1 – Manchester United
Prediction: 2nd – “Without doubt Man United will be far more flashy than Chelsea, however they may just lack substance this time around”
With Jose Mourinho exiting Stamford Bridge so early in the season, it always seemed like this year’s title would be Man Utd’s to lose. In the end it was home form which proved the difference (only one draw and one defeat), but despite this Sir Alex’s side still finished two points shy of last season.
2 – Chelsea
Prediction: 1st – “Mourinho has indicated that he intends to return to a 4-3-3 formation this season, which could be ominous for Chelsea’s title rivals”
Given the strength and depth available to coach Avram Grant this season, finishing second (ten points short of Mourinho’s title winning team in 04-05) is hardly good enough. Nevertheless if key men such as Drogba and Carvalho leave over the summer, next season could prove even more disappointing.
3 – Arsenal
Prediction: 3rd – “The loss of Henry is obviously significant, but will not lead to the meltdown some have predicted”
Whilst it was all doom and gloom back in August, Arsenal started the season brilliantly with Cesc Fabergas leading the way. A frustrating run of draws in the early spring eventually put them out of the title race, but overall Arsene Wenger should be pleased with the progress made.
4 – Liverpool
Prediction: 4th – “How Benitez intends to mould Liverpool’s increasingly classy squad into a coherent eleven-man team remains to be seen”
Yet again Liverpool failed to put a sustained title challenge together, but at least Benitez’s rotation policy finally had to bite the dust. Gerrard and Torres were the stars and will need to continue developing as a partnership if Liverpool are to improve on fourth next season.
5 – Everton
Prediction: 9th – “David Moyes has built a neat little side over the last couple of seasons which should give a good account of itself in 2007-2008″
Given the size of the Everton squad relative to the likes of Liverpool and Chelsea it seems remarkable that David Moyes’ side were serious contenders of the fourth Champions League spot right up until the end of the season. These days you can never rule the Toffees out.
6 – Aston Villa
Prediction: 7th – “Villa made steady progress throughout last season and will continue to improve this time around”
Whilst clubs such as West Ham and Manchester City have been quite flashy about their new money, Villa undergone a more understated revolution. Martin O’Neil refuses to spend just for the sake of it and owner Randy Learner keeps out of the media spotlight. Gareth Barry was the star man on the field, but can he be persuaded by turn down Liverpool’s advances?
7 – Blackburn
Prediction: 11th – “Santa Cruz is the major new addition to the side and should offer something different up front, however Hughes will be looking towards key men like Nelsen and McCarthy if Rovers are to perform well again this year.”
Despite spending virtually nothing ahead of the new campaign, Blackburn actually improved on their 2006-2007 finish of 10th. Benny McCarthy failed to recreate the goal scoring heroics of his debut season on a regular basis, but new boy Santa Cruz proved than able to take up the baton, whilst winger David Bentley is now a player to be feared.
8 – Portsmouth
Prediction: 12th – “Harry Redknapp has spent a lot of money strengthening his squad, however it remains to be seen if his side can challenge for Europe.”
Pompey enjoyed their most successful season to date with a second consecutive top ten Premier League finish and an FA Cup win to celebrate. Oddly, Fratton Park was hardly a fortress for Harry Redknapp’s side – who only claimed seven home wins – but this was more than evened out with nine away wins (three times more than last season).
9 – Manchester City
Prediction: 5th – “Eriksson sides are never particularly exciting, however they are generally very effective and with a huge amount of money to spend, Man City could soon be troubling their illustrious neighbours just a little bit more.”
It was a case of ‘what might have been’ for Manchester City, who stormed to the top the table early in the season, doubled neighbours Manchester United, but eventually ran out of steam. Manager Sven Goran Eriksson showed his managerial skill by forming a mish-mash of players into a solid unit; how will City cope without him?
10 – West Ham United
Prediction: 8th – “I really like the look of the side Curbishley is putting together at West Ham, certainly in terms of a first eleven.”
Never in danger of relegation, never in with a chance of success; it was season of complete mediocrity for West Ham (the Hammers finished six points behind City in ninth). Some may point to the club’s lengthy long term injury list as a partial excuse for underachievement, but the jury remains out on Alan Curbishley.
