Here is the original synopsis and predictions for 2007/08 revisited with the addition of the final finishes, the highs and the lows and a couple of semi interesting statistics. So here is an opportunity to share my gaffs and a couple of thoughts that were reasonably close. And before some of you laugh too hard I will be linking back to the original comments and predictions that were posted back in August 2007 once the Whoops signal stops appearing.
Arsenal
Synopsis – If Arsenal is going to better last season’s record then there are two areas ripe for improvement. The first is their record against lower half opposition – last season Arsenal only won half of these games. The other is to get their noses in front. Last season Arsenal gave up the first goal in twenty Premiership games and although they collected 22 points in these matches (more than any other club) a repeat performance would nix any chance they might have of pushing the likes of Chelsea and Manchester United.
Arsenal needs to improve defensively – particularly on cross balls – and the wide midfield players (Rosicky, Hleb and possibly Eboue) need to chip in with goals. Gunner fans will be looking for Robin Van Persie to establish himself as a top rate striker while new arrival Eduardo Da Silva (work permit granted) needs to show that he can replicate his Dynamo Zagreb form at a higher level.
The departure of Thierry Henry has set off a wave of “Arsenal-in-decline” stories – don’t be surprised if his departure has the reverse effect.
Season’s narrative – Can Arsenal prosper without Thierry Henry?
Prediction–3rd. Actual–3rd. High – 1st Low – 7th
Stat Facts – An improvement of 15 points from last season (5 at home, 10 away) and the highest ever total points recorded by a team finishing 3rd in the Premiership.
Bolton
Synopsis – Although Sam Allardyce resigned before the end of last season this really is the start of the post big-Sam era. His replacement Sammy Lee has to prove that he can successfully move from his coaching position to the number one job – something that others have failed to accomplish at other clubs.
At first blush Lee appears to be mimicking the eclectic mix that was so successful under Allardyce. Arrivals from Europe (Cid, Dzemalli and Harsanyi), a veteran English midfielder written off by others (McCann), an underachieving defender (Samuel) and a bustling hard-working striker who to date has failed to make his mark in the Premiership (Helguson). Toss in a loan deal for Christian Wilhelmsson and you have very much the same recipe albeit with a different cook.
Bolton never dropped lower than 8th all last season in the Premiership - a repeat would be a remarkable achievement.
Season’s narrative – Can Little Sam make Bolton fans forget Big Sam?
Prediction – 15th Actual – 16th High – 13th Low – 20th
Stat Facts – Bolton experienced the largest loss in points season over season – 20 fewer than in 2006/07. An unbeaten run of five matches at season’s end that earned Bolton eleven points brought salvation. To generate the points Bolton scored only six goals but conceded only two – just like old times at the Reebok.
Middlesbrough
Synopsis – In the last five seasons Boro has been as high as 7th and as low as 14th. Based on this summer’s moves the team is more likely to finish closer to 14th than 7th.
For all the abuse that is heaped on him Mark Viduka has been a remarkably consistent scorer since he arrived in English football from Celtic in 2000. He has average better than two goals every five game while with Leeds and Boro and that sort of rate is not going to be easy to replace.
Based on past performances Jeremie Aliadiere doesn’t look like an adequate replacement – even though Gareth Southgate has apparently been impressed by the Frenchman’s hunger. Tuncay Sanli is an interesting addition but he would not be the first striker to find the non-stop pace of the Premiership difficult to adapt to.
The scoring load will probably fall on the shoulders of the often transfer-rumored Yakubu Ayegbeni. So far Boro has denied that they are willing to allow him to leave should another club come in with a bid. Boro supporters should hope that the Nigerian striker stays put because without him Middlesbrough might be fighting relegation. With Yakubu a reasonably comfortable lower mid-table position is probably in the cards.
Season’s narrative – Can Boro breakout of mid-table mediocrity?
Prediction – 13th Actual – 13th High – 10th Low - 18th
Stat Facts – Not a head for heights? Boro spent one week in the top ten and only four weeks the season before. Middlesbrough finished the season with two consecutive wins – something they only accomplished one other time during the season – in December they beat Arsenal and Derby County.
Fulham
Synopsis – Lawrie Sanchez has spent a good part of the summer spending money. However, Sanchez may have added to the squad depth but he may not have significantly improved the starting eleven.
Fulham start their season at the Emirates Stadium against Arsenal and a win will equal their away record over the last two seasons. Not hard when the last two seasons have only brought about a win in each. On the road last season Fulham conceded more away goals (42) than any other Premiership club and finished the 2007 season with the longest current run of matches without scoring more than a single goal in a Premiership game – 12.
They also own the current longest sequence since winning by more than a single goal. Fifty Premiership games have come and gone since a 6-1 win over West Brom in February 2006.
Season’s narrative – Will the money spent turnout to be well spent?
Prediction – 18th Actual – 17th High – 9th Low – 19th
Stat Facts – Fulham threw away 27 points from winning positions this season. However, they did finish the season with four wins in their last five matches. The four wins accounted for half of the three-pointers they collected all season. They also finished with three consecutive away wins. Prior to that they had no away wins in 16 games and had only won twice away from home in the last two seasons.
Birmingham
Synopsis – There are very few holdovers from the side that was relegated at the end of the 2006 season. Lat summer Steve Bruce cleaned house and it led to promotion. Twelve months on and has been busy once more. In midfield Fabrice Muamba is now a permanent fixture after spending last season at St. Andrews on loan from Arsenal. He’s joined in midfield by French international Olivier Kapo (5th team since 2004). Gary McSheffrey proved to be a shrewd acquisition from Coventry City in August 2006 and he could be set to make an impression in the Premiership.
Up front Gary O’Connor will be looked to for goals after signing from Lokomotiv Moscow although Nicolas Bendtner (returned to Arsenal after a loan spell) will be missed. Birmingham conceded the second fewest goals in the Championship last season but Bruce has given himself some new options. Only Bruno N’Gotty has left while Ridgewell, Queudrue, Parnaby and Brazilian Schmitz (presently carrying an injury) have been added. Ghanaian World Cup goalkeeper Richard Kingson has signed although it is not clear whether Steve Bruce sees him as a replacement or back up for Colin Doyle.
Casting a potential shadow over the club is the ownership ambition of Hong Kong businessman Carson Yeung. Yeung has already bought 30% of the club and has plans to acquire the remaining shares. Full control for Yeung combined with a poor start and Birmingham may become the Hearts of the EPL.
Season’s narrative – Has Steve Bruce learned lessons from Birmingham’s relegation in 2006?
