Good to be back

Late afternoon on 9th May I strolled out of the Hare of the Dog pub in Birmingham having witnessed Chelsea resoundingly complete their Premier League triumph.  Within a week I was already looking forward to the new season kicking-off, and on Saturday lunchtime, 96 days and 19 hours later, I walked back in to the same pub, excitedly anticipating the start of the 2010-11 season. 

The first day of a new season is always special, and Saturday was no different.  Like many football fans there are certain rituals I like to go through on a Saturday match-day - watching a bit of Soccer AM, getting my accumulator on, having a bacon butty (sandwich, for any readers in the south!), meeting friends for a lunchtime beer and speculation about the afternoon's action, watching the early kick-off, then either going to a match or watching Jeff Stelling and his cronies on Soccer Saturday.  It's a rare occasion that I manage to complete the full ritual these days, but I do always manage to catch Match of the Day, because as my girlfriend's Nan says, a Saturday without MOTD just doesn't feel like a Saturday at all!
This weekend I was up at the in-laws near Brum, and I managed to complete most of the stages of my preferred match-day ritual.  I had my accumulator on before I arrived at the pub and being a Spurs fan I was already struggling to contain my excitement even before the Lillywhites began ripping Man City's defence apart.  Whilst that was no change from last season, one of the best things about a new season is noticing the things that have moved on, and I noted a few of those evolutionary little quirks throughout the course of the weekend.  I've listed a few of them below, but before I get on to them let me tell you more about match day....

No doubt similarly to everybody else, I was immensely impressed with Joe Hart's performance.  He single-handedly (or two handedly to be accurate) kept City in the game.  Understandably there weren't many Spurs or City fans in a pub located half a mile from Villa Park, but the Villains and Hammers who'd ventured out for a lunchtime bevvy were in unanimous agreement that Hart ought to be England's number one for the foreseeable future.  I'm tempted to have little punt on him becoming the country's most capped player....what odds on that I wonder?

Whilst Spurs had the better of their goalless draw with City, both teams gave their fans reasons to remain excited about what the season might have in store.  Unfortunately for fans of a number of other clubs, within a couple of hours of the season beginning high expectations built up over summer were quickly dampened.  In Wigan's case expectations were less dampened and more extinguished, whilst the hopes of West Ham and Everton fans were dealt slightly less devastating blows. 

After full-time at White Hart Lane I popped down the road  for what will no doubt be a number of visits to Villa Park's upper north stand  this season.  The post-O'Neill era started well for Villa, although it was hard to judge quite how well Villa played against a West Ham team that seemed in total disarray.  Then Hammers put in one of the worst opening day performances I can remember, and it looks like Avram Grant has his work cut out again this season. 

From what I saw on MOTD of the other matches I'd say the Toffees' new magenta away strip was more shocking than their team's performance and, although it wasn't the start thjey'd have hoped for, I still think Everton will go on to have a good season.  Elsewhere there were no real surprises.  Bolton and Fulham failed to find the net between them, Sunderland threw away a two-goal lead against the battling Blues, and Chelsea unsurprisingly continued where they'd left off at the end of last season, spanking the Baggies for six, with Drogba knocking in a hat-trick for the second game running.

Obviously I was joking when I said there were no real surprises elsewhere on Saturday.  We got back to our car just in time to catch the end of the eternally uplifting Sports Report music on Radio 5, and for James Alexander Gordan to announce "Wigan Athletic 0, Blackpool 4".  I know JAG isn't well known for his comedic value, but I really thought he was taking the micky when I heard that!  Even by the time I watched MOTD I was still half expecting to discover it was an elaborate gag, but it was a delight to realise Ollie's tangerine army really had got off to such an amazing start to life in the EPL.  To be honest they could have had ten, and Wigan made West Ham look like world beaters.  The result scuppered by accumulator, but it was one of those rare occasions where you don't really mind losing a couple of quid.



Altogether it was an exciting start to the new season, and it gave us a glimpse of what we can look forward to over the next 9 months.  Before I sign off though, I've listed below a few of the subtle differences I noticed throughout the weekend....let me know if you spotted any other new little quirks for the new season.....

1 - Ben Shepherd hosting Sky's Saturday lunchtime match. 
Hardly likely to convince you to part with an extra tenner a month for high definition viewing, but it's a decent step up for the bloke who used to host the Extra Factor (I think).

