Post by Salem6 on Aug 8, 2005 5:26:50 GMT
This is our year... The fans on 2005-06
Sunday August 7, 2005
The Observer
football.guardian.co.uk/News_Story/0,1563,1544076,00.html
Arsenal by Rupert Ward www.arseweb.com
Last season: 2nd
Odds: Title winners 3-1, Relegation 1000-1
Ones to Watch: They'll all shine. When Arsenal play
well the whole team play well. Only Henry and Bergkamp
are capable of rising above that and standing out -
and seeing Dennis at his best will be special in what
has to be his final year.
Boo-boy: No one, unless Ashley Cole makes the same
mistake again - and even he's not that dumb.
The end of Highbury, the end of Bergkamp.... it's
going to be a very emotional year. On the pitch, we'll
probably have to change style a bit with Vieira
leaving, but that might include giving the ball away a
bit less. It looks like maybe Wenger is moving towards
a more continental style with a more talented, but
perhaps less imposing midfield, which could be a
problem domestically. A lot depends on Gilberto and
perhaps Flamini. They could be the key and I think
they're up to it.
We'll finish: First or second again, or maybe fourth.
It'll be a lot closer than last season between us,
Chelsea, Man Utd and Liverpool.
Champions: Us or Chelsea.
Going down: West Brom, Fulham and Wigan, I suppose.
Tottenham will stay up and beyond that I don't really
care.
Hate figure: No contest: Teddy Sheringham's back in
the Premiership.
Aston Villa by Dave Woodhall
www.heroesandvillains.co.uk
Last season: 10th
Odds: Title winners 350-1, Relegation 14-1
Ones to Watch: Young midfielder Steven Davis, defender
Martin Laursen and teenager Gary Cahill, if he gets
the chance. Last season he was loaned out to
Burnley,but he's much closer to the first team this
time round.
Boo-boy: Perm any number from Jlloyd Samuel, Gareth
Barry and Lee Hendrie..
It's difficult to say what'll happen to us this year,
as there's so much mid-table mediocrity around. If we
start scoring goals early on,we've a good chance of
finishing fifth. If we struggle to hit the back of the
net again, then bottom half is a possibility.The new
players so far have been good, solid, reliable
unexciting grafters.They'll grind out results, but
they won't sell many season tickets. A recent local
newspaper poll indicated that a third of supporters
are still undecided on David O'Leary.For a manager two
years into the job that's a bad number,but it sums him
up.After all this time I still can't work out whether,
in his own words, O'Leary has proved that he doesn't
need a chequebook.
We'll finish: Sixth.
Champions: Chelsea.
Going down: Wigan, West Brom, Sunderland.
Hate figure: He may be gone but the malady lingers on.
It's Robbie time again.
Birmingham by Brian Cartlidge
www.singingtheblues.co.uk
Last season: 12th
Odds: Title winners 500-1, Relegation 10-1
Ones to Watch: Fans will be hoping to see a bit more
of David Dunn this season. If he can prove he has
overcome his hamstring injury problems it will be like
we have signed a new player.
Boo-boy: Blues fans seldom barrack their own players -
Jesper Gronkjaer excluded.
Whichever way you look at it I can't really see us
improving on last season's league position, with the
players brought in over the summer. Steve Bruce has
made some new signings but no new faces - both Mehdi
Nafti and Mikael Forssell had been here on loan before
signing permanently. At least we know what to expect
from them.... Still a couple of weeks to go before the
transfer window closes, though, so there's hoping our
mega-rich board will splash the cash on a bit more
quality and a bit more depth in the squad. The deal
for Walter Pandiani that we've been expecting for so
long can't be too much further away now, and Bruce
says he wants Jason Euell from Charlton too.
We'll finish: Tenth.
Champions: Manchester United.
Going down: It'll be Wigan, Blackburn and Sunderland.
Hate figure: Olof Mellberg - Villa.
Blackburn by Alistair Williams
Last season: 15th
Odds: Title winners 1500-1, Relegation 8-1
Ones to Watch: Craig Bellamy. So many opponents are
going to be so easily wound up by our team of
'characters' this year - it'll give us a big
advantage.Bellamy's speed, touch, quality and massive
gob will be fantastic assets. With Todd, Savage,
Nelson and the rest, we're looking good.
