The Black Stars - A History of Ghanaian Football

England host Ghana, popularly known as 'The Black Stars' in an international friendly on Tuesday 29th March - in what will be the first ever meeting between the two nations at senior level.

There have been a handful of meetings at youth level, Ghana beat England convincingly 4-0 at the FIFA U20's World Cup two years ago, while England U18's emerged the victors in 2007 in a friendly at the Priestfield Stadium.

A full-house is expected at Wembley stadium including an almost unprecedented 20,000 tickets taken up by fans of the visitors.

The game takes place just a few days after both nations will have played important international fixtures, England in a Euro 2012 qualifier in Wales, and Ghana in a 2012 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier in Congo.

The current crop of British based Ghanaian footballers are certainly excited and looking forward to the first ever meeting between the two sides.

The Sunderland trio of Muntari, Mensah and Asamoah Gyan (right) are in 'The Black Stars' squad for the encounter, and Muntari told BBC Newcastle:

"We want to play, it's at Wembley, against one of the best nations in the world, no one wants to miss big games and important games like this one."

Muntari added: "We've been looking forward to this game for a long time, and even the people in Ghana are looking forward to us playing England, we're just looking forward to the day. We want to win, but we want to play good football and entertain the fans."

Rather that pursue a typical line of red top tabloid journalism, questioning the inadequacies of our own international squad, the FA's shortcomings, the cost of the 'new' Wembley, Capello's salary, or the the latest rather uncomfortable topic of the national team captaincy, I thought I would take this opportunity instead to look at the history of Ghanaian football and some of their most famous players.

The Ghana Amateur Football Association was founded in 1957, soon after the country's independence, and was affiliated to both CAF and FIFA the following year, Englishman George Ainsley being appointed coach of the national team. Before gaining independence from Great Britain in 1957, the country played as the Gold Coast.

Charles Kumi Gyamfi became coach in 1961, and Ghana won successive Africa Cup of Nations titles, in 1963 and 1965. They also reached the final of the tournament in 1968 and 1970, and their domination of this tournament earned the country the nickname of "the Brazil of Africa" in the 1960's.
However the team had no success in FIFA World Cup qualification during this era, and failed to qualify for three successive African Cup of Nations in the 1970's.

They went on to win the African Cup of Nations in 1978 and 1982.

Ghana enjoyed tremendous success at youth level in the 1990's, winning the World Under-17 title twice in 1991 and 1995, and finishing runners-up to Brazil in the FIFA Under-20 World Cup in 1993 (also known as the World Youth Championships).

However during the 1990's disharmony among the squad, which eventually led to parliamentary and executive intervention to settle issues between two of the team, Abédi Pelé and Anthony Yeboah, may have played some part in the failure of the team to build on the successes of the national underage teams.

By 2004 Ghana had slipped to 89th place in the FIFA World Rankings, but a new generation of players who went to reach the final of the 2001 FIFA Under-20 World Cup (World Youth Championships) became the core of the team at the 2002 African Cup of Nations and the 2004 Olympic Games, and were undefeated for a year in 2005.

Ghana reached the finals of the 2006 FIFA World Cup, held in Germany, the first time the team had reached the global stage of the tournament. Ghana started with a 2–0 defeat to eventual champions Italy, but wins over the Czech Republic (2–0) and USA (2–1) saw them through to the second round, where they were eventually beaten 3–0 by Brazil.

The Black Stars went on to secure a 100 percent record in their qualification campaign, winning the group and becoming the first African team to qualify for 2010 FIFA World Cup. The World Cup Draw in Cape Town on the 4 December 2009 saw the Ghanaian team drawn alongside Germany, Serbia and Australia in Group D.

They were able to reach the last 16 of the tournament after they finished second in their group behind Germany. In the last 16 they played the USA, defeating them 2–1 in extra time to become only the third African nation to reach the World Cup quarter-finals. They then lost on penalties to Uruguay in the quarter-finals, having missed a penalty in extra time after an almost certain goal was saved off the line by Luis Suarez's deliberately parried handball. Suarez was shown a red card for his actions, but that could not hide the disappointment and injustice felt by Ghana.

