Thursday 30 August 2012

Premier League Preview - Week 3






It’s almost time for another weekend of Premier League action and this weekend should be even more exciting than the last two.  The transfer window closes on Friday night, so it is almost impossible to know what sort of squads the teams will have at their disposal.  Most clubs seem to be still active and a few have a huge task to complete their squads for the season.

The next two days should be full of speculation, some ridiculous and some accurate, but most importantly it should see lots of player movement.  Everybody loves it when their favourite team sign a new player.  It doesn’t always end well but that initial excitement when your team brings in a new “star” is hard to beat.  Liverpool, Tottenham and Arsenal all seem to be in the market for new talent and if things go their way I expect to see some big money spent on new additions.

With all that in mind I’ll try to write my preview of this weekend’s games but for all I know, by the time kick off arrives Manchester City could be giving debuts to their new strike force of Leo Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. 


West Ham v Fulham – Sat 12.45

Another weekend, another Saturday lunchtime kick off for the Hammers.  They looked terrible last weekend against Swansea.  They didn’t help themselves by giving Swansea two first half goals but they also struggled to cope with the Swans passing and movement in attack.  West Ham will have to be much better and I would expect to see some improvement in front of their home fans.  Matt Jarvis had a relatively good debut last week but it’s difficult for a winger to look good in a team were your only real aerial threat is coming from midfield.  I expect the Hammers to at least try one more time for Liverpool striker, Andy Carroll.  Carroll made it clear he didn’t fancy the move but Brendan Rodgers has made it even clearer that it’s either move on or make yourself comfortable on the Liverpool bench.

Fulham followed up their 5-0 win over Norwich, with a 3-2 defeat at Old Trafford.  They can count themselves unlucky in that game as United keeper, David de Gea made some excellent saves in the dying minutes.  Fulham have had a mixed week in the transfer market.  Star man, Mousa Dembele has left the club, joining London rivals, Tottenham.  Dembele is a huge loss and with Clint Dempsey rumoured to be leaving, things don’t look good.  On a positive note, Dimitar Berbatov, looks like he could be making the move to Craven Cottage.  The Bulgarian has had limited opportunities recently but his goals to minutes played ratio last season was among the best in the league.  Regular football should help him and he could be a good addition.  I will be keeping an eye on Craven Cottage over the next few days as I feel they will need to bring in at least one midfielder, especially if Clint Dempsey moves on.

Prediction : I can’t split them.  Draw.


Swansea v Sunderland – Sat 3.00

The Swans have got off to an excellent start under new manager, Michael Laudrup.  Eights goals scored, none conceded, six points from two games.  It’s certainly a lot better than I thought they would do.  When Rodgers left I thought Swansea would struggle but it appears chairman, Huw Jenkins, has got yet another managerial appointment correct.  Laudrup’s signings have all looked good with Michu being the stand out after scoring three goals in two games.  Swansea have been making enquiries about new signings and look to have agreed a deal to bring in Valencia winger, Pablo Hernandez.  Hernandez will be a replacement for Scott Sinclair who is on the verge of joining Manchester City.

Sunderland have only played one game after their game was postponed last weekend due to a waterlogged pitch.  In that game they earned a credible draw at the Emirates.  Since then Martin O’Neill has improved the attacking options in the squad with Steven Fletcher and Adam Johnson both coming in.  Johnson will provide some creativity and O’Neill will be hoping Fletcher can add some much needed goals.  O’Neill is well known to leave his business late in the window so I wouldn’t be surprised if he has another deal planned.
 
Prediction : 
This should be another tight game and Swansea’s toughest task so far.  I think Sunderland could hold them to a draw here.


Tottenham v Norwich – Sat 3.00

New Spurs manager, Andre Villas-Boas, is still looking for his first victory and will expect his side to get over their slow start against Norwich.  They had enough chances last week to win comfortably but they didn’t take them and West Brom managed to get a stoppage time equaliser to grab a point.  Spurs have already brought Mousa Dembele in and I expect to see several more changes before the window closes.  There has been a lot of rumours involving Spurs in the last few days, so all we can do is sit tight and see what AVB does in the next 24 hours.  I would be very surprised if there is not one or two big deals, in and out of the club

Norwich have had a tough start this season.  A 5-0 defeat at Fulham was followed up by a home draw with QPR.  They should have won the QPR game but were unable to take their chances.  Norwich have signed Mark Bunn from Blackburn and appear poised to sign Brighton striker, Craig Mackail-Smith.  Mackail-Smith was a good player at Peterborough but hasn’t brought that form to Brighton so I’d be surprised if he started scoring in the Premier League.  Norwich haven’t started well and judging by those signings, I don’t expect much of an improvement.

Prediction :  AVB to get his first win as Spurs manager.


West Bromwich Albion v Everton – Sat 3.00

West Brom have made a promising start under new manager Steve Clarke.  They started with a great 3-0 win over Liverpool and got a late equaliser last weekend at White Hart Lane to claim a point.  Four points from two difficult fixtures is an excellent start for the Baggies.  If they can play as well against the league’s lower teams then there is no reason why they shouldn't target a top half finish.

Everton are another side who have made a great start with two wins from two difficult fixtures.  A 1-0 win over Manchester United and a 3-1 win at Villa Park has given them something to build on which is quite unusual for Everton.  In recent seasons we have become used to a poor start and then a turn of form after Christmas and a top half finish.  With a good start like the one they have had David Moyes men should be aiming a little big higher this season.  Moyes may yet bring in an extra player but I’d imagine he will probably just be glad to see the transfer window close so his board can’t sell any of his players.

Prediction :  Both sides have started well and I can see this ending in a draw.


Wigan Athletic v Stoke City – Sat 3.00

Wigan will most likely be happy with three points after two games and they may even consider themselves a bit unlucky.  They were the better team for most of the game against Chelsea but were caught out with two early goals and never got the goal that could have changed the game.  Last week they got a great result at St Mary’s, winning 2-0.  Wigan have lost Victor Moses to Chelsea and to date they have not replaced him.  I think it would be foolish of manager, Roberto Martinez, not to bring in another attacking option.

Stoke are another team who seem to be interested in bringing in another attacking option.  This week has saw them linked with Jermaine Defoe and Michael Owen.  Defoe has signed a new deal at Tottenham but Owen is still up for grabs.  Charlie Adam and Maurice Edu are another two who are on Tony Pulis’ radar.  Neither are particularly impressive signings but Stoke’s midfield could probably do with an upgrade.  Stoke have started with two draws but haven’t looked particularly impressive in either.  They certainly need to bring in a few fresh faces and I expect to see quite a bit of activity at the Britannia.

Prediction :  Wigan to keep their good run going with another win.


Manchester City v QPR - Sat 5.30

Defending champions, Manchester City haven't started particularly well but they do have four points on the board.  They didn't play well against Southampton but stole a 3-2 win and were handed a point at Anfield, thanks to two defensive errors.  Things need to improve if they are to retain their title but I don't imagine manager, Roberto Mancini is panicking yet.  Mancini looks set to bring in Matija Nastasic and Scott Sinclair before the window closes. I don't know much about Nastasic other than he is a young Serbian defender who spent last year at Fiorentina.  City do need a defender but I'd have liked to see them bring in a proven talent rather than another project.  Sinclair is a player I rate but I would question the wisdom of this move.  He left Chelsea to get first team football and I don't know how much he will get at City.  Good luck to him but it seems like a poor career move.

QPR are a mystery.  Nobody has a clue what is going in there.  They have signed some top class players and been linked with even more but still have some very ordinary footballers in key positions.  Julio Cesar has come in and a deal is in place for Esteban Granero.  They are two good players but QPR are playing a dangerous game.  The club haven't got a large turnover and these players will be on big money.  Several clubs have found themselves in similar situations with disastrous consequences.  Results on the pitch have been poor so far.  A 5-0 home defeat to Swansea, followed by a rather fortunate point at Carrow Road have been less than inspiring.  QPR will no doubt sign a few more players before the transfer window closes and based on their first two games they need to.

Prediction :
  I can't see anything but a comfortable Manchester City win.


Liverpool v Arsenal - Sun 1.30
What a game this should be.  Both teams have had a poor start whilst dealing with the high expectations of their fans.  Some Liverpool fans were on Rodgers back after they lost 3-0 to West Brom.  The pressure eased a little with a good performance in their 2-2 draw with Manchester City.  Liverpool should have took all three points but made two bad defensive errors.  Liverpool will need to continue there improvement as they are up against an Arsenal team who also need a win to kick start their season.  I expect Liverpool to have a few different players at the club by the time this game kicks off.  They seem desperate to get rid of Andy Carroll and Charlie Adam amongst others to bring in funds for new signings.  Anything could happen and I expect a big day for Liverpool tomorrow with plenty of movement both in and out.

Arsenal have started with two 0-0 draws.  The media are already making a big issue of the lack of goals after Robin Van Persie's departure and rightfully so.  Arsenal have become a selling club and the fan's seem happy with it.  The Arsenal fans need to start putting pressure on the board as they are risking getting left behind.  Their wage structure, whilst encouraging in this day and age, has become outdated.  Players can earn a lot more elsewhere and when they're not winning trophies on the pitch, why would they want to stay?  Wenger needs to spend if he wants to compete.  They have been downsizing for a few years now and it's only a matter of time before they go too far and miss the lucrative Champions League qualification that has become the only reason for their existence in recent seasons.

Prediction :  The three points will be staying at Anfield.


