LITTLE TO SAY THURSDAY 30TH NOVEMBER

Little betting action today so this column will take a day off, check back tommorrow for more betting info.

TWENTY QUESTIONS FOR WEDNESDAY NOVEMBER 29TH

TWENTY QUESTIONS YOU NEED YOU TO ASK YOURSELF BEFORE INVESTING YOUR CASH TONIGHT?

1: ARE YOU GETTING THE BEST ODDS? A rather basic simple question but one worth considering be sure to use an odds comparison site to make sure you get the best odds available.
2: COULD YOU BACK AN INCONSISTENT VILLA SIDE AT 2.05? On the one side 2.05 for an undefeated home side against an away side without a win seems big odds, you have to ask yourself are Villa playing their best stuff right now ? Two recent draws in two games, in addition do you think that Villa have the capability to take the game to teams? The answer is possibly no, Villa are a strong counter attacking side who miss Luke Moore's pace and find it difficult to break sides down, is 2.05 good odds for the home win, that's up to you?
3: IS THERE VALUE IN MAN CITY AT 4.5? Stan James go big on Man City probably because of their terrible away record, and the fact they have only three away goals all season. On the other hand Man City could turn the other cheek (no joey barton joke intended) are as small as 3.6, why so? Because there form has improved recently, they no longer leak as many, the midfield looks more compact and there were encouraging sides against Liverpool. Is 4.5 a good investment that's your choice, but it's surely a much better than 3.6.
4: IS THERE ANYTHING ELSE WORTH CONSIDERING? Villa rarely hammer someone, and Man City are much tighter, worth noting if your interested in handicap, game win margins, or over/under markets, I can't tell you if they offer value but I can tell you this one will be a close one.
5: CAN BOLTON SPRING THE UPSET? If you think yes than 5.8 at Expekt is good value, however you need to consider that Arsenal hit the woodwork a few times at the weekend, previous to that Bolton hadn't won in five games, are Chelsea like Asenal, they're not the kind of side to be intimadated by Bolton's size and fight.
6: ARE CHELSEA VALUE AT 1.67? Either exhibt A the first half of the Man United game, or exhibit B the second half, they do sit second, but also have two away defeats, it's upto you what you consider value. Meanwhile all eyes as ever will be on Shevchenko.
7: IS THERE ANYTHING ELSE WORTH CONSIDERING? EL Hadji Diouf at 4.3 and Kevin Davies at 5.0 to score anytime will represent good value, if Cole and Geremi start at full backs then both will be vulnerable to the threat offered by the Bolton ssytem that helps their wide men and a Chelsea system that leaves their full backs more heavily exposed than a flashers convention.
8: WHY ARE FULHAM 6.5? They do indeed have a beeter home record than away, they're also playing a highly inconsistent Arsenal side. They however have lost two of their last three home games with defeats against Wigan and Reading. In addition they are playing an Arsenal side capable of destroying anyone on their day.
9: WHY ARE ARSENAL AS BIG AS 1.62? Because they haven't won in their last two league games and because sometimes they joffer as potent a threat as the Liberal Democrats under Menzies Campbell.
10: WHY ARE THEY AS LOW AS 1.55 ELSEWHERE? This is after all Arsenal, and they can hammer anyone on their day, Henry is also due to return, Fulham also play a much more open game than sides like Bolton.
11: ARE THERE ANY OTHER MARKETS WORTH CONSIDERING? Thiery Henry if fit seems a very generous fit at 2.1 to score anytime with Coral, he has a great record against Fulham. Brian McBride might be worth considering at 3.75 as well because Arsenal are prone to more leaks than you at a weslh national assembly.
12: CAN WE REALLY OPPOSE LIVERPOOL? On stats alone, no, Liverpool are an excellent home side with no defeats, Portsmouth have lost their last five away games.
13: SHOULD WE PILE ON THE 1.44 FOR LIVERPOOL? I wouldn't say you shouldn't back them but I'd be wary of piling high on anyone who struggle to such goals and have large injury problems in the middle of the park. In addition David James is on excellent form and always raises his game for matches against Liverpool. Mind you his hair could do with sorting.
14: ARE POMPEY WORTH A PUNT? They were woeful against Newcastle, got completly exposed by Newcastle's pacy wingers, in addition the defence has gone off the boil leaking at least one goal in each of their last seven games.
15: ARE THERE ANY OTHER MARKETS WORTH CONSIDERING? If you think Liverpool will win, there is value to be had by using two seperate bookmakers and betting on the winning margin, a small stake on Liverpool to win by one, two, or three goals will return your stake and a little small interest, more so than a straight out Liverpool win. At no one point this season have Liverpool beaten anyone by more than three goals.
16: SHOULDN'T MAN UNITED WALK THIS? They should but Everton have four away draws this season and have never conceded more than two in a game this season, in the corresponding game last season Everton came here and drew one-one, and held them 0-0 the season before.
17: CAN EVERTON UPSET THEM? Man United are a major home side, taking out Arsenal and Chelsea they have won every game and by at least two or three goals, Everton have scored two goals in six games and badly missed Cahill. Now without AJ they can keep it tight and close but to win seems to be like sking for a space shuttle for xmas, unless your name is Master Branson.
18: ARE THEY ANY OTHER MARKETS OUT THERE WORTH GETTING INVOLVED IN? Everton may struggle to score, and United may not hammer them, maybe the under market could be value, correct score's of 1-0,2-0 and 3-0 will doube your money, or any of the fit United players to score, all need looking at.
19: ANY ONE WORTH AVOIDING IN THE CHAMPIONSHIP TONIGHT? Ipswich will miss Legwinski and have a poor away record, Derby are on a good run of form,so Ipswich are terrible value at as low as 4.0, even at 4.5 they don't offer much value. Also Birmingham might be riding high in the table and in good form, but away to Southampton is a tricky game as they have a good home record and the introduction of Pele into midfield has given them an extra dimension.
20: ANYTHING YOU SHOULD CONSIDER IF YOUR GOING TO BACK IN THE UEFA CUP? Make sure you take note of the group standings and the importance of the game, a few sides are already through and might not be going at full strength. This tournament is proving as difficult to predict as to the exact date of the McDonald Brothers exit from X Factor.

