Manchester United wrestled the title from Chelsea’s clutches last season and are favourites to retain it with the bookmakers. Liverpool have spent big this summer but will they be able to mount a serious title challenge?
Here we take a look at all 20 clubs and analyse their best chances of success, or perhaps avoiding failure for the forthcoming 2007-08 Premiership season.
Arsenal
Arsenal endured a fourth placed finish for second successive season, some 21 points behind winners Manchester United. Thierry Henry, the 2005/06 season’s best player in the Premiership by a country mile had a lengthy spell on the sidelines with the full consent of manager Arsene Wenger despite being fit to play. You can’t help but think he wouldn’t have got away with that at Manchester United under Alex Ferguson. On the positive side, Arsenal’s fringe players, with the likes of Denilson and Theo Walcott progressed well and the Gunners have found a new fortress in the Emirates Stadium, losing just one home Premiership game all season. They should prove too strong for the challengers trying to break into the top four and more of the same next season is expected.
To Win the Premiership 13.0 (Bet365 - £100 in Free Bets!)
Without Chelsea and Manchester United 2.88 (VCBet - £50 in Free Bets!)
To Win the Champions League 29.0 (Sporting Odds - £100 in Free Bets!)
Aston Villa
Villa enjoyed a positive first season under new manager Martin O’Neill, beginning the season in storming fashion going unbeaten in 10 league matches and finishing the campaign in a similar vein when they went unbeaten in the final nine games. The problem was the 19 matches in between where they won on just four occasions and found themselves sucked into a relegation battle. The £9.65 million arrival of Ashley Young from Watford was overshadowed by the emergence of home-grown Gabriel Agbonlahor who featured in every match. With financial backing clearly in place, O’Neill will need to get it right in the transfer market this summer if Villa are to challenge for a place in Europe next season but a top seven finish is a realistic target.
To Win the Premiership 501.0 (Sporting Odds - £100 in Free Bets!)
Without Chelsea and Manchester United 51.0 (Paddy Power - £25 in Free Bets!)
Birmingham City
Birmingham proved the gulf between those relegated from the Premiership and those already in the Championship is widening by returning to the top flight at the first attempt – albeit at a cost of over £10 million in new players. But, as promoted clubs have found in the past, staying in the Premiership will be a different matter. Despite signing the likes of Gary O’Connor, Fabrice Muamba and Olivier Kapo, the Blues are relegation fodder, which is reflected in the odds of just better than evens for them to yo-yo back from whence they came.
Premiership Relegation 2.1 (Extrabet - £25 in Free Bets!)
To Finish Bottom 4.0 (Coral - £10 in Free Bets!)
Blackburn Rovers
Blackburn Rovers ended last season precisely at the half-way point as the club made further progress under manager Mark Hughes. Arguably they key to success was the arrival of Benni McCarthy who was a snip at just £2.5 million from FC Porto and scored 17 league goals during his first season in English football. His prowess has not gone unnoticed and McCarthy hinted he would like to move to a “big club” but Rovers may have unearthed another bargain in NAC Breda striker Maceo Rigters, beating both Celtic and Rangers to his signature. With no UEFA Cup to contend with this season and if McCarthy stays, Hughes’ side could improve on their standing in the league even further.
Without Chelsea and Manchester United 101.0 (Bet365 - £100 in Free Bets!)
Premiership Relegation 17.0 (Ladbrokes - £20 in Free Bets!)
Bolton Wanderers
Bolton maintained their position as UEFA Cup challengers with a seventh placed finish but were rocked by the resignation of long serving manager Sam Allardyce. “Big Sam” has large boots to fill and his replacement, Sammy “Little Sam” Lee will have a hard act to follow. For all their hustle and bustle, Bolton found goals hard to come by and did not pose much of an attacking threat bar Nicolas Anelka. Bolton could struggle next season, especially participating in the energy-sapping UEFA Cup. A paper-thin squad with little investment available could see them slip into mid table and outside the top 10 for the first time in five seasons.
To Win the UEFA Cup 51.0 (Paddy Power - £25 in Free Bets!)
Premiership Relegation 8.0 (Ladbrokes - £20 in Free Bets!)
Chelsea
Chelsea will see last season as a failure. Having spent over £45 million on new players last summer on the likes of Andriy Shevchenko, Michael Ballack, Ashley Cole, Salomon Kalou and Khalid Boulahrouz, an FA Cup and Carling Cup double just isn’t good enough. Admittedly, Chelsea suffered with injuries last season, with influential duo Peter Cech and captain John Terry out for sustained periods and without those two, the Blues looked suspect at the back. Apart from the £13.5 million arrival of Florent Malouda, Roman Abramovich has not sanctioned any big-money moves and with Manchester United spending big this summer, another runners-up spot could be the best Chelsea can hope for again next season.
