Prediction Results Week 19

Sam - 10
Ian - 10
John - 8
Stephen - 5

Prediction of the Week: Sam - Aston Villa 1-1 Swansea

League Standings

		Pts
1	Stephen	143
2	John	125
3	Sam	117
4	Ian	116

Prediction Results Week 18

Stephen - 10
Ian - 10
Sam - 6
John - 6

Prediction of the Week: Ian - Tottenham 1-1 West Brom

League Standings

		Pts
1	Stephen	138
2	John	117
3	Sam	107
4	Ian	106

Prediction Results Week 17

John - 7
Ian - 7
Sam - 6
Stephen - 6

Prediction of the Week: Sam - Manchester United 3-1 West Ham

League Standings

		Pts
1	Stephen	128
2	John	111
3	Sam	101
4	Ian	96

Prediction Results Week 16

Sam - 9
John - 6
Stephen - 5
Ian - 4

Prediction of the Week: Sam - Cardiff 1-0 West Brom
 

League Standings

		Pts
1	Stephen	122
2	John	104
3	Sam	95
4	Ian	89

Prediction Results Week 15

A low scoring round this week but a much needed return to form for Ian. 

Ian - 8
John - 6
Sam - 5
Stephen - 4

Prediction of the Week: Ian - Arsenal 1-1 Everton
Special mention to:  Sam - Crystal Palace 2-0 Cardiff

The prediction of the week was closely fought but in the end I felt Ian edged it.
 

League Standings

		Pts
1	Stephen	117
2	John	98
3	Sam	86
4	Ian	85

Prediction Results Week 14

Well dear me Stephen extends his lead at the top with a 21 point lead over John but a whopping 32 and 36 point lead over Sam and Ian respectively.

Stephen - 10
John - 7
Sam - 6
Ian - 6

Prediction of the Week: Stephen - West Brom 2-3 Man City
 

League Standings

		Pts
1	Stephen	113
2	John	92
3	Sam	81
4	Ian	77

Prediction Results Week 13

John - 9
Stephen - 9
Sam - 6
Ian - 5

Prediction of the Week: John - Newcastle 2-1 West Brom 

League Standings

		Pts
1	Stephen	103
2	John	85
3	Sam	75
4	Ian	71

Prediction Results Week 12

Sam - 7
John - 7
Stephen - 7
Ian - 6

Prediction of the Week: Sam - West Brom 2-2 Aston Villa

League Standings

		Pts
1	Stephen	94
2	John	76
3	Sam	69
4	Ian	66

Prediction Results Week 11

Stephen - 6
John - 5
Sam - 3
Ian - 2

Prediction of the Week:  Stephen - Aston Villa 2-0 Cardiff
Special mention to the only other correct Prediction:  John - Liverpool 4-0 Fulham

League Standings

		Pts
1	Stephen	87
2	John	69
3	Sam	62
4	Ian	60

Prediction Results Week 10

Stephen - 10
John - 10
Sam - 5
Ian - 3

Prediction of the Week:  John - Everton 0-0 Tottenham

League Standings

		Pts
1	Stephen	81
2	John	64
3	Sam	59
4	Ian	58

Prediction Results Week 9

Sam - 11
Ian - 10
John - 9
Stephen - 7

Prediction of the Week:  Sam - Norwich 0-0 Cardiff

League Standings

		Pts
1	Stephen	71
2	Ian	55
3	John	54
4	Sam	54

Prediction Results Week 8

Stephen - 13
Ian - 12
John - 11
Sam - 5

Prediction of the Week: Stephen & Ian - West ham 1-3 Manchester City

A close second was:  Stephen - Aston Villa 0-2 Tottenham

League Standings

		Pts
1	Stephen	64
2	John	45
3	Ian	45
4	Sam	43

Prediction Results Week 7

Stephen - 13
John - 7
Sam - 6
Ian - 2

Prediction of the Week:  Stephen - Cardiff City 1-2 Newcastle United

League Standings

		Pts
1	Stephen	51
2	Sam	38
3	John	34
4	Ian	33

Prediction Results Week 6

Ian - 6
Stephen - 6
Sam - 5
John - 4

Prediction of the Week:  Ian - Hull City Tigers 1-0 West Ham United

League Standings

		Pts
1	Stephen	38
2	Sam	32
3	Ian	31
4	John	27

Prediction Result Week 5

Ian - 6
Sam - 5
John - 5
Stephen - 4

Prediction of the Week:  Sam - Crystal Palace 0-2 Swansea City

League Standings

		Pts
1	Stephen	32
2	Sam	27
3	Ian	25
4	John	23

Prediction Results Week 4

It was a week where John finally got a perfect prediction.  But he still bottom and has only that small victory to hold onto.

