Premier League 2013/14 season guide: Part 4

In the penultimate part of our Premier League season guide we take a look at Norwich City, Southampton, Stoke City and Sunderland.

Norwich City:
Having hovered around the relegation places during the middle of last season, the Canaries ended up finishing a very respectable 11th place. Earning just 10 points in 16 games during the season meant that Chris Hughton's men ruined an excellent start to the season. By mid-December they were only two points off a European place having beaten both Arsenal and Manchester United. Although Norwich didn't slip into the relegation places, there were certainly a few nervous looks during March and April. Three wins in their final five games of the season, including a final day win at Manchester City meant that they finished in 11th place. The main problem Hughton's men faced last season, was the ability to put the ball in the back of the net. Norwich's 41 goals was the third lowest in the league behind QPR and Stoke, with eight of the them coming from top goalscorer Grant Holt.

With Holt moving to Wigan Athletic, Hughton has brought in Dutch duo Leroy Fer and Ricky Van Wolfswinkel, as well as Celtic striker Gary Hooper. Both Van Wolfswinkel and Hooper have been prolific goal scorers wherever they have played, and City fans will expect the pair to strike up an excellent partnership. There have been a number of other arrivals at Carrow Road this summer with Javier Garrido making his loan move permanent, Martin Olsson arriving from Blackburn and Nathan Redmond making the move from Birmingham City. Norwich will want to start the campaign well and gather as many points as possible, as their final four games of the season include Liverpool, Arsenal, Manchester United and Chelsea.

Key Player: Ricky Van Wolfswinkel

Predicted finish: 13th

Southampton:

picture: telegraph.co.uk

Despite sacking Nigel Adkins in the middle of last season, Southampton still finished in 14th place under current manager Mauricio Pochettino. Under the Argentine, the Saints beat Liverpool, Manchester City and Chelsea at home in the second half of last season. With half a season under his belt, Pochettino now has a full season to further strengthen his side as they look to improve on last year's position. One signing they have brought in, is centre back Dejan Lovren, who at 25, has made the move from French giants Lyon. One concern about the Croatian is the three red cards he picked up for Lyon, in 18 games last season. Joining Lovren is Celtic midfielder Victor Wanyama who signed for £12.5 million. The goals from Rickie Lambert were extremely important for the Saints last season, with the big man hitting 15 league goals. The striker will need to be at it again this year if similar success is to be achieved at St Mary's.

The Saints have had a decent pre-season so far winning three out of five games they have played, losing two to Celta Vigo and Schalke. The opening four games to the season are games that Saints fans will expect their side to get points from. In West Brom, Sunderland, Norwich and West Ham, Southampton only managed four points against these sides last year, a total that should be improved this year, if the club have any ambition to finish higher in the league.

Key Player: Adam Lallana

Predicted finish: 10th

Stoke City:
After ten years of being in charge, Tony Pulis was sacked at the end of last season. His replacement, Mark Hughes, was one that not many Stoke fans were too impressed with. The former QPR manager has the tough task of managing a team that only scored 34 goals last year winning just two games away from home. Without a massive budget to play with Hughes job will be too develop the youngsters and add some much needed flare to a side who love to play direct football. In the transfer window, Hughes has only signed two players, Erik Pieters and Mark Muniesa, both defenders. Signed from PSV, Pieters is a left back and a player that Stoke were in need for as they spent most of last season with the right footed Marc Wilson in that position. Hughes will look to change the way Stoke play and look to get them scoring more regularly than they did under Pulis. In the 190 games they have played in the Premier League, they have only hit the net 188 times. Jonathan Walters was top goal scorer last season with just eight goals, and Hughes will look to him and Peter Crouch to be netting a lot more often.

Things don't get any easier for Hughes as his first game in charge of Stoke comes in the shape of Liverpool at Anfield. His side also face a home game against Man City and a trip to Arsenal in the club's first five games of the season. Other than QPR, 'Sparky' has a decent record in the Premier League with spells at Manchester City, Fulham and Blackburn Rovers.

