The official season 04/05 thread

1. Arsenal (if Vieira stays)
2. Liverpool
3. Chelski
4. Man Yoo
5. Newcastle
6. Middlesboro
7. Brum

18. Palace
19. Man City
20. Norwich

Top Scorer:
Owen - He's going to stay injury free and will be on fire this year.

SPL:
Rangers By 2 points

Champions League:
AC Milan

Meanwhile, out in the real world, teams that are not multi-million pound corporate cross-marketed plot losing soap operas are about to start the football season!!!

Anyone noticed that there is life (and often better entertainment) outside the Premier League???

Make some predictions there and let's see how much you really know!!!

Mike

OK (sorry Mr Lees)

Villa top six.

Top scorer Juan Pablo.

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Anyone noticed that there is life (and often better entertainment) outside the Premier League???

Make some predictions there and let's see how much you really know!!!

Mike

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Burnley with a new manager and substantially revised (although small) squad must be better than the 400-1 offered by totesports to win the Championship (formerly the first division or the old second division). I took some of this action, each way, although I think it's more likely they will finish mid-table.

Other than that ... Leeds to finish nowhere and West Ham for promotion.

Steve Margolis
defy convention - make music

"Anyone noticed that there is life (and often better entertainment) outside the Premier League???"

Yes.

"Make some predictions there and let's see how much you really know!!!"

Last Year I correctly predicted promotions for QPR, (and I was nearly right about Bristol City) and Hull City and that Chester would win the Conference.

Matthew

Come on, Matthew. I've shown you mine, now show me yours...

Davie

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Originally posted by Bhoyo:
Come on, Matthew. I've shown you mine, now show me yours...

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Are you sure you don't want to change your SPL prediction?

Arsenal Have never retained the title but sheer talent may make up for it. 1st
Chelski Failed to buy the title last season. Hopefully they will fail again. 2nd
Liverpool Huge improvement up front compared to last year. Huge improvement in the dugout compared to last year. 3rd
ManU Apalling second half of last season and Smiffy is no goalscorer. The decline continues. Probably win it now. 4th
Boro Top class strikers added to the existing high quality midfield and defence. 5th
Newcastle Shearer can't last forever. 6th
Birmingham Probably edge out tight fisted Villa. 7th
Down.
The three promoted sides are favourites but Everton will put in a big push to edge out West Brom.
Baggies
Norwich
Palace
Leading scorer: Henry - but look out for 'Jib' Cisse.
SPL:
Rangers. No Henric no title and thrashings by Chelsea and Liverpool don't bode well for the bhoys.
Champions League:
Liverpool. OK AC Milan then.

Top
Arse (by about 8 points)
Chelsea
Newcastle
Manure
Birmingham
Liverpool

Down
Tottenham
Middlesboro
Everton

I have money on Leeds to be relegated again and for Tranmere to be promoted from Division One (or whatever it's called now).

Scotch Premier isn't worth betting on for obvious reasons.

[This message was edited by BrianD on Tue 27 July 2004 at 15:53.]

Brian,

Newcastle third and Boro relegated. You're not a Newcastle fan are you Brian?

DLF,

I am a Newcastle fan actually, but I don't have any axe to grind with Middlesboro because as any Sunderland fan will tell you, the local rivalry is between Newcastle and Sunderland. Middlesboro's local rivals are Hartlepool, it is only Middlesboro supporters who like to claim rivalry with Newcastle and Sunderland. That stems from an inherent inferiority complex which is understandable. The media don't know any better because they're mainly cockneys who probably don't know where Middlesboro is anyway, so they refer to these matches as local derbies.

I have this feeling that these players they're signing are over the hill. The only thing that may save them is Southgate and Ehiogu, although getting on as well they are two very good defenders imo.

As for Newcastle finishing 3rd, it's entirely possible given that it last happened only 2 seasons ago, I'm putting last seasons poor performances from certain young players down to things that happen during the development of young players. At least that's what I'm hoping because if they weren't underperforming it means they're rubbish and it may be Newcastle for relegation.

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Champions League:
Liverpool. OK AC Milan then.

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[This message was edited by BrianD on Tue 27 July 2004 at 15:55.]

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Originally posted by Steve G:
Are you sure you don't want to change your SPL prediction?

