English Premier League 2007/08 Season Preview

The new English Premier League season is almost upon us as Saturday August 11th signals the start of the action. With that in mind, I've compiled a team by team preview with my projected finish for each club. Here goes...

ARSENAL - With the loss of their star player Thierry Henry, and the uncertain future of manager Arsene Wenger, the Gunners appear to be a team in rebuilding mode. They have put a lot of faith in their younger players and have signed Croatian striker Eduardo ro replace Henry. Those are big boots to fill and I believe that scoring goals could be a real problem for them this season.
Projected Finish - 7th

ASTON VILLA - Villa finished mid-table last season and their major problem was winning games. They led the league in tied games and if they could have converted even half of those into wins they'd be looking at a spot in European competition this season. I believe that manager Martin O'neill will have adressed that issue and they will be stronger this coming season.
Projected Finish - 6th

BIRMINGHAM - Villa's cross city rivals are back in the big leagues after winning promotion from the Championship. Manager Steve Bruce strengthened his squad with the big money signing of Egyptian midfielder Mido from Tottenham but I really believe they will struggle and are one of my prime candidates for the drop.
Projected Finish - 19th

BLACKBURN - Coming off of last seasons respectable 10th place finish and being able to hold on to star striker Benny McCarthy bode really well for Rovers. Manager Mark Hughes seems confident that his team can improve on last season and I tend to agree with him. I watched Blackburn play a few times last season and they were always entertaining. I see them making a little step forward.
Projected Finish - 8th

BOLTON - The squad remains relatively unchanged from last season 7th place finishing team but the one major change that is of concern is the departure of longtime manager Sam Allardyce to Newcastle. He performed wonders on a small budget and you have to wonder if new man in charge Sammy Lee can replicate that success. I have my doubts.
Projected Finish - 13th

CHELSEA - At the end of last season there seemed to be a great deal of turmoil within the club as they lost hold of their title to Manchester United, billionaire owner Roman Abramovich vowed that the big spending days were over, manager Jose Mourinho seemed unsettled, ans a number of big name players (Drogba and Lampard among them) were questioning how long they wanted to remain at the club. True to his word, Abramovich kept his check book closed and the squad remains relatively unchnged but still good enough to challenge for the title.
Projected Finish - 3rd

DERBY - Another of the new boys to the Premiership and the hopes are high of a return to their glory days of the 70's but my feeling is that their stay in the top flight is going to be very short lived. No real household name players in their squad except for perhaps striker Robert Earnshaw, and a small budget that will make it difficult for them to strenghten their squad. I expect them to be rooted to the bottom of the table throughout the entire season.
Projected Finish - 20th

EVERTON - A very respectable 6th place finish for the Toffees last season thanks in large part to their excellent record at home. I they can repeat that kind of success at Goodison, I see no reason why a similar finish isn't possible. Manager David Moyes strengthened the squad by pick up striker Phil Jagielka from Sheffield Utd for 4 million pounds. Should add some much needed scoring punch alongside Andrew Johnson or James McFadden.
Projected Finish - 5th

FULHAM - The Craven Cottage squad avoided the drop last season by the skin of their teeth and it looks to be more of the same on tap for the coming season. New manager Lawrie Sanchez, who took over from the fired Chris Coleman at the end of last season, has his work cut out to keep his team alive in the Premiership. Other than Brian McBride, it's tough to see where the goals are going to come from. Time will tell.
Projected Finish - 16th

LIVERPOOL - The past couple of seasons have been very frustrating for the Reds faithful. They've watched their team excel in European competition, reaching the Champions League final 2 of the past 3 seasons, but have seen then struggle to find consistency in the Premiership. This season could change all that with the arrival of the super-talented Spanish striker Fernando Torres. I think he is the key to putting Liverpool over the top and making them the #1 challenger to champions Manchester United.
Projected Finish - 2nd

MANCHESTER CITY - Expectations are high for this season as former England boss Sven-Goran Eriksson takes the helm for his first season in charge of the sky blues. The expectations may be a little unrealistic though as the squad remains virtually the same and they in fact lost one of their key players, Joey Barton, to Newcastle. If they fail to score goals the way they did last season it could become a very long year.
Projected Finish - 15th

MANCHESTER UNITED - The reigning champions will start the new season with virtually the same squad as last year as well as a couple of huge upgrades. They finally got their man in acquiring Owen Hargreaves from Bayern Munich. He is the perfect player to fill the void left by Roy Keanes departure. They may also have Carlos Tevez from West Ham but the transfer id dragging and at the time of writing FIFA have now stepped in to move things along. If that deal becomes final United could very well be unstoppable this season.
Projected Finish - Champions

MIDDLESBOROUGH - Boro have aded some much needed help to their squad this season with the signings of Jonathon Woodgate and Turkish star Tuncay Sanli. I don't know if this will be enough to take them forward and I see them having the same type of season and finish as last.
Projected Finish - 12th

NEWCASTLE - Excitement is high in Geordie land with the arrival of big Sam Allardyce as the new manager. Toon fans are hoping he can work the same kind of magic he did with Bolton. He has added new signings Joey Barton and Mark Viduka to the squad but I think a lot will still hinge on the long term fitness of Michael Owen. They need his goals to be successful.
Projected Finish - 10th

PORTSMOUTH - Pompey got off to a great start last season surprising a lot of people, myself included, but they couldn't sustain that early consistency for the entire season and ended up finishing 9th. Manager Harry Redknapp has done very well with what he has to work with but the squad looks to me like it's getting a little long in the tooth and I think they are going to have trouble being consistent for an entire season again.
Projected Finish - 11th

READING - Under the guidance of manager Steve Coppel, Reading became the surprise team of the season last year. Notoriously difficult to break down and possessing a true game breaker in Dave Kitson whose goals have played a huge part in their success. They'll be looking to build on this success and I think they'll end up having a similar type of year.
Projected Finish - 9th

SUNDERLAND - The third and final of the newcomers to the premiership and the most likely to be this years Reading. They were mid-table in the Championship last season when Roy Keane took over and they went on to win the division. Keane is a stern taskmaster who demands nothing but 100% effort and he has gained the utmost respect from his squad. Watch for them shocking a few teams especially at the start of the season.
Projected Finish - 14th

TOTTENHAM - Spurs are a team tht just haven't been able to live up to the expectations of fans and their manager Martin Jol. A very talented side and one in posession of one of the best 1-2 strike team in the league with Keane and Berbatov. Their biggest letdown has always been their lack of consistency. If they are to go higher than top 5 then that is the one area where they have to improve.
Projected Finish - 4th

WEST HAM - The Hammers put together an amazing winning streak at the end of last season to narrowly avoid the drop but it looks as though they are about to lose the inspirational Carlos Tevez to Manchester United. Manager Alan Curbishley is back and will be looking to do the same type of job that he did with Charlton and the Hammers at the end of last year. It looks like being a pretty tough slog though.
Projected Finish - 18th

WIGAN - The Latics kept their place in the Premiership last year by the skin of their teeth. It was a single goal that was the difference between them staying up and Sheffield United making the drop. New manager Chris Hutchings looks to be facing a similar battle again this season and I think they are going to involved in the relegation struggle all season long.
Projected Finish - 17th

Well folks, there you have it. My predictions for the season. It'll be interesting to see how things shape up and how close I come with my picks. Check back throughout the season for regular updates from me on the progress of the title race.