With less than fourteen days to go until the opening of the English Premier season I thought it was a good time to look at the prospects for each team. Yesterday I looked at the likely relegation battle candidates and today I will look at those tams who are destined to be middle of the table
With the transfer window still four weeks away the prospects for many teams will rise and fall on who is added or leaves between now and then. But with the current rosters, this is how I see the battle for the Premier League going in 2008-2009.
Mid-Table Candidates
The mid-table candidates are those from position 10-14 who are not in any danger of being relegated but also have little realistic chance of qualifying for Europe. The teams in this group include Sunderland, West Ham, Blackburn, Fulham, and Middlesbrough.
Sunderland and Middlesbrough were both involved in the relegation battle last year to some degree and I think they have both strengthened there teams this off-season. Middlesbrough has been able to keep some of their good young players like Stewart Downing and new signing Afonso Alves looks like he could be the reliable goal scorer that Boro have been looking for since Mark Viduka left.
Roy Keane has installed a revolving door at the Stadium of Light as he tries to find the combination to make Sunderland a regular Premier League member. Singing half of the Spurs team is an unusual way to move your team forward but I think that Teemu Tainio and Steed Malbranque will really help Sunderland this year while El-Hadji Diouf is someone who can help with some goals while Kenwyne Jones recovers from his knee injury.
It was a miracle that Fulham stayed up last year and manager Roy Hodgson will be looking to consolidate in the 2008/09 campaign which I think he will do. Fulham have been extremely active in the transfer market as Hodgson looks to reverse the disappointing signings of former manager Lawrie Sanchez last year.
Assuming the signing of Andy Johnson from Everton goes through; Hodgson has got himself a center forward who is a proven goal scorer in the Premier League.
I admit I am not an Alan Curbishley fan. I think that another mid-table season for the Hammers is where West ham will end up. It know that Hammers fans will say that with a full season from Bellamy, Ashton and Parker that West ham will finish higher than 10th, but I don’t see it. I expect that Curbs will find a way to keep West ham solidly in the middle of the pack.
Blackburn are a team that has overachieved the last couple of seasons under Mark Hughes and I think that Paul Ince will struggle a little in his first season as a Premier League manager. The loss of David Bentley to Spurs will not make his job any easier and if Roque Santa Cruz is sold in the next four weeks then Ince’s job will get even harder.
I cannot see Blackburn falling into the relegation battle, but I expect them to slip several places this season.
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