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A nice win on my return with Fiorentina getting a good 3-0 at neighbours
Livorno last night, and their performance did much to convince me that
they can be serious challengers for the scudetto this season as they seem
now to get results on the road to go with their fine home record.

Todays tip is the Turin derby where Torino entertains their more
illustrious City neighbours Juventus.

Juventus as you will all know have returned to Serie A after one season in
the lower league as a result of the match fixing allegations which swept
Italy a couple of seasons ago.

They now look to put that behind them and launch a challenge for the
championship and have started their campaign with 3 wins 1 draw and 1
defeat scoring 14 and conceding 6. Their only defeat has come surprisingly
at home when they lost 1-0 to Udinese, whilst on the road they have had a
2-2 draw at Roma and a 3-2 at Cagliari.

Torino have started the season steadily with 4 draws and 1 defeat scoring
6 and conceding 8 and if they cannot start turning those draws into wins
will find it hard to stay up. The other worrying fact is the 2 home draws
to date have come against Siena and Reggina who are 17th and 19th in the
league respectively and are among a group of teams who will struggle this
term.

I feel Juventus will have too much fire power up front for Torino tonight
with Trezeguet already on 6 goals this season and Iaquinta their new
signing from Udinese in the summer on 3, when you add into the mix the
maestro Del Piero you can understand why I feel Torino will have a big job
on their hands tonight.

As always with derbies especially ones as high profile as the Turin and
Rome ones there has to be an element of doubt, but Juventus are a class
act and with Inter, Roma, Milan and Fiorentina are the sides most likely
to be crowned champions come May 2008.

Head to Head meetings have not been to common in recent years due to
Torino`s years in Serie B and you have to go back to 1995 to find a Torino
win home or away.

Apr 5, 03 Serie A Juventus FC Torino 2 - 0 Torino FC
Nov 17, 02 Serie A Torino FC 0 - 4 Juventus FC Torino
Feb 24, 02 Serie A Torino FC 2 - 2 Juventus FC Torino
Oct 14, 01 Serie A Juventus FC Torino 3 - 3 Torino FC
Mar 19, 00 Serie A Juventus FC Torino 3 - 2 Torino FC
Nov 7, 99 Serie A Torino FC 0 - 0 Juventus FC Torino
Apr 6, 96 Serie A Torino FC 1 - 2 Juventus FC Torino
Dec 3, 95 Serie A Juventus FC Torino 5 - 0 Torino FC
Apr 9, 95 Serie A Juventus FC Torino 1 - 2 Torino FC
Jan 25, 95 Serie A Torino FC 3 - 2 Juventus FC Torino

Team news at this early stage is that Juve will be without defender
Jonathan Zebina, who serves a one-match ban and will be without injured
duo Mauro Camoranesi and defender Jorge Andrade, though goalkeeper
Gianluigi Buffon has recovered from injury.
The only doubt for Juve coach Ranieri is whether Vincenzo Iaquinta will
recover from a muscular problem and he faces a late fitness test.
Torino will be hoping that midfielder Alessandro Rosina who is struggling
with minor knock will recover in time, while David Di Michele is still
suspended.

At the moment you can get 4/5 about Juve tonight with several bookies and
that is enough to convince me to put my money on a win for them tonight.

As always good luck,

Silverfox.

Back from my holiday and refreshed, I now have to get back to the task of
earning a living and saving for the next one, it is not the holiday that
cost much it is the amount of sun block I have to buy Mrs Silverfox!!

Seriously over the next few months I can give you a few winners that will
make the winter months a little bit warmer.

The Serie A match between Livorno and Fiorentina tonight is the match I
will be going for. At 5/4 with Expekt, Stan James and Corals I feel that
there is value to be had backing Fiorentina.

After 5 games in Serie A so far Livorno are 19th with 2 points from games
against Inter at home and Genoa away and though the draw at Inter has to
be taken as a warning the fact is Inter missed a host of chances to kill
the game and in my opinion did not give Livorno the respect they deserved.

I am sure Fiorentina will not make the same mistake as they are 6th in the
league with 9 points 2 behind joint leaders Roma and Inter who play each
other in the other Serie A match tonight and known a win against Livorno
would close the gap at this early stage.

Fiorentina are unbeaten so far with 2 wins and 3 draws which includes a
win against Catania 1-0 and a draw at Milan 1-1.

The loss of Luca Toni was undoubtedly a blow to the Florentines when he
moved to Bayern Munich in the summer but Adrian Mutu has stepped into his
boots and seems to be fulfilling the potential he showed in his early
career and he already has 4 goals this season though he is a doubt for
tonight and needs a late fitness test if he is not fit it could mean a
start for veteran striker Christian Vieri other team news from Florence is
that Midfielder Marco Donadel is suspended after his sending-off against
Roma while Dario Dainelli is injured and Danish winger Martin Jorgensen is
a major doubt.

