After last week's shocking set of predictions with only a 25% success rate I am going for ten forecasts this week and hope that I have more success!
As with the last couple of weeks the three sports I am choosing are Football (FA Cup Fourth Round), Rugby Union (Heineken Cup last round of pool matches) and the AFC and NFC Championship games in American Football.
Starting with the FA Cup I am going for a home win between two of the form sides in the premier league as Everton host Birmingham. Some of my earliest memories of this competition were Southampton and Ipswich winning in the late seventies and these teams meet on the South Coast today. Both these teams have fallen away in recent years from their past achievements and I am going for as draw in this match. Leeds caused the shock of the last round with their defeat of Manchester United at Old Trafford but they have struggled since that triumph and though Spurs have also struggled since the last round I am going for the home side to prevail in this match. My final prediction is another all premiership tie as Stoke host league leaders Arsenal and my forecast here is for an away win.
The quarter-finalists for the Heineken Cup will become apparent of this week's round of matches and I have four predictions for this weekend, three of which are risky as they are for away wins. Firstly I am going for Leicester to triumph in South Wales at the Ospreys, for Cardiff to win at Harlequins and for Gloucester to do the same at the Dragons. Perhaps the most intriguing match is last year's champions Leinster visiting London Irish and though close to call my thinking is the home side will prevail.
Finally, it is the AFC and NFC Championship games in the NFL (American Football) this weekend. The form teams for most of the season have been the Colts and the Saints. Whilst I think the Colts will defeat the Jets in the AFC, I am going for the Vikings to upset the Saints in New Orleans in the NFC game, but then my predictions in this sport to date have been mostly off the mark!
In summary the predictions are:
FA Cup Fourth Round
Everton to beat Birmingham at 4/5
Southampton to draw with Ipswich at 12/5
Spurs to beat Leads at 1/3
Arsenal to beat Stoke at 10/11
Heineken Cup
Leicester to win at the Ospreys at 5/4
London Irish to beat Leinster at 8/5
Cardiff to win versus Harlequins at 5/3
Gloucester to beat the Dragons at 7/5
American Football
Colts to beat the Jets in the AFC Championship at 3/10
Vikings to win the NFC Championship by beating the Saints at 17/10
Saturday, 23 January 2010
What a load of rubbish!
Last week's predictions were probably the worst ever as I only managed two out of eight correct forecasts. This led to a loss of £3.50 on the week and means an accumulated loss of £13 going forward.
The two correct predictions were Stoke and Liverpool drawing in the Barclay's Premier League and Cardiff winning against Sale in the Heineken Cup rugby. I showed my complete lack of knowledge of American Football with neither prediction being correct.
Let's hope I am more successful this week, though it will be hard to be as bad!
The two correct predictions were Stoke and Liverpool drawing in the Barclay's Premier League and Cardiff winning against Sale in the Heineken Cup rugby. I showed my complete lack of knowledge of American Football with neither prediction being correct.
Let's hope I am more successful this week, though it will be hard to be as bad!
Saturday, 16 January 2010
More Choice This Week
With the slight improvement in the weather there is more sport on this week and so have been able to find eight predictions for the weekend.
Whilst I should make a prediction on the final cricket test between South Africa and England I can't bring myself to predict a win for the Proteas so am not going to make a forecast here. Instead I am sticking with the usual sports of football and rugby union, with a couple of predictions in American Football as well.
In the Barclays Premier League there is nearly a full programme this weekend and my first prediction is Tottenham to beat Hull and then I am going for three draws in the games between Stoke and Liverpool, Everton and Manchester City as well as Bolton who host Arsenal tomorrow.
In rugby union the Heineken Cup returns and I have to admit that most of the games aren't offering very good odds as they look fairly predictable. Cardiff should be Sale at home and then my other prediction is also from Wales but I am going for the in-form London Irish to triumph at the Llanelli Scarlets.
Finally as the American Football season gets to the sharp end I am making two predictions for this sport. Firstly I am going for the Cowboys to beat the Vikings and secondly the Chargers to prevail over the Jets in San Diego.
