Prediction 2013/14 Results week 1

Hello Everyone and welcome to the first week in the 2013/14 prediction league.

This weekend had a familiar feel to it as Stephen and Ian collected two perfect scores each.  At the other end Sam and John continue to struggle when it comes to finding the scores that matter with both failing to find any perfect scores.  Something that was very apparent last season when both John and Sam limped home quite a bit off the pace.

Prediction of the weekend:  Stephen - Sunderland 0 - 1 Fulham

Stephen - 13

Ian - 11

Sam - 7

John - 6

League Standings

		Pts
1	Stephen	13
2	Ian	11
3	Sam	7
4	John	6

Evolution, A Dinosaur and Modern Football

On Sunday the 16th of June news broke that Joe Kinnear had been hired as Director of Football at Newcastle United. This news was broken not by the club, or an in the know journalist. No, in fact it was broken by the man himself. Presumably hours before he had even signed a contract. It took until Tuesday for the club to confirm it via a statement on the clubs’ website. As a fan I am used to the circus that is Newcastle United, it’s very rare we don’t dominate the back pages usually for some mess we have created, player orgy (common place now but remember, we did it here first), Joey Barton, Dennis wise and co, Kevin Keegan’s second coming then his resignation, the unfair dismissal of Chris Houghton, stadium naming rights, etc.

There is never a dull moment at Newcastle United, any success or sustained stability is evened out by clown like decision making and relegations. Even before I was born Newcastle was run like a fun fair and were known as a yo-yo club, with a revolving door of managers throughout the late 70s through to the early 90s.

The first time Joe Kinnear was brought in to replace the outgoing Kevin Keegan I was apprehensive, he was a manager whose last taste of success was a domestic double semi final with Wimbledon in 1997. He had then gone onto have a hand in the relegation of Luton town and Nottingham Forrest. Kinnear joined Newcastle and went onto win four of his 18 games in charge then left due to a recurrence of his heart problems. Our fears and apprehension of his appointment were perfectly founded and we were relegated that season. He now joins us for a second time, this time as Director of Football.

Is this a good role for him? He might not be up to the rigours of management anymore with its sports scientists, complicated tactics (which is almost a science in itself), superstar footballers, vast amounts of money.  A Director of Football is someone who knows the game and can use his experience and extensive list of contacts to find players, which without him might not have been possible.  Another role for a director of football is to allow an element of continuity for example Angelo Henrique at Porto.  This might suit Kinnear more than maybe having a full time hands on role as manager. In the car crash interview given to TalkSport, the only truth among many fabrications was that the players he mentioned did in fact play for Wimbledon at some point in their career and did in fact work with Kinnear. The lines do get blurred somewhat whether he signed them or not, how much he paid for them and how effective they were for his Wimbledon side. There was a litany of half-truths, inaccurate statements, and downright lies during the interview – and these have been picked apart by journalists with consummate ease.

At Wimbledon the three players where he may have got some value from were Marcus Gayle, Dean Holdsworth and Oyvind Leonhardsen. They were brought in collectively for little under a million and a half and were sold on for seven to eight million. On this alone it’s hardly merit to be put in charge of player recruitment at a club as big as Newcastle, his CV says he unearthed three very average players over seven years. If that was the case then Steve Bruce may as well have been given the job. Even Alan Pardew’s record eclipses this and he has done it in two seasons. These players were brought in from the lower divisions and as the Premier league gets bigger and bigger it is becoming harder and harder for lower league players to make the step up hence why scouts and “directors of football” are relying more and more on players from overseas.

There is a place for a director of football at Newcastle and within the English game.  The problem is Kinnear is a ridiculous appointment.  If you look at clubs like Reading and West Brom which have had Directors of Football, they show that it can be successful if the right appointment is made.  Liverpool shows what can happen if the wrong appointment is made.  When I look at teams like Sunderland and Tottenham appointing proven directors of football with a good record in this role, it makes me wander who's decision making was behind Kinnears appointment.

