Big weekend for #FOREST ….

I have been a bit lost for words lately when it comes to #NFFC who seem set to sack #cooper especially as I can’t see us getting a win at Wolves today. Also, if we do win, does that really mean he is safe. If the owner and board have lost faith in him, then it means the next match is just as much of a win game. Part of me wants to give him all the time he needs. He deserves it and god forbid we go down, he is as good as anyone to get us back up. But it is clear the owner is thinking that after all the money he has invested, why risk going down. I love #Forest but lets be honest, we are pretty awful at the moment. We just don’t look as fit as other teams, we lack the intensity needed at that level and do any of us recognise our style or purpose. Lets be honest, we got lucky last year and we look a little lost at the moment. Obviously, it doesn’t help that Cooper is under pressure. Surely some of the players will know this and as much as they will like and respect him, they like us fans are almost waiting for the inevitable. No Forest fan can deny that Cooper deserved the credit and respect he gets, but we need to see a drastic change at Wolves today for him to stay in charge and for Forest to look like a team who will improve. I know that injuries have really not helped, and losing Taiwo really hurts Forest. Not just his goals, its his work rate and presence. It almost inspires the rest of the team. Seeing Wood up front instead, just frustrates me. Yes, he is a different type of forward, and as a professional footballer he is obviously a very good player. But he looks lacklustre compared to Taiwo and I feel the team play like it with him trying to holds the ball up. Origi is showing why he was only ever a sub at Liverpool and why they were always willing to let him leave. After that, we are stuffed upfront. I love Elanga’s work rate and I am delighted to see Callum back. MGW needs to find some confidence again and then maybe those three rotating around the front will work until Taiwo is back, but none of them are lethal enough in the final 3rd. Even if Cooper finds a way to get them playing better, we will struggle to find the back of the net. On top of all the problems Cooper has on the pitch, we now read that Worrall and McKenna are playing up off it. I will go out on a limb and say I appreciate the enormity of what they both did to get us up, but they are very good championship players at best. Worrall is Forest to the core but he is simply not a premier league defender. It may change but I cant see how. McKenna wins some great battles and puts himself on the line every match, but he gets caught out too often and is clumsy at just the wrong moment. We have plenty of options at centre back now, although I wouldn’t rely on Felipe as Cooper seemed to want to. I would go for Murillo alongside the new lad Omobamidele and have Niakhate as the back up or 3rd of a three. I would cash in on Boly if the Saudi’s want him and feel the same about Kouyate and Aurier. Forest may be facing a relegation battle but it looks like they might get lucky again as there seems to be three teams who will face an even tougher battle to stay up. With that in mind, lets really sort the squad out and lose some of the players who will struggle to play for any prem team next season. I feel all three I have mentioned are border line prem players right now, let alone moving forward. Then as I am typing I see the team news for today and see that for some MAD reason Koutaye is in the team. Obs we don’t see them in training but the 5 at the back and defensive players chosen for today suggests Cooper has bottled it. He is looking to not lose, rather than go out to win. I REALLY DO NOT want to see him go and ABSOLUTELY want Forest to win, but knowing he is on his way out and knowing that #Lopetegui is waiting in the wings, lets get on with it. There is no doubt that Lopetegui had the right impact at Wolves when he went in there and they definitely played a more upbeat and attractive style of football than we did and do. If Cooper gets a win today and by chance we look like a more confident and more able team, great, we crack on. But I fear we will lose today and then I feel something has to change. In that way I finally agree that the time has come and maybe the owner will be right to think someone new is needed. Back to today, I am delighted to see Williams back in the team. That is one good change as I feel he has been unlucky to miss out so much this season. Like Toffolo, at least we know that he will run until he stops and will get forward when he can. Lets hope that the wing backs counter attack at pace and somehow we manage to nick a win. #COYR no matter what happens. As always the fans will always be there anyway.

#FOREST being prepared for the transfer window #NFFC #COYR

JUST MY OPINION BUT HERE GOES ….

