Premier League preview No9: Newcastle UnitedAlan Pardew exceeded all expectations last season but the bar has been raised and recruits such as Mathieu Debuchy would be a big helpGuardian writers' predicted position: 7th (NB: this is not necessarily Louise Taylor's prediction but the average of our writers' tips)Last season's position: 5thOdds to win the league: 175-1Newcastle United fans are asking plenty of questions at present. Should Alan Pardew stick with the 4-3-3 formation he used late last season or switch to a 4-3-1-2 diamond that would allow Demba Ba to play more centrally? Would signing Andy Carroll represent a regressive step or may he turn into the new Zlatan Ibrahimovic? Why does owner Mike Ashley not compromise and meet Lille's fee for the France right-back Mathieu Debuchy? Will Europa League involvement prove a blessing or a curse?They are all intriguing queries; not to mention very different from the questions the same supporters were pondering this time last year. Back then people wondered if they were about to watch the unfolding of a relegation battle and looked extremely doubtful if it was suggested that signings such as Ba, Yohan Cabaye and Davide Santon would prove a success.No one dreamed that the team would finish fifth in the Premier League or that Pardew would morph into "Pardiola", let alone envisaged Ba rattling in 16 goals in record time before being joined by a similarly prolific Senegalese compatriot striker in Papiss Cissé during the January transfer window.A clever tactician and astute man manager – how many other coaches have coaxed smiles out of Hatem Ben Arfa? – Pardew thoroughly deserved his manager of the year award but now the bar has been raised and he must confront a set of fresh challenges.Providing Newcastle survive their Europa League qualifier they will then fall into the draining Thursday night/Sunday afternoon playing routine demanded by the competition's group stage.While a return to Europe is eagerly anticipated by fans, Pardew will need to devise a fairly radical squad rotation policy. Either that or several of his best players could be burnt out by Christmas by which time their challenge for a Champions League place may have bitten the dust.After recovering from a nasty knee injury Sammy Ameobi – Shola's little brother and a skilful creator – has impressed in pre-season and will almost certainly be offered games in Europe and the Premier League. So, too, should the gifted attacking midfielder Haris Vuckic. The 19-year-old Slovenia international could do with putting some appalling bad luck with injuries behind him in what really needs to be a breakthrough season.So far new signings have been youthful, low key and targeted at a radically overhauled development squad. Even so Gael Bigirimana, recruited from Coventry, has caught the eye in midfield this summer while medium-term hopes are similarly high for both Romain Amalfitano, another midfielder acquired from Reims, and the Australian centre-half Curtis Good.It would help Pardew's cause if long-mooted moves for Debuchy – who shone for France during Euro 2012 – FC Twente's Brazilian centre half Douglas and the Ajax defensive midfielder or left-back Vurnon Anita are completed by the end of August.Anita, especially, appears an important target as he promises to be an ideal replacement were Cheik Tioté to be injured or, worse, subject to a last-minute bid from a Chelsea or Manchester United.Pardew, who remains optimistic he can retain "stars" such as Tioté, Cabaye and Cissé this summer, reports that Tioté is "10 times better" than last summer when the Ivorian was detained in West Africa for a chunk of pre-season while he negotiated the red tape involved in renewing his visa.Like Ba, Cissé and Ben Arfa, Tioté is a Muslim but, this season, that quartet will not have to cope with problems of daylight fasting during the early weeks of the campaign as Ramadan ends, conveniently, on 18 August.By then they should be joined in the first-team squad by the centre- half Steven Taylor, Pardew's best defensive header of a ball, and the winger Sylvain Marveaux. While Taylor missed the second half of the last campaign with a ruptured achilles, a groin operation meant Marveaux's career on Tyneside has still to get going.Ba was widely expected to be swiftly out of the starting blocks en route for lucrative pastures new this summer. Everyone knew that the Senegal striker's contract contained a clause enabling him to depart for £7m before 31 July but despite some interest from Galatasaray, Fenerbahce and Rubin Kazan, Ba's long-term, if well managed, knee condition – something Pardew describes as "a deficiency" – evidently deterred suitors.Newcastle have declined to re-negotiate Ba's partially pay-as-you-play contract until next summer but Pardew has promised that he will occupy a central attacking role "90% of the time" rather than operate in the wide left position in which he ended last season.Come January, Ba, Cissé and Tioté will almost certainly be bound for the Africa Cup of Nations in South Africa, which explains why Pardew is so keen on signing Anita and a striker.While Shola Ameobi – aka the Fenham Eusébio and/or the Mackem Slayer – enjoyed some excellent moments in attack last season and should not be underestimated, he can be injury prone. Moreover his erstwhile co-forwards Leon Best and Peter Lovenkrands have, along with the underrated midfielder Danny Guthrie, left Tyneside this summer.Such exits explain why Pardew was disappointed to lose out to Borussia Mönchengladbach in the race for FC Twente's promising young striker Luuk de Jong before trying to persuade Liverpool to loan him back the centre-forward he sold them for £35m in January 2011.Carroll's mooted return looks a non-starter – (although Ashley's ability to hold his nerve in a game of brinkmanship with Liverpool suggests that could yet alter by 1 September) – and there are those who feel that may be no bad thing.This, after all, is a season that Newcastle are looking forward to with optimism rather than drawing solace from past glories. With the outstanding Tim Krul in goal, the fabulous captain Fabricio Coloccini at centre-half, Tioté enforcing in central midfield and Pardew coaching meticulously the team are in their best shape for ages.As long as Cissé and Ba are around goals should not be in short supply but, if the days when a crisis constantly loomed around every corner at St James' Park have been consigned to the past, the team's enduring success depends on certain variables.Foremost among them is the relationship between Ashley and Pardew staying healthy. Then there is the question of whether the manager can not only keep Ben Arfa onside but extract the No10's true creative brilliance on a consistent level. Luck with injuries will also play a part as will the maintenance of an extraordinary spirit among an increasingly French-speaking squad.There are those in football who, rather unfairly, regard Pardew as rather too full of himself and believe he and Newcastle could be poised to fall flat on their faces. Granted, the road ahead promises to be tricky in places but both manager and club have learned from past mistakes and the suspicion is that their critics may be disappointed.http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/blog/2012/aug/10/premier-league-preview-newcastle
Chris Hughton is looking to bring solidity to the Canaries' defence in a bid to forestall second season syndrome Paul Doyle guardian.co.uk, Friday 10 August 2012 13.00 BST Guardian writers' predicted position: 18th (NB: this is not necessarily Paul Doyle's prediction, but the average of our writers' tips)Last season's position: 12thOdds to win the league: 5000-1Through computer jiggery pokery, wishful thinking or desperate mischief-making, Ipswich Town's official website this week included a photo of Grant Holt among the club's first-team playing squad. A minor palaver ensued, prolonged as much as possible by the sort of internet crusaders who devote their lives to prolonging minor palavers. But most Norfolkers were unmoved or just amused by the mishap, secure in the knowledge that Holt, after threatening to fly the Canaries' coup, had already signed up to spend whatever remains of his prime at Carrow Road. Paul Lambert, as we know, did not. And Norwich's standing this season will to a large extent be determined by which proves more influential: Lambert going or Holt staying.The first obvious consequence of Lambert going was Chris Hughton arriving. Norwich did not dither in making that appointment and you can see why they acted so quickly to entice Hughton. He has huge experience of the Premier League as a player and coach and in his relatively short managerial career has played difficult hands adroitly. When he took charge of Newcastle and Birmingham both clubs were in the sort of pungent messes in which players would not have had to look hard for excuses to underperform – in that sense this Norwich side are slightly similar, having lost the leader who guided them against the odds from League One to the Premier League.Rather than allow his previous clubs to sink as many expected, Hughton convinced the players of Newcastle and Birmingham to rally and