Prediction – 17th Actual – 19th High – 11th Low – 19th
Stat Facts – If half time results had held Birmingham would have finished in a comfortable 10th position. Only Derby County finished with fewer away points while the Birmingham defense only kept three clean sheets all season – a record shared with Derby County.
Liverpool
Synopsis – Last season’s challenge for the league was almost over before it began as Liverpool faltered out of the gate. That, combined with poor away form that brought only six wins away from Anfield negated an excellent home record. If Liverpool is to challenge for the league title then a strong start is mandatory.
Based on the moves that Rafa Benitez has made this summer he must be happy with his defense. Torres, Babel, Benayoun and Voronin have all been brought to Anfield to either score or create goals. Lucas Leiva arrives with a great reputation although he will have a difficult time breaking into the Liverpool midfield.
With Fernando Torres carrying the mantle of the Premiership’s most expensive summer signing most of the spotlight will be on the Spaniard. Views on the striker are polarized – the naysayers point to his average of around two goals every five games for Atletico Madrid. His supporters are quick to indicate that he is only 23-years-old and his Atletico strike rate is impressive given the club’s overall goal tally.
Liverpool finished 21 points behind the champions Manchester United last season and it will need a Herculean effort to close that gap.
Season’s narrative – Can Fernando Torres deliver the goals that Liverpool need?
Prediction – 4th Actual – 4th High – 1st Low – 9th
Stat Facts – Liverpool tied with Blackburn Rovers and Tottenham Hotspur for the most draws – 13. Only Manchester United scored more home goals than Liverpool (47 to 43). Ironically Liverpool gained four fewer points at home this season compared with last campaign although away points went from 22 to 34.
Fernando Torres became the first Liverpool player to score 20 Premiership goals since Robbie Fowler over a decade ago. What’s more of his 24 markers only one came from a set-piece. No other player scored more Premiership goals this season from open play.
Reading
Synopsis – Last summer critics were aghast when manager Steve Coppell decided to keep faith with the players that had secured promotion for Reading. When the Premiership kicked off last season not one Reading player had top flight experience in England.
However, Coppell’s gut instinct was spot on and Reading cruised through their first ever season in the Premiership. Once again, manager Steve Coppell appears to be largely content with his Reading squad.
Full back Emerse Fae was signed late last week from relegated side Nantes for a record club fee and joins another French defender Kalifa Cisse signed from Portuguese club Boavista. Leaving the Madjeski Stadium are little used full back Greg Halford (only signed from Colchester in January but sold on to Sunderland at a $2M+ profit) and influential midfielder Steve Sidwell (Chelsea on a Bosman transfer). The question of how and who will replace Sidwell (former Arsenal player) is still to be answered.
Last season Kevin Doyle carried much of scoring load with 13 league goals and although no other Reading player hit double figures 13 other players did chip in with goals through the Premiership season. Leroy Lita enjoyed a good run of scoring with six of his seven goals coming during and just after the Xmas period. Fellow striker Dave Kitson only managed two goals although he missed almost six months of the season after being injured on the opening day of last season.
Season’s narrative – Can Reading avoid the second-season jinx?
Prediction – 11th Actual – 18th High – 7th Low – 18th
Stat Facts – Reading only picked two points after being in a losing position – tied with Everton. The bottom fell out of Reading’s season both home and away. Compared to last season they collected 9 fewer points at home and 10 fewer away from home. The swing in goal difference – from +5 a year ago to -25 this May.
Blackburn
Synopsis – If Blackburn can hold on to the likes of Benni McCarthy and Morten Gant Pederson by the time the transfer closes then the pre-season can be regarded as a success. The form of McCarthy and Pederson last season was key contributors to a midway league finish and an FA Cup run that finished with an extra time semi final loss to Chelsea. Given the injuries to a number of key players last season it was a remarkable achievement by Mark Hughes’ side.
The arrival of goalkeeper Gunnar Nielsen may be more about Blackburn planning for a time when Brad Friedel will no longer be patrolling the penalty area while Maceo Rigters joins the club on the back of a series of great performances at this summers UEFA under-21 Championship.
Roque Santa Cruz arrives at Ewood Park with a great reputation but one that is not supported by the stats. A goal every five games for Bayern Munich is a disappointing return for a player who appears to have all the right tools. A resurrection at Ewood Park or a stop on the way to lower level obscurity?
Doubtless Blackburn will be as feisty as last season although a reduction in the number of penalties conceded (11) and red cards received (5) might help them.
Season’s narrative – Can Benni McCarthy maintain his spectacular form of last season?
Prediction – 9th
Actual – 7th High – 3rd Low – 10th
Stat Facts – Blackburn fought back from losing positions to pick up an additional 20 points – only Arsenal with 21 points was better. Blackburn only dropped six points (3 draws) at home to bottom half of the table teams.
West Ham United
Synopsis – A good number of players have come and gone since last season’s great escape but most of the attention this summer has been on Carlos Tevez. Now that Tevez has finally left West Ham fans can now focus their attention on the new season.
Manager Alan Curbishley has opted to strengthen the midfield and attack while keeping largely keeping faith with the defenders. Scott Parker will be reunited with his old Charlton boss and Freddie Ljunberg can still contribute goals if he can stay fit. However, French midfielder Julien Faubert will have to wait another six months at least before seeing Premiership action after rupturing an Achilles tendon in a warm up match.
The loss of striker Dean Ashton for almost all of last season to injury was a devastating blow to West Ham and hopes are high that Ashton’s injury woes are a thing of the past. He scored against his former club Norwich in a friendly match last week. A partnership with the fleet-footed Craig Bellamy might be a source of much needed goals for the Hammers.
Season’s narrative – Can West Ham bounce back from a traumatic 2006/07 season?
Prediction – 14th
Actual – 10th High – 5th Low – 20th
Stat Facts – In total West Ham spent 24 weeks and 18 out of the last 19 weeks in 10th spot. West Ham only won two consecutive games once this season – in September 3-0 wins over Reading and Middlesbrough.
Sunderland
Synopsis – Roy Keane was the story of last season’s Coca cola Championship and is likely to be one of the stories of this season’s Premiership. When he arrived a drop into League One looked to be a more realistic prospect than promotion back to the Premiership. But Keane set about the task of reinvigorating one of the great teams of years past.
Over twenty players were signed or moved on as Sunderland moved from 23rd spot to league champions. Keane has also endeavored to change the club culture as he insisted on pictures and mementos of past triumphs be displaced around the stadium and kyboshed the idea of the club publicly “celebrating” the promotion.
With only two players shipping out so far it looks as if Keane is intent on improving the depth of his player pool while focusing on younger players who should, in theory, still have room to improve.
