Bet Smart: Week 4

This post is delayed. And for good reasons too. Between our thumping of West Brom and Spurs, I had slumped into a deep depression after having made some rather misinformed decisions and questionable bets which has left the official pot with a meagre $12. I had wisely avoided the midweek action so as to concentrate entirely on the weekend bets. However my $20 bet for a draw on West Ham vs Bolton and another $20 on Villa vs Rovers totally backfired. I'd never expected Baros to settle in so quickly, or West Ham to crumble at home.

Nonetheless fortune favours the brave. I shall march on with my pride in tact and every last cent from my pot and showhand for 1 last bet against all odds. I shall summon every last ounce of luck left and conjure up a miracle comeback never seen before since Liverpool's fluke Champions League win against AC Milan.

Show me the money!

Essien In Tiago Out

I'm really impressed by our new-signing Essien for the last 2 games. His nickname 'Bison' is justified when he used his physical size constantly to outmuscle his opponents, gets forward frequently and created many chances for himself. His link up play with Drogba was also impressive. He also had a defensive role which allowed Lampard to roam forward often and score 2 against West Brom. If his performances are anything to go by he could be a firm favourite for the starting XI.

Tiago has been sold to Lyon and Jarosik on loan to Birmingham. We seem to be a feeder club to them as Steve Bruce enjoys collecting our rejects (although I do not rate Gronkjaer, Forssell and Melchiot as really poor players). I would prefer to have Jarosik sold and Tiago go on loan. Tiago had so much potential but if Jose doesn't give him a chance, he might as well seek his future elsewhere, and Lyon is a good place to start. Considering his young age, I would consider it a player full of potential lost to a Champions League rival. This move could be Jose's way of giving Gudjohnsen more games in his new midfield role. Our midfield choices are now more limited and that could mean more chances for Geremi, Joe Cole and Essien to start. However if Joe Cole or Essien were to be injured for a long period of time, Jose might regret the sale of Tiago.

Laugh at Wenger

Finally we have beaten the damn Gunners in a Premiership game. Now all that is left is the FA Cup and we can claim to have kicked their asses in all competitions before. We all know about how lucky the goal was but in reality Arsenal hardly threatened because of Chelsea's resolute defence, which I feel can hold off even Brazil and Real Madrid. Drogba though scored with his shin, it takes a good player to get into his kind of position for such opportunities.

Gallas and Terry paired up superbly as centrebacks. Ferreira was solid as usual and Del Horno made an excellent home debut. His sliding tackles were flawless and defended very well. He even had time to pour forward in attack. My Man of the Match is Makelele as he was all over the place working his ass off and also securing the defence with his presence, experience and skill.

Mourinho was clever to put Crespo in for the first 45 minutes but change to a more physical player in Drogba at half time to put off and confuse the Arsenal defence and of course Senderos. 2 games, 6 points, 2 goals scored and none conceded. West Brom should be so scared. I expect a team consisting of Essien, Tiago, Cole and Carvalho for this game. And a fresh 1st team squad for the trip to 3-point lane this weekend.

Bet Smart: Week 2

Last week, a poor Chelsea performance denied me of good money. Very good money. Despite being spot on for 2 Total Goals for the Man U match, there was still an overall $8 loss. Therefore a cautious approach will be adopted this week. The pot currently stands at $92. Hardly enough for the World Cup next year. Whether Sunday’s games are played will be determined by my bets on Saturday.

Blackburn vs Fulham is a good bet. Fulham drew their 1st game and Rovers lost. Both teams would want to go all out for a win as they have yet to record 3 points. Fulham has the firepower with Collins John, Boa Morte and McBride but Rovers has a tight defence led by Andy Todd (who scores goals as well, what a stud) and other fighters and thugs. I feel all signs points strongly to a draw. Therefore a sane bet would be 2 Total Goals (3.70).

My other game would be Newcastle vs West Ham. Newcastle in an ideal world should win this one. But of course in an ideal world Rovers should have been relegated last season. Considering the Magpies’ unreliable defense with a tired Boumsong after France’s mid-week friendly, they will concede goals. A $20 bet on a 2-1 score line is a good bet. And the odds are pretty good at 7.80.

