With the recent international games the Premier League has been on a bit of a hiatus though returns this weekend as Norwich host West Ham in the early kick off. Whilst it's not a headline game it will likely be seen as a huge 6 pointer with both teams expected to be battling relegation and one that is almost certainly worth some interest from football fans.
Whilst expectation at Norwich was low, following the loss of manager Paul Lambert (who went to Villa) it's fair to say that the Canaries haven't actually done that badly. Whilst they were slaughtered on the opening day (losing 5-0 at Fulham) they have held their own with both QPR and most recently Tottenham (drawing both of those games 1-1) as they have earned both their first home and away points of the season.
Despite having conceded 7 goals so far this season Norwich's big problem seems to be up front where they lack a true goal scorer, instead having an attack built up of various threats as opposed to an out and out threat. The likes of Grant Holt will bag goals but will struggle to find the target on a regular basis however Robert Snodgrass (who looked sensational in his last match for the club) will create chances for the attacking line.
With Chris Hughton looking to hit the ground running following the internationals Norwich could pose a threat here, but only if they can get in the goals against a West Ham team that look unwilling to give many away (with only Swansea having scored against West Ham this season). This is the problem, Norwich can't score and West Ham don't really concede, in Norwich win it'll only be by a single goal.
Last year Norwich were very average at home, but they were an average team. Their Premier League position of 12th overall was a solid mid-table finish and their home form was reflective of that with 27 home points from their 19 home games (surprisingly the same as Liverpool).
Last time out (a fortnight ago!) West Ham looked excellent in defeating Fulham 3-0 with the Fulham defensive lining looking completely unable to cope with the West Ham attack. Sadly however the forefront of that attack was Andy Carroll who will be absent (due to injury) from this game leaving the West Ham attack looking like a bit of a rag-tag collection. Whilst Kevin Nolan will get goals he's not a pure goal scorer, Ricardo Vaz Te has goals in him but seems to lack Premier League class and Carlton Cole is a joke even amongst West Ham fans. The loss of Carroll (after just 1 game) is genuinely huge.
At the back West Ham have been solid conceding just 3 goals so far this season (in 3 Premier League games) though notably all 3 goals came in their only previous away fixture. This is a stark contract to their form last season where defensively they were rock solid away from home (conceding just 22 away goals in 23 games) and slightly less secure at home (29 goals conceded). If we were to look at last season's numbers however we'd have to favour West Ham here on the back of 13 away wins however was that in the championship, not in the Premier League.
Whilst there is Premier League quality running through the West Ham squad there are questions about the depth of the squad and the absence of Carroll really does bring that issue up. Players like Nolan, Matt Jarvis and Yossi Benayoun can all grab goals and show sparks of something extra but the squad looks like it's only ever going to be 2 injuries away from a crisis.
Kick-Off: 12:45
Prediction: 1-1
Expected Line Ups:
Norwich-Ruddy, Bassong, Garrido, R.Martin, Barnett, Johnson, Howson, Snodgrass, Holt, Morrison (4-4-2)
West Ham-
Jääskeläinen, Demel, Reid, Collins, Tomkins, Diamé, Benayoun, Nolan, Vaz Te, Taylor, Cole (4-3-3)
Notes:Norwich have the same amount of points (2) as they had after the same amount of games (3) last season.
West Ham have only lost 2 of their last 24 competitive fixtures (one of those being their 3-0 loss to Swansea)
Players to watch out for-
Norwich:
Robert Snodgrass-Talented Scot Robert Snodgrass looked very out of sorts on the opening day of the season though has looked like the key to everything Norwich have done in their most recent Premier League matches. He looks like he's going to be the driving force going forward for the Canaries and whilst he may not be an out and out goalscorer himself he will create chances for others as well as bagging a fair few himself. He really is the key to the attack.
John Ruddy-Goalkeeper John Rudd started the season with a nightmare at Fulham however he has been very good since then. Whilst he hasn't kept a clean sheet this season he's a very under-rated keeper and is doing a fine job behind a weak defense. He may not have a lot to do here, but he will need to keep his concentration.
West Ham:
Kevin Nolan-The
West Ham Captain is their key player and most of what they do goes
through him. Nolan is the driving force behind West Ham so the Norwich
defense and Midfield will look to keep Nolan from exerting his force on
the game. Whilst he's the West Ham Midfield general he's also a threat
in front of goal and has already bagged himself some goals this season and will be high on confidence going into this match.
Matt Jarvis-The former Wolves Winger Matt Jarvis has that level of of class that sees him not only able to open up the defense but also create a shed load of chances. Whilst Andy Carroll will be missing Jarvis will be able to look up and find either Carlton Cole or Kevin Nolan in the penalty area giving him some solid targets to aim for in attack.
Showing posts with label Premier League. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Premier League. Show all posts
Thursday, 13 September 2012
Tuesday, 21 August 2012
Premier League Week 1-Preview and prediction (Wednesday)
The Premier League season may just have kicked off but we're already on the eve of our first midweek game as prospective title contenders Chelsea face off against the recently promoted Reading, with both teams knowing a win will take them to the top of the table.
On the opening day of the season Reading looked rather toothless for much of their game as they struggled to a 1-1 draw with Stoke, thanks in part to Dean Whitehead getting sent off and conceding a penalty late. The extra man advantage suddenly seemed to charge Reading up and despite their being only minutes of the match left they looked to be a team who had cast of the shackles.
Just a day later Chelsea managed to earn three 3 points away to Wigan after an excellent start going 1-0 up inside 2 minutes before bagging a second just minutes later as they looked almost certain to rout the Latics. Instead of bagging more goals however Chelsea went into their shells and just sat back allowing Wigan to play themselves into the game. Despite their timid performance after taking an early lead Chelsea did have positives to take from the match, mainly the showing by new signing Eden Hazard who worried the Wigan defense every time he had the ball.
Despite having had an extra days rest however it'll be very hard to favour Reading who will be going into the lions den against a Chelsea team who will almost certainly want to not only climb to the top of the league but put on a performance for their own fans at Stamford Bridge in their first home fixture of the season.
At the home last year Chelsea were defensively poor conceding 24 home goals (11th worst home defence) though they often found ways to win by simply out scoring their opponents racking up an impressive 41 home goals (3rd most) to give them 39 home points (5th most). In fact the combined 65 goals scored at Stamford Bridge was the 3rd most goals at a single ground in the Premier League last season (behind only Old Trafford-71 and the Etihad-67) giving fans plenty of action to watch.
Against Reading I don't see the Chelsea defense being pushed too hard, the performance against stoke was less than threatening and on last years form Reading really aren't a great threat away from home. Despite scoring 33 away goals (5th most in the Championship) last season they netted 14 of those in 4 games (with 4 against West Ham, 4 against Barnsley, 3 against Southampton and 3 against Bristol City) meaning in the other 19 away games they netted an average of once per game. Though Reading's strong point away from home, and what helped win them 13 away games (tied most with West Ham in the Champion) was their away defence which conceded just 23 goals in 23 games (the 2nd best behind West Ham).
What we have here then is a very strong offensive team in Chelsea who will attack, especially at home, against a strong defensive team in Reading who will likely only play with one out and out attacker giving them little threat up front. Though the bigger point isn't about last years stats but more about the mentality of the Reading players. We know Chelsea's players, on the whole, have international pedigree, with the technical ability to really play Reading off the pitch. With the likes of Lampard and Hazard pulling the strings behind Torres it could well be a difficult night for Reading who will find themselves under a lot of pressure. How will Reading cope with not getting much of the ball? How well drilled are they? And most importantly, are they capable of taking a chance if they get one?
For me the key here is whether or not Reading can shut down the service Chelsea will try to provide to Torres. If they can stop the likes of Hazard, Lampard, Ivanovic and Cole from playing in the Chelsea hitman it could prove to be a fruitless night for the Blues. Sadly for the Royals I genuinely can't see them holding out for 90 minutes against a very threatening Chelsea attack which despite only playing a single Striker has goal threats from every where on the pitch. Lampard, as we know can bang them in, Ivanaovic, as he showed on Sunday is a threat, Torres, Hazard and Oscar are all solid in front of goal and Terry is a serious threat from set Pieces.
Whilst Reading do have goals in them through Adam le Fondre and Pavel Pogrebyank in open play and Ian Harte from set pieces I don't imagine they will have enough of the ball to threaten Petr Cech in what could be a steep learning curve.
Kick off-19:45
Prediction 3-0
Expected Line Ups:
Chelsea-
Cech, Ivanovic, Cahill, Terry, Cole, Mikel, Lampard, Bertrand, Hazard, Oscar, Torres (4-2-3-1)
Reading-
Federici, Gunter, Harte, Gorkss, Pearce, Guthrie, Leigertwood, McAnuff, McCleary, Le Fondre, Pogrebnyak (4-4-1-1)
Notes:
Chelsea's new signings Eden Hazard and Oscar are expected to both make their home debut's for the Blues who are expected to start Mata on the bench so as to start Oscar.
Whilst no new injury worries have come up for Reading Jimmy Kebe still hasn't returned to the team and isn't expected back for several weeks.
This will be Chelsea's 2nd game of 3 inside a week as they start the Premier League with a relatively hectic schedule.
As a sub story to the game expect the comparisons between Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich and Reading's owner Anton Zingarevich to at least get a mention on TV and Radio
Players to watch out for-
Chelsea:
Fernando Torres-The Spanish Striker looked like he was slowly getting back to his best at the end of last season and again at Euro 2010 where he claimed the Golden Boot. Whilst not at his most impressive against Wigan he is a serious threat and seems to be getting more confident. With the service he is likely to get it's hard to imagine him not getting at least one chance here.
Eden Hazard-New signing Eden Hazard look excellent on the ball against Wigan and whilst he went down far too easily he seems to have the innate ability to open defenses up at will. Against Reading I can can imagine him creating chances left right and centre as he looks to justify his hefty price tag.
Reading-
Adam Federici-Despite effectively giving Stoke their goal on Saturday the Australian Keeper is a very reliable keeper and will be looking to put the blunder behind him as he faces Chelsea's fearsome attacking line. Whether Reading fan's like it or not Federici will be a busy man in goal.
Kaspars Gorkšs-The defensive stalwart will need to show why he is so highly rated by Reading fans as he attempts to organise the Reading defense as well as neutralise the Chelsea task. The Latvian was incredible in the Championship last year and will need to step up here. If Gorkšs has a bad game this could be hugely embarrassing for Reading.
On the opening day of the season Reading looked rather toothless for much of their game as they struggled to a 1-1 draw with Stoke, thanks in part to Dean Whitehead getting sent off and conceding a penalty late. The extra man advantage suddenly seemed to charge Reading up and despite their being only minutes of the match left they looked to be a team who had cast of the shackles.
Just a day later Chelsea managed to earn three 3 points away to Wigan after an excellent start going 1-0 up inside 2 minutes before bagging a second just minutes later as they looked almost certain to rout the Latics. Instead of bagging more goals however Chelsea went into their shells and just sat back allowing Wigan to play themselves into the game. Despite their timid performance after taking an early lead Chelsea did have positives to take from the match, mainly the showing by new signing Eden Hazard who worried the Wigan defense every time he had the ball.
Despite having had an extra days rest however it'll be very hard to favour Reading who will be going into the lions den against a Chelsea team who will almost certainly want to not only climb to the top of the league but put on a performance for their own fans at Stamford Bridge in their first home fixture of the season.
At the home last year Chelsea were defensively poor conceding 24 home goals (11th worst home defence) though they often found ways to win by simply out scoring their opponents racking up an impressive 41 home goals (3rd most) to give them 39 home points (5th most). In fact the combined 65 goals scored at Stamford Bridge was the 3rd most goals at a single ground in the Premier League last season (behind only Old Trafford-71 and the Etihad-67) giving fans plenty of action to watch.
Against Reading I don't see the Chelsea defense being pushed too hard, the performance against stoke was less than threatening and on last years form Reading really aren't a great threat away from home. Despite scoring 33 away goals (5th most in the Championship) last season they netted 14 of those in 4 games (with 4 against West Ham, 4 against Barnsley, 3 against Southampton and 3 against Bristol City) meaning in the other 19 away games they netted an average of once per game. Though Reading's strong point away from home, and what helped win them 13 away games (tied most with West Ham in the Champion) was their away defence which conceded just 23 goals in 23 games (the 2nd best behind West Ham).
What we have here then is a very strong offensive team in Chelsea who will attack, especially at home, against a strong defensive team in Reading who will likely only play with one out and out attacker giving them little threat up front. Though the bigger point isn't about last years stats but more about the mentality of the Reading players. We know Chelsea's players, on the whole, have international pedigree, with the technical ability to really play Reading off the pitch. With the likes of Lampard and Hazard pulling the strings behind Torres it could well be a difficult night for Reading who will find themselves under a lot of pressure. How will Reading cope with not getting much of the ball? How well drilled are they? And most importantly, are they capable of taking a chance if they get one?
For me the key here is whether or not Reading can shut down the service Chelsea will try to provide to Torres. If they can stop the likes of Hazard, Lampard, Ivanovic and Cole from playing in the Chelsea hitman it could prove to be a fruitless night for the Blues. Sadly for the Royals I genuinely can't see them holding out for 90 minutes against a very threatening Chelsea attack which despite only playing a single Striker has goal threats from every where on the pitch. Lampard, as we know can bang them in, Ivanaovic, as he showed on Sunday is a threat, Torres, Hazard and Oscar are all solid in front of goal and Terry is a serious threat from set Pieces.
Whilst Reading do have goals in them through Adam le Fondre and Pavel Pogrebyank in open play and Ian Harte from set pieces I don't imagine they will have enough of the ball to threaten Petr Cech in what could be a steep learning curve.
