Was last week's Tenner bet a complete failure? I don't happen to think so. In actual fact, while Bolton draw no bet to beat Tottenham Hotspur at White Hart Lane last Sunday returned zilch, the circumstances behind that victory proved a valuable point.

Remember, if you will, the basic premise behind my reasons for picking Bolton to beat Spurs: that Juande Ramos had lost the dressing room. Indeed, somewhere in my argument I even suggested that defeat to Gary Megson's side would prove the final straw for the Spaniard at Spurs. It seems Daniel Levy, the Tottenham chairman, spent the best part of Saturday afternoon mulling over that thought since he promptly fired Ramos in the errant hour between British Summer Time and Greenwich Mean Time, despite the then head coach having taken training in the morning before the Bolton match.

Harry Redknapp's subsequent appointment merely served to prove how prescient this column is about the importance of leadership in football betting.

That brings us neatly to this week's recommendations. Having taken into account the lesson learned from last weekend, I decided to look at clubs near the top in their respective divisions since it stands to reason that managers must have the support of their players. The first team I looked at was Scunthorpe United, chiefly because they top League One and face Swindon Town, a team managed by Maurice Malpas, whom I have long had my suspicions of as a motivator. The intriguing discovery was that Malpas appointed a hypnotherapist to his coaching team in the middle of October and his side has since won two and drawn one of their last three, including a 2-0 victory over fourth-placed Oldham. I'll be steering clear of that fixture today for two reasons: the unknown psychological impact and Scunthorpe's 3-0 midweek defeat to Oldham.

In the course of my research this week, I have tried to read as many quotes from managers as possible and John Sheridan, Oldham's manager, sounds bullish about his team, who face Yeovil Town today. This his reaction to that win over Scunthorpe: "We could have won five- or six-nil. This should give us lots of confidence going into the Yeovil game. We need three points and must stay with the pack."

Spirits are obviously high at Boundary Park and it is an easy recommendation to go with Oldham today.

There is similar optimism at Turf Moor, where Owen Coyle seems to be gearing Burnley up for a promotion push. A lengthy injury list meant his side's 1-0 win over highly fancied Reading came as something of a surprise on Wednesday night, but not to Coyle, who said: "Given the circumstances before and during the game, it summed up everything I know about that group of players; about their desire and the spirit they've got for each other and how keen they are to do well for themselves and the club."

As a supporter, and probably as a player too, that's the kind of thing you want to hear your manager saying. And it makes Burnley an attractive bet at home to Norwich this afternoon.

What you don't want is your manager threatening to sell you in the January transfer window, if you don't start scoring. For that reason alone (but there are plenty of others) Csaba Laszlo's Hearts are worth opposing tomorrow when Celtic visit Tynecastle.

Selections Oldham (4/6, general), Burnley (5/6, general), Celtic (4/6, general) Treble 4.1/1 Season's profit £-3