So, here we go again after what has seemed an interminable summer spent trying to fill the unfillable gap left by the absence of World Cup or European Championship action. Wimbledon doesn’t quite do it for me, largely due to the crowd populated by 50 something housewives complete with HRT patches and minor celebrities on freebie outings. The Open takes care of just four days, and the Ashes series really hasn’t captured the interest of the nation in quite the same manner as in 2005.
As a result, the return of the Football league last weekend was a blessed relief, and there was no shortage of talking points, including pre-season League One favourites Norwich City suffering their heaviest ever home defeat in a 7-1 capitulation to Colchester, a thumping 5-0 victory for Sven Goran Eriksson’s Notts.County (I’ll never get used to saying that) following their astute summer acquisitions, and first blood to Clough in the second generation of Clough/Ferguson battles as Derby beat Championship new-boys Peterborough. The Championship also promises to be just as tightly contested a division as in recent years as no fewer than eight of the opening weekend’s twelve fixtures ended in draws.
The Premiership joins in the fun this weekend, and there are plenty of imponderables as we take a look at the opening round of fixtures:
1) Chelsea v Hull: This fixture marked one of Hull’s more praiseworthy performances last season as they held on grimly for a 0-0 draw, but having been snubbed by most of their favoured transfer options this summer, and having finished last season with just one win from their last 22 League matches, you have to fear for their chances of survival this time around. Chelsea have inevitably strengthened yet again, and look set for another serious title challenge, so a home win, and a heavy one at that, has to be the logical call. I was going to say it could be a long winter for Phil Brown, but will he even last the rest of the summer?
2) Aston Villa v Wigan: It is anybody’s guess as to how well Roberto Martinez will cope in his first attempt at management in the Premiership, but if he is able to transfer the skills and manner he displayed during an impressive spell with Swansea, then the future looks bright for him. His new charges have an enviable record to uphold at Villa Park, having remained unbeaten in their four League visits, however, Martin O’Neill will be all too keen to get off to a flying start, having witnessed how close his team came to breaking into the Top Four last season, only for their form to dip just when the prize was in sight. Villa’s major signing, Stewart Downing, will not be available for several weeks, though, and it is therefore to be taken on trust that youngster Fabian Delph can fill Gareth Barry’s boots at the club. I expect Wigan to give this one a real go. If
they do, they have a decent chance of extending their proud run at Villa Park.
3) Blackburn v Man.City: Not the sort of pre-season you expect when you have spent many millions on headline-grabbing summer signings. City only managed to win a single game, which was against a Celtic side weakened due to their midweek exploits in Moscow, and a number of City fans will be fearing much humiliation to come despite (or perhaps due to) their new-found wealth. Their hosts on Saturday haven’t exactly set the pulses racing over the summer either, and have injury concerns heading into this fixture as well. I think it is vital for City to get off to a good start so that self-doubt doesn’t take hold early on, but they will need to gain their first victory in this fixture since 2003 if that is to occur. It’s a tough call, but you would have to imagine that if their new signings play to their potential, they should be able to manage a victory.
4) Bolton v Sunderland: I would imagine that this match will see a distinct change of fortune for the visitors, who have not managed to even score a goal at the Reebok in their last three attempts. Only Middlesbrough scored fewer Premiership goals than Sunderland last season, but the summer signings of Fraizer Campbell and Darren Bent should enable the Black Cats to register a far higher total this time around, and could even bag them three points against a Bolton side whose fans persisted in giving Gary Megson a hard time throughout last season, and will probably continue to do so until he is eventually forced out. Bolton’s summer acquisitions have been at a far more modest level than most of their rivals, and they could be set for a disapponting start on Saturday.
5) Portsmouth v Fulham: Two clubs whose fortunes have gone in completely different directions over the last twelve months. While Roy Hodgson has managed to steer a set of essentially B-list players to European qualification, Portsmouth’s existence has been brought into serious doubt by their financial troubles and delays in sealing a takeover. I don’t believe they are capable of surviving the losses of Crouch, Defoe and Johnson either, so unless the sale of the club can be agreed in the next few weeks, Pompey’s fans could be hurtling towards a meeting with their much-loved rivals Southampton far sooner than expected. As for Saturday’s match, Fulham have avoided defeat on their last three visits to Fratton Park, and having had two competitive matches already this season, they should be able to extend that run to four.