I am obviously OVER THE MOON that our beloved #FOREST are #stayingUP and we get at least another season watching the original reds play in the top tier. Like most, I am 100% behind #Cooper and the board, but as #NFFC are safe already, I would LOVE to see some early action in the transfer market, maybe as soon as the window opens. A huge problem they had last year, apart from needing so many players, was needing to act so late compared to others. We now have the time to be prepared, so my fingers are crossed that they are already prepared and will make it work. IMHO a great start will be securing #deanHENDERSON as our No.1 keeper. #Navas has been great but I feel Henderson is up for the scrap and is young enough to improve with the squad. I really like the energy and work rate of #necoWILLIAMS and I feel he will improve his defensive qualities and we then have #Aurier and #Biancone for that position too, with Biancone as a back up centre back. I would quickly secure #LODI as left back with #Toffolo backing him up. We have also not seen what difference #omarRICHARDS may make. I am happy that we have enough for now in those positions but for me its at centre back that we need to find a way to improve. They have defended brilliantly at times, and whether they have been good enough or not, they have all put everything in to it. But they can be frail as our goal difference shows. I also worry that we lose the ball too often and we struggle to play out from the back. Along with the midfielders they struggle to find a forward pass. We are also prone to losing late goals and that can be from defending for too long in games where eventually the opposition get their reward. Thankfully Arsenal didn’t last weekend. It was great to have #Niakhate back and what a difference he has made, even his long throw ins! He is young and quick and he has a great future ahead of him and he is ours. But if I am honest, we struggle after that at CB. No doubt #joeWORRALL is #forest through and through and he is a great back up. #Felippe helped when we needed bodies and experience, as #Boly did. But they are coming to the end of their careers. I love #steveCOOK and for me he was a major reason why we gained promotion, but he is well past the prem standard so I assume he will move on. Like Worrall, #McKenna is a reliable committed player and improving all the time, but for me I would like him to be alongside two great centre backs or as back up. I feel we need at least one young top quality centre back, or one showing signs of a great career. Maybe not #Colwill as that is unrealistic, but someone like that. In reality, signing Henderson and Lodi as well as one really decent centre back would give us a great back 4 or 5, with really good back up. This would be good enough to compete, start to hold on to the ball with more confidence and ultimately, secure staying up again. In midfield I feel we have struggled all season and that is possibly where we need the most new recruits. Along with Worrall, no one can question how committed #Yates is, but he still needs to improve at that level. It seems that #Shelvey was a waste of time, and hopefully behind the scenes he is eating humble pie. I assume he will move on, as will #Colback, #Lingard and #O’Brien. It seems that #Freuler looks a different player for Switzerland, and whilst he is clearly top quality, I am not sure he keeps the ball well enough in the hustle and bustle of the prem. As good as #Kouyate can be, he is coming to the end of his carer and is injury prone. Like Freuler he may be great to have in the squad but they are not starters for me. Along with Yates, I feel we are yet to see the best of #Mangala, #Danilo and #Scarpa and they could all end up being exciting as they get more game time and get more used to the prem. But for now I feel we are weak in midfield and we need at least two additions, maybe three. One needs to be a top quality player who is good enough and calm enough to buy us the time we need in play and find the right ‘forward’ pass. No idea who and what price but they are needed as in our worst performances we have been totally overrun in midfield, lost the ball too often and then not had the quality or pace at the back to cope. Just two or three new players coming in good quickly change that. Up front we have quality and plenty of players. Not sure he fancies #Surridge which is a shame as I love the guys work rate and his commitment and he does seem to find the net. We already have #Awoniyi who has been superb lately. We then have #Wood to come back and in the wider positions we could not ask for better than #MGW and #brennanJOHNSON and with the right midfield and defence behind them, they could move on to another level next season. Cooper seems to like #Dennis although I am not convinced myself. I assume #LyleTAYLOR will move on as will #Ayew and maybe #Mighten although I wouldn’t mind seeing him in the squad. It seems that #daleTAYLOR had a fairly successful loan spell and it will be interesting to see what Cooper thinks of him in preseason. Of the other loans players I can only imagine that #Panzo and maybe #Fornah could find space in the squad, others like Horgath, Ojeda, Laryea and Mbe Soh are likely to come off the roster. Of the youngsters, we have the likes of Back, Donnelly, Swan and Harbottle that have been out gaining experience and who knows whether they are ready to help the squad this term or next. I do know that whether you agree with my comments or not, this clearly shows that to improve our points tally and stay up again, we need to find a way to lose the mistakes and those who are not up for it, and improve the squad. For me this starts with early action in the window to secure Henderson and Lodi and then find a top quality centre back and midfielder. Henderson and Lodi could cost say £25m and £20m and I feel we could benefit from spending around £30m or more on a quality centre midfielder I feel we need with one or two other back ups in that department. It could end up that the owner spends another £100m so it will not be a cheap transfer window for #Forest but if Cooper is allowed to influence the signings, it is all part of the master plan and slowly we could find a regular place back where we belong #COYR

Feel free to comment and to share. I am happy to listen and to be wrong!!

Some thoughts on #MUFC and new signings ….