In summary the predictions are as follows:
Premier League Football
Tottenham to beat Hull at 2/7
Stoke to draw with Liverpool at 23/10
Everton to draw with Manchester City at 12/5
Bolton to draw with Arsenal at 10/3
Heineken Cup Rugby
Cardiff to beat Sale at 2/5
London Irish to beat Llanelli at 1/2
American Football
Cowboys to beat the Vikings at 5/4
Chargers to beat the Jets at 1/3
Whilst I should make a prediction on the final cricket test between South Africa and England I can't bring myself to predict a win for the Proteas so am not going to make a forecast here. Instead I am sticking with the usual sports of football and rugby union, with a couple of predictions in American Football as well.
In the Barclays Premier League there is nearly a full programme this weekend and my first prediction is Tottenham to beat Hull and then I am going for three draws in the games between Stoke and Liverpool, Everton and Manchester City as well as Bolton who host Arsenal tomorrow.
In rugby union the Heineken Cup returns and I have to admit that most of the games aren't offering very good odds as they look fairly predictable. Cardiff should be Sale at home and then my other prediction is also from Wales but I am going for the in-form London Irish to triumph at the Llanelli Scarlets.
Finally as the American Football season gets to the sharp end I am making two predictions for this sport. Firstly I am going for the Cowboys to beat the Vikings and secondly the Chargers to prevail over the Jets in San Diego.
In summary the predictions are as follows:
Premier League Football
Tottenham to beat Hull at 2/7
Stoke to draw with Liverpool at 23/10
Everton to draw with Manchester City at 12/5
Bolton to draw with Arsenal at 10/3
Heineken Cup Rugby
Cardiff to beat Sale at 2/5
London Irish to beat Llanelli at 1/2
American Football
Cowboys to beat the Vikings at 5/4
Chargers to beat the Jets at 1/3
A small profit last week
There were only five predictions last week and I only managed two correct but it did lead to a small profit meaning my loss is down to £9.50 since the blog started.
The correct results were Leicester beating Wasps in the premier league rugby and Birmingham and Manchester United drawing in the football premiership. Both my American football predictions were wrong though the Packers v Cardinals game could have gone either way!
The correct results were Leicester beating Wasps in the premier league rugby and Birmingham and Manchester United drawing in the football premiership. Both my American football predictions were wrong though the Packers v Cardinals game could have gone either way!
Saturday, 9 January 2010
Sport's program decimated by weather but some predictions anyway
The snow, ice and general poor weather in Britain has decimated the sporting programme for the weekend but I have found a few predictions to make.is
In football only two premier league matches are taking place this weekend but they do involve the second and third placed teams. In Birmingham Manchester United visit the form team at St Andrews and whilst United will bounce back from last week's shock defeat in the FA Cup I am going for a draw in this match. At the Emirates Arsenal host Everton and my forecast is for a home win as Arsenal demonstrate they are true title challengers.
Only one game goes ahead in rugby union's premier league at Leicester and I'm going for the home team to prevail over Wasps in what will probably be a close game.
In the NFL it is the play-off weekend and I'm making two predictions in this sport. Firstly for the Green Bay Packers to defeat the Cardinals and secondly for the Bengals to defeat the Jets but it is likely both games will be tight.
That's it for the week and in summary the predictions are:
Premier League Football
Arsenal to beat Everton at 2/5
Birmingham to draw with Manchester United at 3/1
Premiership Rugby
Leicester to beat Wasps at 3/10
NFL Play-offs
Packers to beat the Cardinals at 10/11
Bengals to beat the Jets at 4/5
In football only two premier league matches are taking place this weekend but they do involve the second and third placed teams. In Birmingham Manchester United visit the form team at St Andrews and whilst United will bounce back from last week's shock defeat in the FA Cup I am going for a draw in this match. At the Emirates Arsenal host Everton and my forecast is for a home win as Arsenal demonstrate they are true title challengers.
Only one game goes ahead in rugby union's premier league at Leicester and I'm going for the home team to prevail over Wasps in what will probably be a close game.
In the NFL it is the play-off weekend and I'm making two predictions in this sport. Firstly for the Green Bay Packers to defeat the Cardinals and secondly for the Bengals to defeat the Jets but it is likely both games will be tight.
That's it for the week and in summary the predictions are:
Premier League Football
Arsenal to beat Everton at 2/5
Birmingham to draw with Manchester United at 3/1
Premiership Rugby
Leicester to beat Wasps at 3/10
NFL Play-offs
Packers to beat the Cardinals at 10/11
Bengals to beat the Jets at 4/5
2010 Starts with a small profit
Four out of eight correct predictions last week but it did show a small £1 profit taking my accumulated to £10.