Kieron Richardson should get a chance to nail down a consistent starting position after only spot duty with Manchester United. Michael Chopra returns to the North-East only twelve months after leaving Newcastle for Cardiff City. Chopra had been unable to break into the Newcastle starting line-up but 22 goals for Cardiff in the Championship last season had many questioning Newcastle’s decision to give up on the 23-year-old.
Centre half Russell Anderson is an intriguing buy for only $2M from Aberdeen. The 28-year-old has up to now played his entire career with Aberdeen and developed into one most consistent players in Scotland. Many believe that if Anderson had opted to move to a bigger club earlier in his career his he would have been capped more than nine times for his country.
Season’s narrative – Shaped by Brian Clough and Sir Alex Ferguson is Roy Keane the next great Premiership manager?
Prediction – 16th Actual – 15th High – 4th Low – 19th
Stat Facts –Sunderland may have been one of six teams that failed to collect 40 points but they still gained more points this season than in their two previous Premiership incarnations combined. Sunderland did however have the longest losing sequence of any Premiership team away from home with 10.
Manchester United
Synopsis – Sir Alex Ferguson has made a career out of proving his critics wrong so it would foolhardy to predict that United will not retain the title won last season. However, the planets really did align for United in 2006/07. Vidic established himself as the type of physical centre back United had been missing since the long ago departure of Jaap Stam; Paul Scholes orchestrated from the midfield rolling back the years as he gathered, prompted and dissected; Ryan Giggs was another who enjoyed an Indian Summer; Cristiano Ronaldo became the best player in the Barclay’s Premiership.
Can it happen again? Owen Hargreaves has been brought in to provide a more solid defensive shield in midfield while Nani and Anderson look to be the heirs to Scholes and Giggs. The “loan” of Carlos Tevez has now been settled and he will add some extra fire power up front - an extremely exciting addition to the Old Trafford staff. On paper United have strengthened the midfield and attack. However, should Gabriel Heinze be granted his wish to move then United’s back four might be a bit more susceptible to an injuries and/or suspensions.
Season’s narrative – How will Sir Alex Ferguson integrate all his attacking options while ensuring that the backdoor remains bolted?
Prediction – 2nd Actual – 1st High – 1st Low – 16th
Stat Facts – United spent 17 weeks in top spot and maintained that position from round 29 onwards. They claimed 52 of a possible 57 points at home dropping to Reading in the first game of the season and losing to Manchester City. United only conceded three goals in the last ten minutes of Premiership games this season – William Gallas (Arsenal 2-2), Matthew Upson (West Ham 2-1 loss) and a penalty from Michael Ballack (Chelsea 2-1) loss.
Everton
Synopsis – One look at the last five seasons should have Everton fans cringing as new season approaches. Each good season has been followed by disappointment and after last season’s sixth place finish a drop is in the cards.
However, if the Toffees can match last season’s performance of not losing more than two consecutive games then things may not turn out so bad. Moyes will also be eyeing the 13 games that finished as draws last season as a possible area for improvement.
With James Vaughn out for an extended period Everton may still make a move for a striker should one become available. The arrival of Steven Pienaar on loan should add more depth and a bit of goal scoring (15 goals in little less than 100 games during his time with Ajax) to the midfield. He will join the likes of Manuel Fernandez, Mikel Arteta and Tim Cahill in a midfield that if it is gels could be a stand-out in the league.
David Moyes will probably slot Phil Jagielka (from Sheffield United) into a back four that improved significantly as last season progressed.
Season’s narrative – Will Everton slip again? Prediction – 8th Actual – 5th High – 1st Low – 10th
Stat Facts – Everton only picked up two points over the entire season after being in a losing position but finished their highest ever Premiership points total. In the last four season’s Everton has finished 4th, 11th, 6th and 5th.
Aston Villa
Synopsis – Last season Villa may have finished 11th in the Premiership but they needed a nine-game unbeaten run at the end of the season to avoid a relegation dogfight. Martin O’Neill may achieved his initial objective of making Villa a difficult team to beat (only ten losses in thirty-eight games) but if his side is up the table then a good number of last season’s league high 17 draws need to turn into wins. That means more goals are needed from the strikers and from the midfield. Another ten goals and the defense holding firm could mean a move into the top six.
The jury is still out on John Carew (7 clubs in 9 seasons) but the arrival of Marlon Harewood gives O’Neill another option up front. O’Neill has under whelmed most Villa fans with the signing of Harewood but remember this is the same manager that resurrected the career of Chris Sutton. Gabriel Agbonlahor was a revelation last season but he may find that the second season is harder than the first. Nigel Reo-Coker will replace Gavin McCann and should bring more vigour and pace to the centre of the Villa midfield.
Villa had the sixth best defensive record last season but there is still room for improvement. An injury free season for Martin Laursen (he’s averaged less than 10 games a season since arriving from Milan in the summer of 2004) would certainly help while O’Neill may yet sign another goalkeeper to compete with Thomas Sorenson.
Overall the departures far exceed the arrivals at Villa Park which might lead us to conclude that Martin O’Neill is willing to go with some younger players.
Season’s narrative – With money going unspent will it turn out to be a false economy by Martin O’Neill?
Prediction – 6th Actual – 6th High – 5th Low – 17th
Stat Facts – Villa finished as the Premiership’s third top scorers behind Manchester United and Arsenal with 71 goals scored. Last season they scored 43 times. The extra goals (although they also conceded 10 more) helped them to five more wins than last season although their losses (10) remained the same.
Newcastle
Synopsis – Where do you start when it comes to Newcastle United? An incredibly well-supported club inadequately led over the years by bungling directors and often managers, is as good a place to start as any. But since the end of last season the club has been bought by Mike Ashley (although there is no guarantee that he will be any better than the others who have come before) and Sam Allardyce has taken over the managerial reins. But even then there have been consistent rumours that Allardyce would not have been the new owner’s pick had he been able to start with a clean slate.
As it is Allardyce has indicated that he is still in the market for some experienced players but even without any additional moves the spine of this team looks much stronger. New arrivals Czech defender David Rozehnal and Brazilian Cacapa will probably be the first choice centre back pairing while Joey Barton will become the fulcrum of the midfield. Up front Viduka and Smith (reunited after playing together at Leeds) will provide some added presence to a front line that was on the small side last season. Martins and Owen (depending on the combination) should benefit from the addition of Viduka and Smith.
Increased goal production is a priority for a team that was shut-out 17 times last season, and 16 times the season before.
Season’s narrative – Can Sam Allardyce bring real hope and progress to the long suffering Newcastle faithful?
