Gabriel's Weekend Predictions: Week Three

I'm going to predict this weekend's Premier League and Championship matches in a weekly feature. Here goes...

Premier League

Man City vs. Hull

I said in my Man City season preview that I thought Pellegrini would struggle at City, and after their defeat to Cardiff, I’m glad I took that stance. Saying that they had Kompany out and it was Cardiff’s first home game, for me, is an excuse. If you want to win the title, you’ve got to be able to get by without your key players and handle the pressure, that’s the type of game that you need to be able to grind out a win from. After beating Norwich, Hull have their first win of the season which is an important confidence booster, I stand by my prediction that they’ll surprise everyone and end up midtable. I think they’ll put in a very spirited performance against Man City, it’ll be by no means a walkover, but I just think City might have the rotating attacking options to win the game in the second half. 2-1.

Cardiff vs. Everton

A great result for Cardiff last week. I predicted 0-0 for that game and spent Saturday night worrying about whether I’d been too generous saying they’d get a point, in fact I hadn’t been generous enough! A result like that should give the team massive confidence going forward, and playing at home I think they might actually be too powerful for an Everton team in transition. They didn’t put in a poor performance against West Brom, but will still be getting used to Martinez’s more fluent style of play, so it’s possible they’ll have a few disappointingly off-colour results in the first few weeks.  This will be one of them, 2-0.

Newcastle vs. Fulham

It sounds like it was a very flat atmosphere at St. James Park when they drew with West Ham, and I think Fulham might take advantage of that. Although the Cottagers haven’t got much creativity in central midfield, what they have in Berbatov, Ruiz, Bent and Taarabt, is attacking players who can make a difference with a single moment of quality. Fulham don’t have to be incessantly creating chances, or controlling the game to win this, due to the poor atmosphere it could easily take one lapse of concentration from Newcastle’s point of view, and Fulham can grind out a win. 0-1.

Norwich vs. Southampton

Two of the surprise biggest summer spenders go head-to-head, in an intriguing fixture. Both teams disappointed a little last week, with Norwich losing against Hull, Southampton only managed a draw at home to Sunderland. The big money signings at these respective clubs might take time to bed in, but with so much invested in the squad, these club’s ought to be looking towards the top half, rather than the relegation battle. 1-1.

West Ham vs. Stoke

It’s been a very solid start for West Ham, kicking off with four points and back-to-back clean sheets, and I can see them getting another one. Stoke might have scored two goals last week, but that was against promoted side Crystal Palace, and the Potters are yet to have an out-and-out striker score in seven matches, since the start of pre-season. I mentioned Norwich and Southampton as potential top half clubs and you can add West Ham to that group, because they were so strong at home last season, and they’ve only improved their squad this summer. For Stoke, a more reliable goalscorer and a stabilised approach is required before they can be put under that bracket. 2-0.

Crystal Palace vs. Sunderland

After the Stoke game, Holloway commented: ‘we gave a good account of ourselves… in the second half we ran out of steam’. That, for me, is not good enough for a club that wants to compete in the Premier League. It’s not enough to ‘pass the ball around nicely at times’, you’ve got to have that competitive edge to see the big results out. Even though it’s very early in the season, I think this unlucky mentality in the Palace team could see them get sucked into a cycle of defeats. I’d go with Sunderland to win this game but that’s not to say I think they’ll be safe, their new influx of players will still take time to gel and September will provide some testing fixtures for them. 1-2.

Liverpool vs. Man Utd

The more I think about this, the more inclined I am to go with Liverpool. With ex-Everton manager David Moyes now in charge of Manchester United, and Liverpool having a 100% record, the Reds will have never wanted to beat United more. I think the atmosphere at Anfield will be intimidating, I can see the home fans cheering every tackle whilst in attack, they have potential to cause United problems. They’ve got a lot of weedy, clever players who operate in behind the defence which could cause the height of Vidic and Ferdinand difficulties in terms of pace and knowing which runners to track. My money is on Liverpool to pull off a surprise derby win, the fact that they’ve taken ten points from their last five Anfield meetings with United tells you just how much these games mean to them. 2-1.

West Brom vs. Swansea

There’s a couple of problems developing with West Brom, even this early in the season, and I’m sticking with my season preview tip for them to struggle with relegation. On the Anelka issue, I’m sure I speak for everyone sparing my thoughts for Eric Manasse’s friends and family, but on the professional side, you wonder where the goals will come from for West Brom. It may well be worth Steve Clarke giving a chance to young striker Saido Berahino, who scored a hat-trick in the cup midweek against Newport County. Another problem for Clarke is that Ben Foster has been ruled out for three months, and they’ll either have to persist with an inexperienced goalkeeper in Luke Daniels, or bring in a new one on a short-term deal, for whom it could take a while to settle. Given these goings on at West Brom, I would have to fancy Swansea, who will be keen to kickstart their season with a win and have that bit more firepower up front. 0-2.

Arsenal vs. Tottenham

You can question why Wenger played a first choice team against Fenerbahce on Tuesday, despite holding a 3-0 away goal lead, but I think it was by default. Arsenal still lack that strength in depth, which comes back to the issue of no transfers, and personally I don’t hold Wenger responsible for that. Whoever handles contract negotiations is to blame in my opinion, and on the playing side, three straight wins suggest Wenger still has the respect of his players. As for Tottenham, I’ve been bored to tears all summer with Sky Sports constantly droning on about the Bale to Madrid deal, and it’s carried on this week. People give Daniel Levy praise for being a good businessman, but if negotiations were taking place on the Bale deal, I think he’s haggled for too long. If a bid anywhere near the region of £80 million came in for an, in my eyes overrated player in Gareth Bale, I would accept it instantly. It’s a hugely inflated price and getting the deal done quickly gives you the chance to rebuild the squad, bring in new players, and give them time to settle. In the event that this saga is a complete myth, or that Spurs have absolutely no intention of selling Bale full stop, then surely you’d come out publicly and say that? I can’t understand the delay, and I think on this occasion Levy has done his club a disservice, dragging too much attention onto the team. Largely for that reason, and also because Arsenal will have had an extra two days to prepare for this match, I’m going to go for a Gunners 2-1 win.

Championship

Leeds vs. QPR

People have been talking about the strength in depth of QPR’s squad, but Harry Redknapp only made six changes for the match against Swindon, and they lost 2-0. The signing of Matt Phillips will help them, but the age of QPR’s squad is, in my opinion still too high for them to sustain their promotion challenge. Vitally, it looks like Leeds will keep hold of Ross McCormack because the last news on him possibly leaving was two weeks ago, and his four goals already suggest that his mind is very much on the pitch. 1-1.

Barnsley vs. Huddersfield

Once they had M’voto sent off, it was an utter capitulation for Barnsley at Blackburn, as their defence was torn apart. But that wasn’t the only time Barnsley’s defending has been poor in these first few weeks, and up against a striker with the power of James Vaughan the form he’s in, Barnsley are definitely going to struggle. These teams stayed up when playing against each other on the final day of last season, but I feel their respective fates will be known long before the final day of this. 0-3.

Birmingham vs. Ipswich

Darren Randolph should return to the Birmingham goal after a gashed hand, but my main worry with Blues is where our goals will come from if Chris Burke keeps being left out. For me he's our best player, he'll chip in with a lot of goals and Clark needs to find a way of shoehorning him into the team. From an entirely unbiased viewpoint I think Ipswich will win, because they've had a week to prepare for the game, whereas most of our team has had to play 120 minutes in the Capital One Cup. Last season, Ipswich never lost back-to-back matches under Mick McCarthy, and on six out of ten occassions, they kept a clean sheet in the match following a defeat. Like McCarthy or loathe him, those statistics tell you how good a disciplinarian he is, and I think Ipswich will bounce back with a hard fought win. 0-1.

Blackburn vs. Bolton

I've had a look back at some of my predictions so far, and I've noticed that every week I say Blackburn to win. Although they got an important 5-2 win over Barnsley last time, their overall form so far hasn't been good, so I might shake it up a bit this week. I've got a little bit of sympathy with where Bolton are, they've had a number of injuries and have had to play two of the relegated sides, plus top of the table Nottingham Forest. Hardly an ideal start, and I the squad they have is, on paper, a lot better than 21st. It's a case of fight or flight for the Trotters, players like Jay Spearing and Matt Mills need to step in and replace the experience of the injured Darren Pratley and now David Wheater in the spine of the team. I can see Bolton battling to get that overdue first win of the season, 1-2.