Kinnear is a throwback to the by gone days of football. He has failed at every club he has been at since Wimbledon because unlike Alex Ferguson and Bobby Robson he couldn't evolve with the game, had a total inability to adapt and therefore couldn’t – and can’t - understand the modern game. The game left him behind like it has done so many others who refuse to embrace modern football. His media appearances so far have shown exactly what he is - someone who is out of touch and out of date and above all supremely arrogant. Mispronouncing players names, making things up, saying he is more intelligent than the Newcastle fans that doubt him. That statement in itself shows a severe lack of intelligence on his part.

He has come into Newcastle, upset the fans, the current management structure, and upset the players in particular Cabaye, Ben Arfa and Sammy Ameobi. I can see this ending badly and his comments he made in June 2012 hardly reassure Alan Pardew and Graham Carr "I would consider something like a director of football post. But I would do that for just one reason and that is to get myself back into full-time management. If I was a director of football and the manager was struggling and got the old tin-tack, I would tell them that I'd take over."

~John Robert Lavery

Life at the Top Table

It’s a rare thing for all three promoted teams to go straight back down the season after coming up from the second tier. It’s only happened once previously in the Premier League – back in 1997/98. Therefore it’s likely one of Cardiff, Hull or Crystal Palace will survive. But who has the best chance? Ian Bendelow gets out his crystal ball…

Teams who come up from the Championship can find themselves woefully ill equipped to cope with the rigours of Premier League football. Just ask Sunderland fans in their ill-fated 2005/2006 season, in which they ‘amassed’ a grand total of 15 points. Determined not to be out-done, Derby County smashed this record two seasons later by posting an impressive 11-point total.

For both it was their first season in the league. Billy Davies, who was manager of Derby when they went up remarked that they were way ahead of schedule in their top-flight ambitions, didn’t expect to get promoted and would just give it their best shot. Mick McCarthy at Sunderland must have looked at the six-figure budget he was handed by Bob Murray and have thought“oh dear”. And then he got on the phone to Alan Stubbs.

It’s not always the case that teams struggle. Newcastle, on their first foray into the Premier League under the stewardship of Kevin Keegan formed the nucleus of a team that would propel the club from a yo-yo club to European contenders. In their first season up, the swashbuckling Magpies with stars such as Ruel Fox, Andy Cole and Peter Beardsley finished third with 77 points. Nottingham Forest repeated the trick a couple of seasons later under the guidance of Frank Clark, and the steely leadership of Stuart Pearce.

There are of course requirements for a team to be successful.

First and foremost it’s the thing that makes all clubs to differing extents tick. Money. In the case of teams coming up though, it is all about spending that money wisely. Few will go out and spend tens of millions of pounds on players, in an attempt to buy their way to survival. Many will not spend at all (see Reading last year), and just be happy to be richer for the experience.

Cardiff are currently best equipped to survive. A strong squad, with players who had the knowledge they were the best in the division last year means they can be confident of giving it a good go. They will need to make improvements of course, but arguably this could be largely aesthetic ones. Adel Taraabt perhaps. Palace, on the other hand look like they might spend a bit – but perhaps their wisest move would be to bring back Zaha on loan. The man quite simply made Palace’s team, he didn’t just add to it.

Hull have to spend big time. From top to bottom their squad has players who can keep it tight and nick a goal in the Championship, but when required to grasp the nettle in the Premier League will find themselves completely out of their depth. If Bruce feels that players like Adam Boyd and Ahmed Elmohamady are the answer, then he is sadly mistaken.

Of course the quality of their managers has a bearing too. The brooding, considered approach of Malky Mackay, the safety-first approach of Steve Bruce or the ADHD bonkers child-in-a-box style of Ian Holloway all have their merits. If you had to choose one of these three to keep you up, The Centre Circle would wager that Steve Bruce would have the best chance on paper. He has experience of working on a small budget with an average team, and has succeeded (ironically when given money at Sunderland he failed). Mackay is too inexperienced for some and Holloway too mad to be considered the best equipped. Although this doesn't mean he is in charge of the team most likely to survive.
However the one factor which stands above all others for newcomers to the league is the importance of having a good striker. A talisman, a focal point, someone who can drive a team forward. There are exceptions to this, but a good striker is usually the difference between staying up or doing down. Newcastle had Andy Cole first time around then in more recent times Andy Carroll helped them establish safety for a second time in the Premier league. Southampton relied on Ricky Lambert, and Norwich had Grant Holt. Sunderland announced their arrival in the Premier League with a bang with Kevin Phillips scoring 30 goals in his maiden season.

