Big-spending chelsea 15-2 for title

SPORTS and showbiz betting: LIKE most sport fans, I love watching football, but it doesn’t half test my patience at times.

Whether it be players arguing with referees, others diving for free-kicks and penalties, the unpenalised pulling of shirts in the penalty area or the sickening practice of attempting to get opponents sent-off by the brandishing of imaginary red cards, the beautiful game is clearly not without its flaws.

I also believe money is at the root of many of its problems.

So I have to admit that this week’s mind-boggling sums being exchanged for top players were greeted with scepticism rather than excitement in this particular corner of the Chronicle offices.

Fernando Torres is not worth £50 million. Then again, no footballer is.

But market forces dictate price tags and the knock-on effect from the Torres deal was the ridiculous figure of over £35m for Andy Carroll.

Don’t get me wrong, strikers are hot property. They win matches and attract the fans in droves.

But those same loyal supporters are being asked to shell out large chunks of their diminishing wages in times of economic strife and it just seems immoral to me that players are being paid the thick end of 200 grand a week – as in Torres’s case – just for kicking a football about while others in society struggle to make ends meet.

Clearly, the football world has gone mad.

Right, having got that off my chest, how have this week’s transfers affected the Premier League betting market? Well, not a lot really.

Manchester United won again last night and remain worthy 4-6 favourites to come out on top, although they do have to play Chelsea twice and the Stamford Bridge side, with Torres and £21million defender David Luiz added to an already-formidable squad, will be going flat out to crack the title race wide open.

Chelsea remain 10 points behind United despite last night’s win at Sunderland, but such is their fire power - Torres, Drogba, Anelka, Malouda, Lampard and Kalou to name just six - that the 15-2 about them coming from the clouds and winning the title might not look so bad in a few weeks’ time.

Arsenal are 3-1 second favourites, but flatter to deceive and are likely to implode when it comes to the crunch.

And the 20-1 about Manchester City, while attractive at first glance, reflects that this tile race has come a year too soon for a developing team.




ATHLETIC cemented their place in fifth place last night but, surprisingly, can still be backed at 10-1 for promotion from League One.



Admittedly, if they are to go up they will probably have to do so via the play-offs, but I reckon they are an even money shot to finish in the top six which makes their current promotion odds look pretty attractive.

Brighton and Southampton are 1-2, ahead of Hudders-field (8-5), Charlton (11-4), Bournemouth (7-2), Peter-borough (11-2), Sheffield Wednesday (6-1) and Athletic.




ENGLAND go into rugby union’s Six Nations Championship this weekend as 2-1 favourites to finish top of the pile.



Martin Johnson’s team is clearly improving, but a trip to Wales on Friday night represents a tricky opener and I would not want to be lumping on them given the difficult start to their campaign.

Wales are 8-1 to win the title, which is about right, but they are dangerous on home turf and are only 13-10 to topple England at he Millennium Stadium.

Our lads can be backed for victory at 4-6, with the draw at 20-1.

France are always to be feared in the Six Nations and are 13-5 second favourites behind England.

Then it’s Ireland (7-2), Wales, Scotland (16-1) and poor old Italy (250-1).