The Livorno team news is that Striker Stefano Rossini and midfielder
Antonio Filippini are coach Orsi's only absentees.

The head to head record interestingly points against my selection as
Livorno seem to be a bogey side for Fiorentina but I personally do not
take much notice in that particular stat though I know some do and is why
I include the figures. I personally being an optimist will be hoping
Fiorentina can break the trend tonight!

Jan 28, 07 Serie A AC Fiorentina 2 - 1 AS Livorno
Sep 17, 06 Serie A AS Livorno 1 - 0 AC Fiorentina
Feb 12, 06 Serie A AS Livorno 2 - 0 AC Fiorentina
Oct 2, 05 Serie A AC Fiorentina 3 - 2 AS Livorno
Apr 17, 05 Serie A AS Livorno 2 - 0 AC Fiorentina
Nov 14, 04 Serie A AC Fiorentina 1 - 1 AS Livorno
May 1, 04 Serie B AS Livorno 2 - 0 AC Fiorentina
Nov 30, 03 Serie B AC Fiorentina 1 - 1 AS Livorno

One added ingredient that I must add to the mix is that this is a Tuscan
derby and though it is not in the same league as a Milan or Rome derby it
is still a very keenly contested encounter a factor which needs to be
included in your final judgement.

So for me I am hoping for a winning return with Fiorentina taking all 3
points tonight.

Whatever you decide good luck and happy punting,

Silverfox.

Headline of the day...


GUNNERS RED OCTOBER
The Sun report on something involving a Russian person, so obviously they are contractually obliged to use the word RED in there somewhere. Because of communism, you see. Of course, Alisher Usmanov is from Uzbekistan, but never mind. He's still a Russian oligarch at heart and according to the paper, he will up his stake to 22% in Arsenal and is stepping up his battle for the club.

Hold the back page...

SACK ME AND YOU'LL BE SORRY, SAYS DEFIANT JOL
Also in a battle at the moment is Martin Jol, and in The Guardian he says that Spurs will be sorry if they sack him.

I'M BETTER THAN JOSE
Continuing in The Sun, Jol says that not even Jose Mourinho could have done a better job than him at White Hart Lane.

REVEALED: THE REAL REASON WHY MOURINHO LEFT CHELSEA
Speaking of whom, The Independent report on why he REALLY left Chelsea. Apparently he walked past Roman Abramovich in a corridor at Stamford Bridge after the Rosenborg game, bridled at a comment from his boss about being disappointed, and said: "If you are not happy with me, then just sack me." It all deteriorated from there.
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Click here!

DROGBA IN U-TURN
In the Daily Express, Didier Drogba has looked at his calendar, realised that he couldn't leave the club until January, and decided to throw his whole support behind new boss Avram Grant. How suprising...

FA PUT CHELSEA BACK IN DOCK
Of course, it's not all good news for Grant, with the Daily Telegraph reporting on Chelsea's latest trip to the FA to have their wrists slapped, this time for 'failing to control their players' at Old Trafford.

RAFA'S BIG TITLE SHOT
The Daily Star meanwhile report on claims that Rafa Benitez has been told that this season is his big chance to win the league. Woe betide him if he fails.

YOU BUTCHERS!
With that kind of pressure, perhaps it's not surprising that he's so grumpy nowadays, and in the Daily Mail he's complaining that people keep on tackling Fernando Torres.

It's safe to say that Avram Grant probably wishes he had stayed in the shadows at Stamford Bridge instead of being shunted out into the spotlight to try and fill the shoes of Jose Mourinho. He looks terribly uncomfortable every time the cameras and microphones are waved in his direction, but it turns out that his wife is not exactly the shy and retiring type. Indeed, she is a celebrity in Israel and has done some fairly unusual stuff.

Tzofit Grant has decided to join her husband in England since he moved to Chelsea from Portsmouth - hardly the kind of club you would want to be associated with if you fancy being celeb in a whole new country - and has apparently set her sights on becoming English football's most controversial and famous WAG. After all, how many others out there have drunk their own urine live on national television?

How many have you seen taking a bath in spaghetti and tomato sauce while sipping red wine? Or taking a dip in melted chocolate? Or shared a shower with soldiers after flicking through porn magazines with them? Yes, that's right, none of them, and this is just the tip of the Tzofit iceberg. And now she's coming over here: "I have a profession - anything could happen," she said. "Not everyone has an opportunity like this, it's going to be fun."

"I know who I am and all our country knows who I am, so I am definitely not going to change myself for anything," she says. "It doesn't mean I don't like the British - they are just like me. They take things as they come." So, what does she make of her husband's job? Well, apparently she likes going to the games, but isn't always exactly popular: "I was at one game and she was the loudest person in the stadium," said one Israeli football writer.

