Almost a quarter of all bets over the weekend have gone on the Saints after defeat against Watford
Mauricio Pellegrino has made a stuttering start as Southampton manager and bettors have been quick to back the Saints for an unlikely drop back into the Championship.
Although their 2-0 loss to the Hornets was their first defeat suffered in the Premier League this season, it has reflected the slow start to life under the former Alavés coach and Watford would have been a team that the South Coast side would have expected to beat, especially at home.
Southampton were 40/1 to be relegated before the weekend, although odds have now been slashed to 20/1 in some places, with a best price of 33/1. 23 percent of bettors in the last 48 hours have been quick to lump on in case things do not pick up under Pellegrino, who is experiencing his first taste of Top-Flight football.
Elsewhere, Crystal Palace continue to be backed for relegation after suffering a fourth straight defeat. The only team of the 92 not to score a league goal this season, The Eagles are 6/4 for the drop, amidst heavy speculation that Frank de Boer may soon get the sack. 15 percent of bets this weekend have gone on Palace, who show no current signs of reversing their awful start.
Huddersfield meanwhile are enjoying a fantastic unbeaten opening period, which they hope to continue against West Ham tonight in Monday Night Football. Despite this, one punter in the Huddersfield area is confident that the Terriers will end up in the bottom three at the end of the season and has placed a £200 bet on David Wagner’s men returning straight back to the Championship.
Oddschecker spokesman George Elek: ‘Saints fans will have expected a better start this season and Saturday would have been a wake-up call for their new boss, in that there is no easy game in the Premier League. Bigger teams than Southampton have gone down before and although they are still a big price; punters have clearly seen something that has seen the odds shift.
Meanwhile David Wagner has impressed everyone with his start, apart from one local punter. Talk about classic Northern optimism!’
