Andy Gray

Every week, Betfair Football's star tipster Andy Gray picks out and answers his favourite question out of those he is asked on Twitter and Facebook. Here's his answer to this week's poser...

"Are Liverpool in serious danger of missing out on Europe? If so, what implications do you think this could have?" - @GypsyParis

Liverpool are in danger of missing out on European football next year, but there's a simple answer as to what the implications of that would be - we don't know!

It's easier to keep the big name foreign players at your club when you have European football to look forward to, yes. But we don't know what the owners' plans are and not every player agitates for a move when the chips are down. Don't assume there will be an Anfield exodus.

I think the pressure on Roy Hodgson is a little unfair. Everyone looks at what Jose Mourinho did at Chelsea and uses that as their example of how to take the reins at a big club, but Mourinho took over a team that had finished second in the league. Liverpool are miles away from that.

The problem for Hodgson is that he was not employed by the current owners and in that respect he is in the same position as Mark Hughes was at Manchester City last season.

But Liverpool are in the top half of the Premier League and it's early days yet. If Hodgson keeps the team improving, then they can do it.

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With the venue for the 2018 World Cup set to be decided on Thursday, there are two questions at stake.

The first is: Should England host the tournament? My answer is an unequivocal, 100 per cent yes. England is a football nation, it has the best infrastructure of any of bidding nations. It would be easy for fans to get around from city to city and the stadia is already in place. Everything is there for England to host the World Cup in 2018.

It is an absolute disgrace that FIFA continually overlook England and that's coming from a Scotsman. Euro 1996 was a huge success, England will have the 2012 Olympic Stadium to bolster their already stellar list of venues and the country is capable of putting on a fantastic tournament. They should be given their chance.

The second question is: Will England host the 2018 World Cup. Sadly, I think the answer is no. I know that Russia are the 2.08 favourites on Betfair and I have a sneaky feeling that the markets have called it correctly.

I've been to Russia and, due to its immensity, it is a difficult country to get around. Maybe that's what Sepp Blatter and co want - a country where fans of rival nations will not rub up against each other - but I still think England (3.3) are far stronger candidates.

It will have been 52 years since 1966 by the time this tournament comes around. It really is a disgrace that England have been overlooked on so many occasions and I am really hoping that FIFA surprise me and the Betfair punters by bringing football home on Thursday.

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Every week, Betfair Football's star tipster Andy Gray picks out and answers his favourite question out of those he is asked on Twitter and Facebook. Here's his answer to this week's poser...

"What would you do if you were president of FIFA?"

If I was Sepp Blatter - the current president of FIFA - the first thing I would do would be to resign. But if I was in charge for an extended period I would actually do very little.

Those in power in the game make the mistake of thinking that football - this game that has captivated the world for the last 100-to-150 years - needs to be tinkered with. They are wrong.

I would embrace technology. I would make sure that it is impossible for us to have another incident like the Frank Lampard goal that was disallowed in England's World Cup tie against Germany. That was terrible and I can see little argument against the introduction of goal-line technology.

I would also get rid of the five officials in Europe as I believe they are a waste of time and money. I would also think about turning the Champions League into a knockout competition.

And of course, I would give the 2018 World Cup to England.

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Fair play to Everton. Five years ago, there were was plenty of interest in this Aussie goalscoring midfielder at Millwall going by the name of Tim Cahill, but the Toffees were the only ones who were prepared to take a gamble on him and put the cash on the table and boy have they reaped the rewards.

I struggle to think of many midfielders who have consistently scored as many goals as him in the Premier League over the past five seasons and that's huge credit to the lad because at times Everton don't actually create too many chances.

He's an awkward player to play against. For starters, he wanders in between the midfield and the front line, making him difficult to pick up, especially when he's making those late runs into the box.

He's not that tall but he's got some leap on him and he's certainly not afraid to get stuck in and put his body in places where he might get hurt. He's a real menace in that box and plenty of defenders have told me over the years that they don't enjoy playing against him.

At 30, you wonder if it's too late for him to make a move to a club playing Champions League football or whether he'll see out the rest of his career at Goodison Park. He's good enough to have played for a side consistently in the top four but at Everton he's virtually the first name on the team-sheet and popular amongst the fans; a move at this stage of his career could go wrong.

Cahill will be in action on Monday night against Sunderland and I've already said I expect this to be a high-scoring game, so wouldn't be at all surprised to see the man himself amongst the goals. Back him at 3.65 to score at anytime.

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Every week, Betfair's star tipster Andy Gray picks out and answers his favourite question out of those he is asked on Twitter and Facebook. Here's his answer to this week's poser...

"If you could play with any striker, past or present, who would it be and why?" - @ KHop81

If we're talking about the player who would best complement the sort of striker I was, then I'd go for Wayne Rooney. Despite not being that tall, I was often used as a target man who would flick the ball onto my strike partner and hold it up for him before releasing the ball to feet or into space, as I often did when playing alongside Brian Little.

Wayne and I are both physically strong guys who like to get stuck in, so whoever was up against us would go home with a few bruises! Rooney's best position is a second striker working hard to create chances for his partner and expecting him to do the same in return and I think for that reason we'd work well as a team.

If we're talking about which striker I'd most like to play alongside then I'd probably go for Fernando Torres. He's just got everything: pace, power, technical ability, aerial presence - you name it.