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It could have been worse. I was thinking of going to one or two of these disastrous games over here!

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Originally posted by Bhoyo:
It could have been worse. I was thinking of going to one or two of these disastrous games over here!

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Only two more to go...

Chelsea

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Originally posted by Steve G:
Only two more to go...

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Things didn't look too bad in the first half against Chelsea. Then they brought on the subs. There was UKP 100 million worth on the Chelsea bench, and about four bob's worth in green and white.

As far as Chelsea goes, they're going to be amazing when they mesh, which they will, because Mourinho is probably the best coach in Europe.

Kezman and Robben are going to rip teams apart. God knows what they'll be like when Drogba and Tiago are also playing. There are going to be some big name bench-warmers at Stamford Bridge this season (including Parker, Cole, Duff, Johnson and Cudicini).

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Originally posted by Bhoyo:
_Chelsea_

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Originally posted by Steve G:
Only two more to go...

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Things didn't look too bad in the first half against Chelsea. Then they brought on the subs. There was UKP 100 million worth on the Chelsea bench, and about four bob's worth in green and white.

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I didn't think 4-2 against Chelsea was any disgrace but the 5-1 (going on 10-1) from Liverpool was a different matter. Celtic can still put out a decent 1st 11 but the bench looks very weak indeed and if any players get injured...

At the moment I don't think there is much between the old-firms 1st team sides but Rangers do look to have a stronger squad as things stand currently, which is bizzare when you consider the situation last season.

Celtic have lost Larsson, Mjalby, Miller and Jamie Smith plus Kennedy and Maloney are out for a while yet. According to the reports I've read Laursen has been appalling in the pre-season games so far as has Valgaeren (who's finished IMHO). Lambert is also more or less gone as well so that's a lot of players to lose with no replacements, and even if replacements do arrive they'll have missed most of the pre-season. I think Celtic are beginning to look a little bit like our 9 in a row team did in the end - old and tired.

Rangers still need a few players (left back, left mid, creative central mid) but the gap (if there still is one) has narrowed a lot.

With that time waster Vieira off to Madrid I'm now feeling much more confident.

I am delaying my predictions to see what happens on the Viera front.

Matthew

This thread has started too early - once the dust has settled on the transfers then we can predict.

I'm confident enough to predict that even if Vieira goes Arse will still win the league, it just might be by 6 points or so instead of 8 or more.

Next summer will be interesting when other players follow Vieira and Wenger buggers off as well. I said as much to an arse fan on a train to London last week about Wenger, they won't collapse when Wenger goes, but they'll be hard pushed to replace him with someone who'll keep it going. They might just become an ordinary top 6 team instead of being miles better than the rest.

As long as we buy someone as good as Maniche, say, then Vieira going won't make a difference so long as Wenger really is a brilliant manager and convinces the rest of the team that it won't make a difference.

I don't think Arsenal, Man U or Chelsea can win the League, for one reason or another, but nor can anyone else so I'm a bit stuck.

So Brian, 12 months time enter O'Leary; 24 months time enter the Baillifs. . .

PS going down:

18 Palace
19 WBA
20 Spurs

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12 months time enter O'Leary

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That should give you some sleepless nights.

I'm keeping my fingers crossed that you're right about Tottenham. I had money on them going down last season but they fluked it and let me down.

Spurs Down! Spurs Down! Spurs Down!

Sorry guys but as long as Spurs have players who know where the goal is - like Defoe, Keane and Kanoute - they won't go down.

Steve Margolis
defy convention - make music

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Originally posted by 7V:
Sorry guys but as long as Spurs have players who know where the goal is - like Defoe, Keane and Kanoute - they won't go down.

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According to other Rangers fans Spurs looked pretty crap last night and a 2-0 defeat flattered them. There were also no real signs that any of their players "know where the goal is"...

Kanoute is hopeless. He scores goals in little bursts of 3 or 4 in 5 games about twice a season creating the impressin to the casual observer that he is a good player. The rest of the time he is lazy and useless.

Having a manager who only took the job for the money, can't beat Greece with a side containing 3 or 4 of the world great players and think's Silvan Wiltord is a better right sided midfield player than Robert Pires should be more of a concern for Sp*rs fans thant strikers though.

Matthew