Premiership preview, table prediction: 9. Sunderland

Sunderland A.F.C

Sunderland Barclays Premier League position preview 2011/12

Manager: Steve Bruce

Ground: Stadium of light

Nickname: The Black Cats

Capacity: 49000

Squad:

Goalkeepers 1 Craig Gordon 20 Keiren Westwood 22 Simon Mignolet 24 Trevor Carson Defenders 2 Phil Bardsley 4 Michael Turner 5 Wes Brown 16 John O'Shea 19 Titus Bramble 27 Matthew Kilgallon 29 Anton Ferdinand 35 Michael Liddle Marcos Angeleri Nyron Nosworthy Blair Adams Louis Laing

Midfielders 6 Lee Cattermole 7 Sebastian Larsson 8 Craig Gardner 11 Kieran Richardson 14 Jack Colback 15 David Vaughan 18 David Meyler 27 Ahmed Elmohamady 28 Stephane Sessegnon 37 Adam Reed James McClean

Forwards 3 Asamoah Gyan 9 Fraizer Campbell 10 Connor Wickham 17 Dong-Won Ji 21 Oumare Tounkara 26 Jordan Cook Ryan Noble Billy Knott Craig Lynch

Sunderland ended at a disappointing 10^th position last season. They had spent a lot of money and look to be a team that could be fighting for a European spot, but that wasn’t to be last season. This year Bruce have once again gone out and spent big money. After selling Henderson to Liverpool and Bent to Aston Villa in January, so he had a lot of money to spend. This means that the expectations won’t be any less this season, but can they break into a European spot this season? I think not. Bruce usually spends big, but has problems getting the team to work as a unit, and often they disappoint after starting well. That said Sunderland was unlucky with injuries on many key players during last season, and the sale of Bent was not a clever move, but I guess he wanted to leave. Of course if Sunderland could keep their key players away from injuries and get a good start to the season they could fight for European spots.

Pre-Season Fixtures/Results

July 13 vs York City 2-1 – Bardsley, Tounkara

July 17 vs Arminia Bielefeld 1-1 – Sessegnon

July 20 vs Hannover 96 1-3 – Sessegnon

July 23 vs Borussia Monchengladbach 0-0

July 27 vs Kilmarnock 2-1 Sessegnon, Wickham

July 30 vs Burnley 0-1 August 2 vs Hartlepool United 3-1 Gyan, Larsson, Colback

August 3 vs Darlington 3-0 Cook, Gardner, Dong-Won

August 6 vs Hibernian 0-0

Players in

07/11 Wes Brown DF Manchester United

07/11 Craig Gardner MF Birmingham City

07/11 Matthew Kilgallon DF Doncaster Rovers

07/11 Sebastian Larsson MF Birmingham City

07/11 Nayron Nosworthy DF Sheffield United

07/11 John O'Shea DF Manchester United

07/11 Oumare Tounkara FW Oldham Athletic

07/11 David Vaughan MF Blackpool FC

07/11 Keiren Westwood GK Coventry City

07/11 Connor Wickham FW Ipswich Town

Players out

06/11 Jordan Henderson MF Liverpool FC

06/11 John Mensah DF Olympique Lyon

06/11 Nedum Onuoha DF Manchester City

06/11 Cristian Riveros MF Kayserispor

06/11 Danny Welbeck FW Manchester United

Steve Bruce have made some very good and interesting signings during the transfer window so far. Players like Brown and O’Shea should give them experience and quality in the back, while Sebastian Larsson can delivere good set pieces and of course eyes will be on the young talent Connor Wickham this season. I think he could actually be the young player of the year, if Bruce matches him correctly.

