In an outburst of altruism, we have been keeping readers informed as to our ante-post index positions on the FA Cup this season.
As a brief update, we are maintaining our positions supportive of Chelsea and Middlesbrough and we are continuing with our recent opposition to Blackburn. Our brief flirtation with opposition to Arsenal only lasted for the duration of the first Bolton game. Riley is refereeing Preston versus Man City and we are consequently closing out our trade on the Mancunians. Additionally, we are with both Fulham and Tottenham and a trading decision will be made prior to kick off on this event.
There has been a major gamble on Arsenal which we don't support due to Atkinson officiating and a high probability of an agreed draw scenario due to adjacent key matches for both outfits.
Two key aspects of this weekend's FA Cup games are the adjacent Champions League games for Chelsea, Arsenal and Man Utd (additionally, Chelsea meet Arsenal in the League Cup Final next weekend) and the fact that a majority of the top tier (sic) referees are out in force (Poll, Styles, Webb, Bennett, Riley, Dean and Atkinson). The British bookmakers will be exerting considerable influence on the outcomes of the matches as Asia is partying for Chinese New Year.
Be very careful with your financial exposures.
PS Post Match Update - Atkinson denies Arsenal a certain penalty in a 20 minute game (the first 70 minutes were non-competitive) and the bookmaker's satchels are full to overflowing.
