English Premier League Preview

[Toronto_Mike]

So with only a week away, I am putting up my review for each team. I hope you fellas enjoy the read it can get lengthy, please feel free to add any opinions along the way, i will tweek the previews with more add ons such as starting line ups and formations. Hope you enjoy

 

[Toronto_Mike]

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Arsenal<o></o>
Nickname: The Gunners
Established: 1886
Home Ground: Emirates Stadium (Capacity: 60,432)
Manager: Arsene Wenger
2006-2007: 4^th Place 68 points
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Transfers:<o></o>
In: Bakary Sagna, Eduardo da Silva, Lukasz Fabianski, Nicklas Bendtner
Out: Thierry Henry, Freddie Ljungberg, Jose Reyes, Jeremie Aliadiere, Fabrice Muamba, Arturo Lupoli, Mart Poom
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Key Signing: Eduardo da Silva
Player to watch: Cesc Fabregas and Robin van Persie
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Arsenal come into this season with a fresh start. The Era of Henry, Bergkamp, Vieira, and Cole is now done but along comes a new start. The club made headline news when they decided to sell Thierry Henry to <st1:city><st1>Barcelona</st1>.</st1:city> Henry had been on <st1:city><st1>Barcelona'</st1></st1:city>s radar for many seasons and he was very close to joining them in 2005-2006 however he stayed loyal to the club and to the manager. Now, the main problem with this club isn’t the players or managers that they have it’s the boardroom. David Dein was Arsene Wenger’s key ally in terms of financial support to buy players. However, Dein stepped down and that quickly resulted in many questions surrounding Arsene Wenger’s future at the club. Wenger has on season left under his contract and has yet to sign an extension. Many worry that this could be his last, however, at his age and at his status, I cannot see him just leaving, just yet. Arsene Wenger still has a fantastic group of players at his disposal. I for one had been skeptical about the Henry departure but upon further review and opinions from many other football fanatics, I believe Arsenal will still be a top 5 club. Arsenal’s style of play suits the EPL very well, very energetic, fast pace, football. The squad is comprised of a great mix of youth and experience. One player to keep tabs this season will be Cesc Fabregas. The young Spaniard has been an absolute gem for Wenger’s midfield. Fabregas has consistently been linked with a move to Real Madrid and <st1:city><st1>Barcelona</st1></st1:city> but he has brushed that aside and stated, he wants to win with Arsenal and even wants to take the challenge of becoming the captain. I expect him to really contend as one of the players of the year this season.
The signing of Eduardo da Silva could be a real difference maker. Wenger has spotted a potentially dangerous hit man in the young Brazilian born Croatian. Scoring at a consistent rate for Dinamo Zagreb, Eduardo looks to take his goal tally skills over to the EPL. I think Arsenal’s midfield will be a major key to the success. When you have Fabregas, Rosicky, Hleb, Gilberto Silva, Abou Diaby to choose from, the versatility is absolutely boundless. However, we must not forget, that defensively, Arsenal still have some commanding players to look out for. The <st1:country-region><st1>Ivory Coast</st1></st1:country-region> and French Connection at the back is filled with quickness and more importantly strength. Gallas has found his form after transferring over from <st1:city><st1>Chelsea</st1></st1:city>, faith from Wenger was probably the key difference for Gallas’ performance.
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Prediction: <st1:street><st1:address>4^th Place</st1:address></st1:street>. Arsenal should be able to compete as they have always done. Yes they lost Thierry Henry but they still have the one man that is probably the key figure of the club, Arsene Wenger. The man has won games with just a group of youngsters and he can do it again. Now, if we put things into perspective, a healthy Robin van Persie, Eduardo da Silva and Emmanuel Adebayor will put this team up the scoring charts. Arsenal have a fantastic home record but must be able to hold their ground on the road, if they can perform better on the road than last year we could very well see them being a nuisance to the other top 3 big clubs. Against Man Utd, <st1>Liverpool</st1> and <st1:city><st1>Chelsea</st1></st1:city> last season, Arsenal beat Utd twice, beat <st1>Liverpool</st1> at home then lost at Anfield, and drew with <st1:city><st1>Chelsea</st1></st1:city> twice. Arsenal can be the difference maker for the EPL crown this year. Sorry Spur’s fans but Arsenal should finish above you guys again.

 

[Toronto_Mike]

Aston Villa
Nickname: The Villans
Established: 1874
Home Ground: <st1>Villa Park</st1> (Capacity: 42,573)
Manager: Martin O’Neill
2006-2007: 11^th place 50 points
<o></o>
Transfers:
In: Nigel Reo-Coker, Marlon Harewood, Scott Carson
Out: Eric Djemba-Djemba, Steven Davis, Gavin McCann, Jlloyd Samuel, Chris Sutton, Lee Hendrie, Aaron Hughes, Liam Ridgewell, Robert Olejnik
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Key Signing: Nigel Reo-Coker
Players to watch: Ashley Young, Luke Moore and Gabriel Agbonlahor
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After a mediocre first year at the helm, Martin O’Neill will look to take this club to the next level. Problem is he is far from it. The club was expected to be extremely busy during the transfer market, but have only made 2 signings in Reo-Coker and Harewood. Villa fans have been waiting patiently wondering where the star signings are. Owner Randy Lerner had promised to financially back Martin O’Neill but yet there is still little activity going. The only activity that this club has done is its image rights. A new kit sponsor with Nike, a new state of the art training facility, recently completed their first North American tour.
Martin O’Neill is viewed by man was one of the top <st1:country-region><st1>UK</st1></st1:country-region> managers around. He had consistently been linked with teams such as Man Utd and <st1:city><st1>Newcastle</st1> </st1:city>but had chosen Aston Villa. Many Villa fans consider him a savior and the man to lead this club to the next level but what the club really needs now is more bodies. Villa for many years have had the smallest squads. Lack of depth have been a major problem for this club in their quest to progress. During the Doug Ellis era, the club had been rather quiet on the transfer front so you would think a new owner in Randy Lerner would be buying tons of players. However, O’Neill has been extremely tight lipped about the situation and with only a week left, there is growing speculation about what the heck is going on. Nevertheless with positive results during the friendlies, having won 4 out of 4 thus far and most recently a 3-0 win over Inter, this club is filled with offensive weapons.
Ashley Young, Gabriel Agbonlahor, Luke Moore and John Carew lead the attack. The wings are filled with speed, where as Carew uses his towering size to his advantage. In the midfield, the club is lead by Gareth Barry, who many have considered to be an ideal choice on the left for <st1:country-region><st1>England</st1></st1:country-region>. However, that is not the case, Gareth Barry is solely focus for his club football at the current time and I had the benefit of meeting him. He said that a top 8 finish is what the club is aiming for at this current time. I believe that is reachable. However, the main weakness will be at the back. Villa will start the season without their number one goalie, Thomas Sorensen, who picked up a hamstring injury during the friendly vs Toronto FC. In goal will be Stuart Taylor. The main void Villa have been trying to figure out for a season now is the right back position. Mark Delaney has been an ever so trusty player for Villa but he has now become injury prone the last few seasons. Which now leads to the problem that Villa have no natural right backs to back Delaney up. Currently, Villa are being linked with a couple players and with only a week left till kick off the Villa fans feel any signing is a good signing.
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Prediction: 7^th. As a die hard Villa fan I want my club to finish as high as possible, but with the limited resources that the club currently has, I feel that the club will have yet another year of struggles getting into <st1>Europe</st1>. Unless Martin O’Neill brings in a dramatic amount of players now and during the Winter transfer break I do not see how Villa can compete against <st1>Liverpool</st1>, <st1:city><st1>Chelsea</st1></st1:city>, Man Utd, Arsenal and Tottenham. The only reason why I think Villa can thread over the top 10 is their attacking power and Martin O’Neill as manager. We will soon see just how long Villa can last an entire season with the squad they have. Injuries will kick in and somebody will be blamed. Villa will need to make sure they protect their home ground and be consistent this year around because there came a time during the middle of the season where they went winless for a stretch that lasted over 10 matches. They cannot have this again if they seek European aspirations.

