^Soon to be vacant ? Paul Ince has just got the job. He'll get a year at least. David Moyes has just signed a new contract. It will take more than one bad season to oust him.
Moyes hasn't signed yet, he's getting no backing from the board, and has a paper thin squad. The club is in serious unrest. I should I think he's more likely to walk rather than be pushed.
Ince is untried and may well be out of his depth. He's reportedly failed to convince the squad so far. If they have a bad start to the season, the board might kneejerk him out.
Some predicions.
1. Chelsea. By far the biggest and best squad. They were so close to a treble last season with a limited manager. If Scolari proves his quality, they can go all the way.
2. Mancs. Ronaldo out for two months, and perhaps still off to Madrid, and some early injuries and suspentions might mean they have a slow start. I think they might be worried about their depth in defence after Pique's exit and might be short up front, but they still have the quality to mount a serious challenge.
3/4 Arsenal and Liverpool, but I'm not sure in what order. If Liverpool can continue where they left off, they might challenge past Christmas, but if Arsenal's young signings can step up, they could sneak ahead. Still perhaps worries about squad depth, particularly in defence. On the other hand, Eduardo's return could mean they get stronger as the season progresses. I think the top four will be closer than we've seen for a long time.
5. Man City. A good manager, a good defence and a good attack. They need to avoid the second half slump. I think they'll still be some way off fourth.
6. Pompey. I fancy them this year. Crouch and Defoe should strike up a good partnership.
7. Villa. Still going to score bucket loads, even if they loose Barry and have Bouma out for a while. Friedel is an upgrade on Carson.
8. Spurs. Still don't have a reliable defence or any steel in midfield. Should do better than last year though.
9. West Ham. Providing Bellamy and Ashton stay fit. They played some truly awful football and still managed tenth, so I don't forsee problems. They lack the quality for Europe imo.
10. Blackburn. Losing Bently and especially Friedel is a big loss, so they need Robbo to step up and regain his form. I think Brad was worth a lot of points to them last season. Question marks over Ince, but they shouldn't be in any real trouble if they play to their capabilities.
11. Everton. I think they will have a tough job matching their 5th place from last season. No midfield to speak of, and a very thin squad.
12. Newcastle. Another year of uncertainty over the manager and the ownership beckons.
13. Fulham. Should have an easier time of it.
14. Sunderland. Keane's improved the squad, but goals might remain a problem.
15. Wigan.
16. Middlesbrough. Some good players, but I think Southgate will regret no buying a goalkeeper.
17. West Brom. I think they have more about them, and have a decent manager. Should manage it, just.
18. Bolton. Megson made them hard to beat, but I don't think they'll get enough goals to stay up. They may regret blowing their chance in Europe last season. It could be their last for a long time.
19. Hull. Some decent signings, but I can't see them staying up.
20. Stoke. I don't think they have anything like enough quality. They might do better than Derby, though that's skant consolation.
