Favs, Long Shots and All Things In Between: Five more bets for 2011...

Other / Eliot Pollak / 02 January 2011 / 1 Comments

Spurs' tiny twosome - will Jermain give Luka an extra big hug when he wins PFA Player of the Year?

"This year's Prem is like being asked about a parent's second marriage - we are all meant to sit there and pretend Samir Nasri is as great as Ronaldo was. But who will win this tarred trinket?"

Eliot Pollak brings the second half of his very fine series previewing the best bets of the coming year. It's at least as good as part one, you have been warned.

English Football: Those in the know claim that the engraver of the Barclays Premier League trophy, has already been instructed to etch an asterisk after the name of this season's Champions, to warn future generations that no-one was really any good in 2010/11. This year's Prem is like being asked about a parent's second marriage - we are all meant to sit there and pretend Samir Nasri is as great as Ronaldo was. But who will win this tarred trinket? One suspects if it wasn't for the fact that the British media hate him for not being Mark Hughes, Roberto Mancini's work at Manchester City would be receiving slightly more credit right now. He has assembled the best squad, City have cash to spend in January, and they have the league's best player in the slaloming David Silva. What's not to like kids...
The Bet - Manchester City to win the 2010/11 Barclays Premier League @ [8.8]


Rugby Union: Three facts about New Zealand:
1. To become a citizen, you must swear an oath of loyalty to Queen Elizabeth.
2. New Zealand was the first democracy in the world to give women the vote.
3. Despite having the best side each time it comes around, they will always find a way to mess up in the Rugby World Cup.
And this year they are hosts too, with the tournament running from 10th September - 23rd October. England are in Pool B alongside Argentina, Romania, Scotland and Georgia, and face the prospect of a Quarter Final match-up against the French. Ooh la la indeed. If England reach the final, they will become the first country in World Cup history to reach three in a row. They could well do it. New Zealand to win however - after all, they have the best side. What's that you say? Are you mad? Next you'll be wanting to give women the vote.
The Bet - New Zealand to win the 2011 Rugby Union World Cup @ [2.02]


Formula 1: Considering the former head of the whole F1 circus loved a bit of whipping, and that drivers are sometimes instructed to crash their own cars, it has always been incongruous that Formula 1 is so dull. This year's title should be between Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber, both men going on more smooth laps than a packet of serviettes during 2010. Tough to split them - but it might just be Webber's turn. If you're into this sort of thing (as Max Mosley might say), the first race is in Bahrain on the March 13, and we end in Brazil on the November 27.
The Bet - Mark Webber to win the 2011 F1 Drivers Championship @ [13.5]


Snooker: Unless you're John Higgins, it isn't easy to guess who will win the big snooker prize in 2011. After all, nobody last year would have suspected that Neil Robertson would go on and conquer the green baize. This season's event takes place at the Crucible (where else) and runs from the April 16-May 2. The Rocket tends to make the effort every three or four years, so perhaps he is the wise selection once more, this time around.
The Bet - Ronnie O'Sullivan to win the 2011 Snooker World Championship @ [5.1]


Specials: Premier League footballers are a lazy bunch, and not just on the field. If they're not moaning they're too tired to play midweek, they are inviting all their friends to join in their latest female steamrollering, presumably just to share the workload. Rumour has it that players are so lazy, respective club captains simply fill in 20 forms for PFA Player of the Year, to save the poor lambs from having to go to the effort of writing a name down. Gareth Bale is an early favourite, but he will probably win Young Player of the Year, so may not be the best shout. Instead, why not back the club captains to fill in the name of Luka Modric, the man at the heart of everything good Spurs do. It takes less time to write than Rafael van der Vaart after all.
The Bet - Luka Modric to win the PFA Player of the Year @ [18.0]

Comments (1)

1. Mike | 30 December 2010

   David silva the leagues best player do me a favour