A Changing Season? (Football in General)

Name: Adam X

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Product:	Football in General
Date:	08/09/01 (12 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Time for a change?, Great Clubs, Amazing Players

Disadvantages: Loss of MOTD, Alex Ferguson

The new BarclayCard Premiership season is underway, and the usual questions are being asked: 'Will Man Utd crumble?' 'Will Liverpool or Leeds finally make a race for the title?' 'Who will go down?' 'How many red cards will Dennis Wise get?', and 'Will Seaman ever change that hairstyle?'

Every season people speculate that Man U. will do terribly, and normally, they are all proved wrong (unfortunately). Everyone gets excited because it looks like the Premiership bullies are finally losing their edge. But what happens? The reds predicatbly bounce back, trotting away to another worthless title, with at least half the season to go. I mean, do they even celebrate it any more? 'David? Can you pop this new trophy in the cabinet. Cheers, there's a good lad.'

But (whisper it), this season Man U have got off to a shaky start: Only 5 points from three matches, and already they've conceeded an abysmal 5 goals, and they only got a draw against Villa through a 90 minute own goal by a villa player. Could it be that the millions spent on Nistelrooy and Veron will be like pouring gold down the toilet? Could it possibly be true that Alex won't win the coveted premiership in his last season in charge? For the sake of football as a whole, let's hope so. It's time for something new in the premiership, and the time is now. (Although, if you come here at the end of the season, and Man U have won again, I'll probably be looking a bit silly).

Liverpool. Leeds. Arsenal. Three of the biggest names in world football. But for the last few years, they've all been eclipsed in one of the biggest shadows ever to loom large over the english game. Arsenal indefinately coming a not-at-all-close second, Leeds and Liverpool battling for that Champions League place. But how come they've never really put up a serious challenge to the Mancunian Crown? Is it because Manchester are too good? Is it tha
t Leeds, Liverpool and Arsenal just aren't good enough? I'd answer no to both of those questions, simply because they're not true. They are good enough to challenge for the top, but Manchester carry with them an air of invincability. Now I'm not saying that Manchester didn't deserve to win the championship, and I know that this is a controversial subject, but I just think that some clubs have lost the match in their minds before they even cross the white line.

So, after Man Utd's shaky start, can the Premiership supporting acts become the front men? Maybe not Arsenal, who I personally think are past their best, but Liverpool and Leeds are ripe for the crown. Liverpool have put together a hard-to-beat side, who can beat anyone on their day, and Leeds are the Premiership's fresh faces, with that will to win, and an eye for goal - proving to be one of the premiership's best sides. So, is this their season? Can they finally topple the Man U juggernaught? We'll have to wait and see, but it's very likely in my mind.

The relegation battle is always one that steals the show at the end of the season (mainly because Man U have already won the title, so the only competition is at the bottom of the table), and this year should be no exception. With Bolton, Fulham and Blackburn all making great starts in the league, who will go down? Following the recent trend of flushing out the premiership scrap (like Coventry, Sheff Wed and the like), I think we a returning to a top class premiership. A few years ago, whenever a club would be promoted from the first division, they were odds on to go down again at the end of the season, mainly because they just didn't have the money to even compete with the big boys.
But we're finally getting back to a stage where 1st div. sides have got just as much chance of staying up as the rest, if not more. With a self-drive determination that the complacent premiership-dull-boys ha
ven't got, they persevere against big clubs like Man U, evident when Fulham narrowly lost to them 3-2, whilst Blackburn drew 2-2.
So who will go down? I think Middlesborough, Leicester and maybe Blacburn. Not sure about the last one, because it's become so hard to accurately say 'That team's rubbish'. Which is a good thing. I think Fulham will do best out of the newly-promoteds, with Bolton doing admirably, and Blackburn...it's just so hard to say!

As to the Dennis Wise and David Seaman questions, it's even harder to tell. If Leicester don't do better, Dennis may even leave them, and Seaman's pony tail may prove useful in scaring the German strikers into missing sitters.

So, a new premiership, a new season. But will it be a changing season? Who knows.
We just have to sit back and enjoy the ride.

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