There are of course other factors. Luck, team spirit and staying injury free can help. These can all be offset by having a good squad depth, and knowing when to rotate your squad to the full effect.
All promoted teams, with a few exceptions can arguably produce a run of form through part of a season. Sustaining this throughout a campaign is difficult, but necessary to be able to stay up. Blackpool and Hull were superb in the first half of their maiden top flight seasons, before falling woefully away after the turn of the year. Blackpool of course went down on the final day, with Hull surviving by the skin of their teeth.

It looks to The Centre Circle like it will be Palace and Hull for the drop at the minute. For the former, it’s not because of the signings they will make, but who they have lost this summer. Hollaway’s cavalier, live or die attitude that served him well at Blackpool will see them go down fighting. The announcement of plans to revamp Selhurst Park suggests they won’t have much to spend and Palace are looking at a long term vision for the club not just overnight success. For Hull, who played a turgid, dull brand of football all season under Bruce in the Championship, reek of a disaster waiting to happen. The owner has promised money and it will all depend on how Bruce spends it. Will he use his eye for talent like he did at Wigan or assemble a disaster of a squad like he did at Sunderland.

~Ian Bendelow

Recap on Predictions

Here we are the end of the season and with it a look back at some of our predictions we made at the start of the season.

Who will win the League?

What Happened:  Manchester United won the league by eleven points in the end. All this didn't make good reading for Manchester City, who put up a pretty feeble defence of their title.
Predictions:

John:  Manchester City
Sam: Manchester City
Stephen:  Chelsea
Ian: Man Utd

Special Quote from Ian: I think it will be a lot closer this year, with Man Utd winning it – as Fergie will retire at the end of the season. Man City second and Chelsea a very close third. 

It was on the centrecircle first.

Champions League positions?

What Happened:  Tottenham fought hard to wrestle the final Champions League position away from Arsenal.  In the end though it was the usual suspects who have been invited to Europe's top table next season.

John: Man City, Man Utd, Chelsea and Tottenham.
Sam:  Man City, Man Utd, Chelsea and Arsenal
Stephen: Manchester City, Manchester Utd, Chelsea and Everton
Ian:  Manchester Utd Manchester City, Arsenal and Chelsea.

Relegated Clubs?

What Happened:  QPR and Reading were relegated pretty much from the start of the season, in fact you would have to go back as far as January when they looked like there was any hope of survival.  Wigan at least, took it to the final three games and it left a lot of clubs including Newcastle, Sunderland, Aston Villa, Norwich and Southampton all sweating over if they could perform the great escape again.

John: Norwich, Wigan, Aston Villa
Sam: Norwich, Southampton and Reading
Stephen: Villa, Norwich and Wigan
Ian: West Ham, Reading and Southampton

Surprise Package? (Team)

What Happened: It is a hard one to call this with how congested it was at the bottom and the top took a familiar look when the season drew to a close.  West Brom will be happy with their eighth place finish and so will Swansea in ninth. 

John: Everton, Swansea, Tottenham
Sam:  Everton
Stephen: Everton
Ian: Everton - he actually said the following "I think Everton will “do a Newcastle” and break into the top echelons of the table. This is Moyesys final year before he heads off to Man Utd."

Underachiever of the season? (Team)

What happened:  This one is hard to call again because of the way the season panned out. Manchester City will be very unhappy because of the way their season pit'tered out.  I also think Europa league proved to much for Newcastle after they finished in a very disappointing sixteenth after a very good season last year.  QPR also deserve a mention after the money they spent on players.  Overall though it has to go to Newcastle after they fell 11 places and 24 points.

John:  Arsenal, Aston Villa
Sam: Aston Villa, Tottenham
Stephen:  Spurs
Ian: Liverpool

Top Scorer?

What Happened:  It clearly had to be a man who scored thirty goals the previous season and then got a transfer to the best team in the land. Van Persie was excellent this year and proved to be instrumental in providing Manchester United's 20 top flight success.

John: Torres, Balotelli,Tevez.
Sam: Fernando Torres
Stephen:  Giroud, Torres
Ian: Rooney

First Manager to Go?

