Now, it would be difficult for me to unequivocally claim that without any football betting my life would be empty. That would sound unbelievably shallow, but the new season can’t start too soon.
I don’t suppose William Hill will issue a profits warning due to my absence from the betting shops over the summer. I’m not a big gambler in any case, but the bookies, for all the big horse race meetings and high profile summer sports such as the Ashes and Wimbledon, must be yearning for the return of the Premiership just as much as I am.
I find football to be the most potentially lucrative sport to bet on and the most enjoyable. Golf’s a nightmare; I know only Rory and Jordan Speith are currently holding the four majors, but you can make a case of up to 40 players winning the upcoming Open at St Andrews. Cricket offers little value, I’ve never been totally convinced by horse racing’s integrity, tennis bores me and the outcome of rugby is seemingly far too dependent on match officials.
So 95% of my gambling is focused on football. My favourite bet of recent years is gambling on games to have 3 goals or over. It was a bet which only used to be available online, but now the coupons are out in the betting shops, and I think it’s a great bet. I’m not skipping along to the bookies every Monday morning to collect my winnings, but over the years, I have had a fair amount of success.
I don’t approach the selection of matches with any magic formula. Simply pick out opposing teams who tend to score and concede on a regular basis. There are teams to follow who never seem to play out a 0-0. Ross County struggled for much of last season, but very rarely let me down. Bournemouth, Brentford, Derby, MK Dons, Sheffield Utd and Stevenage were the other teams to follow. The odds have shortened in recent years but I still feel there is value available.
You’re always going to have the crushing disappointment of falling short by a single goal. But I have few regrets as I actually enjoy the bet regardless of the outcome. Watching Soccer Saturday is one of my weekly highlights. With the consummate professional Jeff Sterling hosting the show, he has a job to keep the panel of Le Tiss, Merson, Thommo and Charlie focused and attentive (Merse seems to spend much of his time eating sweets and in all probability checking his own bets).
Running from midday to 6pm, the guys certainly earn their money. I often feel the pace of the show struggles in the build up to the games. But come 3pm, the fun begins. The joy of an early goal, the pain of chances going begging (missed penalties are a killer) and those disastrous goalless draws. The ebb and flow. It’s the hope which kills you. Needing a total of 12 goals (I nearly always select four matches), having 7 up by half time really gets your hopes raised and you can’t help imagining how you’ll spend your winnings.
So I just don’t bet to win, even though that’s obviously the aim. I enjoy the challenge of competing with the bookies and always keep to a budget. I value money too much for me to start chasing any sustained losses. Saying that, I would never sign up for an online account. The action of physically handing over money at the high street betting shop keeps the value of my stake real, as opposed to pressing a few buttons on your mobile. And the joy of collecting your winnings is something to be cherished.
Not long to wait now. If I close my eyes, I can picture Jeff screaming ‘there’s been a third goal late, late on at Pride Park’.