"There were times when she couldn't go to matches because the fans vented their anger on her. But when Avram got it wrong, she sometimes joined the fans, cursed him and shouted: 'Make some substitutions now you b*****d.'" Between her and Roman Abramovich, you really do have to feel sorry for poor Avram, don't you? However, he does have her full support apparently: "I have been strongly and emotionally involved with the results of these matches for nearly 15 years," she said. "My only happiness is to accompany my husband in these moments." And drinking urine...


We'll have to wait and see what the Chelsea fans make of Tzofit - if her husband is manager there long enough - but they certainly didn't take too kindly to the Norwegian minister of cultural and church affairs when he visited Stamford Bridge. Trond Giske was at the Rosenborg game last week along with shipping tycoon John Fredriksen, and when they cheered the opening goal by Mika Koppinen, the home fans around them turned on them, chanting 'Go home, go home', according to reports.

The Norwegians fled and were moved somewhere more friendly, which wasn't difficult as so few Chelsea fans actually bothered going to the game anyway. "We interpreted the situation as a bit unsafe," Giske said. "We were 40 Norwegians in the middle of a Chelsea tribune, at half time we were given quieter seats at our own request." Luckily for them, Tzofit Grant might not have bothered attending that game, before her husband took charge of the team, otherwise there might not have been any quiet seats anywhere.

Of course, being Chelsea manager means that Grant can get used to playing a real-life version of Football Manager, splashing the cash to assemble a team of global superstars. But even he couldn't manage to get a line-up like this: Cristiano Ronaldo, Ronaldinho, Jamie Carragher, Dani Alves, Cafu, Michael Essien, Ruud van Nistelrooy, Steven Gerrard, Thierry Henry, John Terry, Lionel Messi, Kaka, Iker Casillas, Fabio Cannavaro, Hernan Crespo, Petr Cech and Wayne Rooney.

That might sound like a dream team rather than a real one, but it's the squad list for Lynam Athletic club in the Birmingham Coronation League Alliance Division 3. They first became famous when they entered Carling Pub Football's awards in the Team Most in Need of Help category, and won. Getting a training session with Plymouth boss Ian Holloway was their next step on the road to glory, and now the players have all legally changed their names by deed poll to those superstar names you saw above.

It was all the idea of player-manager Cafu (formally known as Dan Branch) in a local pub: "Whoever thought you would see Henry, Messi and Gerrard play together in a Birmingham park on a wet and windy Sunday?" Captain John Terry added: "It's going to be tough against the Iron Horse at the weekend as its Ronaldinho's birthday on Saturday. We're not in the best shape as both Thierry and Ruud smoke about 20 a day and Gerrard is always half cut on a Sunday - nothing like their namesakes."

When Sir Alex Ferguson was picking out which bottle of wine to serve up after Manchester United's match with Chelsea this Sunday, he could not have expected that it wouldn't be Jose Mourinho he would be sharing it with. Instead, he will be offering a glass to Avram Grant, who has taken over at Stamford Bridge after the shock departure of The Special One this week, and it is not just his choice of wine that will be giving Ferguson extra consideration in the build-up.


He will have to wonder just what kind of Chelsea will show up at Old Trafford, because it will surely be a different beast to that which he would have expected had Mourinho still been in charge. Indeed, it has to be different, because Grant has been brought in to change the way Chelsea play, to make them more like Roman Abramovich wants them to be, which is to say, more like Manchester United. Or at least the United Abramovich saw in that legendary Champions League epic against Real Madrid, the game that reportedly convinced the Russian to splash out on a football club of his own.

Grant won't be expected to mould the team into a stylish winning machine after just a couple of days in the job, but neither can he afford a morale-sapping defeat in his first game in charge, particularly with the club already on a downer after some poor results and particularly that sparsely-attended Champions League draw with Rosenborg on Tuesday night. Picking his new players up and turning them into a team who can go to Old Trafford and win with style is a big ask, but he'll have to get used to that.

The need to balance entertainment with success was something that was weighing heavily on Mourinho's shoulders this season, with the opening day 3-2 win over Birmingham City a sign that he was willing to at least try and appease his boss, but after a 1-1 draw at Anfield, the old pragmatism re-emerged with a 1-0 win at home to Portsmouth that left Abramovich highly displeased. When he stormed out of his seat during a 2-0 defeat at Villa Park, it was clear that Mourinho was getting close to exhausting the grace he had earned by winning so many trophies.

