Online gambling firm NetBet cast an inquisitive eye on the 2015/16 Premier League season and came to the conclusion that West Ham were the punters best friend.
The 2015/16 English Premier League (EPL) season was a fairytale. It was the great seducer of those who had forgotten what is was like for the underdog to end the season chewing on a piece of steak.
Leicester City, the 5,000-1 outsiders, were the EPL Champions. Jamie Vardy exchanged a bone for the Football Writer’s Player of the Year award. Hollywood script writers are turning the biggest upset in sporting history into a fricking movie.
But can history repeat itself?
According to the bookmakers, that answer is a big fat no. Leicester is not likely to be the 5,000-1 outsiders they once were ever again, but at 25/1, nobody thinks they have a camel in hell’s chance of defending their title.
But we can dream.
Let’s push aside our love for Leicester a moment and consider who could step into their Nike Mercurial’s should they find the fight on the Champions League front a tad difficult?
I fancy West Ham.
They are 100/1 for the title.
I like those odds.
If they can keep hold of Dmitri Payet, Manuel Lanzini, Cheikhou Kouyate, and add to the squad. They will be a force next season.
Why do I rate West Ham so highly?
They know how to beat the big boys and I will let online gambling outfit NetBet to explain why that’s so important.
West Ham – Every Punters Favourite
Football is a religion. Players are Gods. The Saturday morning stroll to the bookies is akin to Sunday morning prayers. NetBet data crunchers wondered if a punter placed a £10 winning bet on their favourite EPL team each week throughout the 2015/16 EPL season, who would have netted you the most profit?
I kind of gave it away with the title, right?
It’s not Leicester.
It’s West Ham.
A £10 weekly bet on Leicester would have netted you a £246 profit by the end of the season, but West Ham fans would have beaten that with a £364 profit. West Ham managed it by beating the big boys in their own backyards in some of the greatest upsets of the season.
Arsenal (13/1), Man City (11/1), and Liverpool (9/1) were some of the reasons West Ham were the best bet for loyal punters.
At the other end of the table, Aston Villa fans would have been £270 out of pocket. Chelsea (£145.90) and Everton (£124.80) were also shocking value. All three clubs dealt with that anger with an axe blow to the back of the head of their managers (Villa lopped off two heads).
Only nine teams would have netted you a profit. Runners-up Arsenal would have netted you a £59.50 loss because of their performances against the weaker sides. It’s the biggest reason they finished the season empty handed.
Here is NetBet’s profit and loss league
| Top | Club | Profit/Loss (£) |
| 1 | West Ham | 364.50 |
| 2 | Leicester City | 246.30 |
| 3 | Swansea City | 104.00 |
| 4 | Stoke City | 78.10 |
| 5 | West Brom | 52.90 |
| 6 | Southampton | 49.40 |
| 7 | Watford | 17.20 |
| 8 | Crystal Palace | 7.60 |
| 9 | Tottenham Hotspur | 5.60 |
| 10 | Man Utd | -5.00 |
| 11 | Bournemouth | -35.90 |
| 12 | Arsenal | -59.50 |
| 13 | Man City | -76.90 |
| 14 | Newcastle Utd | -77.90 |
| 15 | Sunderland | -89.50 |
| 16 | Liverpool | -91.50 |
| 17 | Norwich | -100.80 |
| 18 | Everton | -124.80 |
| 19 | Chelsea | -145.90 |
| 20 | Aston Villa | -269.40 |
