ARSENAL
Emirates Stadium, Ashburton Road, Islington, London, N5 1BU. Capacity 60,355 http://www.arsenal.com/
Last season: 4th, FA Cup Semi finals, League Cup Quarter finals, Champions League Semi finals
Last major trophy: FA Cup 2005
Manager: Arsene Wenger (since October 1996)
Players In: Thomas Vermaelen
Players Out: Kolo Toure, Emmanuel Adebayor, Abu Ogogo, Amaury Bischoff, Rene Steer, Paul Rodgers, Rui Fonte
Pre-season form: The Gunners enjoyed a fruitful warm-up with a second victory in three years in their home tournament, the Emirates Cup, after wins against Atletico Madrid (2-1) and Rangers (3-0). Earlier, a tour of Europe brought easy wins against Austrians SC Columbia (7-1) and Hungarians Szombathelyi Haladas (5-0) before a tighter 1-0 win against German Bundesliga side Hannover 96. A disappointing 2-0 loss in Valencia completed an otherwise solid start to the campaign.
Prediction: 4th
Arsenal fended off another challenge to their place in the top four after Aston Villa fell apart and Everton were kept at arm's length. Add in a run to the Champions League semis and, for most clubs, this would have been another successful season. But 2008-09 made it four successive seasons without a trophy which is really starting to grate. Worse news is that next year the Gunners are likely to face their stiffest challenge yet from Manchester City to whom they have sold two of their first-teamers, Emmanuel Adebayor and Kolo Toure. Arsene Wenger will be hoping experience counts in their favour.
ASTON VILLA
Villa Park, Trinity Road, Birmingham, B6 6HE. Capacity 42,640 http://www.avfc.co.uk/
Last season: 6th, FA Cup 5th round, League Cup 4th round, Uefa Cup Last 32
Last major trophy: League Cup 1996
Manager: Martin O'Neill (since August 2006)
Players In: Habib Beye, Stewart Downing, Fabian Delph
Players Out: Gareth Barry, Zat Knight, Stuart Taylor, Martin Laursen
Pre-season form: Martin O'Neill's men began with a 3-0 win against Peterborough and a 2-2 draw with Colchester United. The Villans then came back from Spain with the Peace Cup, beating Juventus on penalties in the final after a 0-0 draw. An early loss to the hosts Malaga was put aside after wins against FC Porto (2-1) and Mexicans FC Atlante (3-1). Pre-season was completed with a good 1-0 home win against Fiorentina.
Prediction: 8th
Villa mixed it with the top four for much of last season only for their relative success to become their downfall. After being knocked out of the FA Cup by Everton, Villa then fielded a weakened team in the Uefa Cup and were knocked out of that as well. Though the personnel changed, the mood of the club was set and Martin O'Neill's men somewhat fell over the finishing line, still comfortably in the top six. The loss of Gareth Barry to Man City over the summer was no great surprise after his flirtation with Liverpool previously but the lack of inbound activity means it is unlikely an already thin squad will do any better this term.
BIRMINGHAM CITY
St Andrew's, St Andrew's Road, Birmingham, B9 4NH. Capacity 30,000 http://www.bcfc.com/
Last season: 2nd (promoted from Championship), FA Cup 3rd round, League Cup 2nd round
Last major trophy: League Cup 1963
Manager: Alex McLeish (since November 2007)
Players In: Barry Ferguson, Lee Bowyer, Gregory Vignal, Jay O'Shea, Christian Benitez, Giovanny Espinoza, Roger Johnson, Scott Dann, Joe Hart
Players Out: Artur Krysiak, Krystian Pearce, Mehdi Nafti, Stephen Kelly, Radhi Jaidi, Robin Shroot
Pre-season form: The Blues have suffered a wretched pre-season on the field with a record of just one win and one draw from seven games. Birmingham fans will be hoping they do not carry this form into the actual campaign after their early tour of Austria ended with three defeats - to Germans VfB Stuttgart and FC Augsburg (both 0-2), and a 3-0 reverse against Saudi Arabians Al-Hilal. Back in Britain, results did not improve and a narrow 1-0 win in Dagenham was followed up by defeats away to Nottingham Forest (1-2) and Crewe Alexandra (1-4). Blues belatedly showed some form in the 0-0 home draw with Sporting Gijon.
