Yeah homeboys, take 5. Its that time again!
2002/2003
2003/2004
2004/2005
2005/2006
Code:
My Predicted Table Actual Final Table Difference
01. Chelsea 01. Chelsea CORRECT
02. Liverpool 02. Man Utd Down 1
03. Man Utd 03. Liverpool Up 1
04. Arsenal 04. Arsenal CORRECT
05. Tottenham 05. Tottenham CORRECT
06. Middlesborough 06. Blackburn Down 8
07. Newcastle 07. Newcastle CORRECT
08. Everton 08. Bolton Down 3
09. Bolton 09. West Ham Up 1
10. Man City 10. Wigan Down 5
11. Blackburn 11. Everton Up 5
12. Aston Villa 12. Fulham Down 4
13. Birmingham 13. Charlton Down 5
14. Charlton 14. Middlesborough Up 1
15. Fulham 15. Man City Up 3
16. Portsmouth 16. Aston Villa Down 1
17. West Ham 17. Portsmouth Up 8
18. West Brom 18. Birmingham Down 1
19. Sunderland 19. West Brom Down 1
20. Wigan 20. Sunderland Up 10
4 CORRECTS - same as last year - but the real test is probably in your margin of error (ie, down 1 = add 1 point, up 3 = add 3 points, with the lowest score obviously being best.)
Last year i scored 62 (
)
This year i scored 58. A slight improvement but still utterly embarrassing. I consistently underrate the promoted teams it seems.
Anyway, on to this years festivities.
01. Chelsea
I wish, i wish, i wish i could predict someone else to win the league but i quite simply dont see it happening. I was beginning to think towards the end of last season that maybe liverpool and man utd could take a run at chelsea, but that was 05/06 chelsea, not 06/07 chelsea. Theyve added ballack to the midfield which will mean lampard doesnt have to play all the time, theyve added shevchenko, which means they arent going to miss chances that perhaps they have done in the past as they know have that ultimate 20 goal a season striker. Theyve bolstered their attacking options further in kalou and mikel, two of the most sought after young players in the world. They didnt play well in the community shield, but for one brief second when lampard played through shevchenko, we got a glimpse of the frightening prospect for the rest of the reason. If i was to play devils advocate, id suggest that maybe they now have too many personalities in the team - i dont see a way you can play essien lampard and ballack at the same time - the cracks are beginning to appear with drogba and gallas playing wantaway, wright-phillips desperate for first team football, lampard expressing a love for barcelona, and the elusive champions league perhaps distracting them from league duties. On top of this, the 4-3-3 system has never fully worked in england, and the chelsea players dont seem to know how to play it yet - mourinho is guilty of overmanagement sometimes, like last year when he took off his wingers after 20 minutes in a brilliant tactical ploy - that saw chelsea draw the game, regardless. Theres a lot of individual brilliance in that team but its not impossible to see it not all coming together. Wishful thinking though, isnt it. Being southernly also helps them considering how many short trips they have to make in and around london, whereas pool/manyoo dont normally do well making the trip down south.
Main Man : Claude Makalele. Especially with the way mourinho is going to be ****ing about with the midfield and the system, he's pretty much going to be the one constant in the team. If they are to have any spine or shape, its going to be through him.
02. Liverpool
I think they have the capability to push Chelsea all the way - shown today by the fact steven gerrard was dropped, and they dominated the champions for 90 minutes. They have options all over the pitch - every position on the field seems to be contested. With the possibility of another center forward coming to anfield, there is strength in depth and a first team to match anyones. Momo sissoko has made himself undroppable, his strength and stamina and awareness are ****ing incredible. Bellamy and Crouch should make the perfect big man little man combination. Gonzales and Pennant are two wingers with genuine pace and awesome crossing ability and both have points to prove. Defensively they are solid, with paletta, aurelio, and agger likely to all push for starting berths. Liverpools problem might well be chance conversion; they have never been particularly epic at killing off games they are controlling. However, an excellent side with an excellent chance of suprising people.
Main Man: Steven Gerrard. Epic performance to win the champions league in 05. Unbelievable performance to win the FA cup in 06. How about one to top it all, a premiership winning medal in 07?