excel. And he did so without spending much money, a factor that must have endeared him further to the Norwich board, who are determined to stay in the Premier League but not necessarily able or willing to spend standard Premier League fees, which is one of the reasons Lambert left (though whether he was wise to go to Aston Villa remains to be seen).Some fans fear Hughton's style of football will be more conservative than Lambert's. It is true that he has tended to stick to a flat 4-4-2 or a 4-5-1 during most of his managerial career, whereas Lambert, while also using those systems frequently, has generally shown greater flexibility, never hesitating to switch systems or personnel between or within games: that, along with the Scot's motivational powers, were the main reasons why Norwich were able suddenly to spring surprises last season every time a bad run looked like embedding them in a rut. This was even true towards the end of their maiden campaign, when inspiration dwindled and mistakes began to proliferate, as they managed to pull themselves sufficiently together to beat other teams who were enduring difficult spells, deservedly toppling Tottenham and Aston Villa. They will have to produce similar exploits to survive this season, as most of the teams who finished below them last term have strengthened significantly and the three promoted clubs have at least as much resources.The evidence of pre-season matches suggests Hughton has made improving Norwich's defending his priority and he has been rewarded with four clean sheets from six games of low to moderate difficulty.He has rescued Steven Whittaker from the wreckage of Rangers to fill the right-back berth vacated by Kyle Naughton, and signed Michael Turner to bolster the centre of defence. You get the feeling that it will take either ingenious coaching or even more recruits to increase the solidity of a defence that was often stretched perilously close to breaking point last season, when no one outside the relegated trio allowed more shots or conceded more goals than Norwich, who were saved either by John Ruddy (who made more stops last season than anyone but Wolves's Wayne Hennessey), last-ditch clearances (only two teams made more clearances off the line than Norwich) or fractionally imperfect finishing (Norwich's goal-frame was struck 26 times, more than any other team). Such escapes seldom prove sustainable. So Norwich need to stop giving opponents so many opportunities to score.And, of course, Norwich need to continue scoring, which is why holding on to Holt was so important. Holt may be 31 but his menace seems undimmed and he can be expected to enjoy at least one more season tormenting top-flight opponents, and another haul of 15 goals may not be beyond reach. The more limited Steve Morison may, on the other hand, struggle to repeat his tally of nine, so Norwich, not having signed another striker so far, will hope that the fit-again James Vaughan can fulfil the potential he showed before injury interrupted his career.Norwich can also expect to continue enjoying useful contributions from a midfield that has more creativity than it is often given credit for. Jonny Howson looks set for an influential campaign after making an artful impression since joining last January and a more recent recruit from Leeds, Robert Snodgrass, could have a similar impact. Factor in Wes Hoolahan and it is clear that Hughton has decent options in central midfield, while Elliot Bennett and, in particular, Anthony Pilkington could continue to cause trouble out wide.In the Premier League era, 28% of teams who have survived the season after being promoted to the top flight went down to the very next season – hence the storied Second Season Syndrome – the reasonable height of Norwich's ambition this term is to avoid adding to that casualty list. Just.http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/blog/2012/aug/10/premier-league-previews-norwich-city
'Despite their cup pedigree - since they've returned to the top flight in 1962 - Everton have, after today's results, once again gone further in the FA Cup than their much vaunted neighbours. For the record it's Everton 23 Liverpool 22 and 7 ties in 52 seasons'
Premier League preview No11: Queens Park RangersMark Hughes seeks to add vivacity to virtue on the field as owners look to grow the west London club's brand off it Kevin McCarra guardian.co.uk, Monday 13 August 2012 08.59 BST Guardian writers' predicted position: 11th (NB: this is not necessarily Kevin McCarra's prediction, but the average of our writers' tips)Last season's position: 17thOdds to win the league: 2000-1Loftus Road is the smallest stadium in the Premier League, with a capacity of just 18,500. The prospects of building a far larger ground in London are always disheartening. Queens Park Rangers, however, are at least undaunted.Philip Beard, the chief executive, contrived to be chirpy when reflecting on the fact that it would take five years at the very least to bring into being a new home with 45,000 seats. "That gives us the time to cultivate the brand and the support of QPR," he declared.In practice, an impressive ground might be the quickest way of all to increase attendances substantially. As Beard appreciates, though, there are no swift or easy means to create large football facilities in London. QPR should at least be encouraged that they are likely to have a modern training centre at Warren Farm next season.A stadium is a much more troubling topic. Even Roman Abramovich must be getting downcast as he ponders the challenge of giving Chelsea a ground with a greater capacity than the current 42,000 at Stamford Bridge.Realism is unavoidable at QPR. Tony Fernandes, the majority shareholder in the club since last year, has business acumen and a sense of caution. "I think it's important not just to throw money at the game," he said. That calmness, all the same, does not mean that he is passive.Colin Wanker took QPR into the Premier League last year. "He's a special guy, we're very happy with him," Fernandes said at the time.The contentment did not last when Warnock went eight games without a win in the league. He was sacked in January. His replacement Mark Hughes did enough to keep QPR in the top flight.There has been a sensible craving for security after the team conceded 66 goals in the Premier League season, with only the relegated clubs doing worse. The goalkeeper Rob Green has joined after leaving West Ham. Ryan Nelsen saw little action after a move from Blackburn Rovers to Tottenham Hotspur in January, but Hughes may feel that the know-how of a 34-year-old has a higher value for QPR.No one at least can accuse the club of delusions. Little cash, for instance, has changed hands so far in the close season. Park Ji-sung has joined from Manchester United with the initial fee reported to be £2m. It is scarcely an eye-catching sum and the midfielder is 31, but his consistency and general ability were appreciated at Old Trafford. Another United player, the full-back Fábio da Silva, has arrived on loan.Although it makes sense to deal in well-known quantities, there is also a need to bring some vivacity to the team and there has been a breadth to Hughes's acquisitions. Junior Hoilett, who left Blackburn Rovers at the end of his contract, has it in him to beat opponents and bring some extra liveliness to QPR's approach. The Canadian was in the Ewood Park youth programme from the age of 13.Hughes, as Blackburn manager, overlapped with Hoilett for a year and would had a sense of the player's potential even if the youngster was out on loan to the German club Paderborn. That sort of familiarity is even more marked in the case of Nelsen, whose long stay at Blackburn included three full seasons under the management of Hughes.There are assets at Loftus Road and Joey Barton could be numbered among them were it not for the fact that his career is being swamped by controversies. The midfielder was sent off at Manchester City at the close of last season with mayhem breaking out once he had been shown the red card. That did not merely help the hosts take the title.His misconduct led to a 12-match ban and, of late, he has made pre-season appearances for Fleetwood Town to recover match fitness.His omission from QPR's's pre-season tour to Malaysia could well be interpreted as a form of exclusion, but it would hardly have made practical sense for the club to involve a player who could not be considered for selection once the real season is in progress. There had been briefly been talk of the club cancelling his contract although that did not appear feasible in reality.The club, after all, did value a footballer who had come to them after four years with Newcastle United. Barton started 31 of QPR's league matches last season. It is obvious that there will be a reluctance even to try and rehabilitate him but professional sport normally deals in practicalities. The 29-year-old may yet re-emerge.http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/blog/2012/aug/13/premier-league-previews-qpr