Newcastle United v Aston Villa - Sun 4.00

A mixed bag for Newcastle so far with a win and a defeat in their two games.  When you consider the games were at home to Tottenham and away to Chelsea , it has been a good enough start.  Manager, Alan Pardew, has said he hopes to keep all his star players and at this stage it looks like he will do just that.  He had been interested in signing Andy Carroll and Mathieu Debuchy but at this stage it looks as though those deals are dead.  Pardew strikes me as the kind of guy who won't be forced into panic buying and he will only spend if it's for the right player.

Aston Villa have been an absolute disaster so far.  They have had two defeats and and two very poor performances.  Manager, Paul Lambert, needs results to turn in their favour soon as they don't want to get sucked into a relegation battle.  They have completed a deal for Joe Bennett from Middlesbrough and seem to be enquiring about a few others.  Owner, Randy Lerner, has just sold his NFL team, Cleveland Browns, so there is money available but at this stage it doesn't look as though Lambert is going to see a significant portion of it.

Prediction :
  Paul Lambert's misery to continue with another defeat.


Southampton v Manchester United - Sun 4.00

Southampton have lost both games so far but they can take some positives from a solid display in their opening game away to Manchester City.  They took a second half lead but couldn't hold on and lost 3-2.  They followed that up with a disappointing 2-0 home defeat to Wigan.  The Saints have made a few signings this week bringing in Emmanuel Mayuka from Young Boys Berne and Maya Yoshida from VVV-Venlo.  Manager, Nigel Adkins, has indicated there may be more signings to come and it is still being speculated that Bologna's, Gaston Ramirez, could be one of them.

Manchester United announced earlier in the week that they wouldn't be signing any more players in this transfer window.  If there is to be any transfer activity at Old Trafford, it looks likely to be departures.  Striker, Dimitar Berbatov, looks almost certain to join Fulham and I wouldn't be surprised to see maybe one or two other squad players leave, possibly on loan.  United haven't been great in their two league games so far, losing at Everton before edging out Fulham 3-2.  They don't look as solid at the back as they have in recent years but with their current injury list, that's to be expected.  Once United have their full squad available I've no doubt they'll be right in the middle of the title race as usual.

Prediction : I expect United to have a difficult afternoon but they should have enough quality to edge a tight game.


Weekend Predictions

West Ham 0-0 Fulham       
Swansea 1-1 Sunderland
Tottenham 3-0 Norwich
West Brom 1-1 Everton
Wigan 2-1 Stoke
Man City 2-0 QPR      
Liverpool 2-1 Arsenal   
Newcastle 2-0 Aston Villa      
Southampton 0-1 Man Utd 



Monday 27 August 2012

Premier League Review - Week 2



Another weekend of Barclay's Premier League action is behind us and if I had to summarise it in one word I'd go with "errors".  No less than eight of the twenty-four goals scored this weekend resulted in a defender or goalkeeper lying head in hands knowing they had made an error that had cost their team a goal.  I don't even include Benoit Assou-Ekotto's goal in this.  That was just bad luck.  The eight I am talking about include defenders being caught in possession, bad back passes, bad goalkeeping and bad communication between defenders and goalkeepers.  All eight were down to bad play, pure and simple.  I know it's early in the season but at the money these players are earning, I don't think fans want to hear about it taking a few weeks to settle in.

It wasn't only the players who performed badly this weekend.  Referee, Mark Clattenburg, who was in charge of Norwich v QPR was another who had a bit of a nightmare.  He gave a very soft penalty to QPR when Djibril Cisse was "brought down" by Norwich debutant, Sebastien Bassong.  If there was any contact, it was minimal but the referee pointed to the spot.  Cisse managed to get himself up from the ground to hit the penalty but Norwich goalkeeper, John Ruddy, got down well to make a fine save.  Unfortunately for Ruddy and the Canaries, the ball rebounded straight to Bobby Zamora who shot into the empty goal.  Replays showed the QPR man was inside the box when the penalty was taken so the goal should not have stood but Clattenburg missed it and the scores were level.  Clattenburg completed his hat-trick of errors in the second half when QPR goalkeeper, Robert Green, handled outside the box.  Green was clearly outside the box but once again Clattenburg got a key decision wrong and it looks like he will be having next week off, once the referee's assessors get a look at his performance.  On the game itself, Norwich could have got the three points but it wasn't to be.  They missed a few second half chances and Robert Snodgrass, in particular, should have done better when he headed over the bar.  Their goal came after a good move was finished off with a close range header from Simeon Jackson.

Swansea and West Ham kicked off the action at lunch time on Saturday and it wasn't long before the errors began.  West Ham handed the Swans two goals before half-time.  Goalkeeper, Jussi Jaaskelainen diverted an Angel Rangel cross into the goal and shortly afterwards James Collins attempted a back pass which hit off his standing foot and Michu was able to get to the ball before Jaaskelainen to poke home Swansea's second.  Danny Graham got a third in the second half after another fluid Swansea attack.  West Ham did have a few chances and Swansea keeper, Michel Vorm, made a great double save when Matt Jarvis, making his West Ham debut, volleyed from inside the box.  Vorm saved well and blocked Kevin Nolan's follow up when it seemed a certain goal.  Swansea can be very proud of their efforts so far this season.  People will say they haven't played much but you can only beat what's in front of you.  Michael Laudrup's team have not only beaten what has been in front of them but they done it in emphatic fashion.  West Ham looked very poor and performances like that are simply not good enough in the Premier League.  I thought their centre back pairing of James Collins and Winston Reid looked a bit static and if they don't get it sorted soon, any team who attack them with pace can expect to have a good day.

Manchester United got back to winning ways with a tough 3-2 victory over Fulham.  Fulham took the lead with a free-kick that looked like it was straight from the training ground.  Damien Duff was the man who applied the finish to Bryan Ruiz's short pass.  United levelled soon after with Robin Van Persie getting his first goal for his new club.  It was a great strike with Van Persie swinging his left foot at a bouncing pass from Patrice Evra.  Mark Schwarzer, in the Fulham goal, had no chance.  Schwarzer made a borderline error shortly after when he parried Tom Cleverley's effort straight into the path of Shinji Kagawa who put United ahead 2-1.  I didn't include Schwarzer's parry in the eight errors as it would have been hard to hold onto the shot but maybe he could have directed his block away from the middle of the goal.  United went further ahead when Rafael scored a back post header.  United should have been comfortable but unfortunately for them it was error time again.  This time it was a mix up between David De Gea and Nemenja Vidic that led to Vidic scoring an own goal.  Much of the blame seems to be going to De Gea but I'm not convinced it was his fault.  He came out towards the ball with a clinched fist then appears to pull out completely.  I'd be very interested to know if Vidic gave a shout that he was going to deal with it.  De Gea's actions certainly suggest that there had been a shout as I can't see why he would pull out of the challenge other than if Vidic had called for the ball.  Even if De Gea was at fault he more than made up for it, making some superb saves throughout the game.  De Gea wasn't great last season but has shown himself to be a good shot stopper in the two games this year.  United do look troubled in defence and their biggest weakness yesterday was at right-back.  Rafael scored, had one disallowed and forced Schwarzer into a fine save but defensively he was very poor.  Everything Fulham done yesterday came down his wing.  Fulham had quite a few chances throughout the game and every single one of them were as a result of exploiting the right hand side of United's defence.  Fergie is an astute manager and I'd like to think he has a plan in place because if he doesn't it could be a tough season for United.  For Fulham, the biggest task this week will be keeping star midfielder, Moussa Dembele.  The Belgian was super again yesterday and he has been linked with a move to Real Madrid in recent weeks.  Fulham manager, Martin Jol will no doubt breath a sigh of relief if Dembele is still a Fulham player by next weekend.

Manchester United's conquerors from last week, Everton, kept up their good start to the season with a great win at Villa Park.  Pienaar scored an excellent, curling effort in the first few minutes.  Shay Given made a bad mistake for Everton's second goal.  Marouane Fellaini got his head onto a Phil Jagielka cross.  The ball went straight to Given but he flapped at it and the ball went past him into the net.  It's sad to see Given playing like that.  For so many years Given barely made a mistake but he had a terrible Euro 2012 and has got off to a rough start in the league.  I hope he can get his form back because he has been a superb player over the years for clubs and in particular, country.  Nikica Jelavic got back on the goal trail before half-time blasting home a Leighton Baines pass.  Things got worse for Villa, when Ciaran Clark was sent off for hauling down Jelavic when he was through on goal.  Villa got a consolation goal late on when new signing, Karim El Ahmadi, hit a shot from distance.  Tim Howard played his part in an error filled weekend by getting hands onto the ball but it was not enough to keep the ball out.  In Howard's defence the ball did swerve but the American really should have done better.  In truth 3-1 was a flattering result for Aston Villa and if Everton had taken all of their chances the scoreline could have been a lot worse.  I mentioned in my preview column that Lambert was one of four new managers who had lost his first game in charge.  Things have gone from bad to worse for the ex-Norwich man and it looks like he has inherited a very difficult job at Aston Villa.  Things don't get any easier for Villa as they head up north next week for a tough game against Newcastle United.  Lambert is a decent manager but if he starts with three defeats then the boo boys may just start getting on his back.  For Everton it's a case of onwards and upwards.  It usually takes David Moyes men a month or two to get their first two wins of the season but this looks like a new team.  If Everton can keep up their good start and finish as strongly as they usually do, talk of a Champions League place might not be too unrealistic.