Ghana boast an array of talented players that ply their trade all over Europe, including The Premier League, Serie A, La Liga and the German Bundesliga.

Famous Ghananian Footballers, both past and present:

Samuel Kuffour - 1993 - 2009
Michael Essien - 2000 - present
Richard Kingson -1995 - present
Tony Yeboah - 1982 - 2003
John Pantsil - 1999- present
Asamoah Gyan - 2003 - present
Sulley Muntari - (right with Beckham) 2002 - present
Kevin-Prince Boateng - 2004 - present
Abedi Pele - 1978 - 2000
Ibrahim Abdul Razak - 1999 - present
Matthew Amoah - 1998 - present
Junior Agogo - 1997 - present

In the 1990's, Abédi Pelé and Tony Yeboah received FIFA World Player of the Year top ten nominations: the following decade Sammy Kuffour and Michael Essien received Ballon d'Or nominations. Abédi Pelé was listed in the 2004 "FIFA 100" greatest living footballers.

On 13 January 2007, the Confederation of African Football voted Abedi Pele, Michael Essien, Tony Yeboah, Ibrahim Abdul Razak and Samuel Kuffour as members of the CAF top 30 best African players of all-time. In addition, Abedi and Yeboah were voted as among of the best African players of the century in 1999 by IFFHS.


The England squad to play Ghana is from:

Goalkeepers: Carson (West Brom), Green (West Ham), Hart (Manchester City)

Defenders: Baines (Everton), Cahill (Bolton), Jagielka (Everton), Johnson (Liverpool), Lescott (Manchester City).

Midfielders: Barry (Manchester City), Downing (Aston Villa), Jarvis (Wolves), Lennon (Tottenham), Milner (Manchester City), Parker (West Ham), Young (Aston Villa), Wilshere (Arsenal);

Strikers: Bent (Aston Villa), Carroll (Liverpool), Crouch, Defoe (both Tottenham)).

England v. Ghana - International Friendly, Tuesday, 29th March 2011, kick off 20:00 BST at Wembley Stadium, live on ITV1.

Scotland ready for the Samba attack - Betting News with Betfred

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With international football taking place this weekend and early next week, anyone looking to bet on a Premier League game,will have to hang fire for another week before they can have a flutter.

However, there is still plenty of football around for punters to get their teeth into, including an intriguing match which is set to take place in London on Sunday afternoon.

Scotland face Brazil at Arsenal's Emirates Stadium and, for the first time in a while, there are not too many shocks in the Scottish squad.

Despite missing a few senior players Scotland coach Craig Levein otherwise has as strong a squad as is available to pick from, and I'm sure every one of his players will be eager to prove themselves when the hordes of Scotland fans descend on London for their teams clash with the 'Samba-Boys.'

Scotland are priced at 8/1 to secure an unlikely victory with the football odds compilers.

Darren Fletcher, Steven Naismith and Phil Bardsley definitely miss out, all through injury while Celtic skipper Scott Brown is also a slight doubt, although he did travel to the squad's five-day gathering in La Manga this week.

The absence of Naismith leaves Scotland light on forward options for Sunday's friendly, and whilst not normally blessed with world-class strikers, Kenny Miller (8/1 to be first goal scorer) is the only out and out forward in the squad with genuine international experience. Miller will be making his 53rd appearance in a Scotland jersey when he lines up against Brazil.

One thing that could play into Scotland's hands is the fact that Brazil coach Mano Menezes is not using this fixture as a warm-up for the important Copa America tournament in July.

Instead he is planning to use Sunday's game to identify players he could use for the 2012 London Olympics, meaning the Brazil squad is full of younger faces, but they still remain 4/11 favourites to win the clash.

That does not mean the 'Samba-Boys' squad is below par, with players such as Lucio, Maicon and Daniel Alves among their defensive options.