Prediction – 10th Actual – 12th High – 1st Low – 14th
Stat Facts – In 2006/07 Newcastle enjoyed the 7th best record against teams in the top ten. This season they collected only 10 points from top half teams. But Newcastle still finished with the same number of points as last season (43) and improved their overall standing by one place.
Derby
Synopsis – Wining the Premiership play off is always a cause for great celebration but it soon dissipates as the challenge of staying in the top league sinks in. Manager Billy Davies has some good young players in the squad but overall it looks awfully like a squad built to do well in the Championship rather than the Premiership.
Robert Earnshaw (Derby’s record signing) will have another chance (he was with West Brom from 2004 to 2006) to show that can score goals regularly in the Premiership (to date 12 goals in 43 appearances) as he has done in the Championship (19 last season in an injury affected season). Steve Howard (16 goals) will likely team up with Earnshaw in attack.
Centre back Claude Davis who was relegated with Sheffield United last season is another player to be given a chance to prove his worth in the top flight.
Season’s narrative – How many times will Derby be described as gallant losers?
Prediction – 19th Actual – 20th High – 7th Low – 20th
Stat Facts – Derby County now owns almost every Premiership record for futility.
Chelsea
Synopsis – Peace has broken out at Stamford Bridge. The enemy, for the moment at least, is the other nineteen teams of the Barclay’s Premiership and on paper this is the strongest squad that Mourinho has had since his arrival in the summer of 2004.
If Petr Cech can avoid injury it will only add to a defense that led the Premiership with 22 clean sheets. The on-going right back problem may remain although rumours persist that Sevilla’s Daniel Alves is on his way to Stamford Bridge. A work permit has been granted for Alex so the last season’s centre back crisis is less likely to reoccur - Tal Ben Haim as a squad player will also help.
That will allow Michael Essien to play is his more natural position in midfield with all the resulting benefits. The talk is a return to a 4-3-3 formation and if Mourinho decides to go that route then it is difficult to see how Michael Ballack and Andriy Shevchenko will fit in - essentially the same question as last year at this time.
Malouda was France’s player of the year and he carries a scoring threat. His work rate plus an ability to get past players makes him a great addition to the Chelsea squad. Given that Chelsea’s goal production dropped by 10 goals last season, more goals will be one of the critical factors if Chelsea is to make it a third Premiership title in four seasons.
Season’s narrative – Can Chelsea maintain focus and stop the in-fighting and strength sapping controversy?
Prediction - Champions Actual – 2nd High – 1st Low – 7th
Stat Facts – Chelsea only spent one week in first place – that came in round 4. Chelsea remains unbeaten at home for another season and collected exactly the same number of points as in 2006/07 – 43 points. Contrast these totals with the 55 points and 47 points they gained at home when winning the league in 2006 and 2005 and ironically you can see where Chelsea needs to improve. Chelsea’s impressive away form continued this season – 42 points from a possible 57 which is up two from the previous season.
Tottenham Hotspur
Synopsis – Martin Jol has been one of the busier managers this summer with another raft of new signings. Spurs’ start last season was woeful and they must find a way to integrate their new signings quickly if the hope to improve on their 5th place finish of the last two seasons.
When the team began to click last season goals were not a problem. Unfortunately as quick as Spurs could score them they let goals in as well. In all Premiership games involving Spurs produced 111 goals – more than any other Premiership team – but Spurs finished with a goal difference of only +3.
The return of a fully fit Ledley King will help plug the holes at the back and it is doubtful that England keeper Paul Robinson can produce back-to-back mediocre seasons. Younes Kaboul arrives with glowing recommendations. Youngster Gareth Bale (watch out for his free kicks) arrives from Southampton and is expected to solve the ongoing left back problem at White Hart Lane. However, there doesn’t appear to be a ready made solution at hand on the left side of midfield.
With a price tag of $35M the expectations for Darren Bent are justifiably high and many will be watching to see how Jol goes about fitting the former Charlton player into a strike force that already has Berbatov, Robbie Keane and Jermain Defoe pushing for a spot.
Season’s narrative – Can Spurs spending finally deliver some silverware as well as entertainment?
Prediction – 5th Actual – 11th High – 9th Low – 20th
Stat Facts – Spurs set a record for points lost from a winning position – 33 over the season. They also gained 14 fewer points than they did twelve months ago and that means they have slipped 19 points from two seasons ago. This season saw Spurs participate in another galaxy of goals – this time their 38 games produced 127 (66-61) goals up from 111 (57-54) the season before.
Portsmouth
Synopsis - Pompey was the moved improved team last season so expectations have grown since the club just avoided relegation at the end of the 2006 season. Portsmouth’s improvement was almost exclusively on account of their form at Fratton Park. Sixteen more points were secured at home last season over the previous season and only the top four lost fewer home matches. Only three teams - Bolton, Charlton and Chelsea – left Fratton Park with full points. Harry Rednapp will focus on significantly improving Pompey’s away form which was poor last season - three wins and only 16 points was a poor return.
Pompey appears to have strengthened throughout their line up. Sylvain Distin is a good addition to the defense – particularly if Sol Campbell should up and leave – while Sulley Muntari and Arnold Mvuemba will join the likes of Gary O’Neil and Matthew Taylor in a workman like but effective midfield.
Although Kanu’s future at Fratton Park is still undecided the arrival of David Nugent and Nigerian John Utaka should add to Pompey’s goal scoring threat. These two could be become very important players at Portsmouth.
However, the signing of Hermann Hreidarsson should be enough to sober up any Pompey fans dreaming of 2008 glory. Since arriving in England in 1997 Hreidarsson has played for Crystal Palace, Brentford, Wimbledon, Ipswich and Charlton. Only Brentford escaped relegation while the Icelandic international was on the books.
Season’s narrative – Can Portsmouth become road warriors?
Prediction – 7th Actual – 8th High – 4th Low – 15th
Stat Facts – Portsmouth had the most consecutive wins away from home this season - 6. When opening the scoring Pompey was the only side with a 100% record 14 out of 14. But they did fail to find the mark 15 times - only Sunderland and Derby were worse. Even so Portsmouth improved on last season’s previous high water mark of a 9th place finish and 54 points with three more points and one place higher.
Manchester City
Synopsis – If City supporters felt as if they spent last season in purgatory, the good news is that miserable situation may get better. The bad news is that it might not get all that much better even though a lot of cash has been splashed this summer.
Sven Goran Eriksson, successful in Sweden, Italy and Portugal, has been throughout his career a counter-attacking coach and so the City Of Manchester Stadium may again be a ground where thrills are administered from a drip. However, given that City only scored ten goals at home all season and set a new top flight record for scoring futility in the process it really can’t get any worse.