In the FA Cup I managed two correct forecasts with Manchester City winning at Middlesbrough and Nottingham Forest holding their premiership opponents Birmingham who did extend their unbeaten run. In the all premiership games though Aston Villa beat Blackburn and Arsenal left it late to beat West Ham who now only have their relegation fight left this season.
The rugby provided two tight games with Leicester triumphing at leaders Saracens as predicted but Northampton gaining a last gasp win at home to London Irish.
Finally, I made some predictions in the last round of the regular NFL American Football season and whilst correctly predicting the Chargers win against the Redskins the Colts were comprehensively beaten by the Bulls but still remain favourites to win the Superbowl next month.
In the FA Cup I managed two correct forecasts with Manchester City winning at Middlesbrough and Nottingham Forest holding their premiership opponents Birmingham who did extend their unbeaten run. In the all premiership games though Aston Villa beat Blackburn and Arsenal left it late to beat West Ham who now only have their relegation fight left this season.
The rugby provided two tight games with Leicester triumphing at leaders Saracens as predicted but Northampton gaining a last gasp win at home to London Irish.
Finally, I made some predictions in the last round of the regular NFL American Football season and whilst correctly predicting the Chargers win against the Redskins the Colts were comprehensively beaten by the Bulls but still remain favourites to win the Superbowl next month.
Saturday, 2 January 2010
Best of the Noughties...
The last ten years has been phenomenal in terms of records that have been set in a variety of sports and as we start a new decade I just wanted to add my appreciation to some of the great sport that has been witnessed since 2000.
It is nigh on impossible to compare the sportsmen of one era in a sport with another era for a whole host of reasons, and therefore not really realistic to compare the greats of one sport with those of another sport, but like many before me and I am sure more to follow I am going to indulge you with my thoughts in this fairly pointless endeavour.
To make any sort of comparison the only real measure has to be based on records and statistics and thankfully these are readily available. The first major sporting event of the decade were the summer Olympics in Sydney where the first of many sporting records were broken. The sport was rowing and the individual was (Sir) Steve Redgrave who won a gold medal at his fifth consecutive Olympics. This was a phenomenal achievement as winning one gold medal is regarded my many Olympians as the crowning achievement of their career but to have peaked five times over a period of sixteen years in such a physical event is just remarkable. Unfortunately, Sir Steve is the only Brit to make my list though my individual highlight of the decade was England's triumph in the 2003 Rugby World Cup in Australia - made all the more enjoyable as we beat Australia in their own backyard in the final, and one of the most enduring images was the expression on John Howard's (the Australian PM) face as he handed the trophy to Martin Johnson.
Perhaps as you would expect three of the sportsmen who have made my list hail from the United States. The first of which is Tiger Woods who first came to prominence towards the end of the 20th Century and has continued through the last decade to dominate the world of golf having retained the world number one status for much of the decade. Even though he failed to win a major in 2009 he still retained his pre-eminent status as the world's best and it surely won't take too long for him to catch and beat Jack Nicklaus' record of major wins as we enter the second decade of the 21st Century, even allowing for his recently announced self-imposed exile from the game as he sorts out other aspects of his life.
The next American is Lance Armstrong who completely rewrote the record books in perhaps the toughest sporting event of all - the Tour de France. Of course what is all the more remarkable is that all of this has been achieved after recovering from life-threatening cancer. Armstrong started his winning run in 1999 and remained unbeaten in Le Tour until his retirement in 2005. His record of seven consecutive wins eclipses the likes of Anquetil, Merckx, Hinault and Indurain all of whom won five tours and only Indurain won his title's consecutively. Then having been retired for three years he returned in 2009 to finish third in the tour to equal Raymond Poulidor's record of eight podium finishes. Perhaps the only weakness in Armstrong's achievement is that during his period of greatness his sole focus was the one race each year whilst his predecessors and competitors often competed in the other grand tours and significant races during the season.
The last of the Americans to make my list is Michael Phelps who rewrote the record books for not just his sport swimming, but the whole of Olympic history with his haul of fourteen gold medals and numerous world records. His talent first came to prominence in the Athens Olympics in 2004 when he won six golds and two bronze medals but in Beijing he did what many thought was impossible by winning all eight of the events he entered breaking Mark Spitz's 36 year old record of seven golds in one Olympics as well as the modern Olympic record of nine gold medals in total. Like Woods, Phelps has also made the news for some out of pool exploits but at just 24 and only two and a half years from the next Olympics in London it is possible that he can extend his medal haul and take the last Olympic medal record he doesn't have by taking his overall tally beyond eighteen.