 

[parisnovella]

GOOD JOB MIKE

 

[Toronto_Mike]

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<st1><st1>Birmingham</st1> <st1>City</st1></st1>
Nickname: The Blues
Established: 1875
Home Ground: <st1>St. Andrews</st1> (Capacity: 30,009)
Manager: Steve Bruce
2006-2007: Newly Promoted. Runners-up Championship
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Transfers:
In: Frank Queudrue, Liam Ridgewell, Olivier Kapo, Gary O’Connor, Fabrice Muamba, Stuart Parnaby, Daniel De Ridder, Richard Kingson, Rafael Schmitz
Out: DJ Campbell, Stephen Clemence, Julian Gray, Bruno N’Gotty
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Key Signings: Gary O’Connor, Stuart Parnaby
Players to watch: Mikael Forssell, Gary McSheffrey, Gary O’Connor
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Newly promoted boys <st1><st1>Birmingham</st1> <st1>City</st1> </st1>will look to try and stay out of relegation this season after dropping in the 2005-2006 campaign. They gained quick promotion finishing 2^nd to <st1:city><st1>Derby</st1></st1:city>, however there were times during the season where The Blues looked absolutely baffled. They lost key games especially against lower teams, and they drew 1 match and loss 3 games during the early get go. So consistency is really what <st1><st1>Birmingham</st1> <st1>City</st1> </st1>will want to look for this season if they want any chance. Manager Steve Bruce is still at the helm and should be experienced enough to rally on his troops. However, things have changed since the 2005-2006 season. Plenty of teams have been bought by new owners and there is a huge amount of spending going on. Needless to say Carson Yeung, a <st1>Hong Kong</st1>multimillionaire, recently purchased 29.9% stakes at the club making him have the highest stakes at the club. There faces a slight problem with this purchase because Yeung wants Chinese players at the squad and Steve Bruce does not want him to interfere with the squad. So what do you do? The man that is going to supply the money wants certain players, the man who is training and running the squad does not want any of the players suggested, we could see a lot of board room fiascos from this club.
There have been a lot of changes to the squad, some of them good some of them questionable. Majority of them are simply based on potential. One signing that maybe of good use will be Stuart Parnaby. His EPL experience will be of great use when he controls the defense. However, he is a mediocore player so there is really nothing too great about that. Gary O’Connor maybe someone to look forward to, proved his worth in the Scottish Premier League, many people questioned his move to <st1:city><st1>Moscow</st1></st1:city>but he’s now back in the <st1:country-region><st1>UK</st1></st1:country-region>and looking to establish himself amongst the elite Scottish players. The key player that must help <st1:city><st1>Birmingham</st1></st1:city> will be Mikael Forssell. The <st1:country-region><st1>Finland</st1></st1:country-region> international has been plagued with the injury bug and that has ruined his consistency. When on form he is a deadly hitman and can compete amongst the elite, however, with the team he has no, I really find it difficult to see if he can get on the goal sheet too often, he’ll have a hard time creating the goals as he usually is better off as the main target man rather than a provider.
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Prediction: 18^th. Sorry to say but this team doesn’t have what it takes to stay in the top. What will be more of a disaster is that they spent quite a bit only to go back down and that will be much more of a downfall in the future. Steve Bruce isn’t the sort of manager that can really hold a position in the Premier League, I reckon for this club to progress they will need fresh influence on the touchline. There are just too many unproven players on the squad, and they are dependant on hopeful potential that can be a hit or miss. There is a thin mixture of youth and experience. Players such as McSheffrey, Vine, O’Connor really need more veteran leadership which is what <st1><st1>Birmingham</st1> <st1>City</st1> l</st1>ack. Their midfield is rather week and will not have enough depth in quality to really compete with the other EPL teams.

 

[The Z Machine]

Keep em coming Mike. Great write-ups for those that are out of touch with EPL a bit.

Man I can't wait until the start of European football + American college and NFL football. It's a great time of year! I will be spending hours in bars drinking pints and watching football (of all kinds). Wish me, my pocketbook, and my liver well.

I wish I had the time to do a La Liga write-up of the same caliber. Alas, I don't. I'll pick and choose my spots for posting La Liga plays.

 

[c.r.e.a.m.]

Great insights Mike. This will be my first full season of betting soccer.

Cheers!!!

 

[Toronto_Mike]

sorry for the hold up with the previews, they'll all be here before saturday, keep patient i'm doing my best hope u all understand.

 

[Satyr]

no worries bro, excellent work here...post them when you finish, no rush. :shake: :cheers:

 

[Toronto_Mike]

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<st1>Blackburn</st1>
Nickname: Rovers
Established: 1875
Home Ground: <st1><st1>Ewood</st1> <st1>Park</st1></st1> (Capacity: 31,367)
Manager: Mark Hughes
2006-2007: 10^th place 52 points
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Transfers:
In: Roque <st1:city><st1>Santa Cruz</st1></st1:city>, Maceo Rigters, Gunnar Nielsen
Out: Andy Todd, Michael Gray
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Key Signing: Roque <st1:city><st1>Santa Cruz</st1></st1:city>
Players to watch: Benni McCarthy
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Last season was pretty standard for the Rovers, though they did not finish where they would like, they did achieve some form of consistency by getting into the UEFA Cup. Since the arrival of manager Mark Hughes, <st1>Blackburn</st1> has changed their tag from bottom dweller to Top 10 club. Hughes was the <st1:country-region><st1>Wales</st1> </st1:country-region>coach before he took on the reigns at Ewood. Unfortunately for him, he had to inherit a team that had finished 15^th 2 seasons consecutively, Graeme Soueness had destroyed the team. Nevertheless, Hughes brought in some quality players at a quality price. He is not known to go out of his way to prize players over. The clubs prized asset has got to be striker Benni McCarthy. The South African hit man finished 2^nd leading scorer last year tallying 18, only 2 behind Drogba. Just a superb catch by Hughes, other than Dimitar Berbatov, McCarthy was definitely one of the best buys during the 2006 year and is highly expected to repeat his performance. The club is filled with a good mix of forwards. Roque <st1:city><st1>Santa Cruz</st1></st1:city> was deemed to surplus in Bayern Munchen but has no felt wanted at Ewood. Considering Hughes was a pretty good hitman himself, there is much to expect from the Peruvian who brings in Champions League success to the club. Young Dutchman Maceo Rigters has been highly touted by many clubs after his success in leading the <st1:country-region><st1>Netherlands</st1></st1:country-region> to the Euro U-21 Championship title. He finished the campaign as top goal scorer. Many expect him to follow the same steps as to the other great Dutch forwards of the pass, but I think this year he will just get a feel of the pace of play in the EPL before he can actually progress further on. Blackburn, have a fairly commanding goalie in Brad Friedel, experienced and great size, he has what it takes to really shut out even the best forwards. One thing the Rovers really need help on is their defense. Being a top 10 club and allowing 54 goals is unacceptable. The only other top 10 club to have a similar defensive result was Tottenham who also allowed 54 goals. If some how the Rovers can win the games they need to we could actually see them compete for the wide open 6^th to 10^th spot. They really haven’t lost anyone significant so expect them to really prove their worth. However, let it be known that playing in <st1>Europe</st1> as well as in the EPL might be exhausting and we could see a depleted team come December. Nevertheless, I like this squad and their manager, I think they should be able to handle the pressure.
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Prediction: 9^th. I’m still not too keen on their defensive capabilities. If they had shut down their opponents last season a little bit better they would of finished probably 7^th. Another year of UEFA Cup ties could mean another tiring time. Teams will know who Benni McCarthy is so if we see him scoring another 15+ I think it won’t be long till another club prize him away. Their position can easily drop if they are not careful with injuries. The further they progress in UEFA, the more matches they play in a month. Last season, from the months of December to February, they were playing no less than 7 games per month, their inconsistency was shown, losing 6-2 to Arsenal then winning 1-0 against <st1>Liverpool</st1>. <st1><st1>Beating</st1> <st1>Man</st1> <st1>City</st1></st1> 3-0 on the road then lose 2-1 to <st1>Watford</st1>. The talent is there, but can the team keep up with the grooling schedule?

 

[Toronto_Mike]

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<st1>Bolton</st1>
Nickname: The Trotters
Established: 1874
Home Ground: Reebok Stadium (Capacity: 28,723)
Manager: Sammy Lee
2006-2007: 7^th place 56 points
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Transfers:
In: Jose Enrique, Daniel Braaten, Heidar Helguson, Gavin McCann, Jlloyd Samuel, Zoltan Harsanyi, Blerim Dzemaili, Gerald Cid, Mikel Alonso, Christian Wilhelmsson, Danny Guthrie
Out: Tal Ben Haim, Henrik Pedersen, Quinton Fortune, David Thompson, Cesar Martin, Chris Howarth
<o></o>
Key Signings: Jose Enrique and Daniel Braaten
Players to watch: Nicolas Anelka
<o></o>
The big loss during the off season was Big Sam Allardyce. Sammy Lee has a lot of work to do before he can even be remotely compared to Allardyce. Sam Allardyce jetted for a much more luxurious job at <st1:city><st1>Newcastle</st1></st1:city> and has left, Sammy Lee with a lot of question marks. Exiting the club as well was their influential defender Tal Ben Haim. Sammy Lee took over the last two games of the season which was quite an odd way for Sam Allardyce to leave, but in those 2 games 5 goals allowed 3 scored. <st1>Bolton</st1> have always been a competitive squad against the top clubs and in terms of gambling, have been a great underdog home team. However, the one team that seems to make a mockery for <st1>Bolton</st1> have been Manchester Utd. They are consistently exposed for their slow pace and in the 2 games the 2 faced, Manchester Utd hold a commanding 8 goals to 1 lead. <st1>Bolton</st1> are one of the slower teams in the league, relying on their set pieces and long balls for any sort of attack. The offseason, has seen them actually go for speed. They picked up Daniel Braaten, a feisty Norwegian winger and Christian Wilhelmsson, a much more versatile winger with vast experience even at his age. They have a very experienced midfield pairing of Gary Speed and Kevin Nolan. A very experienced keeper in Jussi Jaaskelainen, who actually wanted to leave the club this off season and had been tipped to join Aston Villa but thus backed off and committed himself to this last season before his contract runs out. Goals came few and far between for this club. Another team that isn’t so consistent, scoring only 47 and allowing 52, the managed to win the games they had to but when they lost, they usually were humbled. The club last season had one of the worse home records for any top 10 club with only 9 wins. The club really needed to bolster their defense and they only did so on the flanks. When the African Nations Cup hits along, this club will be in BIG trouble, both Abdoulaye Faye andAbdoulaye Meite will both be serving for their countries which leaves a huge gap in the middle that Sammy Lee has not thought carefully of.
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Prediction: 13^th. <st1>Bolton</st1> is still a competent squad but Sammy Lee is an unproven manager and has a lot of pressure on his shoulders. Fortunately for him he is familiar with the current squad and the <st1>Bolton</st1> system so its only a matter of time till we see whether or not he is fit to be a manager or an assistant. I think the African Nations Cup will prove to be a stumbling block for the club, I expect 3 key players to be gone and there are now decent replacements for them. They also play in the UEFA Cup, so again fatigue and how the team is managed will be important. I don’t see them getting relegated, I think they will struggling a lot more than expected and suffer more road defeats then they have in the past few years.
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[Toronto_Mike]