Blackpool vs. Watford

This time last year, Blackpool were top of the Championship table, having won each of their first three matches - and Ian Holloway was still in charge. Twelve months, four manager changes and a 15th placed finish later, the scenario is strikingly similar. I don't think Blackpool will be anywhere near the promotion places in the second half of the season, although their win over Reading last week tested my opinion. Their squad looks thin, and from the outside, it seems like a strange decision to loan out defender Caprice when they're short of defenders, and loan in striker Delfouneso when they have plenty of attackers. Watford have fought back from behind in important games against Reading and Forest, and the one thing you'd say about them is that they always threaten in attack, eleven goals from four games tells itself. At some point Blackpool are going to get a bit of a reality check, and Watford with their attacking prowess, might just be the team to provide it. 0-3.

Brighton vs. Millwall

The main circumstances in which I'd fear for Brighton on Saturday, would be in the pub brawl afterwards! I get a feeling that Oscar Garcia has turned things around very quickly at the AMEX. Two weeks ago, he had lost his first three games, but now back-to-back wins puts Brighton up to 10th. What were they ever worried about?! The point at Sheffield Wednesday last week at least stopped the rot for Millwall, but watching Steve Lomas in his interviews, he just strikes me as a bit of a lightweight. For someone taking over as manager of Millwall, particularly in his circumstances, you need to have a very firm, disciplined approach and create a profile as a tough person not to be 'messed with'. He doesn't seem to have done that, and with only one point so far, he's now going to struggle to get the respect of his players, let alone the fans. 2-0.

Charlton vs. Leicester

Joint-bottom hosts joint-top. Deeply contrasting starts to the season for these teams, Leicester have got off to an impressive start, whilst Charlton seem to be suffering from a mild dose of second season syndrome. The strange thing is though, it really wouldn't surprise me if Charlton won this game. Although Leicester have won their last three, their defence has been exposed in the last couple of games and they fielded a lot of their first choice players against Carlisle. Charlton need to start picking up some points, they'll be desperately scrapping for their first win of the season, and I have a sneaky feeling they'll get it. 2-1.

Derby vs. Burnley

To run out 5-0 winners against Brentford, who are doing well in League One, will be a big confidence booster for Derby's young players, and braces for strikers Chris Martin and Connor Sammon should create healthy competition for places up front. Burnley did beat Lancashire rivals Preston 2-0 on Tuesday night, but after eight goals in two games for Derby, I would say the momentum favours the Rams at the moment. On the League Cup Show, Steve Claridge said that they've got a good chance of reaching the play-offs this season. Personally I still think bigger investment in experienced players is required before they can be considered much more than a midtable club, but they might edge this one 2-1.

Doncaster vs. Bournemouth

The first match of the season between two of the promoted clubs from League One, and both teams have adapted to Championship life with ease so far. Bournemouth have taken an admirably bold approach, which in the games against Watford and Huddersfield left them exposed at the back, but they've proven that they can score goals at this level. The signing of young Malmo striker Tokelo Rantie, who has a career record of 33 goals in 72 games, will only improve that. Doncaster have made an attacking start to the season as well, scoring eight goals and conceding three if you count the Charlton game, which they were unfortunate to have abandoned. But on the Tuesday after that game, it was their first choice players who lost at home to Leeds in the cup. I can't see either side having any difficulties with relegation, I think Bournemouth will get their first away point of the season, and Rantie will bag a goal on his debut in a high-scoring game. 2-2.

Middlesbrough vs. Sheff Wed

A mixed start to the season for Middlesbrough with a win, a defeat and two draws. It's still very early in the season, but I would be surprised if they did much better than midtable. The new signings in Varga, Adomah and Whitehead have been underwhelming so far, and Albert Adomah is the only new player to chip in with so much as an assist. Wednesday missed an opportunity to ease the pressure on themselves when they failed to win at home to Millwall last week, but new signing Kamil Zayatte has been a key part of their defence in recent games. Both teams line-up with just the one 'out and out' striker, so the game could be quite a scrappy midfield battle, and because the Riverside doesn't tend to draw big attendances, I don't think this will be a noteworthy game. 0-0.

Wigan vs. Nottm Forest

After their 4-0 win at Barnsley on the opening day, I thought Wigan would be at the top of the table by now, right where Nottingham Forest are. Playing forty six games in a season is difficult enough, but add to that having to play in the Europa League on Thursday nights will be a tough ask for the Latics when September comes. The key was whether they could start well to build momentum, but with twenty seven changes made to the squad this summer, they've not quite been able to do that. It can be considered a good point for Nottingham Forest at Watford,  and with a set of very winnable fixtures between now and the next international break, they could conceivably afford to drop points here and still be in a decent position in the promotion race. Looking at the squads, I actually think Wigan have slightly more quality, it could work in their favour that Nottingham Forest are top, because they know they'll have to put in a committed performance to win. I'm tipping this to be the game that the new players at Wigan pull together, I can't help feeling Nottingham Forest are due a defeat. 2-0.

Yeovil vs. Reading

In my opinion, people have overreacted to Yeovil's controversial goal against Birmingham. It is considered common courtesy for a player to throw the ball back, but people need to accept that morality plays very little part in football. Footballers will do anything to gain an advantage for their club, and what Yeovil did was no better or worse than someone diving for a penalty. They were desperate for an important goal late in a match, and also, surely it's up to the referee to stop play? Debates aside, their penalty shoot-out loss means it's effectively four straight defeats for Gary Johnson's team, and it could soon be five, because I reckon Reading will come into this game like a team possessed. After getting thumped 6-0 at Peterborough, with a strong side at that, Nigel Adkins will get his team psyched up for this game. He's proven he's a great motivator at Southampton, so I'm sure Reading will bounce back in emphatic style. 0-4.

The Yeovil Goal: An Overreaction?

Last night, my team Birmingham beat Yeovil on penalties after a 3-3 draw after extra time. In a controversial night at Huish Park, Yeovil used a throw-in given to them due to us having a player down injured, rather than to give the ball back which is what usually happens, to attack our goal and score an equalizer which forced extra time. It was only when Yeovil were in fact 3-2  ahead, that they allowed us to score a goal unchallenged. It was this, that caused most fury  from the Blues fans and staff.

I'm going to put my neck on the line a bit here, and to some extent, defend the Yeovil players who scored a goal whilst Dan Burn was down injured. Whilst I'm not about to praise their sportsmanship for giving us a goal which ought to have happened 15 minutes earlier, I do feel that people have slightly overreacted to the issue.

Firstly, it needs to be accepted that on many levels, football is an unpleasant sport. It has a very aggressive nature, and players are constantly trying to find an edge over their opponents, and do whatever it takes to win. Anyone who disputes this, is lying to themselves quite frankly.

I see cheating going on on Match of the Day, I see cheating going on every game at St Andrews, I've been to watch a couple of matches at Solihull Moors and it all goes on even at that level. Until FIFA or UEFA step in and make a statement to say that any level of cheating will be treated with an immediate red card and say a ten match ban, which is what I think needs to be done, the truth is cheating will always inevitably be part and parcel of the game.

As I understand it, the situation was that Dan Burn went down injured, so the ball was kicked out of play. At that point, the opposition normally throw it back to them out of sportsmanship, but on this occassion, Yeovil used the throw to attack and they scored a goal.

The question I would ask, is what's the difference between Yeovil scoring when they should have kicked the ball back, and a penalty taker scoring when his teammate has dived to win it? If anything, the difference is that diving is immoral and cheating, whereas technically, a player is not lawfully obliged to throw the ball back to the team with an injured player, it's an issue of morality. But morality has very little place in football.

To me it's strange that a player falling to ground to win a set piece, when he could easily have stayed on his feet is greeted with thoughtful debate. Whereas in this case, when a player takes the wrong use of a throw-in, it's greeted with uproar. I think as a player if you're desperately chasing a goal in a match, you do every single thing possible to get it.

I'm not arguing that Yeovil did the right thing, nor am I arguing that what the Yeovil team did was any better than someone cheating. I'm saying that it's all gaining an unfair advantage, and that happens all the time.

Footballers will always look to get an edge for their team, and will do so at all costs. That is the stark reality of modern football.

By Gabriel Sutton

The Manchester United Institution: Magic or Myth?

Manchester United are a club that divides opinion. Some people hate them for their constant trophy-winning, and the fact that their dominance encourages young kids to watch them on TV rather than support their local team. Statistics indicate that almost 10% of people in the world support Manchester United. Whilst an element of spite probably plays it's part in this school of thought, it's understandable to an extent. Football should be about match-day experiences, loving your club, and going through the highs and lows together as fans. Is one club achieving constant glory and attention unhealthy for football?

