With the season starting on Saturday, it is about time we came up with our picks for the league outright markets. This should give us some interest in all the divisions up until the later stages of the season.
Starting with our very own League 2, Notts County’s money has skewed the market somewhat and they are now a best price 11/2 which is too short for us. Instead we’ll refer to the research we did for our season preview and look at some better each-way prospects.
Rotherham were favourites before the bookies brought County right in, and that’s good news for us as they can still win this division. After keeping most of a good squad intact and adding some quality including the £150k signing of Tom Pope. Have half a point on them to win the league outright at 8/1 with Ladbrokes, Coral or Hills. Also worth pursuing are Bury at a very common 14/1. They have improved their squad from an already impressive position so have half a point each way.
Stepping up a level, League One this season looks decidedly uninspiring. Huddersfield appear to be going all-out for promotion after last season’s 9th place and this means they’re 3rd favourites. Leeds will again be desperate to get out and are big favourites but losing Delph will be a blow and they’re far too short to back. On paper Norwich look impressive but relegated sides often find themselves staying longer than they should do.
So that leaves MK Dons at 10/1 with Skybet and Hills. After coming 3rd last season, they have got Jermaine Easter and Jason Puncheon on board for the coming season and they are well worth half a point each way.
Up again to the Championship, and yo-yo club West Brom are installed in their customary position as favourites. They will probably go up and they will probably then be favourites to come straight back down again. Again we’ll look at the each-way options to give us a better chance of having some interest right up til the end of the season. Middlesbrough and Newcastle are short-priced based on reputation and neither can be backed.
There’s good value in Cardiff at 22/1 with Hills but losing Roger Johnson will hit them hard so don’t be tempted. Instead we’ll go with the shorter but sturdier Sheffield United. They’re widely available at 12s and after a third place finish last time, they’ve made some very good signings such as Ched Evans. Although they’ve lost prospects Walker and Naughton to Spurs, Walker is returning on loan and the money raised should mean they can strengthen in January if needed. Again, half a point each-way is the bet.
Accumulator
Firstly, be aware that all the above selections can be obtained at slightly shorter odds with Blue Square if you’re less confident and want your each-way bet to cover 4 instead of the usual 3 places. Now, lets have an acca. Combine our above selections (Bury, MK Dons and Sheff Utd) with Luton in the Blue Square Premier in an each-way accumulator for half a point. If we’re betting on the individual teams we might as well ensure we’re well paid if everything goes to plan.
Ladbrokes offer the best combined price on our selections. If all 4 win their divisions and your half-point stake is a fiver, you’re looking at a payout of over £41,000. If they all come in the top 3, you’ll still be over £500 richer. So what are you waiting for?