03. Manchester United
I wondered about this choice, simply because of how inactive theyve been in the transfer market. Forgive me, but kuzcak and carrick dont strike me as the 2 signings man utd need to wrestle the premiership back off chelsea, or even consolidate second. Defensively they are solid - neville remains the best RB in the league, ferdinand brown and vidic provide each other competition - and the returning heinze will play at LB (though ive never been impressed by his distribution or on the ball skills). Though you wonder when he's going to be totally passed it, giggs still quietly does a job down the left, and the unsettled ronaldo will be fine once he has the old trafford crowd back behind him. If carrick is to play the holding role, man utds midfield may have a settled look about it for the first time in a long while. And getting scholes back is like getting a new player to complete the diamond (though i still have major doubts whether he and rooney can play in the same team effectively). Rooney needs no write up. But the second strikers role? Saha? I dont think so. Hes not man utd quality, nor is he nearly as disciplined a striker as the departing van nistelrooy, and this is easily man utds weakest starting position. The squad also seems paper thin - any injuries, and silvestre evra, fletcher, o'shea, park come in - players with question marks over their names - solskjaer is a legend, but is aging - and for all rossi's hype he hasnt achieved anything outside the reserves as of yet. In conclusion its not a man utd team that scares you to the core when you see it - giggs and scholes arent the giggs and scholes of old, and carrick is nowhere near roy keane.
Main Man : Wayne Rooney. He defies logic, his strength and turn of pace and shooting are brilliant, and can make an average man utd performance into a win with just a couple of touches.
04. Arsenal
A couple of weeks ago i might have been tempted to drop them from the top 4, but the overall quality of their performance in the champions league qualifiers reminded me of the "arsenal factor". It doesnt matter how bad their team looks on paper, arsene wenger gets them playing in such a way that they overcome it. They are more like a relay squad than a football team really - the defensive merits of players like emmanuel eboue are questionable, and they like a good dive, but the champions league run last season shows they are a squad - not a team, but a squad, that can challenge with anyone on occasion. Personally i think getting rid of sol campbell this early was a stupid decision especially as its not clear who will partner toure in defence. It sounds stupid, but when arsenal are playing well, they are brilliant, but when its not going well, they look clueless and wayward. And lets face it, theres a lot of players in the squad that have serious question marks over their heads. Adebayor - less potential more goals please. Van Persie - less hotels more end product please. Hleb - less speed more direction please. Reyes - less whatever it is you do that seems to attract Real, more consistency please. Expect arsenal to turn it on, but have bad patches that threaten to derail their season. If fabregas has added goals to his game theres real trouble for everyone else. Losing highbury and its stupidly narrow pitch is going to be a blow though.
Main Man : Thierry Henry. For all the analysis on "he doesnt do it for france / in big european games", he's still been consistently the best premiership player for the last 3-4 years, can win a game all on his own, and thats worth more than anything barcelona can offer.
05. Tottenham
Last season, Martin Jol did the unthinkable and got Tottenham to play consistent, exciting, attacking football. This season, i expect no different. Despite rumoured interest in a number of their players, they only lost Mido, who was on loan anyway, and carrick - who despite a big player for them, is frankly, easily replaceable - and replace they have, with zokora and berbatov coming to white hart lane. The fact that there hasnt been wholesale changes to the team means they will hopefully retain their shape, consistency, and understanding - though strengthening in the full back area before the close of the the transfer window would probably be wise. Defoe has a chance to impress Steve McLaren, and Robbie Keane has really come onto his game in the last while. Not fully sure about some players like Jenas, but with young talent like aaron lennon and michael dawson coming through strongly you can expect tottenham to be providing stiff opposition for everyone in the premiership this year. CL possibly just out of their grasp; but more arsenal inconsistency isnt unimaginable.
Main Man: Edgar Davids. Yeah, i know a lot of you wont agree, but every time i saw him last season, i loved it. I love all actions players and Martin Jol is so lucky that Ledley King etal have another season to learn from this absolute master of ball control. Most iconic central midfielder of our generation?
06. Everton
Tell you what, i'm impressed. Lescott might be overpriced, but its the right time to get him in, so that he and Joseph Yobo can in the course of this season learn from and usurp the golden oldie back pairing of weir and stubbs. Not convinced about the fullbacks, but i'll let that slide, because i think everton have a wealth of attacking talent at their disposal. Beattie and Johnson are like an oldfashioned center forward pairing - and again, while both have been significantly overpriced, they should hit it off and give opposition defences a real bruising - with mcfadden and the promising anichebe providing squad cover, everton look to have a good front line. In midfield they have imo, one of the best attacking mids in the world, in tim cahill. They have the exciting leon osman, the dead ball specialist mikael arteta, the battling lee carsley - with squad cover in the form of andy van der meyde, simon davies, zinedine kilbane - i think they have enough to seriously trouble a number of teams in the league, and secure a uefa cup place.
Main Man : Tim Cahill. Think the world cup did it for me, i just appreciate players with so much heart and energy, even if it means a red card here and there.