The final straw for all concerned was a dull Champions League draw this week, with Stamford Bridge only half-full as even the fans decided that it wasn't worth turning up. With Abramovich and Peter Kenyon still looking to get Chelsea actually creating money rather than using it up, having the fans turned off by the style of football just wasn't an option. But at the end of the day, it was all down to Abramovich, with Chelsea being his plaything. If he had wanted to watch chess matches, he would have bought a chess club. He wanted entertainment and Mourinho just wasn't the man to provide it.

What he did bring was success and plenty of it, though not the European domination that his boss craved. Grant needs to somehow combine the strength and efficiency of Mourinho's Chelsea with the excitement and flair that won Man United the league last season, and that is a very tall order indeed. This weekend will give us an idea of how he will go about it, but he could hardly have a more difficult start. The irony of the situation is that he'll be going to Old Trafford to face a United team currently grinding out 1-0 wins in true Mourinho fashion.
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United are yet to score more than one goal in a game so far this season, scoring just six goals in eight games, but they have only conceded three in that time, so they will not be easy to break down for a side also struggling for goals. More worrying for Chelsea is that Cristiano Ronaldo showed signs of coming into form in Lisbon on Wednesday, while Ferguson now has Wayne Rooney, Carlos Tevez and Louis Saha all available to play up front, so surely this run of goal-shy performances cannot last.

If they snap into form on Sunday and comfortably beat Grant's Chelsea, Abramovich will certainly not enjoy it as much as that trip to Old Trafford back in April 2004 when United beat Real Madrid 4-3 (but were still eliminated from the Champions League). Nor would the Chelsea fans, who are unlikely to be swayed from their devotion to their manager, despite the poor attendance in midweek. Chelsea are entering a new era, but whether it is a brave new dawn or the beginning of the end for Roman's Revolution, we'll have to wait and see.

Be honest, you didn't think it would end like this, did you? Jose Mourinho, you probably thought, would go down swinging; it would be a toe-to-toe confrontation - public and hysterical - replete with bitter accusations, players and staff polarised, Roman blatantly bringing Ramos or Hiddink to watch a game, and Jose telling packed press conferences that the players played for him, not the board.

Instead Jose Mourinho's departure from Chelsea came swiftly and almost without warning. Yes, his side had made a poor start to the season. Yes, the rifts that had opened over the past two seasons between Mourinho and his boss had not been repaired. But even so, Mourinho's departure so early into the new season must rank as one of the biggest shocks in football in many years. So what now for his Chelsea team? We look at three possible outcomes for Chelsea after the Special One, based around the fortunes of clubs who've wielded the axe in similarly surprising fashion before.


THE REAL MADRID SCENARIO

Appoint anyone who won't cause too much fuss and sack them when you get bored; that's the Real Madrid way. It would work for Roman because he sees a head coach as just one employee on the team of football specialists, not the all-powerful authority they have traditionally been in England. At Madrid the President rules the roost, buys the big players and appoints some hapless ex-pro with instructions to make the superstars dance. In the past decade characters as unlikely as Vincente Del Bosque, Mariano García Remon, Vanderlei Luxemburgo and Juan Ramón López Caro have been put in charge of the first team, while it has been widely acknowledged that the players run things. In that time Madrid have seen success, but haven't won the Champions League since 2002.

How it would work at Chelsea: Roman would appoint young well-known coaches - Deschamps, Matthaus, Koeman - and expect them to work with more experienced advisers and accept that he was in overall control. Given the lack of control over playing style and personnel they would last a season, maybe two and bring domestic success but fail to secure the Champions League.

THE NEWCASTLE UNITED SCENARIO

Massive local support, star players and stacks of cash have all been in evidence at Newcastle since their return to the top flight of English football. Patience has not. The club's inability to turn money into silverware means Newcastle are on their seventh coach in ten years and they stand as a cautionary tale of what happens when the board make mistakes and the coach takes the flak.


Chelsea should be able to avoid some of the errors Newcastle have made; for a start their scouting network should ensure they don't end up with some of the duds Newcastle have bought. Equally, it's unlikely that Roman Abramovich is going to appoint Graeme Souness at Stamford Bridge. However, Newcastle have had two of their dream managers - Kevin Keegan and Sir Bobby Robson - and it still hasn't led to success. Chelsea could easily end up this way; demanding attacking football and excitement for the money spent but ending up sacking one seemingly perfect coach after another in a desperate attempt to secure some silverware.

How it would work at Chelsea: Roman would bring in a Chelsea legend - Zola perhaps, or Desailly - and promise attacking, expansive and successful football. Unable to produce consistency under such pressure the legend lasts two seasons before Abramovich brings in a vastly experienced taskmaster - such as Marcello Lippi. He steadies the ship but the fans are turned off by the football and so he is sacked - and the cycle starts again.