Key Player: Steven N'Zonzi

Predicted finish: 16th

Sunderland:

picture: chroniclelive.co.uk

Paolo Di Canio was appointed as Sunderland boss at the end of March and was given the job of keeping the Black Cats in the top flight. He did this in the seven games he was in charge of winning two, drawing two and losing three. In particular the 3-0 away win over rivals at Newcastle United is the stand out result for Sunderland fans. His extravagant celebrations and his passion is something that will be welcomed Premier League fans this season. However a 6-1 thumping by Aston Villa and two poor draws against Stoke and Southampton don't bode well. So far on the transfer front, Di Canio has been busy both with new arrivals and departures. The club's best player last season Simon Mignolet has moved on to Liverpool, leaving Kieren Westwood and Vito Mannone to fight it out for the number one spot. January recruit Danny Graham failed to score in any of his thirteen appearances for Sunderland and has also moved out on loan to Premier League new boys Hull City. Just like Stoke and Norwich, goals were hard to come by as they only managed just the 41 goals.

Without key striker Steven Fletcher for two months last season meant that without the Scot, Sunderland struggled to find the goal. It is a must that he stays fit for this season. American Jozy Altidore has been brought in from AZ and fans will hope that he brings the form that saw him score 23 goals in Holland last year. He is joined by Italian Emanuele Giaccherini who joins from Juventus and was one of the players to stand out from the Italian side that made the semi finals of this summer's Confederations Cup in Brazil.

Key Player: Steven Fletcher

Predicted finish: 18th

Premier League: 2012/13 season review so far

As we approach the buys Christmas period of games, we look and review at the past few months in the Barclay's Premier League.

picture: dailymail.co.uk

Having claimed the title so dramatically last May, Roberto Mancini's Manchester City went into the season looking to defend it. Since August, City have only lost the once in the league to rivals Man United to end their long undefeated run at home. The defeat did not come as much of as a surprise as City's current defensive situation has not been anywhere as secure as last year. Mancini's summer signings included Matija Nastasic, Jack Rodwell and Maicon whereas Alex Ferguson brought in the class of Robin Van Persie from Arsenal. The difference in quality of signings between the clubs has told over the early months of the season which currently sees United sit six points clear of their city rivals.

Every year we see a surprise team who upset the odds and this year was no different with West Brom. New boss Steve Clarke got off to the perfect start as he faced his old side Liverpool on the opening day of the season. A 3-0 home win then saw the Baggies take points of Spurs, Chelsea and Everton to sit in the top four. The loan signing of Roman Lukaku from Chelsea has proved an excellent acquisition as he and strike partner Shane Long have seen the pair score 12 goals between them. Inconsistency in the last few games though has seem them since drop down to seventh.

At the bottom of the table, newly promoted Reading have been lurking in the bottom three since August which has seen them only win once all season. Their poor form currently sees The Royals sit bottom of the league with only nine points, six from safety. Brian McDermott's side have struggled to keep clean sheets, particularly at home which has seen them leak 36 goals so far. Alongside Reading are QPR who under new manager Harry Redknapp have started to look more of a team than under former manager Mark Hughes. Rangers had gone 16 games without a win, the longest in Premier League history, until recently when they recorded a 2-1 win at home to Fulham.

picture: football365.com

Hughes was the second manager to lose his job in the current season, after the surprising sacking of Chelsea manager Roberto Di Matteo. Di Matteo only spent six months at Stamford Bridge having won the Champions League and FA Cup as caretaker manager last year. Poor results and performances saw him laid off and Rafa Benitez brought in as an interim manager until the end of the season.

The Christmas period will be critical for some clubs in how their seasons will take shape. In particular at the bottom, Reading and QPR will need to pick up some consistent form if they are to avoid the elusive drop at the end of the season. The race for the title will once again go close and alongside the two Manchester clubs, Chelsea are still within a shout of challenging. The top four places are again too close to tell currently and a number of clubs will fancy their chances of making the Champions League places.

Final Table Predictions:
1: Man United
2: Man City
3: Chelsea
4: Arsenal
5: Tottenham Hotspur
6: Liverpool
7: Everton
8: West Brom
9: Stoke City
10: West Ham Utd
11: Newcastle United
12: Fulham
13: Swansea
14: Norwich City
15: Sunderland
16: Aston Villa
17: Southampton
18: Wigan Athletic
19: QPR
20: Reading

2012/13 Premier League: Preview Part 2

As promised we look at the second half of teams in the Premier League and look at their chances this year as well as the transfer activity they have been involved in.

