Sample clubgowi newsletter
Below is a complete and recent clubgowi newsletter, it is a fairly typical of a send out, although some are much longer and subscribers will receive some 400 of these every year. There were four suggested bets all of which won, but it is more about giving you a look at the content rather than showing how clever I am, which everyone knows in any case!
Friday September 5th 2026
Next newsletter will be sent by 10:00 UK time on Saturday.
We learned a LOT last night especially in the NFL game, where CeeDee Lamb had 110 yards receiving BTW and we can use all that going forward with the Eagles and Cowboys. Also, that Ecuador might be as good as any nation in world football at defending, but are toothless at the other end of the pitch and an awful watch! Furthermore, CONMEBOL do not need more than 4-5 teams at the World Cup, but that probably goes for every other region/Confederation too and a 48 team, 104 game, 39 day tournament is too much and is likely to offer what it currently promises, a bit of a borefest!
NFL: LA Chargers @ Kansas City Chiefs
It is always dangerous to write off champions and the Chiefs have been the dominant force in the NFL in recent years and went close to an historic three-peat last season. However, their performances were not as good as results indicated and after their Super Bowl defeat I noted .....
Hard to believe just how bad the Kansas City Chiefs and Patrick Mahomes were last night and the closest comparison I can make is when Brazil lost 7-1 at home to Germany in the 2014 World Cup semi final, then, like now, it felt like the end of a dynasty.
These issues were coming for a long time and even at the end of the 2023 campaign, when they won the SB, I noted that superstar QB Patrick Mahomes had really only one ground option and 2-3 receivers, one of whom was a Tight End, albeit an elite one. They come into the new season even more handicapped, that TE, Travis Kelce, is soon to turn 36yo and seems busier in the media, with his podcast, television commitments and high profile relationship than on the football field and KC look very short in the receiver department. Their OL line appears suspect and will PM get the protection he needs and will the Chiefs have as much good fortune this time round ? After going 11-0 in regular season games decided by one score or less. There has to be some balancing out in that alone, superstar athletes do amazing things and PM is a GOAT contender but his win rate was 64% in close games prior to that run, which is great anyway, but equates to 7-4, not 11-0 and now he "owes" at least 4 wins as a starting point! They lost a top quality cornerback and safety and need rookie draftees to step up in those key positions and whilst, as I started by saying, it is dangerous to write them off, they need a lot to go their way again and you can only go the well so often, before it comes up dry!
Two of those narrow wins were over the Chargers, including by 2 points here at Arrowhead in December (late season). LA head coach Jim Harbaugh is in his second season and 12 months ago I wrote .....
LA new head coach Jim Harbaugh is the real deal and was 44-19 in regular season and 5-3 in the postseason with the 49ers in the only four years he has coached in the NFL and then went back to college football where he was wildly successful with Michigan and it was and is unheard of for a winning NFL coach to return to the college game. His record at SF is even more noteworthy as the Niners did not have a winning season for 13 years either side of his tenure, 9 before his arrival and 4 after!
He guided the Chargers to a 11-6 season (four losses by a TD or less), despite being injury hit for much of it and up from 5-12 in 2023, it was a fantastic turnaround and just 301 points allowed was the lowest in the NFL and 402 scored was more than the Chiefs, their divisional rival.
