After two big price winners last week, professional odds compiler Owen Goulding is back to preview QPR’s trip to Southampton and hunt for value elsewhere on the weekend coupon.

QPR travel to Southampton this week to take on the surprise package of the season so far. During the close season, when the Saints embarked on a summer sale to rival DFS, the price on them to suffer relegation dropped faster than Neil Ruddock's bank balance. Calum Chambers, Rickie Lambert, Adam Lallana, Luke Shaw and Dejan Lovren all departed the south coast for pastures new. To say the spine of their team was ripped apart would be a massive understatement - yet here we are, a few months into the season and they sit pretty in second place, with only an undeserved defeat at Anfield blotting the copybook.

New manager Ronald Koeman deserves a lot of credit. He hasn’t bought in a host of players but has supplemented an already well run club with a few choice additions. Graziano Pelle has been brought in from Feyernoord and looks like he's played in the Premier League all his life. Fraser Forster has performed admirably between the sticks since moving south from Celtic but the true jewel in the crown of the Saints transfer business has been the signing of Dusan Tadic from FC Twente. The Serbian has simply been the player of the season so far in the Premier League. His delivery is second to none, his work rate makes Jamie Mackie look lazy, and he scores goals too. An absolute bargain at the reported £10.9m transfer fee.

QPR on the other hand have been truly woeful away from home. Harry persists in sending his teams to watch the opposition play keep ball while trying to nick a 0-0. No pressure on the ball, no high line, no passion, no desire. They did it at Spurs, they did it at Old Trafford, hell they even played negatively at Burton Albion. This has gone on for months in truth. The away following, which has always been exceptional in relation to club of QPR’s size, are starting to get fed up of it.

Throw in the injury problems QPR have with Jordon Mutch, Joey Barton and Sandro all doubtful for this one at time of writing and I can’t see QPR getting anything here. I've been optimistic regarding Harry's away set up one too many times. I, like many others, think he must wake up to the fact his tactics are killing us on the road - yet every post match press conference he trots out the same old excuses. It’s not like QPR haven't got the players to go to St Marys and give them a game, but with head ruling heart, we all know they won’t. I suspect Harry will have as much luck in the opposing dugout as he did in the home team one in his previous tenure at St Marys. I predict a comfortable win for Southampton.

Recommended Bet: Southampton v QPR - Southampton (-1 H'cap) - 13/10 Paddy Power

Last week was a good week for this column with QPR Stoke ending a draw and Jack Payne netting for Southend at a tasty 8/1 — hopefully you were on one or both. Oxford did everything but score to unfortunately defeat the bet of the weekend but a nice profit overall.

This week my bet of the weekend comes in League Two again where an in form Southend take on cup giant killers Shrewsbury at Roots Hall. The excellent form of the aforementioned teenager Jack Payne has been a big part of Southend's great start to the season (four goals in seven appearances so far), and Shrewsbury who struggle immensely away from home - only one point from a possible twelve so far this season- due to their tactical set up being much more suited to home matches - (sound familiar??) makes the 6/4 available for a Southend win this weekend a must play. Add in the efforts the Shrews put in to dispatch Norwich from the Capital One cup in midweek, and everything points to this being a cracking price on Southend.

Bet of Weekend: Southend to beat Shrewsbury @6/4 (Skybet)

Big Price Goalscorers:

Jack Payne Southend Anytime Scorer - 7/1 Will Hill

Bira Dembele Stevenage Anytime Scorer - 11/1 Boylesports.

Happy punting.

Pictures — Action Images

Photo: Action Images

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