Ready For The Off

The Irish Examiner's Premier League Preview

Arsenal

At the beginning of last season things didn't look that bright for the Gunners but Arsene Wenger managed to take his charges to the Champions League final, finish fourth in the EPL and secure the long term future of Thierry Henry - all in all not a bad season. Going into this season Arsenal have moved to their £390m 60,000-capacity Emirates Stadium which should generate more cash for transfers of the caliber of Tomas Rosiky. One player who won't be joining the North London club though is France winger Franck Ribery who now says he wants to stay at Marseille, after previously claiming he wanted to leave. The loss of players such as England defender Sol Campbell who has signed with Portsmouth after five years at Highbury, Robert Pires and Denis Bergkamp may hamper a charge for second place but they will still be top four if their inexperienced defense manages to hold the line.

Aston Villa

With Villa's board recommending shareholders accept Randy Lerner's £62.6m bid for the club things should be on the up for the Villains. The man every EPL club wants as manager has gone to Villa Park and only time and many millions of pounds will determine if Martin O'Neill can continue his talismanic ways. Villa are not the most settled of clubs at the best of times and before their fans start dreaming of mid-week nights in Europe they should remember that O'Neill is on the famous 1 year rolling contract which means he can up and leave at the drop of a hat, (or if Mr. Ellis fails to ride off into the sunset). Player wise there hasn't been any real movement yet, but O'Neill is notorious for last minute transfer deadline signings and rumors have him linked with former club Celtic's Stilian Petrov. The canny Irishman says he will allow any player who is unhappy at the club to leave and doubts surround the future of Juan Pablo Angel, Milan Baros and Lee Hendrie, but Gareth Barry and Olof Mellberg appear ready to commit themselves to the cause. Look for Villa to finish in the top half, but no miracles or Europe just yet.

Blackburn Rovers

Rovers weren't fancied to achieve much last season but Mark Hughes took them to 7th in the EPL and a place in the Uefa Cup. Off Season this summer Blackburn have signed South African Porto striker Benni McCarthy on a four-year contract but defender Lucas Neill wants to leave despite having one year remaining on his current contract and he has rejected the offer of a new deal. Last term Rovers beat Man Utd, Chelsea and Arsenal but never really got the credit they deserve as they were seen as a team that kicked its opponents off the pitch. This year the problem for Hughes will be balancing the rigors of European football and domestic competition with his somewhat small squad.

Bolton Wanderers

Bolton fans should be happy to see the back of last term. The never ending links with Sam Allardyce and the England job did little to help the Trotters and what started as a good season fell apart toward the end. Nakata, N'Gotty and Gardner have all shuffled off and Mexican international Jared Borgetti looks certain to leave, but then he didn't exactly set the EPL on fire last season. Italian central defender Lorenzo Stovini is being sought by big Sam to shore up his defense but having finished 8th last year Trotters' fans should hope for no better this time around but stability in management should see them consolidate a top ten finish but again fail to find that spot that will see them having to use their passports next season.

Charlton Athletic

Not a great season last term for the Addicks and they will be hoping to do better this year with new boss Iain Dowie. Dowie's past links with Crystal Palace may work against him if Charlton do not get off to a solid start and the fans turn on him. Striker Jay Bothroyd has gone to Wolves on a three-year contract on a free but Charlton have signed Costa Rica winger Christian Bolanos on a one-year loan deal from Deportivo Saprissa along with Newcastle midfielder Amady Faye and Liverpool defender Djimi Traore. With Bolton, Man Utd and Chelsea in the first four games Dowie will have it all to do in his first season in charge and it may be too big a job for him unless of course the signing of Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink proves a stroke of genius.

Chelsea

Let's face it, Chelsea can field a brilliant starting XI even if half the first team squad goes down with mad cow disease and so will win the title again this year. That said they, like Floyd 'where's me drugs' Landis, have an unfair disadvantage in the form of the entire Russian oil reserve. The signings of Ballack and Shevchenko were a case of wanting the bird in the hand along with the one in the bush and may lead to selection headaches akin to those suffered by Real Madrid over the years. Against the Blues it will be all 19 other teams' cup final and as in cup finals now and again the underdog wins. While they'll be sitting pretty at the top of the EPL come next May, Europe is a different proposition and they'll continue to be the bridesmaids.