It is in midfield and attack that coach Menezes is likely to be more experimental. Scotland fans are likely to be glad the big-name duo of Alexandre Pato and Nilmar are struggling with injuries, while Pato's Milan club-mate Robinho seems to have fallen out of favour with Menezes.

Menezes has also resisted the temptation of recalling former Barcelona forward Ronaldhino, who was widely being tipped for a recall to the squad. However 21-year-old Leandro Damiao, who has scored 13 goals this year for Internacional, and has yet to earn an international cap, may well get his chance!

My Tip of the Week:

Brazil should undoubtedly prove too strong, so it is a case of predicting a winning score. 14/1 with Betfred for either a 4-0 or 4-1 Brazil win seems a fair price for a game that should be blessed with goals galore. For the 'Bravehearts' out there Betfred go 10/3 on the double result being a draw at half-time and Brazil at full-time.

Sunday 27th March: Scotland v Brazil, kick-off 2pm, live on ITV1.

By Drew Swainston
(Guest writer from Betfred on behalf of Beer Footy and Birds!)

Happy St.Patrick's Day - Lá Fhéile Pádraig Sona Daoibh

Stoke out for revenge against West Ham - FA Cup Betting News with Betfred

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West Ham United have turned things around in recent weeks, and they will be looking to replicate their recent Premier League form when they meet Stoke City in an intriguing FA Cup quarter-final tie this Sunday, but the hosts could be out for revenge.

The Hammers steamrollered Stoke 3-0 at Upton Park last weekend, in a Premier League fixture thanks to goals from Demba Ba, Manuel da Costa and Thomas Hitzlsperger and anyone making football predictions may fancy The Hammers to do the business once more.

But it could be a lot different in the FA Cup as the Brittania Stadium is a notoriously difficult place to win at, and West Ham have been fragile on the road this term, with just two league wins all season.

The football odds compilers make Stoke 11/10 to win the cup tie, and it's worth noting The Potters have yet to lose in front of their home fans since the turn of the year. In 2011 they have won three and drawn one of four Premier League games at the Brittania Stadium, but their away form not unlike that of West Ham's has been pretty dire, and that could go some way to explaining the recent rout at Upton Park.

Tony Pulis has already confirmed that Thomas Sorensen will play in goal and he could make a number of other changes for the FA Cup clash, which could make 13/5 for a West Ham victory look somewhat more tempting.

Up until a few weeks ago, it was West Ham's cup successes that had helped to save Avram Grant from the 'revolving door.' However the London side are facing a huge relegation battle, and there is always the fear the FA Cup can be more of a distraction than a blessing.

West Ham's defence has looked suspect on several occasions this season. That coupled with the loud Staffordshire home support, a big powerful Stoke attack and those legendary Rory Delap long throws will test West Ham's resilience to the core.

Stoke star Glenn Whelan reckons the crowd could be the preverbial 12th man for City, and help give them an edge to exact some measure of revenge on the Hammers for the league result.

He told BBC Radio Stoke: "We're on our home patch, that's where we're solid and hopefully that's what we'll be on Sunday.
If we can get right at them in the first five or ten minutes, I'm sure the crowd will be right behind us."

The resurgence at West Ham means they are now a vastly superior team to the one they were only a few months ago when they recorded a 1-1 draw at the Brittania Stadium thanks to a goal from, who else, their captain and talisman Scott Parker.

This is the second successive weekend that these clubs are meeting, and the fourth time they will have locked horns this season. Stoke are yet to win!

But a wounded Stoke are going to be a dangerous animal, and one the travelling Hammers need to ensure they don't take lightly.

My Tip of the Week:

Stoke look like they are going to be too strong for West Ham, but it should be a tight game unlike the Upton Park clash. With this in mind, odds of 2/1 for under 1.5 goals in the game looks a good bet.
I also fancy Stoke's fit again Matthew Etherington to get on the scoresheet against his former club. He is 10/1 to be first goalscorer and 11/4 to score at anytime with Betfred.

Sunday 27th March: Stoke City v West Ham, kick-off 2pm, live on ITV1.

