201 replies to this topic

[Thundery wintry showers]

Hull coming into the Premiership should be interesting. I don't expect them to capitulate in the way Derby did, but I'll be extremely surprised if they can do what Reading or Wigan did in their successful first seasons- I think they'll end up battling relegation all season, as will Stoke and, probably to a lesser extent, West Brom.

Next season could be interesting up at the top. Arsenal are only fractions away from being as good as Man Utd (they need a stronger captain, need to take more shots on goal instead of passing it into the net, and need to take more of their chances), and Chelsea were extremely close for both Premiership and Champions League. It should thus be a close season between Man Utd, Arsenal, and Chelsea, as long as Chelsea can get in a decent replacement for Avram Grant.

The sacking of Avram Grant ranks up there with the Man City managerial farce, but doesn't come as a surprise to me. What doesn't make any sense to me is that if they intended bringing him in as a stopgap, why did they give him a four year contract? Arguments other than the "he was a stopgap" make no more sense than the "arguments" for sacking Sven at Man City.

[Nick L]

Yeah it is a mystery. I shall put my views in the relevant thread though this time.

Onto next season though. I cannot see Stoke or Hull finishing above us or staying up, and I can see them taking up 19th and 20th. All that we need now is for one Prem team to slip up, and there are a few who could do that: Bolton, Wigan, Fulham and maybe even others. I believe that 17th is a very realistic target next season, but I can see it going right down to the wire as usual.