Season Preview

OK, as promised, it's time for a preview of the coming season

My league prediction:

1. Chelsea
2. Arsenal
3. United
4. Liverpool
5. City
6. Everton
7. Spurs
8. Villa
9. Fulham
10. Sunderland
11. Blackburn
12. Birmingham
13. Stoke
14. Wolves
15. Bolton
16. West Brom
17. Newcastle
---
18. Wigan
19. West Ham
20.Blackpool

Full team reviews

Arsenal

Well, the good news is they've kept Fabregas, surely the most essential player to their title hopes - and they've replaced Eduardo with the promising Moroccan, Chamakh, while van Persie is hopefully fit and Wenger has a lot of options with Walcott, Arshavin, Rosicky, Ramsey et all - but that's not Arsenal's problem is it? It's always the defence with Arsenal, not goalscoring - Gallas has gone, as have Senderos, Silvestre and Campbell, for what it's worth, but the only purchase is Koscielny, who is promising, and along with Vermaelen the Arsenal defence is possibly getting a bit better, but there's little cover if anyone gets injured, and inevitably Wenger will have a strop because Arsenal will be the only team in the world with injuries. The goalkeeper is perhaps the most pressing problem - rumours about Mark Schwarzer came to nothing, and frankly unless there's a little more strength at the back I can't see Arsenal making up those 11 points they fell short of last year. Not enough improvement for me, very similar to last year's result - Second, maybe third

Fantasy Picks
 Fabregas is the obvious name, in recent years he has been matching Gerrard and Lampard while being considerably cheaper - alas no more , he's only got a million on last year's top-scorer Lampard and is now more than Gerrard, who underperformed last year - so his value has gone down substantially. However, take a look at his points to games ratio and he's actually considerably better than Lamps, who barely missed a minute, Fabregas averaged nearly nine points every game, compared to Lump's eight - so if you watch his injuries you may well benefit and save yourself a million. Arshavin looks good value for a mere 9.5, with 10 goals from 25 games and therefore excellent value, but remember he was playing up front in the absence of a striker last year, so he may not score as much, and could be a bit pricey. There's little else of huge note in Arsenal's vast midfield line-up, Song's score was reliant on bonuses, always variable from season to season, and you could punt on a fit Walcott or Rosicky.
The other main area to look at is defence, not the most solid in the world - but Vermaelen's seven goals are definitely worth thinking about, he is the joint most expensive defender in the game, but if Arsenal keep aiming for the centrebacks, which they always do, then he should come good. Koscielny is a cheaper option but a bit of a gamble. Sagna took an injury last year and is reasonable value for assists, particularly if Arsenal keep a few more clean sheets (keep note of goalkeeper situation).
Up front there's only one consideration - a fit van Persie could well be a snip at 10 mill, his points to game ratio was as good as Rooney and Drog last season.

Aston Villa

The recent loss of O'Neill is bound to have ramifications, particularly if someone like Southgate comes in, Villa have only sold players and therefore they're only getting worse, particularly if Milner heads off to City - there's still a lot going for them with a strong defence and decent attacking options in Young, Downing and Agbonlahor, but let's face it, they won't be challenging for Europe this season without some quick investment. My prediction - 8th

Fantasy Picks

Last year's top defender rather strangely comes in slightly cheaper than the most expensive, although that is an increase in two million for Richard Dunne - if he maintains his consistency as the rock of Villa he will be a good pick, undoubtedly claiming bonuses (especially if Milner's gone) and if he knocks in the odd goal, even better. Assuming Villa keep those clean sheets he should do well again, although he's lost value through the price increase so isn't a must have like last year.
In midfield, Ashley Young will once again be a worthwhile investment, he's been very consistent at scoring points with assists and goals, hard to tell if he'll pick up without Milner taking the points or dip if Villa aren't scoring as much.
Up front, Agbonlahor and Carew offer decent returns, but history suggests they aren't the best value - Gabby in particular keeps getting more expensive and yet gets consistent points, so he's losing value - not the best option up front, but a safe choice who tends to go through scoring patches.

Birmingham

Ninth spot last year was the surprise of the season - doesn't mean it'll be the same this year, a few pieces of bad luck may make the difference, but to be honest I think they'll be fine, if not top half. The main problem is goalscoring, Zigic is coming in and may provide some, but they remain a bit thin up front, they need some more investment if Yeung wants to improve on last year. That said, a good defence is what keeps you alive in the Premier League, and Roger Johnson was the signing of the season last year, however if there are many injuries there's very little cover available. The other signing is Foster coming in for Hart, personally I feel he's slightly poorer than Joe, but a good signing for a club this size. All in all, should do well, but don't expect much more than last year, I'm going for 12th.

Fantasy Picks

With Birmingham you might think we are mostly looking for value benchwarmers, however Johnson at 5.0 was one of my best buys last season, definitely worth a look, likewise Lee Bowyer and Barry Ferguson were brilliant value, doesn't mean they will be this season, but everything goes through them so there's definitely a bargain somewhere here, good place to look for your number four or five. Up front Cameron Jerome was an excellent third striker last year, could be again, although watch out for Zigic's influence.

Blackburn

Pretty much zero changes from last season, they've just got (another) Diouf on loan as this year's new striker, I'm predicting lots of long ball football, a physical home style and a mid table finish - 11th

Fantasy Picks

Blackburn is a good spot for your back line. Robbo is a good choice in goal, at a mere 4.5 he's an excellent second choice, or first if you're so inclined. Samba has been reliable and is one of the best value defenders at only 5 mill, and David Dunn was an outstanding value player last year, having played only half the season last year his price has stayed low, he may well be a good choice for a cheap midfield maestro. Up front they're lacking, I wouldn't recommend Diouf or Roberts.

Blackpool

I don't know much about Blackpool, but I know they have a small and inexperienced-at-top-level squad and will have an almighty task to stay up, much like Burnley last year - they start with four away games out of their first five matches, which is not the best prospect, prediction - last

Fantasy Picks
I see they only have 16 members in their squad...not good, Charlie Adam is undoubtedly their best player and that's reflected in him being the only player worth five million, I've never had much luck with top-scoring promoted players, although as he's a midfielder he may be good value. The trick with Blackpool is to find a player who plays every match and costs four mill - stick him on the bench and guarantee yourself two points when required.