Kick off-19:45
Prediction 3-0
Expected Line Ups:
Chelsea-
Cech, Ivanovic, Cahill, Terry, Cole, Mikel, Lampard, Bertrand, Hazard, Oscar, Torres (4-2-3-1)
Reading-
Federici, Gunter, Harte, Gorkss, Pearce, Guthrie, Leigertwood, McAnuff, McCleary, Le Fondre, Pogrebnyak (4-4-1-1)
Notes:
Chelsea's new signings Eden Hazard and Oscar are expected to both make their home debut's for the Blues who are expected to start Mata on the bench so as to start Oscar.
Whilst no new injury worries have come up for Reading Jimmy Kebe still hasn't returned to the team and isn't expected back for several weeks.
This will be Chelsea's 2nd game of 3 inside a week as they start the Premier League with a relatively hectic schedule.
As a sub story to the game expect the comparisons between Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich and Reading's owner Anton Zingarevich to at least get a mention on TV and Radio
Players to watch out for-
Chelsea:
Fernando Torres-The Spanish Striker looked like he was slowly getting back to his best at the end of last season and again at Euro 2010 where he claimed the Golden Boot. Whilst not at his most impressive against Wigan he is a serious threat and seems to be getting more confident. With the service he is likely to get it's hard to imagine him not getting at least one chance here.
Eden Hazard-New signing Eden Hazard look excellent on the ball against Wigan and whilst he went down far too easily he seems to have the innate ability to open defenses up at will. Against Reading I can can imagine him creating chances left right and centre as he looks to justify his hefty price tag.
Reading-
Adam Federici-Despite effectively giving Stoke their goal on Saturday the Australian Keeper is a very reliable keeper and will be looking to put the blunder behind him as he faces Chelsea's fearsome attacking line. Whether Reading fan's like it or not Federici will be a busy man in goal.
Kaspars Gorkšs-The defensive stalwart will need to show why he is so highly rated by Reading fans as he attempts to organise the Reading defense as well as neutralise the Chelsea task. The Latvian was incredible in the Championship last year and will need to step up here. If Gorkšs has a bad game this could be hugely embarrassing for Reading.
Monday, 20 August 2012
Premier League Week 1-Write up Everton v Manchester United
Everton 1-0 Manchester United
In the last kick off from the the opening round of Premier League fixtures we got a notable upset as Everton managed to defeat the highly favoured Manchester United 1-0, a victory that was well deserved by the Toffees.
Despite much of the pre-game talk being about Robin Van Persie the Dutchman merely started on the bench as the talking point went from Van Persie to United dishevelled looking defence that was ravaged by injuries to 4 centre backs, leaving them with a make shift defence that included Michael Carrick and Antonio Valencia. Whilst this should have worried United fans they would have assumed an attacking line up that included new signing Shinji Kagawa, Wayne Rooney, Danny Wellbeck, Nani and Paul Scholes would have managed to outscore Everton. Instead of being about the strong United attack it was a man in blue who stole the headlines as Belgium's wacky haired Marouane Fellaini dominated the game.
The opening half saw Everton dominate the match with Fellaini in the middle of everything and the Toffee's could easily have been 3 or 4 up by the break with David De Gea managing to keep United in the match with a number of tremendous saves. Whilst David Moyes would have felt happy at half time with his teams domination of the play he may have worried it was going to be "just one of them days" where nothing goes in.
It took only 12 minutes of the second half for Everton to do what they failed to do in the opening 45 minutes as Fellaini managed to out muscle Michael Carrick in the penalty area and thunder a header past De Gea who really stood no chance of stopping it.
The goal seemed to completely change the form of the game as Everton went defensive and allowed United to come at them, and attack United did earning 6 corners in the half, though they failed to really do anything with them. Every corner United had was cleared with ease by the rock solid Everton defense who rarely allowed United the space, or time they needed on the ball to open a good chance. Despite the impressiveness of the Everton defense Shinji Kagawa was given a chance to shine as he became more and more involved in the game and after linking up with Van Persie, a second half substitution, the Japanese player came close forcing Tim Howard to make a rare save.
Whilst Fellaini was the clear man of the match the whole Everton were impressive with Sylvian Distin, Phil Jagielka and Tony Hibbert being rocks at the back who repeatedly thwarted United. In fact Everton's "worst" performance may well have been by Tim Howard who had very little to do due to how excellent Everton's out field players were. If Everton can keep this standard of play up they may well challenge for a European place at the end of the year. Worryingly though Nikica Jelavic did appear to have a niggling injury when he was subbed off late and Distin also looked in pain before the final whilst, if either of those men are absent for the next fixture Everton fans should be worried.
It's obvious that David Moyes will be estatic at the result though Alex Ferguson will be more than a little bit annoyed. Whilst United did have a bit of a makeshift back four they had the players on the pitch that would have been expected to beat Everton, sadly a number of them were poor. Tom Cleverly, Nani and Scholes were all sub standard and allowed Everton to boss the Midfield, whilst Wellbeck failed to shine, Rooney looked to be lacking fitness and the defence was also poor with Carrick being to blame for the goal. However Ferguson will take some positives from the match, Kagawa looks like an excellent signing and despite being quiet in the first half he really came alive in the second and the late display by Robin Van Persie was promising whilst David De Gea looked sensational.
In the last kick off from the the opening round of Premier League fixtures we got a notable upset as Everton managed to defeat the highly favoured Manchester United 1-0, a victory that was well deserved by the Toffees.
Despite much of the pre-game talk being about Robin Van Persie the Dutchman merely started on the bench as the talking point went from Van Persie to United dishevelled looking defence that was ravaged by injuries to 4 centre backs, leaving them with a make shift defence that included Michael Carrick and Antonio Valencia. Whilst this should have worried United fans they would have assumed an attacking line up that included new signing Shinji Kagawa, Wayne Rooney, Danny Wellbeck, Nani and Paul Scholes would have managed to outscore Everton. Instead of being about the strong United attack it was a man in blue who stole the headlines as Belgium's wacky haired Marouane Fellaini dominated the game.
The opening half saw Everton dominate the match with Fellaini in the middle of everything and the Toffee's could easily have been 3 or 4 up by the break with David De Gea managing to keep United in the match with a number of tremendous saves. Whilst David Moyes would have felt happy at half time with his teams domination of the play he may have worried it was going to be "just one of them days" where nothing goes in.
It took only 12 minutes of the second half for Everton to do what they failed to do in the opening 45 minutes as Fellaini managed to out muscle Michael Carrick in the penalty area and thunder a header past De Gea who really stood no chance of stopping it.
The goal seemed to completely change the form of the game as Everton went defensive and allowed United to come at them, and attack United did earning 6 corners in the half, though they failed to really do anything with them. Every corner United had was cleared with ease by the rock solid Everton defense who rarely allowed United the space, or time they needed on the ball to open a good chance. Despite the impressiveness of the Everton defense Shinji Kagawa was given a chance to shine as he became more and more involved in the game and after linking up with Van Persie, a second half substitution, the Japanese player came close forcing Tim Howard to make a rare save.
Whilst Fellaini was the clear man of the match the whole Everton were impressive with Sylvian Distin, Phil Jagielka and Tony Hibbert being rocks at the back who repeatedly thwarted United. In fact Everton's "worst" performance may well have been by Tim Howard who had very little to do due to how excellent Everton's out field players were. If Everton can keep this standard of play up they may well challenge for a European place at the end of the year. Worryingly though Nikica Jelavic did appear to have a niggling injury when he was subbed off late and Distin also looked in pain before the final whilst, if either of those men are absent for the next fixture Everton fans should be worried.
It's obvious that David Moyes will be estatic at the result though Alex Ferguson will be more than a little bit annoyed. Whilst United did have a bit of a makeshift back four they had the players on the pitch that would have been expected to beat Everton, sadly a number of them were poor. Tom Cleverly, Nani and Scholes were all sub standard and allowed Everton to boss the Midfield, whilst Wellbeck failed to shine, Rooney looked to be lacking fitness and the defence was also poor with Carrick being to blame for the goal. However Ferguson will take some positives from the match, Kagawa looks like an excellent signing and despite being quiet in the first half he really came alive in the second and the late display by Robin Van Persie was promising whilst David De Gea looked sensational.
Sunday, 19 August 2012
Premier League Week 1-Preview and prediction (Monday)
With only 1 game being played today I've decided to not just do a prediction (which lest be honest, I've been awful with so far) but a proper preview, taking a look at not only who I expect will win, but also at the match in general, getting behind the figures and the facts to try and help everyone know what to expect as Everton start their campaign at home to title contenders Manchester United.
David Moyes' Everton side will be looking to build on last years 7th place finish though the losses of Jack Rodwell (to Manchester City) and Tim Cahill (to Houston Dynamo) could make things very difficult for the Toffees. Whilst they have lost 2 key players they've not really made any major additions to their side aside from Belgian international Kevin Mirallas (from Olympiakos) who will be unable to play in this fixture. Whilst they did also resign the talented Steven Pienaar (from Tottenham) he did feature prominently for Everton last season, having spent much of the season loaned to Goodison outfit.
Whilst some are predicting big things for Everton I'll be honest I'm a little bit worried for them having seen them sell yet more key players, something they've had to do on an almost annual basis since the turn of the millennium. Rodwell joins the likes of Wayne Rooney, Andy Johnson, Joleon Lescott and Mikel Arteta who have all gone from the Toffees to fellow Premier League teams for in excess of £10 million as the club tries to pay off substantial debt. Though saying that they have reinvested the money from the Rodwell sale to bring in Mirallas.
Despite selling Cahill and Rodwell, Everton do still have a strong core of players with the likes of Tim Howard, Phil Jagielka, Leighton Baines, Sylvain Distin, Johnny Heitinga, Phil Neville, Leon Osman, Marouane Fellaini and the potent Nikica Jelavic as well as Pienaar who has been a hugely influential player for Everton in his previous stints at the club. Outside of Jelavic the team do lack an out and out goal scorer so they will be dependent on him through out the season.
Whilst Everton have have been a bit of a selling club this year it's fair to say Manchester United have splashed the cash as Alex Ferguson looks to regain the Premier League title that his team lost on the last day of the season last time around. The highest profile of his signings is Dutch attacker Robin Van Persie who was signed for over £20 million from Arsenal. Alongside Van Persie United have also snapped up Japanese attacker Shinji Kagawa (from Borussia Dortmund) who is seemingly a long term successor for the aging Paul Scholes.
It's hard not to view the Red Devils as a serious contender alongside fellow fierce rivals Manchester City and after the way the season finished last time around I can only imagine United having more drive to win the league this year than they had last year where they were pipped at the post. For Alex Ferguson's men last season shouldn't be viewed as a huge failure but as a massive lesson, goal difference can make a difference, the silly mistakes that see a 4-0 turn into a 4-1 or a chance missed to go 2-0 up really can be the difference between first and second. The players will know this more than pretty much anyone else in the league.
Like Everton, United have a solid core of players though unlike Everton the team aren't so dependent on a solitary attacking figure, especially not after their summer purchases. And unlike Everton United haven't really got an out and out #1 with David De Gea still likely fighting for his spot with Dane Anders Lindegaard. Though they do have a good mixture of youth and experience, the experience is really showing on some players and I'd expect the likes of Ryan Giggs and Paul Scholes to be very limited in their game time this year, with Rio Ferdinand likely to also be rested almost as much as he is played.
So finally on the match at hand.
Everton, at Goodison last year were pretty solid with 10 wins from their 19 home fixtures, taking a total of 33 points from a possible 57. They were the 8th best team in the league at home, a figure that almost matched their overall league standing (7th) though where they stood out was defensively with the second best home defense in the league, conceding just 15 goals in the 19 games played at Goodison (only City's 12 goals against at home was better).
Despite a solid home defensive record Everton some how lost 6 home fixtures, this was in part due to their lack of real fire power, scoring just 28 goals in 19 games at home, a figure that was tied 8th (tied with Norwich City). They will be hoping to increase their goals at home, especially with Jelavic being at Everton from the start of the season rather than joining in the January transfer window.
Interestingly one of the best home defenses from last season goes up against one of the best away attacks of last season in Manchester United (who came second in away goals last year) who were in fact the team with the best away record, taking 42 points away from home. United will look to continue their success on the road again this year and have the squad capable of again troubling defenses across the country.
As well as having the second best away attack they had the best away defensive record conceding just 14 goals away from home. For some reason United seemed to love playing away last year, often using a lightening quick counter attack to turn the game on it's head and take advantage of teams that were chasing a game in front of their own fans.
Looking at those defensive stats it's may be fair to assume this will be a very low scoring game though with United's attack looking genuinely terrifying and with what they learned about goal difference last year I wouldn't be surprised if they made a statement, especially after City struggled to a 3-2 win over new boys Southampton. Saying that I also expect Everton to try and get their season off to a good start, something they failed to do last season where they lost their opening fixture at home to Queens Park Rangers and were surprisingly 16th after 10 games.
Despite starting this match as under dogs Everton have had some success against United in recent years including last years 4-4 thriller and an equally exciting 3-3 the year before. Impressively Everton enter this game unbeaten at home in their last 8 in the Premier League with the last 4 home games being impressive victories (with a combined aggregate of 13-1). Almost as notable is the fact that 2 of United's 3 away defeats came in 3 of their last games including a 1-0 loss to Wigan.
Looking at everything, I expect we'll have a good game on our hands, Everton's home form at the end of last year was simply tremendous with Jelavic quickly becoming a star, though I think United will just have too much for them and driven on by revenge United will likely run out winners overall and whilst I don't expect a goal fest I do expect very enjoyable match.