What Happened:  Roberto Di Matteo was the first man out the door in what was a controversial decision.  He left after a very poor run of form, with Chelsea's champions league hopes hanging by a thread.  He was replaced by Rafa Benitez who at first was very unpopular but he ended up getting Chelsea into third and winning the Europa League.  Second manager was Mark Hughes who was sacked two days after Di Matteo after emassing a total of four points from his twelve games in charge - fully justified in The Centre Circle's opinion.

John: Mark Hughes

Sam: Mark Hughes, Paul Lambert, AVB

Stephen:  Lambert, AVB, Rodgers
Ian: Mark Hughes

What will be the story of the season?

What Happened:  Story of the season by far is Alex Ferguson would retire as manager of Manchester United.

John: Mario Balotelli gets his own TV show...

Sam: Dunno what to make of this question? I dunno, Wayne Rooney and John Terry have a threesome with Roy Hodgson's wife?

Stephen: Everton playing champions league next season. At least one England international cheating on his wife.

Ian: Everton will be around the top of the table come Christmas and people will be talking about a title push. I'm actually really confident about this!

Individually who will be the best buy?

What Happened:  Best buys of the season were definitely Michu who cost £2 million and scored twenty two goals in all competitions.  Benteke who cost £7 million and scored twenty three goals in all competitions.  A special mention to Robin Van Persie who for £25 million delivered everything his price tag suggests.

John:  Michu
Sam:  Hazard
Stephen: Adam Johnson, Hazard, Michu
Ian: Michu.
Individually who is the worst buy?

What Happened:  The whole of QPR's buys will get a mention, especially Jose Bosingwa who looked at times to be actually trying to get QPR relegated.  Podolski and Giroud didn't impress greatly this season for the amount of money paid for them.  Adam Johnson never showed value for money this season, with performances lacking a lot of effort.

John:  QPRs signings, Gaston Ramirez
Sam: Giroud
Stephen:  QPRs signings
Ian: Podolski

Who do you Think Will get promoted from the Championship?

What Happened:  Cardiff were by far the strongest team this season and won the championship with relative ease.  The final automatic promotion spot went to Hull on the final day, it was very close and the sending off of Troy Deeney for Watford and Watford losing both first and second choice goal keepers for the game against Leeds was the difference.  Crystal Palace used the play off to gain their birth in Premier league after beating Watford at Wembley in a tense finale.

John: Wolves, Cardiff, Leeds (Playoffs)
Sam: Wolves, Leicester and Leeds (Playoffs)
Stephen: Blackpool, Leicester, Leeds.
Ian: Leicester, Cardiff, Bolton


Who will get relegated from the Championship?

What Happened: The championship last season was an extremely tight league, 54 points got you relegated compared to the season before which would have seen you 14 points from safety. In the end it was Bristol City, Peterborough and surprisingly Wolves who took the plunge into League 1.

John: Birmingham, Milwall, Peterborough
Sam: Peterborough, Millwall, Sheffield Wednesday
Stephen: Peterborough, Sheffield Wednesday, Charlton
Ian: Birmingham, Bristol City, Peterborough

Re Written by
~John Robert Lavery
~ Ian Bendelow

Answers from
~John Robert Lavery
~Sam Lavery
~Stephen Wrigglesworth
~Ian Bendelow

Prediction Results Week 38 (Final)

Stephen - 7
Sam - 7
John - 6
Ian - 5

League Standings

		Pts
C	Stephen	253
2	Ian	241
3	John	238
4	Sam	237

Champion - Stephen

Predictions Results Week 37 (Penultimate)

Stephen - 11
Ian - 9
John - 9
Sam - 8

League Standings:

		Pts
1	Stephen	246
2	Ian	236
3	John	232
4	Sam	230

Prediction Results Week 36

Stephen - 9

Sam - 8

Ian - 8

John - 7

League Standings

		Pts
1	Stephen	235
2	Ian	227
3	John	223
4	Sam	222

Prediction Results Week 35

Sam - 12
Stephen - 6
Ian - 6
John - 3

League Standings

		Pts
1	Stephen	226
2	Ian	219
3	John	216
4	Sam	214

Prediction Results Week 34

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

League Standings

		Pts
1	Stephen	220
2	John	213
3	Ian	213
4	Sam	202

Prediction Results Week 33

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

League Standings

		Pts
1	Stephen	215
2	John	208
3	Ian	205
4	Sam	192

Prediction Results Week 32

Stephen - 10
Sam - 5
John - 4
Ian - 2

League Standings:

		Pts
1	Stephen	207
2	John	198
3	Ian	197
4	Sam	187

The Super League or Selling their soul?

