English Premier Odds

If NFL betting players can remember the days of Marshall Faulk, who scored touchdowns at an amazing pace in St. Louis, then soccer betting players would compare that to Alan Shearer, arguably the most clinical English striker of the last 15-20 years.

Shearer began his career at Southampton, playing alongside the brilliant Matt Le Tissier, then he was sold to Blackburn, where he helped Rovers win the Premiership in 1994-95. After four years there, Shearer then moved to Newcastle, where he became a legend and eventually, he was given the armband as club captain.  However, he decided to retire in 2005-06 with a tally of 379 goals in 733 matches.

For England, Shearer scored 30 goals in 63 caps, winning the Golden Boot at Euro 96, but the team never really accomplished much, although that’s not due to Shearer.

Shearer will be remembered for a simple, no-nonsense style of play, and he was arguably the best penalty taker in the history of the Premiership.  He was a center-forward that held up the ball as well as anyone, and he was a menace in the box.  He’ll forever be a legend at Newcastle, where he managed the team for the final eight matches at the end of May 2009, and while they ended up relegated, the team was sunk before Shearer got involved.  Shearer will go down as one of the top five English strikers of all time, and online betting players may never see a center-forward like this again.

NFL football betting players may compare Robbie Fowler to Terrell Owens, a prolific player of his era, but he may be more known for controversy rather than for being in fourth place in the Premier League goal-scoring standings.

\Fowler started his career playing for his childhood team, Liverpool, playing his first nine seasons at Anfield, and he scored 120 goals during that time.  However, Fowler was part of a group on the team that were well-known for partying, and the apex came in 1999 with his famous drug simulation while celebrating a goal against rival Everton.  Fowler managed to stay at Liverpool until 2002, when he went to Leeds for a couple of seasons, followed by four at Manchester City.  Fowler returned to Liverpool in 2005, but scored eight goals in 30 matches over two seasons, and his last two years in England were spent at Cardiff City and Blackburn.  Fowler is now playing in Australia with the Perth Glory after a season with the North Queensland Fury.

Fowler didn’t make much of an impact for England, scoring seven goals in 26 caps, but you get the feeling that England managers were more worried about what he would do off the pitch, rather than on, which is why he didn’t get more of a chance.

As far as talent goes, Fowler may have had the most natural talent of anyone in his era, but he never really fully realized it.  However, you have to give it up for Fowler for his sheer numbers alone, especially his prowess at Liverpool.  Sports betting players were never bored watching Fowler.

NFL betting players know all about underrated players, and when it comes to the Premiership, Les Ferdinand isn’t brought up when thinking about the best strikers in England.  Here is a reminder why he was one of the best to ever do it.

Ferdinand bounced around the lower leagues with QPR and Brentford before going to Turkey, where he blossomed with Besiktas.  Ferdinand then returned to England in 1989 with QPR again, spending six seasons between the Premiership and the First Division (now the Championship).  Ferdinand then spent two short, but prolific, years at Newcastle, scoring 41 goals in 68 matches.  Ferdinand wouldn’t score more than 12 goals in a season for the rest of his career, playing six years at Tottenham, and then a year each at West Ham, Leicester City, Bolton, Reading and Watford before retiring in 2006.

Ferdinand had just 17 caps for England, scoring five goals, and he inexplicably was left on the bench during Euro 96, after scoring 25 goals for Newcastle alongside Alan Shearer.

Ferdinand (cousin of England captain Rio, as well as West Ham’s Anton) wasn’t a flashy player, but he got the job done and really should get more attention than he does.  It really makes you wonder how good Newcastle would have been if they decided to keep Ferdinand and Shearer together, because you wouldn’t need many chances to score with those two up front.  When conversing with your friends about the top strikers in England history, bring up Ferdinand and we’re betting you’ll get a couple weird looks, but the numbers don’t lie.

NCAA football betting players don’t have to worry about their favorite players going for 19 years, but that’s what happened in England with Andy Cole, who is second all-time in the Premier League in scoring.

Cole played for Arsenal, Fulham, Bristol City and Newcastle from 1989-1995, but it wasn’t until the ’93-94 season when he netted 34 times for Newcastle that he came into his own.  Then, in 1994-95, Cole was shipped off to Manchester United, where he played with the great Eric Cantona, but it wasn’t until he was partnered with Dwight Yorke that Cole was a real threat.  He never again scored as many goals as he did that one year at Newcastle, but he scored plenty of timely goals for Manchester United, and played an instrumental role in the side that won the Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League in 1999.  After leaving Manchester at the end of the 2001-02 season, Cole bounced around, playing for Blackburn, Fulham, Manchester City, Portsmouth, Birmingham City, Sunderland, Burnley and Nottingham Forest.