Bulgarian Martin Petrov looks to be a good acquisition and Geovanni has been brought in to add some craft in the last third of the field. Since his move to Europe the 27-year-old has done little to fulfill his earlier promise – City might be his last chance. Swiss youngster Gelson Fernandes is another recruit and he will battle for a midfield spot.
Rolando Bianchi was a scoring sensation (18 goals) with Reggina last season but he has little else in his career to substantiate the fee of over $16M that City paid for his services. A few seasons ago when with Lecce Bulgarian Valeri Bozhinov was one of the great young up and coming players. Since then his career has been moving but more sideways than ahead. If the pairing can hit it off then City’s prospects will look a lot rosier. However that is a very big if.
Elano, Javier Garrido and Vedran Corluka were added at one fell swoop last week bringing new signings so far to 8 and not one English player amongst them. With Sylvain Distin off to Portsmouth, Eriksson will likely opt to move Micah Richards to centre back. Eriksson will focus on making his side more difficult to beat but from there on he may run out of ideas – on the field anyway.
Season’s narrative – Is the Manchester City secretarial pool safe?
Prediction – 12th Actual – 9th High – 1st Low – 9th
Stat Facts – Of the top ten teams only Manchester City show up in the bottom half of the “second-half” table. City matched their best ever Premiership placing of ninth and could have improved on that if that had been able to hold on to a modicum of their early season home form. City took a maximum twenty-seven points from their first nine matches at the City of Manchester Stadium but only ten points from their last ten games at home. Even so City finished with a season-to-season improvement of 13 points.
Wigan
Synopsis – Apart from a relegation saving final day of the season win over Sheffield United the latter part of last season is something that Wigan do not want to replicate. Last season Wigan took 18 points from their first 12 games; and 20 points from their other 26 games. They also conceded more goals at home (30) than any other team and suffered more losses at home than any other team in the Premiership – 10. And just for good measure Wigan led the Premiership in the unwanted category of points dropped from winning positions – a massive 26 points.
More than enough for new manager Chris Hutchings to work on you would think. He will be hoping that injury-dogged keeper Chris Kirkland stays. In front of Kirkland the arrival of Titus Bramble and Mario Melchiot is to say the least being met with some raised eyebrows.
Michael Brown brings his unique competitive (I’m being kind) qualities to the JJB along with former WBA midfielder Jason Koumas. Up front Antoine Sibierski is the only addition and it is doubtful that the 33-year-old Frenchman is suddenly going to become a regular goal scorer.
Season’s narrative – Who will replace Chris Hutchings when he is fired in November?
Prediction – 20th Actual – 14th High – 1st Low – 19th
Stat Facts – After spending nine of the first 24 rounds in the relegation zone Wigan “escaped” never to return over the remaining 14 rounds. With Steve Bruce in charge Wigan won eight, lost eight and drew eight.
Actual Prediction Manchester United 1 2 Chelsea 2 1 Arsenal 3 3 Liverpool 4 4 Everton 5 8 Aston Villa 6 6 Blackburn 7 9 Portsmouth 8 7 Manchester City 9 12 West Ham United 10 14 Tottenham Hotspur 11 5 Newcastle 12 10 Middlesbrough 13 13 Wigan 14 20 Sunderland 15 16 Bolton 16 15 Fulham 17 18 Reading 18 11 Birmingham 19 17 Derby 20 19
And finally I took a look back to your comments from August 2007.
From what I can see nobody got the top three correct let alone the top five although there were around ten of you that correctly chose United followed by Chelsea. The relegation predictions came no closer to reality. No one got all three right although there were a solid number of you who targeted Birmingham and Derby County.
For all of you who contributed thank you and a special award to andesras6292 who wrote on August 14, 2007 – “bobby your predictions suck. and anyone who think arsenal is going to finish top 3 are crazy the top 3 are going to be liv'pool chelsea and man utd not arsenal. and liv'pool are going to stink because torres isnt good at all i dont see whjat people see in him he cant even score a one on one. last game he missed world class chances and if he is world class he should have scored he is just a overpaid bad striker and isnt going to be good for liv'pool.”
andesras6292 – where ever you are – congratulations. You my friend, are without a doubt this blog’s version of Derby County 2007/08.
Tom Jordan, son of Joe, helped Havant & Waterlooville to a glamour FA Cup match-up with Liverpool. I wonder if he has his father’s teeth - possibly in a jar.
John Inverdale on the controversy over how to mark the 50th anniversary of the Munich disaster. Perhaps some Manchester City supporters don’t realize that the crash also took the life of a once great City player as well. After a spectacular career for both Manchester City and England Frank Swift retired at the end of the 1950 season. He became a journalist working for the News of the World and covered the fateful game in Belgrade, Yugoslavia.
Seven times a non-league club has knocked off a top flight opponent.
The wit of Gordon Strachan........ and he could play at bit - this from early in his career. The game was at Arbroath's ground called ####field. It is perched on what is really the North Sea and the ball is always only a Titus Bramble sliced clearance and a gust of wind away from heading to Norway. One of the coldest places you could ever watch a game - but because it is so close to the water games are rarely postponed.
With Manchester United, Arsenal and Chelsea all facing Premiership opposition this weekend what chance that we will lose one of the current top three in the league?
Both Arsenal and Newcastle have enjoyed FA Cup success in the past especially when they have played each other along the way. With the exception of their very first FA Cup meeting in the 1901/02 season Newcastle and Arsenal have either met in the final or the winner of an earlier round match-up has gone onto the final.
Here is the rundown. 1901/02 Newcastle put Arsenal out in first round but were knocked out in the last 8 to the eventual winners Sheffield United.
1905/06 Newcastle beat Arsenal 2-0 in the semi final but lost 1-0 to Everton in the final.
1931/32 Newcastle beat Arsenal 2-1 in the final.
1935/36 Arsenal beat Newcastle 3-0 on the way to the final and won the Cup beating beat Sheffield United 1-0.
1951/52 Newcastle beat Arsenal 1-0 in the final (one of three Newcastle wins in the early 50s).
1997/98 Arsenal beat Newcastle in the final and completed their second domestic double.
2001/02 Arsenal knocked Newcastle out after a replay and went on to win the Cup and Premiership for their third domestic double.
Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur are another two Cup giants. United have been to the final eighteen times and have won the trophy eleven times while Spurs can look to eight wins out of nine trips with a 1987 loss to Coventry City the only blemish.
You would think that with twenty-seven final appearance between them that at some point they would have contested a final. But that has never happened and it certainly won’t this season. The nearest they ever came was in 1962 when Spurs beat United in the semi-final. Other than that their meetings have been limited to the early rounds.
