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Paddy Power Blog » Premier League Betting, banter and mischief from Power Tower in Dublin Tue, 01 Sep 2015 16:01:30 +0000 en-US hourly 1 Transfer Deadline Day: Who do Arsenal, Chelsea and Man United need to sign to keep their title hopes alive? Sun, 30 Aug 2015 20:31:08 +0000 Deadline Day approaches. Jim White and his yellow tie are on the horizon, but some of the top teams still have gaping holes in their squads. Man United need a new striker, goalkeeper, centre back, tea lady and bus driver. Arsenal need a new striker and a holding midfielder and Chelsea need a new person to blame.

The deadline is six o’clock on Tuesday giving teams less time to bring players in. Man City have gotten an early start on all the challengers leaving the other title challengers with holes to plug if they are to have any hope of catching City.

1. Man United – Need a Striker and a Goalkeeper

Man United need to sign a striker the same way the Westboro Baptist Church need to get laid and lighten up. Wayne Rooney scored a hat trick against Club Brugge in the Champions League and United fans were raving about him. Look he’s decent, but they need someone as cover and to, you know, actually score in the league. Edison Cavani would be the perfect signing. £35 million would be decent value for a player that’s going to score 25-30 goals a season.

Just let De Gea leave and use the money to sign another top class keeper. The entire fiasco has gotten totally out of control. Get £30 million for the lad and sign a decent keeper as a replacement. Hugo Lloris would be the best option. Knows the league, is a top keeper and wants to win trophies. The only problem is he’s French.

2. Arsenal – Need a striker and a holding midfielder

Jesus Christ Arsene Wenger why will you not sign a holding midfielder? Francis Coquelin had a decent season last year, but he’s not world class. Much as I hate to admit it Gary Neville was right when he said that Arsenal never replaced Patrick Vieira. Arsenal need a leader in the middle of the park who can slow a game down. They need a bit of steel in the side. Blaise Matuidi is the man for Arsenal and he’s French so how Wenger hasn’t signed him yet is a mystery.

Sign Benzema and you have a team that is going to do very, very well in the league. Arsenal haven’t had a player who has scored 30 goals since Henry. Benzema will score 30 goals a season. Everyone knows that Arsenal need a striker, but Arsene won’t spend on one because he’s cheaper than someone who robs out of Aldi.

3. Chelsea – Need a midfielder and a centre back

Last season’s champions need to do something. They’ve had an awful start to the season and a major part of that has been that Fabregas and Matic have been brutal so far. Paul Pogba is the man they need. Scores goals, can tackle, sprays passes and if Chelsea do sign him it’ll piss off United fans to no end which is always entertaining. Roman Abramovich has money coming out of his patchy beard so the £80 million fee should be like buying The Mirror to him.

Paul Pogba

John Terry is finished. I don’t care what people say. A young centre back to slot in beside Zouma for the future is what they need. Niklas Sule from Hoffenheim is the man they need. He’s quick, he’s strong, tackles like dog and he’s only 19 so Terry can’t shag his missus. £5-10 million would get him. Take off the zeros and that’s what Abramovich thinks the cost is.

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Andy Gray: Man United and Arsenal to fire this 16/1 acca home Fri, 28 Aug 2015 17:24:10 +0000 Andy’s 16/1 Acca

Arsenal to win @ 8/13

Liverpool to win @ 2/5

Spurs v Everton draw @ 5/2

Man United to win @ 5/4

Newcastle v Arsenal, Saturday 12:45

This is one where Arsenal have too many good players. I think that they are too good for Newcastle and they can’t let City do what Chelsea did last season by getting ahead of steam and opening a five, six, seven point gap early because it’s too hard to claw back. I’d be looking at Sanchez or Ramsey to get the first goal (5/1 and 15/2 respectively), but the problem with Arsenal is you don’t know who is going to play.

Newcastle played well against United and could have nearly nicked it at the end, but Arsenal are too good and were unlucky not to win a cracking game against Liverpool at home. They need a win and I think they’ll get it. 2-0 is a good shout at 7/1, but I think 2-1 at the same odds is the way to go

Liverpool v West Ham, Saturday 15:00

I can only see Liverpool winning this one. There’s only been six home wins out of 30 Premier League games so far which I’ve never seen before, but I can see this one going the way of the home side. They were terrific against Arsenal in the first half, but faded in the second half and were a little bit lucky to hang on. Their good when they get on top of the game so if they can get on top I can see a 2-0 with Benteke or Coutinho to get the first goal.

I can’t see West Ham doing well in this game. Fair enough their best performance came against Arsenal away, but are they going to repeat that performance? I don’t think so. Liverpool to win it without too much hassle.

Spurs v Everton, Saturday 17:30

If you look at the previous few meetings between these two sides Spurs have edged them by the odd goal. There’s not much to separate these sides and I think it will tell. The Southampton game showed real positivity and belief from Everton. They were beaten well by City, but they’ve blitzed everyone.

Spurs haven’t really gotten going. They were poor against Stoke and Leicester and they need a win. I don’t think they’ll get it here. I can see a score draw, maybe a 2-2. For Everton fans Lukaku at 15/2 is the man to back. He’s on fire at the moment. For the Spurs faithful Harry Kane is due a goal. He needs one. At 7/2 he’s not a bad shout.

Southampton v Norwich, Sunday 13:30

In recent seasons it’s been hard to separate these teams. The Saints team of last season would have had no trouble beating Norwich, but it’s not the Saints team of last season. They’ve lost some players and have started slowly. Confidence will not be high especially after getting beaten 3-0 at home to Everton.

Norwich will be confident that they can go to St. Mary’s and come away with something. They will go and enjoy the occasion. There’ll be a good atmosphere, a good buzz and they’ll be looking to nab something from the game. I’m predicting a score draw, maybe 2-2 with Pelle to nab the first goal at 50/1 for a nice little payout.

Swansea v Man United, Sunday 16:00

Man United did what they had to do against Club Brugge at mid-week, but Rooney scored and not only that he scored a hat-trick. That’s a massive weight off his shoulders and the team’s. I have a gut-feeling that United will win this one, but I don’t know why. I just think that mentally United just have it.

Rooney 2015

Swansea are playing very well. I like what Garry Monk has done. Bafetimbi Gomis and Jefferson Montero have blasted out of the traps. Montero gave Ivanovic an absolute run around. I think it’ll be very close. 2-1 with Rooney as my first goal scorer at 80-1 to round everything off.

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Manchester City to beat Watford 10-0 and Arsenal to lose 4-3 to Newcastle?! Here are your craziest bets of the weekend Fri, 28 Aug 2015 10:54:51 +0000 This Stupid Punt section of the Blog is all about highlighting some of those loopy-looking bets at monster odds. All that’s required to make them click is a little bit of brains, a little bit of balls and a massive dollop of luck. If you never have a dream, how will you ever have a dream come true? And here on the Paddy Power Blog we’re all dreamers.

There’s a place in the Punting Hall of Fame at stake if you can pull it off. You are the people who make the crazy look inspired and while you have the bravery to toe the line between ridiculous and optimistic, we can only stand back and applaud. Here are three of the most outrageous bets we’ve dug out of Paddy’s Premier League book this week and a few stats to try to back them up.

  • Will Tottenham come unstuck against the Toffees? The latest odds are here: Desktop | Mobile

  • A seven goal thriller at St James’ Park? Get stuck into the odds at Desktop | Mobile

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Manchester United: The Champions League draw was kind but there’s room to improve ahead of transfer deadline day Fri, 28 Aug 2015 10:10:01 +0000 With the holy grail of the Champions League qualification now secured, United need to move quickly if they’re to add to their five summer signings with the transfer window closing on Tuesday, September 01.

United fans will point to last season’s late signings of Angel di Maria and Radamel Falcao as proof that there’s still time to sign another much-wanted striker but while Barca manager Luis Enrique was worried about losing Pedro (now at Chelsea) to United because he wanted to keep the Canarian, he won’t be too worried about losing Neymar to United just yet.

The transfer rumours are largely seen as another tactic by the Brazilian to negotiate a bigger contract now that he’s slipped to being the fifth best-paid player at Camp Nou.

Neymar was second to Lionel Messi when he arrived, but Luis Suarez has signed since and Daniel Alves & Andres Iniesta have also negotiated bigger deals. And while United are still in the market for a superstar signing, they’re usually the hardest to acquire.

The club wanted Pedro  but they also wanted several other top players and the procrastination over signing the Canarian – who was waiting for a month to seal the deal – implies that the focus was elsewhere.

The next few days will tell, but there’s still time for those last minute trips across the Channel.

David Ginola of Spurs is tackled by Jaap Stam of Man Utd

There’s always high expectations at Old Trafford and executive vice chairman Ed Woodward was beaming as he walked out of the Jan Breydal stadium in Bruges (flanked by Sir Bobby Charlton) on Wednesday night an hour after United had confirmed their Champions League qualification with a 7-1 aggregate hammering of Bruges.

His smile must have been even wider as Thursday’s group-stage draw threw up PSV Eindhoven, CSKA Moscow and Wolfsburg – teams familiar to United fans with long memories.

From a football perspective – and that should override all others – it’s a decent draw as United’s failure to qualify for the Champions League last season has seen their co-efficient drop and they slipped to the second tier of seeds.

PSV Eindhoven were considered the weakest of the top tier seeds. Once effectively the factory team of electronic giants Phillips, they’re now a successful football factory and one which United have routinely plundered in signing Jaap Stam (above), Ruud van Nistelrooy, Ji Sung Park and in the summer, Memphis Depay.

Acca Insurance European Leagues 5 fold 1200x627

Memphis returns to the club he scored 22 goals at last season and United’s opening group game away to PSV on September 15 is arguably their toughest.

Wolfsburg hail from the small German city which makes Volkswagen cars. Last year’s Bundesliga runners-up met United in the 2009-10 Champions League, when a certain Michael Owen scored a hat-trick.