It is a long one so read on if you have absolutely nothing better to do …..

It seems the signing of #Fernades at #MUFC has bought the previously useless #Woodward some breathing space from most fans and in some ways, I am pleased. Fair play when it is due and it as a great signing, late but great and now is time to focus on the positives and the football. There is also NO WAY EVER he deserved the personal attacks outside the club. But hoping he might finally have his brain in gear and continues to make the right footballing decisions for #United, I hope they do whatever it takes to get #harryKANE in to a red shirt at #United. It was clear to me when reading the twitter chats with various @skysportsnews pundits and #JamesCOOPER that they feel Kane could be the man and I agree. IMHO #Levy is the type who may use this economic disaster to give him a reason to do something he was probably about to do anyway, unload Kane for big money and keep the books balanced at #Spurs. He is the type who will ALWAYS cash in. He is a proper business man and whilst he is a fan, he will have the numbers in mind in everything he does and that new stadium is at the front. He showed that when dumping Poch the moment he wanted to spend big and try to take Spurs to another level. No disrespect to Spurs fans but the last 6 to 12 months have shown us they are miles off being the best team in England and even their recent transfer activity has been questionable, especially for the way Mourinho will manage them. They know have a manager who will look for any excuse and want to spend big on ready made players. Levy and Mourinho will achieve their own ambitions by selling Kane and I only hope #MUFC get him and asap. Like Fernandes, Kane will want to win and he has shown for England he is a leader. He is a goal machine, unlike many he puts pens away and he will be that target man to take the pressure off Rashford and Co. I actually don’t think United need to buy as many players as some may think as one or two being replaced in the actual team would then be great squad players. Players like Lindelof, Bailly and Tuanzebe to be great back up to Maguire and say Koulibaly. I would bring in Kane 200m, Grealish 80m, Koulibaly 100m, Ighalo 10m and another top midfielder but young and ambitious who will not demand immediate football as some do. Bellingham could be the man for 35m. Think best squad again and Bellingham fits in to the right home grown quality in a long term plan. I wouldn’t buy Sancho and would have Grealish or Maddison over him any day. I think he will be the unsettled type and will want to be in London. Maybe let City have him back and the potential problems he may bring off the pitch if he doesn’t get his way, although City are unlikely to make the mistake United have with Pogba. On the other side of things I would sell that man Pogba for 100m, Lingard 35m, Smalling 20m, Jones 10m and controversially and to help with the cash I would sell #DeGea. If they could get say 100m I would cash in now. I would give Henderson, who I think is England’s best young keeper, the No 1 spot at United. He is a brave and mature keeper and has shown himself to be a top keeper in the Prem already. Fact is, if United get the defence in front of him right, he could be the man and again British, young and long term. #DeGea remains one of the best in world, but we have seen at United that it can be when it suits him. I fear there is still some negativity in him and as with Pogba, I would not risk keeping anyone who risks the new positive outlook that the club seems to have. Sanchez will come back and it could be a waste of time but if they get Kane, it could be brilliant to have him in the squad and it could allow another previously unsettled brat to leave. They could then sell #Martial for say £60m. Looking at the rest of the team, with other top players around them, there is no doubt the likes of #Maguire and #WanBissaka look two absolutely brilliant long term signings. I already felt that anyway and it was only really other fans questioning whether Maguire in particular was the man. They already have huge stars in #Rashford and #Greenwood. The likes of James, Gomes and Chong could still have huge futures in and around Kane and knwoing how much Ighalo loves to be in a United shirt he would be great on the bench or to replace Kane if ever needed. Just for his enthusiasm and desire I would sign him up. They can get at least another year from Matic and maybe even Mata and it is great to have the unassuming #McTominay back who I think will be a long term rock in the midfield. Fred has finally shown how great he can be and he will either be a great squad player or they can replace him like for like. They have Dalot to back up Wan and Shaw and Williams on the left. Then there is the ever reliable crop of youngsters that #MUFC seem to bring through and bringing the club back to its former glory, this will go on.
So looking at what I have said:

I would buy….
Kane 200m
Grealish 80m
Koulibaly 100m
Bellingham 35m
Ighalo 10m
Maybe A.nother top player 50m
Total spend £475m

I would sell …..
Pogba 100m
DeGea 100m
Martial 60m
Lingard 35m
Smalling 20m
Jones 10m
Total income £325m

With all that change and activity of 6 out and 6 in that is a net spend of £150m to potentially completely the team and squad. IMHO they will then have a team worthy of ‘guaranteeing’ a top four position and starting an assault on the top spot. Add that to what they have previous spent on Fernandes and if you think before he came along you could achieve a far better team and squad for around £200m, it would be money well spent, especially with the cash guaranteeing Champions League football brings back. Clearly a bit pie in the sky but not as much as some may think. I think Kane is a deal if United agree 200m and both Pogba and DeGea would leave if United get the right money for them. Those are the three signings that make all this work and now more than ever it may be possible. If you add in Henderson coming back ten you have two out and two in with no expense. Then they concentrate on the other players and maybe Mddison not Grealish etc.