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<st1:city><st1>Chelsea</st1></st1:city>
Nickname: The Blues
Established: 1905
Home Ground: 42,055
Manager: Jose Mourinho
2006-2007: 2^nd place, 83 points
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Tranfers:
In: Florent Malouda, Tal Ben Haim, Claudio Pizarro, Steve Sidwell
Out: Geremi, Khalid Boulahrouz, Juan Sebastian Veron, Yves Makabu-Ma-Kalambay, Nuno Morais, Jimmy Smith, Michael Mancienne, Ben Sahar
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Key Signing: Florent Malouda
Players to watch: Didier Drogba, Andry Shevchenko, Joe Cole
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The Blues lost their reigns as Champions and could not complete a 3 peat. They have finished in the top 2 since 2003/2004 and will always be considered a contender. They opened up the season with a penalty shoot out loss to Man Utd. The one thing notable about this year is that the Blues have been very quiet on the transfer front. The past few seasons they have bolstered their squad and invested millions on players but this season has seen them only pay for one player, Malouda, while the other 3 have come as a free transfer. Have they learnt their lesson? The one thing that is eluding the trophy cabinet is the Champions League. That is the prize possession that both owner Roman Abramovich and manager Jose Mourinho want. They have come close the past few seasons but have had to accept the sour taste of defeat, most recently in the Semi Finals. They are now underdogs, something they have not been in 2 seasons, they are beatable, but still boast one of the best home records in the past few seasons. <st1:city><st1>Chelsea</st1></st1:city>have yet to lose at <st1><st1>Stamford</st1> <st1>Bridge</st1></st1> since <st1:date year="2004" day="21" month="2">February 21, 2004</st1:date> when they lost to city rivals Arsenal 2-1. Since then they have dominated at home conceding only 28 goals in the past 3 seasons at home. Last season, they dropped crucial points when influential Captain John Terry was sidelined with an injury. That was when <st1:city><st1>Chelsea</st1></st1:city>’s defense was exposed. Pundits have always wandered who was worth more Lampard or Terry. Its quite obvious, with the recent contract extension Terry signed, he is an invaluable asset to the clubs success. However, Terry will miss the first month with an injury causing a little bit of panic especially since Drogba is also out. But this is <st1:city><st1>Chelsea</st1></st1:city>, they have a manager who is capable of leading them to glory with what he has. Plus, the list of players they have is still phenomenal. Shevchenko had high expectations with his 30mil move from AC Milan but he failed to deliver, he will now look to rebound this season and perhaps he has adjusted to the league considering he played much better towards the end of last season. <st1:city><st1>Chelsea</st1> </st1:city>will miss 2 key figures to African Nations Cup, Michael Essien and Didier Drogba. I’ll be honest, without Essien, Lampard will be completely vulnerable. Essien is an absolute rock and was arguably one of <st1:city><st1>Chelsea</st1></st1:city>’s best players last season. He is extremely crucial in the centre of the park especially infront of the defense and behind Lampard. Now without him, the connection between the defense and the midfield will become very awkward. They still do have Makalele as cover but his age is getting to him. Look at it this way, <st1:city><st1>Chelsea</st1> </st1:city>finished only 6 points behind Utd and lost crucial points when Cech and Terry were injured. This first month will be crucial without Terry, the key game to look out for is on August 19^th, when they travel to Anfield to face <st1>Liverpool</st1>. That will mark a starting point to see which team can keep up with Man Utd.
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Prediction: 2^nd. In all honesty, there is no way I see <st1:city><st1>Chelsea</st1></st1:city> finishing out of the top 2. Have have a fantastic manager, an all star squad and an excellent home record. They have not bought in a lot of new players so the squad right now is familiar with each other’s style of play. Being the underdogs may have lifted some pressure off the players and manager but they still have a lot of determination and in many eyes, have what it takes to compete. I pick them to finish 2^nd mainly because I don’t see <st1>Liverpool</st1> being able to adjust as a team this quickly. Perhaps next year we will start to see a shift in gear, but for now we should see the same finish as we did last year. <st1:city><st1>Chelsea</st1></st1:city> will continue to dominate home games, but the absentees of Drogba and Essien could cost them dearly.

 

[Toronto_Mike]

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<st1:city><st1>Derby County</st1></st1:city>
Nickname: The Rams
Established: 1884
Home Ground: <st1><st1>Pride</st1><st1> Park</st1></st1>(Capacity: 33,597)
Manager: Billy Davies
2006-2007: Newly Promoted. <st1:street><st1:address>3^rd Place</st1:address></st1:street> (Promoted via play-offs)
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Transfers:
In: Andy Griffin, Lewis Price, Andy Todd, Claude Davis, Robert Earnshaw, Tyrone Mears
Out: Lee Camp, Paul Peschisolido, Lee Grant, Seth Johnson, Morten Bisgaard, Paul Boertein
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Key Signing: Robert Earnshaw
Players to watch: Robert Earnshaw, Giles Barnes
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<st1><st1>Derby</st1> <st1>County</st1> </st1>are back in the Premiership since the 2001-2002 season, are considered the top pick to be relegated. Out of the 3 newly promoted clubs, <st1:city><st1>Derby</st1> </st1:city>are the least prepared. Having gain promotion from the playoffs, <st1:city><st1>Derby</st1></st1:city> will look to at least try and compete against the elites. Manager Billy Davies will look to build on his first year success at the club. He has managed to bring in some experienced players such as Todd and Earnshaw. Giles Barnes had a fantastic season in 2006-2007. An absolute spark in the midfield, just filled with creativity. Now, unlike the Championship, the EPL boast a number of quality defensive midfielders who will more than likely teach Barnes a lesson or two. There really isn’t much to talk about with this team, primarily because their future is inevitable. They will be the Premiership whipping boys this term.
<o></o>
Prediction: 20^th. If <st1:city><st1>Derby</st1> </st1:city>want to really get anything going in this campaign, they must get the points at home. A very good home side during last season with only 4 defeats, if they can become competitive at <st1><st1>Pride</st1> <st1>Park</st1></st1>, they could very well save themselves from the drop. The problem here is the squad, the do not have the quality of players needed to compete. Both <st1>Sunderland</st1> and <st1:city><st1>Birmingham</st1></st1:city> are bringing in quality players who have played in the EPL or have vast European experience. This won’t be the <st1:city><st1>Reading</st1></st1:city>of the 2006-2007 season, I think getting to the EPL was a huge financial boost that all they would really want is gate receipts.