By Drew Swainston
(Guest writer from Betfred on behalf of Beer Footy and Birds!)

A well-grounded football education - Plymouth Argyle FC

*Ground Name: Home Park (opened 1901)
*Address: Home Park Stadium, Plymouth, Devon, PL2 3DQ
*Main Club Number: 01752 562561
*Club Founded: 1886
*Club Nickname: The Pilgrims
*Ground Capacity: 19,500
*Current League status: Npower League One
*Official Club Website: www.pafc.co.uk

*Email address: argyle@pafc.co.uk

*Record Attendance: 43,596 vs Aston Villa, Division Two, 10th October 1936
*Record League Victory: 8-1 vs Millwall, Division 2, 16th Jan 1932 & 8-1 vs Hartlepool Utd, Division 2,
7th May 1994
*Nearest Train Station: Plymouth station is about a 15-20 min walk from the ground. On exiting the station, turn right, down the hill under the railway bridge and follow this road to the ground, which is on the right.
*Pubs for away fans: The Britannia in Wolseley Road, which is a ten minute walk from the ground. Alternatively there is a good variety of pubs in the city centre. Beer is also available inside the ground

The Ground:
Originally built in 1893, Home Park was extensively redeveloped in 2001/02 at a cost of £11 million. Three sides of the ground are now a modern well-proportioned and comfortable stadium, with the remaining side due for redevelopment. The Grandstand is the only side of the ground that is underdeveloped. The lower tier, which stretches the length of the pitch, is open, a legacy of the open terrace that used to be there and is uncomfortable in wet and windy weather. The upper tier is covered but only stretches three-quarters of the pitch. The dressing rooms are located below The Grandstand and there is a scoreboard between it and The Devonport End. A new, multi-tier stand, with a capacity of 6,000 is planned, though no date has been fixed for the commencement of this development. The Devonport Stand was the first of the new stands to open and is home support only, including a family enclosure. Like the other two stands it forms one continuous sweep around the ground in a single tier, allowing for a real atmosphere to be generated. The Lyndhurst Stand is a single tier, which continues the sweep around the ground, joining the two ends. The louder Plymouth fans sit in the Barn End corner which generates an excellent atmosphere between opposing supporters. The Barn Park End houses away support that takes up a varying amount of the stand, depending on the fixture. The views & facilities are very good.

Home Park - home of Plymouth Argyle FC

Rivals:
Fiercest - The club's traditional rivals is fellow Devon side Exeter City, Bristol City, Bristol Rovers and Portsmouth (the Plymouth-Portsmouth game is known as the Dockyard Derby). Although the rivalry with Exeter City has been blunted for a while due to a difference in Divisions, Argyle's relegation into League One at the end of the 2009/10 season, coupled with Exeter City's survival has reignited the tensions. Welsh sides Cardiff City and Swansea City are also seen as local rivals. A distinct rivalry arose between Argyle and Luton Town after inflammatory comments made by Joe Kinnear who was manager of The Hatters during the 2001–02 promotion season, although this mutual antipathy has now somewhat abated. Similarly, after the departure of Ian Holloway to Leicester City in November 2007 a noticeable mutual dislike arose, although this mutual antipathy has now similarly subsided.

Famous/Celebrity fans:
Michael Foot - Former Labour Party Leader
The late Sir Clement Freud - Broadcaster and former MP

Legends that have worn the shirt:
Jack Chisholm - 1949–1954
Johnny Williams - 1955–1966
Colin Sullivan - 1968–1974
Jim Furnell - 1970-1976
Paul Mariner - 1973-1976
Kevin Hodges - 1978–1992 (Manager 1998-2000)
Tommy Tynan - 1983-1985 & 1986-1990
Paul Wotton - 1994-2008
Also Paul Sturrock (Manager): 2000-2004 & 2007-2009

Argyle Villans:
Taribo West - 2005-2006
Ian Holloway (Manager)- 2006-2007
George Reilly - Reilly scored the winning goal for Watford against Plymouth Argyle in the 1984 FA Cup semi-final at Villa Park. Nearly 20 years later, Reilly was working as a bricklayer on a building site in Corby, when he was attacked by another worker who bit part of his right ear off, before whispering "Plymouth" in his other ear by way of explanation.