Kick off-20:00
Prediction 1-2
Expected Line Ups:
Everton-
Howard, Hibbert, Heitinga, Jagielka, Baines, Osman, Gibson, Fellaini, Pienaar, Naismith, Jelavic (4-4-1-1)
Manchester United-
De Gea, Rafael, Carrick, Vidic, Evra, Valencia, Cleverly, Young, Kagawa, Rooney, Wellbeck (4-3-1-2)
Notes:
Everton new signing Kevin Mirallas wasn't signed in time for this match however the re-signed Steven Pienaar will likely start.
Although Robin Van Persie, who was signed on Friday could make his debut against Everton he is expected to start on the bench, however Shinji Kagawa is expected to start.
Despite being expected to start a number of players have been viewed as doubt with Marouanne Fellaini and Darron Gibson (Everton) being considered as doubts
Rio Ferdinand (Manchester United)was doubtful and has now been ruled out, leading to United missing 4 central defenders (Ferdinand joins Phil Jones, Johnny Evans and Chris Smalling)
Players to watch out for-
Everton:
Nikaca Jelavic-The Everton danger man is expected to be the solitary forward man for Everton though is a huge goal threat and did bang in 2 goals against United last time the two teams met.
John Heitinga-The Dutch international was a rock at the back last year for Everton and was eventually crowned their player of the year, expect a solid performance here as he tries to stifle United's attacking threats.
Manchester United:
Shinji Kagawa-The attacking Japanese player will be making his Manchester United debut after playing a pivotal part in Borussia Dortmund's Bundesliga triumph last year, expect him to trouble the Everton defense repeatedly.
Wayne Rooney-The United talisman bagged 2 goals the last time out against his former club and will be looking to link up with Kagawa to bag more this time around.
Stats:
This fixture last season 0-1 (Hernandez 19)
Result last time the two teams met 4-4 (Rooney (41, 69), Welbeck (57), Nani (60) : Jelavic (33, 83), Fellaini (67), Pienaar (85))
David Moyes' Everton side will be looking to build on last years 7th place finish though the losses of Jack Rodwell (to Manchester City) and Tim Cahill (to Houston Dynamo) could make things very difficult for the Toffees. Whilst they have lost 2 key players they've not really made any major additions to their side aside from Belgian international Kevin Mirallas (from Olympiakos) who will be unable to play in this fixture. Whilst they did also resign the talented Steven Pienaar (from Tottenham) he did feature prominently for Everton last season, having spent much of the season loaned to Goodison outfit.
Whilst some are predicting big things for Everton I'll be honest I'm a little bit worried for them having seen them sell yet more key players, something they've had to do on an almost annual basis since the turn of the millennium. Rodwell joins the likes of Wayne Rooney, Andy Johnson, Joleon Lescott and Mikel Arteta who have all gone from the Toffees to fellow Premier League teams for in excess of £10 million as the club tries to pay off substantial debt. Though saying that they have reinvested the money from the Rodwell sale to bring in Mirallas.
Despite selling Cahill and Rodwell, Everton do still have a strong core of players with the likes of Tim Howard, Phil Jagielka, Leighton Baines, Sylvain Distin, Johnny Heitinga, Phil Neville, Leon Osman, Marouane Fellaini and the potent Nikica Jelavic as well as Pienaar who has been a hugely influential player for Everton in his previous stints at the club. Outside of Jelavic the team do lack an out and out goal scorer so they will be dependent on him through out the season.
Whilst Everton have have been a bit of a selling club this year it's fair to say Manchester United have splashed the cash as Alex Ferguson looks to regain the Premier League title that his team lost on the last day of the season last time around. The highest profile of his signings is Dutch attacker Robin Van Persie who was signed for over £20 million from Arsenal. Alongside Van Persie United have also snapped up Japanese attacker Shinji Kagawa (from Borussia Dortmund) who is seemingly a long term successor for the aging Paul Scholes.
It's hard not to view the Red Devils as a serious contender alongside fellow fierce rivals Manchester City and after the way the season finished last time around I can only imagine United having more drive to win the league this year than they had last year where they were pipped at the post. For Alex Ferguson's men last season shouldn't be viewed as a huge failure but as a massive lesson, goal difference can make a difference, the silly mistakes that see a 4-0 turn into a 4-1 or a chance missed to go 2-0 up really can be the difference between first and second. The players will know this more than pretty much anyone else in the league.
Like Everton, United have a solid core of players though unlike Everton the team aren't so dependent on a solitary attacking figure, especially not after their summer purchases. And unlike Everton United haven't really got an out and out #1 with David De Gea still likely fighting for his spot with Dane Anders Lindegaard. Though they do have a good mixture of youth and experience, the experience is really showing on some players and I'd expect the likes of Ryan Giggs and Paul Scholes to be very limited in their game time this year, with Rio Ferdinand likely to also be rested almost as much as he is played.
So finally on the match at hand.
Everton, at Goodison last year were pretty solid with 10 wins from their 19 home fixtures, taking a total of 33 points from a possible 57. They were the 8th best team in the league at home, a figure that almost matched their overall league standing (7th) though where they stood out was defensively with the second best home defense in the league, conceding just 15 goals in the 19 games played at Goodison (only City's 12 goals against at home was better).
Despite a solid home defensive record Everton some how lost 6 home fixtures, this was in part due to their lack of real fire power, scoring just 28 goals in 19 games at home, a figure that was tied 8th (tied with Norwich City). They will be hoping to increase their goals at home, especially with Jelavic being at Everton from the start of the season rather than joining in the January transfer window.
Interestingly one of the best home defenses from last season goes up against one of the best away attacks of last season in Manchester United (who came second in away goals last year) who were in fact the team with the best away record, taking 42 points away from home. United will look to continue their success on the road again this year and have the squad capable of again troubling defenses across the country.
As well as having the second best away attack they had the best away defensive record conceding just 14 goals away from home. For some reason United seemed to love playing away last year, often using a lightening quick counter attack to turn the game on it's head and take advantage of teams that were chasing a game in front of their own fans.
Looking at those defensive stats it's may be fair to assume this will be a very low scoring game though with United's attack looking genuinely terrifying and with what they learned about goal difference last year I wouldn't be surprised if they made a statement, especially after City struggled to a 3-2 win over new boys Southampton. Saying that I also expect Everton to try and get their season off to a good start, something they failed to do last season where they lost their opening fixture at home to Queens Park Rangers and were surprisingly 16th after 10 games.
Despite starting this match as under dogs Everton have had some success against United in recent years including last years 4-4 thriller and an equally exciting 3-3 the year before. Impressively Everton enter this game unbeaten at home in their last 8 in the Premier League with the last 4 home games being impressive victories (with a combined aggregate of 13-1). Almost as notable is the fact that 2 of United's 3 away defeats came in 3 of their last games including a 1-0 loss to Wigan.
Looking at everything, I expect we'll have a good game on our hands, Everton's home form at the end of last year was simply tremendous with Jelavic quickly becoming a star, though I think United will just have too much for them and driven on by revenge United will likely run out winners overall and whilst I don't expect a goal fest I do expect very enjoyable match.
Kick off-20:00
Prediction 1-2
Expected Line Ups:
Everton-
Howard, Hibbert, Heitinga, Jagielka, Baines, Osman, Gibson, Fellaini, Pienaar, Naismith, Jelavic (4-4-1-1)
Manchester United-
De Gea, Rafael, Carrick, Vidic, Evra, Valencia, Cleverly, Young, Kagawa, Rooney, Wellbeck (4-3-1-2)
Notes:
Everton new signing Kevin Mirallas wasn't signed in time for this match however the re-signed Steven Pienaar will likely start.
Although Robin Van Persie, who was signed on Friday could make his debut against Everton he is expected to start on the bench, however Shinji Kagawa is expected to start.
Despite being expected to start a number of players have been viewed as doubt with Marouanne Fellaini and Darron Gibson (Everton) being considered as doubts
Rio Ferdinand (Manchester United)was doubtful and has now been ruled out, leading to United missing 4 central defenders (Ferdinand joins Phil Jones, Johnny Evans and Chris Smalling)
Players to watch out for-
Everton:
Nikaca Jelavic-The Everton danger man is expected to be the solitary forward man for Everton though is a huge goal threat and did bang in 2 goals against United last time the two teams met.
John Heitinga-The Dutch international was a rock at the back last year for Everton and was eventually crowned their player of the year, expect a solid performance here as he tries to stifle United's attacking threats.
Manchester United:
Shinji Kagawa-The attacking Japanese player will be making his Manchester United debut after playing a pivotal part in Borussia Dortmund's Bundesliga triumph last year, expect him to trouble the Everton defense repeatedly.
Wayne Rooney-The United talisman bagged 2 goals the last time out against his former club and will be looking to link up with Kagawa to bag more this time around.
Stats:
This fixture last season 0-1 (Hernandez 19)
Result last time the two teams met 4-4 (Rooney (41, 69), Welbeck (57), Nani (60) : Jelavic (33, 83), Fellaini (67), Pienaar (85))
Premier League Week 1-As it Happens (Sunday)
Yellow Card
Southampton get their second yellow card as Morgan Schneiderlin cynically breaks down a Manchester City counter attack and receives a yellow card, surprisingly the first non-celebration booking of the match.
Yellow Card
Samir Nasri becomes the first Manchester City player to have his name taken as his celebration for scoring City's third goal gets him a booking.
Goal!
Normal service has resumed as the Etihad stadium as Manchester City reclaim the lead with goal from Samir Nasri it's now seeming like City could well bag themselves another few goals. The class has started to show by City who have now started to finish their chances.
Manchester City 3-2 Southampton
Tevez (40)
Lambert (59)
Davis (68)
Džeko (72)
Nasri (80)
Goal!
Southampton's lead didn't last for long at all as the champions show their resolve and equalise within 4 minutes through Edin Džeko who finally manages to put away a chance after missing a huge number of chances. Man City are now looking like a team who mean business after being embarrassed by Southampton's goals. Looks like their could be more goals in this!
Manchester City 2-2 Southampton
Tevez (40)
Lambert (59)
Davis (68)
Džeko (72)
Goal!
Have we got an upset on our hands? Southampton take the lead with a little over 20 minutes left to play thanks to an excellent counter attack finished off by Steven Davis. What a shock this could be.
Manchester City 1-2 Southampton
Tevez (40)
Lambert (59)
Davis (68)
Yellow Card
Southampton's Danny Fox was shown a yellow card for his part in the Southampton celebration following their very unexpected equaliser.
Goal!
City have had a lot of chances to finish this off with Dzeko missing a number of easy chances and now they've been made to pay as substitute Ricky Lambert scores Southampton's equaliser. Will City rue their missed chances or will this stir them on to finishing off the newly promoted club?
Manchester City 1-1 Southampton
Tevez (40)
Lambert (59)
Goal!
Carlos Tevez finally puts Manchester City ahead as the Champions finally break through a resolute Southampton defense. So far Southampton have genuinely held their own and this will have to hope that the flood gates don't open as a result of this goal.
Manchester City 1-0 Southampton
Tevez (40)
Penalty
Carlos Tevez is fouled in the penalty area by Jos Hooiveld giving David Silva a chance to put Manchester City in the lead from the spot...and he's fluffed it. Awful penalty by the Spaniard that was very easily saved by Kelvin Davis.
Ouch!
Manchester City's talented forward Sergio Agüero was tackled fairly but went down nastily and appears to quite badly injured. He's been taken off and City replace him with Edin Džeko.
Result
Wigan 0-2 Chelsea
Yellow Card
Chelsea midfielder Frank Lampard collects the 4th yellow card of the day.
Substitution
Chelsea make the first substitution of the game as they take off new signing Eden Hazard and replace him with fellow new boy Oscar. Still 2-0 though the Blues almost scored a 3rd with a Fernando Torres effort cleared off the line just before the substitution.
Yellow Card
Wigan pick up their second booking of the game, and the first of the second half as James McArthur gets his name taken by the referee.
Yellow Card
The goals have stopped at the DW but the cards have seemingly just began as Chelsea pick up their first booking thanks to David Luis.
Yellow Card
The first booking of the day goes to Gary Caldwell of Wigan as the Latics try to over-turn a nightmare of a start to their campaign.
Penalty
Chelsea get a chance to double their lead as they get awarded a penalty....and Frank Lampard opens his account for the year as he smashes it in. Awful start for Wigan but the dream start for Chelsea.
Wigan 0-2 Chelsea
Ivanaovic (2)
Lampard (7)-Pen
Goal!
Within just 2 minutes we have out first goal as Branislav Ivanaovic puts Chelsea in an early lead. This really could be a worrying day if your Wigan, as Chelsea really did just slice through them there.
Wigan 0-1 Chelsea
Ivanaovic (2)
After yesterday's hugely exciting start to the Premier League with no less than 19 goals, 4 penalties and 2 red cards we are back again with 2 games. Wigan v Chelsea (13:30) is the first of those games with Man City v Southampton (16:00) closing out the games for the weekend. Enjoy folks! As with yesterday this page will be updated with all the goals, cards and penalties.
Southampton get their second yellow card as Morgan Schneiderlin cynically breaks down a Manchester City counter attack and receives a yellow card, surprisingly the first non-celebration booking of the match.
Yellow Card
Samir Nasri becomes the first Manchester City player to have his name taken as his celebration for scoring City's third goal gets him a booking.
Goal!
Normal service has resumed as the Etihad stadium as Manchester City reclaim the lead with goal from Samir Nasri it's now seeming like City could well bag themselves another few goals. The class has started to show by City who have now started to finish their chances.