A trip to  CSKA Moscow is not a game the travelling fans wanted. Visas for Russia are complicated and expensive. But Moscow holds fond memories as the scene of the 2008 Champions League Final penalty shoot-out win over Chelsea.

Only Michael Carrick and Wayne Rooney now remain in the team from that third European triumph with Ryan Giggs (below) now learning to be a manager alongside Louis van Gaal.

United will be confident of progressing. They avoided the five Spanish clubs which some players were keen to do and if they win Group B it will help restore some of the prestige which has been buffeted in these lean, post-Sir Alex Ferguson years.

That’s not to say that anyone – bar Luis Enrique who was probably just being polite when asked post Barca game in the States – thinks United can win the competition.

Goals were not a problem against Bruges, where Wayne Rooney managed his first goal in red since April – on the way to a hat-trick. He was especially effective in the second period with Ander Herrera playing as a number 10 behind him and giving him support which had been lacking.

He was also selfless in letting Javier Hernandez take a late penalty. Rooney is a popular captain; he’s good with new players and has grown into the role.

  • Shoot over to all the latest football betting on Mobile | Desktop

A club of United’s economic might and support should be playing in the Champions League every season and ideally they shouldn’t need a play-off following a fourth place finish to achieve it.

But United were more convincing against Bruges than they’ve been in their league games so far.

There have been significant positives from the league games – three clean sheets and a defence which is settled and stable, a remarkable achievement given Matteo Darmian and Sergio Romero only joined the club in the summer.

And also because Daley Blind was not bought to play at centre-half. The two holding midfielders in front of them works, but while seven points from a possible nine is a satisfactory start even if fans have yet to be convinced by the lack of chances and attractive attacking football played by Van Gaal’s team.

With Sunday’s live game way to Swansea (4pm) their next immediate test, one club legend recently said the club will be hard to beat but they won’t win the league and won’t score a lot of goals this season.

We’ll see.

  • Shoot over to the latest Manchester United team pages on Mobile | Desktop

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Newcastle v Arsenal: Find out the wincast bet that has put £450 in your pocket this year, and can come good again as we cheer on the Gunner’s French legion Thu, 27 Aug 2015 11:24:53 +0000 Newcastle United’s French legion have been going strong for a number of years now, after Alan Pardew originally brought some Va Va Voom to St James’ Park. In 2013 they had a run of 13 goals on the spin by Frenchmen – Yoan Gouffran (3), Hatem Ben Arfa (3), Loic Remy (5) and Yohan Cabaye (2) – the longest run by foreign scorers from the same country in top flight history. This season 25 per cent of their 32-man squad is made up of Frenchies as the revolution in the North East continues.

However it is two Frenchmen travelling north this weekend that we’re more interested in from a punting perspective. Arsene Wenger brings his Arsenal side to Newcastle at 12.45pm, and his record, along with Olivier Giroud’s knack of scoring against the Magpies, would make you choke on your baguette.

Newcastle have won just once in their last 15 home games against Arsenal – a Nobby Solano goal in the 82nd minute giving them a 1-0 victory in 2005. Other than that it has been difficult viewing for the St James’ faithful in the last decade-and-a-half, drawing seven and losing seven when the Gunners come to town. Combining games at St James’ as well as at The Emirates, and Arsenal have beaten Newcastle seven times on the spin including the 7-3 hammering in December 2012. It makes for tougher reading than the wedge of receipts in your pocket after a Saturday night that gets out of hand.

  • Is it Gunner be a good weekend for Arsenal? The latest odds are here: Desktop | Mobile

French striker Olivier Giroud has quite the record against Newcastle – bagging a goal in five of the six matches he’s played against them since rocking up at the Emirates. The gorgeous Giroud has an average of a goal every 45 minutes against the Magpies and has already opened his account this season, breaking the deadlock away to Crystal Palace. And all while still retaining the raw sexual magnitude of a thousand Abercrombie models. What a man.

  • Can the gorgeous Giroud find the onion bag again? The latest odds are just a click away: Desktop | Mobile

In regards to a punt, Arsenal are the 4/7 favourites with Giroud a slightly more attractive 6/5 to score anytime or 9/2 to bag the first goal of the game.

A more attractive punt however could be the wincast of Arsenal to win and Giroud to score in the game. That punt is currently a 21/10 shot, and has proved very reliable for punters in recent times.

  • The Giroud wincast has clicked nine times in 2015 – including away to Newcastle in March. If you had put £20 on the Giroud wincast every league game since January 1 you would have a profit of £445.50 in your back pocket.

A £20 punt returns £62 on the wincast this weekend, and could set up a delightful afternoon’s punting. Vive la France!

  • Get stuck into the latest betting on Newcastle v Arsenal here: Desktop | Mobile
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Tottenham v Everton: The 15/2 shot that could pay for your Saturday night out, as the Toffees come unstuck at White Hart Lane Wed, 26 Aug 2015 14:39:18 +0000 Tottenham fans have hardly had a thrilling start to the season. They’ve picked up just two points from a possible nine, have thrown away a two goal lead at home to Stoke, and Harry Kane appears to have left his golden touch on a beach somewhere over the summer break.

But that could all change this weekend when Everton travel to White Hart Lane in Saturday’s 5.30pm kick-off. The Toffees produced one of their better performances in recent memory to slay Southampton 3-0 a fortnight ago, but they are a good bet to come unstuck at a ground where they’ve recently struggled.

  • Get the latest odds on another Tottenham win at Desktop | Mobile

Tottenham have picked up five wins and two draws in the last seven home games against Everton, meaning the Toffees haven’t tasted success at White Hart Lane since Vedran Corluka’s own goal in November 2008 gave them a 1-0 win. It’s been a long wait for travelling Toffees and with a record like that, the 420 mile round trip is about as appealing as rolling your lovely nan off Dover’s white cliffs in a wheelie bin.

There is however, a great opportunity for punters to make a few quid on Saturday evening’s game to tee up a night on the tiles. Spurs are 10/11 to pick up all three points, while it is 4/6 for both teams to find the onion bag – something that happened in four of the last seven of these fixtures in London.

Harry Kane

There is however a far more appealing punt that has caught our attention, and could pocket you a few pints off a £10 bet.

  • In 13 of Tottenham’s 38 games last season they won and both teams found the net. A £10 bet on Spurs to win and both teams to score every week last season would have returned a profit of £300.91 compared to a profit of just £53 if you backed Tottenham just to win. Adding in both teams to score really boosts your profits when it comes to backing Spurs.
  • Nine of those 13 wins were by a 2-1 scoreline, giving punters a profit of £223 if they were sticking £10 on each week. Tottenham to win 2-1 happened in 23 per cent of Spurs’ games last season – including at home to Everton courtesy of goals from Christian Eriksen and Bobby Soldado.

With those stat-bombs in mind, Tottenham to win and both teams to score makes plenty of appeal at 11/4, while Spurs to win 2-1 has us more than interested at 15/2. A £10 bet on the correct score returns a tidy £85 and could sort you out for a top night on the dancefloor.

  • Get the latest odds on Tottenham v Everton here: Desktop | Mobile
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Natman – why Nathan Redmond could be the hero Norwich needs Wed, 26 Aug 2015 14:22:07 +0000 T’was the spring of 1994. Tim Robbins was crawling through a steaming canal of prison poo to freedom, while a young physicist named Brian Cox was rashly binning off a life of serious academia for a pop band most people would politely describe as ‘a sh*t M People’. Meanwhile, in the world of football, Terry Venables was just about to kick off an era of elaborate benders, tabloid outrage and smashed up aeroplanes before finishing off with what was probably English football’s last positive moment.

It was also around about this time that Norwich City’s Nathan Redmond popped into the world, alas too young to debate the merits of the Christmas Tree formation or what precisely was wrong with Darren Anderton’s entire body.

Fast-forward 21 years and Redmond is just about the brightest yellow flicker in a Norwich side filled with semi-hope. 2 games in and Redmond has scored twice, the first an uncomplicated, long-distance thwack past Crystal Palace’s Alex McCarthy and the second an equally uncomplicated wander past the bag of burning dog turd Sunderland has seemingly exchanged for a defence.

For those fans blinkered to anything beyond the (cough) ‘Best League in the World’, the arrival of this startling young winger has captured attention – prompting a nationwide spasm of jerked knees amongst easily panicked fantasy football managers.

But Norwich fans will gladly tell you about Redmond’s considerable talents. An instinctive dribbler who can turn a full-back’s knees to dropped quiche, he’s the kind of explosive, unpredictable forward that causes ardent Canaries to spray hot mustard all over the Sky Plus box.

He’s also something of a puzzle, with a tendency to drift out of a game like a fart in a speedboat. Goals too have been something of sh*tty stick with which to jab him. His return for Norwich in their promotion season was an underwhelming 6 in 46. The season before, when Norwich dropped out of the Premier League, he managed just 1 goal in 34 appearances.

But, already this season Redmond seems to be addressing this concern – not least because his new manager, Alex Neil, seems like the kind of man who could burn a hole in your organs with nothing more than a stern Lanarkshire glare.

So, is this the season when Redmond makes what we so boringly call ‘the step up’? Momentum certainly seems to be on his side. As well as bursting into the new Premier League campaign, he ended last season with a goal and a man of the match performance in the play-off final against Middlesbrough.

He also spent a brief part of the summer helping Gareth Southgate make the act of watching a generation of bright young Englishmen feel less enjoyable than getting your eyelids tongued out by Nicky Butt. And yet, despite a hopeless collective showing at the Under 21 European Championships, Redmond still did enough to find his way into the ‘team of the tournament’.

And in a season where England’s hopes for a new (nobody say Golden) generation have already taken several chops to the windpipe, a scorching season from Nathan Redmond would be fabulous news. (Expect that he might actually bin off England, quickly Netflix ‘The Commitments’ and declare himself for Ireland.)

