English Premier League and Football in General - 05/06

Cafe Society
1

Rather than bring up the old thread here, I thought it best to start a new thread since the EPL officially starts the 05-06 campaign this Saturday with the Charity Shield (Chelsea vs. Arsenal).

Predictions:

Four teams will realistlically be vying for the EPL crown this year - Chelsea, Arsenal, Man Utd., and Liverpool. Chelsea seems to be the odds on favorite - they still have the squad that won the League title (and League Cup) with one major, new addition - Shawn Wright-Phillips from Man City ($20+ million transfer fee). They also added a defensive back (Del Herro) as well. Striker Kezman is gone, but they’ve brought back Crespo from Italy. Should also do well in FA Cup and Champions League as well.

Arsenal lost their best midfielder (and captain) Viera to team in Italy (I think Juventus), so there’s a question of whether the loss there can be adequately filled by the younger Fabregas (or others). The addition of Hleb from Stuttgart will help.

Man Utd. brought in keeper Van de Sar from Fulham as their number #1 keeper (letting Carroll go on a free to West Ham; American Tim Howard still on the squad). The younger players on the squad (Rooney, Rinaldo) should be better this year, but some of the others (Keane, Scholes, Giggs) are a year older; while I expect them to also have good years, Man U. needs to start plugging in some younger players in those positions from time-to-time to build on for the future.

Liverpool had a remarkable season - finished fifth, but managed to win the Champions League in impresive style - down 3-0 at halftime, they came back and tied the score and won on peanaly kicks to take the trophy against AC Milan. The FA (and UEFA) will allow Liverpool to defend their title in Champions League, but they’ll be starting out in the qualifying stages (so far, they’ve gotten through the first stage by beating Kaunas of Lithuania). They’ve added quite a few new players (Sissoko, Reina, Crouch) to strengthen their squad.

Other teams that should view for the remaining slots for Europe (top 4 go to Champions League, next two go to UEFA cup):

Tottenham, Bolton, Middlesbrough, Newcastle, Everton

Middlesbrough added striker Yakubu from Portsmouth. Newcastle added Defensive back Scott Parker (from Chelsea) and Emre (from Italy). Bolton added Mexican striker Jared Borgetti - the first Mexican player to ever play in the EPL. Tottenham have also added players (Davids from Barca to name but one).

Of these five, I think Tottenham is the best of the bunch. They looked good on paper last season, but didn’t quite play as expected under manager Jacques Santini; after he was replaced by Martin Jol, they played better. Newcastle is the wildcard - they look good on paper, but the past few seasons they seem to want to live down to their potential.

Everton is a special case - they finished a surprising 4th when many predicted they would be relegated after the loss of Wayne Rooney to Man Utd., Radzinski to Fulham, and untested players in key positions (Tim Cahill). However, David Moyes did an incredible coaching job and got exceptional efforts from almost every player on the squad (Ferguson, Cahill, Gravesen, Carsley, Kilbaine, Hibbert, Weir, Martyn, Osman). The loss of Thomas Gravesen to Real Madrid during the second half of the season definitely hurt.

Mikel Arteta was brought in on loan from Rangers to fill the gap by Gravesen and did well at times (now signed to the club). Likewise, Everton shelled out $6 million for James Beattie (from Southhampton) and really didn’t play all that well. Both should play better this season (although Beattie still looks like he needs to loose a few more pounds). Everton have also added Midfielder Davies (from Tottenham), defensive back Koldrup (from Udinese), and Phil Neville (from Man Utd.). All three should help improve the squad.

Depth is (to me) still a concern for Everton. They were lucky in that they did not have a lot of major injuries last year. Several injuries to key players could hurt Everton’s chances for a spot at the top of the table. Currently, Lee Carsely (midfielder) will be out for about 2 months - Neville should fill his roll nicely. But injuries to other players could definitely hurt their chances for success.

While I would like to see Everton finish in one of the top 6 slots, I think it will be difficult for them to do so. Lack of depth and an additional quality striker to complement Beattie will mean Everton will have to fight for almost Every win again this season. Here’s hoping that Moyes and the boys are up to the challenge again this season. First real test - Champions League qualifier against Villareal (of Spain).