Premier League preview No12: ReadingBrian McDermott's side surprised people to win promotion last season, and will do so again if they survive in the top flightGuardian writers' predicted position: 19th (NB: this is not necessarily Paul Doyle's prediction, but the average of our writers' tips)Last season's position: promotedOdds to win the league: 5000-1Swansea and Norwich showed last season that promoted teams can stay up if they have a shrewd manager; QPR showed promoted teams can stay up if they have lots of money. Following the purchase of the club in May by the Russian tycoon Anton Zingarevich, Reading may have both. But they still have a huge battle on their hands to avoid relegation.It will certainly not be easy to beat Reading but they may struggle to eke out enough victories. Brian McDermott has drilled his team superbly, producing a prime example of a side in which every player knows his job and does it with gusto. Defensively they offer up little, and Kaspars Gorkss is a delightfully formidable centre-back, though unproven in the Premier League, while Adam Federici, though also inexperienced at this level, looks like a goalkeeper who definitely belongs in the top flight.Reading kept clean sheets in almost half of their league games last season and McDermott has sought to bolster his defensive depth even further by signing the right-back Chris Gunter from Nottingham Forest and the Watford centre-back Adrian Mariappa. And Reading do have rich Premier League experience at left-back thanks to Ian Harte, who enjoyed a fine season last term. Harte, however, has never been quick and, as he is about to turn 35, Premier League forwards will surely see his lack of pace as a flaw to be exploited – it is hard to see how the return of Nicky Shorey will address that. McDermott doubtless has other options in mind, though possibly at the cost of detracting from one of Reading's main threats going forward, since it will be tough to find anyone with as deadly a set-piece delivery as Harte.Reading do not currently boast glittering quality in midfield. Jimmy Kebe can occasionally sparkle out wide but may struggle to make the step up in class, likewise Jobi McAnuff and Hal Robson-Kanu. In the centre Mikele Leigterwood and Jem Karacan will also need to raise their performances to a level they have seldom achieved before. The same could even be said of their new signing Danny Guthrie.Zingarevich has access to vast wealth but McDermott has warned fans to be aware that the new owner is no Roman Abramovich – however, the manager must be hopeful of attracting midfield upgrades before the transfer window closes: his current crop work assiduously but a tad more ingenuity would surely be welcome.The influence of Zingarevich's wealth has been most apparent so far in the capture of the Russian striker Pavel Pogrebnyak, who turned down Fulham – where he spent a successful loan period last season – among others, in order to get on Reading's payroll. Jason Roberts's power and nous made a decisive contribution to Reading last season after the striker arrived from Blackburn in January and Pogrebnyak will be expected to make a similar impact, with added mobility and explosiveness.Noel Hunt or Adam Le Fondre could flit around the main striker to decent effect but there will be a hefty onus on the Russian to provide goals consistently. His spell at Craven Cottage last season was spectacular in parts but did not provide conclusive evidence that he can do that on a regular basis.McDermott can be relied upon to get the most out of his players. He will likely also have to get more out of his club's owner if Reading are to remain in the top flight.http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/blog/2012/aug/13/reading-premier-league-preview
18th? That seems unlikely. Was Lambert Sir Alf Ramsey?
You could open a door with him, he's such a knob.
Premier League preview No13: SouthamptonNigel Adkins's side will have to show even more of the resilience that was evident in the Championship Kevin McCarra guardian.co.uk, Tuesday 14 August 2012 09.00 BST Guardian writers' predicted position: 20thLast season's position: PromotedOdds to win the league: 3,500-1Southampton inspire nostalgia in those of a certain age. It stems from the exploits of Kevin Keegan and Mick Channon, with Matt Le Tissier starting to make his own impact later in the 1980s. The club had been sound for many of the subsequent years and were FA Cup finalists as recently as 2003, when they were beaten 1-0 by Arsenal.That sense of status was to disintegrate at a startling rate and Southampton were relegated from the Premier League two years later. The club then tumbled out of the Championship in 2009, with a 10-point penalty imposed in League One because the club's parent company had gone into administration.The revival achieved by the current manager, Nigel Adkins, has been remarkable. It is his work that has restored a sense of stability. Shortly before his appointment in September 2010 Southampton's owner, Markus Liebherr, had died suddenly but Adkins appears to deal well with whatever circumstances he encounters.He is familiar with the game at nearly all levels. His CV, indeed, is different from most of his cosseted counterparts in the Premier League. The former goalkeeper has a degree in physiotherapy and was player-manager of Bangor City, where he won the League of Wales twice. Adkins is all the more interesting since a generally impressive record still contains setbacks.His work speaks of persistence more than effortless progress. While he was in charge, Scunthorpe were promoted to the Championship and relegated from it. Adkins took the club back and kept it there in 2010. His move to Southampton, then in League One, followed and the club achieved consecutive promotions.There was an uncanny consistency to those campaigns, with the club always well placed in the table. The side also had a pleasing balance. Southampton were the highest scorers in their division last season with 85 goals but only Reading, who won the Championship, and Hull had a better defensive record.The club ought to be secure. They were, after all, in the top flight for the 27 years from 1978 to 2005 and have in St Mary's a modern stadium with a capacity of over 32,000 that should now be filled on a regular basis. While the turnout in the stands will be good the anxiety lies as ever with the calibre of the men on the field. Steven Davis was free to sign once Rangers entered the liquidation process.Another newcomer was costly. Southampton have made their record signing with the £7m purchase of Jay Rodriguez. The attacker collected one England Under-21 cap as a substitute. Rodriguez is 23 now and has excelled of late with Burnley in the Championship. Adkins has had to make the tricky assessment of his likely impact at Premier League level since strikers who have already proved themselves in that environment are unaffordable.They are quite likely to be vibrant in the short term. Southampton have already relished that kind of impact. Billy Sharp came to the club in January for £1.8m from a fellow Championship club, Doncaster Rovers. In a few months he ran up nine goals from 15 appearances.It is not the sort of rate that is liable to be sustained in the top flight but the excitement of being on such a stage often has an impact for a while and strikers, above all, are creatures of mood. Adkins has a general interest in improving the attack and confirmed that he wishes to buy the Blackpool winger Matt Phillips but the manager denied there had been an improper approach to the player.At present it is likely that durability will be more important than flair if Southampton's prospects are to be bolstered. Pre-season friendlies do not always provide reliable evidence but there must have been some disquiet in Adkins' mind during the recent 4-0 victory by the visitors Udinese. The manager was heartened by some aspects of the friendly but must aim for greatly improved defending, particularly since Southampton start their Premier League programme with a match at Manchester City on Sunday.Resilience was already a common topic of discussion before the encounter with Udinese. Adkins has lately signed the 20-year-old Argentinian goalkeeper Paulo Gazzaniga from Gillingham and it is anticipated that he will be able to challenge Kelvin Davis for his place. Gazzaniga had the good fortune to appear merely for the second half with Udinese, when the match was petering out and just a single goal was scored.The fans fret about the back four and there has been much talk of an interest in the centre-back Scott Dann, although the £6m price sought by relegated Blackburn is almost double the valuation of Southampton and other potential bidders. Regardless of the outcome in Dann's case, Adkins's side will have to show even more of the resilience that was evident in the Championship.http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/blog/2012/aug/14/southampton-premier-league-preview
