English Premier Odds

Founded: 1892
Nickname: The Magpies, The Toon

Stadium: St. James Park
Capacity: 52,339

Newcastle United was originally formed in 1881 by the Stanley Cricket Club, who needed a sport during the winter. By 1892 after a variety of name changes in an 11 year span, Newcastle United became the accepted name of the football club at St. James Park. In 1893 the Magpies went professional and by 1914 they had won three league titles.  Nevertheless fans betting on the team saw the squad relegated by 1934, before redeeming themselves by the end of the Second World War in large part due to the assistance of former offensive star Stan Seymour. Seymour became the club’s manager and signed British superstar who helped the team win the FA Cup three times in five years. Further in 1946 Newcastle set the all time record for goals scored in a game by destroying then rival, Newport County 13-0.

After 1946, the team began to regress and this was capped by the near miss of being relegated to division three football in 1992. For year when placing a bet on Newcastle it was safer to wager against then for. However, in the end of the 1992 season, the club was taken over by former player Kevin Keegan. Keegan guided the team back to the Premier League in 1993/1994.  Keegan was able to base the Magpies success around his two most offensive striker’s rookie Andy Cole and veteran Peter Beardsley.

Although having much success finishing in the top three rankings of the Premier League, Newcastle still needed help to overcome the giant task of defeating Manchester United. As a result, in the 1996/1997 season Keegan went out and signed Alan Shearer who would become the greatest player in Newcastle history. Even though the squad still has yet to win a championship, since the beginning of the Premier League, they have been on the rise. Their biggest feats along with the signing of Shearer were in 2005/2006 when they signed Michael Owen away from Liverpool and this past year when the club became runaway champions.

Founded: 1892

Nickname: The Reds

Stadium: Anfield
Capacity: 45,276

Since joining the league in 1992, no team has been able to stay in the top echelon of the English Premier League, than the Liverpool Reds. Currently led by offensive stars Fernando Torres and Steven Gerard, the Reds have been a powerhouse in Champions League Football and European Club Play since the 1992 season. Most of the team’s recent success has come under former manager Rafa Benitez.

Fans betting on the Reds could guarantee winning their wagers as the Reds won many domestic and European titles during Benitez tenure from 2004 to 2010. However all good things must come to an end, and after guiding the team to a seventh place finish this past season, Benitez was replaced in favor of Roy Hodgson.

Benitez mastery however will not soon be forgotten as many sports betting fans wagering on the Champions League trophy, will always remember Benitez debut with the club. In the 2004/2005 season in which Benitez took over at Liverpool, he was able to guide Liverpool to a League title, their first since the 2002/2003 season.

From 1992 until this past season, no team was more dominant than the Reds in terms of staying atop the league during the regular season of play. However in the 18 year existence of the EPL the accomplishments of the Reds have been better in European play than within in domestic play. For instance although appearing dominant, they have been lackluster at best since the 2005/2006 season. The club’s greatest season was nine years ago, when they won the League Cup, FA Cup and UEFA Cup.

As described earlier, Benitez was given the axe after the club finished in seventh place, their worst since he arrived. In an ironic twist, Benitez although signing a five year extension one year earlier, was the fall guy. The question now becomes, can Roy Hodgson equal or surpass Benitez success as skipper of the Liverpool Reds or will he falter?

Founded: 1905
Nickname: The Blues
Stadium: Stamford Bridge

Capacity: 42,449

Joining the EPL in the inaugural season of 1992 to 1993, the Blues are British football’s version of the Boston Red Sox. Essentially the team endured a 50 year curse between Premiership Titles, before finally breaking the curse in 2005, a year after the Red Sox broke the Curse of the Bambino. At the time fans betting on the Blues to finally break the curse were also hoping that one team in the EPL could finally defeat the Evil Empire, Manchester United. Prior to defeating the powerhouse Red Devils in 2005, the Blues had always been a runner up in the standings.

Prior to the 2000 Northbet season, the Blues had constantly struggled under a variety of different managers. However finally in 2000 the club hired Jose Mourinho to take over as Club manager and bring stability to the squad. For the eight years that Mourinho was with the Blues he was able to turn the franchise around from a giant underachiever to a team synonymous with success. After guiding the team to a shocking upset and first Premiership title in 50 years, in the 2005 season, Mourinho guided the team to a second straight championship in the 2005/2006 season.

Diehard Chelsea fans were overjoyed with Mourinho’s success. However as most sports betting enthusiast will tell you, eight years is a long time for any manager.  As a result Mourinho’s act grew thin with Chelsea management and the fans and after eight years he was replaced by Avram Grant. In a completely nostalgic moment, from the 2007/2008 season to 2009/2010 the Blues went through a revolving door of club managers. Yet in June 2009 the club found their man in Carlo Ancelotti who guides the team to another Premiership Championship and the league record for most goals scored in a season at 103.

