One Season Ticket For Sale (footballforecast.s5.com)

Member Name: marandina

Product:	footballforecast.s5.com
Date:	17/08/03 (358 review reads)
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Advantages: Footie's back!

Disadvantages: Villa suck

Well the new Premiership season is upon is and if you are a sad Brummie like me then you'll have been alarmed at the sheepish performance of the boys in Claret and Blue at the division's new boys - Portsmouth - yesterday. With David O'Leary at the helm, Olaf Mellberg was inexplicably left on the bench whilst a totally ineffective line-up included Allback and Angel up front. It looks like another long hard season for the Villa after a hugely disappointing 16th place finish last season and somebody will need to crowbar Doug Ellis' purse strings apart to buy some decent players (2 buys from relegated Sunderland are unlikely to make that much difference, Ellis).

On the flip side, Fratton Park looks as though it could be a tough ground to travel too. With fans close the pitch, although it's not up to scratch, the 19000 capacity stadium could be a strong suit for Rednapp and Smith to cajole another season in the top flight despite the loss of Toderov for the season. Sheringham and Berger, free transfers, proved their worth yesterday with assured finishes to claim all 3 points.

Much as it galls me to say, Birmingham are looking good for a top half finish. A win over Spurs yesterday was a good start although the penalty may have been another Robbie Savage scam. Ach...that's enough about the porn-backed blue noses!

Today sees Chelsea away to Liverpool. The Blue boys from the Bridge have hogged all of the headlines over the summer with a massive spending spree bank rolled by the oil billionaire Roman Abramovic. With such a huge influx of players, it's hard to see them gelling quickly enough to have a genuine tilt at the title but surely a top 3 finish is on the cards for a club with such huge resources. It will be a big test at Liverpool with no wins in the last 12 there.

Liverpool have gone about their business quietly during the break but still retain some fabulous talent. Surely, Owen, Gerrard, Murphy and the
like will be even better this season bearing in mind that they are still relatively young. The scousers are desperate to hit the really big time and I can see them finishing fourth.

The other side of Mersey sees Everton trying to follow up on the surprise performance of last season. Inspired by the Rooney wonder kid, David Moyes will be attempting to go one better although most pundits reckon it will be a long hard one for the Toffees. With a tight budget and the possibility of Rooney being bought by one of the big boys, it is difficult to see where the inspiration will come from.

Top end of the Title race is bound to feature the old favourites yet again (yawn). Man United have done it again, offloading Beckham only to replace him with an 18 year old superstar called Ronaldo. Dazzling against, Bolton, Fergie reckons this kid is the best since Cantona which will worry the rest of the division. Van the man is still there whilst the miscast Veron has left for Chelsea. It really is hard to bet against the Red Devils not doing it again although their prospects in Europe are more debatable.

Arsenal have had their new ground on their mind making it difficult to be too active in the transfer market. With the big stars signing new contracts like Vierra and Pires, Arsenal will be solid again and run United close for the big prize. Again, hard to see the Arse doing much in Europe.

Newcastle were everyone's choice as league winners last year just to break up the monopoly of the big 2. Hard to see them doing it this year either although if they did sign Alan Smith from Leeds then you can see their firepower up front being a big edge. Shearer's getting on these days but will still bag the goals for the Geordies and with prospects of another good run in Europe after their midweek win, it's exciting times at St James park.

Down at the trap door, Wolves look doomed already. A thrashing at Blackburn may well have set the tone
for a long struggle against the drop with the manager sounding warnings that Wolves are a small fish in a big pond. The bookies favourite for bottom place, it could be that the Baggies and Wolves swap places again at the end of the season.

Leicester managed a reasonable start with a 2-2 draw against Southampton. With the wily Micky Adams at the helm, Leicester are always tough to beat but it could be that their lack of resources may tell over the season.

The other bottom 3 place may go to Leeds. With a selling frenzy now complete, Peter Reid is left with a threadbare squad to combat the rigours of a Premiership season. Big losses include the money-grabbing Harry Kewell amongst others who will be plying his trade at Anfield having apparently turned down the money men from Old Trafford. "Cheer up Peter Reid" could be ringing around the grounds real soon.

The rest look a much of a muchness. Southampton have bought well with Phillips scoring on his debut. A combination with Beattie looks like it will keep the saints half way. Blackburn did well last year and had a great start yesterday. Souness is already sounding warnings that this will be a tougher year for Rovers but there is enough quality there for a top 8 finish.

Charlton have enough know how to claim a top half position under Curbishley. The club is renowned for it's tight financial control although I can't see Charlton winning any trophies with their limited potential.

Fulham have started with a win although I get the feeling that they will do well to finish above the relegation zone. Coleman's done a good job since taking over the helm last year but surely their squad isn't good enough to do much better than survive.

Man City are at their new stadium, courtesy of the council, opening with an easy win over a bunch of part-timers from the Welsh League in mid-week. Keegan's boys will be as unpredictable as ever and could do really
well or rally badly. The hardest team to call in the division.

Middlesbrough continue to underperform despite the huge investment from the chairman. A top half finish is on the cards again but little else from the Teesiders.

Sam Allardyce still, has his Foreign Legion at Bolton. With a spectacular run-in last season, Bolton staved off relegation. They might be a candidate to go down this year as I'm not sure how they will fair once injuries take their toll around Christmas. Could be the drop this time but we'll see.

Overall, I'm hoping that things will open up this year. Fans are tired of the annual two-horse race between ManU and Arsenal and I really can't see how its good for football. The cup competitions have become bit-part players with so much emphasis on the championship and Europe. Winners will depend on how seriously the clubs take them but good bets for the trophies might be Liverpool and Tottenham. I'm not sure I'm that fussed myself actually.

Anyway, one swallow doesn't make a summer and one defeat doesn't determine a season so I'm optimistic that the mighty Villa can pick themselves up, dust themselves off and have a good season although, fatalistically, I'm not expecting much.


Thanks for reading and my 15th reader gets a drink (or my Villa season ticket) as it will take me to the 5000 mark on Dooyoo. Thanks for all the support in the past!

Marandina

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