Football is 100% unashamedly a business. It’s all about money, making money, and subsequent success. Some are getting to the point now where they can be no bigger in their home countries. Meanwhile, across the world there is an increasing interest in football, particularly in the middle and far East. So what’s the answer for clubs who are stuck in their domestic-goldfish bowl? To think even bigger. John Lavery investigates…

In the news recently there was a story running about the Qatar royal family starting up a Super League where they will pay the best teams in the world £175 Million just for participating. This is more than three times what any premier league club will be given even after the £3bn TV deal that’s coming into effect next season. It sounded too good to be true, and like most things of this nature it turned out to be a hoax. Hoax or not, it isn’t the first time something like this has been suggested. 

In the past we’ve had the UEFA peddled European Super League where the powers that be proposed to turn the Champions League into some sort of weird, bastard love child of its predecessor. It would be run like a travelling circus, with a group of games in a certain country. There are persistent rumours from Saudi Royal Family, Dubai business man or Russian Oligarchs who are looking to plough millions of pounds worth of the local currency into a league to put their country on the world football stage. The list goes on, this idea isn’t new and amongst all the hoax and media scaremongering there must be an element of truth embedded in this somewhere.

The idea itself appears on every level to be mental. But what if the idea was put forward as a serious proposition? How many clubs would actually go for it if offered the opportunity? Money being a huge carrot-on-a-stick for the top clubs across the world, it’s likely that many wouldn’t be averse to the idea. Their first response would probably be to say something along the lines of “Go on… I’m listening.”

Even footballs biggest teams in the form of Rangers and AC Milan are not immune to the crippling effects of mishandling finances, as the events of the past couple of years have shown. £175 million would look like a very attractive proposition for a team in financial difficulties. Manchester United and Liverpool have massive amounts of debt and world wide support so what would be different for them if they saw leaving these shores to make more money. You just need to look at the clubs in Spain on the brink of administration to see they would be interested - Deportivo, Valencia, Real Betis to name a few teeter on the verge of administration or bankruptcy, but the list goes on.

The more people start seeing football as a business the more people will want to generate more money out of it and the less sustainable football will be if they don’t try and expand its market to the countries with vast sums of wealth. You could also imagine the clubs such as Manchester City and Paris Saint Germain who are Middle East owned would want to participate because of the owners’ ties with the area. They would see it as an opportunity to bring the game “back home.”

The trouble with leaving your native league is you lose all roots and history you have created. For example would it still be ok to say that Manchester United have won nineteen titles and Liverpool have won eighteen titles when they are playing in a totally different league? Cross-border leagues could be the future for European competition if done correctly. Putting all the best teams in the world together in one super league will cause all history to be thrown out the window and turn all the great clubs into Team A, Team B etc. So surely if they wanted to watch the best teams in the world play in their back garden then why don’t they just make a new league? This would enable teams to buy the best players in the world because as we have found with Manchester City and PSG, most players can be lured anywhere for vast amounts of cash.

What teams would be targeted to participate in the Super league? Would it be just the teams at the top of their league or would it be teams with a lot of history? For example right now Inter Milan are in sixth position so would they be picked over Fiorentina who are in fourth? If you look at the English League assuming Manchester United are picked would the other participants be Manchester City, Tottenham and Chelsea. Would they be picked ahead of Arsenal and Liverpool even though traditionally Arsenal and Liverpool are the more successful clubs? Then there’s Rangers and Celtic - two massive clubs who have world wide support and a global profile but Celtic sit top of the SPL and Rangers are currently top of division three. Essentially it boils down to whether you want the team, or the brand.