My next three nominees are all European and from the world of motorsport. Sebastian Loeb from France has dominated world rallying for much of the decade having finished second in the championship by a single point in 2003 he has won the last six championships in his Citroen. As well as the record number of championships he has won more races than anyone in the sport before and more consecutively giving him just about every record in the sport, and for good measure has also a second place finish in the Le Mans 24 hour race.
The Italian Valentino Rossi has dominated the premier class of motorcycling throughout the decade with seven championships in 500cc / MotoGP through the noughties. Like Loeb he has re-written most of the records in his sport during this decade though he trails his countryman Agostini who has won eight championships in the premier class and who won seven in consecutive seasons. He also trails Agostini in one other key statistic and that is the total number of races won in all classes but in this final measure it should be remembered that riders often use to compete in multiple classes during a season. Where Rossi differs from his predecessors is his consistency, he holds the record for 23 consecutive podium finishes, and the fact that half-way through the decade he switched manufacturer teams but that made no difference to his winning streak as following three consecutive championships on a Honda he then won for the next two years on a Yamaha. All this and he is still only thirty!
One hardly needs to write anything about Michael Schumacher who in his Ferrari between 2000 and 2004 dominated the premier class of Motor Racing F1 like no-one before or since. He has won more world championships, more races, had more podium finishes etc. than any other F1 driver and in his pomp was literally unbeatable. Like many others here he first came to prominence in the 1990s with two world championships for Benetton before taking on the challenge of putting Ferrari back at the forefront of the sport - a place they hadn't been for two decades and a task that had beaten many esteemed predecessors including Nigel Mansell and Alain Prost. Of course Schumacher's success has not been without controversy but how many of the sportsmen in this list have not seen the red mist at some stage when it came to winning.
My penultimate nomination is another European who is from a country more associated with success in winter sports and not the game of tennis. Roger Federer is another to have re-written the record books in his chosen sport in the last decade and now stands pre-eminent in the list of male tennis players to win Grand Slams. What makes his achievement so outstanding is that he has won all four of the grand slams at some stage and along with Andre Agassi has done so on three surfaces. All the more impressive is the fact that this has not been done in a weak era of competition and it looked as if Rafael Nadal would prevent Federer from achieving the levels of success that he has delivered.
Finally, one man has come into sporting prominence in only the last couple of years of the decade and what's more from a small nation in comparison with all of those mentioned above. His name is Usain Bolt and in a sense making comparisons in his sport are easier than in any other - it's pretty simple really, just run faster than anyone else. This Bolt does with apparent nonchalance and consummate ease. Whilst the 100 metre world record has nudged downwards by a hundredth of a second every now and then this Jamaican has comprehensively re-written the record books by moving the 100 and 200 metre world records by tenths of a second and who knows how much further he can lower them. I ask this because the one event of 2009 that amazed me more than any other were not the new records at the World Championships but the 150 metre race he ran in Manchester where on a wet temporary track, coming back from injury he not only set a new world record but in so doing ran the last 100 metres in 8.7 seconds!
So before I announce my selected greatest of the decade, I make no apologies for not including any individuals from a team (Zidane, Beckham, Wilkinson etc.) but it is just not possible to sensibly compare them with individuals. Secondly, there are a couple of British coaches / managers who do deserve a mention for their achievements in the decade and they are Sir Alex Ferguson who could perhaps be remembered as the greatest football manager of them all and Ross Brawn who in F1 has perhaps been the most successful (if not influential) part of the sport in the last 20 years and it was brilliant to see a team with his name over the door win last year's world championship.
My top three are sportsmen of the last ten years are:
1. Usain Bolt
2. Roger Federer
3. Lance Armstrong
It is only my opinion but based on the level they have raised the bar to in their sports but also the fact that teams and technology have had less of an influence on their success than any of the others I highlighted above.
I can't wait for 2010 and the next decade of sport and what makes this even greater is that of my list only Steve Redgrave won't be competing in the decade following Schumacher's return from retirement in the last couple of weeks.
Where might the records be in 2020?
It is nigh on impossible to compare the sportsmen of one era in a sport with another era for a whole host of reasons, and therefore not really realistic to compare the greats of one sport with those of another sport, but like many before me and I am sure more to follow I am going to indulge you with my thoughts in this fairly pointless endeavour.
