Andy Gray

With half the season gone it's time to reflect on the good and the bad of what we've seen so far in the Premier League this season. First up, we've got a title race that any one of five clubs can win. And yes, I'll include Tottenham in that along with Chelsea, Manchester City, Arsenal and current table-toppers [b]Manchester United[/b]. Spurs are easy to dismiss on the grounds that they've never really come close and that most of the players simply don't have the experience of handling the pressure of a close title race but we'll never know until we see them in that sort of situation. While they're within touching distance of the table toppers they're in with a chance. The exact same thing goes for Manchester City. Who do of course have the advantage of having a squad filled with players...

I'm probably not the right person to be talking about other people's penalties! During my career I took just five (I did score four of them if you're wondering) and that was due to a combination of always having other great penalty takers at the club and me just not fancying it. Give me a ball in motion any day of the week rather than a spot kick. That said, I sometimes wish I had taken more as my career goals tally would have been considerably higher! Some players call them freebies and you can see why... I'm not entirely convinced by [b]Wayne Rooney's[/b] new penalty run-up but I'm not so sure he'll be trying it again. It worked against Rangers but he had a bit of a shocker against Arsenal. Luckily for him, it didn't make a difference in the end but I said in the post-match analysis...

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...

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... "Was Wayne Rooney unlucky to miss out on the Ballon d'Or shortlist?" - @Dandaman5891 and @JamesRobsonMEN Yes, I think he was very unlucky. Wayne Rooney had an outstanding season last year, scoring freely for both club and country in every competition he played for. He picked up an injury towards the end of the season which ruled him out of the last few matches and had a pretty dismal World Cup by his own admission, but I still don't think that alone should have meant he got the snub. Especially when you consider that the likes of Asamoah Gyan made the shortlist. I've got nothing against the...

The Premier League may be taking a week off but our star tipster Andy Gray is here as always, offering his predictions on how England and co will fare on the opening day of Euro 2012 qualifying... [b]England v Bulgaria[/b] The Betfair markets are right to have England as firm favourites at 1.33. They're missing key players and could lack confidence following the World Cup but this is an ideal game to start their Euro 2012 qualifying campaign. Bulgaria have had great players in the past but this side lacks quality. Fans are forgiving and if England win they will start to believe again. Losing John Terry as well as Rio Ferdinand is a blow but England can cope. I expect Matthew Upson's experience will get him the nod in defence and I would like to see him partnered by Phil Jagielka....

After last season's success, Didier Drogba and Wayne Rooney will be the leading contenders for the Premier League Golden Boot. Carlos Tevez is a great player but isn't prolific enough in front of goal. Marouane Chamakh, an intriguing option at 32.0, certainly has talent and if he takes to the Premier League, then he could make a big impact. Fernando Torres would be my bet at 9.0. It's ridiculous to say that he's finished just because of a few niggling injuries. Despite winning the World Cup, he had a poor tournament by his high standards. People are talking about clubs offering £50 million for him but, as Manchester United discovered following the sale of Cristiano Ronaldo, the money is only good if the manager can find someone as good to replace him. If Torres stays at Liverpool,...

After last season's success, Didier Drogba and Wayne Rooney will be the leading contenders for the Premier League Golden Boot. Carlos Tevez is a great player but isn't prolific enough in front of goal. Marouane Chamakh, an intriguing option at 32.0, certainly has talent and if he takes to the Premier League, then he could make a big impact. Fernando Torres would be my bet at 9.0. It's ridiculous to say that he's finished just because of a few niggling injuries. Despite winning the World Cup, he had a poor tournament by his high standards. People are talking about clubs offering £50 million for him but, as Manchester United discovered following the sale of Cristiano Ronaldo, the money is only good if the manager can find someone as good to replace him. If Torres stays at Liverpool,...