Queens Park Rangers: 

picture: blogs.soccernet.com

After narrowly avoiding relegation last season, Rangers have been one of the busiest clubs in the transfer market. Manager Mark Hughes has brought in a number of players which include South Korean Park Ji-Sung from Manchester United and Junior Hoilett who made the move from Blackburn Rovers. Pre season has been very productive for the London side who have gone through unbeaten winning four and drawing two in their six games. With a squad full of Premier League experience, Rangers will want a higher finish in the league this season and want to establish themselves as a Premier League club.

Prediction: 19th

Reading:

Reading return to the Premier League after a four year absence from the top flight. They achieved automatic promotion last season finishing top of the Championship ahead of Southampton. Boss Brian McDermott has worked wonders at the Berkshire club and has significantly strengthened the squad during the summer transfer window. Chris Gunter has made the move from Nottingham Forest and is joined by forward Pavel Pogrebynak who chose Reading ahead of Fulham who he spent the second half of last season at. Left back Ian Harte is a set piece specialist and has gathered a number of goals and assists since he joined the Royals back in 2010. Strikers Jason Roberts and Adam Le Fondre scored a number of critical goals last year and they will be key if they are to remain in the top flight. 

Prediction: 16th

Southampton:

picture: saintscorner.tumblr.com

The Saints joined Norwich last season in achieving two successive promotions in two seasons. Having looked the favourites to win the league, the Saints were pipped to the title by Reading who they will join in the Premier League this season. Southampton open their campaign away at Manchester City, and will follow up with a trip to Arsenal and a home game against Manchester United. Manager Nigel Adkins paid £7million for Burnley striker Jay Rodriguez who scored 15 league goals for his former side last season. He joins a strong Saints front line with main man Rickie Lambert and fellow forward Billy Sharp expected to score the goals that will keep them in the league. 

Prediction: 20th

Stoke City:

Stoke had a busy season last year competing in four competitions and collecting plenty of air miles. Having finished runners up in the 2010/11 FA Cup, they achieved a place in the Europa League. The Potters made it comfortably past the group stages but their journey came to an end having lost to Valencia 2-0 on aggregate in the round of 32. Tony Pulis's men only managed four wins in the second half of the season meaning they finished in 14th place. The signing of Peter Crouch at the start of the season was a great acquisition by Pulis, and the frontman rewarded his manager by scoring one of the goals of the season against Manchester City. So far Pulis has only brought in three players in the window, Michael Kightly made the move from Wolves, and is joined by defender Geoff Cameron and midfielder Jamie Ness from Rangers. 

Prediction: 9th

Sunderland:

Martin O'Neill brought in a breath of fresh air for Sunderland last season replacing former boss Steve Bruce. Bruce was sacked midway through last year having only won two games in 13. The Black Cats finished in 13th place last season, and fans will want a significant improvement this year. The development of James McLean was something positive to take from last year, with the winger making the Republic of Ireland squad at the end of the season for Euro 2012. Sunderland only mastered 45 goals last season with Nicklas Bendtner their top goal scorer with only eight league goals to his name. If they are to improve on this total this season then O'Neill will need to bring in a centre forward to give them a greater threat upfront. 

Prediction: 11th

Swansea City:

picture: thesun.co.uk

Brendan Rogers took Swansea to an impressive 11th place finish last season and excellent performances throughout the year, saw him snapped up by Liverpool. His 'Tiki Taka' style of play saw Swansea beat Manchester City, Liverpool and Arsenal at home and eliminated any thoughts that his team would be favourites to be relegated. The loan signing of Gylfi Sigurdsson was a masterstroke by Rogers as the Icelandic starred in many games scoring important goals. Striker Danny Graham scored 12 league goals and with Scott Sinclair and Nathan Dyer aiding him out wide, Graham will want to better his tally this season. With Rogers off to Liverpool, former Juventus man Michael Laudrup took the reigns at the club and has so far brought in Spanish defender Chico and Spanish striker Michu from Rayo Vallecano during the window.

Prediction: 13th

Tottenham Hotspur:

Tottenham ended last season in fourth place having been title contenders mid way through the season. Due to Chelsea's Champions League final win, Spurs will be playing Europa League football though this year and not in the Champions League. Harry Redknapp was sacked at the end of the season and was replaced by Portuguese man Andre Villas Boas. Striker Emmanuel Adebayor was the top goal scorer for Spurs last season and scored 17 league goals in his loan spell. The Togo man has since gone back to parent club Man City and a deal to keep him at White Hart Lane has yet to be agreed. AVB has so far only brought in two players during the window, snapping up midfielder Gylfi Sigurdsson, and defender Jan Vertonghen who signed from Ajax. 