To Win the Premiership 2.63 (Betfred - £25 in Free Bets!)
To Win the Champions League 8.0 (Betfred - £25 in Free Bets!)
Derby County
Derby upset the apple cart with their play-off victory over West Bromwich Albion. Manager Billy Davies, who experienced two seasons of play-off heartache with Preston, got his reward with a 1-0 victory over the Baggies, the thirteenth time his side had won by that scoreline during the season. Next season County are nailed on favourites for relegation with the bookmakers and it is difficult to disagree. Steve Howard was a battering ram for the side last term and scored 16 league goals but having not played in the top flight before, you feel his threat will be snuffed out by Premiership defences.
Premiership Relegation 1.58 (Extrabet - £25 in Free Bets!)
To Finish Bottom 3.25 (Coral - £10 in Free Bets!)
Everton
With no European interest to take their eye off domestic matters, Everton finished strongly to clinch sixth place. The arrival of Andy Johnson was a success, with the former Crystal Palace striker netting 11 league goals, while Spanish midfielder Mikel Arteta was a jewel for David Moyes’ side and nine goals saw him only narrowly outgunned by £8.6 million Johnson. A tough and gritty side, Everton have a real chance of UEFA Cup success next season but only seem to do well domestically every other season when they are not taking part in Europe.
Without Chelsea and Manchester United 51.0 (Coral - £10 in Free Bets!)
To Win the UEFA Cup 29.0 (Paddy Power - £25 in Free Bets!)
Fulham
Fulham came dangerously close to ending their six year stint in the Premiership by finishing the season one point above the relegation zone. It was only reasonable home form and a win in their last but one match against a below-par Liverpool side which effectively kept them up. Their luck may not hold out next term and just two away wins in as many seasons is dire. Unless there is some major investment in the playing staff, Fulham will be relegation fodder and it will be interesting to see whether new signing Diomansy Kamara is finally read to tackle Premiership football.
Premiership Relegation 3.0 (Betfred - £25 in Free Bets!)
To Finish Bottom 8.0 (Bet365 - £100 in Free Bets!)
Liverpool
Liverpool finished in third place for the second season running and again looked more likely to succeed in Europe than they did in the Premiership. Striker Dirk Kuyt had a promising start to his Anfield career, scoring 11 league goals and he will be joined next season by Ukrainian forward Andriy Voronin and of course record signing Fernando Torres. Liverpool are favourites in the “without Manchester United and Chelsea” market and will again battle it out with Arsenal for third place in the Premiership as well as having another crack at the Champions League.
To Win the Premiership 7.0 (Betfred - £25 in Free Bets!)
Without Chelsea and Manchester United 1.73 (Coral - £10 in Free Bets!)
To Win the Champions League 15.0 (Paddy Power - £25 in Free Bets!)
Manchester City
Manchester City endured a torrid season under manager Stuart Pearce where they mustered just 10 goals at the City of Manchester Stadium, a truly dire home record which even relegated Charlton and Watford almost doubled. Ironically, it was only some late season away form, which saw successive victories at Middlesbrough, Newcastle and Fulham which kept relegation at bay. The perennially troubled Joey Barton has been shipped out to Newcastle and wholesale changes are required if the club are to be anything more than a relegation dogfight outfit.
Premiership Relegation 5.0 (Betfred - £25 in Free Bets!)
To Finish Bottom 8.0 (Bet365 - £100 in Free Bets!)
Manchester United
Manchester United ended Chelsea’s grip on the Premiership and landed their first Premiership title in four seasons. United were simply sensational last season, with every squad member playing their part in the team’s success. There were 20 different goal scorers and Ronaldo was simply magnificent. United have invested heavily this summer to building on this success. Owen Hargreaves was finally signed and will be seen as a long-term replacement for Scholes, while exciting and much coveted duo Nani and Anderson will eventually take over from the veteran Giggs.
To Win the Premiership 2.25 (Bet365 - £100 in Free Bets!)
To Win the Champions League 9.0 (Betfred - £25 in Free Bets!)
Middlesbrough
On the surface, Middlesbrough looked to have improved slightly under Gareth Southgate’s management but last season the club finished eight points clear of relegation whereas the season before it was nine. Also, they did not have the added burden of participating in the UEFA Cup whereas two years ago they were beaten finalists. Jonathan Woodgate was the outstanding performer but even with his permanent transfer to the club the bookmakers are cautious on Middlesbrough’s survival next term.
Premiership Relegation 6.0 (VCBet - £50 in Free Bets!)
To Finish Bottom 34.0 (Bet365 - £100 in Free Bets!)