Other teams - for some reason, Charlton intrigues me. They seem to have added quite a few players (Smertin and Ambrose on loans). Last year they looked good at times; other times, they were horrible. If they ever play with some consistency, they could be the Bolton of last year. I also think Blackburn will be a bit better than last year. Bellemy is a good player (although he can be a pain in the butt sometimes), and Hughes is a decent coach. I don’t think they will do much this year, but I don’t think they will be sitting near the relegation zone like they did last year.

Birmingham, Man City, Fulham, Portsmouth, Aston Villa, and West Bromwich Albion all look to be about the same as last year or worse. I think Fulham, Portsmouth, and West Brom are contenders from this bunch to be relegated.

The newcomers - Wigan, Sunderland, and West Ham Utd. Of these, I think Wigan is the most likely to go back down.

All in all it should be an interesting season - Go Toffies!!!

2

I saw a rumor the Micahel Owen will end up at Toon. I actually disagree about VIlla, I think they will be contending for a European spot, they did finish 6th two years ago. Kevin Phillips was added to replace Vassell, who seemed to disappointing to me. Here is my predicted order of finish:

  1. Chelsea
  2. Arsenal
  3. Liverpool
  4. ManU
  5. Tottenham
  6. Newcastle
  7. Villa
  8. Middlesborough
  9. Bolton
  10. Man City
  11. Charlton
  12. Everton
  13. Pompey
  14. Birmingham City
  15. WBA
  16. Fulham
  17. Sunderland
  18. Blackburn
  19. West Ham
  20. Wigan
3

Owen won’t be going to toon by the looks of it. I don’t know about Everton. I have a sneaking suspicion that they might have another good year. Whether Liverpool can improve over last year will be interesting, but now Gerrard has committed himself they should do. They may also be able to get Owen back if the sell Baros.

4

Pretty comprehensive summing up eponymous.
Without looking at the odds I suppose Chelsea are probably favourites again (by the way they’ve bought Del Horno not Del Herrio) and in my opinion one the best English prospects, Wright- Phillips. Their squad is very impressive but I have the feeling the Champion’s League will be their priority this year and depending on their progress it will have some effect on their Premiership aspirations.
I’m not sure that Viera going will have much of an effect on Arsenal’s progress this year, I think Viera is past his best and Wenger is smart enough to have someone ready to take his place.
Just for laughs and although I’ve followed football for longer than I care to remember and my predictions are usually absolutely and completely wrong, my forecast for teams for relegation are Wigan, Portsmouth and West Brom.
Of course this all counts for nothing in the grand scheme of things because the only team that matters to me is Swansea, and if they can have a good season then whatever else happens in the Premiership and Europe is just incidental.

And don’t forget too, there is the little matter of the World Cup at the end of the season.

5

Vetch,

Right about Del Horno - I was going from memory.

You’re probably right about Viera, although I think there will be a period of adjustment/transition that will affect Arsenal a bit. I’ve hear/read that Viera wasn’t quite his usual suberb self last year, and I think it was probably wise for Wegner to let him go. Fabregas certanitly looks good, although he’s still quite young.

I tried getting tickets for the World Cup, but I guess it just wasn’t in the cards for me to get drawn in the lottery. I know there’s another round of drawings early next year, but it will conflict with my ability to get decent travel/accomodation arrangements. Ah well - maybe South Africa in 2010 :slight_smile:

Ganster,

I don’t know what to make of Villa. O’Leary seems to be a decent coach, but they seem to me to be similar to Charlton. Intriguing and could do well if they maintain their consistency. If I remember correctly, they did very well at home, but not very well on the road.

6

I wonder about the statement that Liverpool will challenge for the Prem crown this year. They finished about 30 points back of Chelsea and Chelsea added SWP and Crespo to an already great attack last year. A full year of Robben and I don’t see how Arsenal (even with Hleb) or ManU could catch them, to say nothing of Liverpool.

I do think Liverpoool finish 4th, but WAAAAAAAY behind Chelsea who may break their record from last year.

I think ManU finishing within 15 of the leaders may be asking too much as well. While Rooney and Christiano Ronaldo are world class, some key cogs are getting too old. We’ll see how they act.