But then they are also admired by a group, who respect the club's history, their ability to develop players and bring through youth. The way they bounced back from the tragic Munich air crash, to win the European Cup 10 years later was incredible. Under Alex Ferguson, they admirably brought through a freakishly talented youth team, and won the treble in 1999 in such extraordinary circumstances. They've always played attacking football, and have that incessant ability to score late goals, which gleans many admirers.

Me? I don't fall into either category. I don't hate United. Fair play to them for winning so much, and I tend to enjoy watching them. But it's this idea that Manchester United always develop youth, and only ever 'build' teams, rather than buy them, that I've began to question. Is this ethos of Manchester United genuine, or a very well constructed profile?

Manchester United won their first English title in 26 years in the 1992-93 season, which was the first ever season of the Premiership. It was this year that Sky Sports got involved, and showed unprecedented amounts of football on TV. Because everyone in England was so excited to watch football live from their living room, Sky got more and more money and were therefore prepared to pay the Premier League more and more money to keep their coverage.

Now, this era in televised football fitted perfectly with the immaculately-timed arrival of 'Fergie's Fledglings'. With Scholes, Giggs, Beckham and the Neville brothers in the team, Manchester United won four of the first five league titles that Sky Sports covered. Inevitably, Sky showed more of their matches, which not only brought them more TV money, but they became the team that everyone around the world wanted to watch and support. Therefore, they also gained more money through merchandising, and the richer of the millions of fans around the world could afford to travel from afar and watch. They have approximately 52,000 season ticket holders at a 75,000-seater stadium, which suggests that they get thousands of supporters each week, who come to watch them from different countries. Financially, it's better to get fans in who pay for individual tickets, which cost considerably more than the relative value of a season ticket. So at that point, they were reaping much more money than ever before, and developed a massive spending power because of this.

But things could have turned out so differently. It was in fact Leeds United who won the title the season before Manchester. Had it been Leeds who had won it in the first season of Sky, could we be talking about them instead, as a global force in the present day?

Indeed, it was Eric Cantona who turned Manchester United into this title-winning machine. By his own admission, Leeds chairman Bill Fotherby sold him in November 1992 to their rivals for £1.2 million, because the club didn't have enough money. Now, if Leeds had that 1991-92 title winning season the year after, they would have got all sorts of revenue from Sky, and surely wouldn't have had to sell Cantona?

In comparison, when Man United did sign Cantona, they were 8th. Miles behind big spending Blackburn Rovers, and Aston Villa would you believe, who they had recently lost to. Without Cantona, they were never going to win the league that season. But the Frenchman's arrival helped them to an extraordinary run of form, only losing two out of twenty seven games from that point onwards. Not only could he score goals, but he linked up play and got the best out of those around him. It was undoubtedly his arrival, that got Manchester United scoring goals and winning titles again. As for Leeds, Peter Ridsdale ruined the club, making too many financial gambles trying to get them into the Champions League, and they ultimately suffered a decline.

I suppose what I'm saying here, is that whilst the Manchester United youth coaching staff deserve massive credit for bringing through those brilliant kids in the 90s, the timing of it was pure luck. Ever since, United have developed this reputation for developing youth. But is this right?

If you take out Fergie's Fledlings, who have Manchester United brought through the youth system since, of genuine value to the squad? Wes Brown? Darren Fletcher? Jonny Evans? Cleverley and Welbeck? Whilst these have all been good squad players for the Red Devils over the years, I'm of the controversial opinion that they've been incorporated into the team largely for the club's image. Because of the greatness of the 'Busby Babes' and 'Fergie's Fledglings', it creates a certain feeling of romanticism that United are continuing to develop the best players like they have done over decades. It gives people a sense that Old Trafford this magical factory that continually builds teams from scratch.

And if I'm a neutral from a foreign country, I would much rather take after a club that builds teams over the years, rather than one that buys them. That might be a big part of where United get their reputability from.

If you put any of the five players I've mentioned above into the Chelsea or Manchester City team, there's no way they would get a game. Or, if they were foreign players who Alex Ferguson signed for £15 million or so, they would be deemed failures. Yet because they've been developed through the youth academy, fans naturally want them to do well and therefore notice it much more when they do.

Take Nathan Redmond at my club, Birmingham City, for example. In my rare opinion, he's one of the most overrated players ever to play at St. Andrews in recent years. Last season, he played twenty four matches, and scored two goals. But the two he did score, were beautifully taken goals. In one in five matches, he would play a blinder, run his fullback ragged and get an assist. But in the other four, he would hardly have any of the ball and seem to stand on the wing, dwell on the ball too long and get tackled. But the fact that he came through our academy and is a Birmingham boy, made the fans somehow not notice all the times when he doesn't perform, and be overwhelmed when he scores a great goal or does one thing well.

Alternatively, look at how many admirers there are of Borussia Dortmund, or Barcelona, because of how they develop their own talent, and have players who have been at the club for a long time. People like sentiment. People don't want to accept the fact that money has taken over football. Therefore, I think those involved upstairs at Manchester United have done something very subtle, and very clever. Through the media, through throwing in the odd academy player into the team, through cleverly coining their own ground: 'The Theatre of Dreams' and through making sure they keep Alex Ferguson in charge for a long time, they've created this image of Manchester United being a club that is very ethical.

And of course, they're not. The psychological pressure Ferguson and others put on referees, the mind games, the stitches, the diving, the affairs, the tapping up of players, and the money. In reality, Manchester United are no more or less ethical a club than any other, certainly in football's elite. It's partly because Ferguson has been in charge for so long, that our opinion of him is tapered. If I see any manager have a go at the referee because a decision didn't go his way, I'm immediately inclined to think: 'disrespectful b*stard'.
If I see Alex Ferguson have a go, partly out of grudging respect for him, I'm inclined to think: 'what a manager, 70 years old yet still as passionate as ever'.

It's because he's been in charge at Manchester United for 25 years, that I find myself growing inadvertently fond of him. I think that's been the case for a lot of the 'glory hunters' who support United.

Likewise with Ryan Giggs. If I knew any other man who had been having an affair with his relative for eight years, I would think of them as a disgusting human being. With Ryan Giggs, I find myself admiring his ability, how long his career has lasted, and his loyalty to Manchester United. When actually, there's nothing much to be admired about Giggs, or Scholes' career, in terms of only playing for one team. They've said that they love the club and would never leave, but I just interpret that as: 'I would never leave, unless Manchester United stopped winning trophies, and I stopped getting £50k a week.' They don't love playing for Manchester United, they love the money and glory that comes with it. Paul Scholes supported Oldham as a kid. The fact that they are still playing after 20 years simply adds to this well-schemed fallacy of Manchester United as a club that remains true to itself, and success comes through the heart. It's nonsense.

Let's have a look at Manchester United's squad, I've sorted the players into four categories. Any player who they signed for £10 million or more I would define as costly, less than that cheap as a rough guide. Some of these you might not agree with, some players I've labeled as poor are arguably still to prove themselves, but this is the rough categorization I've come up with:

Costly Good Players

David De Gea- has the potential to become one of the best goalkeepers in the world, but cost £17.5M
Phil Jones- could become the long-term replacement to Nemanja Vidic, but cost £16.5M and is currently a utility man
Ferdinand- has been a key player for 12 years, but cost £30M
Antonio Valencia- has done quite well, but doesn't play every week and cost £16M
Rooney- a key player, but has arguably not lived up to world class potential, and cost £30M plus a notable £10M a year in wages since 2010
Carrick- an important player for a few years, but came at a cost £17.5M
Robin van Persie- a pivotal buy, again United had to pay big to get him £24M

Costly Flops
Anderson- done almost nothing for 6 years - £20M
Smalling- still young, but occassional laziness in his play points to £10M flop
Nani- far too inconsistent to justify £21M
Young- an average player, drastically overpaid for at £18M

Cheap, Well Developed

Rafael- signed for nominal fee, very well developed

Evra- signed cheaply at £5.5M, became an important dressing room character
Giggs- became an enigma, through the academy, his career keeps going
Vidic- signed cheaply at £7.5 mil, crucial team player
Fletcher- came through the academy, a battler in midfield, added to the character of the team, though not the best technically

Cheap Squad Players
Welbeck- well developed through academy, but unlikely to ever be more than decent squad forward
Cleverley- another good squad option, but is hardly top class, wouldn't get into Chelsea or Man City team
Evans- academy graduate, developed into little more than decent squad player
Hernandez- a 50/50 gamble of £7M, so far turned out well, but has often been a subsitution option and seemingly out of favour with Moyes
Lindegaard- poor backup keeper, misuse of £4.4M
Fabio- yet to see his development, signed along with Rafael
Kagawa- signed for £13M, looks an intelligent player, but yet to prove himself
Buttner- signed for £4M, looks too vulnerable defensively
Bebe- a Hernandez-esc gamble, of £7.4M which turned out a failure of epic proportions. Remarkably, he's still contracted to the club

Totalling the transfers up, but including the likes of Zaha, Varela and Powell who are basically yet to play for the club, the value of the current squad at Manchester United is £275 million. 