Boo-boy: Clean slate - we'll see.
There'll be a lot of crap - can I say crap in The
Observer? - coming our way from the press this season
so here's a chance to get a few things straight right
now:1) We're not violent - we're competitive.The way
we play under Hughes is grown-up football, within the
rules, and if London French can't handle that they
shouldn't be playing; 2) So we're not entertainers?
I'll take passion over step-over keep-ball time after
time; 3) We have plenty of talent and Bellamy's
signing has raised the bar again. It's not all about
attitude. We're in the Premiership because we have the
talent and the resilience to be there. We've
potentially one of the league's tightest, most
effective units of players.
We'll finish: Top six.Watch us go.
Champions: Chelsea.For the next 10 years
probably.Fascinating.
Going down: Sunderland, Wigan, Portsmouth.
Hate figure: Everyone at Bolton - the bubble's going
to burst for the long-ball.
Bolton by Mark Heys
www.walkingdownthemannyroad.cjb.net
Last season: 6th
Odds: Title winners 350-1, Relegation 14-1
Ones to Watch: We're looking for Stelios
Giannakopoulos to carry on as he finished last season,
and it's an important year for Kevin Nolan and Tal-Ben
Haim to improve their games further too.
Boo-boy: Wait and see.The Bolton public like to see
winning football, but they also like to see effort and
determination.
I think the added prospect of the Uefa Cup will push
our squad to the limit over the course of next season.
The summer has been frustrating in terms of being
unable to bring in the new faces that we wanted,but
Sam Allardyce will always get the backing of the
supporters while we continue to defy the odds. It's
been a summer of transition off the field with Phil
Brown and Neil McDonald leaving their coaching
positions and the subsequent appointment of Sammy Lee,
so we have to trust the club in the decisions they
make.
We'll finish: To match or better last season's
position is always the target.
Champions: Chelsea have the manager and the players to
eat up any team in this division.
Going down: We saw last season that promoted clubs can
put up an excellent fight, but I still think we'll be
saying goodbye to Sunderland,Wigan and West Ham next
summer.
Hate figure: Robbie Savage - always.
Charlton by Trevor Feeley www.netaddicks.co.uk
Last season: 11th
Odds: Title winners 1000-1, Relegation 6-1
Ones to Watch: If pre-season is anything to go by then
we'll be hoping for big things from Darren Bent -
signed from Ipswich this summer. Let's hope there are
plenty more goals to come when the season starts.
Boo-boy: We don't really have one at the moment -
it'll just be anyone who's not pulling their weight.
It's hard to tell what to expect from this campaign
after sitting through the big slump towards the end of
last season. Certainly the summer signings so far of
Bent, Darren Ambrose and Alexi Smertin should push us
in the right direction and give us more strength in
depth, which was missing last time round. And, of
course, you really can't criticise either the board or
Alan Curbishley for what they've achieved at this club
over the past 10 or so years.
We'll finish: Heart says sixth. Head says tenth.
Champions: Chelsea.
Going down: It'll be Sunderland, Wigan and West Ham,
although I wouldn't be too surprised to see either
Fulham or Portsmouth go.
Hate figure: Scott Parker at Newcastle. I'm sure
Charlton fans will be hoping his latest move is as
successful as his last one.
Chelsea by Rob Hobson www.cfcnet.co.uk
Last season: 1st
Odds: Title winners 4-5, Relegation 1000-1
Ones to Watch: Arjen Robben needs a full season
without injury before we can really judge him, but
he's already looked back to his best in pre-season.
Look for Shaun Wright-Phillips and Joe Cole to duke it
out for a berth.
Boo-boy: Didier Drogba and Crespo need to turn it up a
notch.We need a striker to lead from the front.
We are, if anything, even stronger than the
record-breaking team of last year. No major sales and
a couple of good additions in Del Horno, Diarra and
Wright-Phillips. I haven't yet met a Chelsea fan who
isn't supportive of the manager and I can't see beyond
more trophies this year. For the first time since I've
been supporting, there's an incredible confidence
about the squad and the fans.After hammering Bayern
and Barcelona last season,we're not afraid of a single
team in Europe.