2 - Away fans in home pubs.
This might have been a one-off, but I hope not.  The Hare of the Dog isn't exactly a hardcore home supporters only sort of pub, but it was still refreshing to drink in a pub where home fans mixed with away fans without any problems.  It wasn't as though the Hammers fans were hiding their identity, they were more east-end than jellied eels and louder than Pat Butcher's ear-rings, but more Dot Cotton than Phil Mitchell thankfully.

3 - The weather.
I'm sure it's traditional for the first day of the season to be bathed in sunshine.  Well not at Villa Park on Saturday where, to compliment John Carew's comedy finishing we were treated to some excellent 'now you seem them, now you don't' slapstick from the lower tier of the west stand, as a spell of torrential rain saw fans running for cover early in the second half.

4 - New MOTD introduction.

Always worth looking out for, not least to check who's representing your team in the opening credits.  This year we're treated to a bit of nostalgia, with the Beeb rolling back the years to merge some vintage clips with glimses of modern day stars.  With my TV critic hat on I'd give it 8 out of 10.

5 - Colin Murray for Adrian Chiles

I didn't catch MOTD 2 last night, but in my opinion Murray had some big shoes to fill.  How did he get on?

6 - Route one Arsenal.

Only joking! Fortunately some things remain constant, and the Gunners once again showed off some pretty football and fancy touches, but ultimately didn't win. Don't expect Arsene to change his ways anytime soon.

"Bacary, just punt it over Cesc and and the big man Bendnar will do the rest.  Va va voom!"

So there we are, they were my musings from the first weekend of the new season.  Here's to the next nine months.....

EPL Predictions - 9th to 20th

Right, just got back from watching the Spurs v Man City game in a pub followed by a visit to Villa Park to watch West Ham get hammered by Kevin Macdonald's claret and blue army.  I meant to post my predictions for 9th down in this season's EPL before I left didn't have time.......I've posted them below, and despite Blackpool's cracking start to the season I'm afraid I'm not changing my prediction!

Sunderlamd: Steve Bruce needs a decent season this year. The Board backed him last year and, despite most of the his signings showing well – none more so than Darren Bent – the bottom-half EPL finish would have been much less than Niall Quinn and company had hoped for.

This summer Bruce has enjoyed more backing in the transfer window, which he’s used to freshen the squad up somewhat. He’s shipped a few out, and replaced them with a combination of ‘safe’ signings such as Titus Bramble, and a couple of unknown players including another from what seems to be an excellent South American scouting network, in Marcos Angeleri from Estudiantes. I use the word ‘safe’ to describe Titus Bramble to acknowledge that Bruce knows the player well already having signed him for Wigan previously, and so he knows what he’s getting – including the concentration lapses. As we all know, sarcasm is a low form of wit, and I for one would never use it!

Prediction: 9th


Fulham: Coming off the back of their best ever season and subsequently losing the manager that guided them there would seem to suggest that they only way now is backwards for the Cottagers. But Mark Hughes has other ideas, and he may well prove to be an inspired managerial choice by Mohammed Al Fayed.

Hughes always puts together hard working teams, who’ll battle for everything, and at Fulham he’ll find a squad that already fits in to that mould. I don’t see Hughes needing to make drastic changes, but if he can add players of the calibre of Eider Gudjonsson, Stephen Ireland or Steve Sidwell, all of which he’s been linked with already, he may well be able to improve on last season’s EPL finish, and have a decent domestic Cup run with no European distractions this time around.

Prediction: 10th


Bolton: At the time I wasn’t sure whether Owen Coyle had simply jumped from one drowning ship to another when he switched from Burnley for Bolton. But I suppose that’s why Coyle’s had a successful start to his management career and why I’m a frustrated sports journo! Coyle steered Bolton to mid-table safety with relative ease last year, and his retention of Jussi Jaskelainen, Gary Cahill, Matty Taylor and Kevin Davies means the core is still intact.

The addition of Martin Petrov may be one of the best signings of the year, and I’m expecting Bolton to be challenging for a top ten year this time around. I suspect Bolton fans can look forward to a return to the relative success of the Sam Allerdyce era, with the added bonus of entertaining football thrown in to ice the cake.

Prediction 11th


Stoke: Tony Pulis is up there with the best performing managers in the EPL during the past couple of years, and once again Stoke are looking as they seek to establish themselves similarly to the likes of Bolton and Wigan before them have. They’ve not pulled off the bonanza signing that Pulis seems to be seeking, but with £10m-£15m apparently available I’m expecting the Potters to get a big name – most likely a striker – in before the end of the month.