07. Blackburn
In many ways Blackburn were the suprise package of last season, finishing 6th and briefly threatening to challenge for the 4th CL spot before falling away. They have lost the goals of Bellamy, but have made a very shrewd purchase in Jason Roberts, who was simply immense for Wigan last season. Benni McCarthy brings goals to the side too, and apart from the red cards of Dickov, they havent really lost anything significant. I am quite suprised that with a European adventure ahead of them they havent moved to strengthen their squad further than they have though., as injuries could really devestate them. There is some steel in their squad with the likes of Neill, Savage, Tugay, Roberts, Kuqi, and a bit of aggression and guile is whats needed in the premiership - especially away to bolton on a cold winters night.
Main Man - Morten Gamst Pedersen. Fast becoming the yeboah/le tissier of 2006, his goals not only entertain, they win games - finding a link between the midfield and strikers can be difficult but he does it so well.
08. West Ham
West Ham won nationwide plaudits for their attacking football last season, and for their part in what was surely one of the best FA cup finals of all time. There is so much to like and be excited about their team - Ashton, Reo-Coker, Etherington, Anton Ferdinand, Konchesky - all players very much on the cusp of the national side, and knowing their youth setup, im sure we'll see a couple more this season. They have attacking options to spare, i think sheringham is still kicking about too to help ashton and zamora, and of course Marlon Harewood. Etherington and Benayoun are such good wingers, that they are one side you can never rule out coming back into a game. Defensively last season they were a little naive, but second season in the premiership and with an entire summer with no world cup duty for alan pardew to drill his players, im sure they will go some way to dealing with it this time round.
Main Man : Nigel Reo-Coker. Spot what sort of player i like best? I appreciate his work rate and team ethic, a perfect young captain of a good football club.
09. Newcastle
Sometimes i wonder about newcastle, whether they are ready to string a good year together or not. They finished last season with a flourish, earned Glenn Roeder the job (if not a personality). I dont want to say too much about them because watching them and talking about them depresses me. Theres nothing more boring than a scott parker / nicky butt midfield clogfest, and watching boumsong et al hoof balls up to shola ameobi. Credit where credits due, he bagged over 10 goals in the prem last year and pre season he looks to finally have figured out how to use his strength to his advantage. Duff, for some reason, i have the sneaking suspicion, will fail to impress. Hes never been a prolific goalscorer and he doesnt seem to have much in front of him to hit cross-wise. Dont kid yourself that michael owen returning will change much either. Still, with owens tap ins, and various moments of brilliance from duff or solano, i'm sure theyll eek out a 9th place finish this season or better, simply because even as wank as they are defensively, they have more solidity to them than the likes of Boro, Villa etc.
Main Man : Shay Given. The single reason why they do even half decent each year, he's a fantastic keeper and doesnt deserve to have spent his whole career at such also rans.
10. Aston Villa
I'm only basing this solely on the Martin O'Neill factor, but considering that i was about to suggest they were nearing relegation candidates recently, this is probably complete folly. The team itself is fairly weak with quite a lot of could have beens, and overrated journeymen, but if theres ever been a manager who could get the most out of such players, its martin o neill. Im presuming petrov will probably sign within the next week or two, and he's an amazing player to get to build a team around.
Main Man : Milan Baros - goals win games. But im changing this to petrov if he signs.
11. Man City
I'm already ****ing regretting putting them this high, theyve shown in the last 2 years that they are experts at bottling it, and turning potential into disaster. They play entertaining football however so im partial to them. Lots of good players with a lot more to show too, samaras looks the real deal up front and micah richards earned lots of plaudits for how he finished the season. Theyve strengthened well though - hamann is a quality premiership player with lots of experience, corradi will add something different upfront, and trabelsi has been linked with much bigger clubs than city so should be considered a coup. Pearce had the midas touch before, he needs it back to inspire this lot to anything like mid table mediocracy.
Main Man : Joey Barton. If he can rediscover the form he showed early last season, he can inspire man city to punch above their weight.
12. Bolton
I suppose this does indeed represent the wheels coming off slowly. I wanted to put them lower but that would be an exaggeration of their decline which is something i'm trying to avoid. What is there to say about bolton? Despite the much aired nuts report that said they dont long ball as much as people like to think, they are still horrible to watch, and dirty bastards to boot. This year they have lost jj, ngotty, and jaidi, and brought in quinton flopcrock and some meite chap i've never heard of. Sure they still have a few decent players but they are still essentially a clogfest. Unfortunately in this division, if you do it for a long enough period of time, itll pay off. They fell away last season so this will probably still be below the expectations of greedier premiership fans, but i cant see them achieving much more.