As for Newcastle competing for UEFA, I, sadly, think my team isn’t going to get in sniffing distance. Yes, we’ve added Parker and Emre, which will strengthen the midfield, but the defense is a mess. We’ve sold away Hughes and O’Brian and are now left with little depth. Though getting Cocu may help on the left side, I’ve not heard great things about him in Italy. And we need a freaking STRIKER! I mean we can’t rely on Milner, Dyer, and Shearer (to say nothing of Ameobi). We need someone world-class. Souness has been so desperate, he’s been trying to get Anelka. Kuijt seems to be a distant memory and, if we are lucky, we’ll pry away Keane from Tottenham. IF we can get Owen, then we’ll be in the mix for UEFA. Otherwise? I seriously doubt it. Frankly, us Toon fans are freaking out a bit.

7

I’d like to ask you for your feelings on Souness, Siddiqui. Under Robson and Keagan, Newcastle played some of the best football for years, quite adventurous too, especially with Keagan. They have had a barren time for trophies though in later seasons. Without doubt you need a quality striker and by the look of it possibly a replacement for Jenas too. I may be wrong but I can’t see Owen moving there if Man.U and Liverpool are still interested.
Do you think it’s going to change with Souness at the helm? I will withhold my opinions until I hear what you have to say about him.

8

We’ll be OK this season, eponymous. It takes genuine talent to break the top three of the EPL, but to land the fourth sport is as much about having the will to win and excellent management. We’ve got these two qualities in spades, with a little luck we’ll finish top six.

What I really want to see this season from the Blues is the beginnings of a team that can play football. They’ve proven that they’re a tough, competitive team, but if Moyes’ Everton side is going to be successful long term they have to start paying attention to the beautiful game. There is no reason that a midfield led by Mikael Arteta and Tim Cahill can’t play football, so hopefully we’ll see more of that this season.

James Beattie has been beyond horrible so far at Everton. I liked the buy at the time as it was made with consideration of the only thing that matters: proven track record of scoring goals. His lack of intrinsic talent seemed superfluous. Since then, he’s brought his mediocre talent-level to the fore and his track record of goal scoring has vanished. All of this is compounded by his disgraceful physical conditioning, no Blue I know has a good word to say about him. He either turns it around in the first six weeks of the new season or Moyes needs to take the loss on the chin and ship him out.

The Villareal draw was unbelievable bad luck! Still, it will show us what we’re all about. I think we’re in with a shout actually, although it is definitively not the game to try and start playing the type of expansive football I mentioned above.

9

Among Newcastle supporters, I’d have to say I’m more on the pro-Souness side, but even then my patience is wearing a bit thin. He did lead the club to a nice run to start 2006 off, but then you saw what happened at the end there, and BOTH Bowyer and Dyer are still with the club (we can keep Dyer… last year was his breakout season)!! Souness almost shipped Bowyer out, so I give him some credit for that.

We had a good deal of cash. Souness’ signing of Parker and Emre brought fresh hope, but we were told we’d make a play for Kuijt at least at striker, but nothing has materialized. We were also told we’d get a top class defenseman to play left. But van Buyten didn’t want to come. So we’ve upgraded our midfield, but our stike force is pitiful, as is our defensive depth.

Newcastle fans seem to think that Souness wants to play a 4-3-3 or a 4-5-1, in place of the 4-4-2 of last year. Here is how each would look (assuming Cocu gets loaned to us).

4-3-3

Milner - Shearer - Dyer
Emre - Parker - Jenas
Cocu - Bramble - Boumsong - Carr

4-5-1
Shearer
N’Zogbia/Milner - Emre - Parker - Jenas - Dyer
Cocu - Bramble - Boumsong - Carr

If Jenas is sold, then bring in Faye or Bowyer into the middle and move Parker to the right where Jenas is now.

It’s not a very imposing lineup, especially since Shearer may not be able to go the entire season. It’s good enough to avoid relegation, no doubt, but we won’t be challenging for Europe.

I think it may be time to look for bigger-time managers than Souness. He’s done a decent job in bringing in talent, but he was unable to get ANY discipline at the end of last season (as you are aware). If he can’t start the year with a bang, I’m afraid, he’ll have to go.