John - 8
Stephen - 8
Sam - 4
Ian - 3

Prediction of the Week:  John - Swansea 2-2 Liverpool

League Standings

		Pts
1	Stephen	28
2	Sam	22
3	Ian	19
4	John	18

Evolution not Revolution

The amount of change this year amongst the top teams in England has overshadowed everything else in football news. Alex Ferguson retired, appointing David Moyes as his successor – which sent the first of the ripples that were to later move through the premier league in the form of Everton replacing their man of ten years with Roberto Martinez and the return of Chelsea’s Special One.

There were various transfer sagas that blocked any other news from being seen; Gareth Bale’s longest ever journey to Real Madrid nearly killed The Centre Circle, Manchester United’s obscene approach for Cesc Fabregas and Chelsea’s pursuit of Wayne Rooney all added to the column inches. There wasn’t much space for Stoke, but after seven years they parted company with Tony Pulis and they rather swiftly appointed Mark Hughes as his successor.

The Potters were crying out for a change in philosophy. No longer was it enough at Stoke to grind your way to a lower mid table finish with a direct style that had to be seen to be believed. There were many (including The Centre Circle) who were very critical of Mark Hughes at QPR, and we stand by our opinions. He also failed at Manchester City, miserably if you ask many City fans. Sixth place after you spend £250 million is woefully short of acceptable and his sacking came as little surprise.

The problem was not that Mark Hughes was necessarily a bad manager; he just wasn’t the right manager for QPR or Manchester City and their style of play. It is easy to define his career by these failings and to forget everything else, but there have been times when he has used his management style to considerable success. A notable example would be his time at Fulham. He didn’t have a lot of money but what he did have he spent wisely and was able to get Fulham a team who played a very defensive style of football to eighth. He was also was very successful during his fledgling years at Blackburn, getting the best out of a very physical side. Over four seasons he finished fifteenth, sixth, tenth and seventh, something any Blackburn fan would bite your hand off for nowadays.

Hughes is very good at working with teams who are hard to break down and very physical, turning them in the process into top half teams. Stoke have one of those teams - tough tackling and hard to break down. It would be difficult for Stoke to have appointed someone in the mould of Martinez, Rodgers or many of the talented managers in Spain or Italy because quite simply Stoke just don’t have the players that can adapt to that style of play. Mark Hughes though offers a gradual transition to a less direct style of play, something a little easier on the eye but without drastic change, he works well with physical teams and can somehow get the best out of them.

Overhauling a club’s philosophy is of course risky business, and there have been examples of successes and failures of clubs who have adopted this strategy. It is often just a case of rolling the dice and standing by your decisions as a chairman. Charlton dropped two divisions when they swapped the ever reliable Alan Curbishley for Ian Dowie. It was too much too soon for them and Dowie, who was successful at Crystal Palace, found it hard to leave his imprint on the team. On the other hand however, when Chelsea appointed Jose Mourinho they went on to win two league titles after finishing second under Claudio Ranieri. They took a risk, changing managers to try and push their team to its full potential and it paid off. It is dangerous ground for Stoke to tread on – one could argue that sometimes premier league mediocrity is better than playing league one, but there comes a time when just existing is just a detriment in itself. We recall last season where Wigan finally ran out of luck and were subsequently relegated to the championship.

Overall, Mark Hughes strikes us as a sensible appointment, if you ignore his last two clubs and consider Stoke’s style of play. What we have seen from him so far is promising, making modest alterations rather than completely overhauling the squad, which proves he has learnt from his horrendous mistakes at QPR. His best piece of business was the signing of a full-back in the form of Eric Pieters - something that Tony Pulis seemed allergic to during his time as Stoke boss. Mark Hughes’ appointment, coupled with the signings that have been made, demonstrates that Peter Coates has gone for evolution, rather than revolution, and we think given time it will prove to be a success.

~John Robert Lavery

Another Roll of the Dice...

The nuclear button at the Stadium of Light is becoming worn out. Now is the time where managers will be sacked not after an extended run of poor results, but at the slightest suggestion of one.