To make any sort of comparison the only real measure has to be based on records and statistics and thankfully these are readily available. The first major sporting event of the decade were the summer Olympics in Sydney where the first of many sporting records were broken. The sport was rowing and the individual was (Sir) Steve Redgrave who won a gold medal at his fifth consecutive Olympics. This was a phenomenal achievement as winning one gold medal is regarded my many Olympians as the crowning achievement of their career but to have peaked five times over a period of sixteen years in such a physical event is just remarkable. Unfortunately, Sir Steve is the only Brit to make my list though my individual highlight of the decade was England's triumph in the 2003 Rugby World Cup in Australia - made all the more enjoyable as we beat Australia in their own backyard in the final, and one of the most enduring images was the expression on John Howard's (the Australian PM) face as he handed the trophy to Martin Johnson.
Perhaps as you would expect three of the sportsmen who have made my list hail from the United States. The first of which is Tiger Woods who first came to prominence towards the end of the 20th Century and has continued through the last decade to dominate the world of golf having retained the world number one status for much of the decade. Even though he failed to win a major in 2009 he still retained his pre-eminent status as the world's best and it surely won't take too long for him to catch and beat Jack Nicklaus' record of major wins as we enter the second decade of the 21st Century, even allowing for his recently announced self-imposed exile from the game as he sorts out other aspects of his life.
The next American is Lance Armstrong who completely rewrote the record books in perhaps the toughest sporting event of all - the Tour de France. Of course what is all the more remarkable is that all of this has been achieved after recovering from life-threatening cancer. Armstrong started his winning run in 1999 and remained unbeaten in Le Tour until his retirement in 2005. His record of seven consecutive wins eclipses the likes of Anquetil, Merckx, Hinault and Indurain all of whom won five tours and only Indurain won his title's consecutively. Then having been retired for three years he returned in 2009 to finish third in the tour to equal Raymond Poulidor's record of eight podium finishes. Perhaps the only weakness in Armstrong's achievement is that during his period of greatness his sole focus was the one race each year whilst his predecessors and competitors often competed in the other grand tours and significant races during the season.
The last of the Americans to make my list is Michael Phelps who rewrote the record books for not just his sport swimming, but the whole of Olympic history with his haul of fourteen gold medals and numerous world records. His talent first came to prominence in the Athens Olympics in 2004 when he won six golds and two bronze medals but in Beijing he did what many thought was impossible by winning all eight of the events he entered breaking Mark Spitz's 36 year old record of seven golds in one Olympics as well as the modern Olympic record of nine gold medals in total. Like Woods, Phelps has also made the news for some out of pool exploits but at just 24 and only two and a half years from the next Olympics in London it is possible that he can extend his medal haul and take the last Olympic medal record he doesn't have by taking his overall tally beyond eighteen.
My next three nominees are all European and from the world of motorsport. Sebastian Loeb from France has dominated world rallying for much of the decade having finished second in the championship by a single point in 2003 he has won the last six championships in his Citroen. As well as the record number of championships he has won more races than anyone in the sport before and more consecutively giving him just about every record in the sport, and for good measure has also a second place finish in the Le Mans 24 hour race.
The Italian Valentino Rossi has dominated the premier class of motorcycling throughout the decade with seven championships in 500cc / MotoGP through the noughties. Like Loeb he has re-written most of the records in his sport during this decade though he trails his countryman Agostini who has won eight championships in the premier class and who won seven in consecutive seasons. He also trails Agostini in one other key statistic and that is the total number of races won in all classes but in this final measure it should be remembered that riders often use to compete in multiple classes during a season. Where Rossi differs from his predecessors is his consistency, he holds the record for 23 consecutive podium finishes, and the fact that half-way through the decade he switched manufacturer teams but that made no difference to his winning streak as following three consecutive championships on a Honda he then won for the next two years on a Yamaha. All this and he is still only thirty!
One hardly needs to write anything about Michael Schumacher who in his Ferrari between 2000 and 2004 dominated the premier class of Motor Racing F1 like no-one before or since. He has won more world championships, more races, had more podium finishes etc. than any other F1 driver and in his pomp was literally unbeatable. Like many others here he first came to prominence in the 1990s with two world championships for Benetton before taking on the challenge of putting Ferrari back at the forefront of the sport - a place they hadn't been for two decades and a task that had beaten many esteemed predecessors including Nigel Mansell and Alain Prost. Of course Schumacher's success has not been without controversy but how many of the sportsmen in this list have not seen the red mist at some stage when it came to winning.
