It’s always better to be lucky than good. And one thing I’ve always believed Alex McLeish to be is lucky. Don’t get me wrong, he’s earned great success during his managerial career and it can’t all be down to rabbit’s feet or white heather but he’s enjoyed some some huge slices of luck along the way. Today he needs to go to the well once more and hope that it’s full.
His Birmingham side sit second bottom of the table going into D-Day Sunday, just one point behind Reading and Fulham. McLeish needs favourable results in both their games as well as his own in order to avoid the dreaded drop into Championship obscurity. But I think at 9/2 (Boylesports, Paddy Power) they’re worth a punt.
Firstly, can Birmingham get a result against Blackburn? Yes. James McFadden is an injury doubt but make no mistake, if there is the slightest chance of him playing then he will be risked. This is literally Birmingham’s last chance having blown 3 opportunities to get themselves out of trouble with defeats to Fulham, Wigan and Reading in the last 6 weeks all away from home. But at home they’ve managed draws with Liverpool, Everton and Newcastle and defeated Man City and Spurs in their last 5 games at St. Andrew’s. With it all to play for, the Blues fans can lift their team to a third consecutive home win over Mark Hughes’ men.
The Birmingham win is 6/5 (Bet365, Centrebet, VCBet) and is the first leg of our Harry Houdini treble.
Next up, Birmingham need Derby to find form from somewhere and get a result against Reading. On paper this looks impossible for a team who have won once in 37 league matches. But Reading haven’t exactly been flying of late either. They have failed to score in their last 6 games, picking up just 2 points in the process and have won just once away from home this term. If Derby were ever going to get a win then today is the day - they’ve not had a better chance all season and they owe their terrifc fans at least once last Premier League hurrah.
At 5/1 (Skybet) I think Derby look a great bet. If you want to cover the draw then back them on the Asian Handicap with +0.5 of start at 6/5 with Paddy Power.
Finally, Roy Hodgson must have signed-up to the Magic Circle recently given his amazing attempt at escapology with his Fulham side. Just a few weeks ago, Fulham we’re unbackable to go down so it’s a remarkable achievement that they go into the final day as favourites to stay up. He bemoaned the team’s lap of honour last week with the job incomplete and it might just bite them on the backside today.
They travel to Fratton Park in need of 3 points to ensure survival against a Pompey side with an eye on the FA Cup final. There are two ways of looking at this; either Harry Redknapp will send out a team hoping to avoid injuries or each man will believe they’re playing for their Wembley place. I certainly don’t think Harry’s men will lie down and whilst most are predicting a Fulham win, simply because they need it more - these are the kind of games that sometimes have a sting in the tail.
3 of the last 5 games between these two at Fratton Park have ended in 1-1 draws and I think a similar result could be on the cards today. The draw is best priced at 13/5 with Totesport.
So there you have it, Birmingham to stay up. At 9/2 (Boylesports, Paddy Power) it looks worth a small investment. Even better is the near 43/1 at Skybet on the Birmingham and Derby wins along with a draw at Fratton Park.
May 11, 2008
Categories: Tipsters, UK Bookmakers, betting, fixed odds, football . Tags: Bets, betting, Birmingham, football, Fulham, Premier League, Reading, relegation, selectabet . Author: jimmyhillsbeard . Comments: No Comments
