Category: 
Well, the season is nearly over. But as Man United secure their grip on yet another Premiership title, the title of “Paddy Power Premiership Handicap Champions” is still up for grabs! Yes, it’s just a bit of fun, but it’s also a handy way to see who’s beaten the odds and who’s failed to live up to expectations.
Just in case you’ve forgotten how this works - each team is given a ‘head start’ at the beginning of the year by our football experts. This is then added to the real points each team secures, and the team with the biggest total is the champion. Dead easy. Of course in theory if our ‘experts’ know what they are doing everyone should end up with the same number of points. As it is - there’s 34 points between top and bottom. Ahem.
Enough of the yakking - who’s taking the gong? Well, Fulham and Stoke currently top the table with 96 points. Both are still picking up real points (unlike third place Hull on 90) so it must be between these two.
They probably don’t care either way but Roy Hodgson and Tony Pulis have both done excellent jobs in defying expectations. Fulham are super solid this year and well out of trouble. Stoke should survive - after a certain bookie paid out on them to go down on the first day of the season…
At the bottom, no surprise to see Newcastle propping up the table. Spurs looked like having a lock on last place for most of the year but Harry has turned things around and the Magpies are almost certain to take the wooden spoon. The fact we only gave them 31 points at the start of the year shows how far they have fallen…
Don’t forget to check back and see where the title goes - and of course join us next season when we’ll do it all again!
May 17th, 2009 at 9:42 am
So, Fulham and Stoke are are now tied on 99 points, with only next Sunday’s fixtures to go
(Fulham - Everton, Arsenal - Stoke).
Come on Paddy Power, any chance that you cold put us Fulham and Stoke backers out of our misery, and pay up fully on both teams, please? I’d say they’re both ‘winners’ in terms of easily beating the ‘handicap’ and over-achieving this season!
May 17th, 2009 at 9:43 am
(please excuse my ‘Sunday morning’ typos! )
May 17th, 2009 at 1:44 pm
i have come up with an idea to put the premiership back to a level playing field,as its getting very 1 sided now. do you remember as a boy it used to be the 2 best players used to get a bunch of lads together and pick teams. the captain of each premiership team should pick 1 player at a time from all the premiership players until they are divided equally. this would make next season a lot more interesting.
May 19th, 2009 at 8:04 pm
What happens if they are both joint top? Do you pay out on both of these? Come on Fulham!!!
May 19th, 2009 at 10:36 pm
If they are tied its dead heat rules so half the odds, I have Fulham and also Anelka for top scorer so hoping for Ronaldo benched and a favour from Arsenal.
May 20th, 2009 at 5:20 pm
is a dead heat not half the stake not half the odds
May 22nd, 2009 at 7:07 am
Yeah you are right the stake is divided between the number involved in the dead heat then paid at full odds the rest of your stake is lost, seems harsh they should pay out full on Stoke & Fulham as people placed the bets pre season and you’d think they would do it as a gesture of good will.
May 22nd, 2009 at 9:35 am
What is Harsh about it Logan? Your bet will only have half won so why should you get paid in full?
May 22nd, 2009 at 11:53 pm
Fulham will win so you will be getting full odds
May 23rd, 2009 at 10:05 am
newcastle and boro relegated on sunday and celtic for league title thats my weekend punt
May 23rd, 2009 at 12:16 pm
j i hope you wont be depending on celtic ,the bookies love em their the biggest coupon busters of all time
May 23rd, 2009 at 6:52 pm
I think that you should be careful, Man united can’t run with liverpool, Liverpool is younger faster though the middle They have a lot of home growen men on there team . I’m Canadian I bet your game My money on liverpool, too win it all I’m not a 2 dollar better. And Chelsea is a laugh .The game is between Liverpool and the losser Man United. My bet will be $25.000 on Liver Pool to win . I bet $50.000 canadian with my bookie on hockey that Boston Briuns would not win the cup this year The Canadian BBr
May 23rd, 2009 at 9:53 pm
billthomas have you been smoking weed
May 23rd, 2009 at 9:56 pm
doll neither rangers or celtic have beaten dundee utd at tannadice this season so a draw for rangers and awin for celtic will make celtic champs
May 24th, 2009 at 5:09 pm
NO I don’t smoke weed but mybe you should try some it will help you clear your head of the smoke .Liver Pool win w The Canadian
May 24th, 2009 at 5:41 pm
j sorry to be proved right again but seriously the bookies love em .the most over exagerrated team of all time .realistically celtic are crap they only have to beat one team to win that stupid league and they cant do that,god help them if they joined the premiership but why would they.