Injuries:

Angeleri (Marcos)           Knee injury

Campbell (Fraizer)          Knee injury

Gordon (Craig)               Knee injury

Meyler (David)               Knee injury

O'Shea (John)                 Hamstring injury

Richardson (Kieran)        Groin Injury

Most likely starting lineup for Sunderland next weekend:

                                                    22 Simon Mignolet

2 Phil Bardsley    5 Wes Brown     29 Anton Ferdinand     11 Kieran Richardson

7 Sebastian Larsson    14 Jack Colback        6 Lee Cattermole   28 Stephane Sessegnon

                                                8 Craig Gardner

3 Asamoah Gyan

Steve Bruce looks to have a strong squad this year and it’s going to be interesting to watch them this year and see if they can fight for European spot. I don’t think they will, but I might be wrong on this one. I think players like Gyan, Sessegnon, Wickham and Larsson can be a big impact for Sunderland and the premiership this season. My prediction is Sunderland to finish in 9^th place.

Premiership preview, table prediction: 10. Wolverhampton Wanderers

Wolverhampton Wanderers

Wolverhampton Wanderers Barclays Premier League position preview 2011/12

Manager:Mick McCarthy

Ground: Molineux Stadium

Nickname: Wolves

Capacity: 28525

Squad:

Goalkeepers 1 Wayne Hennessey 31 Dorus de Vries 45 Aaron McCarey Defenders 3 George Elokobi 5 Richard Stearman 6 Jody Craddock 11 Stephen Ward 14 Roger Johnson 16 Christophe Berra 23 Ronald Zubar 30 Matt Doherty 32 Kevin Foley 43 Jamie Reckord 47 Ethan Ebanks-Landell

Midfielders 4 David Edwards 7 Michael Kightly 8 Karl Henry 12 Stephen Hunt 17 Matthew Jarvis 19 Adam Hammill 20 Nenad Milijas 24 Jamie O'Hara 26 David Davis 34 Adlene Guedioura 37 Anthony Forde

Forwards 9 Sylvan Ebanks-Blake 10 Steven Fletcher 19 Stefan Maierhofer 21 Andrew Keogh 27 Sam Winnall 27 Ashley Hemmings 28 Leigh Griffiths 29 Kevin Doyle 33 Sam Vokes 35 Jake Cassidy 42 James Spray

Wolverhampton finished in 17^th last season and Manager Mick McCarthy have high hopes of a big progress this season. He just stated recently that he was optimistic about this season and his signings so far this summer, and aims for a top-half Premier League finish this season. Wolves have signed Swansea goalkeeper Dorus De Vries, but it’s the signing of centre-half Roger Johnson and former loanee Jamie O'Hara which have really lifted the manager's mood. Both have plenty of Premier League experience, at Birmingham and Tottenham respectively.




Pre-Season Fixtures/Results

July 16 vs Crewe Alexandra 1-2 – Doyle
July 19 vs Walsall 3-2 – Kightly, Griffiths, Berra
July 23 vs Notts County 1-1 – Jarvis
July 27 vs Celtic 2-0 – O’Hara, Twardzik (og)
July 30 vs Ipswich Town 2-1 Hunt, Ebanks-Blake
August 6 vs Real Zaragoza 2-1 Elokobi, Fletcher




Players in

01/12 Scott Malone DF AFC Bournemouth
01/12 Danny Batth DF Sheffield Wednesday
07/11 Dorus de Vries GK Swansea City
07/11 Ashley Hemmings FW Torquay United
07/11 Roger Johnson DF Birmingham City
07/11 Andy Keogh FW Bristol City
07/11 Stefan Maierhofer FW MSV Duisburg
07/11 Jamie Reckord DF Northampton Town
07/11 Sam Winnall FW Burton Albion




Players out

06/11 Adriano Basso GK Hull City
06/11 Carl Ikeme GK Middlesbrough FC
06/11 David Jones MF Wigan Athletic
06/11 Michael Mancienne DF Hamburger SV
06/11 Steven Mouyokolo DF FC Sochaux
06/11 Geoffrey Mujangi Bia MF Standard Liège




Most likely starting lineup for Wolves next weekend:

1 Wayne Hennessey

23 Ronald Zubar  14 Roger Johnson 5 Richard Stearman  11 Stephen Ward



                                    8 Karl Henry   24 Jamie O'Hara


12 Stephen Hunt                                                                   17 Matthew Jarvis



                                    10 Steven Fletcher     29 Kevin Doyle





Mick McCarthy is a great manager with both international and premiership experience. He have done a lot of good signings and haven’t lost any players of significant factor. Looking at their starting 11, they looking more then strong enough to finish around mid table. I think Mick McCarthy and Wolves will keep progressing this season and finish in 10^th place by the end of season 11/12.