Bolton

Finishing 14th last season under Owen Coyle, Bolton haven't exactly been busy this summer and the usual gang of Cahill, Taylor, Davies et all are all there, while they have also made a promising purchase in Martin Petrov. Coyle brings a better quality of football to the Reebok, whether or not it gets results is another matter - but with a good, stable team and a few decent players I can see Bolton getting their usual mid-table finish.


Fantasy Picks
There's a few options at the back - Cahill scored five goals last year and will start, but the clean sheets may be a problem now that he's 5.5, Ricketts may be a better option at 4.5 as a sub, I used to have Andy O'Brien but to be honest I'm not 100% on their first XI anymore. Jaaskelainen has always been a reliable choice - he's a good keeper and usually gets a few penalty saves, but last year's goals against tally is slightly worrying, he's good value for a second choice, but there may be a few better options.
In the middle, Matty Taylor is always a fun pick, now a snip at 6 million for a player who usually gets around ten goals a season, and they're usually from 30 yards, the drop in price this year makes him pretty attractive. Bolton's player of the year, Lee Chung-Yong may be worth a look, but at nearly the same price as Taylor I would argue that Taylor will be more value.
Up front Kevin Davies is one of the best strikers around, he's easily one of the top five best value players and is an excellent third or possibly second striker, Klasnic however may be an even better bargain, having scored eight goals despite playing less than half the season, if he starts regularly, and his full move to Bolton suggests he will, then he's a gem at 6 mill.

Chelsea

Last year's winners undoubtedly remain the team to beat, even if they aren't the best side in Europe, the ageing spine of Terry, Lampard, Drogba remains and there's no reason to think it won't last another year, personally I think they're weakening at the back, still reliant on Mourinho's squad, but I don't see much better from the other top clubs. So far Chelsea's biggest buy has been Benayoun, not a bad purchase but hardly season defining, while Ballack, Cole (J) and Deco have all gone, and Carvalho is set to leave - while there's no big parts leaving, there's definitely need of a few replacements. I have to back them as returning champions



Fantasy Picks
Chelsea are expensive, so pick wisely - generally the lesser players are too pricey so we'll aim for big names. Cech wasn't brilliant last year, and has a niggle, maybe avoid such an expensive option. At the back Terry is a competitive top pick, but Ivanovic costs the same and considering games played last year he's far better value, just check he's always starting. Likewise Ashley Cole is a good choice, again better value than Terry, even if he's the most expensive in the game, his goals and assists are vital.
In the middle, you have one of the trinity to pick (the new trinity is Lampard, Fabregas, Gerrard), and Lampard's phenomenal score of 22 midfield goals last year must be worth considering, however as the most expensive player in the game you have to ask if the 32 year-old will be as prolific. Malouda had a great season last year and at 9.5 is competitive value, the power of Lampard means there's little room for anyone else from Chelsea.
Up front, the obvious choice is the Drog himself, the decision is totally up to you, he's now 12.5 and so has lost considerable value since the start of last year (10.5), and he may not start the season due to a groin injury, Anelka is a reasonable choice, but you could get cheaper, depends on form with him. I will point out Chelsea have a favourable early fixture list, not playing any big names til week 6.

Everton

The tightest ship going, Everton continue to make the best out of peanuts and have secured the services of Jermaine Beckford on a free, while selling a few peripheral players. Not much has changed then, and as ever, they will be dependent on injuries, I'm hopeful they'll be a little luckier this season. I'm going for sixth


Fantasy Picks
Howard at 5.5 is an average keeper, Baines is a solid selection, but has lost the bargain value he once had, Jagielka is probably the best bet at 5.5, having missed most of the season through injury he may be a bargain if he stays fit. The fixture list is medium from a defensive perspective, they face United in their second home game, sandwiched between Wolves and Newcastle and have an early trip to Villa.
In midfield, Arteta is an old favourite of mine and is, based on past scores, better value than Cahill, who now costs the same, Fellaini could be a reasonable bet, but the others would probably trump him.
Up front, Saha would be a reasonable choice, with 13 goals in 25-odd games, but is no bargain at 8, there are better value options.

Fulham

With a new manager it's difficult to see how Fulham will fare, Mark Hughes has a good track record and I hope he shows the pettiness of City's hierarchy by doing well this year. Fulham's main issues were goals and fatigue, as they don't have Europe to worry about this year they should be alright on the defensive front, but still need a goalscorer. It depends who Hughes can coax away from other clubs, Kevin Greening will not cut it, so I expect a dependable result from the Cottagers, Ninth.

Fantasy Picks
Hangeland was the pick of the 08/09 season, but last year Fulham were definitely weakened by their Europa cup involvement, despite this Hangeland remained one of the better value, if not spectacular, defenders, he's definitely an appropriate price at 5.5. Aaron Hughes is slightly cheaper and scored nearly the same as Brede last year, but he played more games so hasn't got quite the same worth, but a solid choice. Konchesky may be the better option as he is more essential to the team and scores occasionally.
Duff and Dempsey are the real choices in the middle, both offer a good return for a reasonable price, Dempsey has often been a good midfield back up but has now reached a high of 7.0, so Duff may be the better option.
Personally I wouldn't go near Zamora, although his stats are decent, the fact that he scores goals off his back should say something, last season was his best in years and he's now a bit pricey at 6.5, you can do better.