Another manager who was looking for his first points in charge of his new team was Tottenham manager, Andre Villas-Boas.  Spurs came very close to getting him a win but in the end they had to settle for a draw.  Tottenham had chances to score but it looked like it was going to be one of those days until Benoit Assou-Ekotto hit a vicious drive from 25 yards which deflected off West Brom's, Graham Dorrans, and into the net.  In the dying minutes, West Brom threw everything they had left at Spurs.  The Baggies got their reward when the ball fell to James Morrison who found the bottom corner to send the visiting fans wild.  I expect to see Spurs bring in a few players this week, especially now Modric has gone to Real Madrid.  I would love to see them bring in a proven goalscorer.  Defoe and Adebayor are both a bit inconsistent.  On their day they can score goals but neither would be likely to score over twenty a season at this stage in their careers.  Spurs have an excellent midfield with a lot of creativity and if they could find a striker to score 20-30 goals a season, there's no reason why they couldn't compete at the top end of the league.  For West Brom I have to give a mention to a player who has impressed me a lot, Romelu Lukaku.  He has only been on the pitch for 49 minutes in total this season but in that short time he has shown fantastic pace and strength and he reminds me of Didier Drogba.  Lukaku is still only 19 years old but if he can develop over the next few years then I can see him making a big impact for his owning club, Chelsea.

Southampton v Wigan was the only other 3 o'clock kick off, after Sunderland's tie with Reading was postponed.  The Stadium of Light pitch was waterlogged.  Down at St Mary's it was Wigan Athletic who took the three points, winning 2-0.  Franco Di Santo opened the scoring when he blasted home a superb through pass from Shaun Maloney.  Late in the game and it was time for another error.  This time Southampton's Jose Fonte was caught in possession near the halfway line and Arouna Kone ran in to seal the three points for Wigan.  Wigan have lost Victor Moses to Chelsea and they will need to bring in a replacement if they want to stay in the league.  I'm not convinced their current forwards have enough to keep them up and wouldn't be surprised if they made a move for Huddersfield's, Jordan Rhodes.  Southampton have learned a tough lesson and may have taken Wigan a bit lightly after putting in a strong display last weekend against Manchester City.  They are unlucky to have no points from their first two games but unfortunately for them unlucky doesn't keep you in the Premier League and with their next two games being at home to Manchester United and away to Arsenal they may have to start trying to make some luck for themselves.

In Saturday evenings television match it was Chelsea who picked up the three points after a 2-0 win over Newcastle.  Eden Hazard got his first goal for Chelsea from the penalty spot after Fernando Torres was taken down by Vurnon Anita.  A few commentators have suggested Torres dived but from what I have saw, Anita definitely made contact so a penalty was the correct decision.  Anita did appear to be trying to pull his foot out of the way but just because he tried to avoid the foul does not mean he didn't foul him.  Hazard was the provider for Chelsea's second goal, laying the ball off for Torres to toe poke into the top corner from the edge of the box.  Hazard has made quite an impact in England.  In his three games, Chelsea have scored 8 goals.  Hazard has a goal, four assists and has also been brought down for two penalties which Frank Lampard converted.  If he can keep this form up then Chelsea could be genuine title contenders.  They have looked fantastic going forward and Fernando Torres even looks like he is slowly but surely getting his confidence back.  One worry I do have about Chelsea is their defence.  They have two clean sheets from three games but if Wigan and Newcastle's finishing had been better then we could be looking at a different league table.  Chelsea centre-half, David Luiz, has been linked with a move to Barcelona in recent weeks and I can't think of why they would want him.  Every time I watch Chelsea he is a liability.  He tries to bring the ball out from the back too often and gets caught out with bad passes and being caught in possession.  If Barcelona are willing to part with the money that is being reported then I think Chelsea would be crazy not to take it.

Sunday started off with what on paper should have been a cracker between Stoke and Arsenal.  Instead we were treated to a poor quality 0-0 draw.  Arsenal were the better side for most of the game but a lot of their play broke down when the ball reached French striker, Olivier Giroud.  I had my doubts about his abilities before the season started and after two games I have saw nothing to make me change my opinion.  His first touch is poor, his passing is poor and his finishing is poor.  Arsene Wenger could do with bringing in another striker before the transfer window closes but I don't expect him to do that as I am convinced he is going through that adolescent phase in life where you make bizarre decisions for no apparent reason and if people think you should do something then you will do the complete opposite.  For evidence you only have to look at his three substitutions today.  Arsenal's best players were Santi Cazorla and Lukas Podolski.  They were the Gunners only attacking threat.  Naturally, Wenger saw fit to replace them when Arsenal needed a goal. He also took off Gervinho, who to be fair isn't great but the Ivory Coast man was looking like Pele in comparison to Giroud.  Wenger made the changes and unsurprisingly, Arsenal failed to score.

The weekend finished off with a cracking 2-2 draw at Anfield between Liverpool and Manchester City.  Liverpool looked a lot better this week and in particular Joe Allen and 17 year old winger, Raheem Sterling, looked impressive.  Liverpool opened the scoring with a great header from Martin Skrtel.  City got level in the second half with help from the first error of the afternoon.  Liverpool failed to deal with a Tevez cross, Pepe Reina came off his line and got nowhere near the ball which bounced off Martin Kelly's knee and straight to Yaya Toure who shot into the empty net.  Minutes later, Liverpool were ahead again.  The referee gave a soft free-kick, when a Steven Gerrard shot was blocked by Jack Rodwell but the ball bounced off his knee and onto his hand.  I don't know what else Rodwell could have done.  If you try to jump or dive without raising your arms, you are going to lose a lot of momentum.  Harsh free-kick or not, credit has to go to Luis Suarez for the finish.  Suarez could not have put the ball in a better place.  He curled the ball around the wall with nothing to spare and managed to find a football sized gap between the post and Joe Hart's hand.  When you think of the chances Suarez missed last week it seems ironic that he should score such a great goal this week.  However, City weren't finished yet and it was time for the final error of the weekend.  That honour went to Martin Skrtel who tried to play a blind, pass back to Pepe Reina.  Carlos Tevez was lurking and intercepted the pass before rounding the keeper and passing into the empty net. Both sides had chances to win the game late on with Jonjo Shelvey, Andy Carroll and Edin Dzeko all going close.  However there was to be no more goals and the game ended 2-2.  I think most Liverpool fans will be feeling a bit more positive about the season ahead after a better performance..  Nuri Sahin is still to come in and I think he could prove to be a good player for the Reds.  One criticism I would make on Liverpool so far is, I don't really understand Brendan Rodgers thinking on playing Suarez through the middle and Fabio Borini out wide.  You have a non-creative poacher on the wing and a creative but poor finishing forward playing through the middle.  I would quite like to see those two swap positions in the coming weeks and would be surprised if it didn't give Liverpool a more balanced look.


Goal Of The Week

3) Luis Suarez - Superb free-kick.  An inch either way and it was going wide, hitting the wall or the keeper would have saved it.  Perfect.

2) Robin Van Persie - A great way for the ex-Arsenal man to start repaying the hefty fee Manchester United paid for him.  He scores when he wants?  It certainly looked that way.

1) Steven Pienaar - What a goal! A great finish from the South African.  Shay Given has been out of form lately but no goalkeeper, even at their peak, would have saved that.


Man Of The Week

Fernando Torres - He's starting to look good again.  Now Anelka and Drogba are playing in China, he is first choice at Chelsea and with the creative talent in their midfield he will get a bundle of chances.  He took his goal well and looked a constant threat throughout the game.  I've always liked Torres and can't explain what has happened to him over the last few seasons but if Torres could get back to his best, the Premier League would be a better league for it.


Moan Of The Week


Most of this week's column is moaning but there is honestly no need for the amount of errors and bad play we had to sit through this weekend.  These players are supposed to be the best in the business yet they can't even get the basics right.  They say the Premier League is the best league in the world, if this weekend was an advertisement then I'd have to strongly disagree.


Predictions

In my last column I made a few predictions on how I thought the games would go at the weekend.  I managed to predict a 1-1 draw in the Norwich v QPR game and also correctly predicted wins for Swansea, Manchester United, Chelsea and a draw in the Liverpool v Manchester City game, although I had the scoreline wrong in those four.  I wrongly predicted a draw at Villa Park and wins for Southampton, Tottenham and Stoke.  5 out of 9 isn't bad but it's not great either.

Friday 24 August 2012

Premier League Preview - Week 2



The Premier League 2012/13 season started with a bang last week and there are a few mouth watering games to look forward to this weekend.  It is still very early in the season but in terms of momentum and confidence these games are massive.  Any team who is undefeated through the first two games will be feeling pretty good about themselves and the fans will be right behind them, a team who still hasn't picked up a win are in a different place entirely.  Confidence will start to dwindle and the fans will start getting twitchy.

In the Premier League this season there are seven new managers.  Only Michael Laudrup, Steve Clarke and Roberto Di Matteo got off to a winning start.  That leaves Paul Lambert, Chris Hughton, Andre Villas-Boas and Brendan Rodgers still looking for their first win.  Football fans and the media are so fickle these days that another bad result or two and the pressure will be seriously building.

My own opinion is that any new manager should get at least a season, probably longer to make an impact at a new club.  If a new man comes in during the summer he can have a look at players in training and friendlies but he won't truly know his players until he sees them playing in competitive games. With the transfer window nowadays a lot of managers don't get the chance to build the squad they want.  Far too many are being sacked within a year and if an example of giving a manger time is required then look no further than Alex Ferguson.  Fergie had a rough few years at the beginning of his Manchester United career and the story goes that if he lost to Notts Forest in the FA Cup in 1990 that he was to be sacked.  United won the game 1-0 and Fergie has went onto win 12 league titles, 5 FA Cups, 4 League Cups, 2 Champions Leagues, a Cup Winners Cup, an Intercontinental Cup and a World Club Championship.  Whilst not all managers are close to the quality of Ferguson it would certainly be easier to manage a club where all the players you had were players you had brought in with an idea in mind of how you'd like them to fit into your long term plans.