Premier League preview No14: Stoke CityTony Pulis's signings suggest he will not change his side's style of play – and Stoke will not be any easier to beat Paul Wilson guardian.co.uk, Tuesday 14 August 2012 13.00 BST Guardian writers' predicted position: 14th (NB: this is not necessarily Paul Wilson's prediction, but the average of our writers' tips)Last season's position: 14thOdds to win the league: 2,500-1The thing about Stoke, Peter Crouch has just said in an attempt to sell the club to Michael Owen, is that it does not have to feel like a step down from Manchester United or Liverpool. "I had the same decision to make when I left Spurs," Crouch said, before rather knocking down his own argument. "I knew I was moving to a smaller club but I knew I would get games."As a big, tall fish in a smallish pond Crouch is now a crowd favourite at the Britannia and in terms of getting his playing career back on track his move has worked out quite well, though as he admits with a cheerfulness that will further endear him to Potters fans, he does not expect to see Stoke pushing for the Champions League at any time in the near future. After a couple of seasons almost invisible on the sidelines Owen would probably not be too concerned about taking a step down either, though he cannot afford to be as confident as Crouch that regular games would come his way. Sitting out big matches for Manchester United is one thing, being used sparingly by Stoke would be a snub of a different order.Approaching their fifth season in the Premier League under the same manager, Stoke have become a byword for doughty mid-table consistency and the ability to give even the best in the league a tough game, yet though survival with a degree of comfort still seems a safe bet there are a few more questions hanging over the Britannia than has been the case in recent seasons. Stoke have done everything expected of them in the past five years and more. They have beaten almost all the top sides, been to an FA Cup final and even performed creditably in Europe. What they have not done is alter their style of play, which is never likely to happen under Tony Pulis, or significantly improve on their mid-table status. That would not matter too much were they all about mere survival, happy to keep coming back each year like Wigan or West Bromwich, but under Pulis Stoke have actually spent a considerable amount of money – they are easily the biggest spenders in the league beneath the Champions League contenders – without seeing much of a return.Perhaps aware that mere survival can be accomplished more cheaply, the chairman, Peter Coates, has told Pulis that surplus players must be sold before new ones can be brought in, and as a consequence Stoke's summer has been relatively quiet. Certainly quieter than last summer, when Coates appeared happy to buy players by the batch in preparation for the rigours of the Europa League. Quite a few players have left, including Ricardo Fuller and Jonathan Woodgate, though little revenue has been generated, and so far only Jamie Ness, on a free from Rangers, and Michael Kightly from Wolves have been secured, along with USA international Geoff Cameron, who can be deployed as a central defender or midfielder.Robert Huth is in danger of missing the start of the season after contracting meningitis, though with a rather pleasing predictability Pulis was already talking to another giant defender in right back Sebastien Boenisch, who played for Poland in Euro 2012 but has spent his club career in Germany and played at Under-21 level for the German national side. Boenisch is 6ft 3in, which by a completely unremarkable coincidence is the same height as Cameron, whose work permit clearance has just come through in time for him to start the season with Stoke.Pulis is clearly looking for value in the market and needs to get his next few transfer moves right, because his uneven record of buying is just about the only blemish on his six-year stint at Stoke. There have been some undoubted successes, Matthew Etherington, Jon Walters and Huth among them, but rather too many undistinguished buys such as Kenwyne Jones, Tuncay Sanli and Wilson Palacios, who have had their moments but generally failed to live up to expectations.Crouch was an obvious player for Pulis to go for and he duly did, though equally obviously the Spurs player only replicated Jones' role in the team. Playing the two big men together up front did not seem to work, doubtless to Pulis's disappointment, and Walters and Crouch formed the most effective partnership, leaving not only Jones but Cameron Jerome slightly surplus to requirements. On signing Jones two years ago Pulis commented that he was sure the enigmatic striker still had his best years ahead of him. Maybe he still has, but Britannia crowds have not seen them yet and it is doubtful whether many managers would show the sort of confidence Pulis did when splashing out a club record of £8m.Having found the Europa League a tiring and not especially rewarding experience last season, and banged their head a few times on the glass ceiling that separates the Premier League's achievers from the rest, some have concluded that the only way for Stoke to go is down and there are even fears that relegation might be a worry because Pulis's team always plays the same way and opponents have worked out how to break them down. This seems an unlikely scenario, for the simple reason that knowing what Stoke will do does not make it any easier to stop them doing it. They defend well, use wingers effectively, and get high balls into the middle to create a high percentage of opportunities in front of goal. It may not always be pretty, but it usually works.It is hard to envisage Stoke rolling over and becoming a soft touch while Pulis remains in charge, and their crowd alone will help ensure the Britannia remains a challenging place for opponents to win points, so unless early results are spectacularly bad there seems no need to panic. A safe, mid-table berth appears to be eminently attainable once again.http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/blog/2012/aug/14/stoke-city-premier-league-preview
3/20 is a bit bad isn't it?
yer ma should have called you Paolo Zico Gerry Socrates HELLRAZOR
The Racing Post's betting preseason preview reckons this will be the finishing order:1. Man Utd 2. Man City3. Chelsea4. Arsenal5. Newcastle6. Spurs7. Liverpool 8. Everton9. Aston Villa10. Fulham11. Sunderland12. QPR13. Reading14. Wigan15. WBA16. West Ham17. Southampton18. Stoke19. Norwich20. SwanseaDisagree with a few of em but i think 7th for us is realistic to be honest, obviously if we make any more major signings this might change.
Premier League preview No15: SunderlandMartin O'Neill has only signed one player for Sunderland this summer but more are required to change the complexion of a squad assembled under Steve Bruce's revolving-door approachGuardian writers' predicted position: 9th (NB: this is not necessarily Louise Taylor's prediction, but the average of our writers' tips)Last season's position: 13thOdds to win the league: 3,500-1In some ways it has been a groundbreaking summer for Sunderland. A pioneering shirt sponsorship deal promoting "Invest in Africa" is intended to win over an entire continent of new supporters while a pre-season trip to a "Peace" tournament in South Korea was planned with an Asian fan base in mind.While such global developments are exciting – not to mention vital to the club's long-term health – season ticket holders have become concerned by a distinct lack of transfer market activity. If the vast majority remain thrilled to have Martin O'Neill occupying the manager's office, they are increasingly eager for him to start spending the owner Ellis Short's money.If there was far too great a "churn" factor under Steve Bruce – O'Neill's predecessor signed a staggering 30 players, including loans, during his two and a half years at Sunderland – the Stadium of Light's once constantly revolving door now appears to be in danger of jamming shut.Although infinitely preferable to Bruce's rather scattergun approach to dealings, this somewhat cautious approach to O'Neill's first season in charge – so far only one first-team player has been recruited, the former Aston Villa defender Carlos Cuéllar on a free transfer – is provoking anxiety. Fanciful rumours that James Milner had checked into Seaham Hall hotel ahead of a medical were swiftly proved false, but welcome as the Manchester City midfielder's arrival might have been, the team's overriding requirement is goals.With Asamoah Gyan having made his bizarre loan move to Al-Ain of the United Arab Emirates permanent and Nicklas Bendtner returning to Arsenal at the conclusion of his stint, O'Neill's side are not only light in the attacking department but extremely short of an aerial threat up front.This not only explains a series of underwhelming pre-season results – four defeats in six and only four goals scored – but the lengthy game of brinkmanship with Wolves over Steven Fletcher which has formed a backdrop to Sunderland's summer and now sees the Molineux board demanding £15m for their prize asset.Granted the physically imposing centre forward has twice been relegated from the Premier League – with Burnley and Wolves – but Fletcher did score 12 Premier League goals for Mick McCarthy's struggling side last season, seven of them with his head.At least the gifted Stéphane Sessègnon is still around – even if fans will, with justification, be fearful of a bid for the Benin forward or attacking midfielder right up until September