Robbie Keane last week notched his 100th goal in all competitions for Spurs but there is one team he has yet to score against in English football. Will this be the weekend that he breaks his duck against Manchester United?
There is a gulf between Wigan and Chelsea in the Premiership and there is a similar gulf in the FA Cup. While Chelsea have not been eliminated before the 5th round since 1998 this is only the second time in the last two decades that Wigan have made it this far.
Ringo - An easy one for you this week. Dundee can win the FA Cup or Tayport can win the Junior cup. Which one do you take?
Bobby – Dundee has a slightly better chance of winning the Scottish Cup this season than Scotland does of winning the European Championship this summer. A trip to Motherwell in the next round might have the making of a wee surprise but the focus of the team must be on promotion back to the SPL.
Tayport drew at home to perennial contender Pollok (viewer discretion is advised) last Saturday and they travel to the west of Scotland for the replay this weekend. The Scottish Junior Cup is a tough nut to crack
Carljamaica - Greetings from Jamaica. Do you think this Manchester United team is as good as people are saying? Do you think they are serious contenders for the Champions League meaning do you think they have what it takes? If not where do you think they are short. Is Ronaldo just going through a purple patch or is he really the real deal? Awaiting your thoughts.
Bobby – Much warmer than where I am! United deserve to be considered as one of the favourites to win the Champions League. They have been given a decent draw (not easy but Lyon are a side that United can beat) but often a bit of good fortune is also needed along the way.
There is still a month to go before the first leg of the first knock out round and things can change very quickly. Injuries, suspensions and key players losing form can all hit at an inopportune moment. In terms of their most significant weakness it is probably a lack of height and power up front.
You can see in some of the league games this season that without that option it gives the opposition one less thing to worry about. Having a big strong forward on the bench that could go on just to mix things up a bit would provide that additional alternative.
Since Ronaldo joined United he has improved every season. If you look back at his play when he joined United in 2003 the raw talent was there for everyone to see. Four and a bit years on and every aspect of his game has improved – some parts by leaps and bounds.
Craigy_f – 1. Was Probert correct to book Arteta? Has a card ever been used in that situation that you are aware of? 2. Does the lack of ACoN on any American network show the ignorance of the American networks as to the value of the tournament in Ghana? 3. Was it omitted for the same reasons that the Asia tournament was omitted? 4. What’s your impression of Lord Coe? 5. What’s your:- Goal of the week, Save of the week, Game of the week, Referee of the moment. 6. Favourite clip from Flash Gordon 7. What was your take on the teams and the result for the USMNT against a Sweden B team? 8. Will you and the boys try some colour this week?
Bobby – 1. It seemed to be a strange decision. The only way that I could see the referee having a valid cause would be if he had told Arteta to wait for the whistle.
2. The value is set by the number of people who would watch the tournament and despite what we think soccer on English language stations in North America do not regularly draw big numbers. A tournament that has games scheduled during the work day is an obvious problem.
3. I don’t know the reason why the Asia tournament was omitted so I can’t answer the question.
4. He used to be a very fast runner and was able to turn left? You can’t hang-out at the upper echelons of global sport without being forced to hold your nose at the goings-on. If you decide to hold true to your principles at that level it means you will have a short and largely ineffective career in the political world of sport.
5. Sully Muntari’s winner against Guinea, can’t think of one, poor weekend nothing stood out, oops the moment just went.
6. The End
7. Meaningless friendly for all except for the players and coaches.
8. Probably not.
GSfromWinnipeg - How about opinions on possible rule changes? You can certainly throw in your two cents, as well as everyone else.Here are some of my thoughts: 1. Why do we need to get so fancy with goal-line technology. Chips in the ball? Come on. If you want to position cameras along the line, fine. But, why can't they just add a back-line official who is in charge of watching for balls crossing the line? He could also assist with fouls in the box. It seems to me this would satisfy the purists and be at least as effective as technology that often still doesn't answer the question 100%.
2. Get rid of this passive offside rule. It just adds to the confusion. Vassell's goal on Sunday was a perfect example. Since the ball does not go to him, is that the end of Phase 1? Then he is back onside by the time the ball ricochets to him, so that makes it a good goal. But this must be a nightmare for the linesmen. Especially when it seems standard practise for players to line up offside on deadball situations to try and confuse the defense. By the way, since you are supposed to play to the whistle, and, as a defender, a man is behind you heading for goal, therefore you have to make an attempt to catch him, pulling yourself out of position. But the ball never goes to that attacker so he is "passive" while the onside attacker takes advantage of the space left by the defender to score. How is this helping the game.
KEEP IT SIMPLE (which offside will never be). If anyone is offside, play is dead. Period.
3. NO TO SIN BINS. As Harry Redknapp says, that will just encourage 10 minutes of time-wasting and defensive play. Just what football needs, 10 more minutes of 10 men behind the ball.
4. 3 YELLOW CARDS BEFORE YOU GET A RED. Encourage the refs to hand out a yellow every time a foul deserves it. I think they often don't give a yellow, because they know how serious the ramifications a second yellow is. This leads to inconsistency. The good refs talk to a player first and warn him a yellow is coming next time, but we can get rid of that need. The "talking" will be the first yellow. This would especially be of use in internationals where language is often a problem.
Also, get rid of suspensions for accumulated yellows (or at least increase the number of yellows before suspension). This almost always ends up excluding the best players from the biggest games due to some idiotic decision by the player or the ref, three games ago. I am thinking of Roy Keane missing the Champions League final in 99, Ballack missing the 2002 World Cup final, Zidane missing a key match in the 98 Cup, etc.
5. GOLDEN GOAL IN TOURNAMENTS AND ENDLESS OVERTIME. I know, this is a pipe dream. But how about giving it a try. I agree with Bobby, penalty kicks is dramatic and a test of mettle and skill, but it isn't the game that was intended. I think overtime rarely works as is because at least one team plays for the penalty kicks, and both teams are so afraid of conceding, they hang back and trust to fate in the kicks. If there is no promise of penalty kicks,
Bobby – 1. Sign me up for that position. Six officials for a game of football? Don’t like that idea.
2. That’s fine make it simple but just wait and hear the cries when someone slots one home into the top corner from 35 yards out and the goal is disallowed because one of his team mates stopped to tie his bootlace and was offside on the other side of the park alone on the touchline.
3. Sin bins are one of the stupidest ideas to come out and until you brought it up again I thought it had died.
4. The language problem was the exact reason that coloured cards were brought in so now to have a mandatory “talking to” being a warning before a yellow card only compounds the problem. Players will just claim that they didn’t know they were on a warning.