Rodgers, AVB, Lambert and Hughton will all be in a position were they have inherited a few players who they don't rate and until they can get the squad they want, they have to stick with the players they have.  Unfortunately we are now at a point where instant success is required in football and if the manager doesn't get it then he will be looking for a new job.  Of the current Premier League managers only seven of them have been at their current teams for more than two years.  A few teams have even had more than two managers in that period of time.  If the Premier League clubs let their managers have more time to build a team I think it would improve a lot of clubs fortunes and gradually the quality of the league would improve too.

Onto this weekends fixtures.  Swansea and West Ham kick things off on Saturday at lunch time.  Both sides started with a victory last weekend.  Swansea perhaps looked more impressive with a 5-0 win away to QPR with West Ham picking up a 1-0 win at home to Aston Villa.  Michu made a spectacular debut for the Swans scoring two and being involved in most of Swansea's good play.  West Ham have  signed Matt Jarvis from Wolves this week.  Jarvis isn't a bad player but I think Wolves have got a good price for him.  He may make his debut for the Hammers tomorrow.  I can see West Ham playing a lot of passes into the channels and trying to get Jarvis to put crosses into the box for Kevin Nolan coming into the box.  Swansea don't look to have changed their style too much from last season.  De Guzman and Michu look like fantastic additions and if Swansea can be as good at home as they were last season then I can't see West Ham picking up any points in South Wales.

Aston Villa will try to bounce back from their opening day defeat at Upton Park with a home game against Everton.  Villa had a bad season last year finishing 16th and they were in the relegation mix until the last few games.  New manager, Paul Lambert has a difficult job on his hands and can't afford a poor start.  Villa need to start picking up points and they are not being helped by a lengthy injury list.  Richard Dunne, Nathan Delfouneso, Gabriel Agbonlahor and Marc Albrighton join Stiliyan Petrov, who will most likely miss the full season, in the physio room.  Villa could do with getting them back as soon as possible.  Everton come into the game brimming with confidence after a 1-0 win over Manchester United on Monday night.  They were deserving winners and could have won by more but they found De Gea in fine form for United.  Both Nikica Jelavic and Sylvain Distin picked up knocks on Monday and may miss the game but Everton could hand a debut to new Belgian forward, Kevin Mirallas.  I can't see Villa winning this one against a rejuvenated Everton but wouldn't be surprised to see them grab a point, especially if Jelavic is injured.

Manchester United and Fulham meet at Old Trafford in what promises to be a cracker.  United can't afford to drop more points this early in the season as Manchester City would be a hard team to catch if they got a head start in the title race.  I'm still not sure how Fergie will line up his side now Van Persie has signed.  If it was me I'd play RVP as a lone front man in a 4-2-3-1 formation with Valencia on the right, Kagawa in the middle and Rooney on the left.  Valencia played at right back last week which is a complete waste.  He is one of the best wingers in the league and I think he could create a lot of goals for United, especially if Rooney was arriving into the box late and attacking the back post.  Fergie will no doubt have a plan on how he thinks the team should lineup and anybody who is still doubting him after all these years will most likely end up with egg on their face.  Fulham come into the game with a lot of confidence after last weeks 5-0 win at home to Norwich.  They haven't had a great record at Old Trafford in recent years, losing eight in a row but they arrive in decent form and will fancy their chances of getting at a makeshift Manchester United back line which could include Patrice Evra at centre back.  Having said that when Manchester United are under pressure and need a result more often not, they get it.  I expect a United win and wouldn't be surprised to see RVP getting on the score sheet.


Norwich and QPR meet in what I have heard in some sections of the media being described as a relegation six pointer.  That is quite ridiculous at this stage of the season but I imagine it sells newspapers and adds listeners to radio shows so I suppose it is to be expected.  Norwich have a decent manager in Hughton.  He has done a decent job at both Newcastle and Birmingham but he faces a difficult task to step into Paul Lambert's shoes at Carrow Road.  He has made two good signings this week bringing in Sebastian Bassang and Javier Garrido who could make their debuts tomorrow.  Both are defenders and after conceding five last week they will be welcomed by the Carrow Road faithful.  QPR seem to be in the market for pretty much everyone and it is almost impossible to keep a track on who they are signing.  One player they have signed is former Chelsea full-back, Jose Bosingwa.  I would expect to see him make his debut in this match whether it's from the start or from the bench.  QPR are in talks with Ricardo Carvalho and Julio Cesar.  Both where world class players who aren't necessarily at their best anymore but they should be still capable of doing a good job for QPR.  This will be a huge week for QPR and I expect there will be a few signings before the week is over.  Manager, Mark Hughes will want to start the week in a positive manner and I think he'll be happy enough if the draw I am predicting is the final result.

In a battle between arguably last week's unluckiest teams, Southampton and Wigan Athletic face off at St Marys Stadium.  Both sides lost to top opposition but on the balance of play both will feel they done enough to earn a result.  Southampton had a second half lead at the City Of Manchester Stadium but two late goals gave City the three points.  Wigan conceded two goals in the first seven minutes against Chelsea and despite dominating for much of the game they just couldn't score the goal that would have got them back into the game.  Wigan have accepted a bid for Victor Moses from Chelsea.  Moses will be a huge loss for Wigan and they will need to find an adequate replacement for him this week if they are hoping to build on last season.  Southampton will most likely give starts to last weeks goal scorers Steve Davis and Rickie Lambert.  I expect a few big teams to find life difficult down at St Marys this year and fully expect the Saints to get off to a winning start in front of their home fans.

Sunderland will have new signing Steven Fletcher available for their clash with newly promoted Reading.  Fletcher has joined for a fee believed to be between £12-14m.  Fletcher isn't a bad striker but once again I think Wolves have come up trumps and received another inflated fee.   Reading will come into the game with a point to prove after losing 4-2 to Chelsea during the week.  Reading led 2-1 in that game but goalkeeper, Adam Federici allowed a Gary Cahill strike to slip through his hands before Fernando Torres gave Chelsea the lead with a goal that replays showed was offside.  Chelsea got another one in the dying seconds after Federici went forward for a corner but it was the Torres goal that will have angered the Royals the most.  Sunderland had a decent result away to Arsenal last week and showed great spirit to hang on for a 0-0 draw.  I think Martin O'Neill's men could go one step further this week and bag all three points.

Tottenham and West Bromwich Albion looks like another good game.  Spurs got off to a poor start losing away to Newcastle although they did have enough chances to take something from the game.  It will be interesting to see how long Spurs fans give new manager Andre Villas-Boas to settle.  He didn't get long at Chelsea and could do with picking up a few positive results to ease the pressure on him.  West Brom got arguably the best result of the opening weekend, defeating Liverpool 3-0.  The scoreline was a bit flattering though and if Luis Suarez had brought his shooting boots it could have been totally different.  Tottenham have finally completed the signing of Manchester City striker, Emmanuel Adebayor which should give them a bit more of an edge in front of goal.  I am also looking forward to seeing how Jan Vertonghen plays in his debut.  The Belgian international has impressed in recent seasons at Ajax so it will be interesting to see how he deals with the step up in class.  I think AVB will get his first win as Spurs manager in this one and expect Adebayor to get his name on the score sheet.

Saturday evenings live match is between Chelsea and Newcastle and on paper it should be a goal fest.  Both sides are better in the attacking third of the pitch than they are in the defensive third and with players like Demba Ba, Papiss Cisse, Juan Mata and Eden Hazard on display it should be an entertaining watch. Chelsea sit top of the league with a perfect record of two wins from two games.  It hasn't been been plain sailing though and Wigan created chances against them last weekend but poor finishing let them down.  I've mentioned the Reading game and the linesman done Chelsea a huge favour by wrongly ruling that Fernando Torres was onside for the goal that ultimately decided the game.  Hazard has been a revelation so far and in Chelsea's six goals he has picked up three assists and been brought down twice for penalties that Frank Lampard scored from.  I think this game will have goals but Chelsea will have too many options for Newcastle and should keep their 100% record.

Super Sunday starts with what will be a feisty clash at the Brittania Stadium between Stoke City and Arsenal.  There's a lot of history between the sides and not a lot of mutual respect.  The managers have never really hidden their feelings for each other.  Wenger can't stand Stoke's brand of football and Tony Pulis can't stand Wenger.  Arsenal are no doubt the better side to watch but the contrast in styles usually leads to a decent game.  Arsenal struggle with the physical side of Stoke's play and Stoke take full advantage of that.  In the games between the two sides since Stoke got promoted in 2008, Arsenal have only one once at the Brittania.  There are a lot of questions about this current Arsenal team and I think Stoke have got them at exactly the right time.  Arsenal have sold their two best players from last season and will be fielding quite a few players who are still looking to find their feet in England.  For that reason I think Stoke will pick up the three points.