Main Man : Kevin Nolan. Can drive from midfield and give them a good shooting option outside the box.
13. Portsmouth
It took a long time for the new arrivals at Fratton Park to settle down, but when they did, Portsmouth finally looked like they could string results together. Signings havent exactly been plentiful this summer, but Campbell and Johnson as part of a lower table back 4 are certainly better than your average. I was actually expecting to predict them much higher when i came to do this but inactivity in the transfer market has kind of put paid to that, plus, harry redknaap's ability to command a side marching up the table rather than one battling for survival has to be questioned. Have put them slightly higher than their squad deserves based solely on the fact that there must be more signings on their way
Main Man : Lua Lua, i suppose. I dont really know. Im not as convinced by the midfield as some people (lok) and im sure theres a few more signings to come.
14. Charlton
I thought they were going to go down actually when i started thinking about the league at the start of the summer but in retrospect, i think they should be alright. Theyve got rid of some deadwood (jeffers, perry, bothroyd) and brought in hasselbaink - a proven premiership marksman, who will do wonders for darren bents fledgling career. Even amdy faye and djimi traore come to the valley with something to prove - charlton fans will have a new lease of life under new management, as great a job as curbs did, it was time for a change. Another club that will benefit from location - they dont have to fear potentially nasty away trips like fulham pompey and watford as much as a northern club like boro does, for example.
Main Man : Darren Bent. I dont rate him nearly as highly as the media, or most football fans, but hes going to have to have another huge season to get himself in the england squad or team regulalrly, and prove people like me wrong.
15. Fulham
Believe it or not, fulham are actually one of the most entertaining sides in the premiership, if not the most prestigious. Theyve STILL kept a hold of boa morte and malbranque and added quedrue and bullard - two quality premiership players to the team. They struggle badly away from home though, and the lack of passion in the club means when the going really gets tough we might not see a rallying spirit behind them like you might get in other clubs with more dedicated fanbases etc. They were also the most unlucky club in terms of referee's decisions that i saw all last year.
Main Man : Luis Boa Morte - i think he's really grown into the "small pond big fish" role.
16. Middlesborough
They've lost their manager, their best fullback, their center defender (who is now an inexperienced third-choice manager!), their top scorer, and their confidence after a humbling in the uefa cup. Significant talent remains, downing, boateng, viduka, the yak, but this is a team that can go from 3-0 vs chelsea, to 0-8 vs arsenal. Consistency is hard to find and they should score enough goals to keep themselves out of trouble but i dont see them being a force in the premiership.
Main Man : George Boateng - steel, and the only solid part of a rather flimsy and unattractive looking side.
17. Reading
I was going to put them higher solely on the basis of how easily they romped the Championship last year but i just had a peak at their squad and its mince. Again, theres always the team spirit thing, but they are more likely to do a sunderland than a wigan to me. Purely by default i think theyll have enough to stay up. Though frankly considering my abysmal knowledge of the championship i could be way off.
Main Man : Seol - i've heard he's meant to be an exciting player, and maybe a bit of flair will get the fans and neutrals onside their survival campaign.
18. Wigan
Yeah they did great last season, true, and Jewell is a decent manager - but even good managers get shit teams relegated. His board havent helped him out and whats happened? Theyve lost their best striker (Roberts), theyve lost their best midfielder (Bullard), and they are going to lose their best defender (Chimbonda) by the looks of things. Yeah, these three guys werent the only reason they did ok - but people forget their late season collapse, as they struggled to finish 10th in the end. The second season in the premiership is always the hardest and i dont see them scraping as many dodgy 1-0s as before. Lose 4 of those games and its byebye.
Main Man : Paul Scharner - i think he was a great january buy and his steel will be needed - though im not sure whether its midfield or defence he will start the season in.
19. Watford
As with all the teams that come up from the championship, i dont have a ****ing clue about them. They have a few familiar faces from past relegation battles but again its going to have to be a suprise if they are to survive - but who honestly had heard of jimmy bullard this time last year?
Main Man : Marlon King - but only because he has goals in him and ive seen more highlights of him than any other Watford player.
20. Sheffield United
Neil Warnock has wasted his entire life trying to get a consistently underperforming Sheffield United into the premiership, now he's finally achieved it, i think they are going straight back down. They havent strengthened enough from a team that didnt look convincing for long periods of time in the championship (believe me, i ****ing backed them a lot time and lost so much money). I just cant see them having enough to stay up, battle and cheat though they will.
Main Man : Phil Jagielka - battler and all round quality fat geezer.