6) Stoke v Burnley: Not the most glamorous of opening fixtures for Burnley on their return to the top flight after a gap of 33 years. However, considering that their following four matches are against Man.U., Everton, Chelsea and Liverpool, they will be desperate to get off the mark early to avoid a calamitous start to their campaign. The Clarets and their astute manager, Owen Coyle, won many admirers last season with their attitude and style of play, added to which were impressive victories over Fulham, Chelsea, Arsenal and Spurs in the Cup competitions. Stoke, meanwhile, have been struggling to attract new players, with only the hard-working but far from spectacular Dean Whitehead arriving at the Britannia. They may not find life in the Premiership as easy second time around, and I’d take a draw here as a likely outcome in a fixture that has produced few goals in recent years.
7) Wolves v West Ham: The outcome of this one is anybody’s guess, but I’m convinced that both Wolves and Mick McCarthy will fare rather better than on their last Premiership adventures, when Wolves were immediately relegated from last place, while McCarthy’s Sunderland side set what was then a new record low points total of 19. A couple of interesting signings over the summer in Kevin Doyle (proven Premiership form with Reading) and Andrew Surman (one of the brightest midfield prospects from the Football League) should ensure some entertaining times ahead for Wolves fans, while Sylvan Ebanks-Blake really should have had the chance to demonstrate his undoubted goalscoring abilities in the Premiership earlier in his career. West Ham have also added to their squad, but as few will have heard much about Luis Jimenez, Fabio Daprela and Frank Nouble, we will have to wait and see what sort of impact they can make in their first Premiership campaigns. However, with the World Cup due to kick off in ten months’ time, you can guarantee that Carlton Cole will be giving his all to secure a place in England’s squad, and with that in mind, I would imagine that we may see a few goals in Saturday’s encounter at Molineux. Therefore, it could pay to try backing 3 or more goals at 11/10 with bet365 or stanjames.com.
8) Everton v Arsenal: Neither of these sides set the transfer market alight during the summer, but the persistent wrangling over the future of Joleon Lescott may well cast a shadow over the start to Everton’s season as such turmoil often results in a simmering atmosphere of resentment behind the scenes. Consequently, I would narrowly favour Arsenal in this match, particularly as I believe that in Andrei Arshavin, they have a player who has the potential to turn himself into a superstar this season. It took an injury time equalizer from Robin van Persie to earn his side a point in this fixture last season, but the Gunners have also recorded a couple of 4-1 wins at Goodison in recent years, and I expect a bold showing on Saturday.
9) Man.U. v Birmingham: United’s title defence begins on Sunday against a team for whom defence became the watchword in gaining promotion last season. Despite having possibly the strongest squad in the Championship last season, Alex McLeish turned nearly every match into a tight, dour struggle, much like having to sit through one of his press conferences. As a result, City were promoted but lost huge numbers of followers due to the style of the football they were forced to endure. I’m sure it will be 10 men behind the ball tactics for Birmingham at the start of this match, but if the Berbatov/Owen/Rooney combination can fire early on, a heavy home victory may ensue. One word of caution, though. United were also strongly fancied to win their opening home matches of the last two seasons against Reading and Newcastle. They drew them both.
10) Tottenham v Liverpool: What a fascinating encounter to round off the opening weekend in the Premiership. Time and again, Spurs have ended the season well, strengthened in the summer and had a good pre-season, only to stumble badly in August and September, leaving themselves with a mountain to climb. However, the strikeforce of Keane, Defoe and Crouch must be amongst the strongest in the division, so there are once again grounds for optimism at White Hart Lane. The departure of Xabi Alonso will no doubt hold Liverpool back until Alberto Aquilani can settle into English football, and there will undoubtedly be a hostile reception awaiting Steven Gerrard (Great British justice? Don’t make me laugh) at away grounds up and down the country. The Reds also suffered defeats in League and Cup at White Hart Lane last season, so once again, I am going to put my faith in a Tottenham victory at the start of the season, only to probably be made to look a fool at the final whistle on Sunday.
As always, until the formbook settles down a bit, it’s advisable to keep stakes to a modest level at this stage of the season, but if you fancy a bet, how about combining Chelsea, Leyton Orient, Millwall, Notts.County and Rangers in a £10 accumulator that would return exactly £98 with skybet.com if all were successful. For the ultra cautious amongst you, the Chelsea, Millwall, Rangers treble would return £24.44 for the same stake with the same bookies.
Good luck!