THE IMPORTANCE OF ALWAYS TAKING A TOWEL WHEREVER YOU GO

Neil Warnock must have been glad his wife packed his towel last night as it proved incredibly useful but what else did we learn from last night's game. As a betting fan it is important to always learm from your night's work, here is what we learned from last night.

EVERYTHING WE LEARNED FROM WATFORD V SHEFF UNITED
1: THE IMPORTANCE OF ALWAYS HAVING ONE LATE CHECK ON TEAM NEWS: Both sides have to key strikers capable of some goals, on Watford's side King and Young on Sheff United Hulse and Webber, the moment Young was ruled instantly meant this game was going to be a huge struggle for Watford and limited the chances of goals for them.
2: BOTH THESE SIDES HAVE KEY PLAYERS OUT INJURED: This wasn't helped by last night's game, Mahorn, and Claude Davis limped out of the game and Powell joind them with a late suspension, when neither side has a strong squad they can't afford cheap late suspensions.
3: THE IMPORTANCE OF HAVING A MAJOR STRIKER; There's a reason Reading aren't struggling, why West Ham and Wigan didn't struggle last season, all three have out an out goalscorer.
4: THE WEAKNESS OF THE WATFORD DEFENCE: They allowed Sheff United numerous chances last night and a better side with better strikers would have buried them, bare this in mind when considering under/over market, because sure Watford can't score but they can also concede.
5: SHEFF UNITED RARELY GET A HAMMERING: Last night's clean sheet wasn't the first,and not the last, Warnok's men may struggle to score but they rarely ship many, they keep it as tight and disciplined as one of these dominatrixs, and that may be worth considering on the handicap, as only Arsenal, Chelsea and Everton have beaten them by more than one goal this season.