Manchester City 3-2 Southampton
Tevez (40)
Lambert (59)
Davis (68)
Džeko (72)
Nasri (80)
Goal!
Southampton's lead didn't last for long at all as the champions show their resolve and equalise within 4 minutes through Edin Džeko who finally manages to put away a chance after missing a huge number of chances. Man City are now looking like a team who mean business after being embarrassed by Southampton's goals. Looks like their could be more goals in this!
Manchester City 2-2 Southampton
Tevez (40)
Lambert (59)
Davis (68)
Džeko (72)
Goal!
Have we got an upset on our hands? Southampton take the lead with a little over 20 minutes left to play thanks to an excellent counter attack finished off by Steven Davis. What a shock this could be.
Manchester City 1-2 Southampton
Tevez (40)
Lambert (59)
Davis (68)
Yellow Card
Southampton's Danny Fox was shown a yellow card for his part in the Southampton celebration following their very unexpected equaliser.
Goal!
City have had a lot of chances to finish this off with Dzeko missing a number of easy chances and now they've been made to pay as substitute Ricky Lambert scores Southampton's equaliser. Will City rue their missed chances or will this stir them on to finishing off the newly promoted club?
Manchester City 1-1 Southampton
Tevez (40)
Lambert (59)
Goal!
Carlos Tevez finally puts Manchester City ahead as the Champions finally break through a resolute Southampton defense. So far Southampton have genuinely held their own and this will have to hope that the flood gates don't open as a result of this goal.
Manchester City 1-0 Southampton
Tevez (40)
Penalty
Carlos Tevez is fouled in the penalty area by Jos Hooiveld giving David Silva a chance to put Manchester City in the lead from the spot...and he's fluffed it. Awful penalty by the Spaniard that was very easily saved by Kelvin Davis.
Ouch!
Manchester City's talented forward Sergio Agüero was tackled fairly but went down nastily and appears to quite badly injured. He's been taken off and City replace him with Edin Džeko.
Result
Wigan 0-2 Chelsea
Yellow Card
Chelsea midfielder Frank Lampard collects the 4th yellow card of the day.
Substitution
Chelsea make the first substitution of the game as they take off new signing Eden Hazard and replace him with fellow new boy Oscar. Still 2-0 though the Blues almost scored a 3rd with a Fernando Torres effort cleared off the line just before the substitution.
Yellow Card
Wigan pick up their second booking of the game, and the first of the second half as James McArthur gets his name taken by the referee.
Yellow Card
The goals have stopped at the DW but the cards have seemingly just began as Chelsea pick up their first booking thanks to David Luis.
Yellow Card
The first booking of the day goes to Gary Caldwell of Wigan as the Latics try to over-turn a nightmare of a start to their campaign.
Penalty
Chelsea get a chance to double their lead as they get awarded a penalty....and Frank Lampard opens his account for the year as he smashes it in. Awful start for Wigan but the dream start for Chelsea.
Wigan 0-2 Chelsea
Ivanaovic (2)
Lampard (7)-Pen
Goal!
Within just 2 minutes we have out first goal as Branislav Ivanaovic puts Chelsea in an early lead. This really could be a worrying day if your Wigan, as Chelsea really did just slice through them there.
Wigan 0-1 Chelsea
Ivanaovic (2)
After yesterday's hugely exciting start to the Premier League with no less than 19 goals, 4 penalties and 2 red cards we are back again with 2 games. Wigan v Chelsea (13:30) is the first of those games with Man City v Southampton (16:00) closing out the games for the weekend. Enjoy folks! As with yesterday this page will be updated with all the goals, cards and penalties.
Saturday, 18 August 2012
Premier League Week 1-Predictions (Sunday)
If anyone saw yesterday's predictions (thankfully no one really did) they'll be aware that my predictions...flat out sucked. The only thing I was close to getting correct was the Arsenal v Sunderland game (I predicted 1-1 and the actual outcome was 0-0), thankfully I don't think I could ever do that badly again, so the only way is up.
With 2 matches today I'll try again and hopefully I'll manage to get at least 1 of these right.
Wigan v Chelsea (13:30)-I really can't see Wigan having an easy season this year, despite the fact they have the excellent Roberto Martinez in charge they players and funds sadly aren't there for Wigan to be a team that can really hold their own. Roman Abramovich at Chelsea has really opened the purse strings over summer and Roberto di Matteo seems to have the trust of the players, after all he did lead them to the Champion League trophy last year. If I'm a Wigan fan here...I avoid the TV, Radio, Newspaper for the next day or two as I imagine this is going to be an annihilation by Chelsea who will be looking to hit the floor running.
Wigan 0-7 Chelsea
Manchester City v Southampton (16:00)-Manchester City are lucky. Not only do they have bottomless pockets thanks to their owners but they also know what they will also know what need to do to climb to the top spot in the Premier League for the end of the weekend. With this in mind, and with the fact that they are playing Premier League new boys Southampton I really imagine this is going to look like the proverbial lamb to the slaughter. Southampton were very good last season in the Championship, Man City however were very, very good in the Premier League, the difference in class will tell here. I wouldn't be hugely surprised if we saw records fall here as City try to send a message to the rest of the league.
Manchester City 10-1 Southampton
We saw a lot of goals (19) on Saturday spread across 7 games, I really wouldn't be surprised if we saw more in these 2 games than we saw in them 7. This is a day that could see genuinely stupid scorelines.
With 2 matches today I'll try again and hopefully I'll manage to get at least 1 of these right.
Wigan v Chelsea (13:30)-I really can't see Wigan having an easy season this year, despite the fact they have the excellent Roberto Martinez in charge they players and funds sadly aren't there for Wigan to be a team that can really hold their own. Roman Abramovich at Chelsea has really opened the purse strings over summer and Roberto di Matteo seems to have the trust of the players, after all he did lead them to the Champion League trophy last year. If I'm a Wigan fan here...I avoid the TV, Radio, Newspaper for the next day or two as I imagine this is going to be an annihilation by Chelsea who will be looking to hit the floor running.
Wigan 0-7 Chelsea
Manchester City v Southampton (16:00)-Manchester City are lucky. Not only do they have bottomless pockets thanks to their owners but they also know what they will also know what need to do to climb to the top spot in the Premier League for the end of the weekend. With this in mind, and with the fact that they are playing Premier League new boys Southampton I really imagine this is going to look like the proverbial lamb to the slaughter. Southampton were very good last season in the Championship, Man City however were very, very good in the Premier League, the difference in class will tell here. I wouldn't be hugely surprised if we saw records fall here as City try to send a message to the rest of the league.
Manchester City 10-1 Southampton
We saw a lot of goals (19) on Saturday spread across 7 games, I really wouldn't be surprised if we saw more in these 2 games than we saw in them 7. This is a day that could see genuinely stupid scorelines.
Premier League Week 1-Write up Arsenal v Sunderland
Arsenal 0-0 Sunderland
Arsenal week has been a bad one, not only have they seen their talisman Robin Van Persie leave for bitter rivals Manchester United but they've also bee dragged into a transfer saga regarding their defender Alex Song who is a wanted in Barcelona. Despite this Arsenal have signed a number of highly regarded players themselves which are expected to turn Arsenal back into a title contending team. The Gunners started their campaign against Sunderland who's key signing in the transfer window was experienced Spanish defender Carlos Cuellar whilst they lost Asomoah Gyan.
From the off Arsenal looked the more dangerous team with new signing Santi Cazorla pulling the strings and looking like a real class act for the Gunners. Sadly despite looking dangerous Arsenal couldn't convert any of their numerous chances due to real issues with accuracy. As well as Arsenal's problems with aiming Sunderland refused to give space and time and were working hard for a point and their manager.
As much as Arsenal tried to score a winner they simply couldn't get the goal they needed and despite dominating the game they had to settle for a point. Despite only getting a point it's fair to say that Arsenal have signed some excellent players in Carzola, Lukas Podolski and Olivier Giroud and the three really have potential to turn Arsenal into a very serious title threat. The team will gel well and has a lot of flair with real goal scoring threats. Write Arsenal off at your own peril.
Whilst Sunderland were out played for vast chunks of the game they played hard and played for their manager who appears to have the team doing what he wants them to. Whilst it's fair to say they were negative they knew they'd be out gunned if they tried to go toe-to-toe with Arsenal. If I was a Sunderland fan this year I'd have to say I'd be pretty relaxed with the knowledge that, at worst I'd be supporting a solid, mid table team with an excellent manager. Whilst it's true Sunderland haven't spent much they have a solid team there and I'd imagine O'Neill will be looking to bring in at least 1 more player, probably an attacker before the window closes just to strengthen his team.
Arsenal week has been a bad one, not only have they seen their talisman Robin Van Persie leave for bitter rivals Manchester United but they've also bee dragged into a transfer saga regarding their defender Alex Song who is a wanted in Barcelona. Despite this Arsenal have signed a number of highly regarded players themselves which are expected to turn Arsenal back into a title contending team. The Gunners started their campaign against Sunderland who's key signing in the transfer window was experienced Spanish defender Carlos Cuellar whilst they lost Asomoah Gyan.
From the off Arsenal looked the more dangerous team with new signing Santi Cazorla pulling the strings and looking like a real class act for the Gunners. Sadly despite looking dangerous Arsenal couldn't convert any of their numerous chances due to real issues with accuracy. As well as Arsenal's problems with aiming Sunderland refused to give space and time and were working hard for a point and their manager.
As much as Arsenal tried to score a winner they simply couldn't get the goal they needed and despite dominating the game they had to settle for a point. Despite only getting a point it's fair to say that Arsenal have signed some excellent players in Carzola, Lukas Podolski and Olivier Giroud and the three really have potential to turn Arsenal into a very serious title threat. The team will gel well and has a lot of flair with real goal scoring threats. Write Arsenal off at your own peril.
Whilst Sunderland were out played for vast chunks of the game they played hard and played for their manager who appears to have the team doing what he wants them to. Whilst it's fair to say they were negative they knew they'd be out gunned if they tried to go toe-to-toe with Arsenal. If I was a Sunderland fan this year I'd have to say I'd be pretty relaxed with the knowledge that, at worst I'd be supporting a solid, mid table team with an excellent manager. Whilst it's true Sunderland haven't spent much they have a solid team there and I'd imagine O'Neill will be looking to bring in at least 1 more player, probably an attacker before the window closes just to strengthen his team.
Premier League Week 1-Write up Newcastle v Tottenham Hotspur
Newcastle 2-1 Tottenham Hotspur
The late kick off of the opening day saw last year's 5th placed team hosting the 4th placed team in a match that on paper looked the best of the first days match ups. Sadly however the match took a while to really get going with the first 20 or so minutes being very stop start as Martin Atkinson booked 3 players in the space of 5 minutes in the opening half. Despite the poor nature of the half Spurs seemed the team more likely to scoring hitting the wood work twice with the only real attempts of note.
Despite being a slow burner the match came alive in the second half after Demba Ba scored his first goal for the club after a lengthy dry spell. It wasn't long however until Jermain Defoe equalised for Spurs after a poachers finish. Spurs sadly fell asleep almost immediately after equalising and as Hatem Ben Arfa was in the penalty area he was stupidly fouled by Dutchman Rafael Van Der Vaart and Aaron Lennon who gave away a penalty that Ben Arfa put away himself (after a small argument with Ba about who was going to take the penalty).
Also during the match Alan Pardew was sent to the stands after pushing one of the linesmen who made a decision that Pardew didn't agree with. I imagine that Pardew will have to suffer a touchline ban though hopefully what he takes from the match out weighs the penalty. His team didn't look as good as they did at times last season, though Ba's goal will hopefully help him get back to the form that saw him making a name for himself as one of Newcastle's key players. Whilst they didn't look great it is a very valuable 3 points over a serious rival and this is the sort of thing Newcastle need, wins over other top teams.
Andre Villas-Boas first competitive fixture in charge of Spurs after taking over from Harry Redknapp sadly didn't see Spurs playing to their best. A number of injuries left their front line very weak with only Jermain Defoe and teenager Harry Kane fit enough to play and this certainly didn't help. Though the loss falls squarely on the heads of Rafael Van Der Vaart and Aaron Lennon who had no reason to foul Ben Arfa in the penalty. Hopefully Spurs will be able to get their game faces on for their next fixture.
The late kick off of the opening day saw last year's 5th placed team hosting the 4th placed team in a match that on paper looked the best of the first days match ups. Sadly however the match took a while to really get going with the first 20 or so minutes being very stop start as Martin Atkinson booked 3 players in the space of 5 minutes in the opening half. Despite the poor nature of the half Spurs seemed the team more likely to scoring hitting the wood work twice with the only real attempts of note.
Despite being a slow burner the match came alive in the second half after Demba Ba scored his first goal for the club after a lengthy dry spell. It wasn't long however until Jermain Defoe equalised for Spurs after a poachers finish. Spurs sadly fell asleep almost immediately after equalising and as Hatem Ben Arfa was in the penalty area he was stupidly fouled by Dutchman Rafael Van Der Vaart and Aaron Lennon who gave away a penalty that Ben Arfa put away himself (after a small argument with Ba about who was going to take the penalty).
Also during the match Alan Pardew was sent to the stands after pushing one of the linesmen who made a decision that Pardew didn't agree with. I imagine that Pardew will have to suffer a touchline ban though hopefully what he takes from the match out weighs the penalty. His team didn't look as good as they did at times last season, though Ba's goal will hopefully help him get back to the form that saw him making a name for himself as one of Newcastle's key players. Whilst they didn't look great it is a very valuable 3 points over a serious rival and this is the sort of thing Newcastle need, wins over other top teams.