THE BARCELONA SCENARIO

This is obviously the sort of outcome the Chelsea board had in mind when they forced out Mourinho. Four years ago Barcelona, despite all their money, history and support, were struggling massively. The second spell with Louis van Gaal as coach had ended in failure, Ronaldo had left and had been followed by Luis Figo, and they hadn't won a thing since 1999. However, having dismissed an egotistical coach who belief in his own ability and refusal to compromise (remind you of anyone?) Barcelona's resurgence began. Van Gaal wasn't necessarily a bad coach, he was just a bad coach for Barcelona and by bringing in a younger, more flexible coach with a track record of playing at the highest level Barcelona began a process that has seen them win two Spanish League titles and the Champions League.

How it would work at Chelsea: Roman would take advice and seek out the best coach for his club (rather than the best coach per se), give him the financial backing to put his own team together and back his decisions even if they didn't lead to immediate success.

Jose Mourinho has hinted he will make a swift return to management following his departure from Chelsea.

Mourinho, 44, left Stamford Bridge in a shock move on Wednesday evening and agreed a settlement package with the Blues board 24 hours later to formally bring the curtain down on his three-and-a-half year reign.


The former FC Porto coach has already been linked with a host of clubs across Europe and also the Portugal national post and Mourinho has suggested he will be back in football sooner rather than later.

"I am waiting for the phone calls. I want to enjoy my life but I want to work," he said.

Should Mourinho stay in England then the Tottenham job has been mentioned as a possibility.

Current Spurs boss Martin Jol continues to be under pressure after a below-par start to the season, however, speaking after Thursday's 6-1 UEFA Cup win over Anorthosis Famagusta, the Dutchman was in complimentary mood.

"He's a great man and great manager," said Jol.

"He thought he was the 'Special One' and in his case it was probably true.

"I always liked to watch him. He's a character and sadly he's not there any more.


"Hopefully he stays in England, but if not all credit to him because he's given the Chelsea supporters a lot of joy."

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Another weekend of Premier League football comes and another previous league leader falls by the wayside. If only the title race was this unpredictable all through the season. Manchester City were top not so long ago, but went on to lose their next two games, getting replaced by Chelsea who lost the following weekend at Aston Villa. Liverpool took their place, but a 0-0 draw at Portsmouth this weekend means that they only held top spot for one round of fixtures.

EMMANUEL ADEBAYOR

Arsenal are there now, but can they hold onto the proverbial hot potato or will they stumble next weekend and give us another new leader? All this certainly proves that we are still at a very early stage of the title race and that nothing can be taken for granted yet, other than that the Big Four are still the most likely teams to have a chance of lasting the pace. It's no coincidence that they are all in the top five already, with only Man City still up there from the outsiders.

When Liverpool went top before the international break, it was seen as a sign that they are genuine title contenders this season, and while that is certainly the case, Rafa Benitez showed this weekend why they might still eventually fall by the wayside. Outraged by a conspiracy against his team in football's corridors of power with regards to fixture scheduling, he chose Fratton Park as the place where he would tinker with his team, leaving out Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres. And paid the price.

He probably felt some kind of satisfaction from being proved right about his complaints about Liverpool having to play so early on a Saturday after an international break, and no doubt his selection was influenced by the upcoming Champions League game, but you can't have it both ways. How many more players would he have rested if Liverpool had been playing at 4pm on a Sunday and then again on Tuesday? They might even have lost the game.

Of course, Liverpool do have a very large and talented squad, but they will only have a chance of winning the title if he rotates well and manages to get his many disparate players all slotting in well together. Either that or he has to accept that he might not be able to keep on resting his key players in the league to make sure they are fresh and ready for the Champions League, which still seems to be his priority. At the very least he needs to know when to rotate, with next weekend's home tie with Birmingham a much more comfortable fixture than the always tricky trip to Fratton Park.

So, the Reds lost their grip on top spot after just a game, but they will hope to avoid the two-game jinx that affected their predecessors. Man City lost their next two games and while Chelsea avoided a home defeat to Blackburn on Saturday, they did fail to win, and Jose Mourinho's extravagant protestations after Salomon Kalou's goal was disallowed told its own story. He is under pressure at the moment, with Roman Abramovich demanding that Chelsea both play attractive football and win, with Mourinho's men currently doing neither.

By waving a laptop around and suggesting that the assistant referee should give him a call sometimes, Mourinho managed to turn the focus away from his own situation and onto his melodramatic antics once again, but deep down he knows that he faces an important week in Europe and at Old Trafford next weekend. If Chelsea play dour football and lose to United, Abramovich will be fuming because this is not what he has spent so much money for, having been enticed into football by watching a thriller at Old Trafford a few years back.