Trivia/Facts:
The city of Plymouth is now the largest in England never to have hosted top-flight football. They are the most southern and western League club in England.

At the height of the Cold War in the sixties, Argyle went on a tour of Eastern Europe, which included a match against Legia Warsaw, played in front of 100,000 fans.

In 2006 Viz magazine ran a one-off comic strip 'The Pirates of Plymouth Argyle' based on the team.

On 21st February 2011, the club issued a notice of intention to appoint an administrator and were immediately docked 10 points by the Football League which dropped them to the bottom of the League One table.
The club officially went into administration on the 4th March 2011.


# Next time I shall be picking another English Football League club at random, in my efforts to give all my readers the opportunity of 'a well-grounded football education.'

Babe Of The Month - Santos Baby.......hurry down the chimney tonight!

Wembley beckons, but who will prevail? - Betting News with Betfred

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It is the first domestic cup final of the English season on Sunday and Birmingham City will be out to upset the strongly fancied Arsenal, and give their fans something to really cheer about.

For Blues fans it has been an indifferent season, but the cup competitions have given them cause for enjoyment. Getting to a Wembley final is a major boost for any side, and provides them with some relief from the weekly rigours of a season long battle to avoid relegation, but the football betting market makes them outsiders at 6/1 to win the trophy in 90 minutes, or 11/4 to lift the trophy.

Arsenal fans will see this Carling Cup final as a great chance to end five long years without a trophy – a fact that Manchester United and Chelsea fans laud over them every season.

The loss of Theo Walcott to injury along with serious concerns over the fitness of skipper Cesc Fabregas, sustained in Arsenal's midweek win over Stoke, is without a doubt a massive blow to the Gunners, but there is no doubting their attacking qualities even without them.

It could be a question of what side Arsene Wenger puts out at Wembley, as in recent seasons he has stuck with youth for the Carling Cup.

With so many games coming thick and fast for the Gunners, Wenger could be tempted to rest one or two of his star players, and thus give the Blues a real fighting chance of lifting their first major trophy since the League Cup in 1963. However, Arsenal remain strong 8/15 favourites to prevail.

For Birmingham, goalscoring has been their problem all season, and they brought in the experienced Obafemi Martins on loan during the January transfer window, in an attempt to solve that problem.

But Alex McLeish's trump card at Wembley could be the giant Serbian striker Nikola Zigic, who is 9/1 in the football odds to score the first goal of the game.

It has been well known for years that Arsenal struggle against balls put into the box and with an inexperienced keeper between the sticks then the 6ft 8in striker could pose massive problems.

My Tip of the Weekend:

Birmingham have a real cup pedigree about them this season and they could get one over on an Arsenal side who are facing a hectic schedule. There is a lot of pressure on Wenger and his players to deliver a first trophy since the FA Cup in 2005, and with the Club chasing honours in three other competitions, a combination of fatigue and expectation may well may play a factor on Sunday. A 1-0 win for the Blues priced at 12/1 with Betfred looks a value bet.

Sunday 27th February: Arsenal v Birmingham, kick-off 4pm, live on Sky Sports 1.

By Drew Swainston
(Guest writer from Betfred on behalf of Beer Footy and Birds!)

Sports Psychology - Dress For Success!

Sports scientists at the University of Portsmouth studied the effect a coach's appearance had on the players' impressions of their competence. Their work is published in the International Journal of Sport Psychology.

The new study led by Dr Richard Thelwell, a sports scientist at the University of Portsmouth revealed that coaches who wear suits on match days and tracksuits on training days are likelier to get the best results out of their teams.

Dr Thelwell said: "We have found that the clothing that coaches wear can have a direct effect on the players’ perceptions of the coach’s ability.

"Players look to their coach to provide technical skills, to motivate them and to lead them. A coach in a suit suggests strategic prowess which is obviously ideal for a match," he added.