 

[Toronto_Mike]

Everton
Nickname: The Toffees
Established: 1878
Home Ground: <st1><st1>Goodison</st1> <st1>Park</st1> </st1>(Capacity: 40,589)
Manager: David Moyes
2006-2007: 6^th Place 58 points
<o></o>
Transfers:
In: Leighton Baines, Phil Jagielka, Steven Piennar
Out: James Beattie, Gary Naysmith, Richard Wright, Alessandro Pistone
<o></o>
Key Signing: Phil Jagielka
Players to watch: Andy Johnson, Tim Cahill, Mikel Arteta, James Vaughn
<o></o>
Another positive finish for David Moyes and The Toffees sees them back in <st1>Europe</st1>. Now the question is if Moyes can show consistency and manage to finish around the same place this time around. Everton start out the season on a limb with 2 key players sidelined with injuries. Tim Cahill and James Vaughn will be out. Cahill will be missed for the first month while Vaughn is expected to be back by November. Cahill’s presence and ability to slot in goals from extreme ranges was crucial. He is a creative gem and an explosive midfielder and I rate him behind Steven Gerrard as one of the more dynamic and versatile midfielders in the Premier League. Along side Cahill is the influential Spaniard, Mikel Arteta. It wasn’t too long ago that Arteta had interests in returning to <st1:country-region><st1>Spain</st1></st1:country-region> but he has made the right call by continuing his stay in the EPL. He suits the play very well. An excellent dead ball specialist, he has excellent vision around the centre of the park. Andy Johnson will look to continue his goal scoring ability into <st1>Europe</st1>. He has proven to be an excellent buy for Moyes. Leading the team with 11 goals last semester, he forms a pretty interesting partnership with James Vaughn. He is a hardnose forward and has excellent body strength to compete against any defenders. Over on the defensive end, Moyes has picked up 2 quality signings in Leighton Baines and Phil Jagielka. Both still very young but are of Premiership quality. Phil Jagielka was Sheffield Utd’s key player last season and had been scouted by many Premier League clubs. He chose Everton primarily because he grew up as an Everton fan. Leighton Baines was a recent capture and funny enough he was actually rejected by Everton as a school boy and now returns back to his roots and looking to establish himself at one of the clubs he followed as a kid.
Tim Howard has found a steady home in Everton. After a much criticized time at Man Utd, he has firmly established him as the number one goalie at Everton. He has made some dramatic saves last season. In the month of December, out of 6 games he recorded 5 clean sheets. Outside the top 4 teams, Everton had the best defense last season with 36 goals allowed and had a fanastic +16 goal difference. Moyes has always focused on his defense and it looks like he has quite the line to work with. The question remains whether or not the squad depth is good enough to compete in both the EPL and UEFA Cup. When he tried to compete in both, it turned out to be sour grapes.
<o></o>
Prediction: 6^th. I think Moyes may have figured out how to be consistent. He will now know how to better manage his players with the tougher scheduling playing both the UEFA Cup and EPL. He has the quality in the squad and if Cahill and Arteta are both healthy, you have quite the midfield pairing. Tim Howard is an underrated goalie and I think he will be looked upon as one of the best this year. With Yobo and Stubbs at the back infront of Howard and with the assortment of flankers this club should compete fairly well. They had plenty of positive results against the big clubs last season and should not be taken lightly again especially at <st1><st1>Goodison</st1> <st1>Park</st1></st1>. Now if they can resolve their away form, turn the draw’s into win’s, you could see this team really push Tottenham to the limit.

 

[Toronto_Mike]

<o>

</o>
Fulham
Nickname: The Cottagers
Established: 1879
Home Ground: Craven Cottage (Capacity: 26,300)
Manager: Lawrie Sanchez
2006-2007: 16^th Place 39 points
<o></o>
Transfers:
In: Hameur Bouazza, Adrian Leijer, Lee Cook, David Healy, Paul Konchesky, Chris Baird, Diomansy Kamara, Steven Davis, Aaron Hughes
Out: Franck Queudrue, Michael Brown, Heidar Helguson, Claus Jensen, Tomasz Radzinski, Mark Crossley, Mark Pembridge, Matty Collins
<o></o>
Key Signing: Diomansy Kamara
Players to watch: Diomansy Kamara, David Healy, Jimmy Bullard.
<o></o>
Fulham had to fight off relegation at the last day, they were humbly defeated 3-1 by <st1>Middlesbrough</st1> and need results from other relegation battlers to ensure themselves safety. Lawrie Sanchez has brought a lot of fresh faces and has stacked up the backline quite well infront of goalie Antti Niemi.
Fulham have bolstered their front line by signing Diomansy Kamara and David Healy both have found success at the Championship level and both are eager to take it up a notch. You will find very few players from the Championship who can make that immediate impact but I have a feeling one of these 2 players will really put up a fight. We must not forget the “Little Aeroplane” Vincenzo Montella, who has quickly asserted himself as a fan favorite. They also have a very experienced forward in Brian McBride. These four players will definitely improve the attack from last year.The team managed only 8 victories but really depended on draws to secure top flight status, what they needed then they got now in clinical finishers.
Also the one player I personally would like to see play is Jimmy Bullard. An exceptional midfielder, he will get recognition every game he plays. He was highly touted and started out fantastic for Fulham until he had a crucial ligament damage on his knee which ruined his season. However, I expect Bullard to come back this season and prove to be one of the unknown players to make an impact for the smaller clubs.
Lawrie Sanchez have many skeptics, he’s not highly rated. He is an in your face type of manager who can be controversial at times. I don’t know if he is the right manager for this club. Chris Coleman did a fantastic job with what he had but unfortunately his time fell short. Fulham is backed by a rich owner so I would of thought location, <st1:city><st1>London</st1></st1:city>, would be great help to bring in bigger names. Unfortunately that was not the case.
<o></o>
Prediction: 14^th. This could be another long season for Fulham but I think they have the right tools to show signs of improvement. Having escaped relegation, they must think positive now and I think some of the signings have shown their determination to improve. They won’t be challenging for a European spot but I reckon they will make Craven Cottage a very difficult place to play as it was in the 2005/2006 season where they won 13 games.

 

[Toronto_Mike]

<o>

</o>
<st1>Liverpool</st1>
Nickname: The Reds
Established: 1892
Home Ground: Anfield (Capacity: 45,362)
Manager: Rafael Benitez
2006-2007: 3^rd Place 68 points
<o></o>
Transfers:
In: Fernando Torres, Ryan Babel, Yossi Benayoun, Lucas Leiva, Sebastian Leto, Andriy Voronin, Mikel San Jose, Nikolay Mihaylov, Krisztian Nemeth, Andras Simon, Ryan Crowther
Out: Craig Bellamy, Djibril Cisse, Luis Garcia, Florent Sinama-Pongolle, Jerzy Dudek, Bolo Zenden, Robbie Fowler, Danny Guthrie, Adam Hammill
<o></o>
Key Signings: Fernando Torres and Andriy Voronin
Players to watch: Steven Gerrard, Fernando Torres, Andriy Voronin
<o></o>
With new owners, Rafa Benitez has had the luxury of spending big. Splashing out an estimated worth of 26.5 million pounds on Fernando Torres and another 11.5 million on Ryan Babel, these 2 have been highly prized by other big clubs. Now they come to a club with high expectation, huge support, and lots of heritage. The pressure is on Torres to really stand out as the next great <st1>Liverpool</st1> forward. Its been year since <st1>Liverpool</st1> have had a really talismanic forward. Perhaps the last one was Michael Owen. Needles to say the forwards that Benitez had in his years have all been inconsistent but useful. <st1>Liverpool</st1> boast arguably the most energetic midfields in the league with Gerrard, Mascherano, Alonso and Pennant. Anyone who has negative opinions on this midfield should really reconsider their thoughts. Along the bench, Benetiz will have the selection of Harry Kewell, Momo Sissoko, Yossi Benayoun, and Lucas Leiva. Benitez is notorious for constantly changing the formation. Not only does he confuse his opponents sometimes he confuses the team itself. Defensively, <st1>Liverpool </st1>are still ranked as the best. Last season, they allowed only 7 goals infront of their home crowd. An absolutely stunning record. They also had no problem scoring goals in Anfield scoring 39. However, the reason why they got stuck at 3^rd was primarily due to their road record. Compared to Chelsea and Man Utd, <st1>Liverpool</st1> only managed 6 road wins, that is half of what the top 2 teams managed. That is unacceptable if they want to be champions. Its really difficult to explain who will start where with Benetiz, at times I personally feel this team is built for European competition, and thus the amount of success they’ve had in the past 3 seasons in the Champs League. If Benitez continues to alter the squad during League play, I think it could eventually cost them a chance at the championship.
This squad will have a lot of competition within the ranks, so expect a lot of these players to really play at an extreme high level.
One player I am most excited to see is Andriy Voronin. The Ukrainian international marked his <st1>Liverpool</st1> debut with an impressive display that included a goal. He is touted by many as the best buy for this season but the only difference is that he came on a free. He played at Bayer Leverkusen, where, Dimitar Berbatov who now plays for Tottenham, made a name for himself. Voronin will not start but I think he will become an invaluable asset at this club and become a fan favorite.
At the back there is a huge line of fantastic, quality players lead by vice captain Jamie Carragher. The versatile player will look to command a group that consists of John Arne Riise, Daniel Agger, Steve Finnan, Fabio Aurelio, Sami Hypia and Gabriel Paletta. In net, is the ever so trusty Pepe Reina who has done his job extremely well. He’s become an Anfield Legend for some of his heroics and displays.
It may take Fernando Torres awhile to adjust to the English style of play and the English lifestyle. But do not deny this players talent, he is a well built forward who possess absolute strength in the air and has quick feet for a taller forward. He captain his former side Atletico <st1:state><st1>Madrid</st1></st1:state> for many seasons and is still only 24, so his leadership qualities and experience are already gelled in. Crouch may be deemed to surplus but upon the calling he may become useful. I think we’ll see a Torres and Kuyt partnership for awhile before Rafa decides to mix things up.
<o></o>
Prediction: <st1:street><st1:address>3^rd.</st1:address></st1:street> I think <st1>Liverpool</st1> will need this season to understand one another before they can finally crack that top 2 slot next year. They have everything needed, quality of players, world class manager, world class fans, world class stadium and rich owners. I don’t think this season they will be able to stop Man Utd and Chelsea, but will slowly push the barrier. I expect them to hit at least 70 points or more, they need to really work on their road form because there is no question they are a formidable team to play infront of the Kop.