Not that he would be much more entertained if he had bought United based on their form at the moment. Having played well and failed to win their first three games, Sir Alex Ferguson has turned United into a very pragmatic team indeed in their last three, all of which have been won 1-0 with second half goals immediately followed by defensive substituations and a degree of relief at the final whistle. With Louis Saha strangely left out of the starting line-up, Carlos Tevez was still lacking a partner up front and United still looked toothless.

The same of course can't be said for Arsenal, who once again went behind at White Hart Lane and once again came back to take something from the game to maintain their excellent form in North London derbies. Thierry Henry's name is certainly not being used to highlight anything that might be missing from the Arsenal, erm, arsenal anymore, with Cesc Fabregas assuming his mantle as the team's talisman and Robin van Persie and Emmanuel Adebayor working well together up front. The only question remaining is will they be able to break the curse of top spot?

Goal of the Weekend - Emmanuel Adebayor vs Spurs - The turn and volley was somewhat reminiscent of a Didier Drogba goal last season and Arsenal will be hoping that Adebayor can enjoy a similarly improved campaign this year as Drogba did in his second season.

Performance of the Weekend - Sunderland vs Reading - Emotions were running high at Sunderland as the Stadium Of Light paid tribute to club great Ian Porterfield, and the team were suitably inspired on to a very good win over Reading, with Kenywne Jones particularly impressive.

Moment of the Weekend - Darren Bent's miss against Arsenal - Unless you're an Arsenal fan, it was a real 'watch through your fingers' moment as the expensive Spurs striker was put clean through with his side 2-1 down, only to skew his shot badly and embarassingly wide.

Quote of the Weekend - "I can't take many positives out of this game at all. It was the most disappointing performance of the season so far." - Considering how wretched Bolton have been so far this season, Sammy Lee's appraisal of their defeat at Birmingham doesn't bode well...

Happily for all fans of England they recorded a fine 3-0 win over Russia
on Wednesday night but sadly for me the other part of my bet the under 2.5
goals part was ruined not for the first time by a Man Utd player (I speak
as a life long Gooner!!) but still a profit was made and that's the name
of the game!

For today's bet in am going into League 1 for what I hope will be another
winner.

Tranmere to beat Luton Lge 1

Could be that this game provides a bit of value tonight. Tranmere who are
2nd in the league at this early stage take on Luton in 10th.

At this early stage of the day Tranmere are 5/4 best price with Blue
Square to win tonight's encounter at Prenton Park. In the 5 games they
have played so far they have won 3 drawn 1 and lost 1 scoring 7 and
conceding 3, and the 2 home games they have played saw them lose to Leeds
in the first game of the season to a goal in the 89th minute and beat
Brighton 2-0 in their last home league match.

Luton have started the season 2 wins I draw and 2 defeats in the league,
they have scored 7 and conceded 7 in that time and the 2 defeats they have
suffered have been on the road losing 2-1 at Swindon and 1-0 at Leeds
though they did record a 2-1 win on the road at Dagenham and Redbridge in
the Carling Cup.

The last 6 head to head games between the 2 clubs do not offer much in the
way of guidance though it does tend to indicate that tonight's game may
not have many goals in it.

Jan 29, 05 League One Luton Town 1 - 1 Tranmere Rovers
Oct 2, 04 League One Tranmere Rovers 1 - 1 Luton Town
Apr 10, 04 League One Tranmere Rovers 1 - 0 Luton Town
Oct 6, 03 League One Luton Town 3 - 1 Tranmere Rovers
Apr 5, 03 League One Luton Town 0 - 0 Tranmere Rovers
Nov 30, 02 League One Tranmere Rovers 1 - 3 Luton Town

Team news is that Tranmere will be without striker Calvin Zola with a
hamstring injury and John Mullins who has a damaged ankle, but on the
brighter side Winger Chris Shuker and forward Chris Greenacre should
recover from knocks and be fit to play.

For me Greenacre is the key to this match as he is a proven goalscorer at
this level and if Luton hope to get anything out of tonight's match they
must find a way of keeping the big man quiet.

Luton's only injury concern is to forward Sam Parkin who is definitely out.

I expect Tranmere to make full use of home advantage tonight and get the 3
points which will take them level on points with Leyton Orient at the top
of the table.

I will also take heed of the head to head record between these 2 sides and
have a small investment on the less than 2.5 goal market which Expekt
bookmakers are offering ¾ on that outcome.

Good Luck

Silverfox.

England to beat Russia Euro 2008 Qualifier.

This is a crucial match for England if they want to qualify for the 2008
Euros. Anything but a win tonight against the Russians will cast doubts
over England's chances with games to come against Estonia (H), Russia (A),
and Croatia (H).

The group situation at the moment is that Croatia who are away to Andorra
today top the group with 20 points from eight matches followed by Russia
on 18, England are level on 17 points with Israel who have played one game
more. So as you can see things could not be closer.