Liverpool

Finally, a new manager, and Joe Cole on a free, things may be looking up at Liverpool, but although I think Cole is a move in the right direction, he's not going to challenge on his own. A fit Torres though, just might, as his goals to game record is superb, although it seems unlikely he'll stay fit with his record (he's already on a groin injury) and Liverpool definitely need a bit more up front. They also probably need a bit more cover at the back and creativity in the middle to win the title, but that said, I think we'll see them do considerably better than last year's seventh - fourth

Fantasy Picks
Gerrard massively underperformed last year, and on that evidence Lampard or Fabregas would be a better choice, but we all know what he is capable of and it could be a shrewd move to back a better performance this year as he's dropped to 11.5. Cole will have to do well to live up to his 9 million price tag, but could be worth it if he starts well. Mascherano remains good value at a mere 5 million. The only striker worth thinking about is Torres, he's doubtful starting the season though, if N'Gog is used more regularly by Hodgson then he could be a bargain at 5.5.
In defence, 'Mr. Reliable' Carragher is a solid choice at 6.5, but Johnson will probably give you more points for an extra million. A good combination of a weak enough defence to make saves, and a healthy number of clean sheets made Reina the top scoring keeper in the league last year, so he's definitely worth a look. Liverpool do not have it easy however, facing Arsenal, City and United in the first five weeks.

Man City

By far the biggest spending club this summer, in fact pretty much the only spending club this summer (age of austerity and all that), City will be looking to break the top four finally (that'd be 'get higher than Spurs' then...) with their nigh on £80million spending blitz, and yes, that's net. There's some nice purchases, with Boateng coming in at centreback, and Kolarov on the left, Silva's basically a better replacement for Robinho, and Yaya Toure coming in to strengthen the midfield. There's a lot of talent there, alongside existing players like Tevez and Adebayor, and on paper they look formidable - but it's all about performance and it's hard to spot the first eleven in this squad, the bench will be the best in the world, but on the pitch it remains to be seen how the team will gel, no doubt Mancini has made his own mark now, but the defence needs to be proven and it's still hard to see how the midfield will operate aside from having a blinding winger. Fifth again...

Fantasy Picks
Christ this is a mess of a team - in goal you have two excellent keepers who may well alternate, Hart was the star of last season and is now 6 million, so I wouldn't risk either of them. In defence there are eight players five million or above, so I have no idea who will be playing, but surely the £27 million pair will be first team, Kolarov is pretty prolific and may be worth it at six, and Boateng could be good value if City keep clean sheets this year.
The midfield is further mess - due to rotation City provided no high scoring players last year, SWP doesn't have bad value, but he needs to start a lot to warrant 7.5 of my cash, the up and coming Adam Johnson may be better at 6.5, Silva will presumably play a lot so might be a steal at nine million, and then Milner might come in! In short, there's so many here it's prohibitive for a fantasy manager, we need players to play every week, and while some might hit the points when on the pitch, half the time your money is going nowhere, and that's shown by the low scores across the board last year.
Up front it's a different story, Tevez had a great season last year and could be great value if he keeps up with Rooney and Drogba again, but you'd be reliant on him performing due to his new price of 10.5, Adebayor is a million less and if he finds the net like he used to then he could be a steal. City in general are very much a gamble

Man United

Few changes for United, some much-needed cover at the back in the form of the promising Chris Smalling, and a shrewd purchase of Hernadez are good signs for a team that lost out by a point, we can expect much of the same from United. But that said, if Vidic and Ferdinand struggle (which Rio in particular still is) they remain fairly exposed at the back, and that partnership will need fixing quick. They remain highly reliant on their two part-timers in midfield, Giggs and Scholes provided seventeen assists and eight goals (so with Rooney, that's well over 50% of goals created or scored by the trio) last season, players like Carrick, Valencia and Nani played more and weren't as influential, one wonders how much longer those two can go on and how many matches they will feature in. Up front they remain blessed with Rooney, but are still overly reliant on him, unless they can match Giggs' influence from midfield in particular then I think they still might fall short, and if the defence isn't as reliable as it was once was then teams like Chelsea will beat them again. Doesn't mean they can't win, I think it'll be tight this year, but I don't think they'll be champions. My prediction - third

Fantasy Picks
Rooney had a phenomenal season last year, from an overpriced and poor value striker (fantasy league perspective, ok!) who'd never scored more than 14 in a season, he scored 26! Now at 12 million he's a more realistic price and will have to get around 20 to prove his worth, but there's little reason to think he won't, unless Hernadez steals them all. Berbatov has gone down to a more appropriate price of 8.5, but there's still better value out there, and Hernadez looks good for 7.5, twelve goals or more would be an excellent return for him.
At the back, United defenders usually provide the goods, Vidic was a god a few years ago, but his and Ferdinand's injuries scuppered them both last year, with no reliable starters the only United defender worth anything was Evra, who remains a good choice thanks to his attacking prowess down the left, although he's top price and Wes Brown at 5.5 wouldn't be a bad investment if he stays fit. Maybe Smalling is worth a punt as Rio will miss a fair few games, and Fergie isn't going to leave his biggest signing on the bench, at 5 mill he's a snip. I wouldn't touch Van Der Sar, he's top end price but with his age and injuries he's unlikely to be worth it.
In the middle Giggs broke into the top echelons despite playing roughly half the season and at 7 is pretty good value...when he plays, you'll need a good sub to offset when he's not there though, and he's also an intensive option - he must play well when he plays. At the same price Darren Fletcher will certainly play more, but he's clearly not as effective when it comes to points, his price increase puts me off him this season. Valencia can certainly get points, but he's got lots of competition with a fairly hefty price tag of 8.5, while Nani had some excellent play last year and his points ratio is very good, if he were to keep it up I'd recommend him at 8, but risky though. Avoid Carrick as, well as he might play, he doesn't get the assists and isn't recognised in the scoring, nor is Scholes. United start with a decent set of fixtures, Newcastle, Fulham and West Ham - and they don't even play Arsenal and Chelsea til Christmas.