Cole earned just 15 caps for England, scoring one goal, and many are still wondering why manager Glenn Hoddle left him off the squad at the World Cup in 1998, when he was at the height of his abilities.

Cole was a solid finisher who really should have played more for his country, but Manchester United benefitted from that as Cole and Yorke fired them to five league titles.  He also won the Young Player of the Year, and the Golden Boot in 1993-94.  Andy Cole is a Manchester legend, and online betting players are still on the lookout for the next Cole.

The English Premier League is a professional football league based out of Britain of the United Kingdom. Fans of European football are able to place online bets for clubs such as Manchester United, Arsenal, and Chelsea as they are the leading squads in the 20 team league. For fans new to soccer betting, here is a history of the formation of the British Premier League.

After years of in fighting in the Football League in Britain that was created in 1888, all of the teams from the first division in the FL decided to form their own league. By October of 1992, the then FA Premier League debuted.  When they switched to form their own league, the BPL squads collaborated for a television contract, which since the beginning of the league has grown immensely. With the worst teams being relegated to the lower leagues, a total of 44 football clubs around Britain have played in the BPL. Of the 44 clubs, only four have ever won the FA Carling Championship, the biggest prize in British Football.

In the league’s 18 year existence, the four teams to win the Carling Championship include:

Arsenal with three championships
Chelsea with three championships
Blackburn with one championship

Manchester United with 11 championships

Over the first decade of the league from 1992 to 2002, no team was greater than Manchester United. Aside from Blackburn winning the title in 1994/1995, no team was more dominant as the Red Devils won seven championships in the decade.

Since the 1996 to 1997 season the British Premier League has confused many fans new to the sport. For example, although the league is made up of over 20 teams at any given time, the league tends to be dominated by the big four of Man United, Chelsea, Liverpool and Arsenal. One of the criticisms of the league over the years has been that these four teams are far to stacked and play is uneven.

Founded: 1892

Nicknames: Spurs, Lilywhites

Stadium: White Heart Lanes

Capacity: 36,230

In the beginning Spurs made fans betting the totals, rather rich as their offense was based around Jurgen Klinsmann and Ilie Dumitrescu two players who new how to put the ball in the back of the net. Although it was simple for the Spurs strikers to score goals, they had a rather difficult time in the first six years of play in the new Premier League as Spurs defense had been lackluster at best.  By the 1998 season, the Lilywhites had missed relegation by a small margin and fans were beginning to fear the team may be in the second division at any moment.

However also in 1998, Spurs management made the brash decision to bring in a manager who knew what winning was all about, as they hired Arsenal legendary manager George Graham. Through Graham, online bets favoring Spurs flourished as he guided the team to League Cup championship in his first season as boss. Even though he guided the Lilywhites to a championship that first year, the club did not hit its highest point until Martin Jol took over as club manager in 2004/2005.

Jol’s first order of business was to build the Spurs into a powerhouse via youth. As a result Tottenham began to climb the rankings and never again has come close to relegation. From 2004 to 2006, the Spurs finished in fifth twice, missing Champions League qualifications in both seasons. Jol was then replaced for the 2007/2008 season by Spaniard Juande Ramos who like Graham won the League Cup.

In the early stages of the 2008 season however, Ramos had guided the Spurs to one of the worst starts in club history, as by October they only had two points. After firing Ramos, Spurs ownership brought in Harry Redknapp who guided the team from last to eighth that same season. He has been the club manager since and continues to take the team on an upward climb.

Founded: 1875

Nicknames: Rovers

Stadium: Ewood Park

Capacity: 31,154

When the Rovers joined the EPL in the early 1990s to make the league more competitive, it was their first time back in the top rankings since 1966. Sports betting enthusiast were first introduced to future hall of famer Alan Shearer in the 1992/1993 season when the Rovers signed Shearer to a 3.2 million pounds contract. Along with a few other key signings that year, the squad went from one of the worst for the last two and half decades to one fans placing a bet online could feel confident about. The squad would finish fourth in the 1992/1993 season, yet their greatest success was in the team’s second season as they finished a runner up to the dynasty known as Manchester United.  In the team’s third season they would win their only FA Carling Championship after defeating the Red Devils.

Ever since, the team has been on the bottom end of the shaft, as in 1999 they were the first and only team to ever win an FA Carling Championship and be relegated. After two years in the second division, the team regained form and returned to the EPL. In the 2001/2002 season, Blackburn won their first ever League Cup title under manager Graeme Souness and star striker Andy Cole’s guidance. From 2004 to 2008 they were led by manager Mark Hughes before he bolted for Man City. Hughes was then replaced by Paul Ince, who did not last long at all as in the 2008/2009 season the team lost six games in a row and Ince was fired. The team is now led by former Bolton and Newcastle skipper Sam Allardyce. Allardyce has been able to steer the club upward from the lower to middle echelons of the Premier League.