England produced what I felt was their best performance under McLaren on
Saturday when defeating Israel 3-0 at Wembley despite being without the
likes of Beckham, Lampard and Rooney.

The England team have for me come under a lot of criticism lately which I
feel is unfair, they have a good solid squad that though lacking a true
star is a solid well organised team.

Tonight will be a stiff test for England as the Russians under coach Gus
Hiddink have become a well organised side that is hard to break down they
also contain many talented players such as Alexei Berezutskiy (CSKA
Moscow), Vasily Berezutskiy (CSKA Moscow) and Sergey Ignachevish (CSKA
Moscow), Moscow), Andrey Arshavin (Zenit St.Petersburg), Alexander
Kerzhakov (Sevilla, Spain) who will miss tonight's game, and Dimitry
Sychev (Lokomotiv Moscow).

Kerzhakov will be a big miss for Russia as he has scored 5 goals in
qualifying including one at the weekend in the 3-0 win at home to
Macedonia a game where Russia scored twice in the last 6 minutes to give
the score line a hint of respectability.

To highlight England's task tonight it is worth noting that in the 8 games
Russia have played in the qualifiers so far they have won 5 drawn 3 and
lost none scoring 14 goals in that time and conceding only 1 goal to
Israel in the home match last year.

They have played group leaders Croatia twice already drawing 0-0 on both
occasions so they will be a hard team to break down. At best price 3/5 I
am going to go for an England win as I feel the players will have been
encouraged by their performance Saturday and they know the importance of 3
points tonight especially given the fact that of the 3 teams fighting for
the 2 qualifying slots Russia seem to have a better run in with a home
game on Spartak Moscow's artificial pitch to come in the return against
England then 2 away games in Israel and Andorra.

I cannot see a lot of goals in tonight's encounter and so will also be
going for an under 2.5 goals bet again at best price 3/5 with a couple of
bookmakers.

Good Luck,

Silverfox

Have not had much to bet on in the last couple of days but at least the
last bet got us a winner and I hope some of you were on, but on to today
and a game in League 1.

Brighton (10th) to beat Millwall (16th) League 1

After 4 games Brighton have won 2 and lost 2 of their league games with
both wins coming at the Withdean a 2-1 defeat of Northampton was followed
up by a 3-2 defeat of Southend and I feel they can make it a hat trick of
wins tonight when they entertain Millwall.

Millwall have started the new season slowly and have disappointed many who
thought they would be among the early pacesetters in the push for
promotion to the Championship.

Their league record so far is 1 win 1 draw and 2 defeats with their 2 away
games seeing them draw 0-0 at Doncaster and lose 1-0 at Southend, they
also lost 3-2 in midweek at Swansea in the Johnstone`s Paints Trophy.

At 5/4 I feel Brighton offer a bit of value tonight those a word of
caution should be noted if you are a follower of the head to head records
between clubs.

Jan 13, 07 League One Brighton & Hove... 0 - 1 Millwall FC
Nov 28, 06 LDV Vans Millwall FC1-1 Brighton & Hove...(Brighton on Pens)
Sep 9, 06 League One Millwall FC 0 - 1 Brighton & Hove...
Apr 1, 06 Championship... Millwall FC 0 - 2 Brighton & Hove...
Dec 31, 05 Championship... Brighton & Hove... 1 - 2 Millwall FC
Feb 26, 05 Championship... Brighton & Hove... 1 - 0 Millwall FC
Dec 11, 04 Championship... Millwall FC 2 - 0 Brighton & Hove...
Feb 22, 03 Championship... Brighton & Hove... 1 - 0 Millwall FC
Sep 7, 02 Championship... Millwall FC 1 - 0 Brighton & Hove...

One stat I will be taking out of the head 2 head record is the fact that
in the last 8 games these two sides have only been able to break the 2.5
goal mark on one occasion when Millwall won at Brighton on New Years Eve
2005.

Betfred are best price 4/5 for fewer than 2.5 goals tonight and I will be
having a punt on that particular market.

Early team news is that Andrew Whing returns from suspension, for Brighton
whilst On-loan Jamie O'Hara is the only new absentee for Millwall as he
serves a one-match suspension whilst keeper Lenny Pidgeley (back and toe)
is still missing and Tom Brighton (foot) is out, but Richard Shaw, Daniel
Spiller, Neil Harris and Dave Brammer all return.

As always good luck,

Silverfox

Have not had much to bet on in the last couple of days but at least the
last bet got us a winner and I hope some of you were on, but on to today
and a game in League 1.