Everton

It all went wrong for the Toffees at the beginning of last season with an exit from the Champions League and poor form in the league. David Moyes is an astute manager without the financial backup to be top four and has shown he will not suffer fools gladly by telling winger Andy Van der Meyde that he is on his "last chance" at the club after Andy claimed his drinks had been spiked on a night out when he was socializing two days before a pre-season match. The signing of Andy Johnson is the last throw of the dice to bring the best out of James Beattie and if the two gel then Europe will beckon for the Toffees.

Fulham

How many expensive handbags need to be sold at Harrods before Al Fayed loosens the purse strings and gives Chris Coleman serious funds to mount a run in the EPL? The renewal of Papa Bouba Diop's contract and the capture of Jimmy Bullard from Wigan were important as Bullard will add steel to the center of the park. Away form last season against weaker teams was not good but the Cottagers are a match for anyone at home - just ask Chelsea, Liverpool and Spurs. Solid mid-table finish to banish thoughts of relegation but don't hold your breath for anything better than 10th.

Liverpool

Well they did beat Chelsea in the Community Shield, but was this an early fluke or the beginning of a serious challenge for the title? Finished their campaign on a high last term with 9 wins in a row and summer signings of striker Craig Bellamy from Blackburn and winger Jermaine Pennant from Birmingham have raised eyebrows because the pair have been in trouble off the pitch during their careers but Bellamy should be the perfect foil for Peter Crouch. Alonso has shown he is up to the task and Reina is one of the best between the posts. Chelsea will have to falter over the whole season for The Reds to take the title and this is unlikely.

Manchester City

A good start to last season was coupled with 10 losses in their last 12 games and this was enough to stop the City fans singing. David James has finally flown the coop and headed for Portsmouth while the capture of one time Arsenal target, Tunisian international defender Hatem Trabelsi will help shore up the defense. Joey Barton continually gives 110% and nailing him down to another contract is the best bit of business Stuart Pearce will do in 2006. A tough opening few games and City, should they collect half the points, will be sitting pretty in the bottom half of the table come the end of the season - best hope for a run in one of the two cups.

Manchester United

United fans expect to win the title every year and this term will be no different. With Rooney and Ronaldo they possess two of the very best in the business but lack the depth overall of Chelsea. Ruud van Nistelrooy has been sold to Real Madrid and Alan Smith is still said to be a while away from full fitness after breaking his leg last February. A world class striker is needed as cover along with someone who has the 'win at all costs, defeat is never an option' attitude of Roy Keane though it remains to be seen if the board will back Fergie and supply the tens of millions it will cost to fill the gaps. Some useful youngsters coming through but it may be next season when Utd return to the top, albeit with a different man in charge.

Middlesbrough

Cattermole, Morrison and Downing are on their way but Gareth Southgate will have problems at the back and Boro will continue to leak goals. The off-season was good for Southgate, who saw Chris Riggott and Andrew Taylor sign new deals and Boro completed the signing of Sunderland midfielder Julio Arca for a fee of £1.75m to give them style in the center of the park. Inexperience both on the field and in the manager's office will leave it tricky but Boro will survive and rest securely in the top half of the bottom 10.

Newcastle United

The honeymoon is over now for Tyneside's most recent hero Glenn Roeder. Gone to the footballers graveyard is Alan Shearer; Michael Owen has gone and done his knee and may not feature this term; Michael Chopra has been shopped and Shola Ameobi - the only man with goals in his boots - has a dodgy hip. Roeder is still considering whether to move for £10m-rated Feyenoord striker Dirk Kuyt and sign a striker Roeder will have to - and quickly. Last season only six teams scored fewer that Newcastle on the road and it is time for uncle Freddy Shepherd to dig deep and splash the cash again. The Magpie fans shouldn't have hopes of a place in Europe or for that matter the top half of the EPL.

