Arsenal FC :: Life after Thierry Henry.

[kibaxx7]

Great writing man, you sound like a pro

Thanks man... Come on guys, I need more comments, only Mark posting Any comment, critic, anything!

[Mark.]

once again, nice. Hurry up and get to the season

[Srbija]

Real nice man. Great stuff with these in-depth team previews.

[kibaxx7]

:: Season Preview | Part 3. ::

Sven's trolley-dash makes these exciting times for City fans, but they will probably need to be patient.

A month ago, Manchester City had no owner, no manager and, in the wake of Joey Barton and Sylvain Distin's departures, no more than a handful of half-decent players. It was farcical, but business as usual for City. Now the club that devoted the last Premiership campaign to breaking the unenviable record of "Least Goals Scored At Home In A Season" (between them, City's players managed six fewer than Didier Drogba notched up at Stamford Bridge) is unrecognisable, having been taken over by an exiled former Thai prime minister who is currently fending off allegations of human rights abuses.

Never mind; Man City fans certainly don't. As the criteria for being considered "fit and proper" to own a Premiership football club in England seem to be less rigorous than those for owning a dog, most City fans seem prepared to overlook the 2,500 or so skeletons many human rights activists believe to be rattling around the new chairman's closet. Who can blame them? Unless he is found guilty of an actual crime, they can argue that Thaksin's past is no murkier than that of many of his Premiership counterparts. Whether it's raping natural resources, producing terrible West End musicals or fixing the prices of replica shirts, it could be argued that the owners of Chelsea, Everton and Wigan - to pick three at random - have all abused a human right or two in their time.

It is towards new manager Sven-Goran Eriksson that Manchester City fans will direct their wary gaze. Painfully aware of his myriad shortcomings as England boss, they can take solace in the fact that, even if he is a hapless charlatan, he is a hapless charlatan who is no longer hamstrung by rules that permit him only to pick English players that are nowhere near as good as they think they are. At club level, Eriksson's record stands up to close scrutiny. The only manager to have won league and cup doubles in three different countries (Sweden, Portugal and Italy), he has also won the UEFA and European Cup Winners' Cups. His most successful spell was at Lazio where, it will not have gone unnoticed by City fans, he won trophy after trophy on the back of lavish spending by an owner with a dubious past and who eventually ended up in jail.

Since his appointment, Eriksson has been busier than a bee at the Chelsea Flower Show and his forays into the transfer market have got City chat forums buzzing. Still young at 24, but in the seventh year of a career that has finally exploded into life, Rolando Bianchi scored 18 goals to help Reggina stay in Serie A last season. Despite his lack of Premiership experience, he can hardly do worse than his hapless compatriot Bernardo Corradi, who left for Parma after Bulgarian whelp Valeri Bojinov signed from Fiorentina. Out of dire necessity as much as inclination, Eriksson has completely rebuilt City's midfield, drafting in Swiss Under-21 skipper Gelson Fernandes, roving swashbuckler Geovanni, Dunga's idea of "the symbol of the new Brazil" in Elano, Bulgarian left winger Martin Petrov, and African striker Benjani Mwaruwari.

In defence, Croatian right-back/central-defender Vedran Corluka and Spanish Under-21 left-back Javier Garrido will bolster a back four in which Richard Dunne and a fit Micah Richards will be the only two members of last season's squad who can realistically expect to remain first team staples. These are exciting times for City, whose long-suffering supporters will need to be patient with a fledgling squad top-loaded with young foreigners who have never played together and have no Premiership experience whatsoever. A slow start would be understandable, but a top-eight spot and the chance to salvage his managerial reputation in this country are Sven's for the taking. If he can be trusted to keep his chairman's nose out of team affairs and his own worst enemy in his trousers, the long-term possibilities are endless.

In: Rolando Bianchi (£8.8m, Reggina Calcio), Gelson Fernandes (undisclosed, FC Sion), Geovanni (free, Cruzeiro), Martin Petrov (£4.7m, Atletico Madrid), Vedran Corluka (undisclosed, Dinamo Zagreb), Javier Garrido (£1.5m, Real Sociedad), Elano (£8m, Shakhtar Donetsk), Benjani Mwaruwari (£3.8m, Portsmouth), Felipe Caicedo (£5.2m, FC Basel), Nery Castillo (loan, Shakhtar Donetsk).
Out: Sylvain Distin (Portsmouth), Trevor Sinclair (Cardiff City), Stephen Jordan (Burnley), Hatem Trabelsi (Al-Hilal), Joey Barton (Newcastle United), Nicky Weaver (Charlton Athletic), Bernardo Corradi (Parma), Danny Mills (Derby County), Georgios Samaras (Celtic).