Andre Villas-Boas first competitive fixture in charge of Spurs after taking over from Harry Redknapp sadly didn't see Spurs playing to their best. A number of injuries left their front line very weak with only Jermain Defoe and teenager Harry Kane fit enough to play and this certainly didn't help. Though the loss falls squarely on the heads of Rafael Van Der Vaart and Aaron Lennon who had no reason to foul Ben Arfa in the penalty. Hopefully Spurs will be able to get their game faces on for their next fixture.
Premier League Week 1-Write up West Brom v Liverpool
West Brom 3-0 Liverpool
Having sacked Kenny Dalglish at the end of last season and brought in Brendon Rodgers expectations were high at Liverpool for this season, though as we all know things are never the way they should be for Liverpool where stunningly upset today in their league opener by West Brom.
Liverpool started well with the controversial Luis Suarez having a number of chances including an excellent headed chance to put Liverpool in the lead, though couldn't finish any of them. Instead of Suarez it was returning Zoltán Gera that opened the scoring with an excellent strike in the 43rd minute that may well be an early contender for goal of the season. The Hungarian let loose with a thunderbolt from outside the penalty area that gave Reina no chance.
In the second half West Brom had a fantastic chance to double their lead as Daniel Agger fouled Shane Long in the penalty area. Whilst Agger was given a straight red Long couldn't convert the penalty. It didn't take long however for West Brom to be given a second penalty after Martin Škrtel lost track of both the ball and Long. This time Peter Odemwinge stepped up to the spot and he didn't make the same mistake as his team smashing the ball into the bottom corner. The match was finally sealed around 15 minutes from time as Romelu Lukaku headed in a 3rd for West Brom.
Brendon Rodgers was expected to have a midas touch though signings Joe Allen and Fabio Borini both looked completely out of place on the pitch with the pair looking like 2 very expensive accessories. The combined £26 million spent on the two men is looking like a seriously bad move for Rodgers who will almost certainly get the fans on his back if he cannot turn things around quickly.
For West Brom's new manager Steve Clarke this must have been a dream start. Not only did he manage to defeat the team that got rid of him last year but he managed to make a real statement about his team, who will likely be expected to match last season's 10th place finish. The return of Gera (who had been out for 8 months) is a major positive for the Baggies and Lukaku is an excellent loan signing who will seriously give West Brom a threat up front. Don't be surprised if West Brom manage a number of upsets this year.
Having sacked Kenny Dalglish at the end of last season and brought in Brendon Rodgers expectations were high at Liverpool for this season, though as we all know things are never the way they should be for Liverpool where stunningly upset today in their league opener by West Brom.
Liverpool started well with the controversial Luis Suarez having a number of chances including an excellent headed chance to put Liverpool in the lead, though couldn't finish any of them. Instead of Suarez it was returning Zoltán Gera that opened the scoring with an excellent strike in the 43rd minute that may well be an early contender for goal of the season. The Hungarian let loose with a thunderbolt from outside the penalty area that gave Reina no chance.
In the second half West Brom had a fantastic chance to double their lead as Daniel Agger fouled Shane Long in the penalty area. Whilst Agger was given a straight red Long couldn't convert the penalty. It didn't take long however for West Brom to be given a second penalty after Martin Škrtel lost track of both the ball and Long. This time Peter Odemwinge stepped up to the spot and he didn't make the same mistake as his team smashing the ball into the bottom corner. The match was finally sealed around 15 minutes from time as Romelu Lukaku headed in a 3rd for West Brom.
Brendon Rodgers was expected to have a midas touch though signings Joe Allen and Fabio Borini both looked completely out of place on the pitch with the pair looking like 2 very expensive accessories. The combined £26 million spent on the two men is looking like a seriously bad move for Rodgers who will almost certainly get the fans on his back if he cannot turn things around quickly.
For West Brom's new manager Steve Clarke this must have been a dream start. Not only did he manage to defeat the team that got rid of him last year but he managed to make a real statement about his team, who will likely be expected to match last season's 10th place finish. The return of Gera (who had been out for 8 months) is a major positive for the Baggies and Lukaku is an excellent loan signing who will seriously give West Brom a threat up front. Don't be surprised if West Brom manage a number of upsets this year.
Premier League Week 1-Write up QPR v Swansea
QPR 0-5 Swansea
Last year QPR really struggled to stay up, it appears they will again be struggling to stay in the Premier League despite making a number of notable signings over summer. The talking point here however wasn't QPR, but instead Swansea, who under new manager Michael Laudrup looked sensational.
New signing Michu opened the scoring for the Swansea in just 8 minutes announcing his arrival with a shot that just appeared to roll away from the keeper. He doubled his personal account early in the second with an excellent finish to cap off a wonderful counter attack by Swansea as QPR chased an equalised.
The second Michu goal appeared to open the floodgates for Swansea who were in a mood to fill their boots and that appeared to be what they did with Nathan Dyer netting twice himself before late substitute Scott Sinclair added a fifth and final goal for the Swans.
Despite the rumour of Scott Sinclair leaving Swansea in the near future this was a promising performance by the whole team who, under Laudrup looked genuinely sensational, especially on the counter. The Danish manager has made several very shrewd buys, including the signing of Michu who may end up being the buy of the season.
Mark Hughes appears to have a pretty good squad on paper, though it could take a while for his players to gel, this could be the big problem with QPR, however the bigger problem appears to be their finishing. With over 20 shots today QPR only managed to hit half of them on target, with 0 goals from 11 shots on target you need to wonder whether they have the strike force which can keep them up. The fact Swansea found it so easy to rip them apart on the counter should also be a very worrying sign for the Loftus Road club. This isn't how you start a season.
Last year QPR really struggled to stay up, it appears they will again be struggling to stay in the Premier League despite making a number of notable signings over summer. The talking point here however wasn't QPR, but instead Swansea, who under new manager Michael Laudrup looked sensational.
New signing Michu opened the scoring for the Swansea in just 8 minutes announcing his arrival with a shot that just appeared to roll away from the keeper. He doubled his personal account early in the second with an excellent finish to cap off a wonderful counter attack by Swansea as QPR chased an equalised.
The second Michu goal appeared to open the floodgates for Swansea who were in a mood to fill their boots and that appeared to be what they did with Nathan Dyer netting twice himself before late substitute Scott Sinclair added a fifth and final goal for the Swans.
Despite the rumour of Scott Sinclair leaving Swansea in the near future this was a promising performance by the whole team who, under Laudrup looked genuinely sensational, especially on the counter. The Danish manager has made several very shrewd buys, including the signing of Michu who may end up being the buy of the season.
Mark Hughes appears to have a pretty good squad on paper, though it could take a while for his players to gel, this could be the big problem with QPR, however the bigger problem appears to be their finishing. With over 20 shots today QPR only managed to hit half of them on target, with 0 goals from 11 shots on target you need to wonder whether they have the strike force which can keep them up. The fact Swansea found it so easy to rip them apart on the counter should also be a very worrying sign for the Loftus Road club. This isn't how you start a season.
Premier League Week 1-Write up Fulham v Norwich
Fulham 5-0 Norwich
One of the stand out results of the day was the dominant performance by Fulham who truly dominated the Canaries banging in 5 unanswered goals. The match started well for Norwich who came close to opening the scoring via Surman though as soon as Damien Duff broke the deadlock in the 26th minute the wind was taken from the Norwich sails.
Fulham doubled their lead 4 minutes from the break with Mladen Petric scoring his first goal for the team from a Duff corner. The lead was further extended with a second goal for Petric early in the second half after a major deflection from Michael Turner took the ball over John Ruddy.
Alexander Kačaniklić scored his first goal for Fulham as he extended the lead to 4-0 in the 66th minute finishing off an excellent pass by Petric who made an excellent debut.
The scoring was finished with just minutes left as Hugo Rodellaga was taken down in the penalty area allow Sidwell to slot one in from the penalty sport.
Before kick off many tipped Fulham for the drop though on this performance they look like a very solid team, the signing of Petric has seriously improved Fulham, especially offensively. If anything this should really make Norwich fans worry, they were awful and completely out played managing only 2 shots on target (to Fulham's 9). Chris Hughton appears to have a lot of work on his hands if he intends to keep Norwich in the Premier League. Martin Jol however has proven, once again, that he's an excellent manager and really knows what he is doing.
One of the stand out results of the day was the dominant performance by Fulham who truly dominated the Canaries banging in 5 unanswered goals. The match started well for Norwich who came close to opening the scoring via Surman though as soon as Damien Duff broke the deadlock in the 26th minute the wind was taken from the Norwich sails.
Fulham doubled their lead 4 minutes from the break with Mladen Petric scoring his first goal for the team from a Duff corner. The lead was further extended with a second goal for Petric early in the second half after a major deflection from Michael Turner took the ball over John Ruddy.
Alexander Kačaniklić scored his first goal for Fulham as he extended the lead to 4-0 in the 66th minute finishing off an excellent pass by Petric who made an excellent debut.
The scoring was finished with just minutes left as Hugo Rodellaga was taken down in the penalty area allow Sidwell to slot one in from the penalty sport.
Before kick off many tipped Fulham for the drop though on this performance they look like a very solid team, the signing of Petric has seriously improved Fulham, especially offensively. If anything this should really make Norwich fans worry, they were awful and completely out played managing only 2 shots on target (to Fulham's 9). Chris Hughton appears to have a lot of work on his hands if he intends to keep Norwich in the Premier League. Martin Jol however has proven, once again, that he's an excellent manager and really knows what he is doing.
Premier League Week 1-Results (Saturday)
So the Premier League has finally kicked off and we've completed the first day of games with a number of surprises. For the sake of ordering the results I've listed them in order of goals scored below.
Fulham 5-0 Norwich City (Duff-26, Petric-41, 54, Kacanilik-66, Sidwell-87 Pen)
Queens Park Rangers 0-5 Swansea City (Michu-8,53, Dyer-63,71, Sinclair-81)
West Brom 3-0 Liverpool (Gera-43, Odemwinge-64 Pen, Lukaku-77), Agger Sent off 58
Newcastle United 2-1 Tottenham Hotspur (Ba-55, Ben Arfa-80: Defoe 76)
Reading 1-1 Stoke (Kitghly-34 : Fondre-89) Whitehead sent off 89
West Ham 1-0 Aston Villa (Nolan-40)
Arsenal 0-0 SunderlandAs you can see we've been treated to some real surprises (West Brom beating Liverpool being the stand out upset) as well as a huge number of goals (19 in total) and just a solitary 0-0 draw.
Below are the figures for the stat freaks, these will be done every weekend and hopefully add something for some fans:
Highest Scoring Games-5 Goals (Fulham v Norwich 5-0, QPR v Swansea 0-5)
Lowest Scoring Games-0 Goals (Arsenal v Sunderland, 0-0)
Top Scorer-2 Goals (Petric, Michu, Dyer)
Penalties-4:
Scored-3-(Odemwinge v Liverpool, Sidwell v Norwich, Ben Arfa v Tottenham Hotspur)
Missed-1-(Long v Liverpool)
Red Cards-2 (Agger, Whitehead)
Total Goals-19 (in 7 games so far)
Fulham 5-0 Norwich City (Duff-26, Petric-41, 54, Kacanilik-66, Sidwell-87 Pen)
Queens Park Rangers 0-5 Swansea City (Michu-8,53, Dyer-63,71, Sinclair-81)
West Brom 3-0 Liverpool (Gera-43, Odemwinge-64 Pen, Lukaku-77), Agger Sent off 58
Newcastle United 2-1 Tottenham Hotspur (Ba-55, Ben Arfa-80: Defoe 76)
Reading 1-1 Stoke (Kitghly-34 : Fondre-89) Whitehead sent off 89
West Ham 1-0 Aston Villa (Nolan-40)
Arsenal 0-0 SunderlandAs you can see we've been treated to some real surprises (West Brom beating Liverpool being the stand out upset) as well as a huge number of goals (19 in total) and just a solitary 0-0 draw.
Below are the figures for the stat freaks, these will be done every weekend and hopefully add something for some fans:
Highest Scoring Games-5 Goals (Fulham v Norwich 5-0, QPR v Swansea 0-5)
Lowest Scoring Games-0 Goals (Arsenal v Sunderland, 0-0)
Top Scorer-2 Goals (Petric, Michu, Dyer)
Penalties-4:
Scored-3-(Odemwinge v Liverpool, Sidwell v Norwich, Ben Arfa v Tottenham Hotspur)
Missed-1-(Long v Liverpool)
Red Cards-2 (Agger, Whitehead)
Total Goals-19 (in 7 games so far)
Premier League Week 1-As it Happens (Saturday)
Penalty
Just minutes after Spurs managed to the level the score they shoot themselves in the foot giving away a penalty as Rafael Van Der Vaart brings down Hatem Ben Arfa. Ben Arfa gets up to score the spot kick and Newcastle reclaim the lead.
Newcastle 2-1 Tottenham Hotspur
Bar (55)
Defoe (76)
Ben Arfa (80) Pen
Goal!
Tottenham manage to equalise against Newcastle thanks to Jermain Defoe and with around 15 minutes of the match left this is anyone's game.
Newcastle 1-1 Tottenham Hotspur
Ba (55)
Defoe (76)
Red Card
Newcastle manager Alan Pardew becomes the first manager of the season to be sent to the stands after pushing a linesman after what he felt was a bad decision.
Goal!
Newcastle take the lead against Spurs against the run of play as Demba Ba scores for the first time in 15 games.
Newcastle 1-0 Tottenham Hotspur
Ba (55)
Yellow Card
The referee hands out a 4th first half yellow card in the Newcastle v Tottenham game, giving Yohan Cabaye a booking with just seconds of the half to play.