We'll finish: Top.
Champions: Chelsea.
Going down: After their non-football antics last
season, Blackburn deserve the drop,but they're
probably too practical a team for it actually to
happen. I think West Ham will struggle, as will Wigan
and Portsmouth,but Sunderland will survive.
Hate figure: Sadly, Man United put up the merest
shadow of a fight last season. It's hard to hate a
team you don't take seriously any more. So it'll be
David Dein instead.
Everton by Paul McIver www.bluekipper.com
Last season: 4th
Odds: Title winners 250-1, Relegation 25-1
Ones to Watch: James Beattie. He'll have to produce
this season - we spent £6million on him and if he
doesn't turn it on he'll be in trouble with the
fans.Was hoping to add Andy Johnson to this list but
he's staying at Palace, for now at least. Boo-boy:
Alessandro Pistone. Long way off Champions League
material.
It'll be hard to live up to expectations given what
happened last year, and given how bad the summer's
been for incoming transfers. It's not that we haven't
been trying,we've just been unlucky - and players have
been short-sighted in not coming here. We've got a
great manager, a good solid side, big support and
great prospects - and now a crack at Europe, too.
Basically the summer's been a real let-down so far,
and a bit depressing when you think what it should
have been. Phil Neville's solid, but not exactly
inspiring.... This was all set up to be the best
squad-building close season in ages. Cahill refusing
to sign a new deal probably summed it all up.That
said, Kroldrup and Arteta are good additions and the
squad we've got is definitely capable.
We'll finish: Above Liverpool.
Champions: Chelsea.
Going down: Wigan, West Ham and Fulham.
Hate figure: Steve 'I want that one' Gerrard.
Fulham by David Lloyd www.toofif.com
Last season: 13th
Odds: Title winners 1500-1, Relegation 10-3
Ones to Watch: Papa Bouba Diop, Liam Rosenior, Steed
Malbranque and Luis Boa Morte - as long as the 'big
boys'stay away and we get to keep them...and we're
hoping for a solid season from Zat Knight, our first
full England international since George Cohen.
Boo-boy: Plenty of 'fans'have their least favourites -
but booing hardly helps.
Is the glass half-full or half-empty? We've lost the
guy whose saves kept us up,our inspirational captain
Lee Clark whose drive and leadership on returning to
the side ensured we had a strong finish to the
campaign, and our top scorer (despite lamentable
service) has legged it to Manchester City. All three
were high wage earners so are their departures good
husbandry or a recipe for disaster? We'll see. For
much of last season we were dull, inconsistent and, at
times, shamefully unbothered. Cookie seems to have
accepted much of this and we could be in a better
position next May.The new guys, Drobny, Jensen,
Helguson and Elrich, are low-cost replacements but
with a reasonable pedigree.Whoever's on the park must
show pride in the shirt - that's the bottom line.
We'll finish: In the Premiership, hopefully.
Champions: Toss up between Wigan and Chelsea.
Going down: West Ham, Wigan, Portsmouth.
Hate figure: Hard to choose between Lily Savage and
Graeme Souness....
Liverpool by Chris McMullan www.shanklygates.co.uk
Last season: 5th
Odds: Title winners 16-1, Relegation 100-1
Ones to Watch: The Gerrard-Alonso partnership promises
to be something special,and this should be the season
that we see the best of Djibril Cisse.
Boo-boy: It's last chance saloon for Harry Kewell. If
he doesn't put the effort in then we will completely,
totally lose patience with this once great talent.
A couple of decent cup runs would be nice but the main
aim is to close the 37-point gap between us and the
title holders. The summer has seen Rafa Benitez bring
in proven Premiership quality with Zenden and Crouch
(right), while Reina, Sissoko and Barragan look sound
on paper,but they will have to prove themselves in
England. It goes without saying that with a Champions
League title in his first season, Rafa has the backing
of every single supporter.
We'll finish: Certainly in the top four,but hopefully
closer to the number-one spot than last time.
Champions: With Mourinho and all Roman's millions,
Chelsea will do it again.
Going down: West Brom, Wigan and West Ham.
Hate figure: I'd say Roman Abramovich for buying the
title, but at least his fortune has kept Man United
and Arsenal away from our 18-league-titles record
while we regroup.