Sir Alex Ferguson has assembled arguably his best ever squad - but even that may not be good enough to win the league.

No team has a stronger English spine than Manchester United, and that includes England. And no English side has the flair of United's dynamic forward line, and that certainly includes England. It is this fusion of skill and steel that makes this arguably the best squad Sir Alex Ferguson has ever assembled, and United favourites for the Premiership title.

Of course, that does not necessarily ensure United will win the league. Jose Mourinho, charged with the task of overhauling Arsenal's bar-raising Invincibles, set an unprecedented standard when he arrived on these shores - between 1996 and 2003, it took an average 81 points to finish on top of the pile; in the last four seasons that figure is 10 points higher. Unless Fernando Torres turns out to be a goal mine at Liverpool, or Robin Van Persie takes Thierry Henry's leader role at Arsenal, only United and Chelsea will be sufficiently consistent to amass that number, and which of the two well-matched teams totals more will depend on several variables: form of key players, managers' tendency to tinker, injuries, the African Cup of Nations, refereeing decisions, etc. The Champions League is even more unpredictable, with nine or 10 clubs in with a realistic chance. Ferguson will need to improve on his knockout record in the competition - played 17, won seven, lost 10 - if United are to be one of those teams, and will hope new defensive screen Owen Hargreaves is the answer to his unsolved tactical conundrum, especially away from home, where United have lost nine and won just two of their last 14 Champions League games.

What has been most interesting about the summer at Old Trafford has been the age of Ferguson's other signings. Rather than buy finished products who could be expected - rather than hoped - to deliver him a fourth European trophy before he hangs up his jacket and tie, the manager has invested around £65m on prodigious talents whose best years are ahead of them. With Ben Foster and Jonny Evans among the youngsters retained this year rather than sent out on loan, Ferguson is developing a new side, spelling the end for the increasingly shaky (excluding penalties) Edwin van der Sar and a gradual phasing out for Gary Neville, Ryan Giggs and Paul Scholes. These three still have a crucial role to play in the big games this season, but also an equally important role in schooling the next generation on the essence of playing for the club.

The star of United's pre-season, having scored in five games, has been one of the two players who merges these polar virtues of youth and experience. After being overshadowed by fellow old-head-on-young-shoulders Cristiano Ronaldo last season, Wayne Rooney - the most gifted all-round English player United have had since Duncan Edwards - is primed to fulfil his potential, but only if Ferguson makes him central to the team.

At times United will line up in a 4-4-2, with the unfairly maligned Louis Saha, Rooney and Carlos Tevez rotating in the centre-forward positions - Ferguson has been at pains to stress how successful a partnership Rooney and Tevez, in particular, could form. But in the crunch games, Ferguson will opt for 4-3-3 - United fans hope this does not revert to 4-5-1 under pressure - with the preposterously exhilarating trio of forwards encouraged to be fluid and flexible. Ferguson distrusts Saha, so Rooney should be the spearhead of the attack with Ronaldo and Tevez/Nani flanking him, and a midfield of Hargreaves, Michael Carrick and Scholes/Giggs behind him.

Ronaldo may have taken the plaudits last season - and rightly so - but Rooney is the epitome of the team. Young, dedicated, exciting and with a ravenous hunger for success, he could be the difference between United and Chelsea this season. He could even lead the team to European glory in May.

In: Owen Hargreaves (£17m, Bayern Munich), Anderson (undisclosed, FC Porto), Nani (undisclosed, Sporting Lisbon), Tomasz Kuszczak (undisclosed, West Bromwich Albion).
Out: Kieran Richardson (Sunderland), Alan Smith (Newcastle United), Giuseppe Rossi (Villarreal).


Boro's fans are dreaming of Europe when really they should be worrying about the possibility of relegation.

Summer may be a time when everyone is entitled to dream but the disparity between fan expectation and reality on Teesside is glaring. Log on to most Middlesbrough fan forums and you'll find talk of top-half finishes and possibly a return to Europe; step into a bookies and you'll find them among the favourites for relegation. Not that high hopes are entirely without foundation: Gareth Southgate's first season in charge was a solid if uneventful one, and they actually finished one point (with 46) and two positions (12th) better off than they had under Steve McClaren in 2005-06 (albeit without the distractions of a European run). They were also one of only two teams (Newcastle being the other) to take points off each of the top four. Since then the core of the team has arguably been strengthened, with the arrival of Luke Young at right-back bolstering a backline that already featured fans' player of the year Emanuel Pogatetz and hard-working Andrew Taylor.