 

[Toronto_Mike]

2nd crop should come by the end of tonite or early morning

 

[Satyr]

Classy preview there Mike. I like it. Rotation will indeed be an issue with Benitez, I think Liverpool now has the core to compete for every title within the next 5 years. Several alternatives for almost each position (several questionmarks as well, like how many playing minutes will Sissoko get this year, what will happen to Arbeloa, Paletta, Aurelio and Hyypia who is a bit old now, and was supposed to move to Newcastle but that was stopped).


Reina is indeed a top notch keeper, Carra and Agger in the backline are great, both pacy, strong, Carra is a legend while Agger is one of the best youngsters on his position in the Prem, add Finnan who was a bit under the radar last year but very useful and strong, Xabi and Masche will no doubt be great, Stevie G isn't questionable at all, now we have to see how these guys fit in once the real deal starts; Torres, Babel, Benayoun, Voronin...

Will Kuyt finally shake off the rust and start scoring...when and how much will Crouch play now is also a question...

Anyways, I'm optimistic. I think this season should be the year used for all players to adapt to the new team, and for Rafa to finally find the firm first 11.

Next year we should compete for the title.

Come on Red men!

:cheers:

 

[Toronto_Mike]

christ sakes my previews are getting ruined by these last minute transfers, now Giles Barnes is apparently on his way to West Ham.

Robben to Madrid
Mido to Boro
Yakubu to Everton

when will it all end!

 

[Satyr]

Players to watch: Steven Gerrard, Fernando Torres, Yossi Benayoun, Xabi Alonso





Hats off to Voronin but I like these two better .

 

[SHSUHorn]

Benny Feilhaber was just signed by Derby County as well.

 

[panos]

Great staff, T-Mike. Can not really argue with a lot of your points and/or predictions. Chemistry and consistency away from Anfield will be critical for Liverpool if they are to compete for the League crown.Starting from this Saturday, they need to play more aggresively away from home, they have to be going after the 3pts in every game like the other 2 big boys do, otherwise they will again settle for 3rd place.

 

[Toronto_Mike]

<st1><st1>

</st1></st1>
<st1><st1>Manchester</st1> <st1>City</st1></st1>
Nickname: The Citizens
Established: 1880
Home Ground: City of <st1:city><st1>Manchester</st1></st1:city> Stadium (Capacity: 47,726)
Manager: Sven Goran Eriksson
2006-2007: 14^th place 42 points
<o></o>
Transfers:
In: Valeri Bojinov, Elano, Vedran Corluka, Javier Garrido, Geovanni, Rolando Bianchi, Gelson Fernandes, Martin Petrov
Out: Sylvain Distin, Joey Barton, Trevor Sinclair, Nicky Weaver, Hatem Trabelsi, Stephen Jordan.
<o></o>
Key Signings: Rolando Bianchi and Valeri Bojinov
Players to watch: Rolando Bianchi, Emile Mpenza, Micah Richards, Richard Dunne
<o></o>
Well, well, well here we have a very interesting situation at <st1><st1>Manchester</st1> <st1>City</st1></st1>. New manager, new owner, new players. When I say new players, there is an entire legion of new players. <st1><st1>Manchester</st1> <st1>City</st1> </st1>are desperate to get back to winning ways and have not had a successful season since the 2004/2005 campaign where they finished 8^th since then, they have dwelled at the bottom of the table. <st1><st1>Man</st1> <st1>City</st1> f</st1>inished the season going 7 games without scoring a single goal at home. That is bad news and so bolstering his front line was a key priority for Eriksson. He has brought in some proven Italian Serie A goal scorers in Bianchi and Bojinov. The problem could be the pace of play because Bernardo Corradi has been absolutely awful since his move to City. However, Bianchi and Bojinov have more pace to their play and could fit in the premiership quite nicely, key thing is that they will be a better. The players signed should have a place on the starting 11, meaning Richard Dunne, Andreas Isaksson and Michah Richards as the last remaining starters from last year. This could be an issue for the first month or so for the 3 especially Dunne who will need to quickly gel in the back with his new teammates if they want to really compete.
Eriksson as a manager should be interesting. I know many <st1:country-region><st1>England</st1></st1:country-region> fans will have their little jabs at him, but perhaps he is better off as a club manager. He did really well as Lazio’s manager but that was long ago, times have change, the EPL is consistently fast pace so playing conservative may lead to some hostile reception. Eriksson is financially backed by the new majority shares owner and former Thailand Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra. The Telecom mogul is still under scrutiny in <st1:country-region><st1>Thailand</st1></st1:country-region> where he is being tried for corruption. That doesn’t bode too well, but nevertheless the money is some how coming from his pocket, just how long will it last?
This major overhaul has seen the likes of Sylvain Distin and Joey Barton off to other clubs and they could be soon followed by Osmane Dabo, Paul Dickov and Danny Mills.
The entire midfield will see new faces. This could pose trouble, Eriksson will have to find that one player that can control the pace of play and really set the tone for his forwards, that man could be Martin Petrov. He could be an exciting player to watch down the left and could pose a serious threat every game. My main concern is the middle with Elano and Geovanni. Are they both well adapted to the EPL game or will they get completely overwhelmed to the point they are left clueless and thus disrupt any flow for <st1><st1>Man</st1> <st1>City</st1></st1>. All these question marks surrounding City need to be answered very soon. Eriksson has really put the pressure on himself, he’s spent all this money he must show the fans the intention of this club. The <st1><st1>Man</st1> <st1>City</st1></st1> fans have been patient and loyal for plenty of seasons and this season they have every right to have high expectations, no more dwelling at the bottom, improvements must be shown.
<o></o>
Prediction: 12^th. I think <st1><st1>Man</st1> <st1>City</st1></st1> have done well making changes but are they truly the right signings or is Eriksson just trying to lure in anyone? There is a huge language barrier that must be overcome with so many different international’s there can be a confusion. It might take City awhile to adjust as a team but surely they cannot do any worse then they did last year. This is the start for a new Era for City but I don’t see them being an instant success.

 

[Toronto_Mike]

<o>

</o>
<st1:city><st1>Manchester</st1></st1:city> United
Nickname: The Red Devils
Established: 1878
Home Ground: Old Trafford (Capacity: 76,212)
Manager: Sir Alex Ferguson
2006-2007: 1^st Place 89 points
<o></o>
Transfers:
In: Carlos Tevez, Nani, Anderson, Owen Hargreaves, Tomasz Kuszczak,
Out: Alan Smith, Giuseppe Rossi, Kieran Richardson
<o></o>
Key Signing: Owen Hagreaves, Carlos Tevez

Players to watch: Wayne Rooney, Carlos Tevez, Cristiano Ronaldo, Michael Carrick
<o></o>
Defending champions Manchester United were quickly back in business by signing high profile youngsters Nani and <st1:city><st1>Anderson</st1></st1:city>. Ferguson then went on to finally complete the signing of Owen Hargreaves, a player he has scouted for many years and was very close to getting him last season. Now the England International has fulfilled his desires to play in the Premier League for a world class squad. But can Owen Hargreaves compete against some the best attacking midfielders in the world? He is use to the German Bundesliga but needles to say he has played in numerous Champions League games and should have a vast knowledge of what to expect. The Tevez signing is for a two year loan and was just recently completed ending a long saga that involved a lot of backroom fiasco’s. Tevez has been training with the Man Utd squad so do not worry he is still well in shape and has gotten to know his team. He was the bright spot in West Ham’s struggle’s and now forms the most fearful front line with Wayne Rooney. Both players are built to last and have an extremely high amount of energy. Wayne Rooney has recently burst into life with his fine displays during friendlies and the Community Shield. There will be no doubt that these 2 will be extremely difficult to handle. Let us not forget Cristiano Ronaldo who took the chance by staying with United after the World Cup fiasco that many believe would lead to his demise in English football. He was consistently linked with Real Madrid but with the influence of <st1:city><st1>Ferguson</st1></st1:city> and most likely Carlos Quieroz. What he did was nothing more than magical, he showed the world what he’s capable of and that he is not some one trick pony. He hade many brilliant displays and showed his maturity as well. A consistent menace all over the park, this young lad will look to put last seasons display into high gear this season.
Man Utd managed to win some important games without their captain Gary Neville. The veteran will look to get back in shape to help lead his squad onto a repeat. He will be assisted at the back by the ever so present Nemanja Vidic who has formed a formidable partnership with Rio Ferdinand. On the left Patrice Evra will cover for Gabriel Heinze who looks certain to leave the club very soon. A player that may get some playing time would be Gerard Pique who played fantastic at the recent U-20 World Cup, he’s maturing rapidly and has the physical strength to compete in a high profile league. In net, Edwin Van der Saar is playing with the reflexes of a 20 year old but with vast experience. He’s commanded his defense extremely well and played an important role in Man Utd’s success last season. One thing Man Utd will need to be very careful about is taking each team seriously. The 5 games they lost came from Arsenal twice, West Ham twice, and <st1:city><st1>Portsmouth</st1></st1:city>. There were a lot of close call games that could of easily turned the table. <st1:city><st1>Chelsea</st1></st1:city> suffered a major blow with the loss of Terry and Cech. There was a point where the title was up in the air. So the question is, what are the priorities this season and how will <st1:city><st1>Ferguson</st1></st1:city> rotate his squad to keep everyone fresh?
<o></o>
Prediction: 1^st. Without a doubt Man Utd are built for another Championship run. They have brought in world class players and still have the integral part of their team. They started the season with the Community Shield win and look even more well prepared this season. They could seriously pose a threat in the Champions League and will not be surprised if we see them win at least 2 or 3 trophies. Could the treble be in play perhaps?

