Last Season:  Finished 1st in League Championship - automatically promoted.
Manager - Tony Mowbray

INS:     
LB Marek Cech - 2.8m US 
DF Gianni Zuiverloon - 6.4m US  
ST Roman Bednar - 4.6m US  
ST Luke Moore - 6m US   
MF Kim Do-Heon - 1.1m US  
ST Graham Dorrans - 200k US  

OUTS:
ST Stefan Morrison
ST Kevin Phillips
CB Curtis Davies
RMF Zolton Gera
GK Luke Steele
DF Martin Albrechtsen

Possibles:
ST Shola Ameobi - Newcastle
MF Ferrie Bodde - Swansea
MF Seyi Olofinjana - Wolverhampton
CB Abdoulaye Meite - Bolton

What's Left in the Kitty:  9m US

What Lies Ahead:
Aug 16  Arsenal (A)
Aug 23 Everton (H)
Aug 30 Bolton (A)
Sep 13 West Ham (H)
Sep 20 Aston Villa (H)
Sep 27 Middlesbrough (A)
Oct 4 Fulham (H)

Possible Starting XI:
GK Scott Carson
RB Gianni Zuiverloon
CB Leon Barnett
CB Carl Hoefkens
LB Marek Cech
RMF Graham Dorrans
CMF Kim Do-Heon
CMF Johnathon Greening
LMF James Morrison
FW Roman Bednar
FW Ishmael Miller

How They'll Stack Up:
Tony Mowbray has done a good job bolstering his attack - and as I write this there are rumblings that Kevin Phillips will opt to stay with the team on a one-year contract instead of the two-years he was looking for.  The lure of playing in the Premier League just too good to resist.  Even without him though, Albion has a good front corp so now they should be trying to address the backline.  Having brought in two DF so far, Mowbray should use some of the 16m US from the Davies move to Villa to add some quality at the back - Meite would certainly help.  They are another side with a tough start upon their return to the top flight with Arsenal & Everton out of the blocks - but after that things ease up and they face two of the relegation battlers from last season in Bolton and Fulham.  If Mowbray & Co. can hit the ground running, they could be in good shape by mid-October.  They are further ahead than their two promotion counterparts in terms of roster quality so Albion should be here to stay for at least a couple seasons - especially with much worse teams already in the Premier League.

Coming up Wednesday - Fulham