Knowing that however you play the ball into him, he'll find some way to control it, is something which gives you, the strike partner, huge confidence. Not to mention the fact that you improve as a player by playing alongside other great players so I'm sure the experience would have made me a far better footballer.

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Andy Carroll has started the season very well but I am resisting the temptation to go overboard about his qualities. He needs to keep learning the game and watch what he does off the field. He has what it takes to be a first class striker but plenty of young players have had the potential to make the step up and failed.

Personally, I am excited to see a big, physical, old-fashioned centre forward succeeding in the Premier League. Carroll won't score every week and he will have dry patch but if he can get 20 to 25 goals a season then he will be elevated to the first rank of strikers.

I believe Fabio Capello is right to pick him for England's friendly against France. He has plenty of Under 21's caps and promotion to the first team is a natural progression for Carroll.

I disagree with those who say he should be left out because of his off the field problems. Do you want a holier than thou England squad? I don't think that's realistic these days and if Capello only wanted to select goody goodies there probably wouldn't be anyone available to play for England. It would be like saying Tony Adams should not have played for his country after he spent time in prison for drink driving or that Alan Shearer should have been excluded for kicking Neil Lennon in the head. It is very difficult for young players nowadays, they are under immense scrutiny with people sticking cameras in their faces every time they go out.

It is nonsense to say that Carroll should be discarded because of his conduct away from football. Fabio Capello has the opportunity to educate him, to explain to him what is required of an international player. It would be a waste of Carroll's talent if Capello was not to pick him.

Every week, Betfair Football's star tipster Andy Gray picks out and answers his favourite question out of those he is asked on Twitter and Facebook. Here's his answer to this week's poser...

"Can Newcastle United secure a Europa League spot this season?" - @gypsyparis

In short, no. Newcastle have had some terrific results - the humbling of Sunderland and the win at the Emirates being the highlights - but their home form remains questionable. They lost to Blackburn at St James' Park in midweek and prior to that they were defeated by Stoke and Blackpool. If you want to get into Europe, you simply cannot drop points at home against mid-table opposition.

Bettors have to be wary of promoted teams who make promising starts to the season. Burnley began well last season and went down while Hull, in their first season up, earned some great results before descending into a slump which meant they only avoided relegation by a point.

Chris Hughton has done a very good job and deserves to treated better than he has been by the club. However, the current Newcastle one is not radically different from the one that was relegated a couple of seasons ago. Many of the players are the same and just because the Magpies are a big club with a great fanbase, it does not mean they will necessarily be able to sustain their strong start.

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We saw the old Joey Barton when he punched Morten Gamst Pedersen in Newcastle's 2-1 defeat to Blackburn.

It was deliberate and it was vicious and Barton will be punished by the FA, I have no doubt.

It was very disappointing because his reputation was on the up - he had a decent, albeit injury-hit, season last year and had stayed out of trouble so far - and he's let himself down again.

Unfortunately, these kind of outbursts are always lurking under the surface with Joey Barton.

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How good is Gareth Bale? Very good, no question. We saw some superlative performances from the Welshman last season but this term he's taken it to a different level on Europe's biggest stage.

Against Inter Milan, he came up against Brazilian defender Maicon, the man many regard as the best right back in the world. Bale made him looked like a novice, like he'd never played the game before. He absolutely destroyed him and there is now not a team in Europe who would not like to sign the Spurs winger.

That could present problems for Tottenham. If somebody like Barcelona, Real Madrid or Manchester United comes in with £40 million and great personal terms, Spurs will have to up the ante and pay him the type of money he could get elsewhere.

Footballers have to earn their money while they can and it wouldn't surprise me if Bale's agent is knocking on Daniel Levy's door now, asking for an improved contract. He may well love playing at White Hart Lane and have no desire to move on. For Spurs' sake I hope so.

But what is Bale's best position? I don't agree with Harry Redknapp that he will ultimately be a full back. I'm not sure how good he is defensively and why would you want to limit his attacking potential to destroy teams? Make no mistake, that is what he is capable of and I see him as a left winger.

Gareth Bale is a wonderful player and it is interesting that once again Wales have produced a first-rate left midfielder when England repeatedly fail to.

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Every week, Betfair Football's star tipster Andy Gray picks out and answers his favourite question out of those he is asked on Twitter and Facebook. Here's his answer to this week's poser...

"What did you make of Nani's goal against Tottenham?" - @swm2k2 and @ZimHen

I think everyone would agree this is water under the bridge now and after a few days of debate we must move on. Since you ask, my view is that if we apply the letter of the law then referee Mark Clattenburg did nothing wrong.

Heurelho Gomes says the ref was unclear about his decision but I think the Tottenham keeper has a lot to answer for here. The truth is, he made a mess of it.

If I was Harry Redknapp, I'd be asking Gomes what he was doing. Why didn't he clear the ball up field when his team were trying to score an equaliser? Clattenburg might have managed the situation better but Gomes was at fault.

I don't blame Harry for speaking out about the decision but his ferocity was uncalled for. It was not a match-defining decision, it did not cost Spurs the match.

To call it the worst decision he'd ever seen was wrong. It doesn't begin to compare with Maradona's handball - the worst decision I've ever seen by a referee - and, in fact, Pedro Mendes disallowed goal for Spurs at Old Trafford in 2005 was far worse.

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