By Fred Done

Co-founder of Birchwood-based Betfred

THERE have been plenty of smiles around in Warrington this week…and not just because of the sunshine!

The way The Wire put one over great rivals Wigan will stay long in the memory.

It’s a great time to be a Wolves fan that is for sure – third in the Betfred Super League and semi-finalists in the Challenge Cup thanks to that 23-0 demolition of the Warriors.

I did have a sneaky feeling that Warrington, showing great flair combined with a much-improved defence compared with last year, would triumph.

But not to nil and in such a dominant fashion and I tell you what, if the semis go to form and the Wembley final in August is between the Wire and Saints, Steve Price’s impressive team will give the outstanding table-toppers a good run for their money.

For Warrington to do it all again and beat Castleford to nil, we at Betfred are 10/1.

For third-place Wire to triumph by ten against fourth-place Cas at the Halliwell Jones on Friday, we’re 7/4 with the club’s instant hero Josh Charnley 7/1 to score first.

It’s all change on the manager front in the football world and it will be fascinating to see how ex-pros Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard in particular go on.

Gerrard is 5/1 at Betfred that he gets his Rangers reign off to a flyer by winning the first silverware available north of the border, the Betfred Cup on December 2!

The Liverpool and England legend, aged 38, who was appointed to his first managerial job on May 4, has the best chance of instant success according to fans at Betfred taking a pre-season punt on the high-profile new boys.

Gerrard’s midfield team mate for England Lampard is also quitting his TV pundit role to dip his toe into the murky waters of professional football management.

Lampard, aged 39, has taken over at ambitious Derby County – and the favourite son of Chelsea is 14/1 to begin the club’s great revival and a return to bygone glory years by leading them back to the Premier League by winning the Championship title.

Everton have made long-term target Marco Silva their manager in succession to Sam Allardyce, who saved the Toffees elite league status but never won over the fans with his tactics.

Portuguese Silva, who has signed a three year deal at Goodison Park, has said he’s aware of what fans expect and that he wants them to be proud of their team.

The ex-Watford boss is 7/1 at Betfred to upset the established order next season and improve on last season’s eighth place by achieving a top-six finish.

Arsenal could only finish sixth last year – an amazing 27 points behind Premier League champions Manchester City – in what turned out to be Arsene Wenger’s final season.

Spaniard Unai Emery, the former PSG coach, has since beaten City assistant manager and ex-Arsenal player Mikel Arteta to the job of succeeding Wenger.

Emery is 9/4 at Betfred to improve on the Gunners’ sixth-place finish and make the top four in the Premier League next season.

For all four to succeed in the way described above, Betfred are 2,300/1!