TWENTY THINGS WE LEARNED FROM THE CHAMPIONSHIP LAST NIGHT
STOKE 3 CARDIFF 0: 1: Stoke are on an incredible run of form, they have a wealth of goal scoring talents, great confidence and Lee Hendrie is the best player in the League even if his acting needs a lot of work. Ricardo Fuller offf the bench was key, look for him to start at the weekend.
2: Cardiff are rattled: They lost another key player in Stephen McPhail, Dave Jones has lost his cool exterior and Chopra his composure in front of goal, they need to (and sorry for sounding like a tory political advisor) get back to the basics if they want to get their season back together, not to mention they must strengthen their squad in January.
PRESTON 1 COVENTRY 1
3: Preston are ones to avoid at the moment on short home win odds: That's the second game in succession they failed to win a winnable home game due to troubles upfront, two in four games, which must worry manager Paul Simpson. They may sit top but they need to convert some of their draws into wins, eight games sees them with more irritating draws than a failing artist.
4: Coventry's four points in two away games has coincided with an increase in more positive attacking formation, Dele Adebola has two in two games and the club could give Stoke a harder game than many imagine.
COLCHESTER 5 HULL 1
5: Phil Parkinson knows a good player, just a shame for him that he signed Chris Iwuelmo for Colchester and not Hull, the win was Colchester's eigth at home, more than any other home side.
6: Hull got their tactics wrong, they tried to cope without the absence of Parkin by playing 4-5-1 but lacked the strikeforce to do so.
BURNLEY 2 LEEDS 1
7: Leeds continue to frustrate with their inconsistency, that's the seventh game in a row where they haven't got back to back results. New manager same old Leeds.
8: Burnley will continue to defy the odds, worth noting that last night was their fourth over game in four.
PLYMOUTH 1 LUTON 0
9: Plymouth recorded only their third hme win, the shift to a 4-3-3 give them more attacking impetus, though both side were about as threatening as a Michael Parkinson interview.
10: Luton have seven straight losses, their worst run for a century, they battled hard, but few positive for backers and fans and Preston next. Maybe a return to old style shirts, heavy boots, and travelling to the game by bus is the way forward.
QPR 1 SUNDERLAND 2
11: An impressive first half display from Sunderland meant they ran out deserved winners, good to see the BBC finally give Kavanagh some credit, as long he's in the side Sunderland will be difficult opponents to beat, unbeaten in four now.
12: QPR Managed to lose their second straight home game, their proving highly inconsistent and difficult to back, they have won the last two away so might be difficult to oppose against struggling Palace. John Gregory meanwhile is welcome to stay in management if it means no work for him on Sky Sports News.
SHEFF WED 3 WEST BROM 1
13: Sheff Wed continue their revival that's just one defeat in eight for them now, they're playing with a lot more confidence.
Brian Laws could be there longer than most of their managers, i.e two months.
14: West Brom though seem like a side burdened down and unrelaxed, Mowbray has walked into a living nightmare, the club only have one win in their last seven, 22 million worth of players is no backup for heart something they are clearly lacking. Remember when kevin Philips was in the England side now he couldn't make my local pub team.
NORWICH 3 LEICESTER 1
15: Norwich looked much better this week, but then again could be off next week, Earnshaw will always be a goal threat though and Norwich have scored in six straight games.
16: Leicester complete a miserable November and sit third bottom of the six game form table, Rob Kelly will always have a career in media though.
BARNSLEY 2 SOUTHEND 0
17: Barnsley caretaker manager Simon Davey continued his dream start as caretaker manager as Barnsley's defence looks a lot stronger, then it couldn't have been any worse.
18: Southend have only conceded scored two in five games and one of them was against Man United while they can't hit the back of the net they will struggle in this league.
WOLVES 1 PALACE 1
19: That was Wolve's third straight one-one draw and although a little unlucky eptimoises just how middle of the road this side is.
20:The difference Ian Turner has made it at Palace, although he conceded a goal last night, a flukey deflected free kick, the on loan goalkeeper has been a huge part in the tightening of the Palace defence. Peter Taylor löives on.

CHECK BACK THIS AFTERNOON FROM TWO FOR THOUGHTS ON TONIGHT'S GAMES, AND ALL THE QUESTIONS YOU NEED TO ASK YOURSELF BEFORE INVESTING YOUR CASH AND THE BEST ADVICE YOU'VE HAD SINCE SOMEONE TOLD YOU THAT YELLOW TROUSERS WEREN'T A GOOD LOOK.

TUESDAY 28TH NOVEMBER: WHY YOU SHOULD AVOID BETTING BY THE BOOK?