Five games into a new era, a new dawn, the beginning of a surge up the table for the Black Cats. Change was afoot at Sunderland, and things would be different this time. Or so we were all promised. Managers can’t be sacked five games into the new season can they? Ellis Short isn’t stupid. This isn’t a results based thing. The sacking of Paolo Di Canio had other reasons. The ones we didn’t see.

For argument's sake, let's indulge the idea that it was a results based thing. If this were true, Short needs his head tested. What kind of emotions were running through his brain if that were the case? After Fulham, it was annoyance, Southampton, frustration. Crystal Palace… anger... Arsenal and he’s on the brink then BAM!! West Brom. I’ve had enough Paolo, thanks for the effort but this clearly isn’t working.

Di Canio was sacked 36 days into the campaign. Not even a trigger happy Italian chairman would behave in that way. The fact is that he cannot be judged even remotely fairly on those first games. History will tell you he was a failure. He was not. He was a victim of player power. Dressing room unrest, call it what you will. He took on the squad and lost spectacularly. Di Canio came in to Sunderland professing a tough and uncompromising approach. To be fair he delivered on this. Pre-season was all about training, fitness and hard work. There is no question that he wore his heart on his sleeve, demanding full commitment from all. Every football person in the land could have predicted what kind of attitude and presence Paolo Di Canio would bring to the Stadium of Light. He was easier to read than a Fisher Price ‘My first book’. The buzzwords were fiery, passionate, outspoken. Unfortunately these three ingredients don’t make for a long-term appointment.

The second biggest flaw in his style was the ability to hand out withering assessments of his player’s shortfalls in public. He may as well have put the players in stocks and pelted them with rotten veg outside the Bridges shopping centre in Sunderland. Publicly criticising players serves no purpose. However, if his public statements were so forthright one can only imagine what he came out with behind the scenes. And this, the Centre Circle believes was his biggest mistake.

There was a brutal assessment of Saturdays match the day after at the training ground. It was borderline vitriolic, with no tangible benefit. Players and teams only benefit from a rocket up their backsides if that rocket isn’t something that would obliterate them. Be straight all you like, but don’t be too harsh. Think more sparkler than nuclear bomb for insertion. Certain senior players relayed this to Margaret Byrne, Chief Executive of the club and that, as they say was that for Paolo Di Canio. This squad was not going to allow itself to be bullied by men such as him.

Some may say players earning such money should just take such criticism. However there probably aren’t many bosses who could get away with speaking to their staff in the manner he did and not many staff in any walk of life who would take it. The dismissal of Di Canio has nothing to do with his ability, and everything to do with his attitude. He got top marks in his coaching badges, and carried a self-assurance held by few, if any.

You can be the cleverest person in the class, but it’s worth nothing if you don’t know how to correctly harness this ability. He wanted to change his players, however the hard fact is it is he who needed to change the most.

~Ian Bendelow

Prediction Results 2013/14 Week 3

A very poor week in the predictions for everyone involved. John has still yet to record a perfect score and is now 10 points behind the league leader.

Stephen - 5
Sam - 5
Ian - 2
John - 2

Prediction of the Week:  Stephen - Liverpool 1-0 Manchester Utd

League Standings

		Pts
1	Stephen	20
2	Sam	18
3	Ian	16
4	John	10

Season Review Predictions 2013/14

Who will win the league?

John: I am going to say that Moyes will have a stormer of a season and Man Utd will win their 21st title.

Stephen: difficult one... the weekends fixtures have thrown it up in the air, the man city defeat to Cardiff can be a blip but it also showed some major defensive issues. Neither Man Utd nor Chelsea looked willing to lay a stake on the title with that very dull affair and Man Utd’s defeat to Liverpool did show up a lot of weaknesses with Man Utd’s squad. I'm going to say Man City because of just sheer squad strength.

Ian: A difficult one, but I will go with Manchester United. Chelsea have strengthened but I don't think that Mourinho quite has what it takes on his return. Losing Mata would be a disaster for them. Man City look good, but not quite good enough.

Sam: Its a very tough one to call but I am thinking Chelsea at this stage. Not a great showing against Man Utd, but they have strengthened this Summer, something Man Utd have so far failed to do. Man City look vulnerable at the back, I thought this even watching them against Newcastle and was proven to be correct the following weekend against Cardiff.

Champions league positions?