"In our study, coaches wearing a suit were perceived as being more strategically competent than those wearing sporting attire. However, when wearing sporting attire, they were perceived to be more technically competent than those in a suit."

97 men and women were asked to observe and give their reactions to static photographs of four different 'coaches,' as though they had just viewed the coach for the first time and were about to be coached by them.

The four categories were as follows: a coach of lean physique and dressed in a tracksuit, a coach of large physique and dressed in a tracksuit, one of lean physique and dressed in a suit, and finally a coach of large physique and dressed in a suit.

Coaches of large build and wearing smart clothes was uniformly ranked the lowest in terms of their competence to motivate, develop technique, develop game strategy, and build athlete character.

The coach who was lean and wearing a tracksuit was rated best for 'technical and character-building abilities,' which were skills most required at training and development of players, and was rated equal best for 'ability to motivate players.'

The coach who was lean and smartly dressed was rated best as a strategist, the skill most expected and required at matches."

"First impressions can have a powerful and long-lasting effect, no matter how quickly those judgments were made," Thelwell said.

"From the research, we know that sportsmen and women make snap decisions about their opponents based on first impressions. Such impressions then often influence the expectations of the performance outcome that ultimately results in success or failure."

"In coaching it is vital a strong rapport develops between the coach and the athlete. To date, very little research has been done on what happens in those first few moments, and more importantly whether the athlete is prepared to go along with the ideals of the coach."

"While we are becoming more aware of how athletes might judge coaches, we are still unaware of the processes that athletes go through to be able to develop impressions of coaches and this is something that we are now starting to look at."

José Mourinio takes a training session.

José Mourinio in smart attire on matchday.

Article courtesy of the University of Portsmouth © 2010
Tel: 023 9284 8484 Email: info.centre@port.ac.uk
University House, Winston Churchill Avenue, Portsmouth, Hampshire, PO1 2UP, UK.

Hannah Teter and Clair Bidez - US Snowbarding Babes

Hannah Teter (born 27th January, 1987 in Belmont, Vermont, USA) is a US Professional Snowboarder.

Hannah started snowboarding at the age of eight, taking her first lesson at her home mountain of Okemo. By 2002 at the age of fifteen, she was the World Junior Halfpipe Champion, and had begun riding on the FIS Snowboard World Cup circuit.
























From 2002–2004 Teter competed in seven World Cup events winning four of them.
In 2005 she won a bronze medal at the FIS World Championships at Whistler, British Columbia.

At the 2006 Winter Olympic Games in Turin, she became an Olympic Champion, taking the gold medal in the halfpipe, and her accomplishment was rewarded further by the United States Olympic Committee, who named her the USOC SportsWoman of the Year. She also won the ESPY Award for Best Action Sports Female in 2006.

In January 2010, Teter was named to the US Team for the 2010 Winter Olympicsin Vancouver. She won the silver medal in women's halfpipe at the Vancouver Games.

Hannah in snowboarding action in Vancouver.

In 2008 Teter founded a charity called Hannah's Gold which raises money through the sales of Vermont maple syrup. The charity, in partnership with World Vision, helps to support the village of Kirindon, Kenya through building schools, digging fresh water wells, and providing water filtration.

In 2009 Teter donated all of her prize money to the Kirindon program. She has also worked to raise money for Darfur and other causes, sponsors children in Honduras and the Philippines through Children International, and is a spokesperson for Boarding for Breast Cancer.
In 2009, Vermont based ice cream company Ben & Jerry's created a new flavour in honour of their fellow Vermonter: 'Hannah Teter's Maple Blondie.' The new flavour went on sale in December 2009, and a portion of proceeds will go to Teter's charity.

In 2010 Teter launched a new charity initiative, 'Sweet Cheeks,' which donates 40% of the sales proceeds from an exclusive line of underwear to partner organization 'Children International' to help feed children living in extreme poverty around the world.

Also in 2010, Teter was also one of four American athletes chosen to model for the 'Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue' in a section devoted to Winter Olympians.