Prediction: 6th

West Bromwich Albion:

Roy Hodgson's decision to become England manager has meant that WBA will start 2012/13 with Steve Clarke at the helm. Clarke spent the last season and a half as the number two to Kenny Dalglish at Liverpool, and was also Jose Mourinho's number two when the 'special one' was manager at Chelsea. Clarke's first competitive game as West Brom manager will be against former team Liverpool as they face each other at The Hawthorns on the opening day of the season. On loan last season, keeper Ben Foster signed permanently for the Baggies from Midland rivals Birmingham City. Swedish frontman Markus Rosenberg has also been brought in from Werder Bremen and will offer a further attacking threat alongside Shane Long and Peter Odemwinge.

Prediction: 17th

West Ham United:

picture: tbhr.co.uk

West Ham made an immediate return to the Premier League coming up through the play-offs. Sam Alladyce's men looked likely to achieve automatic promotion but poor performances in vital games meant they needed to go through the play-offs to get promoted. Alladyce has been busy in the transfer window so far bringing in eight players including goalkeeper Jussi Jaaskelainen and former Wigan man Mohamed Diame both on free transfers. West Ham will be looking to get off to a good start as they face Swansea, Aston Villa and Fulham in their first three games. Led by Kevin Nolan, goals shouldn't be a problem with Ricardo Vaz Te, Nicky Maynard and Carlton Cole all available to play up front. The experience of Matty Taylor and Mark Noble in midfield will help the younger players in the squad and guide the team through the season.

Prediction: 12th

Wigan Athletic:

Wigan made yet another remarkable escape last season avoiding relegation and finishing in 15th place above Aston Villa and QPR. This season will be their eighth successive season in the Premier League and will be manager Roberto Martinez's fourth in charge of the Lactics. The Spaniard turned down the chance to manager both Liverpool and Aston Villa to remain with Wigan. Martinez has been relatively quiet in the transfer market so far only bringing in just the two players. Fraser Fyvie has joined the club from Aberdeen and is joined by defender Ivan Ramis who decided to join Wigan when it looked like he was going to fellow Premier League side West Ham. 

Prediction: 18th

Championship: 2011/12 season review

It may have been a cracking season in the Premier League, but throughout the three divisions in the football league, fans have not been disappointed with the levels of excitement throughout the season. In the Championship we saw Reading crowned as champions of the Championship with Southampton and West Ham joining them in the top flight next year. Joy for some clubs meant tears for others as Portsmouth, Coventry and Doncaster were relegated from the league. The fight for a play off place also took centre stage as a number of clubs fought for a place to give them a chance of promotion to the top division.

picture: football.co.uk

Having been relegated from the Premier League last season, West Ham were strong favourites to make an immediate return to the top flight. New boss Sam Alladyce brought in an array of talent throughout the season which included Nicky Maynard, Kevin Nolan, Matty Taylor and Ricardo Vaz Te. With the added experience, the Hammers had one of the strongest squads in the division. Having hovered around the top two for much of the season, a dip in form saw them slip down to third behind Reading and Southampton, meaning if they were to go up, they'd have to go through the play off's. Having beaten Cardiff in the semi finals, it was Blackpool standing in the way of the Hammers. However a late Vaz Te goal secured victory at Wembley and an immediate return for Alladyce's men.

The fight for a play off position was as exciting as ever, as a number of clubs fought for a chance to gain promotion to the Premier League. Cardiff City were again in the mix and after finishing fifth, were given the difficult task of facing West Ham. Relegated from the Premier League last season, Birmingham City and Blackpool faced each other in the other semi final. The likes of Middlesbrough and Brighton were amongst the play off's throughout the season, but eventually fell short meaning another season in the Championship for them. It was West Ham and Blackpool who made it through to the final at Wembley, and it was the Hammers who won beating the Seasiders 2-1.