Newcastle

They're back - and frankly far better for it, they've had to become leaner and are now a fast, attacking side, from a side that used to...well, do nothing, trouble is Ashley is still there and the league money/parachute payments are not going into new players by the look of it. They've retained a few talents from their old Premier League days - Taylor, Gutierrez, Coloccini, Joey Barton...but that just goes to show what little they had two years ago, formerly solid players like Nicky Butt are gone and the team that steamrollered the Championship may struggle against Premier League defences. In midfield they may have some decent options, but up front they lack any experience and rarely have strikers like Andy Carroll come up and done well. The defence is the main worry - commanded by new signing Sol Campbell and lacking experience and depth this could be a disaster waiting to happen, and we all know it's defence that keeps you up in this league. Newcastle should be aiming solely for survival, and I'd like to think the bosses will be as realistic as the fans, but things could start to go mad again if they start off too badly, they will be reliant on teams like Blackpool, West Brom, Wigan and Wolves to do worse. I think they'll go down stay up, 17th (ish)

Fantasy Picks
One for the brave I think - no player is more than 5.5 and there could well be a gem in there somewhere - probably in midfield, Kevin Nolan or Gutierrez perhaps could be a decent sub, or you could gamble on Barton finally being sane. You could back a striker like Carroll as a third striker, but not Ameobi, let's be sensible (see: Special 1 TV). Frankly, I think you're insane to go for anything from that defence, even if it's a rock bottom sub (ie Perch, if you must have one). Certainly a more fun team to choose from...

Stoke

Who is Florent Cuvelier? He's a promising Belgian youngster, and he's Stoke's only signing - so as you can tell, we're getting much of the same from Pulis' men, with pretty much everyone coming back for more throw ins! What else can I say, the defence remains sound, they still have no goal threat outside of throw ins, and they still tackle hard - the only thing is to watch for Pulis' purchases - he wants a striker or two...he needs some midfield creativity. They've been 12th, 11th, so I'm saying 13th this time

Fantasy Picks
Stoke had the most clean sheets outside of United, Chelsea, Liverpool and Villa, so naturally we are looking for value defenders here. Shawcross at a mere five is excellent value and the most promising prospect, while Sorenson is a rock and came fourth in the keeper table last year - a wise investment for again, five mill.
For all my talk, Delap only managed one assist last season, quite a decline, and while a decent prospect for a lowly five, which is about as cheap as a starter gets, you could probably do better, in this team for one - Matthew Etherington, as Stoke's sole creative player was the best value midfielder last season - at six million he's a potential bargain.
Unsurprisingly, they offer little up front, what with being the lowest scoring side bar Wolves, Fuller is alright at five, but there are better choices, watch out for any purchases though. Early games against Spurs, Chelsea and Villa may be discouraging for your initial line up.

Sunderland

There's been some interesting, if not exciting, developments up on the Wear - Steve Bruce has brought in names such as Angeleri (RB), Mignolet (GK), Riveros (M), Al-Muhammadi (RM) and...Titus Bramble, who was a Sunderland favourite at Newcastle - so there could be some improvement, and they retain the services of top-scorer Darren Bent, who ironically, got a knock with England...They may need a new striker if Kenwyne gets his way, but I would think if that defence has improved a bit they could push on from last season's 'averageness' to about tenth.

Fantasy Picks
Bent looks good value for 8.5 considering he got 24 goals last season - he may not be starting the season though. Jones not so much, and he may be off to pastures new.
Sunderland's defence let them down last year, so Bramble coming in with a better previous score than any of the rest of them is a good sign - he's always a fun choice at a mere 4.5, however own goals now cost you (note: 50p says he scores against Newcastle...possibly for them as well...). You could bet on the promising Al-Muhammadi at 4.5 also, he likes to get forward and should play. Mignolet is a good prospect, but will probably take a back seat to Gordon when he returns, and I don't trust the Black Cats defence that much.
Midfield is pretty barren, unless you want to take a punt on Riveros, he'll be missing the opener however. Sunderland open with Birmingham at home and West Brom away, but then have City, Arsenal, Liverpool and United within the space of five games...

Tottenham

Europe for 'Arry, but it doesn't look promising to me - great man-manager he may be, but he's strapped for cash, the defence needs more than a plaster, and the midfield, while promising, needs bolstering to keep up with the likes of City and Liverpool, and to play the extra European games. Up front, Keane may go, leaving the main strikers a bit thin on the ground - but of course we'll have to wait and see who Redknapp can secure, rumours surround Ashley Young (because they need another winger...), Loic Remy would be a better option for me. I think they'll struggle - seventh

Fantasy Picks
Tottenham kept one of the tightest defences last year, which they can mostly thank for their final position, that's reflected in the once-mocked Gomes' high score, however at the back the injury merry-go-round meant that no one did too well, if they continue to utilise injury-prone King and Woodgate then players like Dawson underperform.
In the middle, Bale and Lennon look your best bets, they've come into their own now, Bale remains significantly cheaper despite less match time and a higher score last season, check he starts regularly but he could be a bargain.
Defoe is a solid choice up front, but has never merited his 9 million price tag by breaking into the 20s, he's not bad, but you can get cheaper. Crouchy actually has great value, this is somewhat offset by his propensity to be benched, but as his price has dropped to seven he's actually worth it for assists and goals.

West Brom

Boing, boing indeed - feels like only yesterday since the Baggies came up and went down again, could this be their season? Personally I think they might do it, they're a bit tougher than the Mowbray era and with Scott Carson shepherding the defence they might just have the capability - there's not a lot here, but good solid teamwork at the back means they're possibly in better shape than champions Newcastle - 16th

Fantasy Picks
(at this point Blogger deleted the last few entries so now we're keeping it short - and yes, I checked it saved) Carson, Olsson, Shorey are value, Mulumbu good sub

West Ham 

Think they're going down, frankly - a couple of purchases doesn't cover their frailty at the back - reliant on Parker, Green and Cole and very vulnerable - 19th

Fantasy Picks
Parker is good value, the two new purchases in midfield are worth looking at, Cole is still cheap and Upson isn't a bad investment

Wigan

I've tipped them to go down, some exciting new attacking options in Boselli, but at the back they are without cover - Martinez has created a true South American side...Argentina, defence keeps you up - so they will be in the dogfight, 18th

Fantasy Picks
Avoid the defence, stick to N'Zogbia, Rodallega or Boselli

Wolves

Decent investment from Mick this summer, looking to beat 40 points and achieve relative safety, I'm going for 14th

Fantasy Picks
Craddock should remain great value if he keeps getting on the crosses, Matt Jarvis offered good value last season, he may again, Doyle and Fletcher may be useful at a mere 5.5, if they work well...