THE BIG GAME
WATFORD V SHEFF UNITED

THE ADVISOR:BETTINGZONE.CO.UK
THE ADVICE: Watford v Sheff Utd bookings make-up over 40.5pts at 27/20 (expekt).
THE REASON:Two reds and eight yellows in the two games last season and so much at stake here.
THE REASON NOT TO: The stats don't particularly suggest that - both teams are in mid-table in the disciplinary league while referee Atkinson's record is in the same area.

THE ADVISOR: ITV TELETEXT
THE ADVICE: WATFORD HOME WIN 6/5
THE REASON: Watford home form
THE REASON NOT TO: Watford are missing key personnel in Foster, King and Clarke Carlisle. This game will be a tight battle and the odds reflect that.

THE ADVISOR: ITV TELETEXT
THE ADVICE: Over 3 goals at 6.5.
THE REASON: Both sides have weak defences.
THE REASON NOT TO: Then again both sides have incredibly weak attackers, Sheff United have one away goal, Watford unless they get hammered by Arsenal or Chelsea tend to have tight low scoring games.

THE INSANE BET OF THE DAY
ADI AKINBIYI 25/1 TO score a hat-trick, if that's your bet then you'd be better served putting it on Elvis to re-appear on next year's X factor, insane odds for a player who couldn't find the back of the net if he was fitted with SATNAV.

THE FORUM DEBATE OF THE DAY
THE OVER V UNDER 2.5 GOALS: Most come down on the under 2.5 goals as these two sides struggle to score, but you have to consider what happens when two weaker sides get together, the goals open up. The over/under is a tough call at the best of times and this one is one to really swerve.

THE IF YOU MUST BET ON THIS GAME THEN BET ON THIS
Probably the only logical bet on this game is small stakes score anytime bets on Ashley Young and Rob Hulse, if either of these men wins then you make some cash, check out www.extrabet.com who offer best odds on both these players.

THE REST OF THE DAY'S ACTION
THE CHAMPIONSHIP
28.11.2006

Barnsley Fc - Southend United 1.95 3.25 3.50
Why not to get involved: Barnsley may have won at the weekend under new caretaker manager Simon Davey however odds of under 2.00 are not so great for a side who still have a poor home record. New loan signings have greatly increased the strength of their side, though the new signings need to gel. On first impressions Southend got a tanking at the weekend, but they held their own for most of the game against a very impressive home Colchester side. They lost two key players to questionable decisions that caused them to collapse, right now this is a game not to get involved in.

Burnley Fc - Leeds United 1.85 3.30 3.85
Why not to get involved: Leeds under Wise have imrpoved but not consistently and they have no back to back form in the last six games, Burnley meanwhile have lost their last three and then previously won their first three, hard to find any motivation to get involved here.

Colchester United - Hull City 1.80 3.30 4.10
Why not to get involved: Colchester won three nil at the weekend and Hull only managed a draw at norwich, clear home win, right, wrong. Colchester were as stated a bit lucky the way things fell for them, while Hull deserved at least a point against Norwich, saying that though it's not easy to go to Colchester and get a result. Add in Phil Parkinson element and you have all the ingredients for a no bet.

Norwich City - Leicester City 2.00 3.25 3.40
Why not to get involved: The canaries manager Peter Grant was not the fans first choice and did himself no favours by having a go at them at the end of the game, the atmosphere could either be very muted or very hostile to the home team. Norwich were poor against Ipswich and not much better against Hull, Leicester are themselves in the midsts of a bad run having only point from a possible twelve.

Plymouth Argyle - Luton Town 1.85 3.30 3.85
Why not to get involved: True Luton are horrendous and the performance on the pitch somehow manages to be worse than the stuff that comes out of Mike Newell's mouth, however avoid Plymouth here. They have only two home wins all season and looked poor against Leeds at the weekend, Luton for their part had a much brighter second half,stay clear of the flock and don't bet here.

Preston North End - Coventry City 1.75 3.30 4.40
Why not to get carried away by one result: Those fine chaps at the Racing Post have an interesting point about the 4-1 PRESTON’S promotion challenge was blunted by struggling Crystal Palace on Saturday and tonight’s clash with Coventry doesn’t look any easier.
Inconsistent results have made the Sky Blues difficult to assess this year, but there is undoubted potential in Micky Adams’ squad and Betfred are taking a chance by making them a standout 4-1 to win at Deepdale.
Coventry brought an end to QPR’s five-match unbeaten run by recording a 1-0 success at Loftus Road on Saturday.
But Adams’ side wasted a hatful of chances and were more convincing winners than the scoreline suggests.
Coventry are full of energy, but the recent loan signing of Darren Currie has added a touch of class which could help them edge a tight clash tonight.

