EPL: Revising the Preseason Predictions (Part One)

Sunderland

What I said: After an absolutely abysmal run in the EPL three seasons ago, newly promoted Sunderland finished 15th in the table last season. Roy Keane has some serious competitive fire in him, and Sunderland will surprise some people. There are some seriously talented pieces in place on this squad.

How the club has proven me wrong: I may have overestimated Roy Keane's managerial talents. He's since moved on, but the club has shown a little bit of fight this season. Djibril Cisse has been enough to make them reasonably competitive.

Tottenham

What I said: Tottenham always seem to not quite meet expectations. Every year, they hope to break into the top four, and every year, they fall short. New coach Juande Ramos will bring more of the same this season, but perhaps more promise for the long term.

How the club has proven me wrong: The Juande Ramos era was an abject failure. Before he was sacked, it looked like Spurs could have been headed for relegation.

West Brom

What I said: West Brom has just enough talent to stay up. Luke Moore and Craig Beattie will be key to their survival.

How the club has proven me wrong: West Brom has nowhere near enough talent to stay up. My mistake.

West Ham

What I said: Dean Ashton looked very dangerous against a quality MLS All-Star team this summer. If he stays healthy, the Hammers might be competitive in the domestic cups. They are still a mid-table Premier League team, though.

How the club made me look like a genius: Dean Ashton has been a non-factor, but the Hammers have gotten scoring contributions from many other players. A diverse attack is keeping them in the middle of the pack.

Wigan

What I said: Wigan is a scrappy little bunch who have managed to stay afloat in the EPL for a few seasons now. I expect more of the same out of this squad. They won’t wow anybody, but their style of play will disrupt some of the flashier teams enough for them to steal a point here and there.

How the club has proven me wrong: They didn't let four straight losses in weeks 7-10 demoralize them. Instead, they've gotten great play up front from Amr Zaki, who is so far the acquisition of the season.

So there you have it. Some predictions were more wayward than a John Terry penalty, some were as close as Arshavin is to moving from Zenit, and some were a perfect match like Mark Viduka and pie.

In part two, I'll analyze the rest of the preseason predictions; Surprise package, disappointment, Golden Boot, best buy, and biggest bargain. I'll also make a few more predictions for the second half of the season, so be sure to tune in!

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