Prediction: 18th
Blues chief Alex McLeish may have achieved his remit of promotion but he was not averse to criticism throughout last season. Birmingham's basis for promotion was a strong defence - it had to be, as despite fielding Kevin Phillips, the attack scored just 54 goals in 46 league matches, three fewer than relegated Norwich City. Fans have waited all summer for a big name striker to be brought in but none has arrived as of yet. A long, hard campaign awaits the second-city club.
BLACKBURN ROVERS
Ewood Park, Blackburn, Lancashire, BB2 4JF. Capacity 31,367 http://www.rovers.co.uk/
Last season: 15h, FA Cup 5th round, League Cup Quarter finals
Last major trophy: League Cup 2002
Manager: Sam Allardyce (since December 2008)
Players In: Nikola Kalinic, Franco Di Santo, Gael Givet, Steven N'Zonzi, Elrio van Heerden, Lars Jacobsen
Players Out: Roque Santa Cruz, Matt Derbyshire, Aaron Mokoena, Andre Ooijer, Alex Marrow, Gavin Gunning, Alan Judge, Mark Bunn, Keith Treacy, Josh O'Keefe, Dean Winnard, Tony Kane, Tugay
Pre-season form: After a 4-0 drubbing of Blue Square Premier side Cambridge United, Rovers finished pre-season on the back of four draws. Rovers look hard to beat but may not possess enough to win too many games after stalemates against AS Roma (2-2), Leeds United (1-1) and Sheffield Wednesday (2-2) away and Hibernian (0-0) at home.
Prediction: 9th
After his unsuccessful spell at Newcastle, Sam Allardyce went some way to restoring his reputation last season when guided Blackburn away from the bottom following Paul Ince's poor start. Allardyce tightened the defence and results improved, and had his results been achieved over a full campaign, Rovers would have finished in the top half. A realistic aim for this term then, despite the loss of Roque Santa Cruz.
BOLTON WANDERERS
Reebok Stadium, Burnden Way, Lostock, Bolton, BL6 6JW. Capacity 28,723 http://www.bwfc.co.uk/
Last season: 13th, FA Cup 3rd round, League Cup 2nd round
Last major trophy: FA Cup 1958
Manager: Gary Megson (since October 2007)
Players In: Zat Knight, Paul Robinson, Sean Davis, Sam Ricketts
Players Out: None
Pre-season form: Similar to rivals Blackburn, Wanderers have remained unbeaten during pre-season but four of their five matches have been draws. Megson's men began with a 1-1 draw against Germans Borussia Moenchengladbach before a 2-1 win against the Dutch side FC Den Bosch and a 2-2 draw against SBV Eindhoven. Wanderers then drew 1-1 in Edinburgh against Hearts before a 0-0 stalemate against Hibernian at home.
Prediction: 14th
Gary Megson is the epitome of mediocrity and, while it might keep the Trotters in the Premier League for another year, it is no surprise to see the average attendance at the Reebok as just 22,485. Wanderers even went without a cup run last season, being knocked out at the first stage of both domestic competitions, as survival was prioritised. Bolton should survive this time as well, but once again it will be through the weaknesses of others more than anything else.
BURNLEY
Turf Moor, Harry Potts Way, Burnley, Lancashire, BB10 4BX. Capacity 22,546 http://www.burnleyfootballclub.com/
Last season: 5th (promoted from Championship), FA Cup 5th round, League Cup Semi finals
Last major trophy: League title 1959-60
Manager: Owen Coyle (since November 2007)
Players In: Tyrone Mears, David Edgar, Richard Eckersley, Brian Easton, Steven Fletcher
Players Out: Alex MacDonald, Alan Mahon, Gabor Kiraly, Steve Jones
Pre-season form: Worrying signs in the warm-up for the Clarets after they finished on the back of three straight losses. The early 2-1 loss to Bradford could be put down to fitness and Burnley did manage to record a win against Morecambe (3-1) in their next match, and a win (5-0 v Ventura Country Fusion) and a draw (2-2 v Portland Timbers) in their tour of the USA. Back home, they scraped a 2-2 draw with Accrington Stanley having been 2-0 down with ten minutes left before those three losses to Leeds United (1-2), Kilmarnock (0-1) and St Johnstone (0-1).