The value of Manchester City's current squad is £361 million. 

The value of Chelsea's current squad is £321 million.

What is the difference? Why should Manchester United be respected for spending £86 million or £46 million less on their squad than their rivals? It's all ludicrous amounts of money. 

Some might argue that United haven't had the luck of a billionnaire owner to pump money into the club. Rupert Murdoch launched a takeover bid for the club in 1998, and subsequently failed. But when you think about it, Murdoch owns Sky Television, and much of the money Sky gets goes to Manchester United. Indirectly, it's as if he might as well have succeeded.

When you get to the bare bones of it, what Manchester United have done to achieve success is no better than what Man City and Chelsea have done. They've spent huge sums of money. The only way they've smoothed this fact over, is by having several players in the team who have been at the club for a long time. It adds to the sense of romanticism. The average player at United has stayed at the club for almost five years. At City, it's two and a half years. At Chelsea, it's almost four years.  

Is that much of an achievement for United? All that tells us, is that they've generally been inclined to not change too much, and stick with the core of the same players that keep winning them titles. Surely that's pure logic?! Manchester United wouldn't want to let their best players go, because they're winning trophies. Their best players don't want to go, because they're winning trophies. That's not necessarily something to be admired, any club with a manager with half a brain in those circumstances would have the same sort of policy.

The only reason the overhaul has been so drastic at Man City, is quite simply because they've progressed so quickly with their financial resources, that they can continuously afford better quality players. Spending big quickly, on the best players available, was obviously going to be their best chance of ever competing with Manchester United. 

At Chelsea, the average player spending four years at the club suggests that a period of stability may ensue under Jose Mourinho. Because they changed their entire squad when Abramovich first arrived, they now have the best players in their team, so marginally less of an overhaul than at City has been required.

I've come to the conclusion that there is actually nothing special about what Manchester United do. They cleverly construct this illusion, this fallacy, that they are a magical club which builds teams over the years, takes average players and moulds them into superstars, but it's actually false. Yes Alex Ferguson is a great manager, but his job in the last fifteen years, has been to buy the most talented players, and get the best out of them.

I'm not denying that Manchester United are a very hardworking team team, and Ferguson ingrains a winning mentality into his players. The number of late goals they score proves that. But this winning mentality is not enough on it's own, it's simply an extra ingredient that has propelled them to achieve more than Chelsea. But at the heart of Manchester United success is not, as many people think, this wonderful spirit that the team has. It is, quite simply, the money they've spent. 

Gabriel's Weekend Predictions: Week Two

Premier League

Fulham vs. Arsenal

Some Arsenal fans seem to be giving Wenger funeral flowers for a doctor’s appointment. I don’t hold him mainly responsible for their transfer failings this summer, they had plenty of transfer targets, for many of which a fee had been agreed, but they couldn’t close the deal. It seems far-fetched to think Wenger handles the contract negotiations, so I don’t know what else he could do. I think much of their protests came out of frustration after the defeat to Villa – would they have happened if Arsenal won 3-1? The performance at Fenerbahce proves that the team, at least, is still very much motivated to play for Wenger. Fulham got an opening win at Sunderland (apologies to their fans for the short word!) but I think this will be Arsenal’s day. 0-2.

Everton vs. West Brom

Martinez should see his first point at Norwich as one gained, rather than two lost. The performance was encouraging, as Everton had a lot more of the ball and created more chances. When a manager brings in a new style of play, it’s always possible that the players will be unsettled or not used to it, which is why it might have been a good decision to refrain to playing 3 at the back in his first game. It’s a case of evolution not revolution, at Everton. I’m convinced Martinez will get his first win as the Toffees manager, against a West Brom team without key man Romelu Lukaku from last season, who Anelka and Vydra will struggle to replace. I wouldn’t rule out a relegation battle for the Baggies this season. 2-0.

Hull vs. Norwich

At the end of the game, Hull fans seemed admirably content with keeping it down to 2-0 at Chelsea. It’s fair enough, the odds were always against them in that game and in many ways it was a case of keeping their goal difference down, in the second half they became a lot more solid. A good start for the pricey van Wolfswinkel, who had an instant impact grabbing Norwich a point on his debut, but Hull will be very psyched up for their first Premier League home game. If they don’t win, then next up they’ll have a trip to the Etihad, perhaps making the visit of Cardiff after the international break too much of a crunch game. This is the right opportunity for them to get their first win, 2-1.

Newcastle vs. West Ham

Winning more games on the road is the target for West Ham if they want to improve on last season’s 10^th placed finish. At Newcastle, they have a good chance to do it. I didn’t think Newcastle would roll over against Man City, because the quality in their team is decent and they’ve had a roundly quiet summer to gel, but perhaps the Cabaye issue has affected them. West Ham got a confident win against Cardiff, and I reckon they’ll build on that, I wouldn’t be surprised to see Andy Carroll score against his old club. 0-1.

Southampton vs. Sunderland

Even though you’d probably label these sides as ‘midtable clubs’, they’re going in different directions, so this is an easy decision for me. It’s got to be Southampton. The £15 million signing of striker Osvaldo could be a great capture, a real statement of intent and he’ll make the best out of the creativity in Southampton’s midfield. Sunderland I think will go down this season. Di Canio has tried to overhaul the squad too radically and I think they’ll get off to a bad start, and then, when you’re on a run of defeats it’s difficult to undo the cycle with too many foreign players. I’m convinced Osvaldo will score at least once on his debut, and I would go as far as 3-0 to Southampton.

Stoke vs. Crystal Palace

Although Mark Hughes is looking to add an attacking edge to Stoke’s play, I still think goals will be an issue, with the team only scoring 4 in 5 pre-season games. It’s one thing trying to be more creative, but you’ve got to have players who can take the chances, at the moment I’m reserved as to whether Stoke have that. It’s early in Palace’s season and I think they can get a result here, they’ll play with a lot of enthusiasm for their first away game. They defended quite well against Spurs, which makes me think they can keep a clean sheet here, and get an important early point. 0-0.

Aston Villa vs. Liverpool

Just a week ago, I was thinking that maybe Benteke won’t do as well in his second season with the pressure on him this time. 7 days, and 3 goals later, and I look to be proved completely wrong. In Liverpool’s play, Enrique and Johnson have a responsibility to get forward and provide width which wasn’t a problem against Stoke, but could be against the pace on the flanks of Agbonlahor and N’Zogbia. But I’d have to back Liverpool to edge it. They have a lot of talent in their team, and Villa had a testing match against Chelsea in midweek. 1-2.

In an extra note, I would like to give my best wishes to Stiliyan Petrov, who has taken a break from his role as Aston Villa U21 assistant manager to focus on recovering from his leukaemia.

Cardiff vs. Man City

I’m thinking this could be the surprise result of the weekend, I firmly believe Cardiff will get something. They earned promotion on having an excellent home record, an iron defence at the Cardiff City stadium, where only twice all season did they concede more than one goal. The key factor in the extent to which Man City beat Newcastle, was that they were playing at home and scored an early goal. The rest of the night was easy. For this game, there’s a possibility of complacency, Cardiff are likely to keep it tight from the start and if it gets into the second half with Man City not winning, then it’s going to be difficult for them to find a way through. Controversially, I think 0-0. The result would hand a great initiative for Man United or Chelsea to win their game and take an early hold of the title race.

Tottenham vs. Swansea

Bale who? If Tottenham can complete the signings of Willian, Lamela and Coentrao, I think even if they sell their famous Welshman, they will have improved their squad. I don’t think Swansea will do at all as well as most seem to be predicting, there’s a concern with them playing in Europe, and buying so many foreign players, that they’ll lose their level of teamwork and Europa League football could see them struggle for fitness and injuries at times. I think they’ll start the season with two successive three-goal defeats, 3-0.

