Spurs Now 7's to be Best of the Rest

Despite an emphatic 4-1 win at home to Bolton, the bookies don't seem to rate Tottenham's chances too highly in their "Winner w/o the Big 4" market. The best price available is 7/1 (bet365) and time looks to be running out for the North London club.This betting market has grown increasingly popular with punters, especially due to the dominance of the top clubs in recent seasons. Indeed, the race for fifth place has been an exciting one all season, although it's Bolton who will now take the beating as odds-on favourites (8/11 VC Bet). The Trotters still stand four points clear of their nearest rivals Reading, who are 6/1 with Blue Square.One point further behind come Everton (13/2 VC Bet) although they'll be ruing last week's home defeat to Tottenham and, despite a superior goal difference, six points behind the Trotters will be very difficult to make up. So too will the eight-point gap between Bolton and Spurs, despite the Lancashire club's pasting at White Hart Lane. Providing the Royals don't get too distracted by the FA Cup, they could be worth a tentative punt, especially as Bolton have to visit Arsenal, Chelsea and Man Utd this season. The only other viable runner in this market is Portsmouth (16/1 bet365) although the Hampshire club are fading fast after a bright start to the season and weren't very clever when losing 3-0 at Ewood Park on Sunday.