EPL Preview Pt. 2
15. Middlesbrough
Is there a less interesting side in the EPL? I think not. The only reason I have them finishing this high in the table is because I think Arsenal reject Jeremie Aliadere will be an upgrade over chubby Mark Viduka and serve as a fine complement to Ayegbeni Yakubu. Manager Gareth Southgate has a decent group of defenders to work with. If they can both stay healthy - a mighty big if - Jonathan Woodgate and Robert Huth will be crucial to any success the club has this season. Stewart Downing has never impressed me and I have no idea how he keeps figuring in the England setup. I fully understand why Southgate is desperate to land Manchester United's Alan Smith. He needs a versatile player like Smith who will attack, tackle and draw attention from Yakubu - as it stands the only threat (until Aliadere proves me correct) to opposing defenses. It will be another up and down season. Middlesbrough always seem a frustrating club to figure out. They pull off a win against Chelsea and then get thumped by Portsmouth. They lose to Man City and Watford only to beat West Ham and draw Liverpool. This inconsistency will always prevent the club from being anything other than a bottom half of the table club.
14. Sunderland
I expected more from Roy Keane during the close season. The job he did to bring Sunderland back up was amazing. But the EPL will be an entirely different story. I don't think he has the resources at hand to challenge clubs in the top half of the table. We will see just how good of a coach he is in 2007/08. Kieran Richardson will have a huge job of being the offensive spark each match. He may want to prove to Sir Alex Ferguson he was wrong to let him go and prove to Steve McClaren he has a future at the international level. He could wear down or suffer injury because he will have to take on serious minutes. Dwight Yorke and Stern John are not Premiership class players. And Keane's inability to land Leighton Baines has to be immensely disappointing. I believe Keane will motivate and inspire Sunderland to survive the drop and the huge crowds that will come out to see the manager will raise the intensity of his players. If Sunderland are still competitive when the January transfer window opens I would expect more players to be interested in playing for Keane. At this moment though I don't think many are convinced Sunderland is a chance worth taking.
13. Reading
They could be one of the most exciting sides in the league again. Steve Coppell is the real deal and probably one of the top managers in the EPL. The problem is that Reading do not have the budget to make upgrades the way many in this part of the table last season will have. Kevin Doyle will be good for double digit goals again and Leroy Lita should increase his tally to double digits as well. However, the loss of Steve Sidwell is going to be a lot to overcome. No one in the current squad can replace him. But Stephen Hunt will be relentless and if Bobby Convey can recover from his injury Coppell will have another option to fall back on. And he doesn't have many if Reading hit choppy waters. Nicky Shorey will lead a decent group of defenders and Marcus Hahnemann will have to be a rock between the posts. Again, it will be only a lack of depth that keeps the club from pushing for a UEFA Cup spot again. The starting 11 will wear down over the grueling domestic and cup campaign. I plan on watching Reading matches and I would not be surprised if someone looking to purchase an English football club thinks Reading are an attractive option.
12. West Ham
A year removed from narrowly avoiding relegation West Ham will be the surprise of the league. Whatever happens in the Carlos Tevez saga one thing can be assured: Tevez won't be in a West Ham shirt ever again. Which means new players like Craig Bellamy and Freddie Ljungberg will need to have outstanding seasons. If Bellamy regains the form he had two seasons ago with Blackburn and Dean Ashton is fully recovered West Ham could have a surprisingly dangerous attack. Manager Alan Curbishly was wise to get rid of Nigel Reo-Coker and Marlon Harewood. They were dead weight at this point and can now be Aston Villa's problems. I think Bobby Zamora is an underrated player and will only bolster the attacking options. Scott Parker will either be great or an injured non-factor. Matthew Upson has to stay healthy and contribute to the cause. American Jonathan Spector has been too up and down for me since arriving in England. Curbishly should give him lots of minutes in the early part of the campaign and then make the call if he is worth hanging on to. I think West Ham's season will rest heavily on the shoulders of Parker and Ljungberg. At 30 years of age Ljungberg is far from ancient but has to regain his previous form that made him so lethal at Arsenal. Parker had moments at Newcastle where I thought he looked like one of the best midfielders in the league. Barring a points deduction from any Tevez fallout West Ham will not get pulled in the relegation battle this season. If you are not a Sheffield United supporter you may go so far as to call them the Feel Good Story of the season.
11. Manchester City
People are going to have to get over Sven-Goran Eriksson's stint with the England National Team. Look at his club level CV and one thing will jump out at you: Trophies. Eriksson will take advantage of the new City ownership and Thaksin Shinawatra's willingness to spend by forming a squad that will compete in the EPL and eventually in Europe. City are probably 2 seasons away in that regard but will make a remarkable jump up the table in Eriksson's first year. The Swede arrived with some players already in place that never prospered under Stuart Pearce. In hindsight, Pearce was a disaster at the club and squandered some serious talent. One can assume Micah Richards and Richard Dunne will be outstanding in defense. But the real challenge will be whether he can get more out of Georgios Samaras and Bernardo Corradi. If he manages to build their confidence and they manage to produce City could suddenly be an interesting side to watch. Keep in mind he has brought in Rolando Bianchi, Geovanni and Martin Petrov. I've always liked Darius Vassell and am not ready to give up on him. He is 27 and could be poised to break out - finally. All his new recruits are attacking players that have attracted attention from several clubs. Yet, they wanted to come to City. The process of the new and the established players working well together in combination while understanding Eriksson's system could result in early stumbles. But City isn't expecting to compete for a UEFA Cup spot just yet. In fact, a top 10 finish should be considered a remarkable success. Given the dark days that should be in the past, an eleventh in the table finish will be a sight for sore supporter eyes.
