Month: October 2020

It’s been a trough few weeks for the Pig, so we’ll trot carefully today. 7 picks with modest stakes including some decent value bets. However we’ll keep faith with most of our favoured selections.

First, I’m sticking with Queens Park to get this shoat on the road. Even at this early stage in the season, they need to start backing up the investment or pressure will mount. Stranraer never an easy place to go but they are on a bit of a downward trend and are choosing to stick with most of the team who took them there. Staying on second division with another popular pig selection, we will persist with Stirling Albion at home. It’s a similar story to above, Stirling have made a somewhat sticky start but need to show their metal if they are to become serious contenders. Their opponents are a bit of an unknown and very unpredictable but with Stirlings set up we’ll take our chances on them kick starting their season.

To complete the tasty treble – Airdrie at home. Remains to be seen if Ian Murray can get the team firing consistently but he has the players who should be beating Dumbarton. In the opposite dugout, Jim Duffy is a proven respectd coach so they wil be competitve, but with a light squad up against a full time outfit they have a tough task.

Have some higher priced picks to select from to boost the coffers; Most interesting one for a 4 fold is Motherwell – they seem to be way to high to me. I was happy to get them at 5/2, but they have now drifted out to 3/1. Am I missing something? I don’t think Livi deserve to be such hot favourites against a team who went to Aberdeen and Hibs and dominated. Also in Premiership, that’s 2 weeks running that Dundee Utd have been absolutely pummelled 0-0, I’m going to see if Lady Luck shines a little better on us this week by betting against them again. Ross County are not the strongest of opposition but 11/4 is worth a chance.

Likewise in League 1, Cove Rangers have started impressively but they seem to be a bit overcooked, and you can get Partick at 11/4 to win with a far stronger squad if McCall can get them going.

And for seventh heaven, we tentatively throw in a speculative stake on Cowdenbeath at home, who are showing potential snouts of growth.

Good luck folks!

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1 point – Queens Park @ 11/10
1 point – Stirlig Albion @ 11/10
1 point – Airdrie @ 21/20

2 points – Motherwell @ 5/2
1 point – Ross County @ 11/4

1 point – Partick @ 27/10
0.5 points – Cowdenbeath @ 9/5

Our picks have an agicultural feel today, with some unfashionable selections making the cut.

St Johnstone are my first picks, a side who have been fairly consistently good so far, although not always getting the results. Conversely, Dundee Utd have been carrying their luck a bit, (frustratingly for Pigs last weekend as they somehow escaped unscathed after a pummeling from Aberdeen). I’m also beginning to get a feeling that this Micky Mellon might be lacking in substance somewhat. Post match interviews full of cliches and soundbites and can you really be a good manager with a name like Micky Mellon?

Staying deep in farmer land, Dundee should really have too much for a Morton side who don’t look very strong on paper, Dave Hopkins doesnsn’t look to have made much of a mark there yet. With the set of players at their disposable, I think they should be shorter than 4/5 even with Jamews McPake at the helm. I think he’d beat Micky Mellon at talking bollocks.

We’ll move southwards a bit closer to civilization to complete our Tasty Treble. Stirling ALbion have wandered in in price, but they are still just about value at 7/4 away to Stenhousemuir. This is a tough one as Stenny have started well, but Stirling are strongly fancied in League 2 and matched Queens Park last week so are worth a bet.

That’s your Tasty Treble!

A couple of smaller stakes additions to make your day. Alloa have looked good so far, and while Dunfermline may be a bit too much for them, they usually always put up a decent show, so 9/2 is worth a small risk. And I’m putting a bit of faith in Jim Duffy pulling off a result for unfancied Dumbarton at home to Clyde.

Falkirk and Elgin are highly fancied, but a bit too short.

In summary:

1 point – St Johnstone @ evens
1 point – Dundeee @ 4/5
1 point – Stirling @ 7/4

0.5 points – Alloa @ 9/2
0.5 points – Dumbarton @ 21/10

Celtic look like a side in decline and they can’t rely no their their army of dark-eyed fans down in the Twilight Zone to lift them for their latest European fixture. AC MIlan may not quite be at the level of old, but they are top of a very strong Seria A right now, we have to take advantage of the just better than evens price.

2 points – AC Milan @ 21/20

Dundee Utd have been looking a little bit suspect in recent weeks – is Micky Mellon getting found out already? I think Aberdeen can show them up todsay.

At last we have the lower leagues, and they will help us make a Tasty Treble. Ayr Utd can take out Queen of the South at home, even without the visitors being reduced by COVID, and Partick should make a winning start away to Clyde if they can keep Badwilly quiet. Both are better than evens.

That’s your Tasty Treble folks!