Harbaugh took the 49ers to the playoffs in his first season and to the Super Bowl in his second and LA will be hoping that history repeats. They have a quality QB in Justin Herbert who has had five great regular seasons in the NFL, but two poor postseason ones and the jury remains out on him in the very biggest games, but that is a discussion for down the line. GM Joe Hortiz has been busy and hunted high and low for more offensive options and to bolster the OL, all of which he has done. The defense was elite,the offense and QB (at least in regular season play) pretty good and Herbert will get more protection and more passing options. They had one major problem and it is a long standing one and they have not had a 1,000 yard running back since 2017. J.K Dobbins was close with 905 yards last season, but LA felt they could do better and signed Nagee Harris ( four straight 1000+ yard seasons)and drafted Omarion Hampton (1,500+ yards in each of his last two seasons at college). With Dobbins moving to divisional rivals the Denver Broncos. Harris was in doubt for today after missing almost all of training camp with a July 4 firework injury to his eye. He is said to be good to go, but we do not know how much missing training has set him back. It all sounds pretty good. The unknown factor is that the game is being played in Sao Paulo in Brazil who are hosting for the second year running, the winner will consider it a good omen as SB champions the Philadelphia Eagles opened their season with a win here. 2.25 units LA Chargers +2.5 points @ 2.16 Pinnacle/Vegas line , the money line odds @ circa 2.45 appeal almost as much.
National League: Yeovil Town- York City
Welcome to York!
| 16 | Yeovil Town | 7 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 8 | 11 | -3 | 7 | WLLL | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 6 | ||
| 17 | Boston United | 6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 6 | 10 | -4 | 7 | XLWL | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 8 | ||
| 18 | Braintree Town | 7 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 6 | 11 | -5 | 7 | LOLW | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 9 | ||
| 19 | York City | 4 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 5 | 3 | +2 | 6 | XOWX | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 1 | ||
| 20 | Sutton United | 7 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 9 | 15 | -6 | 5 | LWLL | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 7 | 8 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 7 | ||
| 21 | Woking | 7 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 12 | -6 | 5 | XWXL | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 7 | ||
| 22 | Truro City | 7 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 6 | 11 | -5 | 4 | XWLL | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 6 | ||
| 23 | Morecambe | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 10 | -7 | 3 | LLLW | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | ||
| 24 | Solihull Moors | 7 | 0 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 13 | -8 | 3 | LLLL | 4 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 10 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
Both teams are former Football League sides. Yeovil dropped out in 2018-19 and even played sixth Tier football (this is Tier 5) in 2023/24, incredibly, given how respective fortunes have changed subsequently, they actually BEAT Brentford in the 2013 League 1 playoffs to go up to the Championship! City were last in the FL in 2015/16 and have had their own rollercoaster ride subsequently. However, in National League terms, they remain a "big" club and averaged crowds of almost 6,000 last season, when they finished second with 96 points, a total which would have won the title in more seasons than not. That was not considered good enough and they parted company with head coach Adam Hinshelwood last week, I understand there was more to all that than has been publicly announced, he was said to have applied for a couple of jobs and City immediately announced his replacement, who is Stuart Maynard, more of him later.
To provide some background information, last November I wrote ....
They (City) were a Football League team for 75 years until 2003-04, they did return for four seasons until 2015-16, but then suffered back to back relegations and fell to Tier 6 where they stayed until 2022 when they returned to the National League. City have a good supporter base which they have retained and after two years treading water, have kicked on this season. Wealthy Canadian owners, the Uggla family, took over 17 months ago , they and a "silent partner" own 75% of the club and supporters the other 25%. They signed a handful of players with league experience this summer and obviously, looking at the table, those have worked well. What I am especially keen on is that when they could have easily sat back and watched how this played out, but they have made further additions this month (which you can still do at this level) and brought in some real quality.
Head coach Adam Hinshelwood was a professional footballer, as was his father and grandfather, his uncle managed Brighton and his son Jack plays for them and they are a football family who have almost always been based on the South Coast and Adam has coached there throughout his career. Therefore, when he was identified as the man that City wanted, I assume it look a very good salary and long contract, which we know he has, to tempt him up to Yorkshire.
Former City player and Brentford star Clayton Donaldson was also appointed this week as Head of Development, but back to those recent signings .............