Yellow Card
The cards are really being flashed about there with Sandro joining Tottenham team mate Livermore in the book. 19 minutes in and we've had 3 cards.
Yellow Card
Just minutes after the first yellow card we get another this time Tottenham's Jake Livermore.
Yellow Card
The first yellow card of the late kick off goes to Danny Simpson of Newcastle after 14 minutes.
We have now kicked off in the late match between Newcaste and Tottenham at the stadium formerly known as St James Park.
Yellow Card
Andy Carrol picks up a very late booking to add further insult to injury for Liverpool who have a truly terrible start to the season.
Yellow Card
Ryan Shawcross is the latest Stoke player to get on the wrong side of the referee as Reading try to steal a win
Yellow Card
Stoke are starting to struggle to even hold on to a point and goalkeeper Asmir Begović picks up a yellow card.
Red Card and Penalty
Stoke are reduced to 10 men late on as Dean Whitehead picks up his second yellow card for a foul in the area giving Reading a surprising chance to pick up a point with a penalty which Adam le Fondre puts away to equalise.
Reading 1-1 Stoke
Kightly (34)
Fondre (89)
Penalty
Fulham have a chance to go 5-0 up as they get a penalty...and it's converted by Steve Sidwell who has just compounded the embarrassment or Norwich who have been slaughtered here today.
Fulham 5-0 Norwich
Duff (26)
Petric (41, 54)
Kačaniklić (66)
Sidwell (87) Pen
Goal!
Swansea are really having a day to remember as they go 5-0 up against QPR who have had a nightmare of a return to the Premier League. Scott Sinclair adds the latest Swansea get off to an amazing start.
QPR 0-5 Swansea
Michu (8, 43)
Dyer (63, 71)
Sinclair (81)
Goal!
This is becoming laughable from Liverpool who have now fallen 3-0 down thanks to Romelu Lukaku who really has tied up the match for West Brom. Brendon Rodgers needs to get to the drawing board as soon as the final whistle goes.
West Brom 3-0 Liverpool
Gera (43)
Odemwinge (64) Pen
Lukaku (77)
Yellow Card
West Brom collect their first yellow card of the season as Marc-Antoine Fortuné gets booked against Liverpool
Yellow Card
Matthew Etherington becomes the 4th player to have his name taken in the Reading v Stoke game, joining his Stoke team mate Whitehead.
Yellow Card
Reading's Mikele Leigertwood gets his name taken by the referee and joins team mate Gorkss on a yellow card.
Goal!
Maybe Fulham won't finish the day top the Premier League after all as Dyer grabs a second and bag's Swansea's 4th goal of the match as they roll over QPR. This is getting nasty.
QPR 0-4 Swansea
Michu (8, 53)
Dyer (63-71)
Goal!
Fulham are having a field day here against Norwich and have now added a 4th goal thanks to Alexander Kačaniklić. Fulham will almost certainly be top of the League at the end of the day following this demolition job.
Fulham 4-0 Norwich
Duff (26)
Ptric (41, 54)
Kačaniklić (66)
Goal!
Swansea are banging them in for fun now as they go 3-0 up thanks to Nathan Dyer grabs his first of the season.
QPR 0-3 Swansea
Michu (8, 53)
Dyer (63)
Yellow Card
Swansea's Angel Rangel get's his name taken by the referee and joins team mate Guzman, as well as QPR pair Diakité and Fabio.
Penalty
Just minutes after Shane Long misses a penalty West Brom get another as Martin Škrtel makes a huge blunder. Peter Odemwingie bangs this one in to double West Brom's lead.
West Brom 2-0 Liverpool
Gera (43)
Odemwinge (64)
Missed Penalty
West Brom's Shane Long takes the penalty and...what was that? He nicely passes it to Liverpool keeper Pepe Reina who easily saves it to keep the score 1-0
Red Card
Things go from bad to worse for Liverpool as Daniel Agger gets himself sent off for preventing a clear goal scoring opportunity. A double whammy as West Brom have been given a penalty as well.
Yellow Card
QPR pick up their second booking in the space of minutes as Fabio follows Diakité into the referees book.
Yellow CardLiverpool collect their third booking of the match as Lukas gets shown a yellow card
Yellow Card
Things are just getting progressively worse for QPR who just minutes after going 2-0 have Samba Diakité booked
Goal!
Swansea new boy Michu bags his second of the day as he double's Swansea's lead over QPR
QPR 0-2 Swansea
Michu (8, 53)
Goal!
Fulham move further ahead of Norwich City as Petric scores his second of the game and Fulham's 3rd. This looking like a painful day for the Canaries.
Fulham 3-0 Norwich
Duff (26)
Petric (41, 54)
Substitution
Struggling Norwich make the first substitution of the Premier League see sending Steve Morison on to replace Andrew Surman at half time as they attempt to over turn a 2-goal deficit at Fulham.
Yellow CardReading's Kaspars Gorkšs joins Dean Whitehead in the referees book just before half time.
Yellow Card
Liverpool's bad boy Luis Suarez didn't need long to pick up his first yellow card of the season as he collects Liverpool's second booking of the day just minutes after Liverpool go down.
Goal!
What a strike! Zlotan Gera marks his return to the Premier League in style as he scores a blinder against Liverpool for West Brom. This is worth watching Match Of The Day for.
West Brom 1-0 Liverpool
Gera (43)
Goal!
Fulham double their lead over Norwich thanks to Mladen Petrić who scores his first goal for the club after signing in the summer.
Fulham 2-0 Norwich
Duff (26)
Petrić (41)
Yellow Card
Liverpool defender Glen Johnson becomes the first Liverpool player to pick up a yellow card.
Goal!
West Ham take the lead in controversial fashion as Kevin Nolan manage to put the Premier League's new boys 1-0 up against Aston Villa
West Ham 1-0 Aston Villa
Nolan (40)
Yellow Card
Aston Villa's Cieran Clark picks up the second yellow card of the day after 39 minutes
Goal!
Stoke City manage to take the lead completely against the run of player against Reading with new signing Michael Kightly grabbing it thanks to a huge blunder by Adam Federici.
Reading 0-1 Stoke City
Kightly (34)
Goal!
Fulham open their account in the Premier League for this season with a Damien Duff strike against Norwich City.
Fulham 1-0 Norwich
Duff (26)
Yellow Card
The first Yellow Card of the 2012-2013 Premier League season is handed out to Stoke City's Dean Whitehead after 18 minutes of their match with Reading.
Goal!
The first of the 2012-2013 Premier League season is scored by Swansea, with new boy Michu being the goal scorer against QPR!
QPR 0-1 Swansea
Michu (8)
Just minutes after Spurs managed to the level the score they shoot themselves in the foot giving away a penalty as Rafael Van Der Vaart brings down Hatem Ben Arfa. Ben Arfa gets up to score the spot kick and Newcastle reclaim the lead.
Newcastle 2-1 Tottenham Hotspur
Bar (55)
Defoe (76)
Ben Arfa (80) Pen
Goal!
Tottenham manage to equalise against Newcastle thanks to Jermain Defoe and with around 15 minutes of the match left this is anyone's game.
Newcastle 1-1 Tottenham Hotspur
Ba (55)
Defoe (76)
Red Card
Newcastle manager Alan Pardew becomes the first manager of the season to be sent to the stands after pushing a linesman after what he felt was a bad decision.
Goal!
Newcastle take the lead against Spurs against the run of play as Demba Ba scores for the first time in 15 games.
Newcastle 1-0 Tottenham Hotspur
Ba (55)
Yellow Card
The referee hands out a 4th first half yellow card in the Newcastle v Tottenham game, giving Yohan Cabaye a booking with just seconds of the half to play.
Yellow Card
The cards are really being flashed about there with Sandro joining Tottenham team mate Livermore in the book. 19 minutes in and we've had 3 cards.
Yellow Card
Just minutes after the first yellow card we get another this time Tottenham's Jake Livermore.
Yellow Card
The first yellow card of the late kick off goes to Danny Simpson of Newcastle after 14 minutes.
We have now kicked off in the late match between Newcaste and Tottenham at the stadium formerly known as St James Park.
Yellow Card
Andy Carrol picks up a very late booking to add further insult to injury for Liverpool who have a truly terrible start to the season.
Yellow Card
Ryan Shawcross is the latest Stoke player to get on the wrong side of the referee as Reading try to steal a win
Yellow Card
Stoke are starting to struggle to even hold on to a point and goalkeeper Asmir Begović picks up a yellow card.
Red Card and Penalty
Stoke are reduced to 10 men late on as Dean Whitehead picks up his second yellow card for a foul in the area giving Reading a surprising chance to pick up a point with a penalty which Adam le Fondre puts away to equalise.
Reading 1-1 Stoke
Kightly (34)
Fondre (89)
Penalty
Fulham have a chance to go 5-0 up as they get a penalty...and it's converted by Steve Sidwell who has just compounded the embarrassment or Norwich who have been slaughtered here today.
Fulham 5-0 Norwich
Duff (26)
Petric (41, 54)
Kačaniklić (66)
Sidwell (87) Pen
Goal!
Swansea are really having a day to remember as they go 5-0 up against QPR who have had a nightmare of a return to the Premier League. Scott Sinclair adds the latest Swansea get off to an amazing start.
QPR 0-5 Swansea
Michu (8, 43)
Dyer (63, 71)
Sinclair (81)
Goal!
This is becoming laughable from Liverpool who have now fallen 3-0 down thanks to Romelu Lukaku who really has tied up the match for West Brom. Brendon Rodgers needs to get to the drawing board as soon as the final whistle goes.
West Brom 3-0 Liverpool
Gera (43)
Odemwinge (64) Pen
Lukaku (77)
Yellow Card
West Brom collect their first yellow card of the season as Marc-Antoine Fortuné gets booked against Liverpool
Yellow Card
Matthew Etherington becomes the 4th player to have his name taken in the Reading v Stoke game, joining his Stoke team mate Whitehead.
Yellow Card
Reading's Mikele Leigertwood gets his name taken by the referee and joins team mate Gorkss on a yellow card.
Goal!
Maybe Fulham won't finish the day top the Premier League after all as Dyer grabs a second and bag's Swansea's 4th goal of the match as they roll over QPR. This is getting nasty.
QPR 0-4 Swansea
Michu (8, 53)
Dyer (63-71)
Goal!
Fulham are having a field day here against Norwich and have now added a 4th goal thanks to Alexander Kačaniklić. Fulham will almost certainly be top of the League at the end of the day following this demolition job.
Fulham 4-0 Norwich
Duff (26)
Ptric (41, 54)
Kačaniklić (66)
Goal!
Swansea are banging them in for fun now as they go 3-0 up thanks to Nathan Dyer grabs his first of the season.
QPR 0-3 Swansea
Michu (8, 53)
Dyer (63)
Yellow Card
Swansea's Angel Rangel get's his name taken by the referee and joins team mate Guzman, as well as QPR pair Diakité and Fabio.
Penalty
Just minutes after Shane Long misses a penalty West Brom get another as Martin Škrtel makes a huge blunder. Peter Odemwingie bangs this one in to double West Brom's lead.
West Brom 2-0 Liverpool
Gera (43)
Odemwinge (64)
Missed Penalty
West Brom's Shane Long takes the penalty and...what was that? He nicely passes it to Liverpool keeper Pepe Reina who easily saves it to keep the score 1-0
Red Card
Things go from bad to worse for Liverpool as Daniel Agger gets himself sent off for preventing a clear goal scoring opportunity. A double whammy as West Brom have been given a penalty as well.
Yellow Card
QPR pick up their second booking in the space of minutes as Fabio follows Diakité into the referees book.
Yellow CardLiverpool collect their third booking of the match as Lukas gets shown a yellow card
Yellow Card
Things are just getting progressively worse for QPR who just minutes after going 2-0 have Samba Diakité booked
Goal!
Swansea new boy Michu bags his second of the day as he double's Swansea's lead over QPR
QPR 0-2 Swansea
Michu (8, 53)
Goal!
Fulham move further ahead of Norwich City as Petric scores his second of the game and Fulham's 3rd. This looking like a painful day for the Canaries.
Fulham 3-0 Norwich
Duff (26)
Petric (41, 54)
Substitution
Struggling Norwich make the first substitution of the Premier League see sending Steve Morison on to replace Andrew Surman at half time as they attempt to over turn a 2-goal deficit at Fulham.
Yellow CardReading's Kaspars Gorkšs joins Dean Whitehead in the referees book just before half time.
Yellow Card
Liverpool's bad boy Luis Suarez didn't need long to pick up his first yellow card of the season as he collects Liverpool's second booking of the day just minutes after Liverpool go down.
Goal!
What a strike! Zlotan Gera marks his return to the Premier League in style as he scores a blinder against Liverpool for West Brom. This is worth watching Match Of The Day for.
West Brom 1-0 Liverpool
Gera (43)
Goal!
Fulham double their lead over Norwich thanks to Mladen Petrić who scores his first goal for the club after signing in the summer.
Fulham 2-0 Norwich
Duff (26)
Petrić (41)
Yellow Card
Liverpool defender Glen Johnson becomes the first Liverpool player to pick up a yellow card.
Goal!
West Ham take the lead in controversial fashion as Kevin Nolan manage to put the Premier League's new boys 1-0 up against Aston Villa
West Ham 1-0 Aston Villa
Nolan (40)
Yellow Card
Aston Villa's Cieran Clark picks up the second yellow card of the day after 39 minutes
Goal!
Stoke City manage to take the lead completely against the run of player against Reading with new signing Michael Kightly grabbing it thanks to a huge blunder by Adam Federici.
Reading 0-1 Stoke City
Kightly (34)
Goal!