Man Utd vs. Chelsea

A big game, even at this early stage, and a difficult one to call. In all honesty, I think a point would just about suit both teams. There is so much pressure on Moyes to replace Ferguson, it’s most important that he doesn’t lose this game, United must stay solid and well in the title race until the new year, when the players will be settled under his leadership. From Chelsea’s point of view, they would probably be content with a point at Old Trafford, it would keep them top of the table, albeit having played a game extra. It’s the kind of game that you’ve got the best chance of getting right by not overanalysing, especially after both teams have made perfect starts, so 1-1 has to be the most likely outcome.

Championship

Week number four of this Championship season, as the ‘bedding in’ period continues. The so far underachieving teams like Blackburn, Bolton and Wigan will, for now, be granted the excuse of having had a big overhaul of players over the summer, who will take time to settle. On the flip side, it might also take time to see whether the good starts for the budding Bs of Blackpool, Burnley and Bournemouth will continue to boost in the Autumn. The pick of the games this weekend, sees QPR look to build on their solid start by getting a good result at floundering Bolton. And on Sunday, it’s an early top of the table clash of style against substance, as pretty footballing Watford take on a Nottingham Forest team built on defensive efficiency. Here's my preview to the action…

Bolton vs. QPR

The fixture computer hasn’t been kind at all to Bolton, this being another difficult game early on. It’s not until the end of September, that they get a run of games that you’d actually fancy them to win. For QPR though, it’s been fairly generous and playing three supposedly midtable teams, they’ve managed to pick up seven points without catching the eye. Scoring that last minute winner against Ipswich was vital, because going into two tough matches on the road against last seasons’ home specialists, Bolton and Leeds, with just the five points would have made life very difficult. My anti-QPR heart though, says a team of Bolton’s calibre will be determined to fight for their first win of the season, and I think they can do it with home backing. I’ll stick my neck out and say 1-0 to the Trotters.

Blackburn vs. Barnsley

I’ve not got much sympathy for Barnsley after last week, when they surrendered a two goal lead to take just a point against Charlton. They did put their opponents under pressure at times, but their organisation for the two goals they conceded was horrific. They can’t defend like that, and expect to remain afloat in this competition. Just one point from three games is a poor start for Gary Bowyer’s side, and with all the changes of managers last season, the one thing he needs to do now, is steady the ship slightly and get that first win. Against a Barnsley team lacking in defensive confidence at the moment, this is a good opportunity to do it. 2-0.

Blackpool vs. Reading

An injury time goal at Middlesbrough put end to Blackpool’s short-lived 100% record. With Reading and then force of Watford coming up to Bloomfield Road, I think it could be downhill from here. I find it difficult to say whether it’s been a good, or bad start for Reading, because you wouldn’t say five points from three games is promotion form at all. But Bolton away was a tough game, and in some ways the team deserves respect for finding Watford’s potential weakness in defence and nearly seeing out a win. I reckon the Royals will bounce back from that disappointment, and take the points which would move them above their opponents, and likely into the play-off spaces, which would be good progress. 0-2.

Brighton vs. Burnley

This is a very important match for Brighton. When a new manager comes in and struggles for the first few weeks, I find it’s usually the match that comes immediately after their first win, which is key. A win, and all of a sudden the belief in the team rises and they can go on a strong run of form. A defeat, and you go back to square one, and inconsistency sets in. Burnley have had a good start to their season, but with a small squad it’s going to be difficult for them to keep it up. If they do lose this game, it’ll be interesting to see how they respond. Leonardo Ulloa looks like a great forward at this level, so I think he’ll score as well as Ings, Brighton to bag an all-important 2-1 win to set Oscar Garcia’s Brighton career alight.

Charlton vs. Doncaster

A difficult decision, but I’d just about go with Charlton for this. The Doncaster team will have a mixed response to giving away a two goal lead at Wigan on Tuesday, they would have surely taken a point before the game, yet to concede an equalizer in the last minute will have been a kick in the teeth. Charlton on the other hand, came back from two goals down at Barnsley, but they’re still looking for their first win. With Doncaster having played their game in midweek, Charlton might just have the extra energy to nick it 1-0.

Huddersfield vs. Bournemouth

Both teams, expected to struggled a bit this season, have actually made respectable starts to their campaigns. It looks increasingly likely that James Vaughan will be Huddersfield’s talisman for the season. He’s scored each of the Terriers’ four goals so far, but even if he got injured, I wouldn’t necessarily worry for Huddersfield because they have a couple of other decent strikers in Stead and Paterson. Four points, especially having had two difficult opening games, is a good return. Bournemouth bounced back brightly from their 6-1 thumping at Watford, by beating promotion candidates Wigan last week, and all of a sudden they’re just outside the play-offs. Interestingly, if they get a good result in this game, their next three opponents are Doncaster, Blackpool and Barnsley, which may assist them to crawl into the play-off places in September. This could well be an entertaining, open game and I can see a lot of goals. 2-2.

Ipswich vs. Leeds

It’s still an unknown as to which way Ipswich’s season will be swinging come Autumn. They beat Millwall at home, as most expected, but lost away against two of the relegated clubs, as most expected. I think it’s actually a reasonable start, considering Mick McCarthy brought in 11 new faces this summer. Leeds have a lot of creativity, particularly out wide, but I’m starting to worry that they might miss Luciano Becchio this season, even if they keep Ross McCormack he doesn’t tend to play as an ‘out-and-out’ forward. With a strong defence under McCarthy, Ipswich will get a 1-0 win.

Leicester vs. Birmingham

For Birmingham, our defensive performances have been good, but it was one simple positional error that cost us against Brighton. I worry that we might rely too much on keeping clean sheets to pick up points this season, because one (own) goal from three games is not a good scoring record so far. Leicester have made a very solid start, getting a couple of away wins and keeping clean sheets in their last two games. They might not have been too active in the transfer market, but so far, the signs are that the summer of stability has helped. I can see a third successive clean sheet for Pearson's men. 1-0.

Sheff Wed vs. Millwall

I wonder if playing away from home is actually going to be Millwall's best chance of getting something, in their circumstances. With such a poor atmosphere at the Den, you would think that it'd only be the true Lions fans who would bother to make the journey up to Sheffield. It's less likely the fans will get on their backs, because most of the Millwall fans clearly aren't helping their team at the moment. An important first point of the season at rivals Leeds for Sheffield Wednesday, who I would expect to climb the table in the coming weeks. This is the first of three forthcoming home games, the others against Yeovil and Doncaster, that they will have a strong chance of winning. I think this might be a draw though, Millwall have to get their first point from somewhere, surely? 1-1.

Watford vs. Nottm Forest

It might only be the fourth game of the season, but I'd hardly be exaggerating in saying this match is the unstoppable force of Watford, versus the immovable object of Nottingham Forest. Both teams have come out of the blocks very quickly, in different ways. Watford have scored a massive ten goals in three games, whereas Forest have kept three straight clean sheets. I'd say that this game might just suit Forest playing away from home, being already two points clear at the top. It means they can simply make sure they stay organised, whereas if they were at home and expected win, Watford's counter attacking ability would be more applicable. This will be a very even game, so possibly a draw, which Forest would be the more inclined to settle for. 1-1.

Wigan vs. Middlesbrough

These are two teams who are all too familiar with the expression '3's a crowd'! Attendances of around 13,000 in their last home games, despite both recently being established Premier League clubs. Both teams grabbed late equalizers in their last match, but in games the teams will have wanted to win. I'm just thinking a draw, because there's been a lot of changes in Wigan's squad, they're still getting into the season and had to play on Tuesday night, and in Lukasz Jutkiewicz, Middlesbrough have a player who could grab them a goal out of nothing. 1-1.

Solihull Moors 2-2 Oxford City: a match report

There may be a few football fans in Birmingham, who aren't sure who to follow. You might be mildly interested in Villa or West Brom, or Blues if you're sensible, but don't want to go to the away games. Or, you might like those clubs, but not be able to afford tickets. First of all, I thought it'd be a good idea to compare prices.

Approximate adult ticket cost for Birmingham clubs' next home game:

Villa £35

Baggies £25

Blues £25

Solihull Moors £9

The fixture calender seems to work out that most of the time, when Solihull Moors are playing at home, Birmingham and West Brom play away. At most a quarter of the people who go to home games go to their team's away matches due to travel costs, so Solihull Moors have spotted this and offered what is, in my opinion, a good deal. A 50% discount for fans on match days, if they have a season ticket at one of the Midlands clubs. My ticket for tonight was only £4.50, so I went in to see if I would recommend it to anyone who is looking for a new, cheaper alternative for football in Birmingham.