This idea of a super league is massively flawed and would never work, the conditions for entry are blurred, a team would lose all of their identity if they entered and would just be called team A or B. The rewards are there in the form of vast amounts of wealth but you would incur a deep cultural and historical loss that not even £175 million can purchase. You would have to think that after the initial season of the Super league people would just return to their native leagues anyway to watch the clubs they support, or you would like to think so or would these people when viewing figures got low would they then buy fans. What about fan power? Would they have a real say? Could we eventually be in a position where money has 100% of the say all the time in football, where managers, players and fans are irrelevant? Or do we already have this. You don’t have to cast your minds that far back to find situations where fans were ignored. The renaming of St James park is a very recent episode in this particular drama. So all be it this story was a hoax but I don’t think we will see the last of it. You just have to look at the IPL in cricket to see what effect that has had on the domestic game. Money talks and the business model of football will surely be listening to everything it has to say.

~John Robert Lavery

Politics, Money, Football

What makes a good football manager? Martin O’Neill’s appointment seemed to tick all the boxes at Sunderland. He had been successful at Villa, Leicester and Celtic, with a clearly defined style of play and a management style that suited the majority of players. People throughout the game respected him, he was the fans’choice, and of course he supports the Black Cats.

Things went wrong. Vast amounts of money were spent on players, some of whom haven’t delivered. The tactics smacked of someone who was set in his ways, unwilling to adapt to the changing flow of the game (for a familiar tale, see Bruce, S. 2008-2011).

But why did it go wrong? It speaks volumes about the man that he still had the support of most Sunderland fans, and it was perceived in the media that his sacking was harsh. This isn’t a view that would have been bestowed upon many football managers. However the harsh truth is that O’Neill, judging by previous precedent deserved to get the sack.

Because the only thing that makes a good manager is results. This season, for Sunderland they haven’t been anywhere near good enough. There was always the feeling of being one or two results away from disaster, and it has come to pass.

There probably couldn't have been any more polarising appointment than that of Paolo Di Canio. Firstly, he’s a manager with little experience – 18 months or so at Swindon in League One and Two is all he has to refer to. His time there was a success, but he was given a large amount of money to spend, a la Keane in 2006-2007. He’s volatile, speaks his mind and incredibly, overtly passionate. The final point is certainly something that could work for or against him.

Some will (and have) said that they can no longer back a club that employs a man who has made comments about fascism in the past. Whatever he says about it being misquoted you cannot misquote the picture that earned him a fine and a ban following a Lazio match.

However some will say that it's the club that matters, and the fans who define who we are. As after all they are the ones that will be around long after staff, owners and managers have occupied various positions within the club.
If Paolo Di Canio was a BNP supporter, would Sunderland fans who have backed the new manager feel the same? Would they be outraged, disgusted and refuse to return in the future? And if Alan Shearer or Lee Clark was appointed, would they think similar? So what's the difference here? It's the weird, illogical moral compass that many football fans will live by. I can't explain it, there is no way of squaring off the circle that many Sunderland fans are no doubt battling with. Personally, I've just chosen to accept it and concentrate on the football and let others discuss the issue further.

Margaret Byrne's comments saying that to say he was a fascist was insulting are ridiculous. That's just complete blindness on the part of the club and it makes her, and Sunderland, look pretty stupid. It’s debateable whether anyone actually looked up his political persuasions before appointing him. If he was a teacher, a lawyer, a police officer, he would never have got the job. Not so in football, because all that matters is the business, the profitability and the money – and Ellis Short clearly believes that Di Canio is the best person to bring success to the club. One thing’s for sure – it’s a massive gamble.

~Ian Bendelow

Prediction Results Week 31

Stephen - 11
John - 9
Ian - 9
Sam - 8

League Standings:

		Pts
1	Stephen	197
2	Ian	195
3	John	194
4	Sam	182

Season Review 5

Who will get...

The Champions league places?

John:

Manchester United
Manchester City
Tottenham
Arsenal

Ian:

Man utd
Man city
Spurs
Chelsea

Stephen:

Man utd
Man city
Chelsea
Spurs

Sam:

Man utd
Man city
Chelsea
Spurs

Relegated from the premier league?

John:

Wigan
QPR
Reading

Ian:

Sunderland - I'm sorry I truly believe this will happen. It just feels like it's destiny.
Reading
QPR

Stephen:

QPR
Reading (Nigel Adkins needs a bit more patience, although he'll have a strong team in next year’s championship)
Wigan (it's their year)

Sam:

Wigan
QPR
Reading

Promoted from the championship?

