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Cape Town - Each round of the 2011/12 English Premiership season, a panel of Sport24 staff or guest tipsters have a crack at predicting the results - do it yourself, if you like, and see how you compare afterwards.
Compiled by Rob Houwing (the champion for the last two seasons but a Newcastle supporter for his sins), the others are Garrin Lambley (very Everton-partial), and David Brooke (Manchester United).
THE PRIME ATTRACTION
EVERTON v MANCHESTER CITY
Tuesday, 22:00
If you look at this game purely in league-table terms, it should be a fairly routine victory for leaders City. But the Premiership doesn’t always work like that, and a sneaky feeling tells me the Toffees will really get up for this midweeker and bag a point from the fixture. My reasoning also involves a quick glance at last season’s form book: did you know that Everton did the double over the Mancunians, 2-1 each time? I concede that Roberto Mancini’s team are a different kettle of fish in 2011/12, and Garrin and Dave stick with the smart-money approach under the circumstances. For my theory to produce dividends, Everton will also have to play better than they did last time out, a humdrum home draw with Blackburn.
Rob: Everton 1 Manchester City 1
Garrin: 1-2
David: 0-2
Last season: 2-1
THE GRUDGE MATCH
MANCHESTER UNITED v STOKE
Tuesday, 22:00
Nothing really stuck out for me among the Tuesday/Wednesday programme as great material for this category, so I’ve gone for this game on the reasonably unconvincing grounds that champions United will be pretty pumped-up to atone for being held to a 1-1 draw (respective scorers Nani, Crouch) in the first-round match at the Britannia – those were their first points dropped in their sixth game of the season, slightly arresting that golden start they had. Their fortunes have seldom been so compelling since then, although they’re still right in the title hunt in second. I fancy them to take out on the Potters their frustration for being bundled out of the FA Cup by Liverpool despite dominating the tie. No backers for a sneaky Stoke point ...
Rob: Manchester United 3 Stoke 0
Garrin: 2-0
David: 2-0
Last season: 2-1
THE DESPERATE DUEL
TOTTENHAM v WIGAN
Tuesday, 21:45
Is that Spurs gone from the title race now, following that gut-wrenching late 3-2 loss at Manchester City in the last round of games? It does leave them with a lot of ground to make up (eight points), and they’ve also been a little side-tracked by boss Harry Redknapp’s much-publicised court appearances of late. So they need the fresh tonic of a home win, and ought to achieve it against a side now ominously firmly anchored to the bottom of the table and with “desperation” presumably a strong motivator – especially as they grabbed all three points when they last visited White Hart Lane! Dave sees Wigan snatching a point; Garrin and I offer more popular choices, I’m sure ...
Rob: Tottenham 2 Wigan 0
Garrin: 2-0
David: 1-1
Last season: 0-1
THE OTHERS
SWANSEA v CHELSEA
Tuesday, 21:45
Rob: Swansea 1 Chelsea 1
Garrin: 0-2
David: 1-4
Last season: Not applicable
WOLVES v LIVERPOOL
Tuesday, 21:45
Rob: Wolves 1 Liverpool 1
Garrin: 0-1
David: 0-2
Last season: 0-3
ASTON VILLA v QPR
Wednesday, 21:45
Rob: Aston Villa 1 QPR 0
Garrin: 2-1
David: 2-2
Last season: Not applicable
BLACKBURN v NEWCASTLE
Wednesday, 22:00
Rob: Blackburn 1 Newcastle 1
Garrin: 1-1
David: 2-1
Last season: 0-0
BOLTON v ARSENAL
Wednesday, 22:00
Rob: Bolton 1 Arsenal 2
Garrin: 0-1
David: 1-3
Last season: 2-1
FULHAM v WEST BROM
Wednesday, 22:00
Rob: Fulham 0 West Brom 0
Garrin: 2-1
David: 2-0
Last season: 3-0
SUNDERLAND v NORWICH
Wednesday, 22:00
Rob: Sunderland 1 Norwich 0
Garrin: 2-1
David: 2-0
Last season: Not applicable
LEADERBOARD
Under the Sport24 staff scoring system (three points for a fully correct scoreline, one for right result), last week’s outcome was marked by my making up – at last – of a fairly meaningful tally of points on the frontrunners. Helped by getting the Arsenal 1 Manchester United 2 result smack on after the last game of the programme, I was able to bag eight points while the others could only get three apiece and no correct scorelines between them. Long may that trend continue, of course ...