10

If I had to name the most miserable club to support in the prem it would have to be Spurs, with possibly Aston Villa in second place. At the start of every season they look good, on paper. At the end of every season, they look shite, in reality. They’ve always been able to spend money on players, but seem institutionally incapable of fielding a side that can compete over forty games.

I read in today’s paper that the path has been smoothed for Michael Owen to return to Liverpool. Like a craven cur slinking back to its master, the sharp-shooter with the character of a timid estate agent looks set on a return to the tin mine. In truth it will be a good move for LFC if they can pull it off, they’ve done nothing substantial in the summer that suggests they could make a dent in the thirty-odd points Chelsea piled on them last season. Owen will score plenty of goals in the EPL, no doubt about it.

ISiddiqui, don’t you think Newcastle’s problem is the fat bag of bollocks running the club, Freddie Sheppard? It would be typical of him to cave in to fan pressure six weeks in to the season, sack Souness and have absolutely no one lined up to replace him. Cue frantic appointment of Peter Reid.

11

Myler,

Now that I’ve finally chosen a team to root for and follow, I want Everton to do well. But being a long-suffering Cleveland sports franchise follower (Browns, Indians, Cavaliers), I’m well aware of being easily frustrated.

If Everton does well against Villareal and gets into group play, then I think it will allow them to bring in a couple of more players to bolster the squad. Van der Meyde has shown some interest, but they definitely need another proven striker. But since Everton is faily tight with their money, I don’t know who would be willing to sign on. Maybe Owen on a loan from Real?

I know Moyes has been trying to get the team to play more 4-4-2, but it looks so far that a 4-5-1 will need to be employed for a bit longer (a least against stiffer competition). Your right about Beattie - he needs to step up. Though I think he’s one of those players that needs another quality striker for him to play up to his potential.

12

First of all let me apologise for getting your name wrong last time.
I’ve always had a slight affinity for Newcastle ever since they bought one of Swansea’s best players, Ivor Allchurch, and I used to follow his progress and in so doing Newcastle’s progress. I doubt you’ll have heard of him though because I’m going back an awfully long time.
I’d like to see them do well but they do have a built in handicap with Freddy Shepherd and I believe Souness.
Throughout his managerial career he has constantly argued with his players and criticised them in public. Apart from his first job as Ranger’s manager where he some success, his other clubs have been glad to see the back of him.
Liverpool as we know, one of the most successful clubs in England, had to put up with Souness selling his story to the Sun newspaper which had been effectively banned in Liverpool city for the outrageous reports on the Hillsborough disaster. He had to go, and he was then sacked by Galatasaray next for an inflammatory gesture after one game with their biggest rivals Fenerbahce and then left Southampton on bad terms with their chairman. When he was at Blackburn he had public rows with Dunne, Cole and Yorke and sold them all.
You’ve already mentioned his troubles at Newcastle. Of course Bellamy and Bowyer both have a bit of history behind them so Souness isn’t completely to blame there. I just think he has no man handling skills whatsoever and his stay at St. James’ Park will end in tears. I’m not his greatest fan as you can tell. :slight_smile: They’ve got some of the best supporters in the land up there and they deserve better.

On a happier note my team have started off the season with a win so I’m well pleased and so I’m off for a couple of beers to celebrate. It may not happen too often this season so I have to make the most of it.

13

Whilst the loss of Vieira is obviously a huge thing for us, i don’t think many Arsenal fans are particularly concerned. Midfield seems to be the one area where we have sufficient cover.

We’ll challenge for the title again this year, but we’re going to need some luck when it comes to injuries. We just don’t have the squad depth to compete with Chelsea (to be honest i don’t think anyone does).

I can’t see Liverpool doing much better than they did last year. Sure the Champions League win was fantastic, but no-one can deny that in the league they played sub-standard. i think they’ll be lucky if they grab fourth.

My prediction (if i’m honest):

  1. Chelsea
  2. Arsenal
  3. Man Utd
  4. Liverpool

What about Spurs nabbing Davids? Sure he’s not quite the player he once was, but still one helluvah signing!