The weekend's fixtures finish with what should be the best game of the weekend.  Liverpool go head to head with last year's Premier League winners, Manchester City.  This is a massive game for Brendan Rodgers and his Liverpool team.  The opening fixtures haven't been kind to Liverpool and they have Arsenal and Manchester United coming to Anfield in the next few weeks either side of a trip to the north east to face Sunderland.  The easiest game on paper was last weeks trip to the Hawthorns to face West Brom.  That resulted in a 3-0 defeat and the pressure was immediately on the new manager.  City didn't look particularly impressive but they got the three points and ultimately that's all that matters.  City won't want to drop points at this stage of the season and Liverpool simply cannot afford to lose their second game in a row.  The game should be a good watch and by the time the final whistle goes I expect both teams to have a point each.

Just for fun here's a prediction for each game:


Swansea 2-0 West Ham United
Aston VIlla 0-0 Everton
Manchester United 3-1 Fulham
Norwich 1-1 QPR
Southampton 2-0 Wigan Athletic
Sunderland 2-1 Reading
Tottenham 3-1 West Bromich Albion
Chelsea 3-1 Newcastle United
Stoke City 2-0 Arsenal
Liverpool 1-1 Manchester City

Tuesday 21 August 2012

Premier League Week 1 Review



The first weekend of the Barclays Premier League was one of surprises and overreactions.  After one game it looks as though Chelsea and Manchester City will take part in a two horse race for the title.  Swansea, Fulham and West Brom will battle it out for the remaining Champions League slots.  Liverpool, Manchester United and Arsenal are deep in a relegation battle and their respective managers will all be looking for new jobs in the coming weeks.  This is exactly what being a football fan is all about.  Even the media got in on the act.  I heard about Liverpool's disastrous start, Arsenal will never recover from losing Robin Van Persie.  I now can't wait to hear what will be said about Manchester United losing to Everton.  In no other business would such knee jerk reactions be so common. 

I had a look at a few stats from the weekends games and there were a few in particular that stood out.  Team A had 16 shots on goal and completed 465 of 523 passes (89%), Team B had 6 shots on goal and completed 389 of 456 passes (85%), Team C had 14 shots and completed 381 of 433 passes (88%) and Team D had 23 shots on goal and completed 637 of 702 passes (91%).  From those stats Team D were the best, Team A, Team C and finally the very disappointing Team B.  In reality, Team D (Arsenal) and Team A (Liverpool) are clubs in crisis while Team C (Swansea) enjoyed a 5-0 victory and the disappointing Team B were in fact Chelsea who can only be stopped by Manchester City in the race for the title according to some sources. 

I listened to a radio show and for the hour it took me to drive home, they spent the vast majority of it talking about how poor Liverpool had been and asking were they a club in crisis?  From what I saw West Brom scored an excellent goal in the first half to take the lead, Liverpool striker, Luis Suarez was extremely wasteful with several good opportunities, Agger got sent off and from then on the team with 11 men on the field playing against 10 were always going to look superior.  Credit to West Brom, they took advantage of the extra man and scored two more goals to give a flattering look to the scoreline.  Had Luis Suarez taken one of his chances it could have been a totally different game.  The Uruguayan could have scored five but instead had a day to forget.  Suarez had a fantastic goalscoring record at Ajax, netting 111 goals in 159 games.  People will say that the standard is lower in Holland which is true but it's not as though he's not getting the chances.  Suarez has been guilty in his Liverpool career of missing a lot of chances.  The nets are the same size in England as they were in Holland so I expect Suarez to rediscover his scoring form in the coming weeks.

If Suarez had taken his chances perhaps the headlines and discussions would of been of a different nature.  Another striker who may be going through the same emotions is Arsenals, Olivier Giroud.  Giroud had a fantastic chance in the last ten minutes of Saturdays game at the Emirates.  He made a great run to get onto the end of Santi Cazorla's through ball but seemed to snatch at the ball and struck the shot wide.  Had that gone in Giroud would have been an instant hero, nobody would care about Robin Van Persie and Wenger would be hailed as a genius for replacing RVP with the "new Thierry Henry."  As it was the chance was missed and Arsenal are in crisis, Wenger is feeling the heat and it is absolutely necessary that Arsenal sign a world class striker before the end of the transfer window.  These are the margins we are dealing with. 

In last nights game between Everton and Manchester United everyone was talking about RVP's debut but rather than it be the Dutch striker who made the headlines it was Belgian star, Marouane Fellaini who grabbed the limelight.  United were suffering from injuries in the centre of defence and had to line up with the unorthodox pairing of Nemanja Vidic and Michael Carrick in the heart of their defence.  Everton took advantage of this and got Fellaini to attack the area Carrick was defending.  By the end of the game Fellaini had gone for six headers in the Manchester United box and had won five of them including the game winning goal.  It was a magnificent result for Everton who are normally slow starters in the league.  If Everton can build on this result in their upcoming fixtures then a top 6 finish wouldn't be out of the question. 

No review of the weeks Premier League action would be complete without mentioning Premier League new boys, Mladen Petric of Fulham and Michu of Swansea.  Both grabbed two debut goals to help their new teams to 5-0 opening day victories.  Both looked very impressive in their new surroundings and will be worth keeping an eye on in the weeks to come.


Goal Of The Week


3) Steve Davis (Southampton v Man City) - A smart finish from Davis to finish off a fantastic break from Southampton.

2) Michu (Swansea v QPR) - Michu's 2nd was a sublime finish, curling into the top corner from the edge of the box after a superb run from Wayne Routledge.

1) Zoltan Gera (West Brom v Liverpool) - A superb strike from the Hungarian who blasted into the top corner from 25 yards. 


Man Of The Week


Michu (Swansea) - The new boy played a part in four of Swansea's five goals against QPR.  He scored two, set up Scott Sinclair's goal and even blocked a cross which fell to Wayne Routledge who put through Nathan Dyer for his first and Swansea's third goal of the game.  It was the stuff dream debuts are made of. 


Moan Of The Week


Santi Cazorla (Arsenal) - Through no fault of his own Arsenal's new Spanish midfielder was the cause of much of my annoyance in the first weekend of the new season. Can someone please send out a memo to all commentators and football fans to let them know his name is Cazorla and not Car-Zola?

Saturday 18 August 2012

Premier League Preview - Full Version

ARSENAL

It's almost impossible to predict Arsenal's season at this point.  They had made two good signings in Santi Cazorla and Lukas Podolski.  Their other signing, Oliver Giroud, I am not completely sold on.  I worry he may turn out to be another Marouane Chamakh and if he does then Arsenal could have a very difficult season ahead of them.  He does have a better goal scoring record than Chamakh and with Van Persie's transfer to Manchester United he will most likely feature a lot more than Chamakh did when he first arrived but until we see how he settles into English football the jury will remain out.  Rumours are also going around that midfielder, Alex Song could be on his way to Barcelona.  If Song leaves then Arsene Wenger could have a huge two weeks ahead of him to try to save Arsenal's season.

Key Man : Santi Cazorla - A very good signing and an absolute bargain at £15m.  The fact Arsenal were able to sign this guy for £15m makes a mockery of the inflated prices being paid for British players.  I expect to see him collect a load of assists and I expect to see him at the front of the queue when Arsenal have free-kicks around the edge of the box.

A Player I'd Sign : Yann M'Vila - Regardless of whether Song leaves or not, Arsenal need to bring in M'Vila.  They lack that bite in midfield.  Wilshere and Diaby are both injury prone and are unlikely to make enough appearances.  M'Vila is often compared to Patrick Vieira and that is exactly the sort of player Arsenal need.  At 22 years old he's a good age and as he's not English he could probably be bought at a respectable price.

Prediction - 5th


ASTON VILLA

Aston Villa have parted company with last season’s manager, Alex McLeish and replaced him with a young manager with a great track record in Paul Lambert.  I read a statistic recently that McLeish is the worst manager in Villa's history with a win percentage of just 21.4%.  I imagine the Aston Villa board were surprised by this but I've no idea why.  McLeish after all is the only man in my living memory to guide Rangers to a league position outside the top 2 in the SPL.  He followed that up with a brief stint at Scotland before going to Birmingham where he managed to get the Blues relegated twice. 
Lambert on the other hand has got quite a positive CV.  At Wycombe he led them to the League Cup Semi-Finals while they were in League 2 and after a short stint at Colchester he moved to Norwich, where in 3 years he got promoted from League One, promoted from the Championship and then led Norwich to a mid table Premier League finish. 
The new man has brought in a few signings and to be honest I don’t know much about most of them.  I do like Ron Vlaar, previously of Feyenoord.  He will be a direct replacement at centre-back for James Collins.  Another ex-Feyenoord signing is Karim El Ahmadi who will line up in midfield in place of Stiliyan Petrov who had acute leukaemia and is now in remission.  Their other signings I know very little of, other than Brett Holman is a winger and Matthew Lowton a full-back.  However, with Lambert’s record I wouldn’t be surprised if they turned out to be decent signings.

Key Man : Darren Bent – Aston Villa don’t look like a team with a lot of goals in them so they have to keep Bent fit.  If Bent gets injured again, Villa could really struggle.  If he stays fit, he is more than capable of 15-20 Premier League goals.

A Player I’d Sign : Dimitar Berbatov – As I’ve said Villa will struggle to score goals and with Van Persie signing for Manchester United, Berbatov is going to find it even harder to get a place in the starting line up.  He’s behind Rooney, Van Persie, Welbeck and Hernandez at United, so a move to Aston Villa could be a good move to get his career back on track.