159 David (3 points in last round)
158 Garrin (3)
144 Rob (8)
Compiled by Rob Houwing (the champion for the last two seasons but a Newcastle supporter for his sins), the others are Garrin Lambley (very Everton-partial), and David Brooke (Manchester United).
THE PRIME ATTRACTION
EVERTON v MANCHESTER CITY
Tuesday, 22:00
If you look at this game purely in league-table terms, it should be a fairly routine victory for leaders City. But the Premiership doesn’t always work like that, and a sneaky feeling tells me the Toffees will really get up for this midweeker and bag a point from the fixture. My reasoning also involves a quick glance at last season’s form book: did you know that Everton did the double over the Mancunians, 2-1 each time? I concede that Roberto Mancini’s team are a different kettle of fish in 2011/12, and Garrin and Dave stick with the smart-money approach under the circumstances. For my theory to produce dividends, Everton will also have to play better than they did last time out, a humdrum home draw with Blackburn.
Rob: Everton 1 Manchester City 1
Garrin: 1-2
David: 0-2
Last season: 2-1
THE GRUDGE MATCH
MANCHESTER UNITED v STOKE
Tuesday, 22:00
Nothing really stuck out for me among the Tuesday/Wednesday programme as great material for this category, so I’ve gone for this game on the reasonably unconvincing grounds that champions United will be pretty pumped-up to atone for being held to a 1-1 draw (respective scorers Nani, Crouch) in the first-round match at the Britannia – those were their first points dropped in their sixth game of the season, slightly arresting that golden start they had. Their fortunes have seldom been so compelling since then, although they’re still right in the title hunt in second. I fancy them to take out on the Potters their frustration for being bundled out of the FA Cup by Liverpool despite dominating the tie. No backers for a sneaky Stoke point ...
Rob: Manchester United 3 Stoke 0
Garrin: 2-0
David: 2-0
Last season: 2-1
THE DESPERATE DUEL
TOTTENHAM v WIGAN
Tuesday, 21:45
Is that Spurs gone from the title race now, following that gut-wrenching late 3-2 loss at Manchester City in the last round of games? It does leave them with a lot of ground to make up (eight points), and they’ve also been a little side-tracked by boss Harry Redknapp’s much-publicised court appearances of late. So they need the fresh tonic of a home win, and ought to achieve it against a side now ominously firmly anchored to the bottom of the table and with “desperation” presumably a strong motivator – especially as they grabbed all three points when they last visited White Hart Lane! Dave sees Wigan snatching a point; Garrin and I offer more popular choices, I’m sure ...
Rob: Tottenham 2 Wigan 0
Garrin: 2-0
David: 1-1
Last season: 0-1
THE OTHERS
SWANSEA v CHELSEA
Tuesday, 21:45
Rob: Swansea 1 Chelsea 1
Garrin: 0-2
David: 1-4
Last season: Not applicable
WOLVES v LIVERPOOL
Tuesday, 21:45
Rob: Wolves 1 Liverpool 1
Garrin: 0-1
David: 0-2
Last season: 0-3
ASTON VILLA v QPR
Wednesday, 21:45
Rob: Aston Villa 1 QPR 0
Garrin: 2-1
David: 2-2
Last season: Not applicable
BLACKBURN v NEWCASTLE
Wednesday, 22:00
Rob: Blackburn 1 Newcastle 1
Garrin: 1-1
David: 2-1
Last season: 0-0
BOLTON v ARSENAL
Wednesday, 22:00
Rob: Bolton 1 Arsenal 2
Garrin: 0-1
David: 1-3
Last season: 2-1
FULHAM v WEST BROM
Wednesday, 22:00
Rob: Fulham 0 West Brom 0
Garrin: 2-1
David: 2-0
Last season: 3-0
SUNDERLAND v NORWICH
Wednesday, 22:00
Rob: Sunderland 1 Norwich 0
Garrin: 2-1
David: 2-0
Last season: Not applicable
LEADERBOARD
Under the Sport24 staff scoring system (three points for a fully correct scoreline, one for right result), last week’s outcome was marked by my making up – at last – of a fairly meaningful tally of points on the frontrunners. Helped by getting the Arsenal 1 Manchester United 2 result smack on after the last game of the programme, I was able to bag eight points while the others could only get three apiece and no correct scorelines between them. Long may that trend continue, of course ...
159 David (3 points in last round)
158 Garrin (3)
144 Rob (8)