Prediction: 20th
Burnley had a truly remarkable campaign in 08-09, reaching the semi finals of the League Cup and through three rounds of the FA Cup before winning the last match of the season in the playoff final at Wembley. Along the way, they beat Fulham, Chelsea, Arsenal, Tottenham Hotspur and West Brom in a 61-match season. Their resilience should stand them in good stead for another tough campaign. There may only be 38 league matches this time but the Clarets will struggle against a permanent step up in class. After all, they are deservedly a Premier League club in name but remain a mid-table Championship club at best in budget.
CHELSEA
Stamford Bridge, Fulham Road, London, SW6 1HS. Capacity 42,449 http://www.chelseafc.com/
Last season: 3rd, FA Cup Winners, League Cup 4th round, Champions League Semi finals
Last major trophy: FA Cup 2009
Manager: Carlo Ancelotti (since June 2009)
Players In: Yuri Zhirkov, Ross Turnbull, Daniel Sturridge
Players Out: Mineiro, Miroslav Stoch, Michael Mancienne, Scott Sinclair, Ryan Bertrand, Franco Di Santo, Morten Nielsen, Lee Sawyer, Jimmy Smith, Tom Taiwo, Ben Sahar, Slobodan Rajkovic
Pre-season form: Chelsea can reflect on a successful pre-season after four wins in the United States, three of which came in their victory in the World Football Challenge where they beat former manager Jose Mourinho's Internazionale 2-0, AC Milan 2-1 and Mexico's Club America 2-0 to finish top. They had also earlier beaten Seattle Sounders 2-0. Back home, Chelsea found it tougher against Reading and needed two late goals for a 2-2 draw before another 2-2 draw against Manchester United in the Community Shield which the Blues then won 4-1 on penalties.
Prediction: Champions
Another season, another new face in the hot-seat at Stamford Bridge. This time, it is Carlo Ancelotti's turn to attempt to emulate Jose Mourinho's dominance of the Premier League. Ancelotti arrives with an excellent pedigree - two Champions League wins and a Serie A win - and has kept John Terry from straying north to Manchester. So far, however, Ancelotti has failed to make a big-name signing though it seems that a bit of stability at Stamford Bridge is exactly what is needed.
EVERTON
Goodison Park, Goodison Road, Liverpool, L4 4EL. Capacity 40,157 http://www.evertonfc.com/
Last season: 5th, FA Cup Runners up, League Cup 3rd round, Uefa Cup 1st round
Last major trophy: FA Cup 1995
Manager: David Moyes (since March 2002)
Players In: Jo, Seamus Coleman
Players Out: Lars Jacobsen, Nuno Valente, Andy van der Meyde, John Paul Kissock, John Ruddy
Pre-season form: An unconvincing set of pre-season results for David Moyes' men with mixed results. An early loss to Bury (1-2) was reversed with victory over Rochdale (4-1) but their tour of North America did not go exactly to plan with a loss to River Plate (0-1) in Alberta, Canada and only a 1-1 draw against the MLS All-Stars in Utah, though the Toffees did win 4-3 on penalties. Back home, the inconsistency continued in the 2-2 draw with Coventry City and 2-1 defeat in Blackpool before a much-improved display in the 2-1 home win against Malaga.
Prediction: 6th
After overcoming poor early home form to overhaul Aston Villa for fifth place and reaching an FA Cup Final, Everton can once again claim with ease to be the best of the rest outside the top four. That they achieved another good season without a striker on the pitch for parts of the campaign is all the more remarkable. But a failure to win any match in the league against the four sides above them shows the Toffees have hit a glass ceiling and they are likely to be too busy holding off the threat of others below them to better that statistic.
FULHAM
Craven Cottage, Stevenage Road, London, SW6 6HH. Capacity 26,600 http://www.fulhamfc.com/
Last season: 7th, FA Cup 6th round, League Cup 3rd round
Last major trophy: None
Manager: Roy Hodgson (since December 2007)
Players In: Bjorn Helge Riise, Stephen Kelly
Players Out: Collins John, Moritz Volz
Pre-season form: A shock 2-1 reverse to Gold Coast United, with two goals conceded in the last ten minutes, was not how the Cottagers envisaged they would start their tour of Australia. But comfortable wins against Melbourne Victory (3-0) and Perth Glory (5-0) made up for it. Back in England, two draws followed against Bournemouth (0-0) and Peterborough United (3-3) but Fulham completed their most important job of the summer by qualifying for the Europa League playoff stage after 3-0 wins in both legs against their Lithuanian opponents FK Vetra.