But before Redmond decides his international future, he’s going to have to become the kind of forward that dismantles Premier League defences the way Paul Merson dismantles fundamental syntax.

He can start by continuing with the kind of thrusting, self-assured performances we’ve already seen – in a Norwich side that undoubtedly has the leadership, talent and togetherness to stay up in a league that still hands over skip loads of banknotes to Sunderland, Newcastle and Aston Villa.

Whatever happens for Redmond this season it’s unlikely he will be the best thing to have come from 1994 (Diana Ross missing that penalty, Jean Reno in ‘Leon’, ‘Nemesis’ opening at Alton Towers). But I think we can all agree he absolutely won’t be the worst. That would be 15 f*cking weeks of ‘Love is All Around’ by Wet Wet Wet. Thanks 1994.

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Ever wondered how much porn you have watched since Wayne Rooney last scored an away goal in the Premier League? Now you can find out… Wed, 26 Aug 2015 12:06:28 +0000 Wayne Rooney is the captain of Manchester United, the captain of England, and he’s on roughly £300k a week. For that kind of outlay you’re expecting a calibre of striker who regularly finds the back of the net and leads his team on their respective domestic and international travels. What you don’t want is a striker who hasn’t found the back of the net in an away league game since November 22 2014.

  • Get stuck into the latest Premier League betting at Desktop | Mobile

Rooney’s 85th minute winner against Arsenal at The Emirates stadium in late November was the last time United’s main front-man found the onion bag in the league on his travels. Since then the powers that be at Old Trafford have forked out a small fortune in wages as Wayne continues to show as much attacking threat as a kitten on Valium. Now thanks to some Paddy Power Blog magic you can see just how much Rooney has earned since he last scored an away goal in the league, plus how many hours of porn you’ve watched and how many hamburgers McDonalds have sold in the meantime.

Amount of time since Rooney's last away league goal
days hours mins secs

Amount of money Rooney has earned since his last away league goal
Since you've been viewing this page, Rooney has earned...

Type your annual salary below...

Since Rooney's last away league goal you've earned...

How many people have started liking 1 Direction on Twitter since Rooney's last away league goal

How many Big Macs have been sold since Rooney's last away league goal

Roughly how many minutes per week do you spend watching porn?

Since Rooney's last away league goal you've watched roughly
hours of porn

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PaddyPower fantasy football scout – 2015/16 Tue, 25 Aug 2015 12:02:21 +0000 In an effort to help you make the best decisions for your Fantasy Football team, the stat nerds here at Paddy Power have crunched the numbers to (hopefully) enable you to wipe the floor with the competition.

We have two interactive tables for you, which will let you look at the the form of every Premier League team in the last three matches, and also the form of each team’s next three opponents.

Before we get to that, here’s what the numbers are telling us so far…

Week 3

Form is temporary, class is pertinent:

Clearly, after just three games of the season, the teams in best form are the table toppers:  Man City, Liverpool, Man Utd and Leicester, however United and Leicester’s performances are hiding a few gremlins:  Firstly, whilst United’s defenders look exceptional value, their strikers are to be avoided, having only scored two goals in the three matches to date.  Leicester’s midfield and strikers on the other hand are scoring goals for fun, but their defense is shipping goals, and so far they’ve failed to keep a clean sheet in any of their games.

So what does the future hold, and where is the Fantasy Football value?

On current form, the stats point to Arsenal, Leicester and Sunderland as having the easiest run of games over the next three matches.  The Gunners take on Newcastle, Stoke and mid-table(!) Chelsea.  Leicester play Bournemouth, Villa and Stoke, and bottom of the table Sunderland actually should have some of their “easier” fixtures ahead (on current form, at least), facing Villa, Spurs and Bournemouth – though at present Sunderland seem capable of making a game against a gang of 7-year-olds a tough ask.

If you are looking for a solid keeper, or defenders for your team, Swansea and Norwich are playing a trio of teams who have scored the fewest number of goals so far this season.  Swansea in particular are facing games against Man Utd, Watford and West Brom – three teams who have been extremely goal-shy so far.

At the other end of the pitch, Bournemouth, Arsenal, Villa and Spurs are playing teams with the leakiest defenses on current form, so their strikers might be able to cash in.  Bournemouth’s next three opponents (Leicester, Norwich and Sunderland) have let in a total of 17 goals between them in their three games to date and have failed to keep a single clean sheet between them.  Having bagged a hat-trick at the weekend, Cherries striker Callum Wilson looks excellent value to cash in again in the next few rounds of matches.

…And who are the teams you should you avoid?

West Ham, Palace and Watford appear, on recent form at least, to have a difficult set of matches coming up.  West Ham play Liverpool, Newcastle and Man City, Palace take on Chelsea, Man City and Spurs and Watford face matches against Man City, Swansea and Newcastle.

Defenders and keepers to avoid seems to be anyone from Palace, Tottenham and Bournemouth, all of whom are facing matches against three teams who have already scored 16 goals between them this season.  Bournemouth in particular might be worth avoiding as their next three opponents, Leicester, Norwich and Sunderland have all managed to score in every game they’ve played so far.

Strikers facing the toughest task in the next three rounds of matches look to be players representing West Ham, Watford, Man Utd and Swansea.  West Ham in particular are facing the miserly defenses of Liverpool and Man City both of whom are yet to concede this season.   Similarly Swansea face Man Utd and Watford, who have both kept clean sheets in two of their three games so far.

So how did we come to those conclusions?
Here are the interactive tables which can help you too…

Form in the last three matches

ClubGoals forGoals againstFailed to scoreClean sheets keptForm
A. Villa351011%
C. Palace540067%
Man City7003100%
Man Utd221244%
West Brom331244%
West Ham760133%
  • (Goals for) – How many goals they have scored in their last three games
  • (Goals against) – How many goals they have let in during their last three games
  • (Failed to score) – How many times they have drawn a blank in their last three games
  • (Clean sheets kept) – How many times they have shut out the opposition in their last three games
  • (Form) – What percentage of possible points they have taken from their last three matches

Secondly, we’ve also looked at each team’s next three opponents, and taken a look at how they have performed over their previous three games.

Form of the next three opponents

ClubGoals forGoals againstFailed to scoreClean sheets keptForm
A. Villa893448%
C. Palace1054652%
Man City15131244%
Man Utd7144329%
West Brom8125326%
West Ham1283452%
  • (Goals for) – Total number of goals their next three opponents have scored in their last three games.
  • (Goals against) – Total number of goals their next three opponents have let in during their last three games .
  • (Failed to score) – How many times their next three opponents have drawn a blank in their last three games .
  • (Clean sheets kept) – How many times their next three opponents have shut out the opposition in their last three games
  • (Form) – What percentage of possible points they have taken from their last three matches
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Three Championship players that can help turn things around for Sunderland Mon, 24 Aug 2015 15:07:14 +0000 Three games into the season and already it looks like the Black Cats will need a fresh batch of nine lives to survive in the top flight. A point somewhat fortunate point against Swansea opened the account for this season, but good Lord, you are so bad. With a manager who clearly looks as interested in doing the job as Flo Rida is in recording song that’s not total gibberish.

Sunderland don’t need three new players, they need around 23 new players. But the main three places are a new striker, a new defender and a new midfielder. Here’s a few candidates from the Championship who could help keep the sinking ship afloat.

1. CHARLIE AUSTIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Do we really need to explain this? Yes £15 million is a lot of money to spend on a striker, but he’ll score goals. It’s that simple. For God’s sake you spent £8 million on Jeremain Lens! Austin proved last season he can score goals in the top flight. There’s small a risk to sign him because he only has had one season in the Premier League and may not repeat it, but for a team that doesn’t score goals and uses Jermaine Defoe as a winger, it’s one worth taking.

2. Tommy Smith:

He’s 25 and he is solid as a rock. He was an integral part of the Ipswich team that did so well last season and could be snapped up for £1-2 million. Outside of the Championship, the Kiwi international isn’t too well known, but he brings a lot to the team. He scored five goals last season (N.B. Fantasy Football team potential) and Mick McCarthy trusts him. What more do you want?

3. Craig Bryson:

Last season Bryson wasn’t at his best, but the season before he was absolutely outstanding. 16 goals and 13 assists isn’t bad going for a midfielder. If Bryson made the step up, he would surely benefit from playing with higher quality players. Technically that means Sunderland have higher quality players … hmmmm … looks like we’ve trapped ourselves in a logical loop. In essence, the Black Cats could do with a goalscoring midfielder and Bryson could certainly help in that respect.

The Wearsiders are 5/4 to avoid relegation.
Dive right in to all our Premier League odds over here:

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3 players Watford should snap up to avoid a quick Premier League exit Mon, 24 Aug 2015 14:44:00 +0000 If you’re a glass half full kinda person, Watford are three games undefeated upon their return to the top flight. If you’re a glass half empty, mix in a bit of bleach, ‘God, Lana Del Rey’s music is so uplifting’ kind of person, then it’s three games without a win against some potentially beatable opponents. The Hornets could do with getting that first win on the board, but a trip to Manchester City on the horizon, it’s not looking likely ahead of the international break.

Watford’s HR department has been only slightly less busy than One Direction’s PR team. The Virage Road outfit have already signed about 79 new players, but they are sorely lacking in three positions. They need a keeper, winger and a striker. Now before you bite ours head off because Troy Deeney scored so many last season… blah blah blah … prolific in the Championship … blah blah … lovely hair … Deeney has done nought in an attacking sense so far this season. He’s going to be massively important, but they need someone who doesn’t have the hopes of a club pinned on his back.

Here’s a few targets from the Championship who could definitely help Watford’s chances of staying up.