Tuncay Sanli, furthermore, could prove the bargain of the summer after arriving on a free from Fenerbahçe. Capable of turning his hand to pretty much any forward role but most likely to feature on the right wing for Boro, Sanli's direct running and preference for cutting inside make him the perfect foil to the touchline-hugging Stewart Downing. But if all this suggests Middlesbrough optimists are not blind, they are certainly suffering from tunnel vision. Of the five teams between them and the drop zone last year, only Wigan have spent less this summer. For Boro, treading water may not be enough. Worryingly, they probably aren't even equipped to do that.

The void created by Mark Viduka's defection to Newcastle will be harder to fill than the striker's own belly. Call him fat, call him lazy, but Viduka scores goals. Jérémie Aliadière is not a like-for-like replacement: outside of the Carling Cup he scored just once in 39 games for Arsenal, and last season looked more at home on the wing than up front. Southgate has shown an admirable, almost romantic dedication to open, attacking football, but such values will count against Boro if they can't summon the end product to raise their art from the sumptuous to the meaningful. Some players and even the manager have voiced concerns about the club's propensity for over-elaboration in attack this pre-season.

And now that Aiyegbeni Yakubu left the team for Everton, Boro will have to do without him. Getting off to a good start, then, is crucial, but here again the omens are bad. Knee surgery looks to have ruled Pogatetz out until at least September, whilst an ankle problem has done likewise for back-up centre-half Robert Huth. Trips to Wigan and Fulham this month, as well as a home game against Newcastle, only serve to up the ante. Ultimately, Middlesbrough should survive - there are enough inferior teams out there to keep them afloat. Southgate's honeymoon is over; this term we discover if he has the wits to make a marriage thrive.

In: Jérémie Aliadière (£2m, Arsenal), Tuncay Sanli (free, Fenerbahçe), Luke Young (£2.5m, Charlton Athletic), Gary O'Neil (£4m, Portsmouth), Mohamed Shawky (£650k, Al-Ahly), Mido (£6m, Tottenham Hotspur), Afonso Alves (£12.7m, SC Heerenveen).
Out: Jonathan Woodgate (Tottenham Hotspur), Aiyegbeni Yakubu (Everton), Abel Xavier (Los Angeles Galaxy), Stuart Parnaby (Birmingham City), Mark Viduka (Newcastle United).


Comedy is no longer on the bill at St James' Park, where Sam Allardyce's ethos is anathema to the romantic values of the club in modern times.

Sometimes, the laughing has to stop. For Newcastle United, to a lot of people the comedy club of the Premiership, that time has come. The external perception of Newcastle is not all that is going to change. The club's fans pride themselves on the quality of their football; not anymore. Behind that booming, gregarious laugh, lies a very serious manager, who will stop at nothing to achieve success. He didn't win a trophy at Bolton but, in real terms, his achievements were worth at least a couple of doubles. If Allardyce cannot end Newcastle's 38-year trophy drought, nobody can.

It is a long-term project, of course, and a top-half finish with a decent cup run would do for this season. But there is no doubt that Allardyce's will make you forget what you know, or what you think you know, about Newcastle United. Everything is up for grabs. Allardyce will probably even ban fans from going topless. He certainly won't allow his team to be as naked at the back. In a revolutionary development, he has bought three real defenders this summer and will surely put an end to the lamentable, however-many-they-concede-we'll-concede-one-more culture fostered under Kevin Keegan, who, incredibly, is a possibility if Allardyce separates from the club. Titus Bramble was always a little unjustly maligned, but he was the poster boy for Newcastle's slapstick defence and it was hugely significant that Allardyce got rid of him in his first day in the job.

Now the club will have an almost entirely new defence - new to the Premiership, never mind the club - and while that carries obvious acclimatisation risks (although Allardyce, smartly, has said he will phase them in one by one), Allardyce's success in spotting the likes of Tal Ben-Haim and Radhi Jaidi has earned him enough slack when it comes to buying defenders, especially when they have a pedigree as good as that of Claudio Caçapa, an ultra-experienced Brazilian international who won six titles in a row at Lyon; David Rozehnal, Paris Saint Germain's Player of the Year last season, and the Spain Under-21 left-back José Enrique.

The quality of Allardyce's signings further forward is not in dispute: Mark Viduka, Geremi, Joey Barton and Alan Smith are all proven at this level. If anything, his biggest concern - apart from rumours of a frosty relationship with the new owner Mike Ashley - is that he now has too many cooks. The depth of the squad is startling and there is more chance of correctly predicting when Allardyce will next talk to the BBC than what his team will be for the opening game at Bolton. It is an entirely clean slate, especially as Allardyce's healing hands have the ability to find life in the deadest of wood.