Shout if I have missed anything obvious and your thoughts or RTs are welcome. Lots of love all round. I hope everyone is healthy and well and #staySAFE and of course #stayHOME
ps. If you got to the end, well done and thank you xxx

An amazing day that should have been far better had @skybet the #conARTISTS not screwed me over. My winners include a 12 fold 642/1 winner!!!!

Here are my winners for today ……..

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….. Can you see the Goffin voided tennis bet. The rules on the #skybet website state the following:

“The rules below govern the following markets: Set Betting, Set Exacta & Set Whitewash In the event of a disqualification or retirement all bets will be void unless the settlement of the bet has already been determined, eg A bet on a Player to win 2-0 will not be made void, should the player have lost the first set at the time of the retirement. If there is a change to the total number of sets to be played bets will be void. The rules below govern the following markets: Total Sets, To Win a Set In the event of a disqualification or retirement all bets will be void unless the settlement of the bet has already been determined. If there is a change to the total number of sets to be played bets will be void.”

In all other bets of this nature, o the basis that Goffin had won the first set and his opponent did not retire until after that set has been determined then Goffin is then regarded as the winner. You can clearly see the rules state this relates to a set whitewash, ie 2-0 win, yet @Skybet are now saying that only applies to a match bet!! Or it would have only counted had Goffin lost the first set. It is a f**king joke and they are screwing me over to suit their pockets. It is not my fault their rules are not worded to protect their own nonsense.

If I am missing the obvious you can say but I feel I should have been paid £3166 and not £1899. For me this is all about the principal and not the money.

The guy I was chatting to went to the traders and came back to apologise and say it would be adjusted. They then looked again and said Goffin would have needed to have lost the set for the bet to have been classed as a winner. It is a con. Whether he won or lsot that set to me is irrelevant. It needs to be played which it was, his opponent retired not Goffin so IMHO Goffin should be classed in the bet as a winner as he actually was.

I am fuming, not just the business they have had from me over the years on betting but their bloody TV broadband and everything else.

Couple of winners so a good day and could get better …..

Evening All

We are all in this to #BASHtheBOOKIES and I am pleased to say I gave them a hit today. It could get better and it could have been an amazing week too.

Winners so far are …..

…… still have these two running ……

….. and also had these two near misses ……..

 

 

A couple of late scores for the other sides are now wrecking these ……

…… and this ……

 

 

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The campaign to #BASHtheBOOKIES continues with these winning 10 fold and 14 fold bets …..

Started with a tweet earlier in the week with the following bet I put on to give me an interest over a few days. Slowly but surely (with a lot of luck along the way) it came off …..

……… At the same time I decided to add in another 4 and went for this 14 fold …….

……… could have been an even better week had these come off …….

. and this ….

…. and this ….

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……. Very happy with these efforts. As always its not just the money its trying to get one over on those monsters who always seem to come out on top.

Good luck with your own bets. The more we all offer up our thoughts and selections on twitter the more we can use all the information to make our own decisions and hopefully find a way to #BASHtheBOOKIES

Assuming in the #NFL the #PATRIOTS win, how close was this for a 20 fold @ 298/1 … #Kohli and his #CRICKET mates have a lot to answer for!

That would be 19 out of 20 and to be fair my #NFL10 wasn’t far off either …..

Well pleased with that with 8 out of 10 and some good handicap calls.

But at least I had these to cheer about and it shows over the period I was thinking along the right lines …….

and …….

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Hope you have been in form and managed to #BASHtheBOOKIES …..

UNTIL NEXT TIME!!

#AUSopen2018 Not my fav #TENNIS grand slam but may have a long accy early ……

I love my tennis but this early in the season the #AUSopen can be hard to predict. As I always say with any long accy, it is not necessarily choosing the winners but more about avoiding the losers.