John:

Cardiff
Watford
Hull (Playoffs)

Ian:

Cardiff
Hull
Palace

Stephen:

Cardiff for sure
Crystal Palace might have a strong finish. I'll go with them over hull.

Sam:

Cardiff
Hull
Playoff Crystal Palace

Relegated from the championship?

John:

Blackburn Rovers
Peterborough United
Bristol City

Ian:

Wolves - can't believe the mess they're in this season. A true shambles of a situation.
Peterborough
Bristol City

Special mention to Blackburn here y'all. I know it's their mission to achieve a brace of demotions, but they will just survive this season. No thanks to the owners. Incidentally did anyone see that Burnley fan that applied for the vacant position as a joke... and got an interview DESPITE saying it was his ambition to achieve back to back relegations. Honestly the Chicken farmers' idiocy is groundbreaking.

Stephen:

Bristol City
Peterborough
This is a long shot but I half expect Blackburn to get gobbled up

Sam:

Shef Wed
Peterborough
Bristol City

Who will...

Win the FA cup?

John: Manchester City
Ian: Chelsea. Are they still in it? BORING.  In fact I'm going to say Millwall for a joke.
Stephen: I think Man City will get it, probably cutting Mancini a little bit of slack
Sam: Man Utd

Win the Champions league?

John: Real Madrid
Ian: Bayern Munich. They’ll make up for last years’ inexplicable performance in the final v Chelsea.
Stephen: I'd love to see Borussia Dortmund do it, I think the team they've created and the way they've done it deserves success. With the league out of their reach I think they might have a real good tilt at it.
Sam: Buyern Munich

Europa league?

John: Newcastle United
Ian: I’d like to say Newcastle but I won’t. Benfica. Their league form this season is ridiculous.
Stephen: Newcastle (they possibly could, it's not impossible)
realistically Spurs or Chelsea or Benfica, AVB has previous in the tournament and is known to take it seriously. Benfica and Chelsea are probably the most experienced teams left but lets say Spurs if they're at their best.

Sam: Newcastle

Wigan have built up a lot of support over the years trading off their plucky underdog status, pulling through in the face of adversity. However the events of the past week have cast them as the villains, with Dave Whelan's comments in particular being inflammatory and unapologetic - are they therefore in danger of losing much of this goodwill because of their behaviour?

John: Wigan have not covered themselves in glory over this issue. It was a horrible tackle and could have ended Haidara’s career. They should have held their hands up and said 'yes, it was a horrible tackle, but it was a mistake and McManaman will learn from this'. What Dave Whelan came out and said was completely obscene and instantly changed my mind about Wigan and I'm sure many others have changed theirs too. I hope they go down. I had a lot of time for Martinez and his Wigan side, but after this I think it’s done him and the club a lot of harm.

Ian: Frankly, yes. How Dave Whelan can defend that kind of tackle is beyond me. There is absolutely no defence to that sort of challenge. He’ll look back on the whole thing and think “maybe I was a bit hasty there.” I just hope that he is thoroughly ashamed of his comments.

Stephen: Well you can't hold them responsible for the good fortune they got against Newcastle but Dave Whelan did cast himself as a twat with the way he behaved afterward, it's not even a polarising tackle, it's a shit one and everyone knows it.  An apology and some in house discipline would not have been difficult and would have encouraged the good will they generate.  It's hard not to be bias now but I don't wish to see Whelan have any further success.

Sam: No I don't think it will. It was disgraceful what happened and I blame the feckless officials more than anything. Wigan were trying to defend their player, which right or wrong you would probably expect.

Michael Owen has finally retired. Will he be remembered for his goal scoring exploits or as a wasted talent?

John: Michael Owen had the potential to be one of the best strikers England had seen. He could have beaten Alan Shearer's record for goals in the Premier League and he could have gone on to cement his name in the annals of footballing history. Despite being an amazing striker, his year-on-year injuries took their toll and he was unable to fulfill his potential. I don’t think it was entirely his fault in the early part of his career however - he was often over used as a teenager both for England and Liverpool, which meant he couldn't recover properly from his injuries. This had a massive bearing on him and his future development. Later in his career, he made some poor choices which only added to his troubles - joining Real Madrid was an average choice and I think he owed Newcastle a year. Saying that, joining Newcastle in the first place was not the best idea, it was totally motivated by money. Overall Michael Owen will be remembered as a good English Striker but he could have been remembered as one of the best of all time.