Dalglish strengthens his defence

Jose Enrique

Jose Enrique will undergo a medical at Mellwood today and discuss terms at Liverpool on Thursday after agreeing a fee with Newcastle earlier this day. The 25-year-old has made it clear he does not want to extend his current contract at St James' Park. A number of clubs had been linked, but it looks like Liverpool will sign the Spanish international.

Enrique, who joined the Magpies in a £6.3million switch from Villarreal in August 2007, has been a long-term target for Reds boss Kenny Dalglish after emerging from a difficult start to his career on Tyneside to prove himself a capable Premier League player. 

Kenny Dalglish

Daglish have been reportingly trying to strengthen his defence after conceding a lot of goals in the pre-season matches. After selling Konchesky and only have young Jack Robinson and injury man Fabio Aurelio out all the time, Daglish will be please to have signed a new and experienced left back.

Roumers would also have it that Daglish is looking for a central defender as well before the the transfer window closes. More transfer to come in the next days, I'm sure.

 

Premiership preview, table prediction: 11. Stoke City

Stoke City

Stoke City Barclays Premier League position preview 2011/12

Manager: Tony Pulis

Ground: Britannia Stadium

Nickname: The Potters

Capacity: 28383

Squad:

·         Goalkeepers 1 Asmir Begovic 27 Carlo Nash 29 Thomas Sorensen Dave Parton ·         Defenders 3 Danny Higginbotham 4 Robert Huth 5 Danny Collins 17 Ryan Shawcross 20 Matthew Upson 28 Andy Wilkinson 30 Ryan Shotton 39 Jonathan Woodgate

·         Midfielders 6 Glenn Whelan 7 Jermaine Pennant 8 Tom Soares 12 Marc Wilson 14 Danny Pugh 15 Salif Diao 18 Dean Whitehead 23 Michael Tonge 24 Rory Delap 26 Matthew Etherington 32 Diego Arismendi 35 Ben Marshall 38 Florent Cuvelier

·         Forwards 9 Kenwyne Jones 10 Ricardo Fuller 11 Mamady Sidibe 19 Jon Walters 42 Louis Moult

I want to start this preview with giving some well deserved credit to Stoke and of course to Tony Pulis for their excellent progress in the premiership. A lot of managers and supporters get frustrated with the style of play Pulis have brought in to the premiership. But one got to give them respect and for how much they have progressed as a club with little or no resources. After landing a 13^th place last season and qualify for Europe play for the first time in 37 years, Pulis keep on taking Stoke even further then I think he would ever dream about. I see the club climbing even further up the table this season and I hope they manage to capture a spot in the Europe League this season.




Pre-Season Fixtures/Results

July 16 vs Newport Country 1-1 – Jones July
17 vs Newport YMCA 6-1 – Marshall (2), Lund, Arismendi (2), Delap
July 20 vs Newcastle Town6-0 – Stambolziev, Jones (2), Pennant, Whelan, Walters
July 22 vs Brentford 0-1
July 23 vs Aldershot Town 0-1
July 28 vs Hajduk Split (Europa League qualifying) 1-0 – Walters
July 30 vs Sheffield Wednesday 0-0
August 4 vs Hajduk (Europa League qualifying) 1-0 Shotton)



Players in


07/11 Diego Arismendi MF Barnsley FC
07/11 Ben Marshall MF Carlisle United
07/11 Jonathan Woodgate DF Tottenham Hotspur
08/11 Matthew Upson DF West Ham United



Players out
07/11 Matthew Lund MF Oldham Athletic
06/11 Abdoulaye Faye DF West Ham United




Tony Pulis have done good signings in both Jonathan Woodate and Matthew Upson so far, and roumers are spreading that they are looking to strengthen the team even more before the window closes.