 

[Toronto_Mike]

<st1>

</st1>
<st1>Middlesbrough</st1>
Nickname: Boro
Established: 1876
Home Ground: <st1>Riverside</st1> Stadium (Capacity: 35,100)
Manager: Gareth <st1:city><st1>Southgate</st1></st1:city>
2006-2007: 12^th Place 46 points
<o></o>
Transfers:
In: Jeremie Aliadiere, Tuncay Sanli, Luke Young
Out: Mark Viduka, Abel Xavier, Stuart Parnaby, Malcolm Christie, Danny Graham
<o></o>
Key signing: Tuncay Sanli
Players to watch: Luke Young, Tuncay Sanli, Stuart Downing
<o></o>
Manager Gareth Southgate has gotten his first year of Premiership managerial experience, under his belt. Now its time to see if he has learnt any lessons. Boro have been fairly quiet at the transfer front but they have brought in 3 quality players in Aliadiere, Sanli and Young. All 3 should be in the starting line up and should have an immediate impact on the squad. There is still growing speculation about whether or not Yakubu will stay or will he go? Most reports are suggesting he’s leaving and this could be a big blow for the squad upfront. Ideally it would be a great partnership with Sanli and Yakubu but needless to say if that doesn’t happen there can be other alternatives. Tuncay Sanli may take time to adjust to the English game but he certainly has the capabilities. He maybe a better solution than just because of his versatility to play different positions in the park. He’s been scouted by many other managers and will look to really set his mark on the EPL by bringing his experience from <st1:country-region><st1>Turkey</st1></st1:country-region> and Champions League to the <st1:city><st1>Riverside</st1></st1:city>. Boro have been hit with the injury bug to start the season. Jonathan Woodgate, Robert Huth and Emanuel Pogatetz are all out for the start of the season meaning their backline will consists of youngsters such as Andrew Davies and Andrew Taylor, this could be trouble. With all the injuries, a lot of players may play out of their natural position and thus causing some discomfort and confusion. George Boateng will command the middle but may move to the right at times. Stuart Downing is the gem for this squad and will look to make his case for the <st1:country-region><st1>England</st1></st1:country-region> squad for the upcoming European qualifiers. A fan favorite and a local boy, his displays are often the most positive out of most of the players on the pitch. Fabio Rochemback had a surprisingly good campaign last season, he’s adapted pretty well to the English lifestyle but unfortunately for him, he will have to sit out the first 3 games of the season since he picked up a red card in a friendly.
<o></o>
Position: 15^th. I think the injuries are going to be a huge problem for this squad who already lack depth. The uncertainty of Yakubu will be a problem for this squad. The defense is often very shaky and considering only Luke Young has joined the squad which has seen an influential player such as Stuart Paranaby leave, that is already a quick negative. There really aren’t too many positives to look in this team. They will put up good performances once in awhile but are just fairly too inconsistent. They will be a fun team to watch upfront but are just disastrous at the back. If Woodgate can some how have a season with minimum injuries he could be a huge bonus but with his injury record, I expect a lot of goals to be scored against them.

 

[Toronto_Mike]

<st1:city><st1>

</st1></st1:city>
<st1:city><st1>Newcastle</st1></st1:city>
Nickname: The Magpies
Established: 1892
Home Ground: St. James’ Park (Capacity: 52,387)
Manager: Sam Allardyce
2006-2007: 13^th place 43 points.
<o></o>
Transfers:
In: Joey Barton, Jose Enrique, Alan Smith, Geremi, David Rozehnal, Mark Viduka
Out: Scott Parker, Titus Bramble, Antoine Sibierski, Craig Moore, Pavel Srnicek, Olivier Bernard, Alan O’Brien
<o></o>
Key Signings: Joey Barton and Geremi
Players to watch: Joey Barton, Obafemi Martins
<o></o>
Sam Allardyce has finally made the leap to a bigger club. He’s not manager of one of the most highly profiled English Clubs and there is high expectations to bring <st1:city><st1>Newcastle</st1></st1:city> back to its former glory. The Magpies have been inconsistent for so many seasons and now with Allardyce, fans are hoping for some stability in the Top 10 and preferably contend for <st1>Europe</st1> every season. The one thing that Allardyce needs to work on is the attack. High profile players such as Obafemi Martins and Michael Owen have not produced the goals that have been expected from them. They have brought in Mark Viduka, perhaps for more experience but I do not see him playing too much. That would me Albert Luque’s time at <st1:city><st1>Newcastle</st1></st1:city> is drawing to a close. Allardyce have a handful of forwards at his disposal but I don’t know if they are compatible to each other and actually form a decent partnership. The midfield that the Toon have, we should see some chances for high scoring matches. Damien Duff had an awful season and will look for huge improvements if he wishes to keep his spot. Then we have youngsters James Milner and Charles N’Zogbia who provide a great amount of energy the midfield. I think Allardyce’s best signing was Geremi. This team is very “Soft” and they really needed someone with a hard nose edge. Allardyce also took the risk with Joey Barton, a talented lad who has a lot of off-field problems. Even till this day, Barton’s assault on former <st1><st1>Man </st1><st1>City</st1></st1> teammate Osamane Dabo is still being investigated so expect that to be a burden on Barton’s season. Another positive move Allardyce made was releasing Titus Bramble. Arguably one of the worse defenders in the Premiership, he has been absolutely notorious for giving up ridiculous plays leading to goals. However, there is still some major improvements needed at the back. I think Cacapa will prove great experience and a player such as David Edgar will learn a lot. On the flanks, <st1:city><st1>Newcastle</st1></st1:city> should not be worried with the ever so trusty Stephen Carr. This team is filled with a lot of ‘hot heads’ but I think Allardyce has great man management skills to really sort things out. The style of play may get a little getting use to because during the past seasons at Bolton, Allardyce has taken a much more conservative approach to the game and I don’t think the Toon Army would appreciate it. But if this conservative play turns into more wins, then what is there to complain about?
<o></o>
Prediction: 10^th. <st1:city><st1>Newcastle</st1></st1:city> will start the season off without Barton and Damien Duff. A couple players still have slight knocks such as Michael Owen, Emre, Babayaro and goalie Shay Given. They may start out slow but I expect the Magpies to get it together especially under the guidance of Sam Allardyce. I think getting Allardyce as the manager was a great step for this club. They must find consistent scoring forms and beat teams they should be beating. Away form was just horrendous, that has to change immediately. 4 wins on the road is not acceptable especially to the standards of Sam. As far as home field is concerned, I’m sure Allardyce will make St.James’ Park a very difficult place to play once again. I think this first season under Sam Allardyce will be a test and just a stepping stone for better things to come.