1. Jordan Rhodes:

How no Premier League club has signed Jordan Rhodes yet is a bigger mystery than Jason Derulo’s popularity. What does the lad have to do? 30, 25, 21 goals for his last three seasons is incredible shooting. Fair enough he’s never played in the Premier League before and Blackburn asking for £14+ million might be a little off-putting, but when you consider Villa payed £6 million for Rudy Gestede who has had one good season and he’s 26 year’s old!

2. David Marshall:

Why David Marshall has not been snapped up by a top flight team I don’t know. He’s been there, proved how good he is and has that lovely, thick Scottish accent to scream at defenders. 10 clean sheets last season for a team who love to attack is good going. When your number one keeper is Heurelho Gomes you’ve got a big problem and not just that you live in Watford. Marshall could well be the man to keep Watford up.

3. Michail Antonio:

Ikechi Anya is a good winger and Jurado was a decent signing, but there is no cover if either get injured Watford could be in trouble. Antonio had a fantastic season last year and creates chances. 14 goals and 12 assists last season is some return for a guy who was playing for Sheffield Wednesday the season before.

The Hornets are 4/6 to avoid relegation.
Get on over to our Premier League odds for a bet that could have you buzzing next May.

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Bournemouth are coasting in the Premier League but here’s 3 signings they should consider to boost their survival hopes Mon, 24 Aug 2015 14:16:55 +0000 What’s the big fuss? Three games in and Bournemouth have every right to feel a little nonplussed about the challenge presented by top flight football. Last season’s Championship winners sit above Spurs, Newcastle and Southampton and only one point behind last season’s Premier League champions. A win away to West Ham that featured more drama than your average episode of Game Of Thrones was a nice way to open the Premier League account, but a narrow and referee’s assistant fueled defeat at Anfield was perhaps even more encouraging.

For a long time hailed as a managerial prodigy, Eddie Howe seems to have a good, stylish team on his hands. But having said that, we haven’t reached the end of August and the moment the injuries and suspensions start piling up, fans will start thinking about change faster than you can say ‘Hmmm … is Big Sam still available?’

Bournemouth have a starting XI that is good enough to stay up. Their biggest problem is depth. It’s no harm to look at strengthening the squad. They need more goals from midfield. Lee Tomlin was a good signing, but they still need more cover. After conceding five goals in three games. a new centre back should also be top of Eddie’s list and lastly a full back. Here’s three signings from the Championship who could fit the bill and help the bid for survival.

1. Henri Lansbury

22 goals in 91 appearances is some serious shooting for a midfielder. That’s a goal every four games. Burnley had a £4 million bid rejected and Lansbury has said he wants to stay, but every player has a price and if he keeps you up, surly he’s worth it. The hipster cred you’d get alone is almost worth signing him.

2. Richard Keogh

Bournemouth’s biggest problem will be conceding goals. They only conceded 45 goals last season. That’s pretty impressive in the ‘gladiatorial, anyone can beat anyone’ environment of the Championships. But all newly promoted teams struggle defensively. Yes, Peter Crouch looks about as threatening as a drunk baby giraffe, but once he gets a bony elbow into your back, it could be a different story. Keogh is an Irish international that has experience playing against some of the top strikers in the world. His experience and no-nonsense approach would be vital.

3. Andrew Robertson

Howe likes his full-backs to get forward and support the attack. Last season there were few better than the young Scotsman. He only signed for Hull this time last season so it would take an offer of around £3 million to tempt him away. Or an unlimited voucher to Greggs for Steve Bruce. It’s definitely possible, it what we’re saying.

The Cherries are 11/2 to finish in the Top 10.
Is that a bet that could bear fruit in a few months’ time?

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Punting Hall of Fame: One London punter uses our Self Service Betting Terminal to turn £100 in to £31.4k with this 20-fold accumulator Mon, 24 Aug 2015 12:41:08 +0000 Yes you read it right. One whily cockney placed 20-fold accumulator which kicked off with a friendly win for Napoli at the end of July and wrapped up with Barcelona’s 1-0 win over Athletic Bilbao on Sunday.

Using the in-shop Self Service Betting Terminals this punter spread his £100 acca across two continents, incorporating some thirteen separate competitions and a friendly. Being able to take his time on the terminal as he built the bet himself has clearly paid off with this considered, wide reaching and highly profitable acca.

We haven’t seen this much winning since Charlie Sheen was pushing tiger blood and living with porn stars. We hope he’s still doing at least one of those.

Here’s the bet (teams in bold were backed to win):
SSC Napoli v AS Cittadella
CSKA Moscow v FC Anzhi Makhachkala
Sparta Prague v FC Banik Ostrava
Celtic FC v Ross County FC
Rosenborg BK v Sarpsborg
Club Sport Emelec v SD Aucas
IF Elfsborg v Halmstads BK
St Patrick’s Athletic FC v FC Galway
FC Chernomorets Odessa v FC Dynamo Kiev
FC Girondins Bordeaux v AEK Larnaca FC
Athletic Bilbao v Inter Baku
Athletic Bilbao v FC Barcelona
Atletico Madrid v Las Palmas UD
Fenerbahce v Eskisehirspor
Lille OSC v Paris St Germain
West Brom v Manchester City
Aston Villa v Manchester United
Zenit St Petersburg v RFK Terek Grozny
Corinthians SP v Vasco Da Gama RJ
Stoke City v Liverpool

If this customer will be doing well to have any finger nails left having to suffer through more than one tight game on this list. Barcelona struggled to put away Athletic Bilbao last night, Liverpool required some Coutinho magic to beat Stoke and Manchester United were aided by a wicked deflection against Aston Villa. And these are just the games I personally watched.

So if you know what you’re doing but you want to take a little more time building your bets then maybe the Self Service Betting Terminals are the thing for you. If you spot one in your local shop but aren’t sure how to get started call on one of the staff members and they’ll be happy to show you how it works.

Turning £100 in to £31.4k is the kind of service we’d all like to provide ourselves with.

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Man United, Arsenal, Spurs: The race for the worst contract in the Premier League Sat, 22 Aug 2015 16:30:50 +0000 The Premier League is a money machine. Sheikh’s from Dubai, American consortium’s and mad Russian billionaires. Having amassed fortunes, you’d think that these men would know how to protect their money and spend wisely afters years of climbing up the slippery corporate gravy train. But no apparently. In the Premier League they will just throw money at whoever walks in the door.

At every single Premier League club they have players who either don’t play or aren’t worth the money they’re on. There are countless examples over the years. Players like Winston Bogarde (£40k a week at Chelsea for four years in which he played 11 games) show just how mind-numbingly stupid club owners and managers can be when it comes to agreeing contracts. Newcastle are among the prime offenders over the years as the sight of fans’ angry and wobbly beer bellies has often panicked various owners into splashing the cash on seemingly big-name, but ill-advised signings – not looking at any injury-ravaged, career downturning £133,000 a week earning Michael Owens in particular. Here are five of the biggest contract millstones hanging around some Premier League club necks.

Juan Cuadrado – £85,000 p/w on a four year contract

One of the most sought after players in the world after the 2014 World Cup Cuadrado settled on Chelsea during the January transfer window at the beginning of the year. Here we are eight months later and Chelsea are looking to offload him after signing Pedro from Barcelona. After playing approximately 16 minutes during the course of his Chelsea career he has earned £2.72 million.

Not too shabby for a guy who has his own ass groove in the Chelsea dugout. Cuadrado was always going to be a squad player at Chelsea, but paying Florentina £26 million for his services was absurd and paying the man himself £85,000 a week? It was Chelsea’s worst decision since this horror-show.

Emmanuel Adebayor – £100,000 p/w on a three year contract

Is there a stranger footballer in all of England? You’d be very hard pressed to find someone. Like the tides, the changing of the seasons and the phases of the moon, Adebayor’s finest patches of goalscoring form seemed to coincide with the weeks before his contract was up for renewal. A burst of goals was often enough to ignore the previous six months of lazy, ineffective performances and make giving him £100k a week seem perfectly sensible. £100,000 a week. Yes, you read that right. Emmanuel Adebayor is making £100,000 a week after eight games and two goals last season. That’s £450,000 per game and £1.8 million per goal.

That’s not over paying for a player, or using him as a squad player that is plain stupidity. Not like Daniel Levy has made any other mistakes though. Oh wait…

Wayne Rooney – £300,000 p/w on a five year contract

‘I can’t scrape together €3.45 to get a damn chicken sandwich for lunch, but this fat marshmallow makes £300,000 a week???’ might be a thought that crosses your mind reading this one. Scientific theory now suggests there an infinite number of potential universes, which contain an infinite number of possibilities. In which one of those is Shrek junior worth that amount of money? He has scored one away goal in the last eighteen months. ONE!!!!!! He was shite last year, he has been shite so far this year and the smart money says he’ll be shite next year as well.

United are in a difficult position with Rooney – despite the large price-tag paid to Everton many years ago, he has been excellent performer and at his peak, this sort of money would have been understandable. The trouble is, each time contract renewal time comes around, the wages get nudged up in the hope he can magically rediscover his best form in the future. And it doesn’t. He has done in patches, but with his 30th birthday looming, he’s on Messi and Ronaldo money and providing a Steve Sidwell strike-rate. With a few more years to run on this juicy contract, seeing United get value for money is harder than explaining how Johnny Depp still gets work.

Mesut Ozil – £180,000 p/w on a five year contract

No one is questioning Ozil’s talent , but £180,000 a week for a player who went missing for large parts of the last two seasons since he signed for £42 million? Really? I thought Wenger was good with money. Next thing you’ll be telling me if the secretly knows how to zip up his coat at the first attempt.

This case is slightly different to the three above. It’s more paying a player too much. Ozil will play every game for Arsenal when he’s fit, but he doesn’t deliver in the big games and gets bullied against the smaller teams. He is the definition of over paying for a player. I’ll put it this way. He makes £18 a minute – not a minute of a 90 minute game, £18 of EVERY MINUTE OF EVERY DAY OF EVERY WEEK!! Case closed.

