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Number 9

Season Predictions

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Now the window is closed squads have taken shape we are in a better position to have educated guesses about who will finish where.

I do understand that it may take a few games for new players to gel, but at least we know who those players ate.

Norwich to finish top ten.

Man City / Tottenham / Chelski & United top 4

Newcastle, Sunderland, Palace relegated

Happy days

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Chelsea Man CityMan UnitedArsenalSpursLiverpoolAston VillaEvertonSouthamptonNorwichSwansea West HamFulhamStoke CityCardiffWest BromNewcastleSunderlandHull Palace

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Reading, Liverpool & Spurs have spent a lot, bought some decent players, can''t see Arsenal beating them to fourth spot this season.

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It''s absolutely mental for people to think United won''t even get top 4 with an improved squad on what they WON the league last year with. Unbelievable!

Liverpool won''t get top 4, who would they replace realistically? Both Arsenal and Tottenham are stronger than them. Maybe 5th and that would be a very good season for them.

I think it will be between United and City for the title. I can''t see where Chelsea are going to get there goals from as they don''t have a striker who will get them 20+ goals this season.

We''ll finish around 12th I reckon, Swansea and Southampton will both have good seasons.

For the drop I reckon it will be between Palace, Sunderland, West Brom and Hull.

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United had loads of luck last year, and I don''t see that happening twice. RvP has a rich history of getting injured when his team needs him most. And Moyes is no SAF. Totally realistic to see them dropping massive points.

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I think Sideshow bob will play at the expense of cleverly, and I also think Cleverly is very underrated by many football fans, including the mancs. I don''t see united as improved compared to last season, whereas all the others from the top 5/6 have, although a team like arsenal haven''t improved enough.

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None of you have City near the drop zone, cant be bad. The new look team / squad must be filling you all with confidence.

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My guess is that we shall finish about 11th. We have a much better squad, but we are vulnerable to injuries, especially to Bassong and Ruddy or Fer. We had the glorious run last autumn, and then we struggled. We have already lost Benno.

 

If we remain free of serious or long-term injury then I think a comfortable mid-table finish is on. We have a much improved squad, especially going forward, but most other EPL teams have improved their squads, so our relative position has not changed much. I can''t see us beating Arsenal, Spurs, Man City or Liverpool, but I think that we could struggle against even lesser teams like Villa, Swansea or Cardiff.

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[quote user="PortlandCanary"]United had loads of luck last year, and I don''t see that happening twice. RvP has a rich history of getting injured when his team needs him most. And Moyes is no SAF. Totally realistic to see them dropping massive points.[/quote]

I agree.  It is a cliché that United won the league without playing particularly well much of the time and that is a trick which is hard to sustain.

 

I am also not convinced that United have an improved squad.   With Ferdinand, Evra and Giggs a year old and no real replacements coming through and we saw a very ordinary Fellaini a couple of weeks ago.

 

It is early days but there are straws in the wind.  The petulance and frustration they showed against Chelsea and Liverpool speak of a fragility and arrogance that was not there last season.  Van Persie should have been sent off for his elbow of the Chelsea player and other lost concentration when things were not going their way.   Discipline could be as a big a problem as injuries.   And Rooney has come out full of fighting talk and commitment to the cause hasn''t he?

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A lot depends on injuries. Yes West Ham look light with Carroll out, but if he was back playing, they may look a bit better.

Likewise if Bassong, Ruddy or Fer were injured for us, we''d look fragile. We had obvious gaps versus Hull but a near full strength line up versus Southampton and the difference was massive.

This will be the same for the title race. I honestly believe anyone of the Manchesters, Arsenal, Spurs, Chelsea or Liverpool could challenge and the ones that stay mostly injury free will be the top four. From there down to about 18th, it''s anyones game with the same thing said about injuries. Hull and Palace i think will go down unless two teams from that middle group struggle with injuries/ off the field problems etc.

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You don''t get 89 points in a season (could have been more if needed) and win the league by being "lucky". That''s a ridiculous comment. Not playing well and winning is entirely different and is what you get when you have match winners in your team who can do one piece of magic to win you the game.

As for RvP injury record, yes he''s had injury problems in the past but has been fine for the last 2 and a half years, but making a prediction based on a teams best player getting injured is just stupid. Like the poster said above, anyones players can get injured and that can have a massive influence on a teams season. For example how would Barca fair if Messi got injured? How would we cope if Bassong and RvW were ruled out of the rest of the season? (probably in his mind when buying hooper)

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[quote user="Number 9"]Reading, Liverpool & Spurs have spent a lot, bought some decent players, can''t see Arsenal beating them to fourth spot this season.[/quote]Reading???

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With Fergie retired, I think the challenge for the top spot will be a lot more interesting this year, and I find it impossible to predict who will be champions. As for us, I think we will finish somewhere around mid table - I have no fear of relegation.