With Thomas Sorenson, Robert Huth and Ryan Shawcross providing a strong defensive core, you suspect that if Stock can snare a 15-goal front man to compliment the excellent Matty Etherington and Tuncay then a top half finish wouldn’t be beyond them.

Prediction: 12th


Newcastle: If you manage a bar close to any other EPL club make sure you mark the date that Newcastle are in town and order an additional truck-load of Brown Ale! The Geordie Army are back in the big time, and the fans will not be expecting another season of pain like that which they experienced a couple of years ago. To be fair, the Barcodes squad last year was as good as a number of EPL clubs, and as such I fall in to the camp that would argue that any manager worth his salt could’ve steered the Magpies back where they belong. I hope I’m wrong about Chris Houghton, but unfortunately for him I wouldn’t be surprised to hear rumours about the Newcastle Board contacting Martin O’Neill if there is any kind of early season wobble at St James’.

The players acquired by Houghton this pre-season should add greater depth to their already impressive squad, and James Perch particularly should be looking to prove himself in a team which I expect to finish in the comfort of mid-table, even if their fanatic supporters may be hoping for something slightly better.

Prediction: 13th


Blackburn Rovers: Big Sam, for all his scientific training techniques and denials of his teams’ ‘they don’t like it up ‘em’ approach, has managed to successfully create a team of battlers in the style of Bolton Wanderers of the early Naughties. Coincidence? I think not.

To be fair to Allardyce, the system works. He’d have done the same at Newcastle if the fans had let him, and I bet they’d have not gone down. Apparently the fans at Ewood are not so concerned with ‘we’ll score more than them’ style football, and so Allardyce’s brand is welcomed. With Ryan Nelson and Chris Samba promising to be as uncompromising as ever at the back again, and England’s desired number 3 behind them, it’s unlikely that Rovers will ship enough goals to be seriously threatened by the drop, but I don’t see them setting the world alight this year either.

Prediction: 14th


Birmingham: Alex McLeish’s Blues’ enjoyed an excellent season last year, helped in no small part by the rejuvenated Lee Bowyer. A number of other players also reproduced form which most pundits thought had become a distant memory, and for almost a third of the season McLeish was able to field the same starting XI in consecutive games.

As you might expect then, despite the promise last year of significant funds being available, McLeish has decided against trying to fix something that clearly isn’t broken. Ben Foster has been shrewdly acquired to replace Joe Hart, and lanky Nikola Zigic has been brought in to add an additional dimension upfront. All in all I’m expecting a reasonable season for the Blues, perhaps not quite as good as last year, but respectable enough all the same.

Prediction: 15th


West Ham: Everybody other than Scott Parker is available, according to the Hammers’ new charismatic Chairmen. The very same Chairmen who chose to make public an offer from Spurs for their prized asset, before accusing David Levy of unsettling him. Now I’m not one for reading between the lines when there’s no story to be told, but I don’t think I’d be out of order suggesting Messrs Gold and Sullivan have been desperately trying to maximise Parker’s value, and I can only imagine 15million reasons why they’d do that!

To be fair, for all of their questionable PR stunts, the Hammers’ new owners have installed a very reliable manager at the helm in Avram Grant. A couple of struggling frontmen have left the club, and Grant has strengthened the squad with five very decent footballers in Tal Ben Haim, Tomas Hitzlspurger, Frederic Piquionne, and World Cup impressers Winston Reid and Pable Barrera. I’m not expecting the Hammers to be challenging for European spots just yet, but a comfortable season should be in store – something Grant no doubt yearns for just as much as the Irons faithful.


Prediction: 16th

Wigan Athletic: Judging by Roberto Martinez’s happiness at securing his services we can only assume that Mauro Boselli will prove to be yet another successful South American import whose first port of call in the EPL is Wigan. Boselli is the leading name in a gaggle of new faces at the DW Stadium this summer, replacing a full team’s worth of men going through the exit door.

Matinez has taken the team he inherited, dispensed with the dead wood, and is in the process of replacing them with a mixture of British youth – most recently James MaCurther – and South American flair. I expect Martinez will have learnt much from the drubbings his team endured at White Hart Lane and Stamford Bridge last season, and this season we’ll see occasional compromises on the attractive football Martinez believes in, less thrashings, and another mid-table finish, but this time with a more balanced goal difference.