Prediction: 11th
After their great escape in 07-08, few would have predicted how well Fulham would have kicked on last season. They finished in a good seventh place and pre-season wins against FK Vetra have resulted in Europa League qualification. A solid defence was the Cottagers' blueprint for success and they conceded just 34 goals, the third lowest in the league. But a smattering of 0-0 draws away meant they rarely threatened the goal either and they only scored 39 in all, one less than relegated Newcastle. Fulham's back-line has unsurprisingly turned heads and if Brede Hangeland is sold to Arsenal, as reported, the Cottagers could find their top-half status was only temporary.
HULL CITY
The Kingston Communications Stadium, Walton Street, Hull, East Yorkshire, HU3 6HU. Capacity 25,404 http://www.hullcityafc.net/
Last season: 17th, FA Cup 6th round, League Cup 2nd round
Last major trophy: None
Manager: Phil Brown (since December 2006)
Players In: Stephen Hunt, Jozy Altidore, Seyi Olofinjana, Steven Mouyokolo
Players Out: James Bennett, Matt Plummer, Sam Ricketts, Ryan Francce, John Welsh, Wayne Brown, Dean Windass, Michael Bridges
Pre-season form: The Tigers had two early warm-up wins against North Ferriby United (6-1)and Carlisle United (2-1) before a 0-0 draw with Sheffield Wednesday. Phil Brown's men then took part in the Barclays Asia Premier League trophy and scraped past hosts Beijing Guoan on penalties after a 1-1 draw before a poor display in the final in a 3-0 loss to Tottenham Hotspur. The 1-0 home loss to Aberdeen in their final match does little to inspire confidence.
Prediction: 19th
The Tigers roared at the start of the 08-09 campaign with six wins and 20 points from their opening nine matches and it was this blistering start which ultimately kept them up. Reality soon caught up with Hull, however, and from Christmas onwards in particular, they plummeted down the table and shipped a load of goals. Phil Brown's infamous half-time team talk on the pitch when 4-0 down at Man City only seemed to worsen the situation and they won only once in the league in the second half of the campaign - at Fulham with a last-minute goal. It is unlikely Hull will enjoy such a good start this time around or find three teams as generously incompetent as Newcastle, Middlesbrough and West Brom to finish below them.
LIVERPOOL
Anfield, Anfield Road, Liverpool, L4 0TH. Capacity 45,522 http://www.liverpoolfc.tv/
Last season: 2nd, FA Cup 4th round, League Cup 4th round, Champions League Quarter finals
Last major trophy: FA Cup 2006
Manager: Rafael Benitez (since June 2004)
Players In: Alberto Aquilani, Glen Johnson
Players Out: Xabi Alonso, Alvaro Arbeloa, Jermaine Pennant, Sami Hyypia, Paul Anderson, Adam Hammill, Ryan Flynn, Sebastian Leto, Jack Hobbs, Miki Rogue
Pre-season form: A patchy pre-season for the Reds began in Europe and a 0-0 draw with Swiss side St Gallen before a 1-0 loss to Austrians Rapid Vienna. Even the tour to the Far East brought little early joy after a 1-1 draw with Thailand before, finally, a victory - and, indeed, a 5-0 thumping of Singapore. The Reds then beat Norweigans Lyn (2-0) before showing their vulnerabilities once again in a 2-1 home loss against Atletico Madrid.
Prediction: 3rd
Liverpool had their best Premier League season under Rafa Benitez in 2008-09, finishing second and achieving doubles over Manchester United and Chelsea including a memorable 4-1 win at Old Trafford. Indeed the Reds became the only English club ever to lose just twice in a campaign but fail to win the league. The failure to break down teams from outside the top four, especially at Anfield, proved their undoing although the team at least looked less reliant on Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres than previously. Even for £30m, the loss of Xabi Alonso is a huge blow, however, and splurging over half the money on Glen Johnson is questionable at best. It all means Liverpool end the summer with a squad which looks no closer to winning their 19th title, 19 years after their last.
