A note from the desk: how picks are ranked from today

A short note on something that changes how the daily card is put together.

Every pick comes from one of a few thousand small systems. Each one is a league, a handicap line and a form condition, and each has its own betting record going back two years. Every morning they are ranked against each other and only the best are allowed to bet.

Until now the ranking leaned on each system's whole two year record. The trouble is that football does not stand still. Leagues get stronger or weaker, promoted sides change the shape of a table, and a system that was excellent eighteen months ago can be ordinary now.

From today the ranking gives more weight to recent form. The last few months count for more than results from a year and a half ago. Systems that are working now move up, and systems living on old results move down.

Nothing about the bets themselves changes. Same lines, same prices, same stakes. You may notice the leagues on the card shifting a little faster than before, and that is the point.

It is also a thin few weeks for fixtures while most of Europe is between seasons, so expect smaller cards until the end of the month.

David