14

Probably, but that doesn’t seem likely to change in the near future. As for sacking Souness and haven’t no one lined up… well isn’t that what happened to Sir Bobby? :wink:

Fughetaboutit. Seeing as without the first letter, you are calling me by my last name, it’s no biggie at all (as a consequence of 3 years in law school I think it to be perfectly normal be called by my last name, btw :D)

Unfortunetly no. I’ve started following Newcastle really in ernest last year. Before then I liked Newcastle, heard of Alan Shearer, but being in the states made it hard to follow. Last year I dedicated myself to learning all I could, so all my knowledge of the EPL is really based on a year and a half of trying to learn it all. Fortunetly playing soccer for 10 years as a kid allowed me to understand the rules ;).

Souness does have his problems, though we Toon fans (well us honest ones anyway) do thank him from preventing the club from totally going belly up. Remember even when Sir Bobby was change, Dyer was refusing to play out wide, and dissention was heavy in the air. It seemed like relegation was a possibility.

Souness will probably not last much longer, though if nothing else he deserves praise for what he did last year. And, of course, though his career isn’t much to speak about he did hire the first Catholic while in charge of Rangers so thumbs up for him in his career just for that move.

Congrats mate! Hopefully you’ll enjoy a good year. I too think Souness will be ready for the chopping block soon enough. Parker and Emre were good signings and maybe Cocu will work out, but without another striker, we’re not going anywhere. That whole scoring part was easily our biggest problem last year, with the defense close behind (if Souness’s defense, the signings of Boumsong and Faye during the January transfer window bolstered that defense pretty well… though the left side has been in shambles for a while).

15

I’m a lifelong Everton man and I can’t see us finsihing in a single figure positon this season. The sooner that idiot Moyes is sacked the better, as far as I’m concerned. Kick him upstairs, make him “Techncial Director” or whatever, just get rid of him. He is truly the emperor who wears no clothes.

mm

16

OK, I’ll bite. I thought it was generally accepted that Everton had a pretty good season and punched well above their weight last year. He was even nominated for Manager of the Year, but of course Mourinho pinched that.
Considering that Everton were one of the favourites for relegation pre season, perhaps you can explain what he’s done wrong in your eyes. Finishing fourth and getting a spot in the Champion’s League would be thought of as quite a successful season for most clubs.

17

Community Shield: Chelsea 2 - Arsenal 1

Watched the second half of this match

Arsenal didn’t look too bad, but Chelsea was clearly the better squad. Drogba scored both goals - his second was nice as he kept his balance and fought off several defenders. Fabregas scored for Arsenal on a nice set-up, although I think Chelsea’s defense got caught a bit off-guard. I don’t think that will happen too often during the season.

Comments:

Arsenal - I still think it will take some time for Arsenal to adjust for the loss of Viera. Fabregas looks to be up to the challenge as he played well, as did Gilberto. Hleb also looked very good.

Chelsea - they got called for a bunch of offsides during the second half. I’m curious if it was deliberate (Mourinho getting his players to work on their timing for the season) or whether it was Arsenal’s attempt to cut down on the breakaways/counter-attacks (their back line played close to the mid-field line quite a bit). Either way, teams are going to have problems as Chelsea has tons of pace on the wings and will be difficult to defend against.

18

Going on the one percent chance that you’re being serious here, you’re either a)ignorant of all matters Blue, or b) an old time Blue who grew up with the school of science teams of the sixties. Nothing is good enough for these folk. My old man comes out with some of these comments from time to time. If you’ve been reared on Alec Young and Kendall-Harvey-Ball then you’ve got the bar set pretty high.

Vetch, Moyes actually won the manager of the season award last year (the league managers association one that is voted on by all prem managers).

19

Villareal 2 - Everton 1

Caught the last 15 minutes on Internet feed from BBC - disappointed to say the least. Everton will have to play their best at Villareal for any chance to go on to group play.

20

Garius - did you find a local in Manhattan to watch your side yet?

I kind of miss having Owl around to bash the Yanks. Maybe I can buy him a guest pass? Fulham looked pants against the MLS all-stars with one or two practices, so I don’t like their chances of staying up.