dawns. Rumours that he may be exchanged for Tottenham's Jermain Defoe refuse to disappear.O'Neill has recognised the need to ease the load on Sessègnon by increasing his side's creativity and fluency, and remains optimistic of adding some new faces. When it comes to selling the club to would-be players it can only help that an indoor practice area is finally scheduled to be ready for use at the training ground in October, thereby sparing players from the worst of the chill winds whipping in off the North Sea at the notoriously blustery weekday base in Cleadon.O'Neill's managerial brilliance has often been reflected by his uncanny knack of welding players his peers might term ordinary into extraordinary units, but even the 60-year-old Northern Irishman might struggle to guide his current squad towards Europa League qualification.That said, the addition of another two or three fresh faces could entirely change the complexion of a unit already boasting the old fashioned left-wing skills of James McClean, the set-piece accuracy of Sebastian Larsson, the left-footed midfield promise of Jack Colback, the bite of Lee Cattermole and the stellar goalkeeping of Simon Mignolet. Further forward, the arrival of a robust Fletcher-type figure to play off might permit the young striker Ryan Noble to prove to his manager that an unerring goalscoring knack (and the locally born Noble has been prolific at reserve level) can more than compensate for an apparently frail physique.Defensively things should be bolstered by Cuéllar's arrival but much depends on whether Wes Brown can overcome his latest knee injury and somehow stay fit, and whether the talented yet sometimes still slapdash Titus Bramble surmounts his own injury worries before finally learning to master the art of concentration. With Michael Turner sold to Norwich, Matt Kilgallon, a centre-half frozen out by Bruce, should have a chance to establish himself but, like Brown, Bramble and John O'Shea, Kilgallon has a tendency to spend too much time on the treatment table.Serious question marks concern the left-back spot, a position not occupied by a specialist for some time. Admittedly Phil Bardsley, a right-back, has exceeded the call of duty when occupying the role but with Bardsley currently injured and Kieran Richardson, who can fill in on the left of defence, seemingly heading for the departure gate, an expert reinforcement would be welcomed. The smart money is on Stephen Warnock arriving from Villa before September.Whoever arrives and/or departs O'Neill – who, after taking over in December, dragged Sunderland out of a relegation battle, into the top 10 and to an FA Cup quarter-final before finally seeing the side slip, exhausted, into a disappointing 13th place – is determined to regularly fill the Stadium of Light to its 48,000 capacity."The potential is absolutely frightening," he says. "It's there and it would be lovely to do something about it. And I think now there is an added incentive, if not pressure, with Newcastle doing so well."Both can only be increased by the knowledge that thanks to this summer's overseas initiatives, budding Mackems everywhere from Dakar to Dar es Salaam, and Seoul to Sierra Leone, will be tuning in to this season's Tyne-Wear derbies.Regionally, nationally and internationally Sunderland aim to put themselves firmly back on the map. Significant challenges await but with O'Neill in charge few doubt they can be surmounted.http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/blog/2012/aug/15/premier-league-preview-sunderland
Premier League preview No 16: Swansea CityMichael Laudrup has got some work to do in his first Premier League season, not least to find a Plan B for Swansea CityGuardian writers' predicted position: 16th (NB: this is not necessarily Paul Doyle's prediction, but the average of our writers' tips)Last season's position: 11thOdds to win the league: 4,000-1Swansea's playing style is distinctive but they have another characteristic that makes them virtually unique in the Premier League: in recent years the club have shown an astuteness in their managerial appointments that is very rare.Roberto Martínez and Brendan Rodgers arrived with little fanfare but left amid mighty acclaim and Paulo Sousa, while not an unqualified success, made important contributions during his season in charge, between that pair. The clarity of Swansea's vision has made replacing managers and players relatively seamless. That fact should be a source of optimism for Swansea fans ahead of a season that, on the other hand, could also end in tears.Michael Laudrup was a typically considered and ambitious appointment. Some have noted ruefully that he has not lasted long at some of his previous clubs and suggested that a man who was such a magnificent player would not have the temperament for a relegation fight, so if results start to go against him he will embark on a mazy dribble past all the frustration and bother and right out of the door.That seems facile but is not totally unfounded, for he did leave Getafe in 2008 after the extraordinary success that he delivered in his first season waned during the second; by the same token, just two years ago he took over hard-up Mallorca when they looked doomed to the drop but showed the fortitude to keep them up with a swagger.He only left the job thereafter because of ludicrous interference by a megalomaniac chairman, a problem he will not encounter at Swansea. Furthermore, Laudrup is particularly highly motivated by the opportunity to make a managerial name for himself in the Premier League, which makes him more likely to persevere against any frustration than he was at Spartak Moscow, for example, where interference from above again contributed to the shortness of his reign.In terms of playing style, of course, Laudrup looks a perfect fit. He shares the club's devotion to possession and passing but can be expected to try to cultivate an even more progressive approach, making the side more attacking than they were under Rodgers and Sousa, both of whom essentially started from the principle that keeping the ball meant keeping the opposition at bay more than creating a platform for attack.Their right-back Angel Rangel touched the ball more times than any player in the Premier League last year but he can be expected to see more action in the opposing half this term, as Laudrup tends to instruct his full-backs to be as enterprising as his wingers.Scoring is the aspect of the game that Swansea most obviously need to improve. Danny Graham struck 12 last season but no one else reached double-figures, though Gylfi Sigurdsson might have done so if he had been there for the whole campaign. Swansea may already have found someone who can do what the Icelander did and more: Michu, picked up for £2m after scoring 15 goals for struggling Rayo Vallecano last term, has the potential to be one of the bargains of the season.Laurdup's other recruits look promising, too: Chico could prove an ideal replacement for Steven Caulker, who has returned to Tottenham, and Jonathan de Guzman could add yet more menace to the attack. However, like Laudrup, none of these players have experienced the Premier League before so there is an obvious risk of Swansea slipping into trouble unless their newcomers adapt almost immediately.And, of course, Swansea have yet to replace Joe Allen, who was so integral to team's way of playing that Liverpool and Rodgers apparently went back on their word in order to nab him. Allen was ubiquitous in the centre of Swansea's midfield, winning the ball cleanly and constantly before distributing it smartly. Aware of the importance of the role, Laudrup is said to want a replacement who has already played in the Premier League so as to minimise adaptation time.Laudrup is also searching for something that Rodgers did not find: a Plan B. "Every club will know exactly who did well against Swansea last year, how they had success and most will say: 'OK, we'll play like that'," the Dane declared last week. "So we know there cannot be one way, we have to be ready to change before games and during games if we have to."Swansea can expect, for instance, many more teams to try to prevent them from building from the back by pestering them as intensely as Queens Park Rangers did in the 3-0 victory in April or to seek to soak up pressure at the Liberty Stadium like Newcastle did a few games before that before nicking victory on the counterattack. Being able to adjust approach means, of course, having more options on the bench, which probably means that Swansea need to deepen a thin squad rather than merely replace departed players.Laudrup has a tough job. His team will be fascinating to watch and probably highly entertaining. And for all their cute play and high-minded intent, they will certainly need another super season from their goalkeeper, Michel Vorm.http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/blog/2012/aug/15/swansea-premierleague
Stan Collymore @StanCollymore1 City 2.Chelsea 3 United 4 Arsenal 5 Spurs 6 Newcastle 7 Everton 8 Liverpool 9 Villa 10 Fulham 11 Stoke 12 Sunderland 13 West Ham 14 West Brom 15 Swansea 16 QPR 17 Reading 18 Norwich 19 Southampton 20 Wigan
Where do I begin?