Prediction – 9th  


CHELSEA

The European Champions have had a busy summer, with new permanent manager, Roberto Di Matteo making his mark in the transfer market.  Chelsea have bought well.  Eden Hazard, Oscar and Marko Marin are all good players.  Chelsea now have an embarrassment of riches when it comes to creative options in their midfield with the three new boys joining Frank Lampard and Juan Mata as advanced midfielders.  It should make Chelsea enjoyable to watch in the coming season.
My biggest worry for Chelsea is a player they lost.  Their best player in the last few seasons has been Ivory Coast star, Didier Drogba.  He has now left to join Shanghai Shenhua in China.  That leaves Fernando Torres and Daniel Sturridge as Chelsea’s only strikers.  In recent years I have said Torres will come good but I’m still waiting for it to happen.  I’ve no idea what has gone wrong but he is definitely a different player to the one who arrived at Liverpool from Atletico Madrid in 2007.  Torres should see more game time now Drogba has left but it would take a serious improvement from his current record of 7 goals in 46 games to make him look worth the £50m Chelsea spent on him.

Key Man : Oscar – I think signing this guy will turn out to be a masterstroke from Chelsea.  I have been very impressed by him in the games I have seen.  He was Brazil’s best player in the Olympics and he could well be the best player of this generation.

A Player I’d Sign – Edinson Cavani – Chelsea need a replacement for Didier Drogba and Cavani is that man.  He wouldn’t come cheap but Chelsea have never been shy to spend big if they believe they have the right man.

Prediction – 3rd


EVERTON

How long before David Moyes decides enough is enough and it’s time for him to move on to a new club with a bit more ambition that Everton?  Yet another transfer window has passed were Moyes has lost more than he has been allowed to bring in.  The two players he brought in are good signings.  Steven Pienaar comes back after being on loan at the club last season.  He never really got a chance at Tottenham but in both his first spell at Everton and his loan spell he was a key player.
Steven Naismith has also signed on a free transfer from Rangers.  I watch a lot of SPL games so I am very familiar with Naismith.  He was a good prospect at Kilmarnock and moved to Rangers in 2007.  He had a bit of a slow start at Rangers but he was becoming an important player.  Unfortunately for him he picked up a cruciate knee injury in October last year which finished his season.  If he makes a full recovery then Everton have a good player on their hands.
Unfortunately for Everton and Moyes, they have lost three key players.  Jack Rodwell, Tim Cahill and Joseph Yobo have all left the club.  All three were important players and it will be interesting to see how much activity there is at Goodison Park between now and the close of the transfer window.

Key Player : Nikica Jelavic – The Croatian needs to keep up his good goal scoring record if Everton are to have a good season.  He will be boosted by the arrival of Steven Naismith as they were beginning to develop a good partnership at Rangers before Naismith’s injury.  He had 9 goals in 13 games last season.  If he can keep himself fit I expect him to hit at least 20 goals.

A Player I’d Sign : Adam Johnson – Everton seem to be in the market for a wide man and there are a few rumours going around that City would be willing to let him go.  Johnson is a good player who will want to get back in the England team and a move to Everton may just help him get there.

Prediction – 8th


FULHAM

Fulham’s hopes for the new season will depend a lot on what happens with Clint Dempsey.  The American has been linked with a move to Liverpool and if the deal goes through Fulham will be losing their best player and have little time to replace him.  Dempsey has put in a transfer request and Jol has said he will sell him if the money’s right.  If Dempsey goes I think Fulham will find themselves right in the middle of a relegation battle.
They have brought in Mladen Petric, Hugo Rodallega, George Williams and Sascha Riether.  Petric and Rodallega should provide some much needed goals.  Williams is a young prospect, signed from MK Dons.  Riether is a full-back who has been capped by Germany.
Fulham have lost Etuhu, Johnson and Pogrebynak.  These three are all good players.  Pogrebynak, in particular had a great spell at the club last season.

Key Man : Mladen Petric – If Dempsey leaves, Fulham are going to need to find goals from another source and Petric could well be that man.  He had a decent record at Hamburg and he will be looking to make as good an impact in England as his Croatian team mate, Nikica Jelavic.

A Player I’d Sign : Joe Cole – With Dempsey leaving and Liverpool a likely destination why not try to get Cole as part of the deal.  There have already been rumours that Charlie Adam could be used as bait but Cole is a better player and with all these midfielders at Liverpool, surely a deal could be worked out.  I’d play Cole in an attacking central midfield role instead of on the wing and I have a feeling it could be the life line that may just save Fulhams season.

Prediction : 18th


LIVERPOOL

Liverpool are the team I am most excited about seeing this year and I genuinely hope they do well.  I am not a Liverpool fan but I would love to see them get back to their glory days under Carnlough man, Brendan Rodgers.  I have lived in Carnlough for the last 4 years & it is amazing to think that a man from this small village is now in charge of one of the biggest football clubs in the world. 
Since taking the reigns he has made a few good signings.  Fabio Borini and Joe Allen are both players he knows very well from his Swansea days.  Borini had a great year in Italy scoring 9 goals in 24 games for Roma.  In Serie A that is a respectable record.   Especially when you consider it was his first year in the league.  In his one season in Italy he done enough to convince Italy manager, Cesare Prandelli, that he was worthy of a spot in Italy’s Euro 2012 squad which is no easy task.
Joe Allen is a player I like.  He had a great year at Swansea and every time I watched them live or the highlights he always seemed to be at the centre of everything they done.  At 22 the time was right for Allen to make the move to a bigger club.
Liverpool’s hopes this season will depend on who they sell in the coming weeks.  It appears players have to be sold to balance the books but they really don’t want to have to sell Daniel Agger.  He is a top class centre back but if Liverpool can not find takers for Andy Carroll and Charlie Adam then Agger may be the one who has to move on.
If Agger stays and the team buy into Rodgers style of football then I predict a much improved season for Liverpool.

Key Man : Luis Suarez – Suarez is an excellent footballer and is capable of unlocking any defence in the world.  His one weakness, certainly in his time at Liverpool, is his finishing.  If Suarez can start finding the back of the net instead of shooting straight at the goalkeeper or hitting the woodwork then he could even figure in the race to be top scorer in the league.

A Player I’d Sign : Nuri Sahin – It looks as though this deal could go through in the next few days and I think he would be a great signing for Liverpool.

Prediction – 4th


MANCHESTER CITY

One thing’s for sure, City will not win the league in as exciting a manner as they did last year.  Two injury time goals to win your first league title in 44 years is the stuff Hollywood script writers couldn’t even dream up.
It has been an unusually quiet summer at the Etihad with Jack Rodwell being the only signing to date.  Rodwell is a decent player but I think he will struggle to see much game time at City.  He is another option in their midfield however and will strengthen the overall quality of the squad.
I do expect Mancini to break in at least one more player before the end of the transfer window. 
City have kept everyone from last year and I think it will take something special to stop them defending their title.  Last year they were the best team in the league but Manchester United ran them close.  I think the reason it was so close was United had a lot more experience in title races and City seemed to be effected by the pressure.  Last years title win will have given them confidence and when you have the best team/squad and a lot of confidence it will be very difficult to beat.

Key Man : Yaya Toure – This man was unbelievable in the run in last season.  He grabbed goals, created goals and pushed City all the way to the League Championship.  City’s main concern this year will be dealing with his absence during the African Cup of Nations.

A Player I’d Sign : Daniel Agger – My one concern is injuries in the centre of their defence.  If Vincent Kompany were to get injured that would leave Kolo Toure, Joleon Lescott and Stefan Savic.  No combination of those three inspires confidence.  If Agger came in Man City would be in a very strong position for a push at the Champions League as well as the league.

Prediction – 1st


MANCHESTER UNITED

Robin Van Persie is the name on everyones lips at the moment after the Dutchman moved from Arsenal to Manchester United.  Van Persie had a great season last year.  It was by far his best in the Premier League.  He was the top scorer in the league last year with 30 goals.  There can be no doubt he is a fantastic footballer but my concerns would lie in his injury record.  Last year RVP managed to stay clear of injury but in 8 years at Arsenal that was the first time he managed that feat.  I think United have overpaid for him. £22-24m for a 29 year old, injury prone striker is a huge gamble.  Most strikers will peak round 28.  Obviously there are exceptions and because Van Persie has missed so many games in the past he might be able to extend his peak for a few years.  Sir Alex Ferguson and United's army of fans will be hoping that is the case but I suspect that a striker who's body struggled to cope with the demands of top flight football in his 20s is hardly likely to improve as he enters his 30s.
Whilst all the talk about Manchester United at the moment is focusing on RVP, my opinion is that he isn't even the best piece of business they have done this summer.  I'd reserve that honour for Shinji Kagawa.  I am very excited about seeing him in the Premier League.  He is a very tricky customer and whilst I don't think he is the man to overhaul Manchester City, I do think he is the man who can keep Manchester United ahead of the rest of the chasing pack.

Key Man : Nemanja Vidic - The Serbian will be like a new signing for United this season.  He is one of the best centre backs in the world & he is one of those players who not only is top class in his own right but he seems to inspire the players around him.

A Player I'd Sign : Daniele De Rossi - It seems United's rivals, Manchester City are trying to sign the Italian midfielder but if Fergie could find a way to bring him to Old Trafford I think that would be the signing to bring the Premier League trophy back to the red half of Manchester.

