking for.
Mc Coist insists on playing a very direct game, a tactic that went out with the seasons and although it was good enough to get them through the lower leagues they are coming up against much better opposition this year. All but three of the clubs in the division are fulltime so mistakes will be less frequent and capitalising on mistakes has been their main focal point for the last two seasons.
Credit to Hibs, they played very well. They are short on numbers but their first eleven is laden with very good, premiership quality players. Alagui, Stanton, Hanlon, Handling, Craig, Stevenson, Gray looked solid on his debut and a little quality on the bench in Tudor Jones and Heffernan.
My conclusion is that Rangers will not have it all their own by a long shot and that Hibs look better than many have predicted but Hearts have a real good chance of taking the title even though we are yet to see them in competitive action.
Hearts to win the Championship @ 4.5 e/w
Fitbatips I agree hibs were the better team 2nd half with it being a nothing cup imo i think it’s too early to judge rangers also hibs came down from the spl rangers went up a league so time will tell for me ye canny judge on one game again that’s my opinion plus am a blue nose
With all that said i do agree with u until ur last sentence i hope it’s rangers top jambos second as there ma second team in scotland i will always look on the bright side of life doo de doo
First bets of the new season are with the Paddy Power bet of £20 or £10 e/w for the top Premiership goalscorer and get £2 free bets everytime they score.
Have chosen 3 tried and tested players to ensure that I get any money staked back as free bets.
Have backed all selections as £10 e/w bets.
Daniel Sturridge 5/1. Expect him to fire in 20plus goals which should return £40 back as free bets and hopefully a bit of cash at the end of the season.
Romelu Lukaku 18/1. Expecting big and better things off him this season now he knows where his permanent home is. Main man upfront, feed him and he will score. An e/w bet at 18’s is a real nice price for someone who will definitely be near the top 4 top goalscorers come the end of the season. He scored 15 goals last season and I’m backing him to hit the 20 goals target this term. Again guaranteeing £40 in free bets.
Yaya Toure 25/1. This guy was unreal last season and I’m going to have a bit of his cake this season. Finishing 3rd in the top goalscorer charts I’d expect something similar again this year. I would completely back him to hit at least 10 which would see your total stake outlay returned in free bets but I’d expect more back if I’m being honest.
Not normally a fan of top goalscorer bets and I’m only taking it on the offer of free bets from Paddy Power. Barring injury problems to two of the three I see it more of an investment to win more money.
***IMPORTANT to note they only credit free bets if at least £10 has been staked in 30 days prior to the goals being scored. In other words you will have to stake a minimum of £10 each month to keep it going***
Kris are you a Man Utd fan by any chance? Not a dig just thinkin thats why you have them top 3 and to win FA Cup
Tommy Tucker that looks an awesome bet a think am gona have me some of that
Maverick, it’s looking like that’s what my ante-post £10 will be on.
To me, it looks like there’s a couple that could be potential banana skins, but that’s because my knowledge of Scottish footy isn’t great (I’m going off Mr F’s expertise for those), but at 92/1, you’d take a couple of banana skins!
Best of luck buddy if you back it too!
I’m trying an a daft bet aswell, could go pear shaped before the season even starts haha
Arsenal to win the Charity Shield
Chelsea to win PL
Fulham to win Championship
Sheff Utd to win league 1
Burton to win league 2
PSG to win french
Juve to win Serie A
Bayern to win Bundesliga
25,198.25/1 :-D
I’m off to give me sister her birthday card with the same £20 in thats been passed around me family for decades ;-) good luck everyone with whatever you do today.
58/1 Treble
Man City to win the Premier League
Derby to get promoted
Leyton Orient to get promoted
I’ll find a use for them Thehawk ;)
Craigyboy check conditions on PP top scorer offer free bets must be used weekly.
Free bet can be placed on any sport and are valid for 7 days.
Would have been better if they were credited at end of season thou in lump sum :(
MISTER F I HAVE READ THE RACING POST FOOTBALL SUPPLEMENT FROM PILLAR TO POST AND AGREE ITS EXCELLENT.
0NE COMPLAINT IS MY TEAM MIDDLESBROUGH ARE NOT MENTIONED FOR CHAMPIONSHIP PROMOTION PLAY OFFS OR EVEN RELGATION
DOES THIS MEAN ANOTHER SEASOM OF MID TABLE
OH FOR THE DAYS OF JUNHINHO AND RAVENELLI GLORY DAYS
CHELSEA FOR PREMIERSHIP AND BLACKPOOL FOR RELEGATION
Had a spare £2.69 lying in my Bet365 account, so placed it on four teams to get promoted:
Bristol Rovers to League Two
Carlisle to League One
Peterborough to the Championship
Fulham to the Premier League
Returns £947.10
Premership:Chelsea,,, Champ:Norwich,,, Lge 1:Sheff utd,,,Lge 2:Bury……..£10 EW Acca……All winning returns £18k.
