Premier League Betting: Why Boxing Day is still the best

Ralph Ellis
20 December 2016

The way we were - clearing snow of the pitch before a Boxing Day game in the 1960s

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The rest of Europe's footballers are enjoying a break - but Ralph Ellis says we should cherish our tradition of Christmas football.

"Sunderland are at Manchester United to provide the biggest storyline of the day as David Moyes returns to Old Trafford. The Black Cats are a huge 16.5 to score an away win."

When it comes to guilty pleasures, going to football on Boxing Day is right up there. It's no wonder that year on year, December 26 brings the biggest crowds up and down the country.

I'm rather lucky, of course, in that for me it is work so I can pretend I've no choice. Of course I'd rather be at home helping clear up all the mess that's left from the day before.

Love the family, of course. And looking forward to spending Christmas Day with my boys and grandsons (not forgetting Mrs E). But next morning it's up and out and head for a game in the fresh air. Boxing Day means football for me and it always has done.

When I was little West Ham always seemed to be at home that morning, and my dad had rather more problems convincing mum that taking me was an important part of a broad education. I suspect somewhere up in the sky they'll be having the same debate this year, before dad's ghost jumps in the back of my car to join me at Swansea, which is where the Hammers are playing.

Talk about split loyalties. My inner 10-year-old will be singing Bubbles. The professional part of me gets quite a lot of work covering the Swans these days, and the last thing me or the bank manager needs is for them to get relegated.

I fear we'd better get used to it though. Swansea are 2.727/4 favourites in the Match Odds but it is hard to understand why. I don't think Bob Bradley is a particularly bad manager, but he has inherited some astonishingly ordinary players. The club's lack of recruitment in the summer was chaotic as the directors were too focused on the takeover deal.

Back in August I tipped the Swans for relegation at 4.84/1. They are now 1.8810/11 to go down and there's no pleasure at all in being proved right.

On the subject of sides fighting relegation, Sunderland are at Manchester United to provide the biggest storyline of the day as David Moyes returns to Old Trafford. The Black Cats are a huge 16.5 to score an away win.

When I was growing up, Christmas games used to mean local derbies. This year's fixture list doesn't follow that at all - the nearest to it is Crystal Palace at Watford, where Alan Pardew's team look value to me at 3.211/5 to take advantage of the sudden stumble of Walter Mazzarri's side.

It's a crucial day for Arsenal with their fans grumbling after twice throwing away leads at Everton then Manchester City. A home game with West Brom is the last thing they wanted. The Gunners are 1.351/3 to get back on track with a home win but I think I'd lay that because they won't find it easy to break down a Tony Pulis team.

I'd certainly be far more confident backing Chelsea at 1.42/5 to extend their winning run to 12 games when they are at home to Bournemouth. Even without the suspended Diego Costa and N'Golo Kanté, Antonio Conte's side should have more than enough firepower.

There may be no clashes of the Premier League giants, but it's still an intriguing fixture list and a reminder of why English football is right to stick with its Boxing Day traditions.

It's an entertainment industry, after all, so why would you shut down on the day most people want to pay and see you play? Guilty pleasures? Bring it on.