Also see: HannahTeter/Facebook and HannahTeter/Twitter

Clair Bidez (born on the 8th July, 1987 in Vail, Colorado, USA) is a US Professional Snowboarder.

Clair first started skiing at a young age and by time she was nine she was ski racing in Colorado. She made the switch to snowboarding in 1996 after being introduced to the sport by her younger brother Dylan, and her competitive career began in 2004 with local USASA contests, which in turn helped develop her halfpipe riding to new levels.
























As a member of the US Snowboarding team, Bidez's breakout season came in 2005-06, when she won both the USASA National Championships at Copper Mountain and the Junior World Championships. She also claimed seventh at the Burton New Zealand Open

Making her X Games debut in 2006, Bidez finished just out of the medals in fourth place. She went on to claim a pair of podium finishes on the 2008 Grand Prix circuit. After breaking her right heel at the beginning of 2009 and battling the nagging injury, Bidez struggled to match her early performances, although still producing consistent top-15 finishes.

Clair snowboarding at a Grand Prix meeting in Utah.

With four spots open on the 2010 US Olympic snowboarding team, Bidez made a strong push to make the squad and never finished below ninth on the Grand Prix circuit. However, with an eighth place rank overall she just missed the cut.

In 2010, Bidez (like Hannah Teter) was one of four American athletes chosen to model for the 'Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue' in a section devoted to Winter Olympians.

Also see: Clair Bidez/Twitter

Pardew out to avoid the Blues at St. Andrew's - Betting News with Betfred

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Birmingham City boast a home record that defies their lowly position in the Premier League, and they will be out to improve their chances of avoiding the drop by defeating Newcastle United on Tuesday night.

Despite battling at the wrong end of the table for most of this season, Alex McLeish's side have achieved some notable results at 'fortress' St. Andrew's, including a victory over Chelsea and creditable draws with Manchester United, Tottenham and Manchester City.

The problem for 'The Blues' who are currently 3/1 to be relegated with Betfred, is that while they have only lost twice in front of their own fans, they have drawn far too many matches, and have only managed three wins on home soil.

If Birmingham had converted some of their seven home draws into wins, they would probably be sitting comfortably in mid-table, but as it stands they lie 16th, just a point above the relegation zone, and according to the football betting market they are most definitely in a relegation scrap.

The Blues fans will be hoping Obafemi Martins can score the goals that will help their club climb the table.
With the Nigerian's visa secured this week following his loan move from Russian Champions Rubin Kazan, the striker will be looking to score against his former employers, where he successfully plyed his trade from 2006 to 2009.

Newcastle, 8/1 to be relegated have picked up some notable wins on their travels this season, including a surprise victory over Arsenal at The Emirates, but they are struggling at present in the striking department.

After losing Andy Carroll to Liverpool in the transfer window, and now Shola Ameobi through injury, manager Alan Pardew is left with the unproven trio of Leon Best, Nile Ranger and Peter Lovenkrands together with their new signing, in the portly shape of veteran Shefki Kuqi, to score the goals to ensure they retain their own top flight status.

Although this is far from the most impressive of strike forces, the football predictions indicate Newcastle who currently lie in 10th position, look good to stay up, simply because there are many more worse teams below them!

However the Premier League is so tight this season that a couple of wins can see a side rocket up the table, and likewise a run of several defeats can leave a side desperately looking over their shoulders, as they get dragged down into the battle for survival.

Both Birmingham and Newcastle need their strikers to step up to the mark and fire their sides to safety over the remainder of the season - however that seems unlikely to happen on Tuesday evening.

My Tip of the Week:

With both sides lacking firepower expect Birmingham to be held at home once again, and back the draw at 11/5 with Betfred.
A small punt on there being less than 2.5 goals scored in the match looks a a sensible shout.

Tuesday 15th February: Birmingham v Newcastle, kick-off 7.45pm.

By Drew Swainston
(Guest writer from Betfred on behalf of Beer Footy and Birds!)