Yaya Toure – £240,000 p/w on a three year contract

Toure has started the season brilliantly and all of a sudden the knee-jerk reactions are declaring he’s back to his best and ready to boss City back to the title. That may turn out to be the case, but we’re a little more cynical and narky in Power Tower. City are currently paying £240,000 a week for a talented but temperamental player who turns 33 years of age before the end of this season. 35 by the end of the contract? It beggars belief that a club that was nailed by the Financial Fair Play rules that apparently stopped them from signing Angel Di Maria when United did would pay Toure so much money.

He had a good season two years ago, but by the time his contract is up he’ll have made £37.4 million and last season he was as useful as having herpes in a brothel. Also let’s not forget about that time he threw the world’s biggest hissy fit over a birthday cake. For the love of God you’re making £240,000 a week go buy a damn cake factory.

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Andy Gray: Arsenal and Man United to set up nice 4/1 treble payout Fri, 21 Aug 2015 17:11:09 +0000 Andy’s 4/1 Treble

Man United to win @ 4/11

Arsenal to win @ 8/11

West Ham to win @ 5/4

Man United v Newcastle, Saturday 12:45

Rooney 2015

I think that this is one of those fixtures where down the years I’ve watched Newcastle go to Old Trafford and come away with a cup of tea and a biscuit because that’s the way it’s gone down the years. Newcastle have never been that competitive away to United.

Wayne Rooney will be looking to open his account for the season and after scoring in Europe I think that Depay will be looking to add to his two goals, but I think Rooney to score first is the bet to make at 7/2. I don’t see much cause for optimism if I’m a Newcastle. United haven’t played that well, but will be confident after two opening wins and a win in Europe. I think United should win this easily enough.

Man United to win at 4/11

West Ham v Bournemouth, Saturday 15:00

West Ham to win this one. If they play the way that they did away to Arsenal they will win comfortably. Bournemouth were unlucky to lose against Liverpool. They might well have come away with all three points in that game if decisions had gone their way, but they lost and I think that might be the story of Bournemouth’s season. They play well in games, but ultimately don’t have enough quality to win games.

  • West Ham to win @ 5/4

Arsenal v Liverpool, Monday 20:00

Arsene Wenger

Both teams will score in this one. I would be looking at Giroud to hit the first goal after his brilliant finish against Palace last week at 9/2. While Liverpool’s results have been good their performances have been poor. They somehow managed to get by Stoke with a wonderful piece of individual skill from Coutinho. Against Bournemouth it could have been 1-0 to Bournemouth instead of Liverpool had decisions gone Bournemouth’s way.

Arsenal had a great pre-season, beat Chelsea in the Community Shield and then almost threw it all away losing to West Ham. I think they went into that game thinking it was going to be easy and they paid. It was a really good win against Palace last week and I think they’ll carry it on this week. 2-1 or if you’re feeling confident 3-1 with Giroud to score first.

  • Arsenal to win at 8/11
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Everton to beat Manchester City 4-1 with Lukaku scoring the first?! Take a look at some of the craziest bets you’ve placed this weekend Fri, 21 Aug 2015 10:48:57 +0000 This Stupid Punt section of the Blog is all about highlighting some of those loopy-looking bets at monster odds. All that’s required to make them click is a little bit of brains, a little bit of balls and a massive dollop of luck. If you never have a dream, how will you ever have a dream come true? And here on the Paddy Power Blog we’re all dreamers.

There’s a place in the Punting Hall of Fame at stake if you can pull it off. You are the people who make the crazy look inspired and while you have the bravery to toe the line between ridiculous and optimistic, we can only stand back and applaud. Here are three of the most outrageous bets we’ve dug out of Paddy’s Premier League book this week and a few stats to try to back them up.

  • More misery for the Magpies? Get the latest odds on Man Utd v Newcastle here: Desktop | Mobile

  • Backing City to come unstuck against Everton? Get stuck into the odds at Desktop | Mobile

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Neville Southall: Everton shouldn’t sell Stones to Chelsea for any price if the club has any ambition Thu, 20 Aug 2015 12:51:32 +0000 Everton should never sell John Stones. At any price. I’ve been out a lot with a lot of disgruntled fans and if the club says they’re selling him to Chelsea, then they’re effectively saying ‘we don’t listen to you and we don’t care about you.’

The message it gives to the fans ‘sorry we’re not building a team for the future, we’re just sell our best players as soon as we get a good offer.’ Who do we replace him with? There’s no one as good as him, at his age, who’s going to be an England regular and who’s going to get better and better. Common sense says we don’t sell him.

Money can’t buy what this club needs. This club needs to show ambition and that it’s not a selling club. If they keep selling players it shows that we’re happy to be constantly mid-table with no aspirations for anything more. It could be a different story if there was better communication between the board and the fans, but there’s none. No one knows if there’s money in the club or not. We don’t know if we can shop in Aldi or in Harrods.

Even with the money, who can replace Stones? Johnny Evans is being talked about, but he’s not as good as John Stones. Why would you settle for second best? If they sell him it sends out the wrong signals. It would have an effect on the team. How can they attract top quality players if they keep selling their best players. Life will go on like it did after Rooney left, but £50 million is nothing to have compared to what you’ll lose.

When Rooney left it was because he wanted to leave. Stones has never said that he wants to leave and he’s a different type of person to Wayne Rooney. We have a good base of a team and if we add to it, we’ll have a decent season. If we don’t, we’ll still have a half decent season, but all the fans are looking for ambition and the board aren’t relaying it.

We have a decent squad at the moment, but we need to add at least one more striker, another centre back after Distin left and probably a wideman. Deulofeu is alright, but he’s still untested in the Premier League in a way. In spells he was great, but his work-rate was shocking – nowhere near what it should have been. If he learned off Messi when he went back to Barcelona then we might have a more consistent player on our hands, but we still need something. We need a left back after Baines’ injury. Ashley Cole is available and he has the know how after doing it all before.

Roberto Martinez isn’t under pressure at the moment. But if he fails to win something by the end of next season then he should be. This is how I break it down. Leicester won six games to keep themselves up at the end of last season. Six games wins you the F.A. Cup. The F.A. Cup is well within their reach if they all pull together and go the same way. If they finish outside the top six this season then the season is a failure. That’s how I see it.

  • Shoot over to the latest Everton v Man City odds: Desktop | Mobile

Everton haven’t got the best record against the top six or so teams, but if they can pick up two or three more wins a season against the top sides then they’ll really start challenging.  And they need to start consistently knocking off the West Broms and the West Hams of the league. In games like Everton v United the atmosphere takes care of itself. The players are motivated for those games. Teams lose the title against the smaller teams. They need to be knocking these teams over easily.

Everton’s aim and their ambition should be pointed towards the top four and winning the league. If the ambition is right and the philosophy is right and we’re all working towards the same thing we can. There’s a tendency for club’s like Everton to take the easy way out and say that a Top 10 finish is good enough because we don’t have enough money. Well someone has to buck that trend. Southampton did it really well last season, but there’s room for someone to break into that Top 4 or Top 6. With the squad we have, it can be us.

Ross Barkley

  • Drive over to the latest Everton v Man City odds: Desktop | Mobile

There’s two players that I’m going to be watching this year. John Stones obviously if we keep him because he’s just going to keep getting better and better. I’m hoping Ross Barkley will have a good season. He’s learned from last season. He was poor last season. I hope it goes his way this year. He gets the crowd going.

Both players are going to be vital against Man City at the weekend. They’re world-class against a team with class all over the pitch. But I don’t see why we can’t win the game. We’ve been a bit of a bogey team for team over recent seasons and that was with weaker squads than what we have now. At home we need to have the confidence that we can beat the top sides. I’d be happy with a draw because City are flying, but I don’t see why we can’t nick it 1-0 with Barkley to grab the goal.

Neville’s tip:

Everton to win 1-0 with Barkley 1st Goalscorer – 100/1

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Arsenal v Liverpool: Expect more Capital Punishment for the Reds and back this 8/1 shot on Monday night Thu, 20 Aug 2015 11:11:36 +0000 It’s a 209 mile drive from Anfield to the Emirates Stadium or in layman’s terms for away day fans, a four-and-a-half hour stint on the M1 and M6 in a minibus that smells like fags and stale farts. Hardly an ideal trip for Liverpool supporters to make on a Monday evening when your team’s away record to Arsenal is about as attractive as Bill Oddie’s arse crack.

While Reds fans will have fond memories of the 5-1 spanking they gave the Gunners at Anfield 18 months ago, it’s a completely different story away to Arsene Wenger’s men. Bar a 2-0 win in September 2012, Liverpool have failed to win away to Arsenal in the league in 15 years, racking up eight defeats and six draws in the capital.

Arsenal have had the edge over Liverpool at home more often than not, and their most comprehensive win in those 15 years came last season. The Gunners raced into a 3-0 lead at half-time courtesy of Hector Bellerin, Mesut Ozil and Alexis Sanchez, before Olivier Giroud added a fourth after Jordan Henderson had converted a penalty to secure a 4-1 win. Some minor revenge for the tonking they took the year before.

  • Will there be more Capital Punishment for Liverpool? Get the latest odds here: Desktop | Mobile

Arsene Wenger

Arsenal’s home record in 2015 will also fill Gunners with confidence – despite the opening weekend humbling at the hands of West Ham. That defeat and a 1-0 loss to Swansea in May have been Arsenal’s only league defeats at the Emirates Stadium in the calendar year, as the Gunners have racked up eight home wins in 2015.

While Arsenal’s defence against West Ham was as sturdy as soggy paper, they’ll be hoping for a far better outcome on Monday night. The Gunners had the third-best defensive record at home last year (behind Chelsea and Swansea) while Liverpool’s attack in the first two games this season has yielded just 29 per cent of shots on target – ranking them 17th of the 20 top flight sides.