11 – Tottenham Hotspur
Prediction: 6th – “Much has been made of Tottenham’s formidable strike force, however the fact of the matter is that realistically only two of Berbatov, Keane, Bent and Defoe can be on the pitch at any one time.”
When it comes to farce, only Newcastle do it better than Tottenham. Martin Jol’s death throws seemed to last weeks, whilst game after game his confused and demoralised side capitulated in front of our eyes. New man Juande Ramos succeeded in steadying the ship (even claiming the League Cup), but there is still a lot of work to do.
12 – Newcastle United
Prediction: 10th – “Big Sam has always valued endeavour and organisation over flowing attack minded football and he may have a quite a challenge persuading the Toon Army to come round to his way of thinking.”
Sam Allardyce was never the right man for Newcastle and found himself under increasing pressure from an owner who did not appoint him. The return of the Messiah (Kevin Keegan) proved a decent PR coup for Mike Ashley and co, but for a while relegation was a genuine possiblity. Michael Owen apart, Newcastle are woefully short of star talent.
13 – Middlesbrough
Prediction: 14th – “Probably another season of consolidation for Boro, unless Yakubu leaves in which case it could be a struggle.”
An underwhelming season for Boro, but one that should nevertheless be considered a success in so far as it didn’t end in relegation. Steve Gibson deserves credit for backing manager Gareth Southgate to the hilt through thick and thin even if he does continue to make a few too many rookie errors.
14 – Wigan Athletic
Prediction: 20th – “Wigan Athletic have been busy assembling what can only be described as a relegation dream team.”
Chris Hutchings always looked like a pretty dodgy managerial appointment, but at least changes were made before it was too late. Dave Whelan spent £3m to break Steve Bruce out of his Birmingham contract, which given that Wigan eventually secured safety with room to spare, should be considered money very well spent.
15 – Sunderland
Prediction: 13th – “Having Keane at the helm should more than compensate for any deficit in playing talent.”
Not exactly the stella season Roy Keane would have been hoping for, even if most will see survival as a decent achievement. Keane will need to curb his scattergun approach, however, if progress is to be made next season; few sides can have used as many different players as Sunderland over the course of the last campaign.
16 – Bolton Wanderers
Prediction: 15th – “Now Sammy Lee has taken over the reigns the fear must be that Wanderers’ squad will be exposed for what it really is…”
Bolton came down to earth with a bump following the departure of Big Sam, but eventually found salvation in the form of an unlikely saviour. ‘Little Sam’ gave way to Gary Megson after barely any time at all with the Reebok faithul restless. By April it seemed like it all might be about to go wrong, but a return the aggresive style of old just about saw Wanderers through.
17 – Fulham
Prediction: 17th – “Lawrie Sanchez has practically rebuilt the entire Fulham first eleven over the summer and at £25m the improvements have not come cheap.”
Another dodgy appointment, Lawrie Sanchez always appeared to be living on borrowed time. In the end it was the return from injury of Jimmy Bullard and Brian McBribe (both of whom were signed by Chris Coleman) who saved the day for new man Roy Hodgson.
18 – Reading
Prediction: 16th – “With the exception of Sidwell most of last season’s side remains in tact, however the feeling must be that the surprise factor is now gone.”
Reading battled gamely, but with the likes of Fulham and Sunderland spending so much money it was always going to be difficult for the Royals. For much of the season Steve Coppell’s men seemed to have the knack of pulling out a win just when they needed it; unfortunately that skill deserted them right at the crucial moment.
19 – Birmingham City
Prediction: 19th – “An immediate return to the Championship is on the cards.”
Carson Yeung’s aborted take-over proved an unnecessary distraction and eventually appeared to force manager Steve Bruce of out the club. New man Alec McLeish didn’t have an awful lot to work with and ultimately couldn’t prevent a swift return to the Championship.
20 – Derby County
Prediction: 18th – “Derby County ground their way into the Premier league with a series of 1-0 victories last season, but will have to be significantly more adventurous if they are to avoid an immediate return to the Championship.”
First under Billy Davies, and then even more spectacularly under Paul Jewell, Derby repeatedly demonstrated an ineptitude which at times was genuinely unbelievable. It seems unlikely that the Premier League will ever be treated to another side as breathtakingly poor as Derby 07/08…but then didn’t we all say that about Sunderland 05/06.
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