CalvStar

Watch for value and don't bank on the obvious

Welcome punters……….one and all to another exciting season.

Whilst I thoroughly agree that any winning bet is a good bet, the thought of putting £30k on Chelsea to win £4.98 back does not exactly get the juices flowing.

That’s why it’s always good to go for value. These may not come in every week, but generally when they do its time to go in and take the p*ss out of the bank manager.

Leading Goalscorers

The normal punter will not be looking further than the likes of Henry, Rooney and Van Nistelrooy but the odds are already shortening and time to look beyond what's in front of your nose.

I like the look of Crespo at 25 after a good loan season with AC Milan, he comes back with a point to prove. Drogba is not prolific and Gudjohnsen has spent some time in midfield at the back end of last season, so he will get his chance as Chelski chase honors on four fronts.

Defoe is another at 20 and might be worth a small punt. Spurs have a young squad that was not consistent last season, however Defoe still scored regularly. If you’re an old sentimental so and so you could always look to the old warhorse himself in Big Al (Shearer) at around 35. At the ripe old age of 74 he is still hitting the onion bag, even if not as prolific as in his heyday and as he still takes the free kicks & penalties this is a good price for a man who's seen it all before.

Coca Cola Championship

Norwich, Wolves, Southampton and Crystal Palace are all set to be the pace setters this season, certainly where the bookies are concerned. However I feel Norwich have what it takes to bounce straight back, they have kept a good core of players from last year (Green's signing will help and if Ashton can stay then the goals are there) and if all else fails they still have the one women whirlwind of morale to boost them at half time. Looking at the chances of a few of the lesser-known teams I have spotted a couple for an each way bet. My value picks are Burnley (ranging between 60-90 on the promotion market) and Coventry (ranging between 30-60). Both have good managers at the helm and strengthened during the summer and these prices should drop as the season starts.

League 1

Everyone assumes Forest will bounce back, but I’m not convinced. As a long-suffering Plymouth away supporter I saw at close hand the demolition of Forest last season and it wasn’t pretty. Gary Megson has a lot of work to do.

Tranmere look a good bet at the moment and can be had at around 15 for the title. Brian Little has done a good job and was unlucky to miss out last season.

League 2

Normally one of the conference sides does well in the first season in the football league and Barnet at odds of 40 to win on the winner market, could be worth a dabble to win back to back league wins.