Simply Time to Stop

30th July 2007 was when I registered the domain for simple soccer stats and it’s been a long and interesting road since then. Unfortunately the end of that road has now been reached.

So much has changed in those years but right now I don’t have the time or dedication to continue with the site. I was a keen bettor with plenty of time on my hands staying up late and studying everything. I’m now 10 years older with a family and no spare time on my hands. I also don’t even bet on matches anymore so I am keeping the site going more out of a duty to the people who use it.

At times I loved it and I built the site for myself to use and then shared it with everyone else.

A big thank you to anyone who has used the site over the years, especially to anyone who emailed me and said how great the site was. That was all that kept me going for a number of years. Some people on Twitter have also been very helpful letting me know when there were issues so thanks to them as well.

Apologies that this is so sudden and good luck to everyone.

Leon

Champions League Matchday 6

It’s the final matchday and it’s been a bad group stage

27.11 – AS Roma v Real Madrid: Draw @3.8 with several LOSE -1 (0-2)

27.11 – Juventus v Valencia: Draw @5.0 with several LOSE -1 (1-0)

28.11 – Tottenham v Inter: Draw @4.0 Generally LOSE -1 (1-0)

Summary: 4 wins from 18 / -4.975pts

With so many groups already done and dusted its an odd final round and there is only one bet so this will be a losing year. Group D would have had a bet or two but with the top 2 places decided its too risky to try and guess the lineups teams will go with. The draw in Barcelona v Tottenham is another possibility but that’s another odd game

11.12 – Liverpool v Napoli: Draw @4.5 with several.

Liverpool v Napoli looks like being a special game and Liverpool will need to be at their best to get a win at home against a team that can counter attack really well. Ajax hosting Bayern Munich is another very interesting one as a win for Ajax would see them topping the group and Bayern are not like the teams of old.

Champions League Matchday 5

Match day 5 and we have some ground to make up as just one winner last time out

06.11 – Inter v Barcelona: Draw @3.5 Generally WIN +2.5 (1-1)

06.11 – FC Porto v Lokomotiv Moscow: Away win @12.0 in several LOSE -1 (4-1)

07.11 – Lyon v Hoffenheim: Away win @3.6 in several LOSE -1 (2-2)

Summary: 4 wins from 14 / -1.975pts

Massive week again and the Liverpool, PSG and Napoli group has produced some excellent matches so far and hopeful of another on Wednesday. All 3 bets this week are on draws.

27.11 – AS Roma v Real Madrid: Draw @3.8 with several

27.11 – Juventus v Valencia: Draw @5.0 with several

28.11 – Tottenham v Inter: Draw @4.0 Generally

Champions League Matchday 4

Already at match day 4 and back into the negatives with 3 losses last week

23.10 – Hoffenheim v Lyon: Home win @2.0 Generally LOSE -1 (3-3)

24.10 – Club Brugge KV v Monaco: Away win @3.2 Generally LOSE -1 (1-1)

24.10 – Lokomotiv Moscow v FC Porto: Home win @4.33 with Several LOSE -1 (1-3)

Summary: 3 wins from 11 / -2.475pts

3 matches this week and the Lokomotiv Moscow one is a rank outsider which looks very unlikely but sometimes you have to go against what you think if the stats say so.

The Hoffenheim price seems to be coming in but not sure why that is.

It’s another big week of games with Napoli v PSG, Inter v Barca and Juventus hosting Man United.

06.11 – Inter v Barcelona: Draw @3.5 Generally

06.11 – FC Porto v Lokomotiv Moscow: Away win @12.0 in several

07.11 – Lyon v Hoffenheim: Away win @3.6 in several

Nuno’s dream fast becoming a reality

If you have had the pleasure of watching Wolves play, whether it be at home or away, at some stage you will hear their fans singing about how their manager Nuno Espirito Santo had a dream. The start of it goes, ‘Nuno had a dream, to build a football team,’ other notable points in the song refer to their wealthy Chinese owners as well as a wonder kid from Porto who is Ruben Neves.

After Wolves’ impressive start to the season, it’s fair to say that this dream of Nuno’s is fast becoming a reality if it hadn’t already after they blitzed the Championship last season. The Portuguese manager has arrived in the Premier League with his Wolves side and instead of just trying to survive by frustrating the opposition, he has instead taken the game to the established teams in the top flight and isn’t only bloodying a few noses but leaving teams knocked spark out on the canvas.

 

The Wanderers are playing an exciting brand of football and the results are paying dividends with wins over Southampton and West Ham, and a draw at Manchester United all in the month of September. This fine form has seen Nuno named September’s Manager of the Month which is just reward for an exceptional run that has seen Wolves collect 10 points from a possible 12.

Right now, Wolves lie in seventh position in the league table and only five points behind league leaders Manchester City. When assessing the Premier League odds for the 2018/19 winner you instantly see City are favourites at 4/6 but could Wolves be considered realistic title challengers? It’s a question that is likely to be scoffed at but no one would have predicted Wolves would have only lost once after eight games having played the likes of Everton, Man City, and Manchester United.

Nuno’s men were able to hold Guardiola’s City to a draw at Molineux in August and it was then that those who didn’t already know what Wolves were about would quickly find out. Vincent Kompany waxed lyrical about Wolves after that game and said that they would take points off City’s rivals. It looks like Kompany was on the money with his assessment and Wolves aren’t likely to fall off the pace dramatically like promoted teams seem do after they hit the ground running in the Premier League, only for the wheels to fall off.

 

In fact, the only impending disaster at Wolves could be Nuno being poached by a bigger club. There were whispers that the board at Manchester United were massive admirers of the 44-year-old and would like him at some stage to take over at Old Trafford.

With chaos reigning at Old Trafford, you just never know what could happen next. There’s very little chance that Nuno would be out of his depth either and his straight-talking style would leave few in any doubt as to who was boss. For now, the Wolves dream goes on with their leader Nuno steering them towards big things.