Beef it up to a 4-fold? It’s not often you’ll see the Celtic 9/4 at The Piggery, and even though I was eyeing a bet on Rangers at start of the week, I’d really have expecetd Celtic to be favourites at home, even without some key players. They have a lot of quality on the bnench alone, being written off might suit them and 9/4 is just a bit too much to ignore.

For a High-5 add St Johnstone away, Hamilton as usual are making an occasional nuisance of themselves but they are fooling noone – they are still pish.

Have 6 other picks, some smaller stakes where prices seem to have crept into value. AFter last weeks pigs brfeakfast, we’ll surely pick up some wins out of these!

1 point – Aberdeen @ 23/20
1 point – Partick @ 23/20
1 point – Ayr Utd @ evens

1 point – Celtic @ 9/4
1 point – St Johnstone @ 9/10

1 point – Motherwell @ 7/5
1 point – Hibernian @ 9/10
0.5 points – Alloa @ 3/1
0.5 points – Inverness @ 3/1
0.5 points – Kilmarnock @ 4/1
0.5 points – Stirling @ 22/5

Let’s see if we can serve up some tasty bacon for a Friday evening.

The lower leageus are back, and we have some ground to make up after a bit of a shitshow last weekend. First Champtionship game of the season at Tynecastle, Hearts are rightly strong favourites, but with no fans, and a Dundee side with some potentioal matchwinners, 5/1 is worth a Friday flutter.

0.5 points – Dundee @ 5/1

Hamsik and Co come to Scotland tonight, the “Co” being a bunch of unknonwns really, however there are unknowns who play in the tops leagues in Italy, Speain, Holland, Germany.

Despite the incredible 6 match unbeaten run that Scotland are on, I can’t help but think that being odds on is a bit much. Add to that a rather makeshift defence including a debut for Andrew Considine, (a player who Steve Clarke says has been a whopping 7/10 EVERY time he’s seen him play in the SPFL – steady on Steve!), then Slovakia are worth a risk at 18/5.

While I’m here, I’m taking Russia at evens too. Iceland are tempting at 5/1, may add them toi a long shot ACCA.

1 point – Slovakia @ 18/5
1 point – Russia @ evens

With the lower leagues not even started yet we’re sticking our snout out a bit here and betting blind to some extent, but I can’t resist getting involved with todays Betfred Cup games now I see some of our happy hunting grounds returning!

First up is Stirling Albion away. They have a good set up and have made some decent acquisitions. Along with Queens Park, they are my fanices in the lower league this year, (though hell knows if the bookies are even going to bother making a book on it this year?!). Elgin have lost their talisman in Shane Sutherland, so I think the pricing is a little wrong here based on the little that we know. I’m taking Stirling 2/1.

Next up, I’m taking Edinburgh City at home to Stenhousemuir at 3/4. Edinburgh should be a strong side again this year but this is more in judgement of Stenhousemuir who look a little bit suspect.

To complete a Tasty Treble I am also betting against a team who I think will struggle – Peterhead. They have a very limited squad and if Micky Mellon decides to play his strongest 11, then I think they could well get pumped. I’m taking Dundee Utd -2 at 6/4.

Lastly, a small wager on our old favourite Queens Park. Partick have a decent squad and showed up fairly well against St Mirren midweek, however if they have their eye off the call at all then Queens Park have a team strong enough to compete. 6/1 is worth the risk.

In summary:

1 point – Stirling @ 2/1
1 point – Edinburgh City @ 3/4
1 point – Dundee Utd – 2
0.5 points – Queens Park @ 6/1

There’s not much bones to pick from in this COVID infested world, and today we have only the Old Firm up against this weeks lambs to the slaughter. Can we find some meat on the carcass?

The obvious one for me is Celtic who’s price seems a bit high. St Johnstone have been decent and are at home – but is that really a big advantage today? We can get just under 1/2 and that will do for a game Celtic are huge favourites in.

That’s not all. Celtic’s defence has looked a bit shaky all season, and there’s a very good chance they could concede, even against a shot-shy St Johsontone. Celtic BTTS is 14/5 and is worth a chance.

The Huns are a different proposition. Rightly massive favourites against Ross County, their defence seems much less pregnable. Taking them to win to nil has been a happy hunting ground this season and there is still just about enough value in there in what should be one of their easiest run outs so far.

2 points – Celtic @ 9/20
1 point – Celtic BTTS @ 14/5
1 point – Rangers win to nill @ 4/6

St Mirren have yet to put a performance in this season. There is still hope that they may pick up at some point, but it has to be hugely unlikely they turn this around tonight against a fairly consistent Dons side.

We’re going in heavy here. I had already took Dons to win at 1/2 earlier in the week, but Aberdeen-1 is also rather generous at 7/4, especially now having seen Saints line up.

To make a Friday night double, we add Livingston, who were good value at 2)1 but coming in fast.

2 points – Aberdeen @ 1/2
2 points – Aberdeen-1 @ 7/4
1 point – Livingston @ 2/1