Fulham open their account in the Premier League for this season with a Damien Duff strike against Norwich City.
Fulham 1-0 Norwich
Duff (26)
Yellow Card
The first Yellow Card of the 2012-2013 Premier League season is handed out to Stoke City's Dean Whitehead after 18 minutes of their match with Reading.
Goal!
The first of the 2012-2013 Premier League season is scored by Swansea, with new boy Michu being the goal scorer against QPR!
QPR 0-1 Swansea
Michu (8)
Premier League Week 1-Predictions (Saturday)
Saturday 18th August
Arsenal V Sunderland (15:00)-Arsenal, playing for the first time since the transfer of Robin Van Persie to Manchester United may be expected to win here with relative ease, especially considering the transfer of players like Podolski however I can't help but think we may see a bit a shock here. I'll be betting on the draw here.
1-1
Fulham V Norwich (15:00)-Despite Fulham playing at home I'm going to favour the away win here. The signings of Snodgrass and Turner will really bulk up the Norwich line up. Whilst Fulham have added the very good Hugo Rodellaga I expect he will take several weeks to get into the full swing of things.
1-2
QPR V Swansea (15:00)-Swansea have lost not only their manager but also their talisman in Joe Allen, they have however managed to acquire an extremely talented player in Michu. Sadly for Swansea however I can't see them getting anything from this one. The QPR squad has been strengthened massively since the end of last season and with this in mind I'll be backing QPR.
2-0
Reading V Stoke (15:00)-Going into this bout it could, genuinely a very close match, however with Pogrebnyak now amongst the Reading squad it's almost impossible to bet against Reading. Stoke are never an easy team to beat though they are a flawed tea.
2-1
West Brom V Liverpool (15:00)-Liverpool have arguably the most frustrating team for any fans in recent years as their team repeatedly fall short of expectation. With Bredan Rodgers in charge I know some people are massively excited, sadly however Rodgers seems to have done the same thing Kenny Dalglish did, he's over paid for players. Thankfully for Liverpool here West Brom haven't really improved their squad over Summer and I think Liverpool's players will get up for Rodger's first Premier League game in charge.
0-2
West Ham V Aston Villa (15:00)-West Ham's return to the Premier League seems to have been met by a lot of people predicting them to go down. Whilst they have improved their squad with Modibo Maïga and the re-signing of James Collins they may not have improved quite enough. Villa, a team I'd have predicted to struggle have added some brilliant players and I whilst they may not click straight away they will be a very good team when they start to click.
1-1
Newcastle V Tottenham (17:30)-The late kick off sees last years 4th placed team playing the 5th placed team in what promising to be a very interesting match up. Going into this match up you have to have a lot of questions-how will Spurs do with Harry and how will they do with Villas-Boas? How does Anita fit into Newcastle? This is by far the stand out match of the day and I expect it to live up to expectation
2-3
Arsenal V Sunderland (15:00)-Arsenal, playing for the first time since the transfer of Robin Van Persie to Manchester United may be expected to win here with relative ease, especially considering the transfer of players like Podolski however I can't help but think we may see a bit a shock here. I'll be betting on the draw here.
1-1
Fulham V Norwich (15:00)-Despite Fulham playing at home I'm going to favour the away win here. The signings of Snodgrass and Turner will really bulk up the Norwich line up. Whilst Fulham have added the very good Hugo Rodellaga I expect he will take several weeks to get into the full swing of things.
1-2
QPR V Swansea (15:00)-Swansea have lost not only their manager but also their talisman in Joe Allen, they have however managed to acquire an extremely talented player in Michu. Sadly for Swansea however I can't see them getting anything from this one. The QPR squad has been strengthened massively since the end of last season and with this in mind I'll be backing QPR.
2-0
Reading V Stoke (15:00)-Going into this bout it could, genuinely a very close match, however with Pogrebnyak now amongst the Reading squad it's almost impossible to bet against Reading. Stoke are never an easy team to beat though they are a flawed tea.
2-1
West Brom V Liverpool (15:00)-Liverpool have arguably the most frustrating team for any fans in recent years as their team repeatedly fall short of expectation. With Bredan Rodgers in charge I know some people are massively excited, sadly however Rodgers seems to have done the same thing Kenny Dalglish did, he's over paid for players. Thankfully for Liverpool here West Brom haven't really improved their squad over Summer and I think Liverpool's players will get up for Rodger's first Premier League game in charge.
0-2
West Ham V Aston Villa (15:00)-West Ham's return to the Premier League seems to have been met by a lot of people predicting them to go down. Whilst they have improved their squad with Modibo Maïga and the re-signing of James Collins they may not have improved quite enough. Villa, a team I'd have predicted to struggle have added some brilliant players and I whilst they may not click straight away they will be a very good team when they start to click.
1-1
Newcastle V Tottenham (17:30)-The late kick off sees last years 4th placed team playing the 5th placed team in what promising to be a very interesting match up. Going into this match up you have to have a lot of questions-how will Spurs do with Harry and how will they do with Villas-Boas? How does Anita fit into Newcastle? This is by far the stand out match of the day and I expect it to live up to expectation
2-3
The Pre-Season Part 3-The Transfers
(Updated to include transfers since the season kicked off)
Often the most interesting thing over the summer months for the average football fan are the transfers that their club makes. Like almost every summer since the "Transfer Window" was brought in we've had some major moves that could make, or break a clubs season.
Arsenal
Arsenal have had a really busy summer with a number of players leaving including several key players whilst they have also spent cash as they tried to bolster their squad.
Incoming-
Olivier Giroud (Montpellier)-The 25 year old French Striker is a physical player and may be able to give Arsenal that weight up front that they often seem to lack. Sadly however he is relatively unproven at the highest level with 1 international goal in 10 games. He did however score 21 goals last season in Ligue 1 and scored 25 goals in total last season in 43 games.
At around £10 Million Wenger has taken a bit of a gamble, though he is a player that may help Arsenal become a little bit more direct with their attacks.
Lukas Podoloski (Cologne)-The 27 year old German Forward is one of the most proven players in world football. With over 100 German caps (and 44 goals for the national team) their is no questioning Podolski's pedigree at national level and likewise with 112 goals at club level this man is a capable goal scorer.
Despite being an excellent player some do feel that Podolski is slightly on the wane, however at just 27 years old he is still a player with several years left in his legs. Rumoured to have cost around £12 million Podolski could well turn out to be one of the buys of the season
Santi Cazorla (Malaga)-Spaniard Santi Cazorla is, like Podolski 27 years old and very well regarded as both a winger and an attacking midfielder. Whilst not regarded as a serious goal threat he does make goals and he does torment defences. Out of the 3 big signings for Arsenal Cazorla looks like the best match and should manage to to fit into the Arsenale team with out too many problems.
At around £15 million Cazorla may have been a little pricey though he has got the ability to change games and may have been a very shrewd purchase by Wenger who seems to have wanted to add experience to his squad.
Out Going
Robin Van Persie (Manchester United)-Dutchman Robin Van Persie was Arsenal's talisman last season and his stats said it all as he carried the Arsenal attack almost solely on his shoulders. With out him Arsenal may struggle to continue the momentum they finished last year on and his absence will be felt both on the pitch and in the changing rooms. Wenger will seriously need to hope that one of his new signings can fill the gap that "RVP" has left.
Carlos Vela (Real Socieded)-Mexican Striker Carlos Vela was bought with high expectation though sadly failed to live up to them scoring just 3 goals for Arsenal in 29 games. Vela has spent much of the last few years loaned out and now joins Real Socieded on a permanent contract after a very succesful spell their last year in which he scored 12 in 35 games.
Manuel Almunia (Watford)-Spanish born keeper Manuel Almunia had fallen out of favour at Arsenal back in the 2010-2011 season due to the emergence of Polish pair Wojciech Szczęsny and Łukasz Fabiański. He was released from his contract at the end of last season and has now gone to Championship side Watford in what could be a very good signing for The Hornets.
Alex Song (Barcelona)-Want away Cameroonian Alex Song finally got his wish as Arsenal and Barcelona agreed terms. The defensively minded player's move has netted Arsenal a rumoured £16 million which will likely be reinvested in the club if Arsene Wenger sees a viable target. Having spent much of the last 7 years at Arsenal Song's departure could be a bit hit, especially considering his 11 assists last year though he made it clear he wanted to leave the Gunner leaving Wenger's hands rather tied.
Aston Villa
After a disappointing season last year Aston Villa have replaced manger Alex McLeish with Paul Lambert in arguably the biggest transfer for the team. Aside from Lambert Villa have some very promising players who will hopefully help Lambert take the team forward.
Incoming
Ron Vlaar (Feyenoord)-The Dutch centre back is a very well experienced player with over 140 games in the Eredivisie (Dutch League) and 10 international caps and has long been a well regarded defender. Sadly for Ron he has had a career blighted by injury and missed an alarming number of games due to various injuries. Villa will be hoping that he stays fit and can shore up a defence that conceded 53 goals last season.
At around £3 million Vlaar could be one of the best signings in the league, as long as he can stay fit.
Matthew Lowton (Sheffield United)-Defensive utility man Matthew Lowton can play anywhere along the back and like Vlaar it seems like he has been brought in to shore up a defence that simply let in too many goals last season. At just 23 years old it's obvious that Lowton has been brought in for the long term and it appears that Villa are doing the right thing with bringing in a youngster.
Costing around £4 million Lowton appears to be a bit of a bargain, though he hasn't yet played at the Premier League before he still appears to have the ability the make a mark in the Villa defence.
Karim El Ahmadi (Feyenoord)-The Dutch born Moroccan international is yet another defensively minded players, playing in a defensive midfield role. With over 170 games in the Eredivisie he's experienced and appears to be a player that will not only shore up the team defensively (which appears to have been Villa's worry over summer) but also grab a goal or two every season.
With a price tag of £2-3 million the signing of El Ahmadi may well turn out to be another very shrewd move by Paul Lambert who appears to have seen that Villa's issue is defense and has attempted to shore it up before the new season kicks off.
Brett Holman (AZ Alkmaar)-As well as the defensive signings (see above) that Villa have made they have also signed Australian winger Brett Holman, who was actually the club's first signing of the summer. Whilst Holman is a goal threat having scored regularly at Alkmaar as well as on the international stage (including grabbing 2 at the 2010 World cup) he is more of a provider and will be expected to help Villa increase their paltry 37 goals from last season.
As a free signing (his contract with Alkmaar had expired) Holman looks like he could have been an excellent acquisition for Villa who desperately need more goals than last season if they are to reach fans expectations of a mid table finish.
Out Going
Emile Heskey (Unattached)-The much maligned Emile Heskey has been released by Villa and has yet to be picked up by a club. With just 9 goals in 92 games for Villa Heskey really was a bit of a flop and with just a solitary goal last year it's no wonder he's been released.
Carlos Cuellar (Sunderland)-Spanish veteran Carlos Cuellar left the club when his contract expired at the end of last season and will almost certainly be a big loss for Villa, in fact his move away from the club may explain the purchase of a number of defensively minded players as they look to fill the gap left by the well liked Cuellar.
James Collins (West Ham)-Centre back James Collins leaves Villa for the club he was at before Villa, returning to West Ham where he spent 4 seasons. The Welsh international is, like Cuellar, part of the reason that Villa spent so much on shoring up their defense.
Chelsea
Following the success of winning the Champions League it appears Roman Abramovich has opened to purse strings and allowed manager Roberto Di Matteo access to plenty of funds as he goes chasing more success this year as Chelsea chase the two Manchester clubs.
Incoming
Eden Hazard (Lille)-The stand out signing for Chelsea over the summer was Belgian international Eden Hazard who plays as either a winger or an attacking midfielder. The highly regarded 21 year old has amassed an alarming amount of experience for someone so young with over 140 appearances for Lille and 29 Belgian caps, though will be stepping up a level to play in the much more physical Premier League. Whilst Hazard is talented he may well find himself bullied over the next 12 months and his diminutive 5'7" frame will be a target for opponents.
At £32-35 million Hazard looks a little bit over priced to me though with Roman's millions I doubt Chelsea care too much. Hazard will be a long term Chelsea player and alongside Juan Mata Chelsea are going to create a lot of goals this coming season.
Oscar dos Santos Emboaba Júnior (Sport Club Internacional)-Young Brazilian attacker Oscar will have huge boots to fill as he takes the #11 shirt at Chelsea (the number formerly worn by Didier Drogba) though from his reputation he'll more than just fill them. The Brazilian national team player is only 20 years old though has been hotly tipped as a star of the future and had not only Chelsea after him over the summer but also Barcelona and AC Milan. In the recent Olympic games Oscar managed to show off his talent, making a number of Brazil's goals in the competition as well as scoring one himself.
Although he cost a reported £25 million no one at Chelsea will care too much about the money, especially if Oscar fulfills his potential. This is a young kid who could easily take the league by storm over the next few years and I seriously suspect that he will outshine Hazard.
Marko Marin (Werder Bremen)-Young German attacker Marko Marin has been described by some as "The German Messi" due to his exceptional ball control and creativity. Like Oscar and Eden Hazard (above) Marin is an attacker who can make goals and will be a huge asset for Chelsea in the long term with his ability to completely change a game. Despite being a very talented player Marin isn't a goal scorer as such, preferring to be the provider and whilst this is unlikely to be an issue a question needs to be asked about just how many providers Chelsea can really have at once.
Costing around £7 million Marin is one of Chelsea's cheaper purchases though seems to be another long term signing having inked a reported 5 year deal. It appears, to me anyway, as though Di Matteo is planning not only for the future but also for an exciting time as Chelsea manager. The three signings I've looked at here are all exciting, young, attacking players who have the potential to make Chelsea one of the most dominant and fun to watch teams in the Premier League.
