Beat Lawro: Round 20

Writing about web page http://www.radio.warwick.ac.uk/~dshah/sport/beatlawro/

Round 20, the final round of the Beat Lawro season.

Last summer saw the former and the current Station Managers of RaW beat the Sport team in the Euro 2008 predictions.

Preceding that, the Sport team lost to Mark ‘Lawro’ Lawrenson (who finished on 77 points) in a season long battle. Former double Head of Sport, Adam Wilbourn finished as the runner up last season, in the end just 5 points behind Lawro.

So, the Sport team has repeatedly been humiliated and their ability to predict the outcomes of football matches has been called into question.

This season, after 19 rounds, Lawro once again leads the Beat Lawro standings with 99 points and Wilbourn is his closest challenger, 14 points behind.

This weekend, as it is the final round of the season, we’re implementing double league points, although Wilbourn is requesting more!

This weekend’s matches to predict are:

Arsenal v Stoke (2-0)
Aston Villa v Newcastle (2-0)
Blackburn v West Brom (2-1)
Fulham v Everton (2-1)
Hull v Man Utd (1-1)
Liverpool v Tottenham (2-1)
Man City v Bolton (2-0)
Sunderland v Chelsea (0-2)
West Ham v Middlesbrough (2-1)
Wigan v Portsmouth (2-1)

Submit your predictions by 4pm this Sunday and we’ll compare yours against our team in the studio. If you do well enough, you’ll appear on our league table!

: 22 May 2009 16:34 |  Tags: Football Radio RaW Sport |  Comments (2) |  Close comments |  Report a problem

Beat Lawro: Round 19

Writing about web page http://www.radio.warwick.ac.uk/~dshah/sport/beatlawro/

Round 19 (the penultimate one)

Bolton v Hull (1-1)
Everton v West Ham (2-0)
Middlesbrough v Aston Villa (1-1)
Newcastle v Fulham (2-1)
Stoke v Wigan (2-1)
Tottenham v Man City (3-1)

Predictions in by 3pm on Saturday.

: 15 May 2009 17:54 |  Tags: Football Radio RaW Sport |  Comments (2) |  Close comments |  Report a problem

Beat Lawro: Round 18

Writing about web page http://www.radio.warwick.ac.uk/~dshah/sport/beatlawro/

We’re approaching the end of the Premier League season and as a result, the end of the Beat Lawro season. The tables have been updated at:

http://www.radio.warwick.ac.uk/%7Edshah/sport/beatlawro/

This weekend matched to be predicted are:

Blackburn v Portsmouth (2-1)
Bolton v Sunderland (1-1)
Everton v Tottenham (2-1)
Fulham v Aston Villa (1-2)
Hull v Stoke (0-0)
West Brom v Wigan (2-2)

Get your predictions in by 3pm on Saturday.

: 07 May 2009 17:00 |  Comments (0) |  Close comments |  Report a problem

Beat Lawro update

Writing about web page http://www.radio.warwick.ac.uk/~dshah/sport/beatlawro/

It’s taken a while but we can final reveal the Beat Lawro standings going into the final weeks of the Premiership this season. Two tables have been produced.

The first is a Formula One style league points based table where the winner of each round gets 10 league points, the runner up gets 8 point, etc, until last place who gets 0 points.

Remember, this table benefits the most regular players. Having said that, poor Mr Eley hasn’t benefitted from such luck.

1 Adam Wilbourn 76
2 Mark Lawrenson 75
3 Martyn Turze 62
4 Mark Streather 61
5 Das Shah 56
6 Adam Eley 51
7 Tim Wood 45
8 Raj Poonian 42
9 Sarah Cunnane 34
10 Peter Lefort 33
11 James Deane 32
12 Mathew Mannion 27
13 Tom Goble 24
14 James Tollington 18
15 Paul Kardos-Stowe 2
16 Nick Collins 0

The second is a points to matches ratio – the more accurately you predict, the higher up the table you go.

Remember, this table benefits those who may have had a lucky streak.

1 Tom Goble 0.667
2 Das Shah 0.617
3 Tim Wood 0.541
4 Adam Wilbourn 0.493
5 Mark Lawrenson 0.488
6 Martyn Turze 0.477
7 Sarah Cunnane 0.452
8 Peter Lefort 0.451
9 Mark Streather 0.425
10 Raj Poonian 0.413
11 James Tollington 0.412
12 Mathew Mannion 0.405
13 Adam Eley 0.382
14 James Deane 0.333
15 Nick Collins 0.333
16 Paul Kardos-Stowe 0.200

The full tables can be viewed at:
http://www.radio.warwick.ac.uk/%7Edshah/sport/beatlawro/

Good luck to anyone taking part in the final rounds.