Prediction: 17th


West Brom: They’ve boinged back up at the first time of asking, and it will be interesting to see Roberto DiMatteo managing the top-flight. All reports suggest they played some attractive football gaining promotion last year, and no doubt all footy fans in Birmingham and the Black Country will be chuffed at the anticipation of an additional local derby this year.

Acquisitions of Bo Myhill, Stephen Reid and Nicky Shorey will increase competition for places, and all three have proven Premier League quality. The addition of Pablo Ibanez may prove to be very shrewd too, with the ex-Spain centre half likely to plug a few of the holes which have previously been a major reason why West Brom have never really cemented a place at the top table of English football. Unfortunately though, I’m not sure whether DiMatteo has acquired enough fire-power to ensure West Brom don’t bounce back down again, and I’m expecting yet another glorious failure this year I’m afraid.

Prediction: 18th


Wolves: During a summer of relatively low spending, Mick McCarthey has bucked the trend. Wolves have splashed over £16million on new signings including three Stev/phens - Fletcher, Hunt and Mouyokolo – as well as a number of relative unknowns from France and Belgium. Last season Wolves survived much more easily than many had expected, and although he’s kept that team together and added to it, I’m concerned that MaCarthy’s got his work cut out this year. I expect we’ll once again see Wolves fielding their League Cup team against the big boys this year, but unfortunately for Mick I’m expecting we’ll see less of his brand of dry humour this time, as second-season-syndrome may see Wolves joining the likes of Hull City, Reading and Watford in suffering relegation a year after a successful first year in the EPL.

Prediction: 19th


Blackpool: I love Ian Holloway – the man is Blackpool illuminations personified - but I really don’t believe even he can pull this one off. On paper Blackpool should never even have been close to the play-offs last year, but somehow Holloway pulled a miracle out of his bag of analogies. This year though, with Brett Omerod and Jason Euell toiling up front, and notwithstanding the excellent Gary Taylor-Fletcher, I can only see the Tangerines challenging Derby’s record of the lowest points in a top-flight season. It’ll be fun whilst it lasts, but I’d strongly advise that fans of other top-flight clubs make sure they don’t miss out on this rare opportunity of an away trip to Blackpool.

Prediction: 20th

 
Let me know what you reckon, have I called it right?

Top tier of the EPL......1st to 8th predictions

Right then, as promised I've set out the teams that I reckon will fill the top eight positions this year.  Same teams as last year, listed in order of the positions they finished last season, with my predo's for this year after each team.....let me know whether you agree.

Chelsea: The Pensioners are another year older and, whilst the two Michaels, Ballack and Essien, sat out the World Cup through injury together with Obi Mikel, the Blues’ contingent who did keep fit are united in returning to the Bridge from a summer of discontent. Terry, Lamps and Cashley all endured a torrid tournament with England, but at least they all arrived home together, which is more than can be said for Messuirs Anelka and Malouda. The Ivorian’s (Drogba and Kalou) and Portugese (Carvallho, Deco and Ferreira) all failed to set the tournament alight, and the same can be said for their other representatives (Ivanovic and Stoch) too.

Carlo Ancellotti may not have enjoyed the same level of support in the transfer market as the EPL’s other mulit-billionaire-backed outfit, but their squad nevertheless remains strong. Brazilian midfielder Ramires has joined the ranks, whilst Carvalho seems to be on his way to Barcelona, and I’m undecided whether Chelsea or Liverpool have done best out of the Cole / Benayoun swap. Either way I’m sure the summer’s transfer dealings won’t have weakened a team who, afterall, are reigning champions, and convincing champions at that.

Remember this is the team that scored 4 or more goals in a dozen EPL matches last season; they scored more from midfield than any other team; they’ve retained last season’s leading EPL scorer and, although their defence showed a few signs of creakiness last season, it would be no surprise if Terry and co. come back more focused than ever, determined to forget the summer and prove their strength all over again.

Prediction: 2nd

Manchester United: The yellow and green army have had a strangely quiet summer. After all the talk last season, no summer bid materialised from the Red Knights. As a result we can expect another 9 months of hostility at The Theatre of Dreams, with Old Trafford doing an impression of what Carrow Road might look like if Norwich City were a massive Premier League club.