My penultimate nomination is another European who is from a country more associated with success in winter sports and not the game of tennis. Roger Federer is another to have re-written the record books in his chosen sport in the last decade and now stands pre-eminent in the list of male tennis players to win Grand Slams. What makes his achievement so outstanding is that he has won all four of the grand slams at some stage and along with Andre Agassi has done so on three surfaces. All the more impressive is the fact that this has not been done in a weak era of competition and it looked as if Rafael Nadal would prevent Federer from achieving the levels of success that he has delivered.
Finally, one man has come into sporting prominence in only the last couple of years of the decade and what's more from a small nation in comparison with all of those mentioned above. His name is Usain Bolt and in a sense making comparisons in his sport are easier than in any other - it's pretty simple really, just run faster than anyone else. This Bolt does with apparent nonchalance and consummate ease. Whilst the 100 metre world record has nudged downwards by a hundredth of a second every now and then this Jamaican has comprehensively re-written the record books by moving the 100 and 200 metre world records by tenths of a second and who knows how much further he can lower them. I ask this because the one event of 2009 that amazed me more than any other were not the new records at the World Championships but the 150 metre race he ran in Manchester where on a wet temporary track, coming back from injury he not only set a new world record but in so doing ran the last 100 metres in 8.7 seconds!
So before I announce my selected greatest of the decade, I make no apologies for not including any individuals from a team (Zidane, Beckham, Wilkinson etc.) but it is just not possible to sensibly compare them with individuals. Secondly, there are a couple of British coaches / managers who do deserve a mention for their achievements in the decade and they are Sir Alex Ferguson who could perhaps be remembered as the greatest football manager of them all and Ross Brawn who in F1 has perhaps been the most successful (if not influential) part of the sport in the last 20 years and it was brilliant to see a team with his name over the door win last year's world championship.
My top three are sportsmen of the last ten years are:
1. Usain Bolt
2. Roger Federer
3. Lance Armstrong
It is only my opinion but based on the level they have raised the bar to in their sports but also the fact that teams and technology have had less of an influence on their success than any of the others I highlighted above.
I can't wait for 2010 and the next decade of sport and what makes this even greater is that of my list only Steve Redgrave won't be competing in the decade following Schumacher's return from retirement in the last couple of weeks.
Where might the records be in 2020?
First Predictions of 2010 Including Predictions in a New Sport..
We may be in a new year but the predictions carry on but as it is a new year I have decided to introduce a new sport into my predictions for this weekend - American Football.
However, to start with I am back to predictions on both this weekend's football and rugby. This weekend sees the entry of the big clubs into the FA Cup at the third round stage. In the all premier league clash between Aston Villa and Blackburn my prediction is for a draw based on Villa's focus being on the league this season and Blackburn's good showing in the Carling Cup.
Roberto Mancini's first managerial exposure to the Cup comes at Championship side Middlesbrough and as the Cups provide Manchester City with their best chance of silverware this season I am going for the premiership side to prevail. Nottingham Forest are flying high in the Championship and they host Birmingham who have been the form team in the premier league in the last couple of months and I think this will lead to the teams cancelling each other out and so my prediction is for a draw at the City Ground. My final FA Cup prediction is also for a draw but in the all-premiership clash between West Ham and Arsenal at Upton Park and my reason being that both teams will see the FA Cup as a distraction this season as West Ham battle relegation and Arsenal seek glory in the League and Champions League.
In Rugby Union's Guinness Premiership four of the form teams meet this weekend with Northampton hosting second place London Irish and leaders Saracens hosting the team that has been the most successful English team in the professional era - Leicester Tigers. I think both of these games will be close but my predictions are for the away sides to prevail with London Irish potentially moving to the top of the league and Leicester providing a very stern test of Saracens' title credentials.
Finally, I am introducing a new sport to the predictions this weekend, and one that I will admit I know very little about but have started watching on the odd occasion on a Sunday evening, American Football. The season is moving towards the sharp end now with the Superbowl only five weeks away and this week I am predicting two of the form teams to win, the Indianapolis Colts at the Buffalo Bills and the San Diego Chargers who host the Washington Redskins.