John: Man Utd, Chelsea, Man City, and……… Tottenham. It will be closely run mind, with Arsenal and Liverpool added to the list. Tottenham have spent the Bale money well and I think Erik Lamela is an excellent replacement for Bale and Étienne Capoue looks good well worth the £12 million. I think Liverpool will have an excellent season and will finish ahead of Arsenal who will drop to sixth. This will be Wengers last season and will probably end up at PSG. Arsenal have not strengthened and their squad is bone bare, their bench against Tottenham was frightening. A bad crop of injuries and Arsenal will start to lose games. Liverpool have strengthened well and next season I can see them actually breaking into the top four, they have a lot of good young players and another season of development and a couple of quality additions next summer and they will easily get there, Rogers has done a very good job at Liverpool and he is proving to be a very good manager.

Stephen: One has to consider Liverpool after their unusually steady start, one rough spell and they're catchup though. Man City, Man Utd, Chelsea and Spurs are my picks.

Ian: Man United, Chelsea, Man City, Spurs

Sam: Chelsea, Man City, Man Utd, Tottenham

Relegations teams?

John: It’s hard to look past Crystal Palace and Hull. That final spot could be anyone who didn’t finish in the top 6 last year. Particular mention to Newcastle, Sunderland and Fulham, these teams will be around this area and have all looked extremely poor in their opening games. I am going to go with Newcastle. Sunderland and Fulham will sack their managers and strengthen accordingly in January, Newcastle will sack Pardew and appoint Joe Kinnear.

Stephen: Palace, Stoke, Cardiff, (Newcastle based on first three games but I think a good spell must come)

Ian: Hull, Crystal Palace and Stoke.

Sam: Stoke, Hull City, Crystal Palace

Overachievers of the season?

John: Southampton will have a good season, which will send Ricky Lambert to Brazil. Special Mention to Aston Villa who I think will have a very good season. Benteke looks like last season wasn’t a one off and Agbonlahor, Weimann, Lowton and Delph have all started very well. If they can maintain this level of performance and Benteke continues scoring goals I can see Villa finishing in the top half.

Stephen: Southampton... again.

Ian: I would say Southampton but I don't think finishing in the top half after spending £30m is an over achievement. So I'll go for Aston Villa - their young squad will be better for last years experience and can only improve.

Sam: West Ham

Under performers of the season?

John: I think Newcastle, I can see a massive circus of a season heading their way. The dismissal of Pardew early doors, they will then appoint Joe Kinnear as manager. West Brom look much weaker than they did last season and they will struggle bottom half.

Stephen: Newcastle

Ian: West Brom. They will struggle despite a good year last term. Their form since January has been woeful. Stoke too.

Sam: Man Utd - Haven't strengthened at all in comparison to their main rivals who have all spent well over 50million.

Signing of the season?

John: Capoue for Tottenham has looked very promising, but I am going to go for Nathan Redmond. He has looked excellent he scored a stunner against Southampton and he has looked really promising and for just £2 million this seems like a steal. I know he was signed last season but Villa keeping hold of Benteke was quite a coup and will prove to be well worth it this season.

Stephen: Soldado

Ian: Ricky van Wolfswinkel - If only for the name. Or Simon Mignolet. I don't think people realise just how good a goalkeeper he is, world class saves are the norm to him.

Sam: Caulker to Cardiff is a great signing, 8 million is a lot, but they now have a promising young centre back who has 2 years premier league experience.

Worst signing of the season?

John: Osvaldo looks very poor and £12 million I can’t see him paying much of that back. Willian for £30 million looks like a big waste of money as well.

Stephen: There isn’t really any standout buys that look or seem that dreadful.

Ian: Aspas for Liverpool, looks a bit like Borini Mk II

Sam: I can't really see Osvaldo setting the world alight and £12 million is a lot of money.

First Manager to go?

John: The writing has been on the wall for Pardew ever since Joe Kinnear was appointed

Stephen: I'd love it to be Hughes, but sharks look to circulating at palace, not really Holloway's fault.

Ian: Sorry Newcastle fans but Alan Pardew. I feel for him but he's so rigid (i.e. drop Debuchy) and under the thumb from Ashley and Kinnear that he just hasn't got the backbone to assert his authority.

Sam: Ian Holloway - There has already been rumours and I think if they are rock bottom by the end of October, they may look to a change.

Top Goal Scorer?

John: Robin Van Persie, Daniel Sturridge will run him close.

Stephen: Robin Van Persie

Ian: A good question and I shall be utterly boring and say Robin van Persie.