In: Mark Viduka (free, Middlesbrough), Joey Barton (£5.8m, Manchester City), David Rozehnal (£2.9m, Paris Saint Germain), Geremi (free, Chelsea), Alan Smith (£6m, Manchester United), Claudio Caçapa (free, Olympique Lyonnais), José Enrique (£6.3m, Villarreal), Habib Beye (£2m, Olympique Marseille), Abdoulaye Diagne-Faye (£2m, Bolton Wanderers).
Out: Titus Bramble & Antoine Sibierski (Wigan Athletic), Scott Parker (West Ham United), Alan O'Brien (Hibernian).


Pompey's exciting purchases will propel them to even greater heights than last season.

After five games last season, Pompey were perched on top of the Premiership and hadn't even conceded a goal. Here's a bold prediction: they won't repeat that feat this year: the fixture list for the new campaign has pitted them against all of the Big Four in the first six matches.

Good thing, then, that Harry Redknapp has a cunning plan. Simply put, the plot is this: attack and win at home and attack and win away, except at the Big Four where, if last season is anything to go by, Pompey will be negative. The same as a lot of teams, then. The difference is Pompey seem better equipped than most to pull it off. It's impossible to predict with precision how new arrivals will take to the Premiership, but David Nugent, John Utaka, Milan Baros and Sulley Muntari appear to have the qualities to prosper. At the very least, they'll add huge dynamism and physicality to the side, meaning the heaving madhouse that is Fratton Park will be even more hostile for visitors. Baros could have a particularly important impact: a sharp front man, he has the potential to form a productive partnership with Nugent; Redknapp may be planning to station the strong, speedy and skilful Utaka wide on the right, where he frequently excels for Nigeria. With him racing down the right, the swashbuckling Muntari bounding down the left and Pedro Mendes and/or Niko Kranjcar probing from the middle, Nugent and his partner could be treated to five-star service. No wonder Redknapp is pondering playing 3-5-2 this term: Muntari and Utaka could conceivably be used as bombing wingbacks - with David James in goal and Sol Campbell, Linvoy Primus and canny new signing Sylvain Distin forming an unholey trinity at the back, that's a risk that could be worth taking.

The very fact we mention such options shows Redknapp has a deeper pool to draw from than last year. Of course, much of the offensive power of his squad will decamp to Ghana for up to six weeks in January. Utaka and Muntari, plus Nwankwo Kanu, will probably miss matches against Sunderland, Derby County, Manchester United, Chelsea and Bolton. At least two of those will be eminently winnable without them.

In: David Nugent (£6m, Preston North End), Sylvain Distin (free, Manchester City), Hermann Hreidarsson (free, Charlton Athletic), Sulley Muntari (£7m, Udinese Calcio), Martin Cranie (free, Southampton), John Utaka (£7m, Stade Rennais), Arnold Mvuemba (free, Stade Rennais), Milan Baros (loan, Olympique Lyonnais), Lucien Aubey (loan, RC Lens), Lassana Diarra (£5m, Arsenal), Jermain Defoe (loan, Tottenham Hotspur).
Out: Svetoslav Todorov (Charlton Athletic), Gary O'Neil (Middlesbrough), Matthew Taylor (Bolton Wanderers), Benjani Mwaruwari (Manchester City), Dejan Stefanovic (Fulham), Djimi Traoré (Stade Rennais), Lomana Tresor LuaLua (Olympiakos).

[kibaxx7]

once again, nice. Hurry up and get to the season

Thanks man, only one preview remaining.

Real nice man. Great stuff with these in-depth team previews.

Thanks a lot!

[GoHornets]

It seems pretty solid the future-stars players in the United. Talking about that, how many years can you play in FIFA Manager?.


Good recaps, I look foward to read Bolton's to see how they will manage without Anelka. (hope you're playing with updated rosters)

[kibaxx7]

It seems pretty solid the future-stars players in the United. Talking about that, how many years can you play in FIFA Manager?.


Good recaps, I look foward to read Bolton's to see how they will manage without Anelka. (hope you're playing with updated rosters)

1-5 years, you can play with or without sacking... and yes, of course, I'm playing with updated rosters.

[Mark.]

Sweet only one more remaining then, are there going to be any moves before the transfer window closes, or are you going to wait for the summer window?

[kibaxx7]

Sweet only one more remaining then, are there going to be any moves before the transfer window closes, or are you going to wait for the summer window?

Well I only saw one move (McBride to Reading). Arsenal is going to wait until summer window. Wenger's happy with the current squad

[kibaxx7]

:: Season Preview | Part 4. ::

With a canny manager and more strength in depth than commonly imagined, the Royals should have no problem consolidating their top-flight status.

Second-season syndrome: it's the first cliché pundits proffer when assessing Reading, as if it's something that could sneak up on Steve Coppell and take him by surprise. Whereas in reality the manager, being neither ignorant nor stupid, has been planning for it ever since it became clear his side wouldn't be relegated last season.