It's back...I'm Back!

Sorry the blog has been left idle for so long...I had hoped to be about during the World Cup but alas real life is more pressing, I'm hoping that the structure of the league will improve the situation

Anyway, I thought I'd get back into the swing of it by looking at last year's predictions

I said:

1. Chelsea (1)
2. United (2)
3. Liverpool (7)
4. Arsenal (3)
5. City (5)
6. Everton (8)
7. Villa (6)
8. Spurs (4)
9. Fulham (12)
10. Wigan (16)
11. Bolton (14)
12. Blackburn (10)
13. Stoke (11)
14. Birmingham (9)
15. West Ham (17)
16. Sunderland (13)
17. Wolves (15)
----
18. Burnley (18)
19. Hull (19)
20. Pompey (20)

Well, it started off alright - I picked the top two (a good sign for my straight forecast this year), and I got City right, and relegation was bang on - but only six perfect overall

I don't know if that's a good figure or not, it goes to show the middle is always the trickiest, and in fairness it's quite random, I'm really only unhappy with Birmingham and Wigan

FA cup - wrong! I said Spurs (Semi)
League Cup - I said United
Champions League - I said Barca (Semi)
First Sacking - I said Brown, who was fifth, first was Paul Hart
Top scorer was Drogba, I said Torres...who came sixth, however had he actually played I would've been right, best goals to game ratio going!
I said West Brom would come up champions - they were runners up

I shall try to get this year's up tomorrow!

Wolves actually got fined

Ok, this has got to be the most subjective application of a rule I've seen - Wolves have been fined £25,000 for:

the team fielded in their league fixture against Manchester United on 15 December 2009 was not full strength and therefore in breach of Rule E20.
"The board also deemed that the club had failed to fulfil its obligations to the league and other clubs in the utmost good faith and was therefore in breach of Rule B13. 

 'Not fielding a full-strength team' - how on earth do you decide that? I know this one got done to death a few months back, but it really does defy common sense when all teams rest players

I did this myself, and as I pointed out then, while the media may report 'ten changes' - at least four of those ten were perfectly acceptable first-team players, so he was almost swapping first and second stringers across two games

If you take that view into account then how can you not question when Liverpool play a defensive midfield and go on to lose to Portsmouth? I had this argument with Robbo - his point was that when Arsenal/United etc rest players in the cup, or before a big European game, they are still aiming to win...right

Even though they don't..., as we've seen three of the big four knocked out of the FA cup, Liverpool crash in the league and Champions' League and so forth - why is this any different? These are managerial decisions that result in defeat being more likely, unless we are saying that McCarthy actually set out to lose, which would be match-fixing, then all we are doing is passing judgement on his team

Only one member of that team was a débutante, about half were regular players (such as Mancienne, Zubar, Foley, and David Jones, who have all played the last five matches) the rest were usually subs - take an example: before Robinho went, City had five major strikers in their squad - if they don't play the ones we decide are the best, then surely they should be fined too?

What we're saying is that Wolves' bench-warmers aren't good enough to play, but teams like Chelsea have a good enough team in reserve...even if they subsequently lose

I'm making no comment of the quality of the Wolves side that went out, simply that it stinks of a subjective, opinionated decision to fine a small team for something that big teams get away with all the time because some people have decided that these players aren't worthy, personally I don't think it's a fair application of the 'law', it's arbitrary and the rule is probably not even workable short of sending out a team of 12-year olds (the Carling Cup presumably doesn't have these rules...)

I presume from now on the Premier League will be informing all managers, especially teams like Hull, West Ham, Burnley etc who they must field each week

Team selection update: Guess who ees complaining

How can you not love the Voyeur when he comes out with such gems as this

And all because Hull got a Wednesday off and he didn't

It's Hull, Wenger, at home, grow up (oh, and please win, I have money riding on this)

"We have some teams who do not play at all. We play Sunday and Wednesday away and at home on Saturday against Hull, who have not played all week."

By 'some' he means two - Hull and Stoke get a week off because Everton and Fulham have Europa league commitments

This does of course mean they will have to play catch-up at a later date, but really Wenger should be taking this up with the ridiculous Europa league -  and every year we get six games in December, how long does it take a Frenchman to get used to this?

I would also like to point out that Hull played an extra game on the 25th November, as did Everton, Blackburn and Fulham - this was not Hull's fault, but Arsenal got a mid-week off (then lost at home to Chelsea, while Hull got a point at City...) - did I here anyone complaining (well yes, David Moyes, but that's a different story)

Of course, Arsenal do play in the Champions' League - but for the purposes of this argument Wenger is sticking to the concept of league fairness - presumably then Hull shouldn't be playing extra games in November to benefit Everton? I didn't hear Phil Brown whingeing about City getting a week to prepare while he had an extra game to deal with

But wait, there's more!

Wenger went on to criticise Mick McCarthy's decision to rest players against United

"We will have to compete with Manchester United over 37 games instead of 38," said Wenger.

As I mentioned earlier - were Wolves expected to get anything at Old Trafford - did I miss that hot tip? If we are going to subjectively judge Wolves' team as worthless then there's no reason for me not to state categorically that United were always going to win that match, I guess it's ok to send out the reserves as long as you keep it to one competition eh, Arsene?

And let's be honest - you're competing with Chelsea, and you're really just narked that you lost two points at Burnley because your team doesn't have staying power

Truly, the Voyeur is worth every penny Arsenal pay him (especially when he's taking his team up north mid-week) - and I can't resist posting this:

Will Pompey be summoned too?

In tonight's 2-1 defeat to Chelsea, Avram Grant made seven changes to his already-meagre squad from the weekend - albeit a few were enforced, but he still rested a few, such as that well known midfielder Hassan Yebda and Michael Brown

But nevertheless, these were both players who had become first team fixtures in the past months and were not injured, likewise leading scorer Dindane was on the bench - so will the Premier League be asking them to explain themselves?