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I was surpsrised Chelsea let Lukaku go but I think they will be a bit ahead of Man City, then Man Utd with Arsenal and Spurs close behind them. Liverpool will cause problems for many but I don''t see them long term being right at the top. Everton could do well, also Swansea again.

 

I see us 14th/15th. While we have strengthened so have many others, the key will be the approach of the various managers in getting their teams set up right and gelling. Following the Saints result, and getting that first win earlier than previous Prem seasons, we now need to see a prolonged spell of more adventurous football from CH to suit the more attacking players he has bought.

 

I favour Hull to stay up, I like the look of their teamsheet and they gave Man City a real fright. Relegation for me between Cardiff, Palace, Newcastle, Sunderland and despite their good season last time, West Brom. Outsiders to get drawn in could be Fulham.

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[quote user="Manchester Canary"]You don''t get 89 points in a season (could have been more if needed) and win the league by being "lucky". That''s a ridiculous comment. Not playing well and winning is entirely different and is what you get when you have match winners in your team who can do one piece of magic to win you the game.

As for RvP injury record, yes he''s had injury problems in the past but has been fine for the last 2 and a half years, but making a prediction based on a teams best player getting injured is just stupid. Like the poster said above, anyones players can get injured and that can have a massive influence on a teams season. For example how would Barca fair if Messi got injured? How would we cope if Bassong and RvW were ruled out of the rest of the season? (probably in his mind when buying hooper)[/quote]

As we saw last season, you absolutely CAN get 89 points and win the league by being lucky. The luck didn''t just come from MU''s performance, it came in the poor form from the other title contenders as well. City and Chelsea under performed and failed to provide a real threat. This was obvious early on. And having watched nearly every MU game last season, I can say that they were extremely lucky to come away with three points on a number of occasions. This is hardly an outrageous claim; if anything it''s a common opinion.

RvPs propensity for knee trouble is also valid. He''s their biggest goal threat. Welbeck is hardly a replacement, and who can say how Rooney will fair this season with one eye on the door? Bad knees do not age well, and the clock is relentless. Yes, like you said, a lot of teams have key players who could be injured. But RvP won them the title last year. Do you think they could possibly win without him?

So lets go over this again:

-No Fergie

-No additions to the club (that matter)

-An aging defense with little in the way of depth

-An injury prone striker who has been injury free for two seasons

-Want-away Rooney

-Competition is greatly improved

-Early signs of discipline problems

Looks like a recipe for a Fall From Grace Cake.

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So you think United got "lucky" in a number of games last season. Let me remind you that the season is over 38 games and in those 38 games yes they would have been fortunate to win a few, but also they would have been unlucky to either draw or lose the games. Over a 38 game season you cannot simply get lucky and win a title, what are the odds on that? It''s not like every game they won they won with a dodgy penalty or a deflected 30 yard strike. As for their rivals, 89 points would have won the league in the last 7 seasons. So it''s irrelevant how every else does.

As for Van Persie you are right in saying that he has had past injury problems and they could come back, but until he gets injured I don''t think you could factor that into your prediction. As equally David Silva or Kompany say could break their leg next week and end up out for the season. RvP didn''t win United the league, he contributed massively yes, but United have won the league with a similar squad without RvP a few years before and became a minute away from winning the league the year before.

As for Rooney, if he was so desperate to leave United he would have done already. When you''re out on the pitch your mind would be fully focussed on the game, and we saw at Swansea that he played well when coming on as a sub.

Some factors such as their rivals being strengthened could contribute towards them not regaining their title this season, but to suggest that they will not even get in the top 4 (roughly 20+ points drop from last season) is mad.

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In the words of the great Lebowski, "That''s just like, your opinion man."

:)

Of course no one knows what the season has in store. My prediction is that MU will not do well. We shall see.

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Portland

 

I really hope you''re right.  The thing is, under SAF ManU had the knack of often winning games without playing well.  It wasn''t coincidence, much of it was that they would continue plugging away in those games and get the breakthrough even though it wasn''t a good performance overall.

 

One thing I noticed seeing Norwich play them at Old Trafford the last couple of seasons was the quality of the crosses they were putting in.  Whereas for us, all too often a cross is over/under hit and harmless,  they would consistently put in quality crosses that put the defence under pressure almost every time, and eventually that produces results.  When we went there under Lambert, we did really well and had much the better chances for the first half and start of the second, but failed to take any, and it was a poor United performance.  But they kept plugging away and it was no surprise when eventually we conceded.

 

Their transfer dealings in this window were a bit of a shambles.  But they did end up getting Fellaini in.  Now, I heard a lot of comment from Utd fans that he is not a "United type player".  Well, personally I think he''s the sort of presence they have been missing and could add a lot.

 

On the flip side, it''s a big change for David Moyes to move from the low profile setup at Everton, to the expectation of trophies every season.

 

So I''m sitting on the fence on this one, I hope they go into a Liverpool-like decline but I wouldn''t be surprised if they do well.

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