Macca

Very good point ... the lightly raced horses may come to the fore then. After having another gander I still like Snitzepeg but Icon of Dubai, Octabello and the Weir horse (Peaceful State) may feature. Villermont also has claims. As you stated, it's a good field leg in the quaddie if none of the top 3 salute. What's that saying ... 'The more you know, the more confusing it all gets!'

I generally take note and record about 6 games on any given weekend. Finding the time to watch all the recorded games is always an issue though GV! The North London derby is high on the list this weekend but beIN sports coverage of the other league's is first rate. Other games to look out for this weekend ... Sat 7.00am Stuttgart vs Dortmund Sun 2.00am Leicester vs Man City 4.00am Roma vs Lazio 6.45am Napoli vs AC Milan 6.45am Atletico Madrid vs Real Madrid West Ham are away to Watford (3am Monday morning) and it will be interesting to see how the team performs first up for Moyes. Unfortunately for Bilic, things started going pear-shaped as soon as Payet left. The change, when it came, was inevitable. Man Utd vs Newcastle (Sun 4.30am) is a must win for Man United too (in order for them to keep in touch)

G'day Wadda ... I'll have a go at the two group 2 races at Sandown tomorrow (races 7 & 8) In the Zipping Classic (race 7) I like 'The Taj Mahal' from Big Duke & Almandin ... 'So Si Bon' may run on as it was only 3.8 lengths behind Tosen Stardum last start. And in the Guineas (race 8) I'll give 'Snitzepeg' another chance ... Beau Geste & Black Sails should be in the finish as well. 'I'll Have a Bit' could run on if anyone is contemplating a first 4 bet. Went 2 from 2 (winners) on Emirates Stakes day but just missed the first 4 in both races. I'll back both horses (The Taj Mahal & Snitzepeg) each-way tomorrow. The running double last week paid $33 but always remember, I'm often the world's worst tipster! Its buyer beware. There are a few Group races at Ascot tomorrow as well but I haven't perused the form there yet. Those 2 races at Sandown might do me. Good punting to all!

Detroit Philadelphia Jacksonville

Here are the games again ... hopefully, the image works. Otherwise, go here

What has previously happened (by default?) is that we tend to put our tips in at the time that we normally do. JV & Gorgo generally go early and I more often than not post my tips up on Thursday. Gentlemen's agreement should be the order of the day. We're not playing for a sheep station (unless we are ) If they stopped the season now and went straight to the playoffs, this is my finishing order (see below) I don't fully trust the Rams & Eagles yet but I do like what I'm seeing from the Saints. The Pats are the Pats and they have the best coach. I've included 6 teams from each conference but on pure form & the ability to find good form, I'd replace Tennessee & Baltimore with Atlanta & Detroit. Dallas have just lost too many games and I can't see them recovering in time. Zeke being out isn't going to help the Cowboys cause either. And it's line-ball between the Eagles & Saints. The Rams, Panthers & Seattle are thereabouts. The Vikings would need Keenum to maintain his excellent form but I'm not convinced he can. And Bridgewater may or may not return to his best. Regardless, Detroit can push the Vikings for the NFC North. Green Bay's season is over if we lose to the Ravens. Atlanta need to defeat the Seahawks for similar reasons. Both teams would need to win 5 of 6 to get to 10 wins if they both lose on the weekend. A big ask. The Pats should cruise through in the AFC. In fact, they probably will. The Raiders might make a late run and snag a wild-card spot (8 wins might be sufficient for 1 of those AFC wild-cards) However, I favour the Ravens for the last wild-card spot in the AFC. Was a difficult assignment though as I feel I'm putting a lot of trust in the Saints and to a lesser degree, the Jags. But there is always a team or 2 that can make a late run ... similarly, 1 or 2 well performed teams can often fall away. 1 - New England 2 - New Orleans 3 - Philadelphia 4 - Pittsburgh 5 - LA Rams 6 - KC 7 - Seattle (wild-card) 8 - Jacksonville 9 - Carolina (wild-card) 10 - Minnesota 11 - Tennessee (wild-card) 12 - Baltimore (wild-card)

I thought we played really well ... our passing game is really coming on and we won the disputed ball all night. We'll acquit ourselves well in Russia although we need to get stronger up front. To advance out of our group we'll need a kind draw. Although .... we won't have to concern ourselves with Italy, the Netherlands, Chile or the USA!

3-0! All over bar the shouting.

We score and go to a 1-0 lead and then the tension increases!

I'd say so but I introduced a couple more bonus weeks in the 4th year of the comp ... I could scroll back but I reckon Gorgo has put up the highest overall score (is it 12 points?) But Clint has certainly set a hot pace ... Go the Biff is nicely placed and Dappa is not far behind. One thing I do know is that more points tend to be scored in the back half of the season. Anyway, there's still 12 points available so there is hope for us stragglers yet! We probably need to go a bit rogue/left field in order to catch the top 3.

Leaderboard in the comp 9 - Clintosaurus 7 - Go the Biff 6 - Dappa Dan 3 - JV7 2 - Gorgoroth, Macca 0 - The usual suspects Guess the Lines Week 11 With Bill Simmons & Cousin Sal 2 points on offer this week ... there are a number of possible road wins there but can any of us put 3 of them together? Time will tell. n.b. The Pats/Raiders game is being played in Mexico but New England are the designated 'road' team and can therefore be included in your tips. All 3 of the night games are good match-ups but the Rams/Vikings might be the pick of the games.