: 16 Apr 2009 11:19 |  Tags: Football Radio Sport |  Comments (0) |  Close comments |  Report a problem

Alan Shearer To Take Charge At Newcastle: April Fool Or Not – There’s Laughter To Be Had

While April Fool’s Day has pretty much come and gone by now, the day will be remembered by sports fans for the unbelievable, yet seemingly true story that Alan Shearer is to take charge as Newcastle manager until the end of the season – even though it still hasn’t been officially confirmed. It’s believability isn’t in question because it’s a notion too hard to fathom – quite the opposite, it’s an idea that’s been banded about Tyneside ever since Bobby Robson’s time as Newcastle manager was questioned. But never before has Shearer, a Geordie hero since his then record-breaking £15 million move to St. James’ Park from Blackburn Rovers, even come close to taking up the role which has seemed to become vacant in recent years as often as England have changed their kits.

Shearer’s past reluctance hasn’t been because he has no interest managing the club he supported from the terraces as a young boy. Instead, the former England and Newcastle striker has seemed to avoid taking up the job due to a lack of desire to work under Newcastle’s owners, be them the unpopular John Hall and Freddie Shepherd, or the nemesis of Tyneside Mike Ashley. But Ashley, despite the Newcastle fans’ wishes and his subsequent attempts to sell, is still at the helm of the club that’s becoming as well-known for having thousands of fans standing outside St. James’ wondering whether one of the clubs favourite sons is coming or going as it is performance on the field. So what’s motivated Shearer to finally take the plunge and have Newcastle fans in jubilation until the weekend at least? A question answerable in two words. Impending relegation.

And it is the influence of this potential disaster which prompted this article. When discussing today’s developments in the North East, a number of people have suggested to me that Shearer is taking charge because his love for the club is so strong that he will do everything he feels he can to prevent the doomed fate of Championship football. Even if it means sacrificing his reputation and popularity with the fans who cheered every goal he scored and chanted his name as he infamously ran by them in celebration one arm aloft. While a noble and optimistic view of Shearer, I believe it is a wrong one. Newcastle have been in trouble before, albeit not quite so deeply as now, but the record Premier League goal-scorer has not batted an eyelid when turning down the opportunity to save the club before.

The difference this time, is that the decision isn’t one requiring sacrifices. Shearer will be Newcastle’s manager for eight games. If Newcastle stay up; Shearer’s status as a Tyneside God increases. If Newcastle go down; Shearer put the club before himself, tried his best but didn’t have the time/personnel to work the miracle required. To put it simply; Shearer can not fail. He will walk away (or indeed perhaps stay on if successful) a Newcastle hero, whatever happens. Whether this is the beginning of a long and successful managerial career for Alan Shearer, we’ll have to wait and see. But for now, I see something more of the politician perhaps than the manager. He’s chosen the right time under the right circumstances for him personally; the worst possible time and circumstances for Newcastle United. The only way is up; or at least that’s what their fans will hope.

: 01 Apr 2009 22:12 |  Tags: Football Newcastle RaW Sport |  Comments (2) |  Close comments |  Report a problem

Beat Lawro: Cont

You know the score by now:

Pompey v Man City (1-1)
Blackburn v Coventry (2-1)
Sheff Utd v Hull (2-1)
West Ham v M’boro (1-1)

: 13 Feb 2009 08:38 |  Tags: Football Radio Sport |  Comments (0) |  Close comments |  Report a problem

Beat Lawro: Continued

You know the drill:

Blackburn v Aston Villa (1-1)
Chelsea v Hull (2-0)
Everton v Bolton (1-1)
Sunderland v Stoke (2-0)
West Brom v Newcastle (2-1)
Wigan v Fulham (2-1)

: 07 Feb 2009 03:18 |  Tags: Football Radio Sport |  Comments (3) |  Close comments |  Report a problem

Beat Lawro: Round10

This rounds matches to predict are:

Arsenal v West Ham (2-0)
Aston Villa v Wigan (2-1)
Bolton v Tottenham (1-1)
Fulham v Portsmouth (2-1)
Hull v West Brom (1-0)
Middlesbrough v Blackburn (1-1)

The usual rules apply.

: 31 Jan 2009 11:40 |  Comments (1) |  Close comments |  Report a problem

Beat Lawro: Round9

Predict the results for the following matches by 3pm today (Lawro’s predictions in brackets):

Chelsea v Ipswich (3-0)
Doncaster v Aston Villa (0-2)
Hull v Millwall (2-1)
Kettering v Fulham (0-2)
Portsmouth v Swansea (2-0)
Sheff Utd v Charlton (2-0)
Sunderland v Blackburn (1-0)
Torquay v Coventry (1-1)
Watford v Crystal Palace (2-1)
West Brom v Burnley (2-0)
Wolverhampton v Middlesbrough (2-1)

: 24 Jan 2009 09:35 |  Tags: Football Radio Sport |  Comments (4) |  Close comments |  Report a problem

Beat Lawro: Round8

Writing about web page http://www.radio.warwick.ac.uk/beatlawro/

Yes, it’s time for the second half of Beat Lawro.

Predict the results for the following matches by 3pm today (Lawro’s predictions are in brackets):

Blackburn v Newcastle (2-1)
Bolton v Man Utd (0-2)
Chelsea v Stoke (2-0)
Man City v Wigan (2-1)
Sunderland v Aston Villa (1-1)
West Brom v Middlesbrough (2-0)

: 17 Jan 2009 09:17 |  Comments (6) |  Close comments |  Report a problem