Relegation Odds

Crystal Palace 8/15
Hull City 4/7
Cardiff City 6/4
Norwich City 11/4
Stoke City 11/4
Sunderland 11/2
Fulham 7/1
West Ham United 7/1
Swansea City 7/1
Aston Villa 7/1
Southampton 8/1
WBA 8/1
Newcastle United 15/2
Everton 25/1
Liverpool 100/1
Tottenham 350/1
Arsenal 2000/1
Chelsea 2000/1
Manchester City 2000/1
Man Utd 2000/1

The bookies are usually not far away. Tells you how close it is and how important it is to get off to a solid start. Otherwise you quickly get entrenched in the lower reaches.

You can get odds of 33/1 for Palace, Cardiff and Sunderland to be the bottom three which is a canny bet. I think Palace and Cardiff might struggle to get the quality in their ranks. Hull maybe likewise but Bruce has a history of picking up obscure talent. Sunderland could go either way and with PDC you have a big possibility of internal problems because he is temperamental. He is liable to throw hissy fits and when you have hoards of new talent with no real connection with the club, that could spell trouble. I think they'll need to hit their straps early. Equally if they get a good start they could get the feel good factor going and get on a roll.

Strangely Victor don't offer odds for us in their relegation treble permutations? While I think we have quality better than our position last year suggested and don't have the same demands to deal with, we were in the mire right up till the run in. With the ill feeling still lingering among much of the support, if we get off to a poor start (given we have a likely ridiculously strong Citeh first in honeymoon mode), then the pressure could build quickly. I'd just have been interested to see some possible odds.

I don't think you can discount any team outside the top 7. Even Everton could face problems as Martinez is an unknown and will have to try and change things to suit him. The likes of Norwich, Sunderland, Southampton, Swansea, West Ham seem to having a large turnover of staff and a couple have fairly new unproven managers. It could go either way.

I might have a little on the 33/1 treble of Palace, Cardiff, Sunderland

 

I might put a few pound on us, we're bound to stay up that way.

 

True, the weight of your pounds can take down any bet. Get your cash on. My mate is talking about backing them again. He lost £100 to the bookies last year, and £40 to me after being so depressed he became convinced.

 

Personally, if we add the right players on top of having no European games, I think we could have a good season.

 

I think we will. I just think there are some negative thoughts still lingering on for some, and next season is proving difficult to leave behind. I think we have a good squad which is just a bit unbalanced. Buy two attacking options and you're looking at a quality squad. We shouldn't underestimate how tough Europe was and the impact it had. We also bought 3 French internationals of undoubted quality in January, and they have had 5 months of football and full pre season to adapt. Then we had a couple of good looking players in Gouffran and Haidara.

I think we might surprise a few people.

 

Might have a few pounds on Hull though to cover myself.

 

Aye but Bruce is a man on a mission as he is still raging with his treatment by Blunderland. I could see them pulling it off and then reality hitting home next season.

 

I've got a hot line to Bruce, my money will be on Hull.

 

The odds are very good, but the goods are very odd.

I think we'll struggle unless we sign 3 or 4 really good players.

15/2? Hmm...

 

It's a good trading market on Betfair. I've laid the relegation between 9.8 and 10.0 on Betfair and now that the price is moving out, i.e. rising, I am looking to back the relegation for a profit no matter what the end of season result is.

Anyway, the general price trend is upwards but it may not exceed 13s to back the relegation until the season starts, but there's good scalping opportunities at the moment (lay at 11.5 and back at 12). Okay the winnings won't be returned until the end of the season but the stake won't be locked away which is good.

I'm also doing the same with West Ham; their price for relegation is climbing and this should be a good little scalp too.

 

It tends to be the bookies that do the scalping.

 

I've had £20 on Joe to win the Open Championship at Muirfield, as a 23 time major winner I reckon he's got the experience. I was talking to him last night and he's only taking half a set of clubs and one golf ball with him so he's extremely confident.

 

Thanks Jim starting Monday with a laugh.

 

!

 

Scalping, as in getting a trade of a point or two profit as the price moves.

Most of the money on these markets will be traders; the bookies are only the brokers.

 

I heard he was taking a driver and a putter with him, he didn't feel it was worth taking more than that just for show.