Page 1 of Premiership strugglers??

I think Aston Villa are in for a hard time, I mean, what a great pre saeon there having, no signings and internal problems!

the three promoted clubs also (its normally very hard, last year a bit of an exception me thinks) and Middlesborough too.

Who do you think will be fighting relegation this time round??

This item was edited on Tuesday, 18th July 2006, 16:00

Watford are a racing cert, Sheff Utd will struggle then I think its one from:

Villa
Fulham
Portsmouth

For the token `established` team that goes down.

I think Reading will have a good crack at staying up, to be honest.

Fulhams home form wont be as good as last season, as everyone knows, Villas season looks over before its begun and I dont think there are good enough players at portsmouth to keep them up.

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Fulhams home form wont be as good as last season,

that will see them bang in trouble too then.....should be an exciting season! :)

i don`t think you can say who could go down until sept 1st. as a promoted team, i think you need players with premiership experience, in order to stay up + you need to get the points on the board before xmas.

i`m not sure about reading having a good crack. i don`t doubt the effort but if you can stop their wingers then they look pretty ordinary. whilst they romped the division, their perfomances against other promotion chasing teams weren`t that convincing.

at the moment, can`t see past watford, sheff utd and reading - with fulham + charlton in the mix.

i reckon pompey could be the surprise package - they have a pretty good midfield.

mgns

This item was edited on Tuesday, 18th July 2006, 19:52

Ellis out >:(

Apparently he`s looking for the `right` bidder to take over the club, well its not gonna be hard to do any worse than he is >:( Get out now you silly old man, you`re turning the club into a joke >:(

......its gonna be a very long season :(

just out of interest buff2k, who do you think is the biggest villlan - ellis or o`leary?

as a fan of a different club, i get the impression that ellis would now love to sell up but that last consortium just haven`t come up with the goods. it`s pretty easy to come in on a wave of promises but ellis obviously doesn`t believe they have the cash.

i think o`leary is a pretty snidey character - always deflecting attention away from himself and looking to come out smelling of roses. i reckon ellis has had one eye on getting rid of o`leary and so won`t give him any transfer funds - but on the other hand, is waiting for a takeover bid and their choice of manager.

of course this just leaves the club/fans in limbo - just got to hope for a quick takeover and an o`leary sacking.

mgns

I`d love to say we`ll stay up but who knows. The club are making all the right noises and are signing a few useful players. Maybe players like Tonge, Jags and Webber will flourish in the Premiership...plus we have a good keeper in Kenny.

I don`t recall Watford or Reading making too many signings.

What is happening at Villa is just a farce!

Nick

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just out of interest buff2k, who do you think is the biggest villlan - ellis or o`leary? Well, I`m not a fan of either (and O`Leary doesn`t matter now :D ) but I`d definitely say Ellis. To be fair I`m grateful for what he`s done for the club in the past but he should of stepped down a few years ago. Some of the stuff that`s come out of the `statement` is ridiculous. Not paying £300 to water the pitch or not letting the physio claim a cup of coffee on expenses is pathetic, we`re a Premiership club ffs. We`ve got a tiny squad and there`s not been a hint of any transfer activity this summer, lets hope Angel or some of our other `stars` like Hendrie have a good season :/

I know what you mean about the last consortium, I was never fully convinced, but can things get much worse behind the scenes than they are now?

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I dont think there are good enough players at portsmouth to keep them up.
YET.

Harry`s got £30m+ burning a hole in his pocket. Looks like we`re 1st in line for Anelka and Fernandes, and once some big names arrive, others may follow (fingers crossed) :D


I think Wigan will struggle the same as Ipswich did a few years ago. They won`t be underestimated this year and a few of their key players have been snatched away. If they don`t go back down this season, then they will in 2008.

Unless Reading get some experience into their side, they could struggle. I know they romped the Championship, but didn`t Sunderland do that in 2004-5?

Sheffield Utd look to be making the best moves for survival.

I don`t think Gareth Southgate will make any ground with Boro. As much as I`d like him to be a good manager, I don`t think he`ll come good for a couple of seasons.

If you were to press me for my bottom of the table prediction, it would be:

15 Sheff Utd
16 Middlesbrough
17 Wigan
18 Reading
19 Aston Villa
20 Watford

I reckon Villas season could very well be decided on the first day of the season.

If Arsenal (away) tear them a new one, that plus everything else will be hard to bounce back from.