Founded: 1878
Nickname: Red Devils
Stadium: Old Trafford
Capacity: 75,769

One of the most iconic brands in all of professional sports, Manchester United has been the safest bet for fans since the English Premier League was founded in the 1992 to 1993 season. From 1993 onward, no team has dominated the EPL the same way that United has, as they have won 11 of a possible 17 titles in that time frame. Club manager Sir Alex Ferguson has been the team’s manager for each of the 11 league championships.

Fans betting on Manchester United, a Northbet.com favorite, have come to love the Red Devils in the same light that they love the American baseball team the New York Yankees. The dominance shown by the Red Devils was none more evident from 1992 to 2001 the club registered seven of its 11 FA Carling Premiership titles. Similar to the Yankees, United has been known as the Evil Empire, as many of the stars around the globe have played at least one season for United.

This was the most evident in the club’s inaugural Northbet season in the EPL as Ferguson was able to acquire star forward Eric Cantona away from Leeds for 1.7 million pounds. Since then the club has seen any and everyone from David Beckham to Cristiano Ronaldo. In the 2001/2002 season Juan Sebastian Veron broke the single season transfer fee in British football history as he signed for 28 million pounds. The equivalent of a contract this large for the time can best be compared to the Texas Rangers contract they gave to former third baseman Alex Rodriguez for a world record of 10 years at over 250 million.

Manchester United’s greatest season thus far in the history of the team, was in the 1998 to 1999 season in which the team won all of the titles in Europe. These titles included the FA Carling Premiership, FA Cup and European Cup. To date they are the only club to accomplish the feat.

Founded: 1886
Nickname: The Gunners
Stadium: Emirates House

Capacity: 60,361

One of the most storied franchises in all of sports, fans betting on the Arsenal Gunners have come to love the team since the late 19^th century. The team was initially founded in 1886 by workers at the Woolwich Arsenal Armament Factory under the name Dial Square. However 27 years later the team was renamed the Arsenal Gunners and has been that way ever since. Prior to the name change in 1913, the Gunners had joined the second division of the EPL in 1893. Yet until 1925 with the arrival of star Herbert Chapman, the team had very little success.

Under Chapman’s guidance, the Gunners won championships in the second division five times in eight years from 1930 to 1938. As well they won the FA Cup twice in that span. However, Chapman would die in 1934, taking the franchises success with him. The team would not enjoy success again until the 1980s.

Online betting fans of the Gunners did not enjoy wagering on the team during the early years of the English Premier League, as the team struggled at the best of times until 1998 when they captured their first league crown title.  Further in the inaugural season of the EPL in 1992 to 1993, to say Arsenal was poor within regular season league play would be an understatement. Nevertheless the team still qualified for the playoffs and was able to capture both the League Cup and FA Cup.

Former player George Graham who is not only legendary as a Northbet player but also as a coach guided the team to six trophies during his tenure. Some of that success came in the early days of the EPL as noted earlier the club won in 1993 and would go on to win its sixth and final title under Graham at the 1994 European Cup.

Furthermore, the Arsenal Gunners are the only team in the EPL’s existence that has remained above relegation.

2010 World Cup betting players will be seeing a few Liverpool players in South Africa, but how many of them will report back to Anfield at the beginning of the season, when the Reds will open up their campaign against Arsenal?

Word is that Javier Mascherano’s agent is speaking to Inter Milan, and this would be a massive loss for the Reds as Mascherano, the combative central midfielder who is also the Argentina captain, sits back in front of the back four, which allows captain Steven Gerrard to support Fernando Torres.  The Reds have already lost manager Rafa Benitez to Inter, so it’s no surprise that he would try to ransack his former club for players.

That isn’t the only worry for Liverpool fans.  New Real Madrid manager (and former Chelsea and Inter manager) Jose Mourinho makes no bones about the fact that he loves Gerrard as a player, and when he was announced at the Bernabeu, one of the first players he said he would like to bring to Madrid was Gerrard, who almost signed with Mourinho at Chelsea.  There’s also the matter of Torres, and there’s no shortage of teams who would line up to sign the gifted striker who is just coming into the prime of his career.  There are money problems at Anfield, the owners are looking to sell the club, and they may not be able to afford Torres, especially to keep Gerrard, but will their captain stay if there are no other players to help him?  It’s going to be interesting year for Liverpool’s betting odds.

World Cup betting players should still be paying attention to managerial changes happening, and there have been a couple already.  First, Jose Mourinho left Inter Milan after winning the Champions League for Real Madrid, and now Rafael Benitez is on the market.