 

[Toronto_Mike]

<st1:city><st1>
</st1></st1:city><st1:city><st1>

</st1></st1:city>
<st1:city><st1>Portsmouth</st1></st1:city>
Nickname: Pompey
Established: 1898
Home Ground: <st1><st1>Fratton</st1> <st1>Park</st1> </st1>(Capacity: 20,600)
Manager: Harry Redknapp
2006-2007: 9^th place. 54 points
<o></o>
Transfers:
In: David Nugent, John Utaka, Sulley Muntari, Sylvain Distin, Hermann Hreidarsson, Martin Cranie, <st1:city><st1>Arnold</st1></st1:city> Mvuemba
Out: Collins Mbesuma, Andy Griffin, Svetoslav Todorov
<o></o>
Key Signings: David Nugent, Sylvain Distin
Players to watch: John Utaka, David Nugent, Matthew Taylor
<o></o>
Last season was a positive sign for <st1:city><st1>Portsmouth</st1></st1:city> after narrowly avoiding relegation the season prior. They were consistently contending for <st1>Europe</st1> but just a poor finish cost them a chance on a UEFA Cup spot. Harry Redknapp has been quick to bolster his squad by bringing in some high quality players. He has strengthened his midfield with the signing of Muntari and has bolstered the attacking options with Utaka and Nugent. John Utaka will be one player to keep an eye out all season. During his tenure at <st1:city><st1>Rennes</st1></st1:city>, he has single handedly destroyed <st1>Lyon</st1>, he has scored a hattrick twice and a brace against the dominant <st1>Lyon</st1>. He now looks to transfer his skills over to the Premiership. David Nugent has been fantastic at the Championship level, but is he ready for the Premiership, you will have many who favor this hitman to make a splash. The positive thing about Pompey all season was their heroic goal keeper David James. Yes he did have some odd hair cuts but that never interrupted his play. Defensively, this squad is stacked with toughness and speed. Sol Campbell has come to live and at the age of 32, he’s getting an <st1:country-region><st1>England</st1></st1:country-region> re-call. He has taken the role of Captain and has done a magnificent job. Now partnering with him will be Sylvain Distin which would make the duo one of the top in the league. Benjani will look to continue his fine display of last season and should be an automatic bid upfront, his partner though maybe a toss up but I expect Nugent to be a steady comrade with him. Look for Matthew Taylor to be the energizer bunny and really add some energy in the middle of the park. Fratton Park is a much more intimate stadium and should be once again a difficult place to play, just as Man Utd would have expected.
<o></o>
Prediction: 8^th. Another team that will show signs of improvement. I think Harry Redknapp is the right man for this team and has brought in the quality signings. However, he may have too big of a squad for his liking and there could be a few disgruntled players asking for more playing time. The depth is immense but how can you keep everyone happy and still play efficiently? I still think this team is built for success especially with the defense they have. They may slip up again with the pressure but needless to say, they should be able to push hard for a European spot.

 

[Toronto_Mike]

<st1:city><st1></st1></st1:city>
<st1:city><st1></st1></st1:city><st1:city><st1>Reading</st1></st1:city>
Nickname: The Royals
Established: 1871
Home Ground: Madejski Stadium (Capacity: 24,000)
Manager: Steve Coppell
2006-2007: 8^th place 55 points
<o></o>
Transfers:
In: Emerse Fae, Kalifa Cisse
Out: Steve Sidwell, Greg Halford
<o></o>
Key Signing: Emerse Fae
Players to watch: Leroy Lita, Kevin Doyle
<o></o>
A very impressive first year for Steve Coppell’s side, took the league by surprise by finishing 8^th, just missing out on the UEFA Cup. A very entertaining side to watch, <st1:city><st1>Reading</st1></st1:city> did give Man Utd and Chelsea a tough time last season. The one thing <st1:city><st1>Reading</st1></st1:city> did successfully last season was that they beat up on bottom dwellers. They won the games they should of and that is how they propelled up the ladder. Madejski was a very difficult place to play. The Royals earned 11 victories infront of their crowd, including a 6-0 thrashing of West Ham. The only key loss this season was Steve Sidwell, who by the fans standard, was money hungry. Other than that Coppell has the same squad to work with which will be a major plus for the long run. If <st1:city><st1>Reading</st1></st1:city> had made the UEFA Cup, they would be in a little bit more trouble and would of spent more. Now lets see if they can avoid the sophomore jinx because a lot of these newly promoted teams that do well, tend to fall back down to earth the second season. Coppell will have a great selection for the attack with the likes of Kevin Doyle, Leroy Lita, Dave Kitson and John Oster. The depth of this squad could be a factor, a team such as <st1>Sunderland</st1> is making more effort to really push up the ladder whereas the Royals seem rather content with what they have now. That could be their downfall. This team now looks extremely vulnerable and they could actually struggle a lot on the road.
<o></o>
Prediction: 16^th I believe the sophomore jinx will continue. The first game of the season will prove to see if they can really compete or not. They competed well against Man Utd last season and will start the season with a very difficult month. This could be a very long season for the squad because once injuries start to kick in, especially upfront, there could be some problems. With teams buying like crazy, its come to my surprise with the great campaign the team had last season, they aren’t more actively seeking backup to push up.

 

[Toronto_Mike]

<st1></st1><st1>Sunderland</st1>
Nickname: The Black Cats
Established: 1879
Home Ground: Stadium of Lights (Capacity: 49,000)
Manager: Roy Keane
2006-2007: Newly Promoted. Winners: Championship
<o></o>
Transfers:
In: Craig Gordon, Roy O’Donovan, Paul McShane, Kieran Richardson, Michael Chopra, Russell Anderson, Greg Halford, Dickson Ethu
Out: Stephen Elliot, Tommy Miller, Arnau Riera, Kenny Cunningham
<o></o>
Key Signings: Roy O’Donovan, Craig Gordon
Players to watch: Roy O’Donovan, Michael Chopra
<o></o>
Championship winners <st1>Sunderland</st1> look to improve from their recent Premiership stay where they managed only 15 points. Manager Roy Keane has certainly changed this squad since he took on the reigns. He has the respect of the players, fans and Chairman Niall Quinn. It just seems like it was yesterday that we saw Roy Keane with the captains armband for Manchester Utd and he was actually touted to be Fergie’s successor but out of the blue, Keano called it in and a surprise managerial hire for Quinn, Keano rapidly turned <st1>Sunderland</st1> into a much more competitive squad. He took the Championship by storm and since his take over, there was no signs of backing out, the Black Cats charged up the ladder. Now, with the backing the chairman, Keane has been extremely busy on the transfer market. He has bolstered up his attacking options by recruiting Richardson, Chopra, and O’Donovan. He has also recently splashed out 9million pounds on <st1:country-region><st1>Scotland</st1> </st1:country-region>goalie Craig Gordon. The team is mixed with experience players and youth. On the squad, Keano has former teammates Dwight Yorke and Richardson. The signing of Michael Chopra is a signal to bolster the attack, though I do not think he can do this alone. Roy O'Donovan was a great catch, this lad has dominated the Irish Premier League with Keane's hometown team Cork City. He could be another player to look forward to this season. I think this team will let in a few goals themselves but the midfield should be the integral part of this squad. The squad has a lot of players who’ve played in high levels and so there should be no panic. The start of the season will be crucial as they play <st1:city><st1>Birmingham</st1></st1:city>, <st1>Wigan</st1>, Tottenham, and <st1>Liverpool</st1> in the first month. I think it will be important for them to get a positive result against <st1:city><st1>Birmingham</st1></st1:city> and <st1>Wigan</st1>, teams that they should beat to stay ahead. The <st1>Liverpool</st1> game will be tricky but they will play infront of their home fans and should be a great preparation when they play Manchester Utd the next match. There’s plenty of optimism amongst the fans, and rightfully so, with a young and dynamic manager like Roy Keane, who has had the experience of winning at the highest of levels in this league, this time around don’t expect <st1>Sunderland</st1> to be the whipping boys.
<o></o>
Prediction: 11^th. I think they will perform the best out of the 3 new comers. The club has shown its intention to really compete by bringing in plenty of quality. Roy Keane understands how the current Premiership runs and will know how enduring it can be so I believe he will make the right changes when necessary. They won’t be a big smash as like a <st1:city><st1>Reading </st1></st1:city>or a <st1>Wigan</st1>, I think they are built for a long term goal. The season should be a positive note just staying up but expect them to be competitive especially when they play Manchester Utd.

 

[Toronto_Mike]

