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

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