Prediction - 2nd


NEWCASTLE UNITED

Newcastle had their best season last year in 8 years.  Back then Alan Shearer was banging in 25-30 goals a season and Newcastle were a regular in European competitions.  Since then there has been a lot of poor seasons for the Geordies, including a season in the Championship.  Newcastle have bounced back fantastically since then and have began to build a very good squad.  Players like Yohann Cabaye, Papiss Cisse, Hatem Ben Arfa and Demba Ba are class acts and could grace most teams in the world.  I haven't had a lot of time for Alan Pardew in the past but credit were it's due, he has done a great job at Newcastle.
This summer Newcastle have made a few more interesting signings.  Vurnon Anita and Roman Amalfitano have came in from Ajax and Stade de Reims.  Teenagers Gael Bigirimana and Curtis Good have also came in.  I don't know much about them other than Vurnon Anita who is a Dutch international Full-Back/Midfielder.  Judging by his quotes he is now very much a Centre Midfielder. 
Newcastle have managed to hold onto all their key players with just a few squad players moving on.  At the start of the summer the key players were being linked with clubs all over Europe but on the eve of the new season they are all still at St James' Park and I expect Newcastle to have another good season.

Key Man : Papiss Cisse - Cisse signed for Newcastle in January and was an instant success, scoring 13 goals in 14 games.  If he can start the new season in the same vein of form he could be in the running for top scorer.

A Player I'd Sign : Mathieu Debuchy - Newcastle have been linked with the Frenchman and I think he would be a great signing for them.  I was impressed by him in the Euros, especially his performance against England.  Hopefully the deal will go through as he is a player I would like to see in the Premier League.

Prediction - 7th


NORWICH CITY

A huge season lies ahead for Norwich.  They go into it without the manager who secured back to back promotions and led them to a safe mid table finish in the Premier League last year.  Paul Lambert has moved onto Aston Villa and replacing him in the dugout is former Newcastle and Birmingham manager, Chris Hughton.  Hughton has done quite well in his brief managerial career.  He won the Championship with Newcastle in 2009/10 and had some good results in his half a season in the Premier League including a 5-1 derby win over Sunderland and a 1-0 win over Arsenal at the Emirates.  At the time he was being regarded as one of the best young managers in the English leagues, after a few bad weeks, he was sacked.  He also led Birmingham to a playoff spot in his season there, eventually losing 3-2 on aggregate to Blackpool.  Norwich will be a big job but I think Hughton has enough to make it a success.
Robert Snodgrass, Michael Turner, Jacob Butterfield and Steven Whittaker have been brought in to bolster the squad.  Michael Turner has been a decent Premier League defender in his years at Hull and Sunderland and should be a good signing.  Steven Whittaker was another player to leave Rangers.  The jury is out on him to be honest.  He was quite inconsistent in his years at Rangers so I am interested to see how he does in England.  Robert Snodgrass is a player I am very sad to see at Norwich.  He has been fantastic for Leeds but I can't really blame him for moving on.  Leeds have been getting worse and haven't really threatened to get into the Premier League in the last 2 years and Snodgrass is definitely good enough to be there.  He's 24 now and deserves a chance to compete at this level.

Key Man : Grant Holt - Holt's been a superb player for Norwich in his 3 years at the club.  He has 70 goals in 129 appearances and if he can get between 15-20 goals again this year it should be enough to keep Norwich in the top flight. 

A Player I'd Sign : Michael Owen - I think Norwich could do with strengthening up front and Michael Owen is available on a free.  I'm not sure if wages would be a problem but I think Owen would be a good signing.

Prediction - 15th


QUEENS PARK RANGERS

Mark Hughes has had a good summer so far bringing in Park Ji-Sung, Junior Hoilett, Robert Green, Jose Bosingwa, Andy Johnson, Ryan Nelsen, Fabio Da Silva and Samba Diakite  They all have Premier League experience and I don't think QPR will be caught up in a relegation battle like last season. 
It looks as though Joey Barton is set to move on this summer with reports suggesting he will spend the year in France with Marseille.  Barton is a decent player when he puts his mind to it, which isn't as often as it needs to be for such a well paid player.

Key Man : Jamie Mackie - When on form Mackie is a very good player.  He missed the start of last year through injury but I'd expect him to be a regular this season and most likely reach double figures in goals. 

A Player I'd Sign : Ki Sung-Yueng - As a Celtic fan I know plenty about him.  He is a decent player and very good technically.  I think a continental side would suit him better but QPR appear to be leading the chase for his signature.

Prediction - 10th


READING

Last year's Championship winners have invested wisely in the summer.  Chris Gunter, Adrian Mariappa, Garath McCleary, Danny Guthrie, Nicky Shorey and Pavel Pogrebnyak have all came in and I'd say they are six good signings. 
In recent seasons the promoted teams have done quite well and I'd expect Reading to be another team to get at least a second year in the Premier League.

Key Man : Pavel Pogrebnyak - Pogrebnyak is a fantastic signing for the Royals.  He came to England on loan at Fulham last year and got off to a flyer.  He ended up scoring 6 in his 12 games and if he can average close to 1 in 2 next year it would go a long way to keeping Reading in the Premier League.

A Player I'd Sign : Christophe Berra - Rumours are circulating that Reading are in the market for a new centre-back and after Wolves got relegated, Reading may be able to tempt Berra to the Madejski.  Berra is a solid centre back with international experience and would do a good job at this level.

Prediction : 13th


SOUTHAMPTON

The Saints are another of the promoted clubs and like Reading they have bought well.  Another of the ex-Rangers contingent, Steve Davis has came in.  Davis is a very good player.  He was always a thorn in the side of Celtic and is a player I have a lot of respect for.  Another good signing is Jay Rodriguez from Burnley.  Rodriguez has improved a lot in the last two years.  He scored 21 goals last season and is now making the step up to the next level.  It appears Southampton are on the verge of bringing in Uruguay international winger, Gaston Ramirez.  Ramirez had two good seasons at Bologna and now moves to the Premier League hoping to make a similar impact. 

Key Man : Rickie Lambert - The 30 year old finally gets his chance to prove himself at the highest level in English football after years of goal scoring in each of English footballs divisions.  Lambert has scored 88 goals in his 3 years at Southampton and if he can keep up that level of form then he could be a man to watch.

A Player I'd Sign : Matt Phillips - Saints have been linked with the highly rated Blackpool winger.  He has already been capped by Scotland and at 21 he is a good age to make the step up. 

Prediction : 17th


STOKE CITY

Stoke have had a quiet enough summer bringing in just two players.  Jamie Ness from Rangers and Michael Kightly from Wolves are the men Tony Pulis has brought to the Brittania.  Jamie Ness I was never really a fan of.  He did famously score a great goal in a Scottish Cup tie against Celtic but other than that his Rangers career was some what forgetable.  He did suffer from some injuries but the jury is still very much out on him. 
The other signing, Michael Kightly is definitely a good talent.  Kightly is 26 now and has always been highly rated.  If he is ever going to prove himself as a Premier League performer he needs to make the most of this opportunity.

Key Man : Jonathan Walters - The Irish internationals career has taken off in a big way in the last two seasons.  He is 28 now and had been a bit of a journey man until he moved to Stoke two years ago.  He has became a first team regular and has scored in double figures in his two seasons.  15 goals is not out of reach for him.

A Player I'd SIgn : Jermaine Defoe - Stoke appear to be in the market for a new striker and Defoe may be available.  Owen is another option but if given the option of bringing in Owen or Defoe, my choice would be the Tottenham man.

Prediction : 12th


SUNDERLAND

Yet another transfer window were we are going into the last few weeks and Martin O'Neill is leaving all his business until the last minute.  He always done this at Celtic and was often guilty of it at Aston Villa.  I've no idea why he does it as surely it would benefit his teams more to get time to gel in pre season but for whatever reason O'Neill disagrees with this philosophy.
So far his only signing has been Carlos Cuellar from Aston Villa.  Cuellar is a decent defender and should fit in well at Sunderland but it is difficult to judge how Sunderland will do until O'Neill finishes his transfer business. 
Sunderland have been trying to bring in Wolves striker, Steven Fletcher.  Fletcher is a decent player but not at the price Wolves are looking.  He has put in a transfer request so it will most likely be a case of Fletcher will end up at Sunderland but the price will be determined by whoever blinks first.

Key Man : James McClean - The Irish winger has been flying since his move from Derry City last year.  He scored 6 in 29 games last year and with a full preseason behind him I'd be surprised if he doesn't hit double figures this year.

A Player I'd Sign : Javier Hernandez - Following Van Persie's signing from Arsenal, Hernandez has been linked to a whole host of clubs.  He's a better striker than Fletcher and with the daft figures being quoted for the Wolves man Hernandez could end up being affordable.

Prediction - 11th


SWANSEA

Swansea had a great season last year, finishing in mid table but they have suffered a few key losses in this transfer window.  Manager Brendan Rodgers and key midfielder, Joe Allen have both moved to Anfield and Gylfi Sigurdsson has moved to Tottenham after a successful loan spell at Swansea last season.  New manager, Michael Laudrup has made a few decent signings.  Michu from Rayo Vallecano had a great year in La Liga last year, scoring 17 goals from an attacking midfield role.  Jose Manuel Flores and Jonathan de Guzman have also come in and should fit into Swansea's footballing style.
Whilst those three should be good signings I can't help but feel the players they have lost and still might lose will have the biggest impact on their season.  Scott Sinclair and Ashley Williams are being linked with moves away and if they go then I think Swansea will have a difficult season.

Key Man - Michu - He had a fantastic season last year in La Liga and Swansea will need him to be as prolific in front of goal if they are to build on last seasons mid table finish.

A Player I'd Sign : Nicklas Bendtnar - I saw the Arsenal man linked with Swansea last week and the more I think about the more I think he could do well.  He's not Arsenal class and never will be but he's good enough to play in a mid table team.  He has a decent record at international level and if he started regularly he could do well. 