Is there a less interesting side in the EPL? I think not. The only reason I have them finishing this high in the table is because I think Arsenal reject Jeremie Aliadere will be an upgrade over chubby Mark Viduka and serve as a fine complement to Ayegbeni Yakubu. Manager Gareth Southgate has a decent group of defenders to work with. If they can both stay healthy - a mighty big if - Jonathan Woodgate and Robert Huth will be crucial to any success the club has this season. Stewart Downing has never impressed me and I have no idea how he keeps figuring in the England setup. I fully understand why Southgate is desperate to land Manchester United's Alan Smith. He needs a versatile player like Smith who will attack, tackle and draw attention from Yakubu - as it stands the only threat (until Aliadere proves me correct) to opposing defenses. It will be another up and down season. Middlesbrough always seem a frustrating club to figure out. They pull off a win against Chelsea and then get thumped by Portsmouth. They lose to Man City and Watford only to beat West Ham and draw Liverpool. This inconsistency will always prevent the club from being anything other than a bottom half of the table club.
14. Sunderland
I expected more from Roy Keane during the close season. The job he did to bring Sunderland back up was amazing. But the EPL will be an entirely different story. I don't think he has the resources at hand to challenge clubs in the top half of the table. We will see just how good of a coach he is in 2007/08. Kieran Richardson will have a huge job of being the offensive spark each match. He may want to prove to Sir Alex Ferguson he was wrong to let him go and prove to Steve McClaren he has a future at the international level. He could wear down or suffer injury because he will have to take on serious minutes. Dwight Yorke and Stern John are not Premiership class players. And Keane's inability to land Leighton Baines has to be immensely disappointing. I believe Keane will motivate and inspire Sunderland to survive the drop and the huge crowds that will come out to see the manager will raise the intensity of his players. If Sunderland are still competitive when the January transfer window opens I would expect more players to be interested in playing for Keane. At this moment though I don't think many are convinced Sunderland is a chance worth taking.
13. Reading
They could be one of the most exciting sides in the league again. Steve Coppell is the real deal and probably one of the top managers in the EPL. The problem is that Reading do not have the budget to make upgrades the way many in this part of the table last season will have. Kevin Doyle will be good for double digit goals again and Leroy Lita should increase his tally to double digits as well. However, the loss of Steve Sidwell is going to be a lot to overcome. No one in the current squad can replace him. But Stephen Hunt will be relentless and if Bobby Convey can recover from his injury Coppell will have another option to fall back on. And he doesn't have many if Reading hit choppy waters. Nicky Shorey will lead a decent group of defenders and Marcus Hahnemann will have to be a rock between the posts. Again, it will be only a lack of depth that keeps the club from pushing for a UEFA Cup spot again. The starting 11 will wear down over the grueling domestic and cup campaign. I plan on watching Reading matches and I would not be surprised if someone looking to purchase an English football club thinks Reading are an attractive option.
12. West Ham
A year removed from narrowly avoiding relegation West Ham will be the surprise of the league. Whatever happens in the Carlos Tevez saga one thing can be assured: Tevez won't be in a West Ham shirt ever again. Which means new players like Craig Bellamy and Freddie Ljungberg will need to have outstanding seasons. If Bellamy regains the form he had two seasons ago with Blackburn and Dean Ashton is fully recovered West Ham could have a surprisingly dangerous attack. Manager Alan Curbishly was wise to get rid of Nigel Reo-Coker and Marlon Harewood. They were dead weight at this point and can now be Aston Villa's problems. I think Bobby Zamora is an underrated player and will only bolster the attacking options. Scott Parker will either be great or an injured non-factor. Matthew Upson has to stay healthy and contribute to the cause. American Jonathan Spector has been too up and down for me since arriving in England. Curbishly should give him lots of minutes in the early part of the campaign and then make the call if he is worth hanging on to. I think West Ham's season will rest heavily on the shoulders of Parker and Ljungberg. At 30 years of age Ljungberg is far from ancient but has to regain his previous form that made him so lethal at Arsenal. Parker had moments at Newcastle where I thought he looked like one of the best midfielders in the league. Barring a points deduction from any Tevez fallout West Ham will not get pulled in the relegation battle this season. If you are not a Sheffield United supporter you may go so far as to call them the Feel Good Story of the season.
11. Manchester City
People are going to have to get over Sven-Goran Eriksson's stint with the England National Team. Look at his club level CV and one thing will jump out at you: Trophies. Eriksson will take advantage of the new City ownership and Thaksin Shinawatra's willingness to spend by forming a squad that will compete in the EPL and eventually in Europe. City are probably 2 seasons away in that regard but will make a remarkable jump up the table in Eriksson's first year. The Swede arrived with some players already in place that never prospered under Stuart Pearce. In hindsight, Pearce was a disaster at the club and squandered some serious talent. One can assume Micah Richards and Richard Dunne will be outstanding in defense. But the real challenge will be whether he can get more out of Georgios Samaras and Bernardo Corradi. If he manages to build their confidence and they manage to produce City could suddenly be an interesting side to watch. Keep in mind he has brought in Rolando Bianchi, Geovanni and Martin Petrov. I've always liked Darius Vassell and am not ready to give up on him. He is 27 and could be poised to break out - finally. All his new recruits are attacking players that have attracted attention from several clubs. Yet, they wanted to come to City. The process of the new and the established players working well together in combination while understanding Eriksson's system could result in early stumbles. But City isn't expecting to compete for a UEFA Cup spot just yet. In fact, a top 10 finish should be considered a remarkable success. Given the dark days that should be in the past, an eleventh in the table finish will be a sight for sore supporter eyes.
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