Imo, if your argument is about Liverpool, than definitely you are wrong. It is very fair if people put us in the 7-9th position.
Behind Everton and Newcastle? I don't think so.
Does it even matter? It is about Liverpool and certainly you would be stupid if you fault anyone for putting us at that position.And I hope you do remember it is the same Newcastle whom we expected to finish below us, yet they finished ahead of us comfortably last season.
Premier League preview No17: Tottenham HotspurSpurs have a new manager with a point to prove but signings have been limited, last year's player of the season is injured and they still have only one senior strikerGuardian writers' predicted position: 5th (NB: this is not necessarily David Hytner's prediction but the average of our writers' tips)Last season's position: 4thOdds to win the league: 25-1Tottenham Hotspur are a little like a groom on the night before his wedding. The excitement is palpable, as they stand on the brink of the best of times. They have so much going for them. There are nerves, lots of them, but they reassure themselves that everything will be all right. At the back of their minds, though, there is the fear that it could go horribly wrong.Two days before their season starts with a testing assignment at Newcastle United the fans look at the squad list and see only one established striker in Jermain Defoe. They know that Scott Parker, a talisman for much of last season, will not play until October at the earliest because of achilles surgery and another important midfielder, Sandro, has not yet trained under the new manager, André Villas-Boas, due to international commitments with Brazil. And then there is Luka Modric, whose transfer saga has bubbled in the background for the second successive summer.When Villas-Boas was introduced as Harry Redknapp's successor on 11 July he spoke of the requirement to "complete" the squad. Jan Vertonghen and Gylfi Sigurdsson had been announced as encouraging early signings but there remained imbalances, particularly up front. The club's inability to address them quickly has not helped Villas-Boas's preparations and it has been easy to remember the beginning of last season, when late incoming business, injuries and Modric's state of mind made for a stuttering start.Villas-Boas has reason to be more nervous than most, although he has not shown it. He has presented a supremely bullish front, saying that Tottenham ought to be genuine title contenders from the outset and even aiming a pop at Roman Abramovich, his employer at Chelsea last season, for failing to "put up to the things that he promised". Not many people take on Abramovich. Villas-Boas must restore the damage to his reputation that was caused when Abramovich sacked him eight months into this Chelsea contract.The pressure on Villas-Boas will be intense, largely because Redknapp was dismissed by the Tottenham chairman, Daniel Levy, after overseeing fourth-, fifth- and fourth-place Premier League finishes, which represented the club's most consistently impressive achievements since the halcyon days of the early 60s. The bold decision to sack Redknapp was tied up in the latter's desire to manage England and it was underpinned by a personality clash between manager and chairman.The bottom line, though, was that Levy felt Redknapp had taken the team as far as he could and that Villas-Boas is the better bet for the future. For Villas-Boas the margin for error would appear nonexistent. (As an aside, one of the great unanswered questions is whether Levy would have dismissed Redknapp if Chelsea had not won the European Cup and fourth place would have been enough to take Tottenham back into Europe's elite competition.)Levy's transfer dealings in the next two weeks or so will be vital but there is a confidence at the club that everything will be resolved to their satisfaction. The chairman always leaves things late, for better or for worse, although the delay in the permanent acquisition of Emmanuel Adebayor has not been his fault. He agreed a fee of £5.5m with Manchester City weeks ago for the striker, who spent last season on loan at White Hart Lane, and Adebayor's personal terms have also been fixed. The problem has been between Adebayor and City over a huge termination-of-contract payment that the player maintains he is entitled to.Villas-Boas would like another striker and the club are in talks with Internacional over Leandro Damião, the Brazil No9, while they also have an interest in Fernando Llorente of Athletic Bilbao. In goal Villas-Boas would ideally like an upgrade on Brad Friedel but, as yet, Lyon's Hugo Lloris has proved too expensive. Julio Cesar of Internazionale would be a much cheaper alternative.It is unlikely that Modric, who has trained away from the first-team group, will again be denied his move, even if Levy has resolutely held out for £40m from Real Madrid and the Spanish club have refused to go much higher than £30m. Levy turned down a package worth £40m last time out from Chelsea. The key difference this summer has been that Tottenham are prepared to sell.The club have raised about £14m through the sales of Niko Kranjcar, Vedran Corluka and Steven Pienaar but they need the Modric money to make their final signings. Villas-Boas has tracked the Porto midfielder João Moutinho as Modric's possible replacement, while the club have seen a bid rejected by Rennes for Yann M'Vila. Porto's president, Pinto da Costa, would demand at least €30m (£23.5m) for Moutinho and, like Levy, he is not a man to back down easily.Tottenham, as ever, are juggling many balls during the transfer window – they unsuccessfully bid €16m for Bologna's attacking midfielder Gastón Ramírez, according to the player's agent – and the north London club are also open to moving on a section of their squad: Heurelho Gomes, William Gallas, Sébastien Bassong, David Bentley, Jermaine Jenas, Giovani dos Santos and even Rafael van der Vaart face uncertain futures. Tom Huddlestone has been left frustrated at his lack of pre-season minutes, after recovering from a long-term ankle injury.Villas-Boas wants to play his high-intensity pressing game, with an emphasis on slick passing and movement, and his back four would appear to have the requisite pace. Younes Kaboul is expected to partner Vertonghen in the centre, with Kyle Walker and Benoit Assou-Ekotto sure to relish their attacking responsibilities in the full-back positions. With Ledley King retired, the 20-year-old Steven Caulker has the opportunity to press his credentials.The captaincy is an interesting issue, with Villas-Boas yet to confirm who will take over from King. Michael Dawson is an obvious contender; he has done the honours in pre-season and he has the respect of the dressing-room. But is he a certain starter in the team?Parker is another option, even if he is some weeks from fitness. He limped out of England's Euro 2012 quarter-final defeat against Italy on 24 June, because of a long-standing achilles problem, and so it was a curiosity that he did not undergo the operation until 8 August. Expect Villas-Boas to smile at the English fixation with the armband.The Portuguese must have been pleased so far at how his players have embraced the structure of his training sessions and his ideas. The perception has built, not without foundation, that this Tottenham squad is a more malleable bunch than the one he had at Chelsea. Pre-season has been gruelling, particularly in the 38C heat of Baltimore, but morale is good at present. The players enjoyed the tour of the United States, where highlights included their Fifa 13 console tournament at New York's Grand Central station and Vertonghen's initiation ceremony, when he sang The Beatles' Yellow Submarine.The serious business now looms, both in the market and on the field. Predictions are difficult for Tottenham while the transfer window remains open but one thing is clear: it will be emotional.http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/blog/2012/aug/16/tottenham-hotspur-premier-league-preview