Most likely starting lineup for Stoke next weekend:


                                                      
                                                                1 Asmir Begovic




4 Robert Huth        17 Ryan Shawcross   Jonathan Woodgate      12 Marc Wilson

    18 Dean Whitehead       6 Glenn Whelan  

7 Jermaine Pennant                                                               26 Matthew Etherington

   9 Kenwyne Jones            19 Jon Walters

I think Pulis will take Stoke even further this season. Only problem for the club might be the Europe cup play. It’s a new experience for the club, and playing 2-3 matches per week can be though for some of their players. But I believe Pulis is a class manager and will be able to cope with the Europe League play as well. It’s going to be interesting to watch Stoke this season if they qualify for the European League.

Premiership preview, table prediction: 12. West Bromwich Albion

West Bromwich Albion

West Bromwich Albion Barclays Premier League position preview 2011/12

Manager: Roy Hodgson

Ground: The Hawthorns

Nickname: The Baggies

Capacity: 28003

Squad:

·         Goalkeepers 1 Ben Foster 1 Luke Daniels 13 Marton Fulop ·         Defenders 3 Jonas Olsson 4 Marek Cech 6 Pablo Ibanez 18 Gonzalo Jara 20 Joe Mattock 20 Nicky Shorey 23 Gareth McAuley 25 Craig Dawson 26 James Hurst 28 Billy Jones 30 Gabriel Tamas 33 Paul Scharner 34 Paul Downing

·         Midfielders 7 James Morrison 11 Chris Brunt 12 Steven Reid 14 Jerome Thomas 17 Graham Dorrans 21 Youssouf Mulumbu 27 Sam Mantom 28 Romaine Sawyers 29 George Thorne 37 Kayelden Brown ·         Attacking Midfielders 22 Zoltan Gera

·         Forwards 5 Somen Tchoyi 9 Roman Bednar 24 Peter Odemwingie 29 Ishmael Miller 31 Simon Cox 32 Marc-Antoine Fortune 38 Saido Berahino 41 Lateef Elford-Alliyu Shane Long

West Bromwich decided to sack Roberto Di Matteo during last season and got a lot of critic for it. But after Roy Hodgson came in the club started to get better results and climbed the table and landed a sensational 11^th place. So I guess the critics have forgotten all about the sacking from last season now. Hodgson did it brilliant as well in Fulham, but his style of play didn’t fit into a club like Liverpool who needs to dominate a lot of their games. But West Bromwich and Hodgson is a match made in heaven, and I think they can get a nice season this year and maybe even get far in one of the English cups.




Pre-Season Fixtures/Results
July 12 vs San Jose Earthquakes 1-2 – Thomas
July 17 vs Ventura County Fusion 4-2 – Dorrans, Cox, Brunt, Bednar
July 20 vs Portland Timbers 3-2 – Morrison, Tchoyi, Tamas
July 26 vs Rochdale 0-3 July 27 vs Southampton 2-2 – Cox (2)
July 30 vs Bristol City 1-0 Dawson August 4 vs Olympiakos 2-2 Dorrans, Thomas
August 7 vs Parma 1-1 Tchoyi




Players in
08/11 Shane Long FW Reading FC
07/11 Craig Dawson DF Rochdale AFC
07/11 Ben Foster GK Birmingham City
07/11 Zoltan Gera FW Fulham FC
07/11 Billy Jones DF Preston North End
07/11 Gareth McAuley DF Ipswich Town




Players out
06/11 Ryan Allsop GK Millwall FC
06/11 Giles Barnes MF Doncaster Rovers
06/11 Scott Carson GK Bursaspor
06/11 Abdoulaye Méïté DF Dijon FCO
06/11 Boaz Myhill GK Birmingham City
06/11 Carlos Vela FW Arsenal FC




Hodgson have done some nice signings so far in the summer in Shane Long, Zoltan Gera and Ben Foster. He recently went out and hailed the owners for giving him the founds to bring in his 3 main targets in this transfer window. He also added that he would like to add another defender to his side before the window closes, but he was very happy with the squad he had at the moment.