In keeping with Coppell's composed character and the team's tidy style, all the preparations for the new campaign have been about stability: the club kept calm and its first move was to secure the services of its existing players. Kevin Doyle, Stephen Hunt, Dave Kitson and André Bikey all agreed new contracts; Nicky Shorey and Leroy Lita may have declined similar deals but still have two years remaining on their current ones. Only Steve Sidwell has left, meaning Reading have avoided the talent haemorrhage that afflicted Wigan before last term. Another reputed cause of second-season syndrome is opponents' increased familiarity with a side, and even a sense of complacency from that side itself. These symptoms usually become apparent in the second half of the club's first season when, having effectively ensured their survival, they loosen up and in doing so let down their guard: in 2005-06, both West Ham and Wigan fell from positive goal differences in their first 19 matches to negative ones in the second 19. Reading, by contrast, increased their goal difference in the second half of last season (+5 to +12) by scoring more and conceding fewer. In short, though their opponents may have been more familiar with them, they too became better able to cope with what the Premiership threw at them.

That last fact also shows that getting off to a flying start isn't as crucial as often claimed. Which is probably just as well, because Reading begin this season with a trip to Old Trafford before hosting Chelsea. So even if those two matches yield defeats, beating Everton in the next game would enable them to equal the start they had last season, when they also lost two of their first three. Having said all that, Reading are unlikely to repeat last season's eighth place. Like the teams that finished above them, most of those that came below them have spent royally in the summer and though lavish expenditure certainly doesn't guarantee success, it's likely that one or more of West Ham, Portsmouth, Aston Villa, Newcastle, Fulham, Manchester City and Sunderland will manage to make their superior resources pay.

Reading's major investment has been in record signing Emerse Faé, whose strength and drive are similar to Sidwell's - though despite his ferocious shooting, he's yet to develop similar finesse in front of goal. Brynjar Gunnarsson deputised diligently for Sidwell towards the end of last season without suggesting he has the all-round game to be more than a stopgap; Faé seems more like the real deal. Up front, there's no obvious reason to expect Doyle and Lita to stop scoring (apart from sustaining an injury while stretching in bed, of course). Reading's duo are youngsters on the up. The only real question concerning their strikeforce is whether Kitson can provide depth by rediscovering his pre-injury form. And last week they signed Brian McBride from Fulham so that's a new option.

At the back, Shorey should continue to excel, especially if he nurtures ambitions of moving to a bigger club, and the centre is secure: it could have been otherwise after Ibrahima Sonko got injured last January, but Bikey filled the gap well. And when he goes to the African Nations Cup, yet another cut-price signing from Cork could come to the fore: Alan Bennett is an uncompromising yet cultured centreback, who in the summer became a full Irish international and will spend the first half of this season advancing his adaptation to the English game while on loan at Southampton. If he doesn't progress as planned, there's always Michael Duberry. Or, perhaps more reassuringly, a careful dip into the transfer market.

In: Kalifa Cissé (£600k, Boavista), Emerse Faé (£2.5m, FC Nantes), André Bikey (£1m, Lokomotiv Moscow), Liam Rosenior (undisclosed, Fulham), Marek Matejovský (£1.4m, Mladá Boleslav), Brian McBride (undisclosed, Fulham).
Out: Steve Sidwell (Chelsea), Greg Halford (Sunderland), Seol Ki-Hyeon (Fulham).


Although circumspect fans will settle for survival, there's no reason to believe Roy Keane can't drive Sunderland onwards and upwards.

Considering Roy Keane has transformed Sunderland from relegation certainties into Championship winners in his rookie season, turning one-time byword for haplessness Nyron Nosworthy into an accomplished centre-half in the process, there's no reason to believe Keane can't continue working the oracle and steer Sunderland into the top third of the table by season's end. But, stranger things have happened. At the moment, alphabetical order dictates that Sunderland lie one place above the relegation trapdoor before a ball's been kicked, and many of their more circumspect fans will be content if they finish there.

New names like Greg Halford, Paul McShane, Michael Chopra, Kieran Richardson... names unlikely to strike fear into the hearts of opposing teams. Yet Keane's achievement last season has earned him implicit trust at the Stadium of Light. Keane has finally secured the scrawl of Scotland goalkeeper Craig Gordon, breaking the club's transfer record in the process. Keane doesn't do panic buys and has stated time and again that good character and the ability to pass a football from A to B are the two most important qualities a prospective Sunderland player must demonstrate. This policy has served him well, with the side that won promotion last season doing so playing a lightning-fast pass-and-move, counter-attacking game that left many of their opponents chasing shadows.

