PANEL GAMES
EVERY football fan has spent the last few weeks of lockdown wondering what the Premier League table might look like.
Who will go down, who qualifies for Europe and would champions-elect Liverpool slip up again?
Well, the Football Pools panel has sat in judgment to predict results for the rest of the season – and while their table makes good reading for Liverpool and Manchester United, it is a grim tale for Norwich, Aston Villa and Bournemouth.
The panel, made up of Liverpool legend Ian Callaghan, former Manchester United defender David Sadler (above with George Best), and chairman Tony Green, has decided on the results for Sunday – which would have been the last day of the season.
Callaghan, whose 857 appearances is a Liverpool record, joined colleagues before lockdown to study the form book and statistics and use their own instincts to map out the rest of the campaign.
And their table after 37 games (right) foresees a record-breaking season for Liverpool, winning seven of the eight games they would have played up to now and drawing with Manchester City.
According to the trio, United would have carried on their winning streak and Norwich, Villa and Bournemouth would have been relegated before the final game.
Football Pools is now just about the only place where it is possible to bet on results. Callaghan, who has been on the panel for more than two years, said: “We are presented with stats, recent results, you also have our own feel from watching them, home and away form.
“The hardest dilemma is when you have two teams which are fairly equal. You have to look at goals they score away from home, you take a lot into consideration before you make a decision.
“But then the classic example is Liverpool losing at Watford 3-0. Liverpool have had a record breaking season, on course for the league and they’ve been playing brilliantly, with Watford fighting relegation.
“You look at the stats and everything points to a Liverpool win, yet then you get a 3-0 home win, which just shows how unpredictable it can be.”
Callaghan, 78, goes to every game at Anfield but insists his affection for Liverpool never clouds his judgment.
“You only have to go on match days and see
Callaghan conquered Europe with Liverpool in 1977 - nine years after Sadler and United (below) the amount of ex-players who are working around the ground, look at the media, the amount of pundits and it’s just amazing. It makes you feel very proud to have been part of that football club for 20 years,” he said.
“You’ve got to block out your feelings. I’m an ex-player, a mad Red and yet there’s three of us, we’re professional and you have to go with stats and all of the information.
“It can be a gut feeling. It’s well advertised that I’m on the pools panel and I go for a pint at my local and we have a bit of banter.
“We’re all hoping the games do get played even if the games get paused. Home and away form can have such an influence, so I can see why people think neutral venues are so unfair.”
Midfielder Callaghan made his Liverpool debut under Bill Shankly and won two European Cups but admits the team this season under Jurgen Klopp taken his breath away.
He added: “Jurgen’s been brilliant, he’s moulded such a fantastic team, a great squad and has them playing brilliant football.
“The one player who stands out for me is James Milner. He has been unbelievable and would fit into any team.
“The lads who play up front get all the mentions and rightly so but, for me, it’s about James Milner.
“You look at Stevie G, one of the best players who has ever played for Liverpool if not the best player. These guys are massive. But from the squad today, James Milner stands out.”
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