picture: dailymail.co.uk

Despite the excitement at the top of the table, teams lower down the league were fighting it out to avoid relegation. Having been deducted ten points due to administration, Portsmouth were caught up in the relegation scrap. Having put up a valiant effort, Pompey couldn't overturn the deficit and were relegated with fellow sides Doncaster Rovers and Coventry City. Both Doncaster and Coventry spent the majority of the season in the bottom two and struggled to put any form together. Coventry only mastered up a poor nine wins throughout the whole season while Doncaster could only win eight games out of 46. Newly promoted side Peterborough United were relegated the last time they were in the Championship but after some astute signings, Darren Ferguson's side finished with a very respectable 50 points finishing in 18th position. Brighton who were also promoted with The Posh last season and enjoyed a good season, missing out on the play off's finishing in tenth position.

picture: readingfc.co.uk

Scoring an impressive 27 goals, Southampton striker Rickie Lambert took away the golden boot for the Championship. The centre forward continued to show what a finisher he is and guided the Saints to second place where they gained promotion to the Premier League. His goals though, weren't enough for Southampton to claim the title having been favourites to take top spot. They were pipped to the title by Reading whose excellent second half of the season, saw the Royals finish the season as champions. Losing only two of the last 19 league games, Brian McDermott's side enjoyed victories on the road against both Southampton and West Ham. Goals were a plenty throughout the season, as the Championship saw a number of high scoring games. In particular Nottingham Forest's 7-3 win at Leeds, and Peterborough United's 7-1 home drubbing of Ipswich the stand out games.

After another exciting season, next year will be sure to be as entertaining. The Championship will welcome Wolves, Bolton and Blackburn, who were relegated from the Premier League. The division will also welcome Charlton Athletic, Sheffield Wednesday and Huddersfield after they gained promotion from League One.

Top 5 Football League players of the year

As we come to the end of another fantastic season in the Football League, we look at the top five players that have shone this year in the Championship, League One and Two.

1# Rickie Lambert- Southampton

picture: zimbio.com

The Southampton striker has scored a mammoth 31 goals in all competitions this year and has been a massive star in the club's drive for promotion to the Premier League next year. Lambert has notched an impressive four hat tricks in the league this season including an excellent performance in the away win at Watford. His penalty taking continues to impress having not missed a spot kick while playing for the Saints. The former Bristol Rovers man gained automatic promotion with Southampton last season finishing top goalscorer at the club where they finished runners up to league champions Brighton. Lambert was awarded Championship player of the year this season as well as being included in the Championship team of the year alongside fellow team mates Adam Lallana and Kelvin Davis. Having proved himself in every division in the football league, Lambert will be keen to show his goalscoring talents in England's top division next year.

2# Chris Burke- Birmingham City
An unsung hero for the Blues, Burke has been a key member of the team that has seen them reach the Championship play off's. Contributing an impressive 14 goals from the wing, Burke has added experience to the side. Having moved from Cardiff in the summer, Burke has established himself in the Midland's side and will be important when his side play in the play off's later next month. As well as chipping in with goals, the Scottish international is the lead assister in the Championship with an excellent 16 assists to his name.

3# Tyrone Barnett- Peterborough United

picture: vitalfootball.co.uk

Former Crawley striker, Tyrone Barnett made an immediate impact on the Championship. The youngster managed four goals in 12 appearances for The Posh since joining on loan in January. Having impressed for League 2 side Crawley early in the season, Darren Ferguson quickly snapped the forward up. Barnett had already scored an impressive 15 goals for Crawley this year after joining them last summer from Macclesfield. Although now at Posh, Barnett was recently named in the League Two team of the year. With safety assured for Posh and another season guaranteed in the Championship, Barnett will be looking to continue hitting the net.

4# Matt Ritchie- Swindon TownThe Swindon Town winger has been a big performer for his side this year which has seen them win promotion from League Two. After a successful loan spell at the Wiltshire club last season, Ritchie made the move permanent and has since contributed 13 goals. It has been his assists though that have seen him stand out, contributing 13 to the team. He was named in this year's League Two team of the year alongside team mate Paul Caddis and also collected the League Two player of the year to cap of a superb season.

5# Jordan Rhodes- Huddersfield Town

picture: wikipedia.org

A striker who knows where the net is, Jordan Rhodes has been the star performer in this year's League One. The forward has notched an incredible 38 goals this season which has helped his side Huddersfield Town make a play off spot. Rhodes scored four goals in an amazing 4-4 draw away at Sheffield Wednesday this year as well as achieving an excellent six hat tricks. Rhodes was awarded League One player of the season as well as making the League One team of the year. If Huddersfield fail to gain promotion this year then Rhodes is certain to be snapped up.