Brighton (10th) to beat Millwall (16th) League 1

After 4 games Brighton have won 2 and lost 2 of their league games with
both wins coming at the Withdean a 2-1 defeat of Northampton was followed
up by a 3-2 defeat of Southend and I feel they can make it a hat trick of
wins tonight when they entertain Millwall.

Millwall have started the new season slowly and have disappointed many who
thought they would be among the early pacesetters in the push for
promotion to the Championship.

Their league record so far is 1 win 1 draw and 2 defeats with their 2 away
games seeing them draw 0-0 at Doncaster and lose 1-0 at Southend, they
also lost 3-2 in midweek at Swansea in the Johnstone`s Paints Trophy.

At 5/4 I feel Brighton offer a bit of value tonight those a word of
caution should be noted if you are a follower of the head to head records
between clubs.

Jan 13, 07 League One Brighton & Hove... 0 - 1 Millwall FC
Nov 28, 06 LDV Vans Millwall FC1-1 Brighton & Hove...(Brighton on Pens)
Sep 9, 06 League One Millwall FC 0 - 1 Brighton & Hove...
Apr 1, 06 Championship... Millwall FC 0 - 2 Brighton & Hove...
Dec 31, 05 Championship... Brighton & Hove... 1 - 2 Millwall FC
Feb 26, 05 Championship... Brighton & Hove... 1 - 0 Millwall FC
Dec 11, 04 Championship... Millwall FC 2 - 0 Brighton & Hove...
Feb 22, 03 Championship... Brighton & Hove... 1 - 0 Millwall FC
Sep 7, 02 Championship... Millwall FC 1 - 0 Brighton & Hove...

One stat I will be taking out of the head 2 head record is the fact that
in the last 8 games these two sides have only been able to break the 2.5
goal mark on one occasion when Millwall won at Brighton on New Years Eve
2005.

Betfred are best price 4/5 for fewer than 2.5 goals tonight and I will be
having a punt on that particular market.

Early team news is that Andrew Whing returns from suspension, for Brighton
whilst On-loan Jamie O'Hara is the only new absentee for Millwall as he
serves a one-match suspension whilst keeper Lenny Pidgeley (back and toe)
is still missing and Tom Brighton (foot) is out, but Richard Shaw, Daniel
Spiller, Neil Harris and Dave Brammer all return.

As always good luck,

Silverfox

Droylsden v. Stevenage Blue Square Prem

Droylsden were promoted to the Blue Square Premiership at the end of last
season and have made a slow start to the season with only 2 points in the
first 6 matches and their last game was a 2-1 home defeat to Grays.

Stevenage on the other hand have started the season well and are 2nd one
point behind leaders Torquay at this early stage they have 4 wins I draw
and 1 defeat to show for their efforts so far and the only blot on their
record was a 2-1 defeat at Crawley.

I have had an ante post bet on Stevenage to win the Blue Square Prem this
season as they have a settled squad and have gone about tightening a
defence that conceded 66 goals last term when they finished 8th.
Goals were not a problem last year with 76 being scored in the league and
if they can just tighten up at the back they will be sure to challenge for
promotion to League 2.

They showed signs of this in their last game at Ebbs fleet (formerly
Gravesend) when they came away with a 1-0 win.

To be fair to Droylsden the fixture computer could have been kinder with
them having to face the likes of Aldershot, Halifax, Exeter and Grays so
early on in the season but I feel their focus will be on survival at this
level for the coming season and that Stevenage just have the edge for
tonight's match.

Both sides look set to name unchanged teams for tonight's game and at
10/11 I feel Stevenage are a good bet to get the win tonight in what I
also feel will be a low scoring match.

After last nights disappointing result I am going to the French league to
try to find a winner tonight.

Valenciennes who sits proudly in 3rd place in the league takes on bottom
side Metz. Valenciennes is equal on points with Nancy and Monaco but both
have better goal difference then Valenciennes.

I opposed Valenciennes earlier in the week to my cost when they went to
Lorient another side who have made a bright start to the season and beat
them 3-1.

I am not going to make the same mistake again! Valenciennes is 4/5 with
William Hill tonight for the win and that is good enough for me. They have
played 3 home games this season winning all of them whilst scoring 8 and
conceding 3. They have beaten Sochaux and Toulouse 3-1 and Marseille 2-1
in those games.

Metz meanwhile have only a 0-0 home draw to PSG to show for their efforts
this season and in their 3 away games to date have lost 2-0 to Rennes,2-0
to Monaco and 1-0 to Le Mans so could not have made a worse start to their
campaign.

Valenciennes do concede their fair share of goals however so the other bet
i am going for is an over 2.5 goals bet in the hope that Metz can break
their goal duck away from home and that the end result could be a 2-1 or
3-1 score line a price of 6/5 generally cannot be ignored.

Good Luck and happy punting,

Silverfox