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Early ante-post thoughts for the new domestic football season

The World Cup only finished 7 days ago, & yet the new domestic football season kicks-off in only 3 weeks time so although it still very early in terms of pre-season build up & of course daily transfer activity, here are our early Division by Division ante-posts thoughts for the new season ahead:

Premier League 2010/11:

Chelsea go into this season as reigning Premier League title holders & indeed League/Cup double winners and so deservedly head the market at around the 6/4 – 13/8. Chelsea have not made their expected big moves in the transfer market yet but that will surely come & anyway Chelsea are the team to beat as things stand now & that will only strengthen as more quality players arrive.

Sir Alex Ferguson will be totally determined to ensure Manchester United get what they perceive to be their Premier League trophy back & Manchester United do certainly rate the main dangers to Chelsea again & will push Chelsea but whether they have enough to get past them is another question all together.

Arsene Wenger is under pressure to win trophies with Arsenal & will want to challenge again in the league but they have to prove they have the stamina as well as the quality, Manchester City appear to buying on a daily basis but what they cannot buy is team spirit & unity and that may well be their biggest problem to over come this season & a title win still seems some way off until they can prove otherwise.

Of the others then Liverpool need to rebuild under Roy Hodgson who will do a good job but highly unlikely to be anywhere good enough to win trophies over the next few years, David Moyes will continue to push Everton forward & they will look to break the top 6 but that could well be their limit while Martin O’Neill continues to do a very good job at Aston Villa but this might be the season when they take a step backwards as they lack the real quality where it matters.

Premier League summary:

In our view, the 2010/2011 season will pan out much the same as last year with the likes of Everton, Man City, Arsenal, Tottenham & Aston Villa all being involved & challenging for the top spaces but ultimately in terms of who can actually win the Premier League then it looks a straight match between Chelsea & Manchester United and at this stage we are taking CHELSEA to prove too strong & too powerful over the season and follow up their title win of last season.

Recommendations:

CHELSEA to win the Premier League
Premier League Forecast: CHELSEA to beat Manchester United

Championship 2010/2011:

8/1 CO-favourites of three with Nottingham Forest, Middlesbrough & QPR all heading the market followed by a group of 12 teams who come within the 10/1 – 16/1 bracket and that just shows how incredibly competitive & nearly impossible to predict the Championship is again this season after what was a relatively straightforward Championship for punters last season.

Favourites Newcastle United & 2nd favourites West Brom dominated the market for the Championship last year & duly went up as 1st & 2nd in the league to make punters happy & bookmakers decidedly unhappy but there has to be every chance that the bookies will strike back this year because anything really is possible this time around.

As we mentioned Nottingham Forest, QPR & Middlesbrough head the market tied on or around the 8/1 mark and all three will have their followers & our view is that of those 3 teams, Nottingham Forest have the most solid chance but it’s certainly not a bet to re-mortgage your house on.

The 12 teams that follow the market leaders include teams like Burnley, Sheffield United, Leicester City, Norwich City, Leeds United, Cardiff City, Swansea & Reading and we really don’t see anything between those sides & any of them are capable of having strong seasons and our pick from that group at this stage is Reading who finished last season very strongly & will be confident to start that way again this year.

Of the other, bigger priced teams in the Championship then the likes of Derby, Preston, Coventry & Doncaster Rovers will all look to try & achieve the play-offs despite being rated as contenders for relegation and of those teams we think Coventry City appeal as a small value each way punt with Aidy Bothroyd taking over as manager this year.

Championship Summary:

The Championship looks like a football lottery at this stage & absolutely anything is possible but we are going to pin our hopes on Billy Davies inspiring NOTTINGHAM FOREST into having another good, solid campaign again while Brian McDermott certainly impressed everybody with the fantastic job he did at Reading & we like the value odds on READING having a good go this year while our Championship Long-shot vote goes to COVENTY CITY  who have Aidy Bothroyd as their new manager & he is proven at this level & can hopefully inspire Coventry to push to get back into the Premier League again.

Recommendations:
Nottingham Forest, Reading & Coventry City all each way

League 1 2010/2011:

League 1 was friendly to punters last season with favourites & 2nd favourites Leeds united & Norwich City both going up automatically with Millwall another popular each way choice going up via the play-offs so punters will be hopeful of more the same this time around.

To be fair, that does look the case again this season as current hot favourites Southampton, priced around 5/2, do deserve favourtism & definitely do look the team to beat in League 1 this season and Alan Pardew’s men do look a very solid bet to challenge for the League 1 title & achieve promotion.

Other contenders that will definitely get punters attention are Sheffield Wednesday who dramatically got relegated on the final day of last season & they will certainly look to bounce straight back although that might be tough for them while Charlton Athletic desperately want to get back into the Championship but are again another side who might feel the pressure of expectancy weighing heavy on them.

Southampton, Charlton & Sheffield Wednesday are the teams that head the market in League 1 & obviously they all deserve great respect but other teams who warrant respect at bigger prices are Lee Clark’s Huddersfield Town who did very well last season & also Gus Poyet’s Brighton who finished last season well & will look to kick on right from the start this year.

League One Summary:

SOUTHAMPTON are the hot favourites to win League 1 & we really cannot argue with that as Alan Pardew’s team look to have the strongest profile & have the excellent momentum & confidence from last season to push them on while we also like the look of HUDDERSFIELD TOWN at around 8/1 & BRIGHTON at around 14/1 as each way value picks.

League 2 – 2010/2011:

We said in our summary for the Championship that looks like a football lottery & to be honest we have the same views about League 2 which looks an absolute nightmare for punters to solve this season with the top 12 to 14 teams in the market all believing they have a fair chance of promotion & indeed winning the league.

Bradford are the current market leaders in League 2 & they command massive respect, while the likes of Gillingham, Northampton, Aldershot, Bury, Rotherham, Wycombe, Port Vale, Chesterfield, Morecambe, Stevenage & Oxford all warrant respect in a league where anything looks possible.

League 2 Summary;

Our view in League 2 is that any of the front 12-14 teams in the market can go well & challenge for the League 2 title as the league is so competitive & the teams are so closely matched so at this stage we are nominating a few each way plays NORTHAMPTON TOWN, ALDERSHOT & BURY  as our value each way contenders for the League 2 Lottery.

Those are our early ante-post views on the Premier League, Championship, League 1 & League 2 and the teams recommended are the teams that will be carrying our early ante-post money but remember there are still 3 weeks to go & a lot will change as players & managers move and we will keep an eye on everything & adapt as we see fit.

Remember to shop around for the best betting odds & terms and of course we wish you the best of luck with whatever bets you have this season.