Sure thing – No English clubs in the quarter-finals of the Champions League
In recent years we have been used to at least three or four English sides in the Champions League knock-out stages. Whether it is an indictment of the state of football in this country is a debate for elsewhere, but this season we’ve got two sides, Arsenal and Chelsea, who, going into the second leg, are 4-0 down to AC Milan and 3-1 down to Napoli respectively. I reckon that even with the Gunners’ improved form, they will not be able to turn over a deficit against a quality Milan side with Robinho, Ibrahimovic et al. Chelsea is trickier as they have an away goal from the first leg in Napoli, courtesy of Juan Mata. Yet their defeat at the weekend against West Brom saw the end of much-maligned Andre Villas-Boas’s short reign in charge. Chelseas of the past might have been able to produce a result but not at present, as their season goes from bad to worse.
Tipster’s odds: 1/2
Long shot – Mercedes to win the Formula 1 Championship in 2012
Last season, Mercedes (formerly Brawn GP) came fourth for a second consecutive season since their title defence in 2010, while its drivers Nico Rosberg and Michael Schumacher finished seventh and eighth. They are nearer the top than the bottom of the sport, but in the last two years they have not been able to breach the ‘big three’ – namely Red Bull, McLaren-Mercedes and Ferrari, the only teams to win a race last year. Fourth place for Schumacher in Canada was the best finish either driver managed. Yet team principal Ross Brawn has bolstered his technical team with experienced heads and he is convinced they are ready to go for podiums. They have been bright in testing, posting fast times, and I reckon they might record a podium this year. But surely it is too much to ask to breach Red Bull’s absolute dominance of the sport?
Tipster’s odds: 12/1
Absolute madness – Hull to win Varsity at least once in the next few years
We are really quite good at Varsity. Before last year’s tournament, we faced fellow city rivals York St John’s who, to quote York Sport President Sam Asfahani, “never won or even came close.” As of 2011, we have come up against Hull who we all thought would pose a greater challenge as they are bigger and more successful than St John’s (Hull are 67th in the country at sport, St John’s are 95th, while we are 51st). Indeed, at certain sports such as rugby and hockey they are more than a match, evidenced by their trouncing of our teams. Yet, when looking at the bigger picture, they are nowhere near as strong, especially at racket sports. Last year we beat them by 20 points (Hull not even getting into double figures) while this year the margin was 40! Is the gap going to get bigger and bigger every year? Probably not, but the over-arching point that this stirring Tipster is making is that we are much better at sport than Hull, and that it is unlikely that they will beat us anytime soon.
Tipster’s odds: 2000/1