Slinking quietly into the velour chair of our virtual betting shop, cap dipped low after another mauling by Paddy, we slide another betting slip from the pile to take up the challenge again for this week’s Fantasy Flutter.
Did we shoot for the stars and overlook measured value for the big odds, or did our Scout Picks fall short of their predicted contributions? Perhaps a bit of both, but this week we are determined to chalk a few up for the good as Paddy market up Jose Bosingwa, Luis Suarez, Steven Taylor, David Silva and Shane Long, not to mention a tasty treble on the one hundered percent teams – Man United, Wolves and Man City. Read on to find out how our Picks play out in Paddys world…
The monobrowed maestro Jose Bosingwa has risen like a phoenix from the ashes under the stewardship of André Villas-Boas. In flying form, he mirrors Ashley Cole’s devestating overlaps and provides serious threat from Chelsea’s right flank. Paddy may have been a bit over-zealous with odds for him to get a red card at 40’s, having only been written into the referee’s book once last year, whereas 2 assists or more at 10/1 earns our interest and deserves a punt for £1.
Luis Suarez continues to poach goals whenever his slick footwork graces the turf and he’ll have a place in Fantasy managers and punters minds alike this weekend. Paddy have put together some pretty tempting specials here, including odds to score a header and to find the net from a free kick. Nice respectable odds with decent probability, but we fancy a spot of sabre rattling and are going to knock down 14/1 on Suarez to miss a penalty. With the Uruguayan failing to convert on the opening day, we’ll stake a quid on the planets aligning for this one.
With the last of the long shots out of our system, let’s get down to some serious betting with some semi-serious money. Next up is Steven Taylor against Fulham, challenging us with the likes of two or more goals at 80/1 and to score from outside the box at 22/1. Tempted? Sure. Do we remember last week’s thrashing by Paddy? Definitely. Newcastle stand a good chance of gaining a cleanie against The Cottagers but Taylor to get a brace? Too rich for our blood but have a sniff if you fancy backing the Magpies’ tower of strength.
Sans Tevez, David Silva is really making his mark on the Premier League this season in emphatic style. A veteran of the Scout Picks already this season, he glides between passes through the apparent acres of space that only he can find, notching up well earned bonus points along the way. As City push forward in numbers, Silva has a tendency to take a step off the line, lying in wait to pull the trigger if the ball is played square. With Spurs allowing Man United to remain mostly unchallenged in these situations in Monday night’s game, Silva to score from outside the box at 5/1 looks massive for £2.
If Paddy had given odds on Shane Long bullying the oft immovable Alex off the ball with such ease we wouldn’t have wasted time looking at them, let alone opened our wallets. But he did, the week after putting a goal away against United. Paddy are wagering completes a hat-trick of first goals this week against Stoke at the Hawthorns at 11/2, a worthy punt for £2.
Acca-not believe it!
Can the top three maintain their 100% records. Form big guns from Manchester United and City take on the out of sorts Londoners Arsenal and Spurs, whilst the clash between Wolves and Villa makes a surprise tussle for third place. Wolves look like the real risk here, although the journey time won’t be an issue and with Matt Jarvis on form as both provider and finisher last week, our final £4 goes on this huge treble of Man City, Man United and Wolves all to win at 14/1.
Check back next week to find out how our bets got on and how long it took us to count our winnings.
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