Ian: He’ll be remembered for the latter part of his career. It’s what people recall – the last thing that happened. People don’t remember the results at half time in matches. It’s a shame really that he hasn't dropped down the leagues. He’d be a great Championship and League One striker. Clearly he thinks his interests lie elsewhere and that’s fine. It’s just frustrating that he had (or has) this inflated opinion of himself. Interesting how he admitted this week that he hadn't been fully fit for fourteen, that’s FOURTEEN years. Well you know what Michael, that’s what we've been trying to tell you. The boy has had blu-tacked hamstrings for nigh on eternity now.

Ryan Giggs on the other hand is the polar opposite – he will be remembered for his longevity. What a guy.

Stephen: Well for me he's a wasted talent, he doesn't have a single redeemable personality trait and he's made of glass. I personally wouldn't ever consider his name if I were thinking of great players. Time will forget Michael Owen.

Sam: In my eyes wasted talent. Brilliant at Liverpool, Sat on the bench at Madrid, injured at Newcastle and benched for Man Utd and Stoke. General annoying shit on Twitter.

Would you pick Rio Ferdinand for England again? Where do you think England's future lies in centre defence?

John: Rio Ferdinand’s England career is over. I think he deserved to be included in the current squad because of his good form, but I think that says more about the current options available to the English squad rather than his form, with England having to rely on someone who is thirty four and injury prone. The future of the English defence is probably Jones, Smalling and Caulker. Injuries and inconsistent form though doesn't help their cases to be included. Shawcross could be an option, but his club's current form might stop him from getting in the England squad and cementing his place there.

Ian: England’s future in central defence is a difficult one. Ferdinand would be in the Man Utd team every week if he was fit. So to suggest that he shouldn't be in the team ahead of two guys who aren't first team regulars (i.e. like against Montenegro) doesn't make sense. However, strangely I can’t convincingly say he should be in the team. The future for me lies with Smalling and Cahill. However these guys MUST be playing regular football otherwise it’s pointless. I’m all for England players playing for the top clubs – look at Man City’s team – but only if they’re getting a game. The likes of Milner, Cahill etc. have to be playing week in week out.

Stephen: No, No, never, I'd play a three legged cat out of principle.

Sam: I wouldn't have picked him to begin with for the recent squad! He's 34, best years are behind him and I honestly do not know where him getting picked again came from. I think players like Jagielka, Smalling, Jones, S Taylor, Cahill, Caulker are better than him anyway and should be considered.

Would you welcome Celtic and Rangers into the English league system?

John: I think it would be excellent for the English game to include Celtic and Rangers. They are two massive clubs and if they are managed correctly they could become powerhouses of the British game. There has been a massive gap created in England between the 'haves' and the 'have nots' and I feel the introduction of two clubs who have a massive stadium, a rich history and support all over the world would help bridge the gap in the English game. The Scottish game is fighting against a tide - it will eventually become a third rate league comparable to the Irish and Welsh leagues - and this will happen with or without Celtic and Rangers. Celtic and Rangers should act now so they don’t find themselves regretting it in the future.

Ian: On one hand: No. On the other hand: Yes.

No because it’s a patently ridiculous idea. Half baked, doesn't make sense and logistically impossible.

Yes because it’s something different, would add colour, interest and passion to a league that’s desperately in need of freshening up.

Who would you rather see your team play? Wigan at home or Celtic at home? I know what I’d prefer.

Stephen: I wouldn't actively campaign for it but I wouldn't be oppose to it if it were to happen, I think they could be incorporated and I think in the same way as it has happened with Wales it will destroy the SPL.

Sam: No. Scottish football is a joke.

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

Prediction Results Week 30

John - 10
Sam - 5
Stephen - 5
Ian - 2

League Standings

		Pts
1	Ian	186
2	Stephen	186
3	John	185
4	Sam	174