Let's hope I get 2010 off to a good start and the predictions are summarised as follows:
FA Cup Third Round Football
Aston Villa to draw with Blackburn at 3/1
Manchester City to beat Middlesbrough at 4/6
Nottingham Forest to draw with Birmingham at 12/5
West Ham to draw with Arsenal at 3/1
Guinness Premiership Rugby
London Irish to win at Northampton at 13/8
Leicester to win at Saracens at 6/4
American Football
Indianapolis Colts to beat the Buffalo Bills at 10/3
San Diego Chargers to beat the Washington Redskins at 6/11
However, to start with I am back to predictions on both this weekend's football and rugby. This weekend sees the entry of the big clubs into the FA Cup at the third round stage. In the all premier league clash between Aston Villa and Blackburn my prediction is for a draw based on Villa's focus being on the league this season and Blackburn's good showing in the Carling Cup.
Roberto Mancini's first managerial exposure to the Cup comes at Championship side Middlesbrough and as the Cups provide Manchester City with their best chance of silverware this season I am going for the premiership side to prevail. Nottingham Forest are flying high in the Championship and they host Birmingham who have been the form team in the premier league in the last couple of months and I think this will lead to the teams cancelling each other out and so my prediction is for a draw at the City Ground. My final FA Cup prediction is also for a draw but in the all-premiership clash between West Ham and Arsenal at Upton Park and my reason being that both teams will see the FA Cup as a distraction this season as West Ham battle relegation and Arsenal seek glory in the League and Champions League.
In Rugby Union's Guinness Premiership four of the form teams meet this weekend with Northampton hosting second place London Irish and leaders Saracens hosting the team that has been the most successful English team in the professional era - Leicester Tigers. I think both of these games will be close but my predictions are for the away sides to prevail with London Irish potentially moving to the top of the league and Leicester providing a very stern test of Saracens' title credentials.
Finally, I am introducing a new sport to the predictions this weekend, and one that I will admit I know very little about but have started watching on the odd occasion on a Sunday evening, American Football. The season is moving towards the sharp end now with the Superbowl only five weeks away and this week I am predicting two of the form teams to win, the Indianapolis Colts at the Buffalo Bills and the San Diego Chargers who host the Washington Redskins.
Let's hope I get 2010 off to a good start and the predictions are summarised as follows:
FA Cup Third Round Football
Aston Villa to draw with Blackburn at 3/1
Manchester City to beat Middlesbrough at 4/6
Nottingham Forest to draw with Birmingham at 12/5
West Ham to draw with Arsenal at 3/1
Guinness Premiership Rugby
London Irish to win at Northampton at 13/8
Leicester to win at Saracens at 6/4
American Football
Indianapolis Colts to beat the Buffalo Bills at 10/3
San Diego Chargers to beat the Washington Redskins at 6/11
Friday, 1 January 2010
Last 2009 Predictions
I didn't get a chance to do any predictions for the last weekend of 2009 and so these results relate to the the previous weekend.
It started off very well as all of the predictions made for the Saturday were correct leaving me with seven out of seven correct. These included three premiership games as Spurs, Aston Villa and Manchester City all won and three rugby matches as Leicester, Edinburgh and Toulouse all triumphed. It was then rounded off with Chris Hollins winning BBC's Strictly Come Dancing.
Unfortunately, I fared less well on the Sunday as Gloucester won their rugby, Wolves beat rather than drew with Burnley and England just held on to draw the first cricket test in South Africa and were nowhere near a win.
In total the seven correct predictions only resulted in a profit of £2 on the week meaning that I end the year on an accumulated loss of £11. I for one am hoping to reverse this trend in 2010 and will be making my first predictions this weekend.
It started off very well as all of the predictions made for the Saturday were correct leaving me with seven out of seven correct. These included three premiership games as Spurs, Aston Villa and Manchester City all won and three rugby matches as Leicester, Edinburgh and Toulouse all triumphed. It was then rounded off with Chris Hollins winning BBC's Strictly Come Dancing.
Unfortunately, I fared less well on the Sunday as Gloucester won their rugby, Wolves beat rather than drew with Burnley and England just held on to draw the first cricket test in South Africa and were nowhere near a win.
In total the seven correct predictions only resulted in a profit of £2 on the week meaning that I end the year on an accumulated loss of £11. I for one am hoping to reverse this trend in 2010 and will be making my first predictions this weekend.
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