Tottenham
Nickname: Spurs
Established: 1882
Home Ground: <st1:street><st1:address>White Hart Lane</st1:address></st1:street> (Capacity: 36,240)
Manager: Martin Jol
2006-2007: 5^th place 60 points
<o></o>
Transfers:
In: Darren Bent, Gareth Bale, Kevin Prince-Boateng, Youne Kaboul, Adel Taarbt, Danny Rose, Yuri Berchiche
Out: Reto Ziegler, Mark Yeates, Emil Hallfredsson
<o></o>
Key Signing: Darren Bent
Players to watch: Darren Bent, Dimitar Berbatov, Gareth Bale
<o></o>
Two consecutive seasons Tottenham has finished 5^th, will this be the season they progress? They splashed into the transfer marketing with their club record buy Darren Bent from <st1:city><st1>London</st1></st1:city> rivals Charlton. There is high hopes that the partnership of Bent and Berbatov will take the Premiership by storm. Berbatov was the best buy in the Premiership last season, in his first rookie season, the Bulgarian hit 12 goals and played a key role in plenty of the fixtures. He also got the best out of Robbie Keane who has revitalized his form. Tottenham, have probably the best selection of forwards to choose from. All the forwards, Bent, Berbatov, Keane, Defoe can play 1^st team football anywhere in the Premiership. The midfield consist of speed and toughness. Aaron Lennon brings fantastic pace down the right, the young <st1:country-region><st1>England</st1></st1:country-region> international is a fan favorite and is consistently picked for an <st1:country-region><st1>England</st1></st1:country-region> call-up even at the age of 20. In the middle will be the towering Zokora and Jermaine Jenas. Both players are immense talent but at times can show a lack of commitment. Steed Malbranque has been a quality buy, I consider him to be the most versatile player on this squad. Jol then has the luxury of selecting these midfielders: Huddlestone, Routledge, Taarbt, Tainio, Ghaly and Murphy as cover. The mix of youth and toughness is apparent. At the defensive end, there are quality players such as Pascal Chimbonda and Ledley King. Michael Dawson has risen up his stakes and has emerged as one of the more reliable defenders in the league. Jol has signed one of the hottest prospects in <st1:country-region><st1>UK</st1></st1:country-region> football with the signing of 18 year old left full-back Gareth Bale. The youngster has played a considerable amount of first team football at his age, but will be tested at the Premiership level. He has tremendous talent and has already started for the <st1:country-region><st1>Wales</st1></st1:country-region> national team. Watch out for his free kicks, he could pose a serious threat around the box. My question really is whether or not Martin Jol is the man to really take this team to the next level. Yes he has shown consistency but that doesn’t always translate advancement. Given the fact that Tottenham have no problem financially, we look at their cross town rivals Arsenal who have barely spent any money the past few seasons, yet they still find success. Another year in UEFA Cup, but I think this year they are better prepared, they should be able to cope again with the schedule, perhaps they may even find more success in Europe, but I would definitely like to see Tottenham start to win some silverware or at least compete.
<o></o>
Prediction: 5^th. I still think Tottenham will be outside of the box again. As frustrating as it can be, the top 4 clubs still have an edge on the Spurs. Tottenham really needs to work on their defensive capabilities. They only had a +3 goal differential and to be a top 4 club you need at least +12. There were injuries that cost them dearly last season but they cannot be the excuse. Darrent Bent should change those numbers and a much more capable backline now with the signing of Kaboul will be of great help.

 

[Toronto_Mike]

christ i'm nearly there!

 

[Toronto_Mike]

West Ham
Nickname: The Hammers
Established: 1895
Home Ground: Upton Park (Capacity: 35,567)
Manager: Alan Curbishley
2006-2007: 15^th place 41 points
<o></o>
Transfers:
In: Craig Bellamy, Freddie Ljungberg, Julien Faubert, Scott Parker, Richard Wright
Out: Marlon Harewood, Nigel Reo-Coker, Paul Konchesky, Yossi Benayoun, Tyrone Mears, Roy Caroll, Teddy Sheringham, Shaun Newton, Carlos Tevez
<o></o>
Key Signing: Scott Parker, Craig Bellamy
Players to watch: Craig Bellamy, Julien Faubert
<o></o>
West Ham will look for a dramatic improvement after a disappointing 2006-2007 season which saw a lot of controversy off the pitch. Midway through the season they purchased an unlikely buy of Carlos Tevez and Javier Mascherano. Those signings got many people scratching their heads wondering how it had been done, considering the 2 had been scouted by clubs such as Man Utd, <st1:city><st1>Chelsea</st1></st1:city>, Real Madrid and <st1:city><st1>Barcelona</st1></st1:city>. Mascherano didn’t last too long as he soon wasn’t feature in the starting XI promoting a move which eventually lead to him leaving for <st1>Liverpool</st1>. Tevez stayed on and was the bright spot in West Ham’s season. He consistently was dynamite every match and had a never say die approach. But only recently did Tevez finally get the go ahead with a 2 year loan to Manchester Utd. There had been an on going saga about the future of Tevez this entire summer and now with this completed move, West Ham will be in a little bit of a bind on the attack. There has been numerous changes with Harewood and Tevez gone. Dean Ashton is back from injury and could be a spark upfront with Bellamy. Scott Parker will command the centre of the pitch while Ljungberg will trott the flanks. New signing Julien Faubert was touted to be the rock in the middle but he has suffered a ruptured Achilles tendon and will be out for about 6 months. The season will start out rough for the Hammers, considering Faubert, Parker, Neill, <st1:city><st1>Davenport</st1></st1:city>, Quashie will all be out for the beginning of the season though Faubert is the major longer term injury. West Ham do have a favorable opening month, they open against Man City, Birmingham, Wigan then play Reading, Middlesbrough before they get tested against Newcastle and Arsenal. They must take advantage of that early schedule before more injuries begin to hit. Defensively, they must becareful against with the injury bug. Both Lucas Neill and Matthew Upson have had some serious knocks in the past and can easily pick up another throughout the season leaving their defensive choices short. Losing Benayoun was a mistake because now they’ve turned to a much older and slower Ljungberg to play Yossi’s role. Toughness will be an issue especially in the middle of the park. I think until Faubert comes back, the Hammers may get bullied around.
<o></o>
Prediction: 13^th. They will do much better this season as they finally have a fresh start. Alan Curbishley is fantastic manager and finally has enough time to asses the squad. Once Faubert returns from injury and depending on how quickly he can recover, West Ham should make a decent run in the winter. However, I still have doubts up front. Bellamy can be a hot head and I’m not so sure Curbishley can handle that. Dean Ashton has not seen competitive football in a long time, and the backups aren’t really of great quality. The team is a lot of injury prone players that could take its toll.

 

[Toronto_Mike]

<st1>

</st1>
<st1>Wigan</st1> Athletic
Nickname: The Latics
Established: 1932
Home Ground: JJB Stadium (Capacity: 25,138)
Manager: Chris Hutchings
2006-2007: 17^th place 38 points
<o></o>
Transfers:
In: Titus Bramble, Michael Brown, Jason Koumas, Carlo Nash, Andreas Granqvist, Mario Melchiot, Antoine Sibierski, Antonio Valencia
Out: Matt Jackson, Arjan de Zeeuw, David Unsworth, Andy Webster, Lee McCulloch, Leighton Baines
<o></o>
Key Signing: Jason Koumas
Players to watch: Jason Koumas, Antonio Valencia
<o></o>
I’ll keep this short and simple. <st1>Wigan</st1> are heavily favored for the drop and I don’t see a reason why its not the case. They brought in one of the worse defenders in Titus Bramble. They recently lost a trust full back in Leighton Baines, de Zeeuw has moved on and his experience was extremely important in the season prior. They are dependent on Koumas and Heskey for the goals which signals one of the worse partnerships in the league. I do not know how this team will compete against any squad. There really isn’t anyone on this squad that is of Premiership quality and to make matters worse, Chris Hutchings is a rookie manager filling in for Jewell. The future does not look too bright for this squad. <st1>Wigan</st1> narrowly escaped relegation last season and I think could have been better off in the Championship and rebuild from there. But to spend another season where they will potentially be the whipping boys does not bode very well. Mario Melchiot who recently joined from <st1:city><st1>Rennes</st1></st1:city> is the captain, I do not know why Hutchings has done such a thing when Melchiot is beyond his years. As always, teams that are touted for relegation must fight their best at their home ground. JJB is the place where Wigan are expected to get most of their points, but oddly enough, last season saw them win more games on the road than a team like Everton and Portsmouth. The Latics had one of the worse defenses last season and it doesn’t bode well again this year. There isn’t much improvement on the defensive side. <st1>Wigan</st1> have a fairly reasonable opening schedule and that is where they must seek points before more injuries start to kick in. But it won’t be long until this team starts to crumble and the dog fight begins.
<o></o>
Prediction: 19^th. This could be 20^th depending on the injuries. Absolutely lack of depth and quality in this team. Terrible defense, limited attacking options. What’s more to say, the Latics will be in the Championship, after making an impressive first season run and then a flop the next.

 

[Toronto_Mike]

and there you have it folks, my preview for each team. Here is what i think will happen in terms of awards

Player of the Year: Cesc Fabregas
Top Goal Scorer: Carlos Tevez
Manager of the Year: David Moyes
Best Defense: Liverpool
Best Offense: Manchester United

In terms of betting this is what i like
Best Over Teams: Blackburn, Tottenham
Best Under Teams: Chelsea, Liverpool
Best Underdog: Sunderland and Fulham

 

[miksa]

Agree with almost all of them, the one i disagree with has to be Fulham (and Aston Villa but lets not get into that right now as im certain Martin O'Neill has something in store)

Fulhams defence just seems like a joke to me. If they keep up their home form then yeah they might do better than i expect but on the road i wouldnt touch them ever a

 

[Satyr]

JESUS CHRIST HE DID THEM ALL.


I will read it all carefully tonight before baseball...excellent job bro. :cheers: :cheers:


Not Moyes again mate...nah...

It doesn't have to be Rafa if you thought that, I just don't think it will be Moyes.

 

[Satyr]

JESUS CHRIST HE DID THEM ALL.


I will read it all carefully tonight before baseball...excellent job bro. :cheers: :cheers:


Not Moyes again mate...nah...

It doesn't have to be Rafa if you thought that, I just don't think it will be Moyes.

 

[aplous]

Well done Mike.....ManU #1, Chelsea right there at 2.