Premier League preview No18: West Bromwich AlbionSteve Clarke is the league's only novice manager but he has a solid platform from which to burnish his and West Brom's reputationGuardian writers' predicted position: 13th (NB: this is not necessarily Stuart James's prediction, but the average of our writers' tips)Last season's position: 10thOdds to win the league: 3,000-1The Premier League managerial merry-go-round has been in full swing this summer yet of the seven appointments made West Bromwich Albion were the only club to plump for a man who has never been called "Gaffer" before.Steve Clarke has enjoyed a coaching career spanning 14 years, during which he has worked alongside some of the biggest names in the game, but this is the first time that the Scot will be able to call the shots and make decisions of his own rather than merely offer his opinion.With that responsibility comes pressure and, when things go wrong, intense scrutiny, but Clarke insists he is relishing the challenge. He has talked positively about the season ahead, saying how he hopes to turn Albion into a more attacking team, especially at The Hawthorns, where they struggled at times last season.Clarke has also set his sights on breaking through the 50-point barrier, which might not sound like much but it seems refreshingly positive in an era where we have grown wearily accustomed to listening to so many Premier League managers target survival before daring to think of anything else. What a depressing state of affairs that is with 38 matches remaining.Albion, in fairness, have every right to be looking beyond a relegation battle after the relative success of the last couple of seasons. Under Roy Hodgson, the club have established themselves in the Premier League, finishing a credible 10th last term on the back of 11th place the season before.Off the pitch the figures are also impressive, even if some supporters would like to see Jeremy Peace, the Albion chairman, loosen the purse-strings a little. The last accounts filed, for the 2010-11 season, showed that Albion made a £9m profit and carried only £2m of debt with no interest payments. Their annual wage bill was £37m, the second lowest in the Premier League at that time and less than half Aston Villa's outlay. Villa, for the record, finished only one point above Albion that season.Clarke, in other words, is operating from a solid platform both on and off the field, especially as the club have retained their best players over the summer and made a couple of interesting additions, in particular up front.Markus Rosenberg, the experienced Sweden international, has joined from Werder Bremen and, more intriguingly, Romelu Lukaku has signed on a season-long loan from Chelsea, giving Clarke, who already had Shane Long, Peter Odemwingie and Marc Antoine-Fortuné at his disposal, plenty of options.Indeed Clarke seems almost spoilt for choice and his biggest problem could be keeping all five attackers happy, especially if he plays with only one out-and-out centre forward, which is likely to be his preference judging by the way Albion have lined up during pre-season.Odemwingie can play out wide and spent plenty of time there under Hodgson, although he would prefer to be "the main striker".Assuming the Nigerian does start on the wing, however, the other wide berth is likely to be filled by Zoltan Gera, whose return from a serious knee injury that sidelined him for the duration of last season represents a major boost for Albion. Chris Brunt, Jerome Thomas and Yassine El Ghanassy, who is on loan from Gent and has caught the eye with his eagerness to take on defenders (sadly, that doesn't seem to be something all wingers can do these days), are the other options on the flank.James Morrison and Graham Dorrans will compete for an advanced midfield role, with Youssouf Mulumbu and Claudio Yacob likely to be the two holding players. George Thorne, a promising youngster, could also feature. It is a big season for Mulumbu, who was exceptional in 2010-11 and looked destined for a move to a top European club only to come up just a little short last term, when his commitment was never lacking but the goals dried up.Yacob, an Argentina international signed from Racing, will fill the boots of Paul Scharner, who was released, perhaps a little surprisingly, in the summer. Albion will miss the Austrian's threat from set-pieces, as well as the cover he provided at centre-half, but Yacob is an exciting prospect and his signing provides further evidence of what a crucial role Albion's sporting and technical director, Dan Ashworth, plays when it comes to recruitment. It would, needless to say, be a major blow for Albion if the Football Association convinced Ashworth to take its technical director role.The permanent signing of Ben Foster from Birmingham City, after the former England international spent last season on loan at The Hawthorns, was one of Ashworth's more straightforward deals and secures Albion a decent goalkeeper for years to come. In front of Foster the central defenders Jonas Olsson and Gareth McAuley will look to carry on where they left off last season, when they formed a decent partnership, while Billy Jones, Gonzalo Jara, Steven Reid and Liam Ridgewell will compete for the full-back positions. If there is a concern it is that Albion seem short of quality cover at centre-half and lack another orthodox left-back.All in all, though, it is a decent squad and one that should be capable of finishing mid-table again, provided Clarke adapts to his new role with the minimum of fuss and the players buy into his methods. What we do know is that he is very much hands-on and highly respected for his work on the training ground, which is part of the reason he got the job. Albion have long described the position as "head coach" rather than "manager" – the club want someone talking tactics and taking sessions rather than speaking to agents from behind their desk and showing their face when the five-a-side starts at midday.While Clarke's appointment makes sense in that respect, it also signals a departure from what we have seen at The Hawthorns in recent years. Tony Mowbray and Roberto Di Matteo had both managed before arriving at Albion and were viewed as up-and-coming coaches at the time. Hodgson, on the other hand, had a wealth of experience. Indeed when he was the age Clarke is now, he had just been given the Internazionale job, which was the seventh club side he had managed and followed a three-year spell in charge of Switzerland. By the time he got to Albion, in 2011, his managerial career spanned five decades.The value of that knowledge was translated into results at Albion as Hodgson instilled the tactical discipline that was conspicuous by its absence under Mowbray and Di Matteo, when Albion were a threat going forward but always looked vulnerable defensively. Clarke, of course, will want to be his own person but the reality is that there is not too much that needs tinkering with at Albion. "I don't want to lose the strengths that the club had last season," he said when he was appointed. "They were really well-organised, disciplined and hard to beat. That is the first priority for anybody. On top of that I'd like to add my own little stamp and we can hopefully become a little bit more attacking, especially at home."Clarke, by his own admission, is not easily excited, although he revealed that the fixture list put a smile on his face when he saw that he was up against Liverpool, the club where he was assistant manager to Kenny Dalglish for 18 months, on the opening day.A trip to White Hart Lane follows the Liverpool game before Everton's visit on 1 September, which represents a tricky start, much like last year, when Albion lost to Manchester United and then Chelsea before suffering a defeat at home against Stoke. Clarke would not want to go down that path, not least to stop the first murmurs from surfacing about whether a man who has spent years as a No2 can make the step up.http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/blog/2012/aug/16/west-bromwich-albion-premier-league-preview
Premier League preview No19: West Ham UnitedSam Allardyce has signed Modibo Maïga to add attacking flair but no one should think West Ham will throw caution to the windGuardian writers' predicted position: 15th (NB: this is not necessarily Kevin McCarra's prediction, but the average of our writers' tips)Last season's position: PromotedOdds to win the league: 3,000-1A place in the promotion play-offs often suggests that a club has fallen a little short of its true ambition but victory in the surroundings of Wembley can surely galvanise a squad. West Ham re-entered the Premier League by defeating Blackpool there and had the added euphoria of a late winner, with a goal from Ricardo Vaz Tê delivering the 2-1 win.A dispassionate critic might grumble that a side who could not rise automatically from the Championship must still have marked limitations. Sam Allardyce would surely agree. "What a signing," the manager said of Vaz Tê that afternoon. Allardyce meant every word but it did no harm to remind everyone that he had taken the striker from Barnsley only four months earlier.West Ham evidently trust Allardyce's judgment. David Gold and David Sullivan, who together hold over 60% of the club's shares, have not hesitated to back him. Andy Carroll resisted an effort to take him from Liverpool on loan. "I would probably have stuck my neck out and said we would almost certainly stay up with him on board," Allardyce said this summer.Talk of an interest in Manchester United's Dimitar Berbatov came to nothing but the club did land a forward. Modibo Maïga was bought from Sochaux for a rumoured fee of £4.5m. The Mali international is an all-round attacker and snapped up chances regularly in Ligue 1. Maïga may carry the promise of excitement that every fan looks for on the verge of a new season.Despite that, there is no danger that Allardyce will abandon his faith in pragmatism when the task is to ensure that West Ham stay in the top flight. The club paid £2.5m to bring back the centre-half James Collins from Aston Villa. There have been problems for him off and on the pitch, with disciplinary issues and uneven form at Villa Park. Nonetheless, West Ham would have hoped to benefit from his presence immediately. As it is, he may need a hernia operation. At a club attempting to regain status after the spell outside the Premier League, that sort of news is particularly