It is true that "Premier League rule 20, section E, says teams must field a full-strength side in all top-flight matches"

But how exactly do you enforce this rule? Does Rafa get picked up for resting Torres or Gerrard (he started N'gog over Torres this evening)? Does Fergie always have to play Vidic and Rooney when fit, and indeed, the Lord Giggs himself?

I thought the manager was in control of his team - I was not aware that the Premier League issued 'preferred team sheets' to all clubs and sought to discipline a manager for making a tactical decision

Perhaps from a point of view of match fixing I can understand, but considering United already had odds of 1/9 prior to the changed team I found that an unlikely concern in this case

And while there may been ten changes, there were still a few first-team performers, much like how several of the seven at Portsmouth weren't just being rested

For example, one of Wolves best players, Mancienne, started after being on the bench at the weekend, as did league regular Greg Halford, who's been injured, and George Elokobi made his ninth start of the season, as did Castillo - would you question these decisions in any other game? No, so that's already got this figure of 10 down to six

Then there's Chris Iwelumo, who needs no introduction - is he considered a Wolves trainee?

So all in all you can see that there were only five players who you wouldn't expect to be there (and David Edwards picked up a serious injury against Spurs), does anyone at the league have a problem resting Doyle for Iwelumo? Do they regard it as a sin for Mark Hughes to rest Adebayor and Tevez for Santa Cruz and Bellamy?

No, of course they don't, the manager has the right to pick whoever he wants - McCarthy certainly picked a weakened side, but that's a subjective opinion - at least half his squad can be considered first team regulars, while only one player made his debut - George Friend, so he was hardly 'doing an Arsenal'

He rested several key players, just like any other manager who needed his team fit for the weekend would, and he gave a run-out to several deserving players like Mancienne, Halford and Iwelumo - what the league are effectively doing here is disapproving of a manager who uses a bit of rotation (see: Mourinho)

Or rather, what they are doing is passing judgement on Wolves because they don't respect a few of the players fielded, they would never do this if Fergie played Nani, or rested Berba for Owen

I can't say I'm McCarthy's biggest fan, but he made a decent tactical decision -  he's got a weak side as it is and faced playing three league games in a week, when you are facing the reigning champions days before a potential six-pointer against Burnley wouldn't you want to give yourself the best possible chance against Burnley and cut your losses against United? Yes, they might have done a bit better with Craddock, Berra, Stearman, Henry, Jarvis and Doyle on the pitch, but be realistic - Old Trafford the game after United were beaten at home? If they had Arsenal or Chelsea the weekend after maybe, but it's completely sensible to write off the mid-week game when faced with a very good chance a few days later, nobody seriously thinks they stood a chance - I predicted four before I even knew about the team, 3-0 is hardly a travesty at Old Trafford ....it could've been two, big whoop

To be honest I find it quite disrespectful for the league to judge what is and isn't a full strength team - he hardly fielded the under-12s, don't all members of a squad (only one of whom hadn't played before) deserve the occasional run-out?

I will finish my rant with a response:

Wolves supporter chief Arthur Williams - "Hopefully he will pick a full-strength team against Burnley and make amends."

Of course he bloody will, you numptie!... What is the obsession with wanting to see a full-strength side lose at United? Take your blinkers off and look at the bigger picture - it's about 20 miles to the north...

I Agree, Rafa Should Go

Last week Tarquin asked if it was time for Benitez to go. I agree, in fact I think the time is past due and that Liverpool are heading for tough times unless they make a change before the January transfer window opens.

I also agree with Tarquin that Harry Redknapp and Martin O’Neil would be replacements that could do more with the team than Rafa has, and could build a genuine title challenging squad in a relatively short spell of a couple of seasons. But in my mind the man who has to replace Rafa is Jose Mourinho, because not only his Chelsea Team tactics would suit Liverpool very well, he is a winner, and Liverpool needs a winner at the helm.

I did float an alternative earlier in the year about another alternative; I still do not think this is an unreasonable suggestion, especially since the man in question is currently in the employment of Liverpool FC. That would be Kenny Dalglish, who also happens to be the last Liverpool manager to have won the league with them. But this was back in February, when Benitez was under fire, and had not signed his new five year deal. If Benitez is to go, Liverpool will have to open the cheque book just to pay him off; they might as well clear enough funds to pay off Inter for Mourinho as well who I think has the pedigree to guarantee at least one Premier League title.

Either way, I really do feel if Liverpool persist with Rafa, they will have to sack him later in the year and will regret not acting sooner.

Speaking to a couple of Liverpool fans Saturday night in the pub, they seemed despondent even though United had just been done at home to Villa. They want Rafa out of the door, with Lucas following quickly behind. The sale of Alonso and the absence of a strike partner and back up to Torres despite exit of three decent strikers in Crouch, Bellamy and Keane who were all purchased by Rafa also feature highly on their list of grievances; the failure to look at Michael Owen was not mentioned which I latterly assumed to be a self-imposed mental block placed on the Man Utd Striker. Finally, their hopes now rest on success or failure of unfit acquisition Alberto Aquilani. If the Italian fails to shine this will be the final straw for Benitez in the eyes of the fans.

The fact is, Tottenham, Man City and Villa all can stake a stronger claim for fourth place than Liverpool and Everton could also be a factor in the race later in the season. Liverpool have already lost six from sixteen in the league and drawn a further three. On present form they would finish in the fifty to fifty-five point bracket, which may not be good enough for Europa League qualification, let alone Champions League qualification. And if that happens, Gerrard and Torres would almost certainly have to be sold so keep the clubs finances in order and lower the wage bill, leaving Reina and Carragher as stars in an ordinary team. Liverpool fans and Board Members will need to act soon, because the January Transfer Window will be needed by whoever the replacement is because there are more than a few average players that might need to make way.