MANCHESTER CITY
City of Manchester Stadium, SportCity, Manchester, M11 3FF. Capacity 47,726 http://www.mcfc.co.uk/
Last season: 10th, FA Cup 3rd round, League Cup 2nd round, Uefa Cup Quarter finals
Last major trophy: League Cup 1976
Manager: Mark Hughes (since June 2008)
Players In: Kolo Toure, Emmanuel Adebayor, Carlos Tevez, Gareth Barry, Roque Santa Cruz, Stuart Taylor
Players Out: Valeri Bojinov, Elano, Ched Evans, Donal McDermott, Shaleum Logan, Felipe Caicedo, Gelson Fernandes, Jo, Daniel Sturridge, Joe Hart, Berti Glauber, Richard Martin, Angelos Tsiaklis, Danny Mills, Michael Ball, Darius Vassell, Dietmar Hamann
Pre-season form: City's pre-season form has been patchy at best with the new signings taking time to bed in. City came from behind for a 1-1 draw with Germans 1860 Munich before embarking on the Vodacom Challenge in South Africa. In Polokwane, they were beaten 2-0 by Orlando Pirates before a 1-0 win over Kaizer Chiefs in Durban. When they met the Chiefs again in Pretoria, it finished 1-0 to the hosts, however. Back home, City scraped a 1-1 draw with Barnsley before a 3-2 loss to Rangers in Glasgow and a 2-1 home win against Celtic.
Prediction: 5th
Backed by Sheikh Mansour in Zayed al-Nahyan, who has a fortune estimated at £33bn, moneybags Manchester City have spent the summer putting the noses of the top four out of joint by competing directly. Much was made of the capture of Carlos Tevez, not least by the Argentine himself who confirmed what was largely suspected about Manchester United not wanting to keep him. City will pinpoint Arsenal as the most likely of the top four to be caught and have arguably weakened the Gunners further by signing Emmanuel Adebayor and Kolo Toure. But they have so far failed to plug a leaky defence with John Terry opting to stay and Chelsea and with so many strikers at the club but no European football, it will be interesting to see how manager Mark Hughes keeps them all satisfied. Hughes has pleaded for patience from the fans but can expect little of it from the owners if matters tailspin out of control.
MANCHESTER UNITED
Old Trafford, Sir Matt Busby Way, Manchester, M16 0RA. Capacity 76,000 http://www.manutd.com/
Last season: Champions, FA Cup Semi finals, League Cup Winners, Champions League Runners-up
Last major trophy: Premier League 2008-09
Manager: Sir Alex Ferguson (since November 1986)
Players In: Michael Owen, Antonio Valencia, Gabriel Obertan
Players Out: Cristiano Ronaldo, Manucho, Richard Eckersley, Fraizer Campbell, Lee Martin, Rodrigo Possebon
Pre-season form: United's traditional tour of East Asia was a success on the field as well as off it with four wins out of four, including an 8-2 thumping of Hangzhou Greentown in the fourth game. Earlier, new signing Michael Owen scored in both wins over Malaysia XI (3-2, then 2-0) before a 3-2 win over FC Seoul. United then took part in the Audi Cup, beating Boca Juniors 2-1 before losing on penalties to Bayern Munich after a 0-0 draw in the final. United followed up the tournament with a 2-0 home win against Valencia in front of a full-house before more penalty misery against Chelsea in the FA Community Shield after a 2-2 draw.
Prediction: 2nd
Manchester United enter the season chasing history - no other club has won the English league title for four successive seasons. But they also enter the season on the back of a Champions League final humbling to Barcelona and the inevitable loss of Cristiano Ronaldo to Real Madrid in a world-record £80m transfer. In response, Sir Alex Ferguson has taken a gamble on the former England attack partnership of Wayne Rooney and Owen, particularly after Owen's dreadful last six months at Newcastle. Antonio Valencia is unproven at this size of club and there are early injury problems to Nani and Nemanja Vidic. But United's squad remains strong throughout as shown by their young prodigy Federico Macheda bursting on the scene at the back end of 08-09. A repeat of the 14 consecutive clean sheets is surely too much to ask for, but United's strong defence will be the basis for another strong challenge from Old Trafford.