Many fans have been complaining about Keane, the footballer's previous in the field of thuggish petulance. It's hardly fair, considering he has been a rock of calm since swapping his jersey for a shirt and tie. Despite what many media caricaturists would have you believe, Keane has always been a thoughtful, intelligent operator blessed with a ready wit, who is not prepared to suffer fools. Sunderland are a club determined to go about things the right way both on and off the field. To date, Keane has only been in charge of a winning team and the first real test of his mettle will coincide with the inevitable losing streak.

If his team stumbles out of the blocks in the Premiership, the fans will be patient, but a good start would give Keane a better chance of luring quality players to the north-east during the next transfer window. A lot done, more to do - wherever the winding road of the season ahead takes Sunderland, their progress will be one of the more fascinating Premiership sub-plots.

In: Paul McShane (£1.5m, West Bromwich Albion), Dickson Etuhu (£1.5m, Norwich City), Kieran Richardson (undisclosed, Manchester United), Michael Chopra (£5m, Cardiff City), Russell Anderson (£1m, Aberdeen), Greg Halford (undisclosed, Reading), Craig Gordon (£9m, Hearts), Kenwyne Jones (£6m, Southampton), Roy O'Donovan (undisclosed, Cork City), Jean-Yves Mvoto (undisclosed, Paris Saint Germain), Rade Prica (£2m, Aalborg BK).
Out: Stephen Wright (Stoke City), Stephen Elliott (Wolverhampton Wanderers), Arnau Riera (Falkirk), Dan Smith (Aberdeen), Jonny Evans (Manchester United), Stern John (Southampton), Stanislav Varga (Burnley).


There comes a time in life when talent and potential has to be realised. For Juande Ramos' young side, this is it.

Last season, Spurs scored 114 league and cup goals, but - tellingly - there's nearly as many that zip past Paul Robinson at the other end. So when people pose the obvious question about Spurs this season - how can they make the great leap forward from fifth to fourth? - there's an obvious answer: defend better.

Last season they conceded 54 goals in 38 Premiership games; only Charlton, Watford, Fulham, West Ham and Middlesbrough were more porous. The return of Ledley King and the signing of Younes Kaboul will certainly make a huge difference, but the back four will need help. Last season, Spurs conceded more goals from outside the box than any other Premiership team; that's the fault of their goalkeeper and central midfielders, not their defenders, and midfield is the place where Spurs certainly need to find a little more - especially from Didier Zokora and Jermaine Jenas. That's certainly not beyond either player. Zokora, who only started to flower last spring, has been flying in pre-season, where Spurs have won all seven of their matches, while Jenas is fast becoming the box-to-box player that Spurs crave.

The same applies to many of Spurs' squad. Aaron Lennon's Roadrunner pace regularly thrills them at the Lane but his crosses rarely evade the first defender. Jermain Defoe, who left for Portsmouth on loan, had the bling-bling attitude but didn't kick it on during the last two years. Steed Malbranque still isn't the player he was before he fell out with Chris Coleman. So it goes. Still, there is much to encourage Spurs fans ahead of the new season. Few teams in the Premiership have a stronger pack of forwards than Dimitar Berbatov, Robbie Keane and Darren Bent, while the squad is stronger and deeper than any time in recent memory.

It's a measure of their progress that they will start the Premiership with talent like Bent, King, Kevin-Prince Boateng and Gareth Bale on the bench or the treatment table. Indeed, with the players they've got, it's not that outlandish to suggest that - given luck and a discovery of a drug that thumps up mental toughness - Spurs could maintain a title challenge past Christmas. They won't, of course: the institutionalised that'll-do-ism is too ingrained for now. Last season when it came to the crunch, Spurs wilted: they won just four points from a possible 24 against the big four, reached two semi-finals but couldn't kick on.

Remember, though, that this team is still incredibly young and there is still time for them to change. But there comes a point in life when potential and talent has to be realised. Spurs fans and football romantics will hope it will be this season. Cynics will need more convincing.

In: Gareth Bale (£5m, Southampton), Darren Bent (£16.5m, Charlton Athletic), Younes Kaboul (£7.5m, AJ Auxerre), Adel Taarabt (undisclosed, RC Lens), Kevin-Prince Boateng (£4.5m, Hertha Berlin), Gilberto (£1.9m, Hertha Berlin), Chris Gunter (£4m, Cardiff City), Jonathan Woodgate (£6m, Middlesbrough).
Out: Reto Ziegler (Sampdoria), Wayne Routledge (Aston Villa), Paul Stalteri (Fulham), Anthony Gardner (Everton), Hossam Ghaly (Derby County), Jermain Defoe (Portsmouth).