The only problem with this is that Coventry beat an inconsistent side in themselves in QPR, Preston also had a hatful of chances to win at the weekend, and still have a very impressive home record, while Coventry are very poor travels. We would suggest not getting caught up in one result and avoid backing Coventry, we might not go as far as to advise Preston, but we could understand why you might consider them in an accumulator double.

Sheffield Wednesday - West Bromwich Albion 2.50 3.25 2.50
Why you don't want to get involved: Both are under new managers who either passed the honeymoon or never even left the ground with it, both managers need patience from the fans and punters as right now results and performance are as inconsistent as one of David Gest's stories.

Wolverhampton Wanderers - Crystal Palace 1.85 3.30 3.85
Why you don't want to get involved: Wolves under 2.00 is never any value, they have no wins in three, and have two draws in three of their last home games, seems they're returning to their glory draw days under Hoddle. Palace meanwhile went highly defencive against Preston and stole a point, expect the same (if we can use such a word for Peter Taylor) tactics again tonight.

THE DON'T BE FOOLED BY THEIR LEAGUE POSITIONS WARNING OF THEIR DAY
Stoke City - Cardiff City 2.30 3.20 2.80

Cardiff might still sit top of the table, but they certainly don't sit top of the form table and if there was such a thing, not the performance table, the goals have dried up and the team are looking very nervy. Stoke for their part are firing, Lee Hendrie looks the class act in this league and they have now won four straight, if there is such a thing as a bet you must be on today then this might well be the one.

THE NOT EVEN THEIR MOTHERS COULD TELL THEM APART BET
Queens Park Rangers - Sunderland Afc 2.40 3.10 2.75

Sometimes they are bets you can argue you have to take, some you want to, some you want to despite yourself and some you should avoid like the new Westlife album, and this is it.
You have fifteenth placed QPR against sixteenth place Sunderland, on the same points. Both of these sides have newish managerial appointments, though major differences in the experience levels. However on the pitch they're fairly similar both have young midfielders who haven't quite made it at big clubs, Smith for QPR and Miller for Sunderland, though Smith hardly had the chances Miller did.
In terms of betting you could toss a coin and bet on that with more confidence, and some people will bet on that as well.

THE COMPETITON TO AVOID BETTING ON AT ALL COSTS
THE JOHNSTONE'S PAINT TROPHY just luncay to get involved in a tournament whch holds as much prestige as winning ttv's x factor.

THE I CAN'T BELIEVE IT'S NOT FOOTBALL BET
Sometimes this sight casts it's net wide to highlight some of the stupidest bets out there that don't essentially involve in Football, this week it's the drifitng to 12-1 of the draw in the Ashes. Soemtimes it's good to go against the crowd like those runners in the Bacardi advert, other times it's just stupid, like that Bacardi advert.
England will have to hope Harmison can produce a massive turn around in his one year form, and then find support, and then Flintoff can get batting, and Pietersen can continue betting, and the batting gets support, and, well I could go on. The sentiment is nice but it's just not a bet worth getting involved in.

Be back tommorrow for the all new blog, be sure to keep your hands on your money, invest it like you would invest your time, becuase you won't get either of them back.

A MUGS GAME THE INTRO

WHAT?

There a million people out there telling you they can make you a fortune through their tips, but if they could they would be in the Bahamas and not advertising betting tips. What a mugs game does is warn you of the pitfalls of betting, noting the games, events, not to get involved in, detailing when it is important to hold onto your money and detailing why. Saving your money is the best way to make your money.

WHEN?
The blog will run every weekday morning and be up by ten.

WHO?
The mug's game, is run by freelance Journalist and the far from millionaire Richard McTiernan, who then again isn't bankrupt so his betting can't be that bad.

WHY?
Because the bookies nearly always know best and you need to know what they do.

THE DISCLAIMER BIT
Remember not to bet beyond your means, and betting should be fun, if you start to lose sight of these you might be getting an unhealthy reliance on the area, be sure to get proper help.

Serious done let's get on with the serious business, saving some money.