Sam: Van Persie

Championship Promoted teams?

John: QPR, Nottingham Forrest, Watford

Stephen: Nottingham Forrest, Watford, QPR

Ian: QPR (unfortunately), Watford, Wigan

Sam: Blackpool, QPR, Leicester

Championship Relegated Teams?

John: Yeovil, Barnsley, Millwall

Stephen: Barnsley, Yeovil, Millwall

Ian: Blackburn (they'll lose Rhodes to Newcastle), Yeovil, Barnsley

Sam: Yeovil, Barnsley, Doncaster

Champions League Winners?

John: Real Madrid

Stephen: KLOPP (Dortmund)

Ian: Real Madrid

Sam: Barcalona

FA cup winners?

John: Chelsea

Stephen: Liverpool

Ian: Tottenham

Sam: Chelsea

League Cup Winners?

John: Aston Villa

Stephen: Arsenal

Ian: I'm going to go really left field here and say Nottingham Forest

Sam: Man City

The Centre Circles does Europe:

John - Bundesliga: The Bundesliga is going to look very similar to last year. Bayern Munich will walk the division comfortably and Dortmund will finish in second. The loss of Mario Götze was not ideal for Dortmund but keeping Robert Lewandowski even for one more year is probably worth more than the £25million. Even if all it will achieve is not to strengthen their main rivals. Aubameyang and Jonas Hofmann look like very good signings for Dortmund. Leverkusen lost Daniel Carvajal and André Schürrle which will be felt, but have gained Son from Hamburg. This for me was a good signing and getting a partnership to develop between Son and Kießling is key. I think they will finish in third. Fourth place is anyone’s guess Wolfsburg have strengthened and will be looking to put a disappointing season behind them. The signing of Daniel Caligiuri who was very impressive for Freiburg last year, seems like a good piece of business and the signing of Luis Gustavo was quite a coup. Schalke have had a poor start but a 2-0 win over Leverkusen will put a lot of minds at ease and the signing of Kevin Prince Boateng will do much to improve their slow start. Werder Bremen could be a surprise contender for fourth after a promising start.

At the other end of the table Braunschweig although have played well look doomed already. Augsburg will probably join after being quite lucky last year with some end of season heroics. Hertha Berlin have started well but I expect them to be around that area come the end of the season. I also expect Nuremberg and Freiburg to be precariously close.

Stephen - Ligue 1: Monaco and PSG are really throwing money around and will be the teams battling it out at the top. Marseille have had a strong start but I expect them to struggle under the financial power of PSG or Monaco

Ian - Serie A: It promises to be an exciting season in Italy. Napoli have strengthened nicely (despite losing Cavani) as have Roma, who have also lost talent. Juventus will always be there or thereabouts and Fiorentina will look to kick on after just missing out on a Champions League place last term. The playing field certainly seems to be much more level this season.

Sam – Liga BBVA: Barcelona to win the title. They won it with ease last year and continued where they left off with an emphatic 7-0 victory against Levante.

To be relegated, my prediction is on Malaga, who are a team in turmoil and another victim of a bored billionaire. Elche and Rayo Vallencano will join them.

Three predictions for the coming season?

John:

- Kinnear to be Newcastle Manager, at some point
- Bale will not represent value for money
- Goal line technology will be a roaring success

Stephen:

- Southampton pushing Europa league
- Newcastle hitting rock bottom with the managerial appointment of Kinnear.
- Suarez having a clean season

Ian:

- Joe Kinnear will take charge of Newcastle in at least one game.
- Goal line technology will prove inaccurate and controversial
- Mark Hughes will be sacked by February in a desperate attempt to save Stoke by Peter Coates. His exit will herald interviews proclaiming he wasn't given enough time, it wasn't his fault and he's still a top manager.

Sam:

- There will be 3 managerial casualties by January
- Liverpool to finish ahead of Arsenal
- West Brom to get relegated.

~John Robert Lavery
~Stephen Wrigglesworth
~Ian Bendelow
~Samuel Lavery

Prediction Results 2013/14 Week 2

A very poor week in the predictions for everyone involved.  John has still yet to record a perfect score.

Sam - 6
Stephen - 2
Ian - 2
John - 2

Prediction of the Week:  Sam - Manchester 0-0 Chelsea
 

League Standings

		Pts
1	Stephen	15
2	Ian	13
3	Sam	13
4	John	8