Prediction - 20th


TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR

Former Chelsea manager, Andre Villas-Boas has replaced Harry Redknapp at White Hart Lane and he will have to do better than he did at Stamford Bridge if he is to build on Tottenhams successes in the last few seasons. 
Jan Vertonghen and Gylfi Sigurdsson have come in but Spurs have lost a few too.  Ledley King has retired, Kranjcar, Corluka, Pienaar and Saha have all left.  Emmanuel Adebayor may well find his way back to White Hart Lane after his successful loan spell last year but at present he is still a Manchester City player. 
I expect Tottenham will sign a few players between now and the end of the month so it is difficult to judge how well they will do this year.  I do think they need to sign a few players if they want to keep up with the top teams in the league.

Key Man : Gareth Bale - On his day the young Welsh winger is unplayable.  He has pace, skill and is becoming a good finisher.  I would like to see him operate on the left side of a front three and expect that may well be his position in Villas-Boas' lineup. 

A Player I'd Sign : Hulk - He has played for AVB before so he will know the system and style AVB likes.  He wants to leave Porto and Spurs need a striker so it could be a good move all round.

Prediction - 6th


WEST BROMWICH ALBION

Another club with a new manager thisseason.  Steve Clarke has come in to replace England manager, Roy Hodgson. 
West Brom have spent most of the last decade floating between the Premier League and the Championship.  In the last 11 seasons they have been promoted four times and relegated three times.  I think it could take a big effort from them to avoid another relegation this season.
Clarke has brought in Ben Foster, Markus Rosenborg, Claudio Yacob, Yassine El Ghanassy and Romelu Lukaku.  Much will depend on how they settle into the Premier League.  The Belgian league hasn't always been at the highest level in recent years and three of those signings have been playing there recently.  Ben Foster is a good goalkeeper and I think he will need to be at his best as West Brom haven't always been particularly strong in defence, conceding over 120 goals in the last two seasons.

Key Man : Chris Brunt - Northern Ireland international Brunt has been one of West Brom's best performers in recent seasons.  He will need to be at his best if West Brom are to keep their place in the league this year. 

A Player I'd Sign : Danny Rose - A player who has been linked with West Brom in recent weeks.  Rose is a good player and can play anywhere down the left side so he would be a good addition to the squad.

Prediction - 19th


WEST HAM UNITED

West Ham made it back to the Premier League by beating Blackpool in the Playoffs.  West Ham are a good club and it's good to see them back in the Premier League.  Big Sam has spent well in the summer and has brought in a few decent players with Premier League experience.  James Collins, George McCartney, Mohamed Diame and Jussi Jaaskelainen are all decent signings.  Midibo Maiga and Alou Diarra have both done well in France in recent years.  If the team gel quickly I can't see why they won't be in the Premier League again next season.

Key Man : Kevin Nolan - West Ham will be hoping their captain can keep up his good goal scoring form.  Nolan is averaging a goal every five games throughout his career which is a very good record for a midfielder.

A Player I'd Sign : Andy Carroll - It looks as though this deal won't go through now but I do think the Liverpool man would do well at West Ham.  He is a perfect fit to play up front in a Sam Allardyce team.  He is similar in style to Kevin Davies and he was a player who flourished under big Sam at Bolton. 

Prediction : 16th


WIGAN ATHLETIC

Wigan managed to hold on to Roberto Martinez as manager despite interest from Liverpool and Aston VIlla.  Martinez has led Wigan to successive 16th placed finishes and I think this could be the year for Wigan to make a step forward.  They have a few good young players and play good football.  If they can hold onto all of the young lads, in particular Victor Moses and get off to a better start then I think they could get closer to mid table.
They have brought in Ivan Ramis and Arouna Kone who I expect to have good seasons.  They have lost Mohamed Diame and Hugo Rodallega but there are players at the club who can step into those roles.

Key Man : Victor Moses - If Wigan can keep hold of Moses he will play a key role in their fight for survival this year.  If he leaves Wigan could find themselves in big trouble.

A Player I'd Sign : Jordan Rhodes - The Huddersfield man would be a great signing for a lot of clubs but if Moses leaves he'd be a great signing to bolster their attacking options. 

Prediction : 14th

Premier League Preview : Sw - W

SWANSEA

Swansea had a great season last year, finishing in mid table but they have suffered a few key losses in this transfer window.  Manager Brendan Rodgers and key midfielder, Joe Allen have both moved to Anfield and Gylfi Sigurdsson has moved to Tottenham after a successful loan spell at Swansea last season.  New manager, Michael Laudrup has made a few decent signings.  Michu from Rayo Vallecano had a great year in La Liga last year, scoring 17 goals from an attacking midfield role.  Jose Manuel Flores and Jonathan de Guzman have also come in and should fit into Swansea's footballing style.
Whilst those three should be good signings I can't help but feel the players they have lost and still might lose will have the biggest impact on their season.  Scott Sinclair and Ashley Williams are being linked with moves away and if they go then I think Swansea will have a difficult season.

Key Man - Michu - He had a fantastic season last year in La Liga and Swansea will need him to be as prolific in front of goal if they are to build on last seasons mid table finish.

A Player I'd Sign : Nicklas Bendtnar - I saw the Arsenal man linked with Swansea last week and the more I think about the more I think he could do well.  He's not Arsenal class and never will be but he's good enough to play in a mid table team.  He has a decent record at international level and if he started regularly he could do well. 

Prediction - 20th


TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR

Former Chelsea manager, Andre Villas-Boas has replaced Harry Redknapp at White Hart Lane and he will have to do better than he did at Stamford Bridge if he is to build on Tottenhams successes in the last few seasons. 
Jan Vertonghen and Gylfi Sigurdsson have come in but Spurs have lost a few too.  Ledley King has retired, Kranjcar, Corluka, Pienaar and Saha have all left.  Emmanuel Adebayor may well find his way back to White Hart Lane after his successful loan spell last year but at present he is still a Manchester City player. 
I expect Tottenham will sign a few players between now and the end of the month so it is difficult to judge how well they will do this year.  I do think they need to sign a few players if they want to keep up with the top teams in the league.

Key Man : Gareth Bale - On his day the young Welsh winger is unplayable.  He has pace, skill and is becoming a good finisher.  I would like to see him operate on the left side of a front three and expect that may well be his position in Villas-Boas' lineup. 

A Player I'd Sign : Hulk - He has played for AVB before so he will know the system and style AVB likes.  He wants to leave Porto and Spurs need a striker so it could be a good move all round.

Prediction - 6th


WEST BROMWICH ALBION

Another club with a new manager thisseason.  Steve Clarke has come in to replace England manager, Roy Hodgson. 
West Brom have spent most of the last decade floating between the Premier League and the Championship.  In the last 11 seasons they have been promoted four times and relegated three times.  I think it could take a big effort from them to avoid another relegation this season.
Clarke has brought in Ben Foster, Markus Rosenborg, Claudio Yacob, Yassine El Ghanassy and Romelu Lukaku.  Much will depend on how they settle into the Premier League.  The Belgian league hasn't always been at the highest level in recent years and three of those signings have been playing there recently.  Ben Foster is a good goalkeeper and I think he will need to be at his best as West Brom haven't always been particularly strong in defence, conceding over 120 goals in the last two seasons.

Key Man : Chris Brunt - Northern Ireland international Brunt has been one of West Brom's best performers in recent seasons.  He will need to be at his best if West Brom are to keep their place in the league this year. 

A Player I'd Sign : Danny Rose - A player who has been linked with West Brom in recent weeks.  Rose is a good player and can play anywhere down the left side so he would be a good addition to the squad.

Prediction - 19th


WEST HAM UNITED

West Ham made it back to the Premier League by beating Blackpool in the Playoffs.  West Ham are a good club and it's good to see them back in the Premier League.  Big Sam has spent well in the summer and has brought in a few decent players with Premier League experience.  James Collins, George McCartney, Mohamed Diame and Jussi Jaaskelainen are all decent signings.  Midibo Maiga and Alou Diarra have both done well in France in recent years.  If the team gel quickly I can't see why they won't be in the Premier League again next season.

Key Man : Kevin Nolan - West Ham will be hoping their captain can keep up his good goal scoring form.  Nolan is averaging a goal every five games throughout his career which is a very good record for a midfielder.

A Player I'd Sign : Andy Carroll - It looks as though this deal won't go through now but I do think the Liverpool man would do well at West Ham.  He is a perfect fit to play up front in a Sam Allardyce team.  He is similar in style to Kevin Davies and he was a player who flourished under big Sam at Bolton. 

Prediction : 16th


WIGAN ATHLETIC

Wigan managed to hold on to Roberto Martinez as manager despite interest from Liverpool and Aston VIlla.  Martinez has led Wigan to successive 16th placed finishes and I think this could be the year for Wigan to make a step forward.  They have a few good young players and play good football.  If they can hold onto all of the young lads, in particular Victor Moses and get off to a better start then I think they could get closer to mid table.
They have brought in Ivan Ramis and Arouna Kone who I expect to have good seasons.  They have lost Mohamed Diame and Hugo Rodallega but there are players at the club who can step into those roles.

Key Man : Victor Moses - If Wigan can keep hold of Moses he will play a key role in their fight for survival this year.  If he leaves Wigan could find themselves in big trouble.

A Player I'd Sign : Jordan Rhodes - The Huddersfield man would be a great signing for a lot of clubs but if Moses leaves he'd be a great signing to bolster their attacking options. 

Prediction : 14th