For a 6th tier match, the atmosphere wasn't bad. I was expecting the away support to be spectator-like, if existent, but Oxford City brought 20 fans. They all grouped together and sang, which was quite respectable for a Tuesday night, given 3 hours' worth of driving. Fair play to them.

When the game kicked off, you could get a feel for each team. Oxford City were a very physical side, they operated a high pressing game from the start. It looked as though they had a team of rejected rugby players, who didn't quite make it into the Oxford rugby club! Moors, on the other hand, had much more of a technical team. Their play was built on audacious passing, it was pretty at times, yet at a high tempo. 

The Oxford game plan was to close down and apply pressure, to allow them to control the game from the outset with brute force. Whereas, Moors manager Marcus Bignot's plan seemed to be to undo Oxford's high pressing, by exploiting the potential gaps further back with pacey counter attacks. This was effective in getting the ball out of danger quickly, yet the moves tended to break down in the final third, often because of the shear size of Oxford's defence, who bullied them off the ball. It sometimes left target man Omar Bogle too isolated as the main man up front, his strikepartner liked to drop into midfield.

The game might have been 0-0 at half time, but it was by no means your expected non-league goalless half of football. It had been an entertaining game. A fascinating clash on the Moors' right flank, with Michael Nottingham and Peter Till combining well, playing some neat one-two touches which set up a number of attacks. Till, in particular, was exceptional. The Birmingham City academy product shone on the pitch, and was the ultimate team player. He seemed adept with either foot, skillful and could beat the fullback one-on-one with ease, yet was never too selfish to pass the ball if a teammate was available. He looks like a real coup from Bignot, who snapped him up this summer.

That said, overall it was Oxford who probably had the better of the first half hour. Whilst Solihull's defence held firm against the vigour of their attacks, the ball was unquestionably more in their half than in Oxford's. There was a moment when Moors keeper Jas Singh's heart was in his mouth. A hopefully fancy, but on this occassion lackadaisical pass out from centre-back Jay Denny was intercepted in the middle. Coming out to Jamie Cook on the left wing, he looped in a cross deep into Solihull's defence, asking for a runner from midfield. Singh got two hands to the ball, only to briefly spill it as he fell over, and for a split second the ball looked to be dripping over the line. Thankfully, Singh manager to catch it at the second attempt amid pressure from Steve Basham.

In the final part of the first half, Moors came into the ascendancy. Oxford's game, which was beforehand brisk and direct, became more of a hit and hope, as Solihull began to get their foothold onto the game. They continued to defend as a unit, yet starting creating more, with the impressive Till at the heart of proceedings. A neatly worked corner found the number 7 on the byline, he slid in a cross to the near post, and Bogle ought to have done better, firing over from close range.

Soon afterwards, came a few unfortunate moments. Firstly, there was an injury to forward Ryan Beswick, who in truth hadn't had the best of games, struggling against the physicality of Oxford's defence. But secondly, things happened which challenged my view of fair play in non-league football. I had this idea of lower league football being a culture of moralty, ethics and innocence, but perhaps I've learnt that that's not necessarily true. On one occasion, as far as I could see Oxford's Darren Pond hauled down Jordan Gough, and then seemed to conveniently trip over himself to win a free-kick. On another, Oxford's Paul Stonehouse was under pressure and forced to kick the ball out over the sideline, then cheekily claimed for an Oxford throw-in because the referee's view was blocked. I hadn't noticed any of the Solihull Moors players do this kind of thing, but it did raise the question in my mind. Whether football is full of sin, or whether Oxford are the 70s Leeds United of non-league, I don't know.

The half-time whistle came just after one final scare for Solihull, as Oxford's Declan Benjamin hit a shot from a tight angle, but found only the side netting. In what was an evenly balanced game, the Moors could consider themselves a touch fortunate to be level, as Oxford hadn't quite had the guile in the final third to get ahead.

And when Solihull scored after the interval, it felt very much against the run of play. It was Till again providing the magic down the right, slipping through a ball for Omar Bogle, who struck a firm shot in at the near post. But, as often the main man in the box for the Moors, it was always going to be Bogle to get the goal. 

There was a brief lull in play after the goal, with much of play congested in the middle of the park. Oxford had the strength to defend whatever attacks Solihull created, and the Moors defence remained fixed, keen not to concede an equalizer. With neither defence cracking at that point, the game was forced into the centre. Neither team took the initiative to get the ball down and play.

But Solihull's main problem was their lack of discipline. They conceded so many free-kicks throughout the night, perhaps panicking because of the intensity of Oxford's attacks, who were now batting down the hatches for an equalizer. It seemed foolish considering the height in Oxford's team, and keeper Singh had to remain on his toes, as growing cries of "come on City" came from the Oxford faithful.

Oxford had already found their confidence, and now, a deserved equalizer. A corner from Jamie Cook was swung into the near post, and substitute Mike Symonds thumped the ball home at the near post. After the equalizer, Oxford sustained their pressing game and it was difficult for Solihull to get the ball. The speed at which Oxford closed down, forced Solihull into panicky clearances rather than planned counter attacking moves. 

An amusing moment came when Keiran Sanders went to take a throw-in, as Oxford's long throw speciallist. Their fans mimed a 'throw-in' and sang "let's all do a Sanders". But what happened next certainly wasn't amusing for the Solihull fans. A cross from the left from Stonehouse came undefended to the back post, and Liam Malone was on hand to ram the ball home. 

But the Moors fans, to their credit, really got behind their team in the latter stages of the second half. Although, their only chant seemed to be "When the Moors go marching in", but it was effective and galvanized their team for one last push. A hopeful high ball from midfield came to Bogle, who nodded the ball down for substitute Aron Wint to take a touch, and curl an ambitious shot into the bottom corner. It was a goal Wint probably deserved, as the substitute performed much better than his counterpart Ryan Beswick, and showed some intelligent movement throughout his playing time. 

But the goal was also more than a trifle harsh on Oxford, and their fans, who will have to travel back down the M40 with just a point. In fact, though inevitably the Moors will be pleased with a late equalizer, it's arguable that neither side will be particularly happy with the draw. For Solihull, it was a missed opportunity to move joint-top, whilst the late goal means Oxford will have to wait longer for their first win of the season.

But on the whole, it was a great atmosphere, an entertaining game, and very good value for money. Any Blues or Baggies fans who don't fancy your away days, I would definitely say go down to Damson Park. If enough supporters get on board and come through the turnstiles, exciting times may lie ahead for Solihull Moors.

Solihull Moors' next home match is against Histon on the 24th August.

Gabriel's Weekend Predictions: Week One

It's the first week of the Premier League, and I can't wait for the new season to get underway. There's so many unknowns, with 7 clubs having changed their manager since January, 3 of which are the top clubs, who have only swapped this summer. There's the return of charismatic favourites Mourinho and Holloway, there'll be the first ever all-Welsh Premier League game, and Manchester United face their first season ever without Sir Alex Ferguson. This season promises to be more exciting than ever.

Liverpool vs. Stoke

Both teams begin their campaign having had positive pre-seasons, particularly in defence. Both had only conceded 2 goals throughout, and if they can remain solid at the back throughout the season, that would be a good base on which to create the attractive football Rodgers and Hughes are looking to implement. I don't think there'll be many goals, because at times last season Liverpool didn't get enough men in the box, and Stoke are still perfecting their style of play. I'll back the Reds to get the win though, because they need to come out of the blocks early if they want 4th place, next week at home to Palace is the game Hughes will really want to make sure Stoke win. 1-0.

Arsenal vs. Aston Villa

These two managers' faith in the unproven cost them at times last season, but both met their respective targets. Arsenal had a decent pre-season, starting with 7-goal wins, winning a minor cup, losing out on their own Emirates Cup, but finishing off with a comfortable win over Man City. Villa's started poorly, yet they finished with 4 straight wins including victory over Malaga. I think the pace in Villa's counterattacks could get the better of Arsenal's adventurous full-backs, and the gangling Per Mertesacker, so I do think Villa will score. But Arsenal will have the creativity in their team to find at least two goals, because without the ball, Villa lacked organisation last season. 2-1.

Norwich vs. Everton

It's not been a good pre-season for either club, so I think the first few weeks will act as a 'bedding-in period' for these sides. The Norwich board have been prepared to put their neck on the line this summer, investing £25 million towards the aim of sustained Premier League football. The 7 new players, most of whom have never played at this level, will need some time to adjust. And quite an adjustment it'll be for the Everton team, used to playing a rigid yet industrious 4-4-1-1 formation, will now be playing in a fluid and flexible 3-at-the-back system. I don't think either of the clubs' summer changes will come off as an instant success, so this might be a 1-1 draw.