Sunday August 7, 2005
The Observer
football.guardian.co.uk/News_Story/0,1563,1544076,00.html
Arsenal by Rupert Ward www.arseweb.com
Last season: 2nd
Odds: Title winners 3-1, Relegation 1000-1
Ones to Watch: They'll all shine. When Arsenal play
well the whole team play well. Only Henry and Bergkamp
are capable of rising above that and standing out -
and seeing Dennis at his best will be special in what
has to be his final year.
Boo-boy: No one, unless Ashley Cole makes the same
mistake again - and even he's not that dumb.
The end of Highbury, the end of Bergkamp.... it's
going to be a very emotional year. On the pitch, we'll
probably have to change style a bit with Vieira
leaving, but that might include giving the ball away a
bit less. It looks like maybe Wenger is moving towards
a more continental style with a more talented, but
perhaps less imposing midfield, which could be a
problem domestically. A lot depends on Gilberto and
perhaps Flamini. They could be the key and I think
they're up to it.
We'll finish: First or second again, or maybe fourth.
It'll be a lot closer than last season between us,
Chelsea, Man Utd and Liverpool.
Champions: Us or Chelsea.
Going down: West Brom, Fulham and Wigan, I suppose.
Tottenham will stay up and beyond that I don't really
care.
Hate figure: No contest: Teddy Sheringham's back in
the Premiership.
Aston Villa by Dave Woodhall
www.heroesandvillains.co.uk
Last season: 10th
Odds: Title winners 350-1, Relegation 14-1
Ones to Watch: Young midfielder Steven Davis, defender
Martin Laursen and teenager Gary Cahill, if he gets
the chance. Last season he was loaned out to
Burnley,but he's much closer to the first team this
time round.
Boo-boy: Perm any number from Jlloyd Samuel, Gareth
Barry and Lee Hendrie..
It's difficult to say what'll happen to us this year,
as there's so much mid-table mediocrity around. If we
start scoring goals early on,we've a good chance of
finishing fifth. If we struggle to hit the back of the
net again, then bottom half is a possibility.The new
players so far have been good, solid, reliable
unexciting grafters.They'll grind out results, but
they won't sell many season tickets. A recent local
newspaper poll indicated that a third of supporters
are still undecided on David O'Leary.For a manager two
years into the job that's a bad number,but it sums him
up.After all this time I still can't work out whether,
in his own words, O'Leary has proved that he doesn't
need a chequebook.
We'll finish: Sixth.
Champions: Chelsea.
Going down: Wigan, West Brom, Sunderland.
Hate figure: He may be gone but the malady lingers on.
It's Robbie time again.
Birmingham by Brian Cartlidge
www.singingtheblues.co.uk
Last season: 12th
Odds: Title winners 500-1, Relegation 10-1
Ones to Watch: Fans will be hoping to see a bit more
of David Dunn this season. If he can prove he has
overcome his hamstring injury problems it will be like
we have signed a new player.
Boo-boy: Blues fans seldom barrack their own players -
Jesper Gronkjaer excluded.
Whichever way you look at it I can't really see us
improving on last season's league position, with the
players brought in over the summer. Steve Bruce has
made some new signings but no new faces - both Mehdi
Nafti and Mikael Forssell had been here on loan before
signing permanently. At least we know what to expect
from them.... Still a couple of weeks to go before the
transfer window closes, though, so there's hoping our
mega-rich board will splash the cash on a bit more
quality and a bit more depth in the squad. The deal
for Walter Pandiani that we've been expecting for so
long can't be too much further away now, and Bruce
says he wants Jason Euell from Charlton too.
We'll finish: Tenth.
Champions: Manchester United.
Going down: It'll be Wigan, Blackburn and Sunderland.
Hate figure: Olof Mellberg - Villa.
Blackburn by Alistair Williams
Last season: 15th
Odds: Title winners 1500-1, Relegation 8-1
Ones to Watch: Craig Bellamy. So many opponents are
going to be so easily wound up by our team of
'characters' this year - it'll give us a big
advantage.Bellamy's speed, touch, quality and massive
gob will be fantastic assets. With Todd, Savage,
Nelson and the rest, we're looking good.
