All Hail The EPL

That’ll be the English Premier League then. Or the Barclay’s Premier League as it is officially known.

As we approach the season’s finale, it’s worth appreciating what a great spectacle we’ve become used to watching each week in this country. Life (and sport) tends to move in waves, and it may well be that we’re currently in a golden age of English football. We have three (maybe four?) of the best teams in world football in our midst.

But what makes the Premier League different to it’s Spanish, Italian and German counterparts is the teams below the ‘Big 4’. On a weekly basis, we see competitive and skilled teams put on contests worthy of filling stadiums. And the teams ( Stoke, Bolton etc ) who don’t have the finances to compete on player quality have developed an industrious work ethic that ensure they remain worthy adversaries.

From a gambling perspective, the major up side of the Premier League is the knowledge that in every match, there will be two squads giving maximum effort. Every contest is fair, the refs aren’t as bad as managers would have us believe, and there are vociferous crowds to ensure players maintain their commitment throughout. There is obviously also enough liquidity to satisfy whatever stakes you wish to play with. The down side – there are few anomalies in odds, so those intent on finding easy value may find better markets elsewhere.

For years I avoided bets on Manchester United, Liverpool and Chelsea - too obvious, better value elsewhere etc. Now I'm a regular backer of all three - it doesn't matter about value if they keep winning.

Unfortunately, my own teams won’t be seeing any Premiership action for a while yet.