Sunderland vs. Fulham

Paolo Di Canio has already put his stamp onto Sunderland, with 21 players coming in and out of the Stadium of Light. With such big changes, it was probably important for Sunderland that they got off to a strong pre-season which they did, with 4 wins from 5, one of which was 3-1 over Spurs. Given they had the oldest Premier League squad last season, it seems surprising that Jol has added three 30-year-olds, plus Adel Taarabt who offers little work rate off the ball. I think Sunderland will have the momentum from pre-season to overpower Fulham, and open their campaign with a 2-0 win. Fulham didn't travel well at all last season, and that's what they'll need to work on if they want to finish in the top half.

West Brom vs. Southampton

Romelu Lukaku played a fundamental part in West Brom's successful season, and although they've tried to replace him bringing in Anelka and Vydra, I think they'll struggle for goals. Southampton could be building something exciting under Pochettino, he's looking to instil exotic football at St Marys and has had the time now to analyse his playing staff. New signing Victor Wanyama definitely has the physical capability to become an instant success in the Premier League, and I think he'll be determined to assert his dominance on the midfield in his first game. 0-1.

West Ham vs. Cardiff

West Ham had such a comfortable first season back in the top flight, it feels like they'd never been gone. Having such a solid home record under Allardyce, with him in charge I think they'll be a consistent feature in the Premier League over the next few years, and that's the long-term aim for Cardiff. The now not-so Bluebirds take a similarly direct approach, and have brought big this summer, investing a massive £28 million. However, none of their players bar Craig Bellamy, have Premier League experience. I think West Ham will give Cardiff an early demonstration of how to establish yourself in this league. 2-0.

Swansea vs. Man Utd

I'm going to go with quite a heavy Manchester United win for this one. The players will be fresh from winning the Community Shield, and I think they'll be determined to get Moyes' United career off to a good start. Admittedly Swansea have had a successful pre-season, but they would do well not to get too complacent, and I think that could be the danger. Man Utd might be the more motivated, and I don't think Swansea will do as well as many predict this season. 0-3.

Crystal Palace vs. Tottenham

I think Palace could surprise us a bit, well, in this game at least. They've got the benefit of being at home and will have a big crowd for their first game in the Premier League, which might help them, they had the second best home record in the Championship. It's been a key summer for Tottenham, who have had to cope with the 'Bale to Madrid' saga for months. The disappointing pre-season results Spurs have had suggest that they might not start this season particularly well, it could take them a few weeks to get into full swing. 2-2.

Chelsea vs. Hull

Most people seem to think this will be a breeze for Mourinho's first match, but I reckon Hull will give Chelsea a difficult 90 minutes. The last time you want to play a promoted club is in August, when the team is normally raring to go. This could be level at half-time, but in the second half, perhaps Hull's legs will tire, and Chelsea have the outstanding attacking strength in depth to move up a gear when they need to. 1-0 to Chelsea, Hull won't embarrass themselves.

Man City vs. Newcastle

City's new signings may need time to adjust to the Premier League, and Fernandinho seems overpriced for someone who is 28, although in fairness I haven't seen much of him at Shakhtar. The Citizens haven't had a good pre-season, finishing on that defeat to Arsenal, so it's important they put that behind them and start their quest for the title with a win. Newcastle haven't done much in the transfer market, but maybe that'll become a good thing. It could give their large number of foreign players a much-needed settling in period, so I think they'll be fine this season, but will just miss out on a point on the first game. 2-1.

It's the third week of the Football League, and this Championship season remains in it's infancy. Whilst there'll no doubt be shocks galore along the way, the first couple of results haven't really given the table much of the 'crazy effect' that I thought it would. If I was to guess roughly where teams will finish two weeks ago, and if I saw this as the final table, the comparison wouldn't be a striking one. Blackpool are on maximum points, but they've had winnable games, I would probably expect Bolton to improve, but that's about it. Brighton and Millwall were in potential danger, due to the circumstances of their manager changes, whilst Nottingham Forest have invested well during the summer and they should finish high. Bournemouth and Yeovil have cancelled out their winning starts by losing the next week, and that's given this table quite a realistic look.

Doncaster vs. Blackburn

Doncaster will have had to wait 13 days for this fixture, after their 3-1 home defeat to Blackpool, and I think that might leave a bitter taste in the mouth. When you lose a game, especially your first home game in a new division, you want to recover quickly and get your mind onto the next one, Doncaster haven't had the opportunity to do that. Blackburn lost to Nottingham Forest last week, and you'd say this is a game they'll need to win, if they want to put themselves in September's play-off picture. I think they'll do it, 0-2.

Leeds vs. Sheff Wed

Getting a point and clean sheet at potential play-off rivals Leicester was an encouraging early step for Leeds to improve their away form this season, under Brian McDermott. By getting that away clean sheet last week, they've already equaled the number they had in all of last season! I would have to fancy them against Wednesday, who are still waiting for key players like Jermaine Johnson and Gary Madine to return from injury. I think Leeds will propel themselves into the top 3 or 4 with a 3-0 win.

Barnsley vs. Charlton

By Saturday night, at least one of these teams will no longer be without a point, but I don't think a draw would suit either. Chris Powell might consider fielding some of the fringe players who beat Oxford 4-0 in the Capital One Cup, because that was an entirely different starting XI to the one that lost their first two league games. Losing so late at Blackpool will have been difficult for Barnsley to take, and I wonder if that might have a 'domino effect', and lead to a hapless season for the Tykes. 0-1.

Birmingham vs. Brighton

Despite taking the lead in all three matches, Brighton have lost all of their opening fixtures. I feel that this is where having 14 foreigners in your squad will be costly. When you're on a run of winning games, communication isn't a problem because confidence is high and play becomes instinctive, but when you start losing, it becomes an issue because it's more about staying organised and grinding out a win as a team. I'm not sure Brighton will do that, especially amid this ongoing uncertainty regarding Poyet and the club, so as a Birmingham fan I think we've picked the right time to play Brighton. Our defence is looking much more solid that it did last season, so I think we'll smell the Brighton blood, and snatch three points. 1-0.

Bournemouth vs. Wigan

Gabriel Wigan's fancy trip to Wembley (*cough* waste of money, FA *cough*) could be a game, and an occassion, that they'll take confidence from. They played some good football, and did fairly well to keep it down to 2-0 against Man United. If I was a Wigan fan I'd be pleased with two encouraging performances so far, although missing out on a gameweek will add to an already congested fixture calender, with Europa League games approaching. The scoreline 6-1 didn't do Bournemouth justice at all last week. If you look at the stats, the Cherries had 66% of possession, they had the confidence to try and dominate Watford, but came unstuck in the second half. Two exciting teams, I can see a lot of goals in this one, but Wigan have it in them to win 2-3, given the attacking quality they have in their squad.

Burnley vs. Yeovil

It was an abandoned party for Yeovil last week, as they celebrated their first ever game in the second tier, but lost to a goal from the player who secured their promotion, Dan Burn. That defeat may dampen their spirits, because the squad's average age is quite inexperienced at 24, and therefore more partial to getting sucked into a run of defeats. Burnley have started nicely, and perhaps last week when I said they hadn't replaced Charlie Austin, I was being slightly ignorant of Danny Ings, who has scored 7 goals in his last 7 games including pre-season. I'd actually predict Burnley to win this by a big margin, because Yeovil's young team could crumble if they let in an early goal, and emergency goalkeeper Wayne Hennessey will have had very little time to prepare for this match. 4-0.

Derby vs. Leicester

The East Midlands rivals are on 4pts each, and this could be seen as a big game, beyond local pride. Whilst the winners would be shuffling around the automatic promotion places, the losers would probably have to win back-to-back games to find a play-off spot before the international break.  But I've got a feeling that both teams, secretly, would be content with a point. They've both got winnable games coming up, and with any rivals matches there's often an element of both teams being afraid of losing, rather than going out to attack. 0-0.

Middlesbrough vs. Blackpool

Gabriel To start the season with two wins is a perfect start for Blackpool, but the fact that they're second is more of a reflection on their opponents so far, than their ability. It was important for Middlesbrough not to get stuck in a cycle of defeats after the defeat to Accrington, considering that was what happened several times in the second half of last season. It'll be interesting to see if, having got their first win, Middlesbrough can refind their form in the first half of last season, when they were around the automatic promotion places. 2-0 Middlesbrough, they'll be a different proposition for Blackpool.

