It’s that time in the season, isn’t it? Two months to go, nine games left in the Premier League season. Clubs have taken their gamble in the January transfer market and made a change in the manager role to try and give themselves the best chance of success come the end of the season. Success meaning different things to different clubs, of course.
This year, if you look up at the top of the table, Manchester United have been the form side since my last blog. Michael Carrick has had an incredible effect since coming into the role. The gamble for the club’s leadership is surely now: do they keep him on for next season? If he can steer them into Champions League places, you’d think he has a great chance of being manager come the start of next season.
Arsenal & Manchester City I can see going down to the wire. At the time of writing, City have just dropped two valuable points at home to my beloved Forest. If you think about momentum, it feels as though that could have been a massive swing in this title race as Arsenal bid to cling on and finally get over the line.
I’m sure there will more twists and turns to come but the importance of peaking at the right moment has arguably never been so critical, and I can’t wait to see how Pep & Arteta play this one out! Their influence is going to be a huge factor in the outcome.
I’m sure there will more twists and turns to come but the importance of peaking at the right moment has arguably never been so critical…
With the money involved in the Premier League, the ‘business’ end of the season seems to apply more at the bottom of the table. You can’t help but feel if Wolves had brought Rob Edwards in earlier in the season, they may have had a chance of survival. He’s brought a fighting spirit to a team that has been lacking it for the vast majority of the season, and as a young British manager, it was great to see him topple Liverpool.
As a Forest fan, it’s a nervy time, no doubt. The form is lacking; the managerial change hasn’t had the bounce in results we’ve really needed. You’d think at this point it’s going to be one of Spurs, West Ham, or us that are going down.
Spurs are another that haven’t seen a reversal in results since bringing in Igor Tudor. It’s almost unthinkable to have a club of Tottenham’s size in the Championship, but it does highlight the impact of momentum. I can see them picking up a scrappy win in the coming games, and that bringing two or three wins and keeping them up. But they need that first one to stop the slide. Quickly. They can’t afford another performance like Thursday night’s showing against Palace…
Where momentum in football can define a season, in Test Cricket – and in many ways horse racing – momentum can more clearly determine the result of a match or race. In fact, the two are similar in many ways. It’s what I enjoyed most about Test Cricket: the ebbs and flows over five days, knowing when to go on the offensive or instead have a defensive session and consolidate your position in a tightly-fought encounter. Some of the best Test Matches – or Series – I played in during my career were won with momentum on our side after a point when we’d been struggling.
Trainers and jockeys alike have their strategies on when to push ‘go’ and make that final charge.
The 2009 Ashes Series: we saved the opening Test in Cardiff with Jimmy & Monty blocking out that famous draw. But we’d been under the pump for five days from Australia. At Lord’s – a ground Australia famously love – a week later we got a win. So instead of potentially being two-nil down, we found ourselves one-nil up. The final Test of that series at The Oval, I had my breakthrough spell, taking a five-for, wrestling momentum back from Australia after lunch on Day 2, which played a part in us winning that game, and in turn, The Ashes.
I mention horse racing being similar. The Cheltenham Festival is one of the most visually striking finishes. That iconic view of packed stands as the horses come up the hill on the finishing straight is one that has seen punters’ dreams made and broken.
Trainers and jockeys alike have their strategies on when to push ‘go’ and make that final charge, with the timing of their run being the difference between winning, placing, or falling to the back of the field.
My pick for the Gold Cup in a couple of weeks… I keep coming back to last year’s winner. Inothewayurthinkin has had a muddling season but the vibes coming from connections seem to very positive. He’s been heavily backed in recent days into 7/1 and momentum in the market has definitely caught my eye!
Good luck to those heading out to the Cotswolds, have a great week, and a Guinness (or Guinness 0.0%) for me!
The guys at Fitzdares have given me a £500 free bet pot to use on a selection of the major sporting events of my choice.
I’m backing JP McManus to have a good week at Cheltenham!
£100 The New Lion @ 2/1
Champion Hurdle, 10th March
£100 Majborough @ 4/5
Champion Chase, 11th March
£100 Fact To File @ 1/2
Ryanair Chase, 12th Feb
£50 EW Inothewayurthinkin @ 7/1
Gold Cup, 13th March
£50 EW Rory McIlroy @ 15/2
The Players Championship, 12th – 15th March
Stuart Broad is Fitzdares’ Ambassador.