Benitez spent six years at Anfield, and the highlight was the 2005 Champions League win over AC Milan, when Liverpool stormed back from a 3-0 deficit to stun the Italians.  Liverpool won the FA Cup and the Community Shield in 2006, but he didn’t win the one thing that Liverpool fans want: the league.  Liverpool hasn’t won the Premiership since 1990, and since then, it’s been a combination of Manchester United, Arsenal and Chelsea that has ruled the league.  Benitez often made questionable selection choices, he never seemed to know what sort of style he wanted Liverpool to play, and he was embroiled in a number of confrontations with managers in the Premiership, from Mourinho when he was at Chelsea, to United’s Sir Alex Ferguson and Blackburn’s Sam Allardyce.  To be fair, Liverpool was decimated with injuries in this past season, but after six years (and some terrible signings in the transfer market; Dirk Kuyt is his best buy, if that says anything), his time is up.

So where will Benitez end up?  Some say he’ll replace Mourinho at Inter, or he could be looking for a move back to Spain, where he is from and he managed from 1986 to 2004 with a number of teams.  If we had to lay a sports bet, we’ll say Benitez will be in Italy next season.

It’s not a conversation that many betting search engine optimization offices or horse racing SEO people will have around the water cooler, but the soccer world is sure curious.

Football betting players are banking on a big tournament from Cesc Fabregas, providing the talented midfielder can get a serious run in the loaded Spanish team.  But his club situation could be a distraction to the 23-year-old.

Fabregas is coming off another brilliant season at Arsenal, as his 15 goals were eighth in the Premiership, and his 13 assists was second only to Chelsea’s Frank Lampard.  This was his second season as the Arsenal captain, and he had his season ended abruptly by a knee injury against Barcelona.  Ironically, it’s Barca who is coming in for Fabregas, who moved from Barca to Arsenal after he decided it would be too difficult to get into a team that already had Xavi and Andres Iniesta in the midfield.  In another twist of irony, these are the two players Fabregas has to get past to move into the Spanish starting 11.  Arsenal have slapped an $60 million price tag on their star midfielder, while Barca doesn’t want to spend more than $30 million, especially after they just splashed out $43 million to pry David Villa away from Valencia.

Fabregas would do well to stay at Arsenal, as Thierry Henry has been less than successful since leaving London for Barcelona, and there’s still no guarantee that he would be in the starting 11.  Iniesta is injury prone, but unless Barca can move him, Fabregas will be sharing time, and he’s far too good to do that.  The pressure is now on Arsenal to buy some pieces to put around Fabregas, who wants to win a trophy, and without him Arsenal’s betting odds for next season would plummet. That’s it for your sports betting tips for today.

Even though 2010 World Cup betting odds are on the minds of soccer betting players, there is still some league action to deal with, and the Premiership will crown its champion in England this weekend.  Chelsea has a one-point lead over Manchester United with both sides at home and playing inferior teams, and only a major shock would give United the title.

Wigan vs Chelsea odds – Sunday, May 9, 11:00 AM ET

Chelsea is a massive -1200 favorite, and their 3-1 loss at Wigan earlier in the year was their first against them in 10 matches, so there is even a revenge factor here.  Chelsea has been in devastating form lately, and they’re 16-1-1 at Stamford Bridge this year, while Wigan has 13 losses in 18 away games.  Barring a miracle, there should be a title party at the Bridge on Sunday.

Stoke vs Man Utd odds – Sunday, May 9, 11:00 AM ET

United is a -1000 favorite, and a Wigan draw would give them the title if they were to beat Stoke, who has not scored a goal in three previous games against United.  Indeed, in their lone trip to Old Trafford last year, Stoke was routed 5-0, and it could be more of the same as United knows what is at stake.  Nani has been in brilliant form while Wayne Rooney has cooled off, and United has gotten big contributions from veterans like Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes and Gary Neville.  Take Man United for a betting win in this contest, but it will be bittersweet as United’s title challenge comes up just short.

While NBA playoff betting is going on, the Premiership in England is getting down to the crucial run-in at the end of the year, and there are two games this weekend that will affect the top four.

Tottenham @ Manchester United – Saturday, 7:45 AM ET

United is a -230 favorite in this contest as they sit a single point behind Chelsea at the top of the table, while Spurs are coming to Old Trafford, a place they haven’t won at since 1989. Spurs are in the final Champions League spot, just two points ahead of Manchester City, who will be looking for a favor from their rivals after losing to United last weekend. United will have to slow down Tottenham’s Gareth Bale, who has been a force on the left wing, and he could give the United right-back, either Gary Neville or Rafael, a tough time. But they’re snakebitten at Old Trafford, and Wayne Rooney looks to be 100% healthy after his ankle knock. (Pick: Manchester United)

Manchester City @ Arsenal -Saturday, 12:30 PM ET

This will be a barnburner as a number of ex-Gunners are now wearing City blue, and you can bet that the fans won’t forget Emmanuel Adebayor’s celebrations in front of them during City’s 4-2 win earlier this season, which earned him a suspension. City need to concentrate on picking up points if Spurs lose at Old Trafford, but Arsenal is an excellent home team, despite their recent glut of injuries to important players. Look for Robin van Persie to play a role here, and remember, Adebayor stomped on him in that 4-2 game to earn another suspension. A draw is rated at +230, and that is the sports betting play here.