Millwall vs. Huddersfield

It's only two weeks in, but I've already given up on Steve Lomas, almost regardless of his managerial ability. The irrational Millwall fans have been against him from day one, the atmosphere at The Den will be horrible for the players, and I really can't see the ex-Hammer changing the fans' minds. Even though they're 18th, you could argue it's been a decent start for Huddersfield, having played two promotion contenders. They've picked up a point, it's been a brief period of damage limitation for them, and now they've got three winnable games, this being the first. 0-2.

Nottm Forest vs. Bolton

With Blackpool looking unlikely to stay at their end of the table, and Watford having a hard game at Reading, this is the perfect opportunity for Forest to move to top spot. And I think they'll do it. With back-to-back clean sheets, their new defensive players have settled in very quickly, whereas two mediocre draws follow a poor pre-season from Bolton's point of view. August hasn't dealt the Trotters a good hand, and it might take them until late September to start hitting a run of form. Forest have the incentive to win this 2-1.

QPR vs. Ipswich

I'm quite happy that QPR slipped up at a supposedly lower team like Huddersfield, because it supports my prediction that they'll struggle this season. It looks like they're going to sign Scott Parker, who as far as I'm concerned, is another money-grabbing past-it, of which type their squad is quite full of. Ipswich won 3-0 last week, which will give them a lot of confidence going into this game. I think McCarthy will ensure they put in a hardworking performance, which will cancel out the admitted quality QPR have in their team, because unlike Ipswich, the Rs lack in mobility. 1-1.

Reading vs. Watford

Both will have genuine promotion ambitions this season, but I just can't see Reading stopping Watford. If anything, the fact that they had so little of the ball against Bournemouth and yet scored 6 goals, highlights just how prolific their counterattacks are. Even though Reading are the relegated side, who have made a steady start to their Championship campaign, I think they'd be the more happy with a point, because the momentum is entirely in Watford's favour. The more I think about it, the more inclined I feel to go with an away win. 0-2, if Watford score the first goal you can bet they'll grab another one on their exceptional counterattacks.

Gabriel's Championship Predictions: Week Two

It's week two of the Championship season. Because Wigan are in action against Man United at Wembley this weekend, it's only the 11 games on, but there's still all the unpredictability and chaotic cluelessness that the opening weeks of the Championship bring you. Two of the relegated clubs who won at home last week, have their resolve to get back up tested with a trickier away match. Forest, Watford and Leicester will want to back up their promotion ambitions with a week two win, after coming out victorious in their opening matches. In the pick of the other games, Brighton will want to get their first win under Oscar Garcia, after being embarrassed in the cup in midweek. I've got the task of calling these games, just wish me luck...

Blackburn vs. Nottm Forest

Gary Bowyer made eight changes for Blackburn's game at Carlisle, which might have been a good move, seeing as Forest have an extra day to prepare. I watched Blackburn’s game at Derby on Sunday, they showed great spirit to snatch a draw late on, and perhaps deserved to win. Nottm Forest have won their first two, but for both games they were comfortable favourites, a trip to Blackburn will provide a much sterner test. I’m going to back Rovers for their home form of last season, they’ll win 2-1.

Blackpool vs. Barnsley

I could see a few goals in this, not because of the quality in attack, but due to the lack of it in defence. I could see both teams struggling at the back this season, as Barnsley took a home pasting on the opening day, and Blackpool have lost 3 first choice defenders. A draw would be a good result for Barnsley to push away the possibility of getting into a cycle of defeats, whilst for Blackpool, it would be a missed opportunity to build on their win from the opening day. I’m seeing 2-2, but in a scrappy game of defensive mishaps.

Bolton vs. Reading

I watched the first half of Bolton’s game at Burnley before heading off to the Blues, they were fortunate to go in level at half-time. As with most teams in the speculated promotion race, it’s in the balance whether Bolton can get up and running quickly. Reading, unlike the Trotters, were granted a bye for the first round of the Capital One Cup. They’ve had all week to prepare, and I believe Adkins will look to attack Bolton more because of this. I think the Royals can capture a 1-3 win.

Brighton vs. Derby

Oscar Garcia hasn’t done himself any favours by losing his first two matches in charge, the second at home to League Two Newport County! It was exactly the start he didn’t need, considering the circumstances in which previous manager Gus Poyet was dismissed, the pressure is immediately on him. Derby missed the opportunity to start their season on a high, by conceding a late equalizer at home, which supports my prediction that it’ll be another midtable season for them. A 1-1 draw, which neither side would be too pleased with.

Charlton vs. Middlesbrough

The pleasing thing about Charlton’s 4-0 win over Oxford, was that they changed their whole outfield team. That will create healthy competition within the squad, as players will have to fight for their places. The worrying thing about Middlesbrough’s defeat to Accrington, was that they didn’t. They played much of their first team, yet still at home lost to League Two relegation candidates. A concerning trend at Middlesbrough could be developing, in that they seem to be carrying on their form from the 2^nd half of last season, when they went on a number of winless runs. If they don’t get a win here or next week at home to Blackpool, Mowbray’s position as manager may start to come under scrutiny. 2-0.

Huddersfield vs. QPR

QPR got off to the right start by beating Sheffield Wednesday, but one match doesn’t change my mind that it’ll be a disappointing season for them. Huddersfield, embarking on their first full season under Mark Robins, are in the process of fine-tuning their attack and managed to see off cup finalists Bradford on Tuesday, with goals from their new front man James Vaughan. Maybe QPR will have the edge in this game, but more difficult trips to home specialists Bolton and Leeds await later in August, and that will be the big early test for the Rs. 1-2.

Ipswich vs. Millwall

A goalless draw seems the most obvious outcome when two teams, with the best defensive record in the bottom half last season, go head-to-head but it might not be as simple as that. Both teams have bought a number of players in the summer, and Millwall have a new manager. Ipswich probably had the level of Reading last week, but only a partially rotated XI lost 2-0 at Stevenage. Lomas reduced some of the pressure already put on him by winning in midweek, but I’d say Ipswich for a narrow 1-0 win. They’ll want to bounce back from the Stevenage result quickly, and I reckon Mick McCarthy will make sure they do.

Sheff Wed vs. Burnley

Gabriel Just as Burnley lose a goalscorer, Wednesday may have found one. Wildcard Atdhe Nuhiu (spellchecker off) got off to a positive start, getting the goal at QPR and he may become the goalscorer his team desperately lacked at times last season. Losing at rivals Rotherham could give them a kick up the backside going into this game. Burnley fielded a strong team at York and were rewarded with a handsome victory, but I still worry that they haven’t come close enough to replacing Charlie Austin, who scored nearly half their goals last season. I’ll go for a narrow win for Sheffield Wednesday.

Watford vs. Bournemouth

Bournemouth beat Charlton at home, which they perhaps needed to with Watford this week, and then Wigan next. It means they can go into these two games with more of a ‘nothing-to-lose’ mentality. It’s clear from the 76 goals they scored in League One last season, that they like to attack and press teams. This, I think will feed into Watford’s hands. They are brilliant at hitting teams on the counter, and do too much playacting when opponents so much as look at them in a nasty way, let alone close them down. I’d expect Watford to book their place in the early promotion picture, by getting a 3-1 win to take them to 6 points.

Yeovil vs. Birmingham

I’m going down to this, but I think we’ve picked completely the wrong time to play Yeovil. They won their opener at Millwall, and this is their first ever home game in the second tier in the club’s history. I think they'll be right up for it, whereas a lot of our players had to play extra time against Plymouth, and we're still getting used to our 3-5-2 system. I can't see us grabbing a goal because we're looking very blunt up front at the moment, as hard as Novak and Green work, and Yeovil are yet to concede after two games. Paddy Madden scored 22 goals for them last season, so I think he'll get their goal. 1-0 to the Glovers, but I very much hope I’m wrong.

Leicester vs. Leeds

Both teams, hoping for a play-off place this season, got off to good starts with 2-1 wins. Leicester didn’t buy much over the summer, but it’s occurred to me that perhaps this will suit them. After a number of managers and overhauls of the playing staff over the previous 10 years, their team needs stability more than anything else under Pearson, and now he’s had a full season to get to know the squad. Leeds’ away form was their major problem last season, and as their new manager, McDermott would need to nip that in the bud if Leeds’ claims for a play-off place are to become genuine. 2-1.