Hammers fans may welcome a season that will probably end with the club in mid-table.

If there's one thing that West Ham do well, it's seeing out the season with a bang. In the last four years, their final games have consisted of three finals (two play-offs and an FA Cup) and an escape from relegation. In their first full season without Terry Brown in charge, West Ham finally look like they may be turning into a buying rather than a selling club, with over £20m invested in the likes of Scott Parker, Julien Faubert, Craig Bellamy, Norberto Solano and Freddie Ljungberg. But to balance that out, they've lost Nigel Reo-Coker, as well as the creativity of Yossi Benayoun and Carlos Tevez.

What may be more crucial than any of the players that have moved in or out of Upton Park though, are those returning from injury. Matthew Upson played so rarely after his arrival from Birmingham in last January that his return can almost be treated as a new signing; he will not be able to sail straight back into the team though. James Collins and Anton Ferdinand established a solid central-defensive partnership towards the end of last season and 2005-06 "Hammer Of The Year", Daniel Gabbidon, has also come back from injury to provide competition for places, but it is Dean Ashton's recovery from the ankle injury that kept him out of the whole of last season that is the biggest boost for West Ham. His link-up play, aerial prowess and goalscoring ability should gel well with Bellamy's speed and flair.

Bobby Zamora managed 11 goals in a struggling team last season, and should provide decent back-up, but Carlton Cole is still to score more than five goals in a season and Alan Curbishley should bring in another striker. Another area that Curbishley might want to keep an eye on is youth development. While Ferdinand is established in the first team and Hogan Ephraim and James Tomkins look like decent prospects, it's been a while since the academy produced a Carrick, Lampard or Joe Cole. Mark Noble is probably the closest to emulating those names, after finally fulfilling his promise last year. He can use both feet, is a snappy tackler and can even score the odd decent goal.

Eggert Magnusson has said he intends to invest in youth development, but one of his biggest concerns before the season starts is how the Tevez affair has affected the club's reputation. He is right, of course, there's no doubt that West Ham have been tarnished over the last few months, but that may be no bad thing.

Maybe they can use this as an opportunity to ditch their image of affable also-rans and develop a siege mentality. With the likes of Lee Bowyer, Bellamy and Lucas Neill in the squad, they're certainly nasty enough. So it looks like being a season of consolidation for West Ham then, maybe not as thrilling as recent times, but it beats the hell out of the intricacies of football contract law.

In: Scott Parker (£7m, Newcastle United), Craig Bellamy (£7.5m, Liverpool), Freddie Ljungberg (£3m, Arsenal), Julien Faubert (£6.7m, Bordeaux), Richard Wright (free, Everton), Norberto Solano (undisclosed, Newcastle United), Henri Camara (loan, Wigan Athletic).
Out: Yossi Benayoun (Liverpool), Paul Konchesky (Fulham), Marlon Harewood & Nigel Reo-Coker (Aston Villa), Tyrone Mears (Derby County), Teddy Sheringham (Colchester United).


Wigan fans must hope that Steve Bruce can make them stay at the top flight.

Ever since barging into the Premiership two seasons ago, Paul Jewell's Wigan have revelled in proving their doubters wrong. The only problem is: this is no longer Jewell's Wigan. Replacement Steve Bruce has been in this spot before, and Latics fans can only pray he learnt from the experience. Nevertheless, the squad Bruce takes over is Nicole Ritchie-thin. Wigan fans must be concerned at the number of cracks that haven't even been papered over.

Jason Koumas may be the most expensive new signing, but he should also prove the most canny. With Lee McCulloch departed, Wigan desperately needed fresh attacking impetus in midfield and despite playing much of his career at a lower level Koumas has the talent to trouble top-flight defences. Alongside the 22-year-old winger Antonio Valencia, who returns for a second season's loan, he will offer a spark of creativity to a hard-working but uninspired midfield.

Up front, Emile Heskey may remain a figure of fun to many, but he brought far more embarrassment to opposition defences last term than to his employers, scoring nine and, more importantly, holding up the ball and bringing others into play. Sadly, what could have been an effective partnership with Henri Camara looks to have been dashed as Camara left for West Ham, but the club has signed starlet Marlon King from Watford, who was pretended by a large list of clubs. The depth behind those two looks bad - neither Julius Agahowa nor Caleb Folan look up to standard, though Antoine Sibierski, who scored eight for Newcastle last term, could help.

Defence, however, is the biggest concern, besides a replacement has been found for Leighton Baines, Erik Edman. Alongside him could be three new faces - Andreas Granqvist should start at right-back, and Titus Bramble could pair up in the middle with Mario Melchiot. Melchiot may have performed well at Rennes last season and Bramble has a point to prove after becoming a scapegoat at Newcastle, but to date both have been below-par Premiership performers. The depth is almost non-existent. With very little disparity in talent level between the league's bottom five sides - possibly excluding Derby - Wigan can avoid relegation, but much is going to come down to Bruce.

