Our new look Thursday night betting column returns with three pundits looking ahead to Norwich v QPR and a weekend of sporting action.

New look, new format, no winners last week. We’re back.

Brian Power

Previously advised:

Sole Power Nunthorpe Stakes 24.08.2012 9/1

NAP - Norwich vs QPR - Both teams to score @ 4/6 (Coral, Ladbrokes, others) Let's hope that last week’s game was a blip, if we do bring in a couple of new defenders they won't have had many sessions to gel and if we don't then we have a defence low on confidence. The home side don't keep many clean sheets and also had a shocker last weekend. Two fragile defences means goal so 4/6 on both teams to score makes sense.

LONGSHOT – Hammerfest in the Ebor 10/1

The EBOR takes place on Saturday and the favourite Motivado is too short at 4/1. I will go for Hammerfest at 10/1 trainer John Hammond has aimed the 5 year old at this race and is a likely contender.

FOR THE NOTEBOOK

Last year I mentioned Daniel Powell at MK Dons he is a young player who has a decent future in the game. He has scored a couple of goals already this year and could be worth following as first scorer in the next few weeks.

In other news I had to work near Scum HQ on Wednesday and a colleague was going to watch the game v Reading. He was going on and on about it and he told me he was going to back Lampard for first goal. I got the text after the fat one scored with just the word ‘Cash,’ to which I replied with a four letter word beginning with C. On Thursday I asked him how he would spend his winnings and I got a string of abuse about a certain online bookie. It turned out my colleague had placed a bet on Lampard, but for the Newcastle game on Saturday as he hadn't checked the bet properly. I laughed so much I had to walk out. Two points: be careful and check your bets and always rely on a knuckle dragger for a good laugh.

Andy Hillman

Well, it’s good to know that I haven’t lost it over the summer - all three of the NAP, Longshot and Notebook bets failed to come in. In my defence, nobody quite expected the QPR vs Swansea result, in the Portsmouth game the Bournemouth keeper made a rick that even Robert Green would laugh at, and in the Man City game Silva hit the worst penalty I’ve seen since Diana Ross at the World Cup 1994. I was right with both my ‘ones to avoid’ though - maybe I can make a career telling you what to not bet on?

NAP - Norwich vs QPR - Both teams to score @ 4/6

Norwich have kept a single clean sheet in 17 games. QPR’s defence could be pick any five from fifty, and will probably meet Saturday morning on the A11, speaking various languages. Norwich ‘strengthened’ their defence by buying Sebastian Bassong. Both conceded five on the opening day of the season. Would you trust either of these sides to keep a clean sheet? Both teams to score at 4/6 with Ladbrokes?- it’s like buying money...

LONGSHOT - Tottenham vs West Brom - Lay Tottenham @ 2/1

Ok, so not exactly a longshot, but decent odds nevertheless. Whilst Levy is potentially working miracles off the pitch, AVB is working the wrong kind of miracle on the pitch. I’ve been telling anyone stupid enough to listen that Belgium will be the next world power in football, and it will be interesting to see how Lukaku, Belgium’s answer to Drogba, fares against Vertonghen - who is only the third best central defender in Belgium, yet probably better than all of England’s. You can get 11/2 on a straight West Brom win if you’re feeling especially brave, but laying Spurs will do us here.

FOR THE NOTEBOOK - The Cheeky Multiple - Chelsea vs Newcastle; Stoke vs Arsenal; Liverpool vs Man City - all draws.

All three games have a whiff of a draw about them. Chelsea and Liverpool’s game look like entertaining draws, Stoke vs Arsenal possibly the other end of the entertainment spectrum. Back the doubles and the triple. You should get at least 7/1 on each of the doubles, and close to 20/1 on the triple.

One to avoid - Inverness Caledonian Thistle vs Celtic

Super Cali go ballistic Celtic are atrocious? Somewhere, there’s a guy drinking very expensive wine on the back of that headline. He’s probably sharing a table with the guy that realised that ‘market’ and ‘meerkat’ are also very similar words. Celtic are going to win the league, but so far they’re absolutely stinking up the place in doing so. Very lucky against Aberdeen, and needed an injury time leveller against Ross County. There’s just no appealing odds on Celtic available, steer well clear.

The Pro

Previously advised: Cisse to finish top QPR scorer in Premier League, 9/4 Stan James, 17/08/12

After both sides got the season underway in equally woeful fashion it’s fair to say both managers will have been back to basics on the training ground this week so a tight, low scoring affair could well be on the cards.

Ferdinand & Hill both played huge parts in keeping us in the division but reading the team sheet last week prior to kick off it was evident which area in the side was the weakest. I’m certain Hughes had already made his mind up to recruit further quality in the heart of the defence so the positive to come from last Saturday was the urgency for quality signings in that area accelerated. It looks unlikely any incomings (Carvalho/Dawson) will be completed in time for the trip to Norwich who themselves have strengthened and will have Sebastian Bassong available to partner Michael Turner as well as Javier Garrido an option at left back.

As we witnessed last season Hughes can be infuriatingly cautious away from home and I won’t be expecting anything different this weekend as he’ll be desperate for a clean sheet. Hughton himself was often criticised by Birmingham fans last season for operating with Marlon King as a lone front man at St Andrews (sounds familiar) and with the players at his disposable I can see a similar approach. Both benches will be doing everything they can NOT to lose the fixture making this a tight affair, which is why I’ll be backing the 11/10 about Under 2.5 goals.

Elsewhere on the coupon Crewe make plenty of appeal 4/1 at Brentford. Pre season optimism at Griffin Park was replaced with boos following Yeovil’s 3-1 victory on Tuesday and supporters are far from satisfied with Rosler’s safety first mentality (sounds familiar). The new signings other than Forshaw haven’t settled. Millwall seem to have got much the better side of the deal that took Karleigh Osbourne to the Den as Scott Barron and Tony Craig who went the other way don’t currently look like players that have plenty of Championship appearances between them. Facing Luke Murphy and Ashley Westwood in a Crewe midfield that keep the ball as well anybody in the Football League is the last thing Brentford and their fans need this weekend.

As a long shot…Oxford have made a promising start to the campaign and there is a real feeling success can be achieved this year so they’ll be expected to dominate possession and take the game to a Plymouth side whose squad doesn’t look any stronger than the one that survived by only two points last season. The absence of influential midfielder Peter Levan has seen Adam Chapman enjoy more licence to get forward as part of a central midfield three. The opening two league games have seen him go close with free kicks and bursting runs from midfield getting on the end of crosses at 33-1 first goal scorer and 12-1 anytime (William Hill) Adam Chapman ticks the boxes of a goal scoring midfielder for punters to follow.

Tweet – @andy_hillman, @agrowe86, @loftforwords

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