As for a punt, Arsenal may make plenty of appeal to some at odds of 3/4 to brighten up Monday evening and get the week off to a flyer. However for the more adventurous punter Arsenal to win to nil at 11/5 could be worth a cheeky flutter. If you fancy a bit of spice in your life on Monday night, the Gunners are 8/1 to win 2-0. Liverpool lost 12 games last season and four of those were by a two goal margin, while the Gunners will be aiming to keep their first clean sheet of the season with Petr Cech between the sticks.

One thing is for certain however, if it is another Liverpool defeat away to Arsenal, I wouldn’t want to be on that bus back to Merseyside…

  • Is it Gunner be another result for Arsenal? The latest odds are just a click away: Desktop | Mobile
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Wayne’s Pain: The 33/1 shot who is a far better alternative to Wayne Rooney to score first when Manchester United take on Newcastle Thu, 20 Aug 2015 07:25:09 +0000 Almost 11 years ago, an 18-year-old who set Manchester United back £25.6m made his debut for the club. A Champions League hat-trick and an assist in a 6-2 demolition of Fenerbahce at Old Trafford followed, and Wayne Rooney was talked about becoming one of the greatest Englishmen to grace the hallowed turf.

Fast forward to August 2015 and away to Aston Villa in the league Rooney managed zero shots, zero dribbles, and had just 43 touches of the ball – only two of which were in Aston Villa’s penalty area. He was caught offside three times and was dispossessed on five occasions – Adnan Januzaj was the only player on the pitch who gave the ball away more often. It was a crap day at the office in what has been a miserable 18 months for the two-time Young Player of the Year.

While stats in isolated games are easy to manipulate, there are genuine attacking concerns for Manchester United fans, and eager football punters, relying on Rooney playing as a lone striker this season.

  • Wayne Rooney has had more than one shot on target in a game just once in 2015 – at home to Sunderland in a 2-0 win in which he bagged a brace.
  • From Rooney’s 42 shots in the league in 2015, only 14 (that’s 33 per cent) have been on target.
  • Of those 42 shots, Rooney has scored just four goals – a conversion rate of 9.52 per cent. In 2015 he has managed goals against Sunderland (2), Aston Villa and Tottenham.

To add further stat-based fuel to this burning fire of panic and fear, Rooney’s last goal against Manchester City came four games ago in September 2013. His last goal against Chelsea was six games ago in March 2013. While some will point to the fact he has played in midfield during 2015, the difference between now and when Rooney was in his pomp is still quite shocking.

  • Roo are you backing? Get the latest goalscorer odds right here: Desktop | Mobile

Whatever the frustrations about Wayne Rooney’s current form in front of goal, the Paddy Power traders are still wary of ‘The White Pele’, and make him the 7/2 favourite to open the scoring when United take on Newcastle at 12.45pm on Saturday.

But in the calendar year Rooney has played 19 league games and scored first just once before – that game against Sunderland in February. The number-crunchers in Power Tower have said that means you’d be down £140 if you’d stuck £10 on Rooney to score first in every league game in 2015.

So which player is worth your £10 first goalscorer bet, and who could get the weekend off to a flyer?

  • Juan Mata could be the alternative people are looking for at 6/1. In 2015 he has scored first twice (against Crystal Palace and Liverpool) and is £50 up for the year if you backed him every week. Mata has scored twice in three games against Newcastle since swapping Stamford Bridge for Old Trafford.
  • At juicier odds it might pay to look at Chris Smalling at 33/1. The centre-back was one of the leagues five most profitable players last season bagging punters £310 if they backed him to score first every week. In the calendar year he has opened the scoring against Burnley at 33/1 to leave punters with a profit of £130 since January 1. Newcastle conceded 14 headed goals last season – only Burnley managed to concede more.

Get the latest odds on Manchester United v Newcastle over at Desktop | Mobile

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Rise of the Nice Guy: what the hell has happened to Claudio Ranieri? Tue, 18 Aug 2015 14:50:05 +0000 As soon as Alan descends in the ‘Take Me Out’ lift it’s quite clear he’ll be going home alone. He’s got a steady job, cares for injured hedgehogs, loves his mum dearly and would treat any of the girls in front of him like a princess (rather than the hissing, vapid shrews they so clearly are). Alan does not have a neck tattoo, his shirt fits him perfectly well, he has never strawpedoed a WKD Blue in ‘Spoons’. In short, he’s too nice for this nonsense.

For all the same reasons that Alan isn’t suited to being publicly pimped out to luridly orange women, Claudio Ranieri does not seem suited to football management. Whereas Jose Mourinho would drive a bus full of orphans into an active volcano for a result, Ranieri is the kind of man who holds open doors, gives up his seat and always has pockets full of mints.

And it’s for precisely that reason that he’s always been slightly patronised, particularly by football fans in this country (the assessment here being that he is very nice, but a bit rubbish). And, at least for the generation that grew up with Sir Alex Ferguson snarling and whining his way to total domination, we’ve been conditioned to associate any kind of success with being a massive shi*t.

Leices’ Is More

But, albeit with only two games played, lovely Claudio Ranieri’s Leicester City find themselves second in the league, one of only four sides with a 100% record. Only Manchester City have scored as many goals, Riyad Mahrez is the league’s top scorer and they’ve created more chances than Manchester United and Chelsea.

It’s a start to the season that even arch-Leicester fan Gary Lineker couldn’t bring himself to hope for, with the crisp-sniffing Match of the Day host describing Ranieri’s appointment as an ‘uninspiring choice.’ Harry Redknapp also chirped off about Ranieri landing a Premier League job, presumably while doing backstroke through the pool of banknotes he received for slinking away from the QPR job he’d done so terribly.

And, to be fair to the doubters, there were perhaps good reasons to be sceptical. Ranieri’s last competitive game was a 1-0 loss to the Faroe Islands while managing Greece. For the Greek people it probably wasn’t as bad as Angela Merkel banging on the door like a furious puppet, but it still wasn’t especially ‘lols’.

Claud-ed By The Past

Then there’s our lasting impression of Ranieri in England – a strange season at Chelsea where they finished second in the league to the Arsenal ‘Invincibles’ and he got the sack anyway. That season they also reached the semi finals of the Champions League, a game most people remember for a series of substitutions so bizarre they might as well have been made by making the players on the bench do thumb wars.

And we shouldn’t forget that this is the season where Ranieri had lobbed around £120 million in the general direction of Juan Veron, Damien Duff, Hernan Crespo and experimental nose-flutist Adrian Mutu. Claudio soon found himself shoved off the Abramovich mega yacht just as a gobby young Portuguese was being choppered in – and no one could really say it was the wrong decision.

Since then Ranieri has never lasted longer that two seasons in any job, and his record at Valencia, Parma, Juventus, Roma and Inter could be politely described as ‘a bit wank’. His win record at Monaco was over 60% but even there he never really steered them within licking distance of a PSG side that had been largely built around Zlatan’s massive Swedish balls. In all, out of the 7 jobs Ranieri has taken on since Chelsea, he’s been sacked from 5 of them.

So Vardy, So Good

And then, seemingly from beyond the brink of career oblivion, he rolled up to Leicester City in the aftermath of what is likely to be an awkward Christmas at the Pearson house. The wiser minds in the game suggested that Ranieri had been appointed not so much for his talents as a coach but more for his distinct Un-Nigelness. Here was a man who was unlikely to strangle opponents, bully journalists or generally be the kind of snarky tit you’d secretly love to hit in the face with a ladder. Unfortunately the particularly snarky tit he replaced had just guided Leicester to 7 wins in their last 9 games and an improbable 14th place finish.

But, despite being widely tipped to struggle, Ranieri’s Leicester have surprised a few people. The momentum they gained in the last months with Pearson doesn’t seemed to have slowed, even with the loss of Esteban Cambiasso and his unrivalled ability to lube up even the crustiest of midfields. Ranieri has even faced an ‘early doors’ player scandal, dealing with Jamie Vardy’s oafishness calmly and sensitively.

So perhaps we’ve all remembered wrong when it comes to Claudio. Perhaps he isn’t the loveable buffoon we all think we recall. Or perhaps he’s simply bumbled his way to two wins on the back of some residual ‘Pearsonness’ and a Kasabian album. Perhaps, when we get into the frothing, grumbling, punch-to-the-kidneys reality of the winter, it might not be so nice to be nice after all.

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Generate your own Chelsea FC excuses Sun, 16 Aug 2015 18:04:54 +0000 Another game, another set of points dropped for poor old Jose Mourinho and his lovable band of super-wealthy bastards, and this season is going from bad to worse. Of course, it can’t be the players’, Jose or the Club’s fault – the question is, who will they be blaming this time round?

Why not give our Chelsea Excuse Generator™ a spin and find out.

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Liverpool v Bournemouth Preview: Benteke to start the week with 30-1 first goalscorer shout Sun, 16 Aug 2015 13:55:57 +0000 Liverpool v Bournemouth, Anfield, Monday 20:00

Liverpool take on Bournemouth at Anfield on Monday night and it looks like a certain Liverpool win. At 4/9 there’s as about as point of backing it as there is in Caitlyn Jenner’s penis, but a 30-1 scorecast with Benteke to nab the first goal could be a great way to start the week.

Bournemouth come into the game of the back of a 1-0 loss to Aston Villa in their first game in the top flight, but they were unlucky. They played well, but were undone by cross. Coming up against Benteke, when the ball will be raining in? They could really struggle.

  • Can Benteke get his first for Liverpool? Bet now: Desktop | Mobile

The last time the sides met was last season in the F.A. Cup Liverpool ran out 3-1 winners in the Goldsands Stadium. After such an unconvincing win against Stoke in the first game Brendan Rogers will be looking for a much improved performance from his side on Monday night.