PORTSMOUTH
Fratton Park, Frogmore Road, Portsmouth, PO4 8RA. Capacity 20,224 http://www.portsmouthfc.co.uk/
Last season: 14th, FA Cup 4th round, League Cup 3rd round, Uefa Cup Group stage
Last major trophy: FA Cup 2008
Manager: Paul Hart (since February 2009)
Players In: Anthony Vanden Borre, Antti Niemi, Steve Finnan, Aaron Mokoena
Players Out: Peter Crouch, Glen Johnson, Sol Campbell, Glen Little, Martin Cranie, Arnold Mvuemba, Noe Pamarot, Jerome Thomas, Andre Blackman, Andrea Mbuyi-Mutombo, Sean Davis, Lauren, Djimi Traore
Pre-season form: Pompey began their warm-up as usual with matches against local sides to build fitness, drawing 2-2 with Havant & Waterlooville and 0-0 with Basingstoke Town before thrashing Eastleigh 6-1. The tour of Portugal which followed was not a success, however, as they lost 2-0 to Guimaraes and 4-0 to Benfica. The 2-0 home win against SPL champions Rangers on their return has eased some concerns.
Prediction: 17th
Just 15 months ago, all looked rosy in the Pompey garden. A brilliant FA Cup win backed up an excellent 2007-08 campaign in which they finished eighth. But dark times were just around the corner and all was not what it seemed with the finances. Harry Redknapp left for Tottenham and Jermaine Defoe followed him back to Spurs in January. This summer, Peter Crouch made it a hat-trick of departures to White Hart Lane, leaving Pompey short up front. Pompey survived last season, safe in the knowledge that there were at least five teams worse than them - but this year looks like being a much closer call.
STOKE CITY
Britannia Stadium, Stanley Matthews Way, Stoke-on-Trent, ST4 4EG. Capacity 27,500 http://www.stokecityfc.com/
Last season: 12th, FA Cup 3rd round, League Cup Quarter finals
Last major trophy: League Cup 1972
Manager: Tony Pulis (since June 2006)
Players In: Dean Whitehead
Players Out: Seyi Olofinjana, Robert Garrett, Vincent Pericard, Jimmy Phillips
Pre-season form: The Potters finished pre-season without a single win to their name in eight matches and will hope last season's away woes will not continue into this campaign. The warm-ups started with two losses on the same day to local sides Newcastle Town (0-2) and Nantwich Town (1-2) before another loss in Germany to St Pauli (1-3). A 1-1 draw in Israel against Hapoel Tel Aviv was followed by a disappointing 2-1 loss at Deepdale to Preston before three successive draws at Nottingham Forest (1-1), Derby County (2-2) and at home against Real Valladolid (2-2).
Prediction: 13th
Written off as no-hopers before the start of last season, then derided as long-ball merchants during it, Stoke City surprised many to finish in a comfortable 12th place. The latter part of the criticism was actually true for much of the season and almost a quarter of the Potters' goals were as a direct result of Rory Delap's huge throw-ins which slow and distort the match. But, with their place in the top flight looking more and more secure, City undoubtedly improved in the second half of the campaign and added some guile to their play through Matthew Etherington and James Beattie, both signed in January. Their away form could do with much improvement, however, and Pulis will want to ensure his team is safe before visits to Stamford Bridge and Old Trafford in last three games of the season.
SUNDERLAND
Stadium of Light, Sunderland, SR5 1SU. Capacity 49,000 http://www.safc.com/
Last season: 16th, FA Cup 4th round, League Cup 4th round
Last major trophy: FA Cup 1973
Manager: Steve Bruce (since June 2009)
Players In: Darren Bent, Lee Cattermole, Lorik Cana, Fraizer Campbell, Paulo Da Silva
Players Out: Dean Whitehead, Nick Colgan, Greg Halford, Michael Chopra, Peter Hartley, Arnau Riera, David Connolly, Dwight Yorke, Darren Ward, Jean-Yves Mvoto, Martyn Waghorn, David Dowson, Jamie Chandler, Jack Colback
Pre-season form: The Black Cats have had a generally good pre-season with early wins against Darlington (4-0) and Oldham Athletic (2-1). Bruce's men then took part in the annual Amsterdam Tournament and did well to come back after a 2-0 loss to Benfica by winning with the same score against Atletico Madrid. Back in Britain, new signing Darren Bent scored in a 2-1 win against Celtic before another win against Peterborough United (2-0) and a draw against Hearts (1-1).