May Chelsea kick the Gunner’s ass and I win some goddamn money this week.

Reaction to News

Ricardo Carvalho lets it rip
It is not wise to blow his top about not starting for only the 1st game. For the community shield Gallas was preferred as he knew Henry’s style of play and had the speed and skill to nullify him. I felt he was again chosen for Wigan so as to keep up his momentum for the game against Arsenal this Sunday. Players in our squad should be team players and do what is right for the team, not personal gains, and they should have already understood this when signing for Chelsea. I believe Jose knows what he is doing and will not deliberately leave out a 19 million pound signing for no reason. Carvalho is a fantastic player and he has to be patient and play his best when given the chance and give Jose something to think about when selecting his starting XI. This mentality should be adopted by Tiago, Geremi, Glen, Joe Cole and Jarosik as well.

Essien
I have no idea why he was signed. Where will Tiago, Eidur, Geremi and new youngster Diarra play? The message we’re sending out seems to be that we are buying up talents (for an obscene amount of money) and not using them to the maximum potential. We have youngsters Jonas Elmer and Steven Watts already playing well in the reserves hoping to break into the 1st team but all these new transfers are only making things difficult for them. I’m rather unhappy that our already talented group of squad players (used to fill in when 1st choice are unavailable) are not given the chance to prove themselves. People like Tiago had been rotated like crazy last season yet he had remained quiet and performed when given the chance and this is Chelsea’s way of rewarding him? Although competition for places is good, but overall squad morale and unity must be maintained. After Carvalho’s outburst and the arrival of Essien, I’m sure Jose will need to do something to pacify all the players who are mostly made up of internationals all vying for a place in the World Cup 2006 in Germany.

The Wigan game
Seriously, if players continued to play like they did against Wigan, drop them. Even if we are talking about Terry and Lampard. No man is indispensable to the ultimate goal of winning trophies. Robben’s selfish play was especially infuriating. Let’s hope Jose had screwed them all proper during the week and we deliver a good performance against Arsenal. Actually even if we play badly on Sunday, let’s hope we still get the 3 points. No point playing sexy football and be on the losing end.

My starting XI against Arsenal
Cech,
Ferreira, Gallas, Terry, Del Horno
Robben, Lampard, Makelele, Tiago, Duff
Drogba

Subs: Cudicini, Huth, Crespo, Gudjohnson, SWP

Bet Smart: Week 1

Over the course of this season, I would place bets with Singapore Pools (and also other less legitimate betting sources) for the EPL and analyse it right here. My starting pot is a mere $100. Feeling poor lately. While the asian handicap is a 50/50 issue, people like me can still get it wrong. And asian handicap being what it is, the winning from a $100 bet is mostly limited to between $75 to $95 and hardly ever the full amount. Tak shiok lah brudder. Losing 1 and winning 1 game will still result in an overall loss. The Singapore Pools offer good odds for draws, total goals and correct scorelines. The rest are really not worth considering. Singapore Pools has been rather good to me soccer-wise. For Toto and 4D it is a different story. I bought 2 system 7s and I only kena one number. What a difference 50 million would make. Anyway...

The season starts tonight. After a careful analysis of the fixtures, Everton vs Man U is a good one to start with. An early kickoff before everyone else will pile on the pressure, especially on Fergie. A tight fixture is expected. I would go with a $20 on a draw (3.70) and another $20 on 2 total goals (3.60). The worst case scenario would be Man U winning 2-0, which is still sweet. I would then choose to rest and take a back seat and watch Boro draw with Liverpool. Sunday's game of Wigan vs Chelsea will be sheer murder. It will be a $20 on 2 total goals and another $20 on a scoreline for a Chelsea 0-2 win. I do not expect a spanking as I feel Mourinho wants to seal the win asap and then get some subs in to rest key players for Arsenal in the 2nd game.

My last remaining $20 this week will be for a drink to drown my sorrows after losing everything.

