Premier League Betting
Free Bets UK Football
2010/11 Premier League Sack Race betting
Each club in the Premier League will start the new campaign full of optimism that their pre-season targets can be achieved. However, the simple truth is that only one team can win the title, only four sides can land a spot in the Champions League and three clubs will have to be relegated from the top flight in May. It’s these simple facts which see managers relieved of their duties during the course of a season, simply because expectations are high across the board.
We all know about the expectant fanbase at St James’ Park and this is one of the reasons why Chris Hughton is so short in the ‘Next Premier League Manager to Go’ market. Ladbrokes offer 11/2 that the Newcastle manager is the first gaffer to leave his post this term, despite leading them to the Championship title last season. Victor Chandler go as short as 5/2 about Hughton and perhaps it’s because he’s relatively inexperienced when it comes to club management.
While the Magpies are looking to survive on their return to the top flight, there are a different set of expectations for Manchester City this term, who are clearly viewing the Premier League as obtainable. The Citizens are a best price 5/1 (bet365) to win the top flight, which is the shortest they have ever been and Stan James are offering a promotion where all losing outright bets will be refunded if Roberto Mancini’s team land the spoils.
However, perhaps there’s more chance of the Italian being out of his job first. Totesport go 6/1 that the former Inter coach wins this particular heat of the Sack Race and there is the added pressure of having to name a 25-man squad by the end of August, something which could see several top players at Eastlands frozen out of the picture.
Wigan Athletic might have stayed in the Premier League last season, although it had more to do with the inepititude of Hull City, Portsmouth and Burnley than any real quality on the part of the Latics. Indeed, if they repeat last season’s record of twenty defeats, that would be enough to see manager Roberto Martinez under pressure and the Spaniard is 6/1 (totesport) on the Premier League Sack Race market.
Not that there’s an obvious candidate this season and it could be intriguing to see whether the twenty respective managers make it to Christmas unscathed. Victor Chandler make Mark Hughes a 20/1 shot following his return to Premier League management with Fulham and it could go one of two ways. The Welshman might demonstrate that Manchester City were wrong to relieve him of duties last December or he could struggle to replicate the success achieved by Roy Hodgson over the past couple of seasons.
Speaking of which, the new Liverpool manager looks safe as houses in his new role at Anfield, with Hodgson starting a rebuilding exercise which will hopefully see youngsters form part of the future at the Merseyside club. He’s a 25/1 shot (Victor Chandler) to be out of a job first.
West Brom’s Roberto Di Matteo probably ranks as a better bet considering how he’s never managed in the Premier League before. His appointment at West Brom had echoes of Paul Ince joining Blackburn and Ladbrokes go 9/1 that he wins the first instalment of the Sack Race.