Founded: 1878

Nickname: The Toffees

Stadium: Goodison Park

Capacity: 40,157

Everton has been around the English Premier League since the league was founded in 1992. Through that time fans betting on the Toffees have seen the club lose more than win. For instance, the club has only been to the FA Cup final twice, once in the 1994/1995 season and once in the 2008/2009 season. Their record in those matches is one and one, as they won the FA Cup in 1995 against Manchester United the only blemish in United’s otherwise perfect first nine years of EPL play. The Toffees won the game one to nothing on a goal by the legendary Paul Rideout.  Online betting enthusiasts wagering on Everton have mainly bet against the squad, as their chief rival the Liverpool Reds, have taken up much of the success in Merseyside.

This was none more evident then this past season, as after the Toffees got off to a rather forgettable start, they made a huge run to get back into the top eight spots. The Toffees were close to qualifying for a playoff spot, however a loss to arch rival Liverpool once again put the squad out of contention. Throughout its illustrious history in Merseyside, the Everton has always been in the upper echelon of the Premier League.

Although in the beginning finishing within the top three seeds of the league, the highest seed in recent memory for the Toffees has been as the fourth seed. Aside from the 1994/1995 victory over Man United for the FA Cup, the Toffees were most recently in an FA final back in the 2008/2009 season in which they were defeated by the Chelsea Blues. As well, the club has gained a reputation not based on victories but rather the revolving door of players and personnel since they entered the EPL in 1992.

Founded: 1880

Nickname: The Blues, Citizens

Stadium: City of Manchester Stadium

Capacity: 47,405

Although joining the Premier League in 1992, fans betting upon a team from Manchester have naturally chosen city’s rival Manchester United. For years, Man City was in the lower echelon of the Premier League, finishing the highest in ninth place on an infrequent basis. During the early tenure of the club from 1992 to 2000, the Citizens were a mainstay in the basement of the league, having being relegated on numerous occasions.

Conversely by the 2000/2001 campaign when former Newcastle manager Kevin Keegan took over the squad, the club had new owners for the third time in eight years. Keegan would coach City for four years guiding the squad to 14^th place just narrowly avoiding relegation. One of the first steps Keegan took when becoming Man City manager was to sign French star Nicolas Anelka for 13 million pounds.

This was not enough to save Keegan’s job as by 2005 he was replaced by Stuart Pierce who guided the team to consecutive ninth place finishes. Pierce would be replaced two years later by legendary coach Sven-Goren Eriksson who would then be replaced by Mark Hughes. Hughes would then be replaced by present manager Roberto Mancini in the 2009/2010 season.

As seen by the revolving door of managers, fans betting online for EPL games have a better chance of picking a manager then they do of seeing Man City win the league title. Although this is perceived as the case, aside from getting Mancini as the clubs manager, Man City and their fans caught another break in 2008/2009 as the Abu Dhabi United Group purchased City. This instantly turned the team from a poor team possibly folding to one of the richest in the Premier League. Abu Dhabi furthered their commitment to making City a winner by going out and buying the contracts of former United star Carlos Tevez and Brazilian phenom Robinho.

Founded: 1874

Nickname: The Villains

Stadium: Villa Park
Capacity: 42,783

Prior to the creation of the English Premier League in 1992, Aston Villa was perhaps the best football club ever in the United Kingdom. Going into the 1992/1993 season, Villa had become a dynasty as they had won the league title 12 years in a row. However although making it to the final in the first season of the new league, they were runners up to nemesis Manchester United. Fans that lost their bet that day on a possible 13^th straight victory by the Villains were treated to some revenge the following year in the League Cup game as the Villains defeated the Red Devils three to one.

Since that victory in the 1994/1995 season, Aston Villa has had six managers and won two League Cups. This past year for instance, Aston Villa made it to the Carling Cup Premiership title game once again versus Manchester United. However similar to the inaugural championship game fans betting on a Villa victory were left disappointed as they lost the game two to one.

In 2000 then manager John Gregory helped Villa reach their first FA Cup since 1957. Unfortunately the Villains were defeated three to nothing by the Chelsea Blues. This was the peaking point of Gregory’s success with Villa as although the club still remained difficult to defeat, the loss left a foul taste in management’s mouths. As a result, Gregory and the Villains parted ways and many key players left the team.

By the 2006 season, many fans and experts alike believed the team would once again be relegated, similar to the troubles in the 1970s. Ownership then hired current manager and Celtic skipper Martin O’Leary who from the 2007/2008 season to present, has guided the football club to three consecutive sixth place finishes.