Jewell cited the emotionally draining nature of the job when standing down. Interestingly, in a league table based only on half-time scores, Wigan would have finished tenth last year. Their second-half form, on the other hand, was the worst in the league. It will be up to Bruce, then, to restore the self-belief and fearlessness that characterised their first year in the league, a side that drove home advantages rather than letting them slip in a nervous bid to hang on.

In: Titus Bramble & Antoine Sibierski (free, Newcastle United), Mario Melchiot (free, Charlton Athletic), Andreas Granqvist (undisclosed, Helsingborgs), Jason Koumas (£5.3m, West Bromwich Albion), Michael Brown (undisclosed, Fulham), Antonio Valencia (loan, Villarreal).
Out: Arjan de Zeeuw (Coventry City), Lee McCulloch (Rangers), Leighton Baines (Everton), Henri Camara (West Ham United), Carlo Nash (Stoke City), David Cotterill (Sheffield United), Andy Webster (Rangers).

[kibaxx7]

:: Season Preview | Part 5 | Predictions ::

[Mark.]

Nice, predictions seem fair

[kibaxx7]

.:: Sagna and Eboue out of opener
The defenders won't take part in the game against Fulham

After Arsenal medical staff made some exams, it was confirmed that defenders Bacary Sagna and Emmanuel Eboué will miss the match at Emirates Stadium against Roy Hodgson's Fulham.

Sagna and Eboue are the second and third Arsenal players to suffer an injury in the preseason - Theo Walcott injured his ankle in the LG Amsterdam Tournament against Ajax and will also miss the season opener.

Speaking to Arsenal TV Online today, Arsène Wenger revealed Sagna suffered strained medial ligaments and will be out for 2 weeks. That means he will also miss the second game of the season against Newcastle United. Eboue had problems with his left adductor and there's hope he will play against the Magpies.

Wenger confirmed: "Sagna will miss both games; Eboue will be available against Newcastle, if nothing happens; and about Walcott, there's still hope he will play at St. James' Park."

[kibaxx7]

Nice, predictions seem fair

Yep I think the same. Thanks for checking

Guys there's the last Arsenal.com news... bad news.

[Cartar]

Top notch recap, sad to see Sagna and Eboué go down, luckily not for very long, but still I think you can take Fulham easily.

[Martti.]

Superb work here. Predictions look good, same like me. Well, at least the Top 5.

Hope you wont be infected by the injuries.

[kibaxx7]

Top notch recap, sad to see Sagna and Eboué go down, luckily not for very long, but still I think you can take Fulham easily.

Thanks for checking... I think we have the names to beat Fulham.

Superb work here. Predictions look good, same like me. Well, at least the Top 5.

Hope you wont be infected by the injuries.

Yes, hope no one gets injured against the Cottagers.

[Mark.]

Tough break with the injuries, but Hoyte should be able to step up at RB hopefully.

[kibaxx7]

.:: Wenger: "We want to prove our critics wrong"
"If you come within our squad, you will see that there is a big contrast."

.:: Van Persie: "Walcott's ready to hit the 'big time'"
"I like Theo has a person. He is a young man but I think he has big, big ambitions."

.:: Eduardo - The player whose example I'll follow
"I have been here one month and everything is getting better and better."

.:: Wenger hands captain's armband to Gallas
Arsène: "I feel centre back is always the best position to lead on the pitch."

.:: Hodgson debuts at Fulham
Can the Cottagers start the season with a defeat of Arsenal?

[kibaxx7]

[GoHornets]

God, Fulham has a terrible ofensive force.
I'm sure you'll win this one, looks pretty easy

[kibaxx7]

Tough break with the injuries, but Hoyte should be able to step up at RB hopefully.

Yeah I think he can make a good job. If not I can move Touré to RB and bring up Senderos from the bench.

God, Fulham has a terrible ofensive force.
I'm sure you'll win this one, looks pretty easy

Thanks man, yes it looks easy, hope we can make a good difference.

Guys tell me what you think about the Match Programme!

[Mark.]

Nice presentation of the pre game stuff mate, good luck for the game, it shouldn't be too tough.

[Martti.]

Looks like a win-game. Astonishing pre-match articles there..

[kibaxx7]

Nice presentation of the pre game stuff mate, good luck for the game, it shouldn't be too tough.

Thanks Yes I think we have the most chances to win the game.

Looks like a win-game. Astonishing pre-match articles there..

Thanks a lot