Prediction: 12th
Six weeks after their first home Tyne-Wear derby victory against Newcastle since 1980, Roy Keane was gone. A drop in form after the landmark match in October and behind the scenes changes left the Irishman frustrated but it also left Sunderland in trouble. A brief resurgence under Ricky Sbragia came and went quickly and the second half of the season became a familiar struggle. Indeed, the Black Cats were somewhat fortunate to stay up on just 36 points as neighbours Newcastle and Middlesbrough miserably failed to take advantage. Sbragia honourably fell on his sword and Steve Bruce was brought in after relative success
at Wigan. The signing of Darren Bent, who rarely looked happy at Spurs, should mean Sunderland improve on a terrible return of 34 league goals in 2008-09. But the defence, which conceded 23 points from winning positions, remains a concern.
TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR
White Hart Lane, Bill Nicholson Way, 748 High Road, Tottenham, London, N17 0AP. Capacity 36,300 http://www.tottenhamhotspur.com/
Last season: 8th, FA Cup 4th round, League Cup Runners-up, Uefa Cup Last 32
Last major trophy: League Cup 2008
Manager: Harry Redknapp (since October 2008)
Players In: Peter Crouch, Sebastien Bassong, Kyle Naughton, Kyle Walker
Players Out: Darren Bent, Gilberto, Chris Gunther, Jacques Maghoma, Didier Zokora, Ricardo Rocha, Jonathan Obika, Jake Livermore, Adel Taarabt, Adam Smith, Andros Townsend, Kyle Walker, Ben Alnwick, David Button, Ryan Mason, Troy Archibald-Henville
Pre-season form: Spurs enjoyed early pre-season wins against Exeter City (3-0), Bournemouth (3-0) and Championship outfit Peterborough United (4-0) before disappointment in their Wembley Cup campaign during which they drew one match, albeit against European Cup winners Barcelona (1-1), and lost one match, to Celtic (0-2). Spurs did much better in their next pre-season tournament, beating West Ham United (1-0) and Hull City (3-0) to win the Barclays Asia Premier League trophy, before a surprise 2-0 loss to South China. But a final 3-0 home victory over Olympiacos showed Spurs were ready for the new season.
Prediction: 7th
Spurs' customary slow start cost them again last season and they had to settle for eighth. Indeed 2008-09 looked as if it was going to be a carbon copy of the 07-08 campaign when a slow start resulted in a change of manager before an upturn in fortunes peaked with an appearance in the Carling Cup final. This time, however, Spurs lost the final to Manchester United on penalties as new manager Harry Redknapp made his third personal visit to Wembley in under a year after his success at Portsmouth. His time at Fratton Park undoubtedly made him top choice for Spurs and, having raided his old club for Peter Crouch, it is now up to wily Redknapp to prove his worth.
WEST HAM UNITED
Boleyn Ground, Green Street, Upton Park, London, E13 9AZ. Capacity 35,303 http://www.whufc.com/
Last season: 9th, FA Cup 5th, League Cup 3rd round
Last major trophy: FA Cup 1980
Manager: Gianfranco Zola (since September 2008)
Players In: Fabio Daprela, Peter Kurucz, Herita Ilunga, Luis Jiminez
Players Out: Diego Tristan, Lee Bowyer, Joe Widdowson, Kyel Reid, Freddie Sears
Pre-season form: The Hammers had just one warm-up win as they began with a two-week training camp in Austria and a 1-1 draw with local side SVL Flavia Solva. Their big match of the week against Germans Werder Bremen fell victim to torrential Austrian rain but the Hammers did manage another 1-1 draw in the match against Turks Bursaspor and a third draw against Slovenians ND Mura (0-0). United then played in the Barclays Premier League Asia trophy but were beaten 1-0 by Tottenham Hotspur before a reassuring 2-0 win against Beijing Guoan in the 3/4th place match. A disappointing 1-0 home defeat against Napoli in the Sir Bobby Moore match completed a build-up which featured just four goals.