depressing.Worries have been resurfacing at Upton Park. Jack Collison has relative youth on his side as he strives to show that there can still be a great impact but Chris Coleman introduced some sobering realism to the topic after Collison and Collins both withdrew from Wales' friendly with Bosnia-Herzegovina.In reality, it would be a comfort for Coleman to believe that the players were just averting any risk of harm in a game with no points at stake. In practice, the Wales manager has sounded particularly fretful about the midfielder. "Jack Collison has had a problem, not for six months, not for 12 months," Coleman said. "We're talking maybe two or three years."He's had a serious knee problem. He's got through games maybe he shouldn't have because he wants to play. James Collins has got a possible hernia problem that may need surgery. He limped off in a friendly in Portugal for West Ham so he [couldn't play against Bosnia]. I certainly don't doubt the commitment of Jack or James."A knee operation put Collison out of the game for over a year but there could have been no more pleasing demonstration of his potential than a pair of goals he provided in May. They came in the first-half of the away leg of the play-off tie with Cardiff. The strain had been lifted from West Ham immediately.With the Premier League campaign not quite upon us, there has been time for speculative discussion. The Olympic Stadium would, in terms of proximity, be convenient as a new home for West Ham. Excitement about that prospect cannot be counted on, however, when the prime venue for football at the Olympics this summer was Wembley.There is also a certain realism in the argument that West Ham benefit from the intensity of the atmosphere at a stadium holding only 35,000 people. On the other hand, new grounds have often been known to attract new spectators. There probably has to be relative success to hold on to that audience but Allardyce states that the Olympic Stadium would pave the way for a transformation.At present, West Ham are simply striving to build resilience in the ranks. The summer additions include an experienced defensive midfielder in the 31-year-old Alou Diarra. Robert Green's move to Queens Park Rangers as a free agent was disappointing but, at the very least, there will be no loss of experience between the posts. Following Bolton's relegation, the 37-year-old Jussi Jaaskelainen switched to Upton Park and is reunited with his former manager.Mohamed Diamé, the captain of the Senegal side at the Olympics, is another addition after his departure from Wigan as a free agent. He will be expected to bring resilience to the midfield. Allardyce counts on experience in the centre of the pitch, where he has the presence of Kevin Nolan, who played under him at Bolton for seven years.The manager is a realist and this season the focus is likely to be on keeping West Ham out of harm's way.http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/blog/2012/aug/17/west-ham-premier-league-preview
Premier League preview No20: Wigan AthleticRoberto Martínez's side are ready to spring more surprises as they embark on their eighth season in the Premier League, and hope to start as they finished last termGuardian writers' predicted position: 17th (NB: this is not necessarily Paul Wilson's prediction but the average of our writers' tips)Last season's position: 15thOdds to win the league: 3,000-1Seven years ago this week Wigan Athletic played their first Premier League game, at home on a Sunday afternoon to José Mourinho's Chelsea, at the time the defending champions. Tough starts don't come much tougher, yet though Wigan were widely expected to stay rooted to the foot of the table all season and scuttle back to lower division obscurity at the earliest opportunity, they began as they intended to continue. They gave Chelsea a game, and the London side only claimed the points through a winner by Hernán Crespo in the 93rd minute. Mourinho admitted his side had been lucky, and everyone agreed with Paul Jewell's assertion that Wigan had been cruelly denied a draw they deserved.Two years ago this week, still in the top flight after a series of close shaves and last day escapes that took some of the shine off the confident strides made in the first season, Wigan kicked off their sixth Premier League campaign with a home game against Blackpool, newly promoted and widely expected to stay rooted to the foot of the table all season before scuttling back to obscurity etc. The result was Wigan 0-4 Blackpool, an outcome even more outlandish than Wigan 0-1 Chelsea. Blackpool proceeded to have a whale of a time in the Premier League, stylishly outplaying any number of opponents, though they did get relegated in the end because they were too open at the back. A traumatised Wigan went on to lose 6-0 at home to Chelsea in their next match, then made up for it by going to Tottenham Hotspur and coming away with three points.To say Wigan are unpredictable is not only an understatement, it has become a Premier League cliche. Chelsea are again the visitors this opening weekend, in their new guise as Champions League winners, and just about any result seems possible. The Latics beat Chelsea in Roberto Martínez's first season as manager, resulting in television crews from Spain making their way to Marsh Green for the first time, and but for a couple of abysmal refereeing decisions could easily have beaten them at Stamford Bridge during their terrific run-in to save themselves last term. Wigan needed a terrific run-in, of course, because they had been rooted to the foot of the table for most of the season after losing eight matches on the trot. It appeared they were not messing about with relegation this time but finally taking the plunge, only for a subtle change of formation to produce a run of form that included victories against Liverpool, Manchester United, Newcastle and Arsenal, saving themselves and severely damaging United's title hopes and Kenny Dalglish's employment prospects in the process.If Martínez's players can start the new season as they finished the last one they should be good for the top half of the table this time, perhaps even a dalliance with Europe, though that is a big ask and a big if for a team whose confidence graph would be a succession of sharp peaks and troughs. A few solid performers have departed over the summer, Hugo Rodallega, Momo Diamé and Steve Gohouri among them, though replacements of some promise have been secured in the form of Iván Ramis, Arouna Koné, Fraser Fyvie and Ryo Miyaichi, the last on loan from Arsenal. Martínez feels that the sign of a mature, established club is that it can move players out and bring in new ones without suffering too much of a reaction, though he also feels that the transfer window should shut before the season kicks off and is worried, as are most of the fans, that when Chelsea leave the DW on Sunday they might be taking Victor Moses with them.A lack of goals was one of the major problems last season, and though Martínez has attempted to address the issue with the capture of the potentially exciting Koné, an Ivory Coast international, the anticipated departure of Moses would not only deprive Wigan of a player just hitting his stride but sound a downbeat note at the start of a new season. Wigan would like to see Moses stay until Christmas at least, though if he does leave, the club still has Mauro Boselli as a back-up option. Signed from Estudiantes for the princely sum of £6m in 2010, the Argentina striker has been out on loan for the past couple of seasons after failing to make any sort of impression in his first year in England. Wigan crowds thought they had seen the last of him, but now he is back, and Martínez is talking just as excitedly about him as he did the first time round.But that is very much what Martínez does. He talks excitedly about everything, from his chairman – the joke at the beginning of summer was that Dave Whelan had applied for the vacant position as the Liverpool press officer – to his underperforming mistakes in the transfer market. From a personal point of view Martínez is perhaps a little disappointed to still be at Wigan, after getting caught up in the managerial merry-go-round in May, though you would never guess. He is relentlessly positive, proud of the players he has brought to Wigan and the results he has posted, and ready to spring a whole new set of surprises on an unsuspecting public this season. As a result of turning down Aston Villa and not being finally offered the Liverpool job he is now Wigan's second longest-serving manager (behind Jewell) since the club rejoined the league in 1978. Not only that, there are now only four Premier League managers ahead of him in terms of longevity at their present club. Best of all, they are only up against the champions of Europe in their opening game. It's not as if they have to play Blackpool or anything.http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/blog/2012/aug/17/premier-league-preview-wigan-athletic
1. Manchester City2. Manchester United3. Chelsea4. Arsenal5. Tottenham6. Liverpool7. Newcastle8. Everton9. Sunderland10. Fulham11. QPR12. Aston Villa13. West Brom14. Stoke15. West Ham16. Swansea17. Wigan18. Norwich19. Reading20. Southampton
