Football Food For Thought / Dan Fitch / 12 January 2010 /

Like most football fans, Dan 'The Betting Man' Fitch had a miserable weekend, due to our inability to deal with snow. Now he's angry and accusing the likes of Rafa Benitez of skulduggery.

When the snow started to fall all over the country in December, it was widely welcomed. It gave people a convenient excuse to down tools and made everyone feel a bit more Christmassy.

But like in-laws over the festive season, the snow has long outstayed it's welcome. We're fine with it continuing to drop from the skies if it means we can bunk off work, but when it starts to interfere with our football enough is enough.

This weekend was a perfect example of how pathetic this country has become. A bit of snow and ice was all it took to completely decimate the football fixtures.

Once upon a time the majority of our young men were fighting a war in snow-filled trenches. Now they're being told that they can't attend a football match in case they fall over and skin their knees.

For lower division sides it is understandable. Most clubs don't have under-soil heating and funds are tight, but the Premier League sides should have made much more of an effort.

If they can afford to pay the players thousands a week, then surely they could buy a few bags of grit. If Arsenal could get their game on, then why couldn't their London neighbours West Ham and Fulham?

Some might say it was convenient for certain sides to cancel their games. West Ham for example might have Carlton Cole back to fitness, when they eventually play Wolves.

How did LIverpool know on the Friday afternoon that Anfield would be unsafe on the Sunday? Is it just my own bitterness that makes me think that Liverpool took their opportunity to duck their game against Spurs with Mascherano suspended?

Speaking of paranoia, Arsene Wenger was spouting nonsense about how it wasn't fair that some games were postponed, whilst others weren't and reckoned that the Premier League should have called off the whole lot of fixtures.

If anything, the situation should have been beneficial to Arsenal. They had the opportunity to get points in the bag, whilst their rivals now have to face packed fixture lists.

That Arsenal and Manchester United failed to capitalise upon their opportunity, is no one's fault but their own. Arsenal are now [5.9] to win the league, with United available at [4.0].

The favourites are Chelsea at [1.97]. They may well have their missing players back from Africa by the time that they face Hull, but as they're still competing in the FA Cup and Champions League, they will surely want to play this fixture sooner rather than later.

Harry Redknapp has indicated that Liverpool want to play their postponed game with Spurs within the next couple of weeks. This scenario would see Spurs playing five games within a fortnight, with Liverpool possibly facing six matches during this period. Tottenham are [3.45] to finish in the top four, with Liverpool at [2.8].

More postponements are certainly expected this week in the FA Cup replays and you can bet on how many there will be. 0-1 is [20.0], with 2-4 at [1.33] and 5 games or more at [3.0].

I doubt Liverpool would be quite so blasé about postponing their replay with Reading, knowing how it will play havoc with their upcoming fixtures. The same goes for the rest of the Premier League, if the weather is still bad next weekend.

On Saturday, my eight-month pregnant wife left the safety of the house and waddled down the icy street. The reason? It had been a whole week since we'd last gone to the pub.

Some things are worth taking a risk on and football is one of them.

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