11. Stoke City. “Tony Pulis will be confident his side can forget about last season’s off-the-pitch troubles and improve upon their league position. Even if it won’t be particularly fun for the rest of us to watch.”
Well I was right that it wouldn’t be fun to watch. Pulis even went so far as to sell their only flair player Sanli Tuncay in mid-season, and the Welshman shows no signs of wanting to change their robust and agricultural style. Should he? That’s open to debate. But for the loss of morale following the FA Cup final defeat, Stoke could have finished in the top half this season.
12. Bolton Wanderers. “The signing of the direct and talented Petrov in particular is sure to improve their fortunes, if he can stay fit. Don’t expect Bolton to trouble the top half of the table, but they’ll secure survival with some time to spare.”
Petrov’s contribution was fluctuant this season, and a far more important signing was the January capture of Daniel Sturridge, whose goals in a poor run of form for his team prevented them from going into freefall. Owen Coyle’s men finished the season poorly and although 14th is safe enough, the Scot faces an important summer. If they start next season the way they ended this one, Bolton could find themselves in serious trouble.
13. Fulham. “With Danny Murphy celebrating his 34th birthday this season, Hughes will also be hoping to keep the fulcrum of the team in good shape. It should be a season of transition for Fulham, but I don’t expect them to be in any serious trouble at any point.”.
For the first few months of the season Fulham did indeed look like a side in transition, but their second half of the season was so strong that they eventually finished 8th. Mark Hughes had an impressive first season in charge of the Cottagers, and will get a chance to recreate their Europa League run under Roy Hodgson next season – albeit via the Fair Play route, which will see them back for pre-season training as early as late June.
14. Wolverhampton Wanderers. “In Hunt and Mouyokolo, Wolves have also snapped up pretty much the only two Hull players fit for purpose. After his Sunderland aberration, McCarthy is finally rebuilding his Premier League reputation. I don’t expect Wolves to be in any serious peril this season.”
What? They stayed up, didn’t they? My definition of ‘serious peril’ must be different to yours… Alright, Wolves were within three minutes of being relegated until Stephen Hunt’s glorious curler against Blackburn saved their skins, and Mick McCarthy’s reputation as a solid top flight manager is hardly secure. Next season they simply have to do better, for the nerves of their fans if nothing else.
15. Wigan Athletic. “I expect Wigan to play some neat stuff at home and trouble some of the league’s bigger hitters, but they’ll be too easy to beat to make a significant improvement on last season.”
Roberto Martínez’s men were once again too easy to beat, but they didn’t cause much trouble to the big sides this season, winning just one point from eight games against the eventual top four. Survival was only secured on the final day of the season, and they pushed it so close it’s easy to imagine them having gone down. Martínez has made many changes to the club as a whole since his appointment, including revamping the youth system, but a repeat of this season on the pitch could see them down next time around.
16. Blackburn Rovers. “Limited manoeuvring in the transfer market this summer could mean Blackburn are facing a tough season. They should be strong enough at home to survive, but there will be a few uncomfortable moments for Blackburn this season.”
Rovers eventually survived by four points, and would have stayed up even if they’d have lost at Wolves. The fact that it got to the final day at all, having been in a strong position in January, should be a worry for manager Steve Kean. If the Scot hangs on to his job, it’ll be interesting to see how he spends Venky’s money – and even more interesting to see how much of it there is.
17. Birmingham City. “I think Birmingham are facing a real struggle this season. The loss of Joe Hart will hit them hard, and I’d be surprised if Nikola Zigic hit more than five goals in his debut Premier League season.”
Ben Foster acquitted himself well enough, but Zigic’s poor form early on, as well as his injury problems, prevented him from rising above the five-goal mark. Those two issues didn’t see them relegated though – the loss of key players to injury, plus a loss of form following the Carling Cup final that could be attributed to mental exhaustion or complacency either way, resulted in their downfall. They will be back within a season or two, I’m sure.
18. Newcastle United. “I think the winning mentality they honed in the second tier will only take them so far in the Premier League. Simply put, I don’t see where the goals are going to come from. Andy Carroll – apart from being an objectionable character – is not a proven Premier League goalscorer.”
Looking at their league position, Newcastle’s season could almost have been mistaken for being a fairly unremarkable journey towards bland mid-table. That would be discounting the many highlights, lowlights and talking points, however, and as far as my prediction goes I got it pretty badly wrong. Andy Carroll – personality aside – scored 11 goals before his £35m departure to Liverpool in January, and Kevin Nolan’s 12 strikes saw them safe, with help from modest contributions from Leon Best, Peter Lovenkrands and Shola Ameobi. The Newcastle board promised fans the Carroll money will be reinvested in the summer – if it’s done, and done right, next season could be a good one for the Toon.
19. West Bromwich Albion. “Unfortunately for West Brom, I think the inexperience of their manager is going to cost them. While Di Matteo has been successful in every management job so far, none of them have been in the pressure cooker of the Premier League.”
Well, the board clearly felt that way as well. Di Matteo was sacked in February with the Baggies wobbling, and Roy Hodgson steered them to safety in impressive fashion, losing just two of his twelve games in charge as West Brom cruised to safety.
20. Blackpool. “Charlie Adam was sensational in the Championship and it’ll be interesting to see how the Scottish playmaker gets on in the top flight. All in all, though, Blackpool’s lack of investment over the summer leaves them needing another unlikely run of form to defy the odds this season. It’s not impossible, but it’s certainly unlikely, and I expect them to go down without as much as a whimper.”
You could pay Blackpool many compliments for their remarkable tilt at survival, and another one would be that they most certainly went out with a bang. An unlikely run of form they certainly had in the first few months of the season, but although their stretched squad battled gamely to survive as the season drew to a close, they unfortunately found their natural level too many times. A side made up largely of players who expected to start this season in the second tier, they frequently managed to appear more than the sum of their parts, inspired by a man who is clearly a great motivator of underdogs. I wouldn’t back Ian Holloway at a bigger club, but it’s hard to write this Blackpool off an instant return to the Premier League – particularly if their Sky money and parachute payments are invested well.