WB Jeff King joined from L2 Swindon Town, he was "elite" at this level, making the National League Team of the Season in 22/23 and playing a big part in the Chesterfield side who won the league by 12 points last season. Winger David Ajiboye was an ever present for the Sutton United side who won the NL in 20/21 and was signed for a good fee by Peterborough United in 2023. He played 40 L1 games for Posh last season and 6 this, but agreed to make the switch on loan, as he knows Hinshelwood well. United are notoriously tough transfer negotiators and even on a short term basis, this would not have been a cheap loan.
BTW, York City were the first club that Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney looked at before Wrexham, but considered the city "too posh", so were obviously well aware, even at that stage, of what was likely to make good television.
City were the best away team in the National League last season with a 13-5-5 record and are unbeaten so far in this campaign and despite only playing 4 games, three of those have been on the road, as their home pitch is being worked on with some drainage issues ....
| 09-Aug-2025 | NL (1) | York City | 2-2 | Sutton United |
| 16-Aug-2025 | NL (2) | Truro City | 0-2 | York City |
| 20-Aug-2025 | NL (3) | Southend United | 0-0 | York City |
| 25-Aug-2025 | NL (5) | Woking | 1-1 | York City |
They have had 12 days to rest up and prepare solely for this game and 7 of those with Maynard, who led Wealdstone to back to back best seasons in 35 and 36 years respectively in this league and on a tiny budget. He was then poached by a MUCH bigger club in Notts County and took them into 6th place in League 1 and the playoffs in his full season ( 2024/25) in charge, but was dismissed as that was not "what the board believed the team was capable of". City signed some very experienced players this off season, including four from league teams, but all of whom had been promoted from the National League.
Yeovil have played back to back road games in quick succession, in Halifax last weekend and Solihull on Tuesday, that is a combined 1,300km and some 16 hours on the motorway, all with the smallest squad in the National league and very little rotation (one player). City are a net +5.0 xG across their opening four starts and can claim a 5th straight h2h win in this series, the last two here in Somerset without conceding.
1.75 units York City -1 ball @ 2.61 asian line.
League 1:
Not getting overly involved but Ican highlight two teams who have been playing much better than results suggest and who might be worth keeping an eye on in coming weeks.
Bolton Wanderers have finished 9-5-3-8 in their three seasons since promotion. Long time readers will probably recall that they have featured heavily in my notes and are a bit of a sleeping giant, poorly run for too long, but who are on the rise. They have a 1-4-1 record and 6-6 goal difference, but are posting some ridiculously good numbers and are averaging 1.8-0.7 xG per game! Plus 1.1 xG is incredible, next best are leaders Cardiff City with +0.43 pg. Wanderers are also a net +73 attempts ( at least +10 per game), +36 ITB attempts and +85 TIPA's and have been denied by the woodwork 5 times and too many saves to count!
1.75 units Bolton Wanderers -1.5 ball @ 2.53 , best alternative , to win to nil @ 2.39 asian line.
Port Vale have a 0-2-4 record and 2-6 goal difference, but are averaging 1.5-1.17 xG and have therefore left some seven goals out on the pitch. This is their first season back in L1 after promotion last season, when they also started slowly, but from the beginning of September they went 8-2-0 and it would not surprise were things to kick in once again. They outplayed league leaders Cardiff here at Vale Park on opening day (0-0) and they lost two home games narrowly to Stevenage (2nd) and Doncaster (5th) despite winning BC's 7-4. They did win 1-0 at Championship big spenders Birmingham City in the League Cup ( won BC's 3-0) and also put four past the Leeds U23 side in the EFL Cup in midweek and now need to convert that form to league games.
Vale made 12 signings this summer, so it was always likely to take a while for things to fully gel. Those include two strong additions this week, 21 yo former England U19 international George Hall from Birmingham who made 40 Championship appearances as a teenager and veteran striker Devante Cole whom head coach Darren Moore knows well and he has scored 65 career goals in League 1.
1.75 units Port Vale to score "over" 1.5 goals @ 2.46 asian line, best alternative is the straight home win.
Good luck!