I have had a quick look through the men’s first round matches tonight and like the look of some good price players. To start with I like the way our BRIT Kyle Edmund plays and as much as Anderson should win I do feel Edmund can at least sneak a set. Over 3.5 sets is @ 8/15 which looks good to me. I am no fan of Youzhny and whilst he can be superb on his day he can also be unreliable and lack effort. If he doesn’t start well I fancy Cuevas to win. Cuevas hasn’t been in great form but has been playing competitively and @ 4/7 that represents good value for me. Not great odds but Harrison should beat Sela. Not convinced about Ferrer lately but being early in the season he may have the legs needed to beat the much younger man but if having a bet I would side with Rublev @ 4/5. Another young man who could have a bright future is Tsitsipas, but younger still and ranked higher is Shapovalov who I fancy to win @ 8/11. I like Coric to beat Millman @ 4/6. All six pays @ 17/1.

A few names that offer far less attractive odds which I might use in a long accy are as follows: Harrison, Muller, Cilic, Pouille, Tsonga, Raonic, Bautista-Agut, Johnson, Djokovic, Khachanov, Thiem and JMDP. Not sure I will bet on this lot and may wait for the second round when I have seen more form, but if it was all 12 it pays @ 8.2

Overall I fancy the obvious in suggesting Federer in the men’s draw. Much harder to call the ladies with none of them in dominating form but maybe the naughty Sharapova might come out on top.

Good luck with your own bets and enjoying watching.

Some profit over the weekend with this bet …….

At terrible odds but Barca, PSG and then Real Madrid all came good last night to make me a nice profit over the weekend with the following bet. It all started with me fancying Krygios, I actually said I fancied him in straight sets which would have won @ 11/8 although he made hard work of that. As with previous seasons I found myself wanting to wait until after the madness of all the games on a Saturday afternoon to select from a few left over the rest of the weekend and this time it worked ………

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No.	Selections	Event	Event Date	E/W Terms	Odds	Result
1	Nick Kyrgios	Nick Kyrgios vs David Ferrer (To Win Match)	20/08/2017	None	2/5	Won
2	Simona Halep	Sloane Stephens vs Simona Halep (To Win Match)	19/08/2017	None	2/5	Won
3	Yung-Jan Chan & Martina Hingis	Hsieh/ Niculescu vs Chan/ Hingis (To Win Match)	20/08/2017	None	4/11	Won
4	Napoli	Verona v Napoli (Full Time Result)	19/08/2017	None	2/5	Won
5	Benfica	Benfica v Belenenses (Full Time Result)	19/08/2017	None	2/9	Won
6	Barcelona	Barcelona v Real Betis (Full Time Result)	20/08/2017	None	1/6	Won
7	Real Madrid	Deportivo La Coruna v Real Madrid (Full Time Result)	20/08/2017	None	3/10	Won
8	PSG	PSG v Toulouse (Full Time Result)	20/08/2017	None	1/12	Won

Multiples

Bet Type	No.of Bets	Unit Stake	Total Stake	To Return	Return
8 Folds	1	50.00	50.00		375.72

My #PREM10 @ 298/1 to finish the season …..

Decided to have a fiver on the final #PREM10 fixtures of the 2016/2017 season. Seems mad to think the season is over already and we have a long wait until the start of the next.

I may still have a proper bet on some odds on favs which is likely to include Djokovic in the tennis and Salford in the Rugby League.

Good luck with any bets you have on the go or you may have in mind.

My #PREM10 is as follows …..

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No.	Selections	Event	Event Date	E/W Terms	Odds	Result
1	Over 2.5	Arsenal v Everton (Total Goals)	21/05/2017	None	4/9	YES
2	Burnley	Burnley v West Ham (Full Time Result)	21/05/2017	None	5/4	NO
3	Chelsea Over 2.5	Chelsea v Sunderland (Team Total Goals)	21/05/2017	None	8/15	YES
4	Tottenham to score in both halves	Hull v Tottenham (To Score in Both Halves)	21/05/2017	None	1/1	YES
5	Leicester	Leicester v Bournemouth (Full Time Result)	21/05/2017	None	19/20	NO
6	Yes	Man Utd v Crystal Palace (Both Teams to Score)	21/05/2017	None	7/10	NO
7	Yes	Southampton v Stoke (Both Teams to Score)	21/05/2017	None	7/10	NO
8	Swansea	Swansea v West Brom (Full Time Result)	21/05/2017	None	21/20	YES
9	Man City Over 2.5	Watford v Man City (Team Total Goals)	21/05/2017	None	4/5	YES
10	Over 2.5	Liverpool v Middlesbrough (Total Goals)	21/05/2017	None	4/9	YES

Multiples

Bet Type	No.of Bets	Unit Stake	Total Stake	To Return	Return
10 Folds	1	5.00	5.00	1,496.85