Roberto Firmino will be making his first appearance in front of the Kop. Big things are expected of the 23 year old Brazilian. An 8/5 shout as an anytime goalscorer looks like another solid wager. If he can recreate the form of another Liverpool hero signed from the Bundesliga he’ll be doing well.

Bournemouth can cause Liverpool problems though. Callum Wilson is a very good young striker, Marc Pugh, Harry Arter and Matt Richie all have a habit of getting goals from midfield and Artur Boruc is a solid goalkeeper. If they are to have any chance to come out with anything form the game they will all have to be on top, top form.

If you are a diehard Cherries fan and think they will come away with something a 1-1 draw at 7-1 could be for you or Wilson and a snatch and grab 1-0 at 100/1 might seem rather appealing. But, if I’m being honest that’s as about as likely as Katie Hopkins keeping her mouth shut for more than 20 minutes.

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Manchester City to beat Chelsea 5-2, and Everton and Southampton to draw 3-3?! Here are the craziest bets you’ve placed this weekend Fri, 14 Aug 2015 14:02:19 +0000 This Stupid Punt section of the Blog is all about highlighting some of those loopy-looking bets at monster odds. All that’s required to make them click is a little bit of brains, a little bit of balls and a massive dollop of luck. If you never have a dream, how will you ever have a dream come true? And here on the Paddy Power Blog we’re all dreamers.

There’s a place in the Punting Hall of Fame at stake if you can pull it off. You are the people who make the crazy look inspired and while you have the bravery to toe the line between ridiculous and optimistic, we can only stand back and applaud. Here are three of the most outrageous bets we’ve dug out of Paddy’s Premier League book this week and a few stats to try to back them up.

  • Is it Gunner be another tough day fro Arsenal? The latest odds are just a click away: Desktop | Mobile

  • Mour pressure on the Special One: Get the latest odds at Desktop | Mobile

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Andy Gray: My Premier League preview with Liverpool to round off an 11/1 acca Fri, 14 Aug 2015 11:30:51 +0000 Andy’s 11/1 Acca

Swansea to win @ 19/20

Liverpool to win @ 4/9

Southampton to win @ 10/11

West Ham to win @ 13/10

Aston Villa v Man United, Friday 19:45

Louis van Gaal

Man United have a good record at Villa park an I can see them going with recent results and coming away with three points. Both teams won ugly last week. Neither was hugely convincing. Villa are still bedding players and that makes United shade favourites. If Villa concede as many chances as they did against Bournemouth to United they will lose.

Darmian was the best of the new United signings. Schweinsteiger was good when he came on, he was dominant. I think he’ll get better and better. Schneiderlin was OK. Depay was on the periphery of the game. I hate to go against one of my former clubs, but I have to be realistic and say United will come away with the win.

  • Man United to win at 8/11

Southampton v Everton, Saturday 12:45

The Toffees were poor against Watford especially in the first half. It got better in the second half, but for the first day of the season against a promoted side it’s the kind of fixture I would have wanted. Go get three points on the board and show the promoted sides what life in the Premier League is all about.

Southampton should have beaten Newcastle. They came back very well, but they had the better chances and squandered a few at the end of the game. As with Aston Villa up above I have to go against my former club and say that Southampton should come away with three points.

  • Southampton to win at 10/11

Swansea v Newcastle, Saturday 15:00

Everyone expected Chelsea to get their title defense off to a handy start, but Swansea gave as good as they got and came away with a well deserved point.

Newcastle were lucky to come away with a draw from the Southampton game last week. Southampton had more chances and squandered a few chances at the end of the game. I think Swansea should come away with the win.

  • Swansea to win at 19/20

West Ham v Leicester, Saturday 15:00

West Ham did terrifically well to beat Arsenal on their home patch. They will be full of confidence heading into the first home game of the season.

Leicester had the best result of opening weekend. Ranieri is picking up from where they left off. This is a game between the two most confident sides, but I see West Ham coming away with the points.

  • West Ham to win at 13/10

Crystal Palace v Arsenal, Sunday 13:30

No one would have tipped a West Ham win last weekend, not even the most die-hard Hammers fan, but they played very, very well and Arsenal were poor once they went behind. They were a shadow of the side that beat Chelsea in the Community Shield. I expect a reaction they’ll get chances against Palace and they’ve beaten them in their last four games.

Palace will be looking to hit Arsenal on the counter attack. The have great pace in the side and will be looking to exploit that. They like hitting teams on the counter and will be happy to let Arsenal have the ball. But I expect a quick reaction to the loss against West Ham so I’m going for Arsenal.

  • Arsenal to win at 3/4

Man City v Chelsea, Sunday 16:00

Chelsea were disappointing against Swansea. For most of the game Swansea were on top and they gave as good as they got. They were a little unlucky to go behind to a fluke deflection from Willian’s cross. Against City they will do what they always do. Block it off, make life difficult and try and pinch it at the end.

City were good, they were dominant against the Baggies. There was some big performances from big players. Yaya Toure was terrific, David Silva was unbelievable and Raheem Sterling had a good night. He just needs to add finishing to his game and there’s no limit to what the lad can achieve. I think City might just pinch this one.

  • Man City to win at 23/20

Liverpool v Bournemouth, Monday 20:00

I don’t think that Liverpool were better than Stoke. It took a world class goal from Coutinho to settle the game. Aside from that I didn’t think there was an awful lot between the teams. Liverpool weren’t that impressive, unconvincing is the word I would use. Their main threat will be Benteke. Physically, aerially and on the ground he will help Liverpool.

Bournemouth will be disappointed after losing against Villa. I thought they did enough for a point by Rudy Gestede’s header will give Benteke plenty of hope that he can open his account for Liverpool. I fancy them strongly.

Liverpool to win at 4/9

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Manchester City v Chelsea: A 10/1 shot that is well worth a punt as City take on the beast, Jose Mourinho Wed, 12 Aug 2015 15:14:07 +0000 Referees. The fixture list. The pitch. The fans. The press. And now Chelsea’s first team doctor Eva Carneiro.

Jose Mourinho’s list of people to blame for bad results gets longer each week, and still manages to dodge the fact that at times against Swansea, Chelsea’s defence looked ropier then a sailor’s knot collection. Luckily however, the stats suggest that The Special One won’t have to dip into his cupboard of smoke and mirrors this weekend, because the trends are right behind a good result for Chelsea as they head to the Etihad Stadium to face Manchester City.

  • Will the beast dominate again? Get the latest odds on Super Sunday here: Desktop | Mobile

While Chelsea’s style of football against fellow top four opposition is about as entertaining as watching a wheelie bin full of puppies rolled down a cliff, you can’t argue with the results. Since returning to the Premier League in 2013, Mourinho is undefeated against top four opposition, winning seven and drawing five of the 12 games.

Manchester City’s record against the current reigning Champions also makes for tough viewing. In 10 Premier League games against Mourinho’s Chelsea, City have won just the once – a Nicolas Anelka penalty separating the two sides in October 2004 during The Special One’s first season at the helm. That City side featured such Premier League legends as Danny Mills, Shaun Wright-Philips and Sylvain Distin. Almost 11 years later, and despite having Sergio Aguero, Yaya Toure, David Silva and Vincent Kompany in their ranks, Manchester City have been unable to defeat Mourinho’s Chelsea in nine league clashes.

Jose Mourinho

Despite the stats, our PP traders have got Manchester City as the 23/20 favourites for Sunday’s heavyweight clash. Chelsea are 23/10, with the draw at 12/5 but you can’t help feel that’s a knee-jerk reaction to the weekend’s games. West Brom were abysmal against Manchester City, and while Yaya Toure was given enough room to set up a dairy farm in the middle of the pitch, he’s unlikely to get the same freedom against a disciplined Mourinho side. Likewise, while Chelsea didn’t steamroll Swansea as everyone predicted, it’d be surprising if their defence is as shaky as it was on Saturday night.

Bet 20 Get 10 August

With the stats in mind the obvious punt looks like Chelsea or draw at 4/6, but the odds are skinnier than a supermodel buckling to media pressure. Similarly it’s 4/5 for there to be under 2.5 goals – nine of Mourinho’s 12 games against the top four since August 2013 have been under the 2.5 line.

If you’re looking for a bit more bang for your buck though, the 1-1 draw looks worth a play at 11/2, while Chelsea to win 1-0 might be worth a dabble at 10/1. Man City might be favourites for all three points, but it would take a seriously impressive performance to put a stop to Jose Mourinho’s beastly record.

  • Get stuck into the latest Manchester City v Chelsea betting here: Desktop | Mobile
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Paranormal Superstore to hold grand opening on Saturday: Business Buzz

Daniel Urie | By Daniel Urie | The Patriot-News
Email the author | Follow on Twitter
on April 24, 2014 at 4:15 PM, updated April 24, 2014 at 10:00 PM
Paranormal store.jpgView full sizeSpooky Spirits Paranormal Superstore is holding a grand opening on Saturday.
A paranormal store is celebrating its new store location with a grand opening event on Saturday that will last most of the day.

The Spooky Spirits Paranormal Superstore which moved to a new location earlier this year is holding a grand opening on Saturday beginning at 12:00 p.m. at its new location at Old Gettysburg Village, 777 Baltimore St. in Gettysburg.

The store offers a variety of paranormal equipment including paranormal investigator kits, digital voice recorders, flashlights, thermometers, sensors and lasers. The store also offer ghosts tours nightly, has a seance room and offers psychic readings.
Customers can purchase tickets at the grand opening event for a psychic reading that night. Psychic readings will begin at 7:00 p.m. Tickets will also be available to investigate a haunted location to be held later that night at 11:00 p.m. The store also runs a production company, Devil Dog Film & Movie Productions. The company will be showing a trailer of its horror movie - "Paranormal Retreat" - "Appareo Animus." Actors from the movie will be in attendance. Starting at 3:00 p.m. on Saturday producers will begin taking applications for extras in part two of the horror movie.