Whilst the politics have settled temporarily, team matters have been equally subdued this summer. Rio’s World Cup captaincy dream was unfulfilled, Rooney forgot to pack his shooting boots, and Ferguson opted to acquire no big names. Instead, United picked up young English talent Chris Smalling on a Bosman deal, before concluding one of the most astute transfers of the summer before the World Cup had even begun, snapping up Javier Hernandez. Based on a couple of friendlies and from what I saw in South Africa, I’d say Sir Alex has picked up a real talent in the young Mexican striker. He reminds me a little of a young Michael Owen.....anybody know where he is these days?

Hernandez alone will by no means guarantee United the title this year, but unlike last year United have certainly not weakened their squad and, as ever, expect them to be there or thereabouts come squeaky bum time next Spring.

Prediction: 3rd

Arsenal: Ah, the Anna Kournikova of the Premier League: great to watch but never winning anything. That’s slightly harsh, as I’m sure younger readers will recall the heady days of the late 1990s and early Noughties. In the summer of 2010 however, Arsene Wenger’s transfer dealings have again shown very little intent of returning the Gunners to their not-so-distant glory days. I know he’s bought a couple of young talents from the French top flight, but I don’t see Chamakh and Koscielny as an answer to Rooney and Vidic, do you?

I don’t mean to be unfair to Wenger, but if the money’s there, and apparently some is, why on earth not use it on proven players? At the time of writing Arsenal have three recognised centre backs, having let three experienced defenders leave for free. They have great full-backs and a midfield full of flair, but once again Wenger will be hugely reliant on Van Persie’s fitness and a final season of Fabregas’s brilliance.

On a positive note it’s good to see some English players within Wenger’s latest crop of young pretenders, but we’ve seen year after year now that young talent, for all its prettiness, equals no trophies. I see no change this year.

Prediction: 6th

Tottenham Hotspur: Depending on which day you listen, Spurs could either be championship contenders or struggling to stave off Villa and Everton to remain in the top six......according to ‘Arry at least. I’ve no doubt all of Redknapp’s comments are aimed at getting under the skin of someone or another, but depending on what happens in the next couple of weeks it’s possible to make an argument for either scenario.

For sure, with the deluge of investment continuing at Eastlands, if Spurs don’t add anyone other than Brazilian midfielder Sandro then it’s difficult to see them retaining their hard-fought and well deserved top-four spot.

But everybody knows that Redknapp, the most skilled of wheelers and dealers, will pull a rabbit from a hat somewhere along the line. And whether that rabbit comes in the form of Huntelaar, Fabiano, Ireland or Bellamy, you can expect it will be designed to take the club up a notch rather than quota-filling purposes, which is more than can be said for a number of other clubs’ transfer policies this summer.

Prediction: 4th

Manchester City: If Sir Alex thought this mob were noisy last year, he’s not going to enjoy the next nine months one bit. The mid-season change of manager didn’t seem to change the destiny of City’s season last year, but perhaps with a summer of stability, and the additions of David Silva, Jerome Boatang, Mario Balotelli and Yaya Toure, Man City can go at least a couple of positions better this time around.

I’m not convinced that their defence is the strongest, although I expect Joleon Lescott to have a better season this time, and the acquisition of full-back Aleksander Kolorov from Lazio will also help.

Unfortunately for them, City will need to let a few good players leave this summer, and I expect to see players of the calibre of Bellamy, Ireland, Michael Johnson and Roque Santa Cruz on the move before the window closes at the end of the month, on loan if not permanently. However, the only reason they can allow that quality of player to leave is because City have replaced them with proven Champions League stars, and I don’t expect anything other than automatic qualification for 2011-2012 Champions League will be sufficient for the Eastlands hierarchy this year.  If their new players gel together quickly I just have a fancy they could even go all the way.

Prediction: Champions

Aston Villa: Sadly for Villa fans, their club appears to have become Manchester City’s feeder club. It’s not a done deal yet, but if anything’s more certain than Fabregas moving to Barcelona next Summer, it’s James Milner following Gareth Barry up the M6 to City before the end of the month.  The silver lining is that the hugely talented Stephen Ireland is likely to head in the opposite direction, presumably via the bank where he'll need to deposit his two million quid 'loyalty' bonus from City!

Even more sadly for Villa fans, on the eve of the new season their club has gone from having one of the best manager’s in the EPL, to commencing a search for his successor with no obvious choices coming to mind.