The Community Shield

Chelsea has not beaten Arsenal for quite some time since that unforgettable match where we kicked their punk ass out of the Champions League in the 03/04 season. And last season we only managed to draw with Wenger's boys both home and away. So without their captain Vieira, it was sweet to finally beat them at Cardiff for the Community Shield. Many would state that this means nothing and it will not greatly affect the outcome of the League race. It was merely a friendly curtain raiser for the actual league to take place next week. Also past winners of this 1-match competition hardly go on to win the League title. Screw you guys. Chelsea are here to buck the trends and dismiss supersitions. The win would give us a psychological advantage when we take them on again after we had spanked Wigan proper. Now for my analysis of the match:

Drogba's 2 well taken goals will surely silence critics, boost his own confidence, worry Premiership defences, challenge Crespo for a starting place and give Mourinho something to think about. He has great upper body strength and I'm sure with more games, his finishing can only get better. Robben was rather subdued but when given the opportunity his pace can still take out several defenders. SWP was very quick with the ball to show Wenger what he had missed. But my Man of the Match should go to Gallas for keeping the defence solid with Terry. He was throwing himself at shots, read the game very well and is clearly very comfortable in a CB role. Ferreira kept Henry out well and reduced his attempts to several week grounders. Overall it was a very good defensive display.

I do not feel we need to sign Essien as:
1. Tiago and Geremi deserve more games
2. Lyon's president is holding us at ransom
3. I think we already have a good enough squad to challenge for all trophies

Bring on Wigan for the slaughter!

My Blood is Blue

I remember during the good old army days, I would travel the mile (from Khatib to Jurong West) to go home during weekday nights just to catch a midnight Champions League or FA Cup match. And in the process forgo sleep completely just to chase the first bus back to camp. When the weekends do arrive, the action begins. First, I had to do my best to convince my other half that there would be an important game coming up so we should go home early to catch it. Therefore movies need to start in the afternoon and dinner should not last more than 30 minutes. Shopping and other miscellaneous time consuming events should be postponed. Annoyed, she would point out that every game to me was important.

She has probably heard them all:
“Robben debuts in this match. He is so exciting to watch.”
“This game determines whether we can overtake Arsenal or not.”
“If we win it we would be in the next round of the FA Cup”
“We need to maintain our 11 point lead.”
“If we win this game it will be a new record.”

Unimpressed, she would mutter something about me being mentally unstable and that it is ridiculous how a football club on the other side of a globe could incite such reactions from me. She uses the classic statement of: “It doesn’t matter how much you support them. They don’t even know you exist.” I would reason with her in one word: Passion. The same feelings girls would feel at a Mango, Future State or Mphosis sale with 50% off selected items.

Of course, if the girl is busy for the weekend, no life-draining explanation and pacifying is required. I would have cancelled all other plans by noon and proceed to the nearby Shell station to stock up on junk food and drinks for the match. Pre-match rituals must be strictly observed to ensure a desirable outcome. A silent prayer to the Chelsea gods is compulsory. No sexual activities before the game. Definitely no toilet breaks during the match. And no channel surfing either.

If the game was won, a hearty drink is in order. I would scramble to the computer to go online and read the match reports, analyze match stats and the league table, check out my fantasy league performance and call up fellow fans for post-match congratulations.

Sometimes a game is lost, and moodiness sets in. I skip all online activities and proceed to call up fellow fans for some post-match bitching (especially when lost under controversial circumstances). The following day, I would avoid all newspapers because the press just loves to knock Chelsea when we’re down. My other half would then faithfully call in and try her best to console me. The rest of the work week just passes like a blur. Waking up everyday knowing Chelsea had lost a game was sickening. I had to endure Arsenal and Man U fans everywhere as they dance around me and taunt at every opportunity. Everything else seems so meaningless. Bosses question my reports and my lack of attention to detail. My lunch would always be tasteless. The world seemed so dark and grey. But all is well when the new weekend arrives for yet another Chelsea game to be all excited about.

Come on you Blues!