THE BERNIE THE BOOK COLUMN TIME FOR GUNNERS TO USURP CROWN


– TORY JAMBOREE TO BE WON BY TUGENDHAT


The old adage of there are two things you can be certain of in life (death and taxes), really needs a further point added to it, that of you can’t keep going to the well and whether it be attributed to Ali, Fury, Klitschko, Woods, Nadal or any great champion you might care to mention, one thing is a constant…when it’s time it’s time. It always amazes me that layers price up events solely on past campaigns and pricing up Man City at good odds on to win a fifth straight Premiership in a row is restrictive to say the least and folly for all big hitters. Value it ain’t!! Now is the time for change.


PREMIERSHIP


ARSENAL have been a constant thorn in the Champions side for the last two campaigns and now I feel it is time to deliver. Good acquisitions, tactically able manager (ex Pep) and a large squad reaching its peak, they are good value at 9/4 to


wrest the crown from Pep. Opposition is thin on the ground. Liverpool will struggle in the post Klopp era, Chelsea too with another Man City clone needing time to figure out his style and although the next door neighbours in Stretford will gain momentum, it is asking a lot to chase for a title. I feel City will be preoccupied with other matters (notably November with possible sanctions from the Premier League), but away from that, too many players are just on the turn – Walker, de Bruyne (if he is there at all), Ederson, Silva and ask any true blue and they will tell you who is a better player between Sergio and Erling and they will tell you he doesn’t come from Oslo.


CHAMPIONSHIP It is a serious advantage to the teams being relegated coming straight back up, what with the parachute payments on offer allowing for teams to largely keep their players on a salary that was in excess of the average wage. Last year proved it once again, the anomaly being Ipswich, but this year I think the mauling handed out to Burnley and Sheffield United will leave too many scars. Not so with the minnows of LUTON TOWN who performed admirably and certainly lost little in their eventual relegation. At a whopping 11/1 they are a confident choice in a division with too few stars.


PHTM AUGUST 2024


LEAGUE 1 My nap for League One is BIRMINGHAM CITY, their quick return to the Championship is assured. Backed by the GOATs consortium, they are not people who tolerate the average and I note they have appointed Chris Davies as their new manager. A new broom will result in a new era for the Brummies. Anyone not knowing Mr Davies’s CV should look it up. Impressive. The price of 11/4 is about right, wade in now. WREXHAM at 12/1 are worth a wager for FC Hollywood!


LEAGUE 2 A tentative punt on COLCHESTER UNITED at a more than acceptable 40/1 completes the Yankee. I continue to hear reports of good things out of new head coach Danny Cowley (he who cut his teeth at Lincoln amongst others) and at 40/1 a tenner gets you over 400 spondoolicks! P.S. the accumulator pays 5996/1. Need I say more


POLITICS The fallout from the Tory’s demise continues at pace, with now an elongated process of picking a new leader to replace Sunak likely to continue well past Party Conference season. Who will the men in grey suits give their backing to? Surely not Kimi B at a skinny 6/4?? No, far better to give it to someone not tainted with the excesses of the last Government and with little baggage. How about TOM TUGENDHAT at 9/2? Oooh la la…he’s from French stock tha knows.


OLYMPICS And squeezed into all this is the Olympics in Paris over the next month (like the link?). Although not really a betting medium to any great degree, for those patriots amongst us I think TOTAL MEDALS UNDER 62.5 at around 6/4 on is appealing for team GB, with GOLD MEDALS UNDER 16.5 at 7/4. I accept it’s unpatriotic, even heretic, but with no stand out disciplines and a team which sent 80 athletes less than Tokyo, I just think we have to temper expectations. Now where have I heard that before?


Until next time… Good punting


Bernie the Book 71


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