Idiotic decisions - Zidane missed games in 1998 because he stomped on a Saudi player. Your basic argument is that players should be given more leeway to foul. I don’t think that is going to encourage anyone to think twice about sliding in late.
5. I####ame goes to overtime the least that both teams deserve is the opportunity to fight back should they go behind. With the Golden Goal rule we would never had the likes of West Germany and Italy sharing five extra time goals in 1970 or France and West Germany playing an epic extra time in 1982.
Mts2284 -1. Recently, a reader asked you about commentators and which ones you liked. What’s your take on BBC’s John Motson? I live in the States and don’t get BBC but I’m a huge fan. Just wanted your opinion on the matter. 2. Why have Thierry Henry or Premiership players like Cristiano Ronaldo not won the FIFA Player of the Year award? Its always players from Serie A and La Liga, like Messi, or Ronaldinho. 3. Why does Ryan Babel not feature more in Liverpool’s starting 11? He’s a fantastic talent with loads of potential.
Bobby –1. His biggest break came when Ronnie Radford thumped the 30 yard winner for Hereford against Newcastle in the FA Cup. I was never a huge fan (although there were many who were aweful) when I lived in the UK – my preference would be for Martin Tyler.
2. I think basically because although they may have good domestic seasons they fail to make a real impact in the Champions League, European Championships or World Cup. Like Ronaldo I don’t think Messi has ever won a senior world or European individual award. 3. You probably nailed it with “loads of potential.” There are few teams willing to commit a regular spot to a player who is not considered the finished article although he may have potential. Having said that I’m also a bit mystified given that a couple of Liverpool players are having poor seasons so far.
Gregz - I was just wondering how much have you seen of Angel di Maria. How goes his development at Benfica and why would he choose to go to Benfica over Arsenal?
Bobby – Not very much since his move to Benfica. Di Maria has yet to score a league goal although the statistics show him with three yellow cards. He has been called up for the Argentina Olympic squad that has a friendly against Guatemala on February 6. Javier Mascherano is in the squad as an overage player. Benfica over Arsenal – probably thought there was a chance to play more at Benfica.
4Everton - Chris Coleman just left Real Sociedad after new management/ownership took over despite getting the team to within three points of promotion on the table. Coleman kept Fulham up even though he was not given a war chest of funds (see Sunderland) last year. Do you see him coming back to the Prem anytime soon?
Bobby – Managers that leave English football for some continental adventures take two routes. If you are the likes of John Toshack or Gordon Milne you don’t come back and instead you make a career of it in foreign lands.
On the other hand there are the likes of Howard Kendall and Graeme Souness who were adventurous enough to try their hand but returned after a relatively short time. I think Coleman will be like the latter.
Ollofan - Did Jeremy St. Louis leave the FSR?
Bobby – He is using up his vacation time.
Redfan2000 - While you are all watching Spurs spank Arse, I just found this on Aunty Beeb and you gotta laugh at Mark McGhee. George Burley is to be offered the Scotland job and Mark McGhee said after he found out: "If George does not win the World Cup then it opens it up for me to be one who does" Thoughts on this one?
Bobby – If it is George Burley then I like the choice. Understated but a very competent manager who has a good track record of getting the best out of his players.
Henry14 - q1 What is your assessment of Adebayor as player bearing in mind you thought he would be on the bench if rvp and da silva were firing?
q2 If you were Liverpool owner would you stick with Rafa?
Bobby – 1. If you said I said that then I guess I must have although I don’t recall that particular statement. I do remember defending Adebayor last season when you wanted him punted out the Emirates. 2. If I was the Liverpool owner I would be focused on whether or not I wanted to remain as owner rather than worrying about the manager.
And finally the resurrection of Chelsea. I may have missed it and apologize if someone got there first. But it seems to me that Glenn Hoddle was the catalyst for the Chelsea revival.
It looks as if UEFA are moving in the direction of changing the finals to twenty-four nations but not until 2016 at the earliest. I hate to see them move from 16 which is a perfect number.
Ian Herbert on a player who turned his career around – Richard Dunne.
Brian Reade tries taking a look at the Newcastle situation from the ordinary fan’s point of view.
Louise Taylor on the role being played by former Spurs director Paul Kemsley.
I missed this one from last Monday. Gabriele Marcotti on why Dave Kitson should care about the FA Cup.
A class action claim against Dave Whelan’s JJB Sports over replica football shirts has been settled.
Roy Keane does not think much of the FAI’s search for a new manager – either that or he thinks a great deal of Big Brother. It seems surreal that Mick McCarthy’s name is even being mentioned let alone a strong second choice.
I know there were a number of questions asked last week on the response section and weekend preview that I was not able to get to. Although I try to chip in on the blog throughout the week the best time to get a response to your question is by posting to Monday's Speakers' Corner.
Robert Philip manages to name check Mary Queen of Scots, Scotty from Star Trek, ####es, Bill Shankly and Sean Connery before getting to the point of his football article. You really just need to read his introduction.
Another idea of how to generate stadium revenue. Sounds a bit bizarre but....
A Soccer America interview with USA national team boss Bob Bradley.
The Financial Times and Guardian articles on Manchester United record revenue and profits are the best I have read in terms of giving good information about the interest payments.
From the top to the near bottom - the reverse of Sir Alex Ferguson's journey. The Times with a positive story about East Stirlingshire - the team that offerred Ferguson his first job in hairdressing nearly thirty four years ago.
With Newcastle United pulling the plug on another manager it is worth looking at the performance of the not-so-magnificent seven (although in relation to Keegan and Robson that remark should be tempered) during the Premiership years. Newcastle was not a charter member of the Premiership but after missing out on the first season Keegan secured promotion in his first full season.
Here are the managers, the position the club was in when they “left”, games in charge, average points gained and the approximate net outlay in transfer fees – it is a lot.
The list is in chronological order:
o Kevin Keegan – 4th, 143 games, 1.85 points, $80M
o Kenny Dalglish – 13th*, 56 games, 1.34 points, $27M
o Ruud Gullit – 19th, 41 games, 1.65 points, $13.6M
o Sir Bobby Robson – 17th, 188 games, 1.60 points, $58M
o Graeme Souness – 16th, 56 games, 1.16 points, $66M
o Glen Roeder – 13th, 52 games, 1.42 points, $19M
o Sam Allardyce – 11th, 21 games, 1.24 points, $28M
(Dalglish carries an asterisk as he was fired only two games into a season and 13th was the previous season’s finishing position.)
From Gullit on the managers are getting fired with the team sitting in ever higher positions. Maybe it is all part of some cunning plan to literally fire Newcastle to the top?