Portsmouth

Should be a better year for Pompey this time around with the cash that Alexandre Gaydamak has at his disposal and Harry Redknapp's ability to persuade clubs to part with players for less that their book value. Gary O'Neil is as good as they come in the Premiership, Mathew Taylor is solid at left-back but Lomana LuaLua may miss the start of the season after suffering suspected ankle ligament damage in a friendly. The signings of David James and Sol Campbell show Harry has the resources to capture the big names. Tony Adams is off down Fratton Park way and his desire to win coupled with Redknapp's Del Boy dealings should see Pompey enter the top half of the EPL - if only just.

Reading

Wigan and West Ham led the way last season for the promoted clubs and The Royals would do well to study what both these teams did right and what Sunderland did wrong. John Madejski will be the only man in the Premiership to have his name on a football ground but manager Steve Coppell would rather see it on a check book and it is here that Reading will survive or fail. Recent activity saw Reading have two club record bids of £3.5m for World Cup stars Ghana's John Mensah and Ivory Coast's Emerse Fae rejected so at first glance it looks as if money will be spent. Free-scoring last year, Reading will have to take their opportunities this term to stay with the big boys and Steve Coppell has what it takes to make that happen and see The Royals in the EPL at the beginning of next season. Staying up, but sweating a little.

Sheffield United

Neil Warnock is a journalist's dream with animation on the sidelines and post-game quips sure to keep the headline writers busy but they will struggle in the cut and thrust of the EPL. The Blades went on a run last term of only one win in eight when it seemed promotion was guaranteed. This may show a lack of bottle which is not something of a requirement in the top flight. Success will depend on the fitness of strikers Danny Webber and Michael Tonge as Utd have very little else in attack. The Blades will be concerned by an injury to record signing Claude Davis in a pre-season friendly and scans have revealed a damaged cartilage in his knee. If the £2.5m capture from Preston needs surgery to correct the problem, he faces up to six weeks on the sidelines. Davis was Preston's player of the year last season and his loss early on coupled with a squad that lacks strength in depth may see them drop down in May.

Tottenham Hotspur

It looks like another season of so near and yet so far for Spurs as they look unlikely to break the dominance of the top four of Chelsea, Man Utd, Liverpool and Arsenal. A failure to finish off teams and conceding late goals is a problem highlighted last season in the games against West Ham, Sunderland, Fulham and Chelsea. Martin Jol has added Dimitar Berbatov to his attack and Jenas, Murphy and Tainio are capable in the middle but not outstanding. The risk is lack of experience in a team that are at times the best to watch in the EPL but youth is always an Achilles heel. Loitering with intent in 5th or 6th is the best Tottenham fans can hope for.

Watford

Playoff champions who will now have to live with that sort of intensity week in week out in the top flight and this with a severely limited budget and a tiny squad. Off-season good news came when long-serving defender Lloyd Doyley signed a new one-year extension to his contract. The Hornets also bagged Man Utd's goalkeeper Ben Foster on a season-long loan deal for a second time. The mystery may lie in how new signing and Hungarian striker Tamas Priskin settles. Watford did get 30 million quid for going up but Chairman Graham Simpson has said that money will be used for youth development, facilities and securing the financial status of a club that has toyed with bankruptcy. Best bet to finish bottom of the table and drop straight back down to a league more suited to their ambition.

West Ham United

A team that are a joy to watch on the telly for the neutral fan, but it must be painful for the Hammer's fans. Alan Pardew plays adventurous, cavalier football but fans should get used to the middle of the table and the odd cup run now and again. This year sees The Hammers in Europe and this may distract from the domestic campaign along with a squad lacking in experience at that level. Lee Bowyer, Jonathon Spector and Carlton Cole have been drafted to help the cause but it may not be enough for a serious run of wins in the EPL and West ham will do no better than just inside the top ten

Wigan Athletic

Having gotten off to a great start last term it wasn't long before the realities of life in the EPL began to take hold at the JJB Stadium. The honeymoon is now well and truly over for Mike Jewell and some of his squad have used their premiership status to springboard to bigger and better clubs. French defender Chimbonda has long stated his desire to leave the club and the signing of Emile Heskey may well be a sop to the fans from Dave Whelan who, while continuing to invest his fortune in a club dear to his heart had better get ready for life in The Championship as this is where Wigan are likely to end up.