Fergie forced to speak to BBC? Not on your life

The Premier League have just agreed new rules that will require managers to speak to television rights holders (no doubt for extra cash) from next season (2010/11)

This, of course, means that Fergie will have to speak to the BBC in post-match interviews, as well as the written press, whom he has also boycotted for seven years, giving almost all of his screen time to the club's in-house MUTV channel

Now, knowing the famously stubborn soon-to-be-68-year-old do you think he will be going near the BBC? In 2007 he was pretty clear about never going back there

So, I ask - is this finally Fergie's final season? It's been on the cards for years, but will he, now surely at the end of his career, be forced back to the 'arrogant' BBC by the club for only a few years? Or will he bother with the sliding scale penalties, or will he just take his retirement?

I'd be doing the latter, not that I personally like being told who I have to talk to

So, money on Fergie retiring methinks

And yes this will also apply to Big Sam and 'Arry

The prem is back

...And remarkably Stevie G's groin is still injured...

Anyway - I just posted my own predictions for the week at Beat Lawro and I also wanted to inform you that once again Beat Viv is on and the prize is £100 and a signed Kaka shirt (I'd rather have the extra 400 quid, but hey-ho)

This week you get to predict:

Aston Villa v Chelsea
Arsenal v Birmingham
United v Bolton
Sunderland v Liverpool

good luck

Also don't forget Super Six

More Beat Viv

Beat Viv is back for the second week in a row - yay!

I managed to get a plump zero last week, while the establishment actually got one (I don't believe VC himself ever tipped a game right) - so maybe it won't be as profitable as before,

But whatever, it's free

Here are Viv's selections

United 3-0 Sunderland
Arsenal 4-0 Blackburn
Everton 1-0 Stoke
Chelsea 1-1 Liverpool

I will stick my neck out a bit and venture away from my other predictions

Tarquin:

United 2-0 Sunderland
Arsenal 4-0 Blackburn
Everton 2-0 Stoke
Chelsea 2-1 Liverpool

not many away goals...

post your entries!

Old Classics: Can Liverpool win the league?

I thought I'd break this old chestnut out because Phil McNulty, who is never right, has tipped Liverpool for the league this year

I believe the smart money is still on Chelsea - and I still think they are the correct choice as favourites, but favourites don't necessarily have to win

As Chelsea showed at the weekend, they are capable of slip-ups, and they are not as complete as they were under Mourinho in my opinion, so it's up to United and Liverpool to keep the pressure up (I'm writing off Arsenal again - it's worked the past five times...)

So anyway, Liverpool - the loss of Alonso would seem to indicate that they are a weaker side, the appearance of a decent right-back doesn't replace his contribution adequately, and Aquilani is still yet to surface, and so I think when it comes to the big four they are unlikely to be able to repeat last year's doubles over United and Chelsea

But last year, despite beating the two top sides quite comprehensively, they still lost, while United won the league despite only beating Chelsea at home, and taking only five points out of a potential eighteen off the other top three, while Liverpool took fourteen

The answer is simple - we all know it, even though they only lost two games all season, Liverpool threw away points in draws - eleven compared to United's six

And these were not just decent draws with Everton at home or Aston Villa away - they were games like Stoke and Hull at home - last year they played Stoke early on, and drew 0-0 - this year they played them in the second week...and won 4-0, just under a year ago they played Hull at home and drew 2-2 - this season they won 6-1

It was commonly said that they lacked a cutting edge that prevented them finishing off visiting teams like Fulham, City and West Ham (whom they all beat away), as well as Stoke and Hull - that's ten points sent packing

Now with a bit more width thanks to Johnson, and a hopefully fully-fit Torres, they should have enough edge to secure those extra two points they kept dropping last year

I suppose the question now is whether they have the quality to beat the top sides again?

Beat Viv (II)

As promised, my own predictions for Beat Viv

Liverpool 3-0 Hull
Stoke 1-1 Man U
Wigan 0-3 Chelsea
Fulham 1-2 Arsenal

I've done all the other games over at my blog - where you can also mock Mark Lawrenson

Edit: my multiplier for this weekend is a four-fold

Liverpool, Tottenham, Sunderland and City all to win @ 5/2

Beat Lawro

I'm back trying to wipe the smile off Lawro's smug face over at my blog, feel free to get involved and show the world just how useless he is - get them in by kick off tonight

link: Beat Lawro

End of Week 1

Well that's the opening weekend of the Premier League out of the way, and not a bad start I must say - personally I think it's because Middlesbrough aren't there any more

Not a single draw, a game with seven goals, and City starting impressively

The same can't be said for my fantasy team - a mediocre 36 points, while Damian tops the league with 62 thanks to his choice of Rooney and Drogba, but don't worry - one of my other teams did just fine with Fabregas

But we might as well be thinking Everton will finish bottom - it's only the first week and it really does depend who gets lucky, give it a few weeks and it will settle - a great first week is always beneficial, but it has little bearing on the season, although Bobby Zamora can of course be relied upon for his trademark 'off the back and in'.....

The big winners this week were:

Drogba, with his brace

SWP, Ireland and Adebayor provided for City

Darren Bent produced a result for those wily enough to pick Sunderland's new front man

The Fulham defence held up

Delap got an assist, Shawcross got 15 pts

Upson rewarded players with a goal, while Cole got an assist

At Arsenal even Denilson scored - Fabregas returned two goals and two assists, the two centrebacks produced a goal each, Eduardo got on the score sheet and RVP got 2 assists - a bloody good week for the Arsenal fans

Meanwhile Rooney provided a goal, and the cheap United back four got the clean sheet

In the final game Stevie G delivered a good 7 points with a penalty, while most of Spurs' points went to their defenders, only Modric picking up anything useful out of the popular players

Last Chance

Alright dear readers, last time I will go on about fantasy footie - you've got til 11am tomorrow morning to get your team in, unsurprisingly the site is experiencing heavy traffic the friday afternoon before...I just about got my teams fixed up

Footie Banter League: 576876-127049

There is also a tipping league available in the same game, the code for that is FC32D-AEO

Here are my tips:

Chelsea 3-0 Hull

Expect the obvious here, Hull look ropey and are unlikely to provide any threat away like they did a year ago

Villa 1-0 Wigan

Difficult to predict, the teams have changed considerably since May, I expect a stodgy, low-scoring affair

Blackburn 1-1 City

Mark Hughes returns to Ewood Park, but I doubt his team will have gelled much yet, and Big Sam will no doubt hold his ground - long ball anyone?