The store can be reached at 717-253-3925. More information about the store can be found at

Follow Business Buzz on Twitter @BusinessBuzzPL.

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text:
Phillippe Aumont among 4 players put on Phillies' 40-man roster

Paul Vigna | By Paul Vigna | The Patriot-News
Email the author | Follow on Twitter
on November 18, 2011 at 12:19 PM, updated November 18, 2011 at 12:20 PM

Right-hander Phillippe Aumont, left-hander Jacob Diekman, catcher Sebastian Valle and outfielder Tyson Gillies had their contracts selected to the Phillies’ 40-man roster, the club announced Friday. The body of the release follows.

Aumont, 22, posted a 2-5 record with seven saves in nine opportunities and a 2.68 ERA in 43 combined games for double-A Reading and triple-A Lehigh Valley in 2011. Between both clubs, the 6-foot-7 reliever recorded 78 strikeouts in 53.2 innings and held opponents to a .216 batting average. The Phillies Minor League Pitcher of the Week for April 7-17 of this year, Aumont was acquired via trade from the Mariners in 2009. He was a first-round selection (11th overall) of Seattle in the 2007 draft. Following the season, Aumont was named the fifth-best prospect in the Phillies minor league system by Baseball America.

Diekman spent the 2011 season with Reading where he went 0-1 with three saves and a 3.05 ERA in a staff-leading 53 appearances. After allowing 13 earned runs in 18.0 innings over his first 18 appearances, the 23-year-old Diekman posted a 1.72 ERA over his final 35 games of the season. He struck out 83 batters in 65.0 innings and held opponents to a .199 average which included a .099 mark against left-handed hitters. Following the season, Diekman, a 30th round selection by the Phillies in the 2007 draft, pitched for Scottsdale of the Arizona Fall League where he allowed just one earned run over 11.1 innings with 14 strikeouts.

Valle batted .284 with five home runs and 40 RBI in 91 games for single-A Clearwater last season. The 21-year-old had 27 multi-hit games on the season and batted .368 against left-handed pitching. Signed by the Phillies as an amateur free agent in 2006, Valle has played for Caneros de los Mochis in the Mexican Pacific League this fall. He was named the third-best prospect in the Phillies minor league system by Baseball America following the season.

Gillies, 23, appeared in only three regular season games for Clearwater in 2011 due to injuries. After the season, he played for Scottsdale in the Arizona Fall League. Gillies, acquired by the Phillies along with Aumont in a 2009 trade with Seattle, was a 25th round selection of the Mariners in the 2006 draft.

With the additions of Aumont, Diekman, Valle and Gillies, the Phillies now have 39 players on the 40-man roster.


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Healthy Chocolate Recipes? Yes, Please!

by on February 6, 2014

Sweets Without The Guilt

The term “Healthy” has a bad rap!  When we hear the term “healthy” we automatically think “tastes bad”.  Right?  But, just because something has that label doesn’t mean it is any less delicious than the less healthy version!

Chocolate, for instance, can be healthy for us but the sugar that usually accompanies it is not.  By using some healthier ingredient options you can have a delicious dessert that won’t taste “healthy”.   Enjoy!

  • 3/4 Cup Raw Cacao Powder (available at health stores) or Cocoa Powder
  • 2 Cups Almond Meal
  • 1/2 Cup Raw Organic Honey
  • 1 Tbs. Organic Coconut Oil
  • Pinch of sea salt
  • 1 cup shredded, dried coconut flakes
  1. Combine all the ingredients except for the coconut flakes in a large bowl and mix thoroughly.
  2. Roll up your sleeves, take a small amount of the mixture, and roll small balls between your palms.
  3. Dip each ball in a separate smaller bowl containing the coconut flakes.
  4. Freeze overnight to harden the truffles.  Keep them frozen until they are ready to serve.

Makes about 24 good sized cookies.

  • 1/2 Cup Raw Organic Coconut Oil
  • 1 Cup Mashed Sweet Potato:
    (Bake 2 large sweet potatoes at 400˚F for one hour, until soft.  Let them cool a bit and the skin peels right off. You can also buy canned Sweet Potatoes, just make sure the only ingredient in the can is Sweet Potato.)
  •  1 Large Egg – or 2 Egg Whites
  •  1/2 Cup Pure Maple Syrup
  • 1/2 Cup Brown Sugar
  • 1 Tbs Vanilla Extract
  •  2 Cups Whole Wheat Flour – or Gluten-free Flour, such as Quinoa Flour
  • 1/4 tsp Salt
  •  1/2 tsp Baking Soda
  •  1/2 tsp Baking Powder
  •  1 Tsp Cinnamon
  •  12 oz. High Quality Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
  •  I Cup Dates – chopped well in food processor
  •  Optional: 1 Cup Dried Cranberries
  1. Combine oil, Sweet Potato, Egg, Maple Syrup, Brown Sugar, Vanilla, in medium bowl.  I mixed the ingredients with a spatula. you can also mix with electric mixer until well blended.
  2.  In a separate bowl mix together dry ingredients: Flour, Salt, Baking Soda, cinnamon.
  3.  Stir 1/2 the flour mixture into the wet ingredients, stir in remaining flour mix until well combined.
  4.  Stir in Dates, Chocolate Chips and Cranberries if using.
  5.  Preheat oven to 350˚F, lightly grease baking sheets.
  6.  Heap large tablespoons of batter onto cookie sheets about 1 1/2 inches apart.
  7.  Bake for about 12  minutes, until cooked through and tops of cookies are golden.
  8.  Let cool about 5 minutes and place on cooling racks.

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text:
Plymouth Yarn Company Blog

Providing Quality Yarns To Independent Yarn Shops since 1964.
plymouth yarn

Boucle Bolero

Alpaca Boucle Bolero Handknit by Hilary

Alpaca Boucle Bolero Handknit by Hilary

I ran across this awesome little bolero while I was browsing through ravelry

The cream yarn is our one and only Alpaca Boucle

Which makes not only a soft but also lightweight knit.

The pattern is from KnitKnit: Profiles + Projects from Knitting’s New Wave by Sabrina Gschwandtner

For more information about this knit, you can visit Hilary’s blog about the bolero

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8 + = nine


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Swimming Pool Blog

Swimmers are Smarter!

Swimmers are Smarter!
by Rob Cox, December 07, 2012

Swimmers are Smarter!

In a recent independent Australian study, researchers at Griffith University found that "swimming children scored significantly better than the normal population on a number of measures, including cognitive, language and physical development", says report author Robyn Jorgensen, Ph.D.

They used the contemporary 2012 CDC milestones for child development, which takes into account moden envirnomental factors. Parents of over 7000 young children, located in Australia, New Zealand and the USA were surveyed as to their child's progress in the 170 question survey.

Children from 6 months of age, up to 5 years old were included in the study, which surveyed parents from 2009 - 2012. Swimming kids were found to be particularly more advanced in the areas of Locomotion, or walking, hopping, and running. Stationary skills also showed marked differences in tests like standing on tip toes, balancing or standing on one leg. Visual Motor skills or hand-eye coordination also was higher for kids that were taking swimming skills lessons. On average, the swimming children were about 2-3 months ahead of the non-swimmers.

Motor skills, or "physical capital", as it's called in the study, are not the only distinction between swimming and non-swimming children. Swimming children, as reported by the parents or through testing and observations of 180 children, also performed better in other areas of language, intellectual development and social capital.

Counting to 10 in particular, was much easier for swimming children, and nearly 24 months ahead of non-swimming children. One theory proposed by Jorgensen, is that teachers commonly use counting measures for their swim students. "Teachers are counting - they are saying 1, 2, 3, ready, and this could be why...".

There is one area where swimming kids performed more poorly than the normal population - that of object manipulation, or ball-handling skills.
swimmers are smarter

Nonetheless, the authors of this study state that it appears that there are advantages for young children who participate in early years swimming. Beyong the physical benefits, and a focus on water safety, the research suggests that there are many areas of positive differences between swimming and non-swimming children. Many of these academic, social and personal skills will provide an advantage to children as they enter school.

The authors are careful to add the caveat however, "We cannot conclusively claim that swimming is responsible for the diffrences we have identified in this study - but we can say that children who participate in swimming achieve a wide range of skills and knowledge earlier than the normal population".

If you would like to Guest Post on our Pool Blog ~ or for permission to repost our Pool Blog on
your website, or if you have a question please contact the author by the email link at the top of the page. Thank you


text:
Santorum's Problem: the American People

The National Review’s Rich Lowrey argues that the media is out to get Rick Santorum for his unapologetic social conservatism:

Santorum is a standing affront to the sensibilities and assumptions of the media and political elite. That elite is constantly writing the obituary for social conservatism, which is supposed to wither away and leave a polite, undisturbed consensus in favor of social liberalism. Santorum not only defends beliefs that are looked down upon as dated and unrealistic; he does it with a passionate sincerity that opens him to mockery and attack.

It’s absolutely true that Santorum—or rather, his beliefs—are a “standing affront” to the sensibilities of the elites. But this is also true of the country at large. Like it or not, most Americans support abortion rights, the wide availability of contraception, and an equal role for women in the public sphere. They like public schools—even if they could use improvement—and they aren’t on board with Santorum’s hostility to gay rights. Indeed, I think it’s safe to assume that most people uncomfortable with Santorum’s entire persona—a theologian-in-chief who uses his platform to attack and disparage the large majority of Americans who don’t hew to his narrow fundamentalism.

Santorum’s “passionate sincerity” is rightly seen by most people—including the people of Pennsylvania—as a dangerous extremism with no place in government. Rick Santorum’s problem isn’t that the media dislikes him, it’s that he’s far outside of the American mainstream. If they were smart, conservative elites like Lowrey would keep their distance from the former Pennsylvania senator. As it stands, they seem to care more about sticking it to liberals than winning elections.

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