Without doubt Randy Lerner has been one of the better Premier League imports amongst the influx of foreign cash-rich owners, but his relationship with Martin O’Neill seemed to have gone beyond the Honeymoon period and I always thought it'd be interesting to see how much of the money generated from Milner’s departure would be made available for reinvesting in the team. If press speculation is to be believed it seems that the answer was ‘far from all’, and that seems to have been the straw that broke O’Neill’s back.

At the moment Villa’s squad looks a bit light, and Lerner can’t afford to let them drift without an rudder for too long. That said, rumour has it that not all of the players were mourning the departure of O’Neill, and many will be hoping for a fresh start with the new manager. Whoever takes the helm will takeover knowing they have a first XI good enough to compete with the best in the League, and two consecutive top-six finishes goes to prove that the loss of a star player doesn’t necessarily spell the beginning of the end. Despite the loss of O’Neill, I’m not expecting Villa to self implode, although if Bob Bradley arrives as the next head coach then I might just change my mind.....

Prediction: 8th

Liverpool: As someone who was hoping he might have got the England job when Steve McLaren was given the honour, I was delighted for Roy Hodgson to finally land one of the biggest jobs in England’s top flight this summer. Gutted for Fulham, but happy for Roy. And as much as Hodgson deserves his chance, Liverpool desperately need him there to steady the ship and begin to steer it back towards the glory days that Rafa Beneitez’s reign once seemed destined to fulfil on a consistent basis.

Even before the season has begun it seems Hodgson has done all the right things. Firstly Liverpool have increased their English quota, with the acquisitions of Jon-Jo Shelvey and Danny Wilson, but the signing of established England star Joe Cole was a big coup, and persuading Gerrard and Torres to stay has given him Hodgson greater kudos. The re-signing of Aurellio has been greeted with further nods of approval from the Kop faithful, and, with a takeover imminent (finally), who knows which other players Hodgson might recruit to Anfield. Heaven knows his directory of global contacts is as extensive as anybody’s, and I expect Hodgson to slowly but surely bring the glory days back to Liverpool......as long as the new owners gives him sufficient time.

Prediction: 5th

Everton: The perennial slow-starters have managed to retain the midfield trio of Tim Cahill, Mikel Arteta and Stephen Pienaar, as well as keeping hold of Phil Jagielka and the hugely promising Jack Rodwell. No doubt David Moyes would have loved freedom to spend like Roberto Mancini, but he’ll be happy enough to have kept his team together, knowing if his boys can start as well as they tend to finish they should have a genuine crack at the top 6 for the first time for a few seasons.

Similarly to Villa, Everton seem to lack a bit of strength in depth, but I wouldn’t be surprised if Moyes adds a couple of shrewd acquisitions before the end of the month, and as always he’ll get the best out of what he’s got and I don’t expect Everton to be a million miles away from the top 4 if they can have better luck with injuries this season.

Prediction: 7th

So that’s my view of the top 8.....I’ll be assessing all the other teams in a separate blog shortly. Let me know what you think.....

Return of the EPL

What an exciting summer! We’ve witnessed the establishment of a new coalition Government, Robbie rejoining Take That, the annual instalment of the ‘Fabregas to Barca’ soap opera, and Gazza tempting murderers with chicken, And let’s not forget the World Cup. No, sorry, let’s.


But despite all the excitement, throughout the last three months something has been missing. An undeniable void has appeared every week, and I don’t mean Jonathan Ross’s smug mug every Friday night. This weekend that void will finally be filled once again. Following the hors’devours of last Sunday’s Community Shield the English Premier League returns at 12.45pm tomorrow to make every football-loving man, woman and child complete. And what a Premier League it promises to be.

For the first time since the top flight was known as Division One, almost 20 years ago, up to 6 teams can make genuine claims to having a chance of winning the title. And not only that, but barring Blackpool, it’s almost impossible to predict which teams will lose their seat at the top table come next May. And I mean no disrespect to Blackpool with that statement – I’ve been anticipating Ian Holloway’s first pre-match press conference as much as any action on the pitch - but unfortunately, despite their manager’s brilliance, theirs is the only finishing position I would have confidence predicting right now. So what about the rest?

I think the EPL has become a league of two tiers recently.  The same teams have regularly been appearing in the top eight positions, and many of the perceived weaker teams having become more established during the past couple of years, meaning that any teams outside that top eight could be faced with a tricky season on their hands.

I'll post my predictions for the two tiers shortly.....