Boo-boy: Clean slate - we'll see.
There'll be a lot of crap - can I say crap in The
Observer? - coming our way from the press this season
so here's a chance to get a few things straight right
now:1) We're not violent - we're competitive.The way
we play under Hughes is grown-up football, within the
rules, and if London French can't handle that they
shouldn't be playing; 2) So we're not entertainers?
I'll take passion over step-over keep-ball time after
time; 3) We have plenty of talent and Bellamy's
signing has raised the bar again. It's not all about
attitude. We're in the Premiership because we have the
talent and the resilience to be there. We've
potentially one of the league's tightest, most
effective units of players.
We'll finish: Top six.Watch us go.
Champions: Chelsea.For the next 10 years
probably.Fascinating.
Going down: Sunderland, Wigan, Portsmouth.
Hate figure: Everyone at Bolton - the bubble's going
to burst for the long-ball.
Bolton by Mark Heys
www.walkingdownthemannyroad.cjb.net
Last season: 6th
Odds: Title winners 350-1, Relegation 14-1
Ones to Watch: We're looking for Stelios
Giannakopoulos to carry on as he finished last season,
and it's an important year for Kevin Nolan and Tal-Ben
Haim to improve their games further too.
Boo-boy: Wait and see.The Bolton public like to see
winning football, but they also like to see effort and
determination.
I think the added prospect of the Uefa Cup will push
our squad to the limit over the course of next season.
The summer has been frustrating in terms of being
unable to bring in the new faces that we wanted,but
Sam Allardyce will always get the backing of the
supporters while we continue to defy the odds. It's
been a summer of transition off the field with Phil
Brown and Neil McDonald leaving their coaching
positions and the subsequent appointment of Sammy Lee,
so we have to trust the club in the decisions they
make.
We'll finish: To match or better last season's
position is always the target.
Champions: Chelsea have the manager and the players to
eat up any team in this division.
Going down: We saw last season that promoted clubs can
put up an excellent fight, but I still think we'll be
saying goodbye to Sunderland,Wigan and West Ham next
summer.
Hate figure: Robbie Savage - always.
Charlton by Trevor Feeley www.netaddicks.co.uk
Last season: 11th
Odds: Title winners 1000-1, Relegation 6-1
Ones to Watch: If pre-season is anything to go by then
we'll be hoping for big things from Darren Bent -
signed from Ipswich this summer. Let's hope there are
plenty more goals to come when the season starts.
Boo-boy: We don't really have one at the moment -
it'll just be anyone who's not pulling their weight.
It's hard to tell what to expect from this campaign
after sitting through the big slump towards the end of
last season. Certainly the summer signings so far of
Bent, Darren Ambrose and Alexi Smertin should push us
in the right direction and give us more strength in
depth, which was missing last time round. And, of
course, you really can't criticise either the board or
Alan Curbishley for what they've achieved at this club
over the past 10 or so years.
We'll finish: Heart says sixth. Head says tenth.
Champions: Chelsea.
Going down: It'll be Sunderland, Wigan and West Ham,
although I wouldn't be too surprised to see either
Fulham or Portsmouth go.
Hate figure: Scott Parker at Newcastle. I'm sure
Charlton fans will be hoping his latest move is as
successful as his last one.
Chelsea by Rob Hobson www.cfcnet.co.uk
Last season: 1st
Odds: Title winners 4-5, Relegation 1000-1
Ones to Watch: Arjen Robben needs a full season
without injury before we can really judge him, but
he's already looked back to his best in pre-season.
Look for Shaun Wright-Phillips and Joe Cole to duke it
out for a berth.
Boo-boy: Didier Drogba and Crespo need to turn it up a
notch.We need a striker to lead from the front.
We are, if anything, even stronger than the
record-breaking team of last year. No major sales and
a couple of good additions in Del Horno, Diarra and
Wright-Phillips. I haven't yet met a Chelsea fan who
isn't supportive of the manager and I can't see beyond
more trophies this year. For the first time since I've
been supporting, there's an incredible confidence
about the squad and the fans.After hammering Bayern
and Barcelona last season,we're not afraid of a single
team in Europe.
We'll finish: Top.
Champions: Chelsea.
