Premier League Preview - 2008 / 2009 SeasonYou are here: Football England > Premier League > Week 1 2008-9 Season Good old Minty has been let out of his cage & roped in to give us his thoughts on the upcoming Premiership season. I'm sure you're desperate to hear where Minty thinks all the teams will finish this time out.
Minty's Premier League Preview 2008/2009 I expect this season to be very similar to last season at the top, middle & bottom, but most of the excitement will come at the bottom. I think the crap sides are finding a level that could see a huge 10 team slugfest for those 3 relegation spots this year... Here are my predictions for all the Premier League Teams in 2008-2009... Arsenal I expect Arsenal to be the nearest challengers to Man Utd & Chelsea again, but they may struggle to contend for the full season and seem destined for 3rd spot again. I expect Walcott & a fit again Rosicky will need to step up to the plate and deliver the goods this season, for Arsenal to really put the shits up the top 2. Aston Villa Other signings: Curtis Davis, Steve Sidwell & Nicky Shorey don't look like they'll set the world on fire, but they should add depth to the squad. Blackburn Rovers Several questions may be asked of which I'm sure "Why did you sign Fowler?, you bell-end" will be one, and "Why did you get rid of Friedel?, you tit." another... Having said that, Incey is the sort of bloke that Football England would like to see do well, and I'm sure that his enthusiasm for the game and his proven managerial talent (albeit at a lesser level) will see him through any difficult times he might have early on. Bolton Wanderers Campo & Diouff have gone, who have both been quality for the Trotters in recent years, and an awful lot of money has gone on Elmander & Muamba who I presume are good at headers. May just survive the drop, but will Megson last the course? Unlikely. Chelsea Added to the squad are Deco and Bosingwa who are easily as good as the fellows they'll be replacing, so they should in theory be able to raise the bar again this season. Not as good in defence as Man U, but maybe the equal of them going forward, especially if he tells fat Frank to calm down on the 40 yard toe bungers. Very, very close this season, but not too close for me to call. Everton Apparently Alan Smith is all but signed, but I can't see how he's going to improve the side, unless he's been practicing his goalkeeping. Still: Lescott, Arteta, Cahill & Yakubu are better than most playing for Everton's mid table competitors, so they should still have a healthy finish. Expect to be talking about James Vaughan a lot if the youngster can keep free from injury and get a run in the side. Fulham They are really going to struggle, and if one of the promotees gets a good early run of results, Fulham are the one most likely to end up in the mire. Hull City They would seem to have made a couple of sensible signings as well - Peter Halmosi, Anthony Gardner & George Boateng may not be everyones idea of quality, but they might just do a job. Phil Brown proved a fine manager last year and if he can make the step up and remember nothing Big fat Sam taught him, they may just survive. Liverpool There have been some new signings, but I don't expect Rafa, Stevie et al to do anything other than huff & puff into the top 4 again. Not good enough to challenge Man U, Chelsea or Arsenal. Man City Hughsie is probably sensible enough to realise that a top 10 finish is about the level of expectancy for City with the currrent squad, but will Mr Chairman Toxin feel the same way? Man United The main topic for debate will be who will be filling the Scholesey & Giggsy shirts? Hargreaves is out long term injured, which is a blessing to us all, but expect Carrick and Anderson to have increasing influence as the season wears on. Also, that boy Nani may be able to upset his fellow Portugueezer by getting a good run in the side whilst the spotty oik is injured. Middlesboro Expect them to beat Man Utd & Liverpool and get Mullered 4-0 at home by Hull City. Newcastle United I do expect Newcastle to be better this year but inconsistency is going to cost them. Can't see the Toon Army having too much to shout about in the final League standings. Portsmouth Harry has a good solid unit there and big and strong has won many a day for him in the past, so it shouldn't be any different this year. Defoe will continue to bang them in and James will continue to keep them out. Stoke City If you thought Derby were bad last year, then just nip up the road to Stoke and have a looksee at the Britannia. Will not be pretty. Sunderland Much depends on the sanity of Royston Keane, and his ability to handle the undoubted pressure that will come along in trying to keep Sunderland up this season. Keane did look to have things under control for most of the season last time around, but you never know with him - he's a bit bonkers really isn't he?, and it's always harder the second season isn't it. Tottenham May miss Robbie Keane, but Spurs have also managed to prune out quite a lot of dead wood along with the Irishman who loves all things Liverpool. The new signings of Bentley, Modric & Dos Santos should all excite the white Hart Lane crowd and look set to keep Spurs playing the game in the right way. If they get off to a decent start, don't be surprised to see them finish above Liverpool in that 4th spot. West Brom Not much to get excited about in the transfer market, but baggies fans will be hoping that a decent start from a settled team may be good enough to spur them on to great things. West Ham I don't think the Hammers are going to worry too many unduly, including their own fans. Should have enough to comfortably avoid the drop, but I can't see them doing much more than that. Wigan Not sure if Uncle Dave Whelan will still cough up many millions for any more mediocre players, so survival is obviously the benchmark for the Latics.
|