Bolton 1-0 Sunderland

Can Steve Bruce inspire the Black Cats to a win over toughies Bolton? I doubt it

Portsmouth 0-1 Fulham

Can Fulham actually start with an away win this year? Probably their best chance against a threadbare Pompey side

Stoke 2-0 Burnley

No matter the hype round Burnley, I still expect Stoke to provide a tough resistance at home, at least against the lower sides

Wolves 1-0 West Ham

A false dawn for Wolves perhaps?

Everton 1-1 Arsenal

May be a good opportunity for Arsenal to get this out of the way early, but I don't think they'll be quite good enough to beat a solid Everton side

United 2-0 Birmingham

Stick to what you know - a rather fortunate time to be playing a newly promoted side at home when half your back four are missing, you never know, there could be an upset...

Tottenham 0-1 Liverpool

Tottenham still look weak at the back, although Bassong has just been drafted in, you'd be forgiven for thinking this is a golden opportunity to take three points from the Lane, Gerrard is a doubt though

P.S. For reading my ramblings this far I will give you a present - head to Beat Victor and you can challenge Victor Chandler on the outcome of four Premier League games - you beat him you win a fiver, you beat everyone you get 500 quid! It's completely free and you don't need to set up a gambling account or deposit money (but you will if you win the free bets) - I'm not kidding here, VC are probably the most generous gambling website I know, I've won over a hundred quid off them in the last year or two, just for free!

Predictions I(I)

Steve Wilson over at the BBC has copied the trend and has set-up a proper (sort of) competition for predicting next season

Just for bragging rights, but go and get your entry in at the blog

Lawro's back and he's annoyed me already

Here we have Lawro's video verdict (please don't be a regular feature) on the Premier League

What caught my eye was Lawro said he was right about Stoke - I'm certain he said Stoke would be rock bottom, now he claims he was right about them staying up...wonder if I can find testimony to his claim

He definitely got everything else wrong tho...

---

Remember the fantasy footie code is: 576876-127049

Tipping is: FC32D-AEO

Daniel1979 Predicts...

I admire bold predictions, and I do not think predictions come much tougher than trying to foresee an entire league table 10 months into the future. But as Tarquin has blazed a trail, I shall follow, here is Daniel1979’s prediction for the league positioning for the 2009/10 season.

1. Chelsea
2. Man Utd
3. Liverpool
4. Man City
--
5. Arsenal
6. Everton
7. Tottenham
--
8. Aston Villa
9. West Ham
10. Sunderland
11. Fulham
12. Blackburn
13. Bolton
14. Wigan
15. Portsmouth
16. Birmingham
17. Hull
--
18. Stoke
19. Burnley
20. Wolves


Other Predictions

League Cup – Arsenal

FA Cup – Liverpool

Europa League – AS Roma

Champions League – Real Madrid

Top Goal Scorer In Premier League - Didier Drogba

Football Banter Fantasy Football Mini-League winner - Daniel1979 (of course!)

Bottom on Christmas Day - Stoke

First Premier League Manager To Get Sacked After Opening Day - Paul Hart

Scottish Champions - Rangers


Feel free to leave your predictions for the above and other competitions in the comments.

How wrong can I be this time?

I have been musing on the upcoming premier league season over at my blog and decided I should put my money where my mouth is and write down my (tentative) predictions for the season:

1. Chelsea
2. United
3. Liverpool
4. Arsenal
5. City
6. Everton
7. Villa
8. Spurs
9. Fulham
10. Wigan
11. Bolton
12. Blackburn
13. Stoke
14. Birmingham
15. West Ham
16. Sunderland
17. Wolves
----
18. Burnley
19. Hull
20. Pompey

Any opinions?

Hoping to do better than the five I got last year

It Begins...

Following up on the news that fantasy football is back for the 09/10 season, and as we all eagerly anticipate something to watch other than cricket, I am happy to announce the formation of the Football Banter Fantasy football league at fantasy premier league

The league number is: 576876-127049

It's open to all and is completely free - you've got til August 15th to get your team in, I know I'm a bit early so I've just done an auto-pick for now (the Yak and Jo currently up front...) - but I thought it was better to tell people earlier than later, and feel free to invite people with that code

The league is a 'classic' format, where your team scores points and whoever gets the most points over a season wins - the alternative is a 'head-to-head' format, which they introduced last year, where 20 teams play 'matches' against each other across the season, I don't like this format as it is mostly based on luck, as you have absolutely no control over how many points you concede - but if people want to play one of those as well then I'll set one of those up too

I have also set up a 'I know the score' tipping competition for us - It's a pretty decent tipping system, you can use the same account to log in to that as well - just follow the link when you're there

The code for tipping is FC32D-AEO

Good luck

ESPN Wins Premier Package

ESPN has won the rights to take over the broadcasting of 46 Saturday & Monday evening Premier League games for the 2009/10 season, and subsequently 23 Premier League games per season for 2010/11 to 2012/13.

ESPN have indicated that they will make the games available via BskyB on a pay-TV platform, though pricing is not yet been made available.

Setanta lost the rights when they failed to make the required payments to the Premier League to carry on showing the games. They have today been dealt a second blow when the SPL pulled it's contract, again for non-payment, and it is now expected that the SPL will return to Sky Sports.

Setanta are thought to be on the brink, and have stopped accepting new customers. They will now be losing customers with the loss of the Premier League rights, myself included.

Setanta retain their rights to the FA Cup and England Internationals which is split viewership with ITV, though the future of these broadcasts, along with many other non-football sports packages may soon be auctioned if the broadcaster does fold.

What are your thoughts on ESPN's gain and will you remain a Setanta customer?