Going down: After their non-football antics last
season, Blackburn deserve the drop,but they're
probably too practical a team for it actually to
happen. I think West Ham will struggle, as will Wigan
and Portsmouth,but Sunderland will survive.
Hate figure: Sadly, Man United put up the merest
shadow of a fight last season. It's hard to hate a
team you don't take seriously any more. So it'll be
David Dein instead.
Everton by Paul McIver www.bluekipper.com
Last season: 4th
Odds: Title winners 250-1, Relegation 25-1
Ones to Watch: James Beattie. He'll have to produce
this season - we spent £6million on him and if he
doesn't turn it on he'll be in trouble with the
fans.Was hoping to add Andy Johnson to this list but
he's staying at Palace, for now at least. Boo-boy:
Alessandro Pistone. Long way off Champions League
material.
It'll be hard to live up to expectations given what
happened last year, and given how bad the summer's
been for incoming transfers. It's not that we haven't
been trying,we've just been unlucky - and players have
been short-sighted in not coming here. We've got a
great manager, a good solid side, big support and
great prospects - and now a crack at Europe, too.
Basically the summer's been a real let-down so far,
and a bit depressing when you think what it should
have been. Phil Neville's solid, but not exactly
inspiring.... This was all set up to be the best
squad-building close season in ages. Cahill refusing
to sign a new deal probably summed it all up.That
said, Kroldrup and Arteta are good additions and the
squad we've got is definitely capable.
We'll finish: Above Liverpool.
Champions: Chelsea.
Going down: Wigan, West Ham and Fulham.
Hate figure: Steve 'I want that one' Gerrard.
Fulham by David Lloyd www.toofif.com
Last season: 13th
Odds: Title winners 1500-1, Relegation 10-3
Ones to Watch: Papa Bouba Diop, Liam Rosenior, Steed
Malbranque and Luis Boa Morte - as long as the 'big
boys'stay away and we get to keep them...and we're
hoping for a solid season from Zat Knight, our first
full England international since George Cohen.
Boo-boy: Plenty of 'fans'have their least favourites -
but booing hardly helps.
Is the glass half-full or half-empty? We've lost the
guy whose saves kept us up,our inspirational captain
Lee Clark whose drive and leadership on returning to
the side ensured we had a strong finish to the
campaign, and our top scorer (despite lamentable
service) has legged it to Manchester City. All three
were high wage earners so are their departures good
husbandry or a recipe for disaster? We'll see. For
much of last season we were dull, inconsistent and, at
times, shamefully unbothered. Cookie seems to have
accepted much of this and we could be in a better
position next May.The new guys, Drobny, Jensen,
Helguson and Elrich, are low-cost replacements but
with a reasonable pedigree.Whoever's on the park must
show pride in the shirt - that's the bottom line.
We'll finish: In the Premiership, hopefully.
Champions: Toss up between Wigan and Chelsea.
Going down: West Ham, Wigan, Portsmouth.
Hate figure: Hard to choose between Lily Savage and
Graeme Souness....
Liverpool by Chris McMullan www.shanklygates.co.uk
Last season: 5th
Odds: Title winners 16-1, Relegation 100-1
Ones to Watch: The Gerrard-Alonso partnership promises
to be something special,and this should be the season
that we see the best of Djibril Cisse.
Boo-boy: It's last chance saloon for Harry Kewell. If
he doesn't put the effort in then we will completely,
totally lose patience with this once great talent.
A couple of decent cup runs would be nice but the main
aim is to close the 37-point gap between us and the
title holders. The summer has seen Rafa Benitez bring
in proven Premiership quality with Zenden and Crouch
(right), while Reina, Sissoko and Barragan look sound
on paper,but they will have to prove themselves in
England. It goes without saying that with a Champions
League title in his first season, Rafa has the backing
of every single supporter.
We'll finish: Certainly in the top four,but hopefully
closer to the number-one spot than last time.
Champions: With Mourinho and all Roman's millions,
Chelsea will do it again.
Going down: West Brom, Wigan and West Ham.
Hate figure: I'd say Roman Abramovich for buying the
title, but at least his fortune has kept Man United
and Arsenal away from our 18-league-titles record
while we regroup.