Most likely starting lineup for West Brom next weekend:

                                                   Ben Foster

 Gonzalo Jara     Jonas Olsson     Gabriel Tamas   Nicky Shorey

Chris Brunt         Paul Scharner    Youssouf Mulumbu       Somen Tchoyi  

                               Peter Odemwingie         Shane Long

I don’t see why West Bromwich should do it any worse this season, and tip them to finish around the same place as last year. In attack it will be interesting to watch how Odemwingie and Long could match up. It could give West Brom one of the strongest attacking forces in the premiership if it works well.  Looking at their squad as well, Hodgson have a lot of players with premiership experience, and West Brom should be hard to beat at The Hawthorns this season.

Premiership preview, table prediction: 13. Blackburn Rovers

Blackburn Rovers

Blackburn Rovers Barclays Premier League position preview 2011/12

Manager: Steve Kean

Ground: Ewood Park

Nickname: Rovers

Capacity: 31154

Squad:

·         Goalkeepers 1 Paul Robinson 13 Mark Bunn ·         Defenders 2 Michel Salgado 3 Martin Olsson 4 Christopher Samba 5 Gael Givet 6 Ryan Nelsen 22 Gavin Gunning 31 Grant Hanley 33 Josh Morris 38 Myles Anderson 39 Adam Henley

·         Midfielders 7 Brett Emerton 8 David Dunn 10 Mauro Formica 10 Mauro Formica 11 Vince Grella 12 Morten Gamst Pedersen 14 Amine Linganzi 15 Steven N'Zonzi 17 Keith Andrews 26 Herold Goulon 35 Jason Lowe Radosav Petrovic Robbie Cotton

·         Forwards 9 Nikola Kalinic 20 Ruben Rochina 23 David Hoilett 30 Jason Roberts 37 Zac Aley 41 Nick Blackman David Goodwillie El-Hadji Diouf

Blackburn ended in 15^th place last season and this might be the pick I’m most unsure about. For me Steve Kean is a poor manager that hasn’t showed anything yet, and I think alongside Alan Pardew he could be the first manager to be axed this season.  Blackburn is looking strong enough in defence and with Paul Robinson at the back they should be able to keep it tight in the back this season. At least if they can hold on to heavily linked Christopher Samba. In the midfield and attack it’s looking thin and if Blackburn doesn’t sign any players soon to strengthen those parts then they might be relegated this season.



Pre-Season Fixtures/Results
July 16 vs Accrington Stanley 2-1 – Andrews, Kalinic
July 16 vs Morecambe 2-1 – Formica
July 27 vs Aston Villa 0-1
July 31 vs Kitchee 3-0 Formica, Dunn, Blackman
August 6 vs Kilmarnock 4-1 Roberts (2, 1 pen), Dunn (pen), Goodwillie



Players in
07/11 Radosav Petrović MF Partizan
07/11 Gavin Gunning DF Motherwell FC
07/11 Zurab Khizanishvili DF Reading FC
07/11 Amine Koumba MF Preston North End
07/11 Jason Lowe MF Oldham Athletic
07/11 Maceo Rigters FW Willem II Tilburg



Players out
06/11 Mame Diouf FW Manchester United
06/11 Jermaine Jones MF FC Schalke 04
06/11 Phil Jones DF Manchester United



Losing both Mame Diouf and Phil Jones to Manchester United from last season will be big holes to fill for Blackburn. And I can’t say its much exciting signatures they done so far this summer. Radosav Petrovic could be a good signing but I’m not sure he will make an impact in the premiership straight away.



Most likely starting lineup for Blackburn next weekend:

                                              Paul Robinson

Michel Salgado         Gael Givet       Grant Hanley   Martin Olsson

Brett Emerton         Steven N'Zonzi        David Dunn        Morten Gamst Pedersen

Jason Roberts   David Hoilett    

This is a prediction I’m very unsure about because it’s a lot of things that are not looking to be in place at Blackburn at the moment. They have a poor and unproven manager, owners don’t look like they want to invest much in the team, and they lack quality in midfield and attack. But they do have a lot of players with premiership experience, like Gamst Pedersen, Dunn, Roberts, Samba, Nelsen and Robinson. And that’s why I believe they are going to stay clear of relegation. I also predict Steve Kean getting sacked early into the season.