The Saints are fast becoming a team that is built on a strong defence with a multi-pronged running game. They might be scary to play anywhere. Their coach has reinvented himself but what he is doing makes perfect sense to me ... and he's still got Brees to lean on (whenever) I'll do my top 12 teams soon ... I might have to include 7 or 8 NFC teams though! Either that or just include 6 teams from each conference.

The Panthers can go all the way but they always seem to be 1 loss away from being an also-ran. Newton has absolute star quality (as he showed last night) but he also doesn't handle himself very well when his team loses. The game after that loss (which invariably will happen) therefore becomes difficult to predict. They are an odd team to get a handle on. .

Yep, if we had the likes of Viduka, Kewell & a 26 year old Cahill, we wouldn't have to concern ourselves with a do or die clash with Honduras. Italy have just found out the hard way that in order to win, you have to score goals. To be kept goalless for 2 games against Sweden is unacceptable for a powerhouse like the Azzurri. And we need to score early tomorrow night ... the good news is that that is entirely possible with the way the team is coached and with Cahill back. Leckie returning is a huge plus as well. It's all to play for DJ. I want to see the team go at Honduras, especially early. If we don't, we're asking for trouble.

Huge story ... on a par with England missing out in 1974. Italy lack quality experienced strikers according to the pundits

The salary cap being what it is in the NFL and a lot of the salaries not being guaranteed often leads to the parity that we see. The teams that get themselves into trouble often commit too much money to a player or 2 who aren't elite. Or have incompetent GM's or poor coaching. The heat is currently on the Giants ... The word is that McAdoo may be let go soon but teams usually wait until the end of the season (Black Monday) But the Giants are a poor team and something has to give. Their GM (Jerry Reese) has been there since '07 and has overseen 2 SB's so parting ways with him won't be easy. Has he lost it?

Yes, I've heard that too ... hundreds here have said in fact. So it must be true. You could have got any sort of odds that the Saints, Eagles, Rams & Vikings would all be the standout teams in their respective divisions. A lot different in the AFC where only the Jags have stood out amongst the less fancied teams. KC, the Pats & Steelers were all popular picks to win their divisions. That's what is great about the league ... it can often only take 2 or 3 years for a team to make big strides. And other teams like the Giants can fall away dramatically. Not many saw the Falcons & Dallas not making the playoffs either - both teams need to get moving in order to make it.

It's yours to lose now (the NFC East) ... Dallas can't win games, Washington are just average and the Giants are well & truly cooked. .

Might be worth a look ... and we've got Sandown next week and then Ascot and all the other upcoming group races. I usually have a small wager most weeks (feature races only) I find the fields for the WFA & Group races easier to interpret. Doing the form for just 1 or 2 races takes a lot less time too. Haven't been to Sandown for yonks but I vaguely remember winning a bit on a horse called Baryshnikov one time ... it might have won on Derby day 2 weeks earlier too. But the memory isn't as flash as it once was Anyway, here's a list of all the group races for the rest of the season going into next year ... Australian Group Races (after entering the website you can click on any of the listed group races for information about that particular race and it's past winners & placegetters) .

And their record suggests that they are not a good team on the road either. It's ours to lose now (a spot in the world cup) The players & the coaching staff will know that too. We should be aiming at scoring at least 2 or 3 times and winning the game. We do need Cahill starting the game ... we score early and they'll have to come at us. I'm reasonably confident that we'll prevail Wadda.

On the back of one player (Rodgers) I was in denial for a long time Dappa but losing big games due to poor coaching has changed my mind. Mind you, I wouldn't just replace McCarthy with anyone. In a perfect world it might be Jon Gruden

We could lose every game and he'll keep his job (going into next season) The scrutiny when Rodgers does play is never on McCarthy. In fact, McCarthy is rarely, if ever scrutinised. The media leave him alone. And in order for a coach to be cut loose, there needs to be media pressure like there is on McAdoo right now. And McCarthy is highly thought of in Green Bay. There aren't many voices like mine.

The pitch in Honduras was horrendous so goal scoring opportunities were scarce. Juric had 2 big chances but that was about it. Honduras were just poor ... they couldn't penetrate our back 3 or 4. I would be surprised if they even scored in Sydney. I expect us to score at least twice if we go by this morning's game. Cahill may not start but you'd reckon he will play. And I don't feel like I'm being optimistic either ... however, I'm aware that poor sides can win games of soccer so there's that. As for Italy, they've a habit of leaving things to the last moment so that will probably happen again.

Peterson won't dominate all the games like he used to but as a former A grade elite RB, he's still quite capable of a number of big games. I'm filthy that GB didn't secure him when we had our chance. I made mention of it on this thread. Peterson doesn't need to dominate every game in order to be highly effective. Rodgers, like Brady, makes his WR's look better than they actually are. So on that front, I agree with you. McCarthy will get off the hook ... the classic reasoning will be - "He hasn't got Rodgers, it's not the coach's fault" Which is bs.

What are you worried about DJ? Honduras are bog ordinary and their record away from home is poor. I'll be disappointed if we don't win on Wednesday ... Cahill will probably prove the difference,