Prediction: 10th
West Ham will be looking to avoid a repeat of the start of last season when the club was thrown into turmoil after Alan Curbishley's unexpected decision to resign. Then, to make matters worse, the economy in Iceland collapsed leaving the Hammers' owners skint. In the circumstances, Gianfranco Zola did an excellent job in guiding West Ham to a typical haven of mid-table safety. Indeed, his finishing position of ninth was one place higher than Curbishley had achieved in 07-08. But with money still tight, Zola will have to work wonders again for another repeat.
WIGAN ATHLETIC
DW Stadium, Loire Drive, Robin Park, Wigan, WN5 0UH. Capacity 25,135 http://www.wiganlatics.co.uk/
Last season: 11th, FA Cup 3rd round, League Cup 4th round
Last major trophy: None
Manager: Roberto Martinez (since June 2009)
Players In: Jason Scotland, James McCarthy, Hendry Thomas, Jordi Gomez, Scott Sinclair
Players Out: Antonio Valencia, Antoine Sibierski, Henri Camara, Lewis Montrose, Lee Cattermole
Pre-season form: Except for a 4-1 thumping of rivals Preston at Deepdale, the Latics have not enjoyed the best of pre-seasons. A 1-0 loss to Crewe Alexandra was followed by a 1-1 draw against German side Hannover 96. A draw and a loss were also the results of their tour of East Europe against Romanians FCU Timisoara (0-2) and Bulgarians PFC Minyor (1-1) before they hit Preston for four on their return. Wigan then lost 3-2 to League One Norwich City before a 3-1 win in their last match at home against SPL team St Mirren.
Prediction: 16th
Life after Steve Bruce for Wigan Athletic does not look easy. Bruce had guided the Latics to 11th place which could have been higher but for a drop in form after Christmas following the departure of Emile Heskey and the loss of form and attitude by Amir Zaki, who was a revelation in the opening months but a pain as winter hit. The tough second half of the season probably made Bruce's mind up about the offer from Sunderland, leaving Wigan to pick up the pieces. In fairness, the Latics have done as well as they could have hoped and new manager Roberto Martinez was lauded for his excellent style of football with Swansea in the Championship. Latics fans will be hoping the youngest manager in the league at 36 will overcome his inexperience of the top flight quickly and the same carpet football is replicated at the DW Stadium. Some goals from new signing Jason Scotland, also brought in from Swansea, could be the difference between safety and the drop.
WOLVERHAMPTON WANDERERS
Molineux, Waterloo Road, Wolverhampton, WV1 4QR. Capacity 28,525 http://www.wolves.co.uk/
Last season: 1st (promoted from the Championship), FA Cup 4th round, League Cup 2nd round
Last major trophy: League Cup 1980
Manager: Mick McCarthy (since July 2006)
Players In: Kevin Doyle, Andrew Surman, Marcus Hahnemann, Nenad Milijas, Greg Halford, Ronald Zubar, Michael Mancienne
Players Out: Darren Potter, Lewis Gobern
Pre-season form: After success in an early Australian tour with wins against Perth Glory (1-0) and North Queensland Fury (2-1), Wolves have had patchy form in the warm-ups with three wins and three losses from six matches, five of which were away. An early 1-0 win against Black Country opposition Walsall was followed by losses to Port Vale (1-2) and Bristol City (0-2). Mick McCarthy's men then beat Crewe Alexandra 1-0 and Scunthorpe United 4-2 in their best performance of the summer before a disappointing 2-0 home defeat to Real Valladolid.
Prediction: 16th
Wolverhampton Wanderers and Mick McCarthy both have unfinished business with the Premier League. Wolves were last in the top-flight in 03-04 but an opening 5-1 loss to Blackburn set the scene for a season of struggle in which they ended bottom with just seven wins, and no away success. McCarthy, of course, has few good memories of this league himself, leading Sunderland to relegations in 2003 and 2006 with then-record low points totals of 19 and 15. Six seasons on, Wolves arguably have the same Achilles heel that undermined their last Premier League campaign - a leaky defence which conceded 52 goals last season. But another blistering start like last year will give Wolves and McCarthy a real chance of absolution.
All transfers and pre-season results correct as of 2pm on Friday, August 14. Transfer window shuts on Monday, August 31.
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