Newcastle United
A new era is dawning on St. James’ Park following the takeover by retail billionaire Mike Ashley and Sam Allardyce being instilled as manager. Manchester City bad boy Joey Barton has been brought in and free Transfer Mark Viduka could prove to be a bargain foil to last season’s top goal scorer Obafemi Martins. With no European distraction and if Michael Owen remains at the club, Newcastle have a great chance to improve on last season’s mid table finish and perhaps even sneak into Europe.
To Win the Premiership 251.0 (Bet365 - £100 in Free Bets!)
Without Chelsea and Manchester United 34.0 (Coral - £10 in Free Bets!)
Portsmouth
After a few seasons of fire-fighting and survival, Portsmouth announced themselves as a team to take seriously last season, finishing the season in ninth position. Striker Nwanko Kanu was in red hot form while Sol Campbell and Linvoy Primus provided a solid defensive back line. Veteran goalkeeper David James had a memorable season in which he became the record holder for the most top flight clean sheets. Midfielder Sulley Muntari is a fantastic addition but if Portsmouth are to make a serious challenge for UEFA Cup qualification they need more firepower. Perhaps that will come in the form of new signing David Nugent.
Without Chelsea and Manchester United 126.0 (VCBet - £50 in Free Bets!)
Premiership Relegation 11.0 (Bet365 - £100 in Free Bets!)
Reading
Reading exploded onto the Premiership scene and their fearless, attack minded approach to taking on their top flight opponents saw them miss out on an UEFA Cup spot by a solitary point. Premiership survival year in, year out, is what Reading should look to achieve but manager Steve Coppell will be without Steve Sidwell, who joined Chelsea of a free transfer after refusing to sign a new contract.
Premiership Relegation 6.0 (VCBet - £50 in Free Bets!)
To Finish Bottom 21.0 (Paddy Power - £25 in Free Bets!)
Sunderland
Under the guidance of Roy Keane Sunderland turned around a poor start in the Championship to win the division for the second time in three seasons. Keane will have his work cut out to avoid a repeat of the embarrassing show Sunderland put on when they were relegated from the top flight with just 15 points two seasons ago, although the bookmakers disagree somewhat, naming four more likely clubs to prop up the rest. A summer of massive investment is needed at the Stadium of Light to give the club a fighting chance of survival.
Premiership Relegation 5.0 (Paddy Power - £25 in Free Bets!)
To Finish Bottom 17.0 (Coral - £10 in Free Bets!)
Tottenham Hotspur
Tottenham are fast establishing themselves as the fifth best team in the Premiership – still not good enough for the Champions League but better than the rest. Undoubtedly transfer of the season was Dimitar Berbatov, who now looks like a snip at £10.9 million. The Bulgarian international netted 22 goals in all competition and has attracted the interest of both Manchester United and Chelsea. Next season will see Southampton prospect Gareth Bale at the club and his presence down the left hand side will take Martin Jol’s side a step closer to breaking into the elusive top four. They are bookmakers favourites to do so.
Without the “Big Four” 2.63 (Betfred - £25 in Free Bets!)
To Win the UEFA Cup 51.0 (Paddy Power - £25 in Free Bets!)
West Ham United
West Ham left it late, the final day of the season in fact, to secure another term of top flight football. After Alan Curbishley won his first match in charge no wins in their next 11 games put the Hammers in a very precarious position. It was the 4-3 home defeat by Tottenham Hotspur that started the revival where Carlos Tevez scored his first goal in 20 appearances. Seven wins in their remaining nine fixtures, including away victories at Arsenal and Manchester United saw the club survive. New owner Eggert Magnusson is keen to avoid a repeat and has spent big this summer, bringing in Craig Bellamy, Scott Parker and Julien Faubert.
Premiership Relegation 10.0 (Bet365 - £100 in Free Bets!)
To Finish Bottom 67.0 (Bet365 - £100 in Free Bets!)
Wigan Athletic
Wigan looked dead and buried going into the final fixture of last season but a win at Sheffield United condemned the Blades to relegation and saw the Latics survive on goal difference. Manager Paul Jewell resigned shortly after Wigan’s status in the top flight was confirmed and new manager Chris Hutchings will be given a baptism of fire. Expect the Latics to be involved in another relegation scrap next season, but without the passionate Jewell in charge and goals in short supply, they may not be as fortunate next May.
Premiership Relegation 2.25 (Bet365 - £100 in Free Bets!)
To Finish Bottom 5.0 (Bet365 - £100 in Free Bets!)
For a more detailed preview of all 20 teams in the Premiership, please enter your name and email address into the form at the top of this page to download a free 27 page 2007-08 season preview for the Premier League!