Rangers share issue plan falls short of £10m target, Posted By Chris McLaughlin BBC Sport, Rangers are facing a fresh financial crisis after failing to convince city investors to sign up to a new share issue, BBC Sport has learned. The club issued a document to potential and existing investors with a view to raising up to £10m through an investment plan by the end of August. However, they have so far failed to get the uptake they were looking for. Investors were asked to buy in at around 25p per share – the current price is around 30p a share. The presentation document, aimed at selling a stake in Rangers, highlights plans for the club to be financially sustainable by the end of season 2015-2016 through restructuring the business in a strategic three-year plan. The paper also mentions “the significant revenue opportunity” that would come with the club being back at the top of Scottish football, and points towards revenue streams that would follow from competing in the Champions League. A timetable of events within the document promises to reveal details on 25 July – but that deadline has now passed due to the lack of interest. It was always the board’s intention to raise more cash through a new share issue but it is understood the lukewarm response is causing concern at boardroom level. As part of his 120-day review published in April, chief executive Graham Wallace said he would look at a new rights issue later in the year “when the climate will be better for us”. It now seems the board may have misjudged the mood in the city regarding Rangers as a business proposition. The club’s finances have been under the spotlight for some time and earlier this year the club secured short-term loans totalling £1.5m from shareholders Sandy Easdale and George Letham. Those loans must be paid back by the end of August but questions are now being asked about the club’s ability to meet that deadline. The situation is reaching a critical stage as fans continue to vote with their feet and their wallets. Supporters remain split over their backing of the board and it is understood less than 20,000 season tickets have been sold, compared to the 38,000 sold last year – figures that are adding further strain on finances. The board will now pursue fund-raising alternatives, one option is to secure a new loan and launch a smaller share issue aimed at raising around £4m by the end of the year.
** IF ACCURATE WHICH I HAVE NO DOUBT IT IS THEN HEARTS TO WIN THE CHAMPIONSHIP HAS JUST BECOME A LOT MORE ATTRACTIVE **
Sad to see the most successful Scottish club ever on it’s knees because of mismanagement and a certain Craig whyte.
1plus2 i think you will find celtic are not on their knees mate.
There is the making of a joke there but I will be put on the naughty step if pit it up :-)
1plus2, it’s not just Craig Whyte. Rangers need to let fans run the club because they’re the biggest asset. Too many people want to make a quick buck out of the club and until fans take control or Dave King pumps in a fortune they’ll be in bother.
Craig Whyte was the main protagonist that see’s Rangers where they are and the fans are just being used as u say for an easy buck for some in the club.
1plus2, a bit more honesty and I have no doubt the fans would help out like we did at Tynecastle. We have over 8,000 pledges who donate money by direct debit every month to the Foundation of Hearts and it is there and also being used to take us further forward debt free. We have also sold over 12,000 season tickets for a 17,000 capacity stadium because we wanted our club to survive.
Slightly different scenario but the fans are sick of money going astray left right and centre and they can only expect to do so much b4 they get pissed off.
Chelsea to win the prem
Derby to be promoted
Sheff utd to win leauge one
Hamilton to finish bottom
237.5/1
Derby to get promoted
Portsmouth to get promoted
Bristol Rovers to get promoted
Preston to get promoted
Valencia top 4 finish
Palace to be relegated
Roma champion without Juventus
3004/1 easy money :)
Hi Mr F,Could you please also give a Premier League ‘Sack Race’ tip as i need one for our competition.PS Keep thos good tips coming!
Ron, I’d go with Paul Lambert who I’ve already mentioned or Alan Irvine. If Irvine gets off to a bad start he could be under real pressure from fans who didn’t want him in the first place. Lambert surely can’t survive another bad start.
sack race? 10/1 Lambert is massive value.
Arsenal – Prem
Derby – Champ
Leyton Orient – Lge 1
Portsmouth – Lge 2
Hearts – Scot Champ
All each way
30,294/1
Think Sanchez signing is massive 4 them, gt them top 3 & surely at the very least top 4
What am I missing here?
WIth 365 in the season handicap winner betting Chelsea are 15/1 for a +0 handicap. To win outright they are 15/8. Surely these are exactly the same bets unless there is a points tie at the end of the season?
mattr
Chelsea need to win the league because +0 added to their total points is the bet and as +0 adds nothing then they have to win. However Man Utd for example are +6. So if Chelsea win the league and Man Utd finish second say 2 points behind their +6 would be added and they would finish above Chelsea. So effectively your +0 chelsea loses.
In a nutshell only one of the bets in that handicap can win. Burnley are +50 so if they finish 47 points behind the winners then they win and everything else loses. Make sense pal?
Also that’s why all the odds are 15/1 except QPR +46 is 12/1 because I believe and obviously 365 believe that they are not quite sure how strong they will be in the prem this season.
Picture all the teams jotted written under each other, Chelsea 0
Man City +1
Man United +6 etc….
add the points as you go along so if Man City win their first game they would be +4 or +2 if they draw.
At the end of the season the one with the highest points wins the bet
Thanks Stormin’
Captain jack racing post may not of mentioned us but I think karanka has maid a few shrewd signings and having had a season in the championship I think he has a decent idea what it takes to get out of our league. I think we can have a good season and can’t wait for Saturday to see what hopefully is a new look side it’s a bout time we got to see some decent football at the riverside