Looking back the failure to use the relatively successful spell under Bobby Robson to groom a successor was a faux pas of immense proportions. Who in their right mind would operate with one of their most important employees past the age 70 and with no succession plan in place?
As for Allardyce I don’t think any fair minded person would accept that half a season is enough time to turn a team that has failed to win a major domestic trophy in over half a century around.
A significant number of Newcastle fans are apparently upset at the type of football Allardyce had the team playing. But again if you are trying to change a culture of mediocrity then there is going to be protracted spell of rubbish dished up – that should not be a surprise. And in terms of a new manager it is likely to be more of the same.
I often wonder if a new manger might not get better results and reduce short term expectations if instead of asking for the cheque book he told players that they had half a season to prove themselves.
Immediately moving to sign new players and dumping the ones signed by the predecessor just leads to a belief that improvement will be immediate. Then if the new signings fail to impress – as they did in the Allardyce/Newcastle situation – the pressure mounts and the revolving door starts to rotate once more.
As for a successor, the names are beginning to appear in the press and on websites. Harry Rednapp, Mark Hughes, Steve McClaren (surely not!!) are all getting some play in the media. The odds are a Keegan return have also been slashed.
But as Simon Barnes said in The Times last weekend will a new manager be given a fair crack while Alan Shearer continues in the role of the best manager never to have managed Newcastle?
It would seem that Mike Ashley has done the easy bit in firing Big Sam, the hard bit is convincing someone of quality to pick up the poisoned chalice.
Quick free kicks
A number of teams are looking to cure some sporadic bouts of Premiership travel sickness this weekend. Spurs travels to Stamford Bridge in what could be a preview of the Carling Cup Final. But travelling to Stamford Bridge, Old Trafford, Anfield and wherever Arsenal were playing at the time, has not brought much joy to Spurs. In sixty-three Premiership trips to these grounds Spurs have won just twice - a win at Arsenal and a win at Liverpool.
Manchester City are the visitors to Goodison but they have only one once in ten Premiership visits to Goodison – and that was way back in October 1992.
Middlesbrough may not have scored against Liverpool in their last four Premiership encounters but Liverpool are without a win at the Riverside in their last five visits - two losses and three draws for the Reds. Despite Boro’s spotted form over the last couple of years the Riverside is still a place where bigger teams often come a cropper. United, Chelsea and Arsenal have all lost at the Riverside in the last two and a bit seasons
Oh and let us not forget that no matter who has been in charge of Newcastle a trip to Old Trafford as never ended in three points for the Magpies – it has however often finished with a loss (nine times) and sometimes a draw - five of them.
This weekend offers Reading, Wigan, and Fulham another opportunity to pick up three points away from home for the first time. This time against Aston Villa, Derby County and West Ham respectively. Also without an away win are Bolton, Sunderland, and Derby County but they will have to wait for another day.
It must be difficult to convince supporters of the three Premiership teams located in the north-east of England that it is the season of good cheer. As it currently stands Newcastle, Middlesbrough and Sunderland have played six games over the holiday period and have the sum total of one point to show for it. Even then it required a late equalizer from Mark Viduka to earn the single point against foot-of-the-table Derby County.
A stirring performance against Arsenal in the first week of December seemed to have set Newcastle on the right path as they followed the draw up with wins against Birmingham and Fulham. But the scrambled draw with Derby and an anemic loss to Wigan had Sam Allardyce publically questioning his players.
Full points from these very-winnable four games would have earned Newcastle more breathing space and moved them into a top eight position. As it is, they sit just below mid-table with 26 points with the definite possibility that come the beginning of March that they will not have too many more.
Starting on Saturday with a trip to Stamford Bridge Newcastle will play eight Premiership games with six of them against top half opposition (Manchester City h, Manchester United h and a, Arsenal a, Aston Villa a), and the other two against Bolton and Middlesbrough at St. James’ Park. There is also a tricky FA Cup third round match in two weeks time away to Stoke City who are currently in the top four of the Championship.
With the team again taking two steps forward and three back Allardyce’s position is again the subject of speculation. You get the feeling that if Big Sam is going to survive then Newcastle has to pull off some big results and pick up a few points over the next two months. But there again if you are going to be labeled unpredictable then there has to be good times as well as bad – will this weekend be one of the good times?
Only two weeks after losing their unbeaten home record to Manchester United, Liverpool faces the other Manchester side this Sunday. City’s form over the first eight home games this season was nothing short of spectacular with eight wins, thirteen goals scored and only three conceded. The streak extended to nine with a win over Bolton although it took three second half goals to overturn a 2-1 half time lead for Bolton.
Three days later Spurs came to City of Manchester Stadium and pulled off a 2-0 Carling Cup win while playing for almost an hour with ten-men and Blackburn became the first team to leave with a point in the Premiership when they drew on Thursday.
All the signs seem to be pointing to City’s home streak running short on steam. Liverpool needs to keep winning in order to maintain their title aspirations while if City are to remain in the six more home points are crucial. All things point to a cracking good game.
Everton and Arsenal is another good game in prospect. Out of the top four clubs Arsenal drew the toughest holiday schedule. So far the Gunners have mimicked results from last season with a win over Tottenham and a draw at Portsmouth.
They will be hoping that results against Everton (Saturday) and West Ham (Tuesday) are not replicated as they lost both games last season by the same score - 1-0. Goodison has not being a profitable venue for Arsenal with Everton winning three and drawing one of their last five meetings.
No doubt the Everton coaching staff will have taken notice of Portsmouth’s display on Wednesday in holding Arsenal off the score sheet for the first time this season in the Premiership.
The centre-back partnership of Campbell and Distan were outstanding and the Portsmouth midfield gave Arsenal very little time and space to operate. Everton seem to have similar types of players and with Yakubu and Cahill carrying a scoring threat it could be another tough ninety minutes for Arsenal.
Quick free kicks Manchester United toyed with Sunderland in midweek cutting their defence to ribbons. Roy Keane has to find an experienced centre back to plug the Sunderland defence – and not one from the Championship.
Scoring streaks - Marcus Bent has scored 7 goals in his last 13 Prem appearances - that was over three months. It took him 90 games and over three years to score his previous seven Premiership goals.
Pity Blackburn’s Roque Santa Cruz. He’s scored seven goals in his last four games but during that spell Rovers have lost three games and tied the other.
I am the soccer analyst for the Fox Soccer Report and appear twice a week - every Monday and Friday at 10:00 EST. I have also been a regular contributor to the Fox Soccer Channel website since the summer of 2004. Over the last twenty years I have contributed to various radio and television programs throughout North America as well writing about the game for newspapers, magazines and websites.
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