Cesar Azpilicueta (Marseille)-In what would appear to be one of Chelsea's final signings they have brought in Spanish defender Cesar Azpilicueta. The right-back, formerly of Osasuna has appeared for Spain at various levels and whilst he is unlikely to get much game time this season the 22 year old will likely be a long term replacement and a player who has been brought in to strengthen the squad. Azpilicueta becomes the 4th Spaniard at Chelsea (joining Juan Mata, Oriol Romeu and Fernando Torres) and will likely be made to feel at home by his team mates who, in the case of Mata and Torres are pivotal players.
The price of around £6.5 million is perhaps more than he is currently worth, though with Roman's rubles and the long term potential of Azpilicueta, Chelsea fans will know that he's not going to harm them financially and will likely force his way into the team or be sold on.
Victor Moses (Wigan)-Chelsea's attack force has looked relatively toothless despite having 6 goals in their first two games, to sort this out they've added another threat signing Nigerian international Victor Moses from Wigan. Whilsts Moses is unlikely to get many starts this season he does give Roberto Di Matteo another goal threat and is a different type of player to Fernando Torres.
At a rumoured £9-10 million it would genuinely appear that Chelsea have paid a little over the odds for what they are getting though Wigan will likely need to use the money quickly if they are to a replacement in before the transfer window closes.
Out Going
Didier Drogba (Shanghai Shenhua)-It was known well before the Champions League final that Didier Drogba was leaving the club, though his departure will still be a massive blow to Chelsea who had not only a goal scorer in Drogba but also a player who had speed, power and strength and was of course capable of changing a game on his own. Despite signing a number of attacking players I'm not sure they've managed to really replace Drogba.
Salomon Kalou (Lille)-The French attacking Midfielder saw his contract expire at the end of last season. With over 150 games for Chelsea Kalou was a regular though he appears to have been let go with the idea that Chelsea would bring in a direct replacement, and in fact looking at Chelsea's biggest signings over Summer they appear to have done just that. With out trying to be too harsh I doubt many will really miss Kalou.
José Bosingwa (Queens Park Rangers)-Like Kalou, Bosingwa was allowed to leave at the end of last season when his contract expired. The exciting and attacking wing back did appear to have potential at Chelsea and put in a number of excellent performances, including in the Champions League final, so his departure is a bit of a surprise in all honesty.
Everton
David Moyes may have been wanting to strengthen his squad over summer though sadly it appears the opposite has happened with a number of key players having left the Toffees to try and help with the financial situation at the club.
Incoming
Steven Pienaar (Tottenham Hotspur)-South African Winger Steven Pienaar is Everton's only notable signing over the summer. Having already spent several years at Everton it was little surprise to see Pienaar back there this season. The talented and well like player first played for Everton back in the 2007-2008 season on a loan deal from Borussia Dortmund before being signed permanently the following year. After a 3 year spell with Everton (2008-2011) Tottenham Hotspur signed him then loaned him back to Everton who have resigned him permanently.
At around £4.5 million Pienaar is a genuinely fantastic signing for Moyes and is a player who genuinely wants to be at Everton. He's been a star for them when he's for played them in the past and I cannot see anyway in which he will let them down.
Kevin Mirallas (Olympiakos)-Since the season started just a few days ago, Everton have made their second major signing, bringing in Belgian international Kevin Mirallas to try and add some potency up front. Mirallas, who scored 20 goals last season was the top scorer in the Superleague Greece (Greek top flight) and will be expected to help bolster an Everton attack that managed 50 goals last year.
Having cost around £6 million it's fair to assume that Moyes had to wait until the transfer of Jack Rodwell (see below) was complete before snapping up the talented Winger/Forward who, alongside Nikica Jelavić should bring plenty of goals for the Toffees.
Out Going
Tim Cahill (New York Red Bulls)-Feisty Australian Tim Cahill was the heart beat of the Everton team over the last few years and his departure will really hurt the Toffees who are with out one of (if not the) most influential player the club has had over the last few years. This is one of those losses that will really, really damage the team
Jack Rodwell (Manchester City)-The financial situation at Everton made the loss of Rodwell an obvious one going into the summer and whilst Everton may have picked up £12 million the loss of the youngster, combined with the loss of Cahill (see above) really do show just how severe the situation is at Everton.
Fulham
With Martin Jol at the helm Fulham know they are in safe hands and after finishing 9th last season they may even be hoping to earn a Europa League berth at the end of this season. Saying that however they've not really spent a great deal so far despite being linked to a number of players.
Incoming
Hugo Rodallega (Wigan)-Colombian striker Hugo Rodallega made it clear that he wanted to leave Wigan in the Winter transfer window and surprisingly no one managed to snap up the talented South American who left on a free transfer at the end of the season. As a result Fulham have got themselves a real bargain. Despite being a striker, he has lacked goals in recent seasons, though that was partly down to the poor supply at Wigan. If Fulham can create chances Rodallega will score which is why this is such a shrewd move by Jol who has picked up a goalscorer who's record doesn't show the full facts.
Out Going
Andrew Johnson (Queens Park Rangers)-Former England international Andrew Johnson was released when his contract expired at the end of last season. The once promising striker has somewhat failed to live up to expectation and with just 6 goals in the last 2 seasons combined it's little wonder that Jol has let him go.
Mousa Dembele (Tottenham)-The big sale for Fulham appears to be the loss of Belgian attacker Mousa Dembele who looked spectacular against Manchester United less than a week ago. Dembele, originally a £5million pound signing appears to have gone for around £15 million.
Liverpool
Under new manager Brendon Rodgers Liverpool fans will be hoping their club can turn their fortunes around and become a title threat once again. After a number of disappointing seasons the club really need to give their fans something to cheer about, sadly their movement on the transfer market so far shouldn't instill much confidence.
Incoming
Joe Allen (Swansea City)-One of the first things Brendon Rodgers did after becoming manager of Liverpool was to sign his old clubs star player Joe Allen. Allen, a Welsh Midfielder was one of Swansea's key players of the last few seasons, not only helping to get the Swans promoted (2010-2011) but helping to keep them in the premier league last season. A talented youngster Allen can turn games around, something he has done more than once, though it's quite possible that he stood out at Swansea due to his talent which may not be quite noticeable at Liverpool.
At £15 million pounds Liverpool fans need to be hoping that Allen won't follow in the footsteps of many other recent big money signings who have just flopped at putting on the red shirt. Whilst Allen is talented it seems a very hefty price tag for a player who has only had a single season in the top flight, and wasn't a huge goal scorer or provider. This is a big risk for Rodger.
Fabio Borini (Roma)-The other notable signing done by Liverpool over the summer is that of Italian Striker Fabio Borini. Borini is another player who has links to Brendon Rodgers from Rodgers' past life as a Swansea manager with Borini being the man who scored the penalty in the Championship final that sent the Swans into the Premier League. With only 37 senior games behind him I can't help but think that Rodgers has taken a serious leap of faith signing Borini, even more so when you consider his price tag was around £10 million.
Out Going
Dirk Kuyt (Fenerbache)-The industrious Dutchman Dirk Kuyt leaves Liverpool after 6 seasons to go to Turkish giants Fenerbache. Whilst Kuyt has often been slated as playing a bit like a headless chicken his contribution to the team is always second to none and he always works his socks off, so this, to me, seems like a pretty big loss.
Craig Bellamy (Cardiff City)-Whilst it was obvious that Bellamy wanted to play for Cardiff (where he had already had a successful spell) I personally think that Liverpool should have done all in their power to keep the frustrating attacker. Bellamy was, for my money, one of Liverpool's best attacking players last season though was criminally under-utilised. Bellamy's a genuine game changer and will make an impact again for Cardiff who have gotten a bargain.
Manchester City
The blue side of Manchester will be looking to retain the Premier League title they won for the first time last year. Under manager Roberto Mancini City looked an excellent team though did still have weaknesses that needed to be sorted if they are to make sure of the League title for a second successive season.
Incoming
Jack Rodwell (Everton)-Talented youngster Jack Rodwell was sold by Everton to ease their financial situation and whilst he'll serve no immediate use for Manchester City I would imagine he's in their long term plans. The defensive minded player is already experienced at Premier League level with a proven track record, he's an excellent tackler and if nothing else will be able to shore up the Man City defensive end if he's needed.
Whilst it's obvious that City don't care too much about their expenditure it's fair to say that Rodwell's price of £12 million is based on his potential, and he does have a lot of it. Depending on how he develops Manchester City could either have one of the bargains of the year or just another expensive white elephant.
Out Going
Owen Hargreaves (Unattached)-Injury prone midfielder Owen Hagreaves has been released by Manchester City after just a single season in which he played just 4 games. It's unlikely City will miss him, but his departure may well have been at least part of the reason why Jack Rodwell was signed.
Emmanuel Adebayor (Tottenham Hotspur)-Due in part to their surplus of Strikers Manchester City have sold Togolese Striker Emmanuel Adebayor to Tottenham, finally completing a move that seemed to all but signed a few weeks back. Adebayor was on loan to Spurs for much of last season and banged in a number of goals for the London outfit who will be very happy to have re-signed the hitman.
Adam Johnson (Sunderland)-City appear to be trying to offload the players that are surplus to requirements (see also Emmanuel Adebayor, above) and have let Winger Adam Johnson go to Sunderland. Whilst for Sunderland this is a noteworthy transfer it's doubt that City fans will care too much as Johnson never really fitted into Roberto Mancini's plans and often only played a bit part in games coming on as a substitute.
Manchester United
After last season's nail biting finish to the Premier League it's safe to say that Alex Ferguson wants to be back on top of the League and shut up those "noisey neighbours". He's been a busy man over summer making some real game changing transfers, but how well will they do?
Incoming
Robin Van Persie (Arsenal)-Arsenal's former talisman Robin Van Persie seemed to single handedly carry his former team to 3rd last season and has now moved to Manchester United in one of the most notable transfers of the summer. A proven Premier League player Van Persie's got a track record of scoring important goals and of turning matches around with his accuracy, vision and pace. Although injury prone he could very well be the extra fire power United need when Rooney has a dry spell.
At over £20 million Van Persie hasn't come cheaply though he has got the ability to make the price tag look like a bargain. If he can replicate his form from last season which saw him scoring 37 goals in 48 appearances for Arsenal then it'll be money well spent by Ferguson.
Shinji Kagawa (Borussia Dortmund)-Talented Japanese Midfielder Shinji Kagawa was United's first big signing of the Summer as Alex Ferguson appears to look for a long term successor to Paul Scholes. Kagawa played an influential role in Borussia Dortmund's success in the Bundesliga (German League) last season as they claimed the title, thanks in part to Kagawa's 13 league goals.
Despite coming with a price tag of around £17 million it's likely that Ferguson has pulled off a master stroke. Not only has he picked up a marketable Asian player (allowing shirt sales to Japan to rocket) but he has also picked up a game changing player who, at just 23 years old, will be a long term player in a key position for United.
Alexander Buttner (Vitesse Arnhem)-After signing two attacking players it was only a matter of time before United would add a defensive player and that's what they done by signing Dutch left back Alexander Buttner. Despite being a left back I'd expect Buttner to play his early games for the club in centre defense as the Red Devil's have been ravaged by centre back injuries (Ferdinand, Smalling, Jones and Evans were all ruled out against Everton).
At a rumoured £6 million Buttner would seem likely to be a shrewd signing and either act as cover for the injured centre backs or allow Patrice Evra to move more centrally. At just 23 years old it would seem likely that Ferguson views Buttner as a long term signing who can be developed well for the club.
Out Going
Park Ji-sung (Queens Park Rangers)-Industrious South Korean Park Ji-sung leaves United after being at United since 2005. The hard working Midfielder signed for just £4 million and was thought of as just a cynical signing to try and sell shirts in Asia though he proved himself to be a valuable player with over 200 matches for United, though he had become a less regular fixture in the past few seasons.
Newcastle
The Magpies exceeded expectation last year as they finished 5th in the Premier League and will now be hoping to go one better and get into the Champions League places. With Alan Pardew still in control the club may well manage to maintain a lofty position but I doubt they'll manage to do as well this year.
Incoming
Vurnon Anita (Ajax)-23 year old Defensive Midfielder, Vurnon Anita had been a mainstay in the Ajax team over the past few years until Newcastle managed to lure him to the Toon. The talented Dutch international is seen by some as the natural successor to Edgar Davids (who also played for both Ajax and Newcastle) and is capable of breaking play down as well as starting moves from the back with simple but effective passes.
At a little under £7 million Anita could well be yet another bargain that Pardew has managed to snap up for Newcastle thanks to super scout Graham Carr. Carr has one of the best eyes for talent in football today and it's hard to argue with his track record, so don't be shocked if Anita really shores up Newcastle's midfield.
Out Going
Leon Best (Blackbun)-Republic Of Ireland striker Leon Best was sold to Blackburn for around £3 million earlier in the summer after being a notable part of Newcastle's squad last year. Sadly for Best he's already suffered a major injury and will be out for the next 6 months or so.
Norwich City
With new manager Chris Hughton in charge of Norwich (replacing Paul Lambert) we expect solid things from Norwich who achieved a solid mid table finish of 12th last year. He's got a good base to build on but can Hughton's magic help keep Norwich up for a second season?
Incoming
Robert Snodgrass (Leeds)-One of the most notable transfers for Norwich was the signing of the influential Glaswegian Robert Snodgrass from Leeds. Last year Snodgrass was one of the most impressive players in the Championship, scoring 13 goals and assisting in 14 as he helped Leeds finish 14th in the League. Whilst he is unproven at Premier League level he has proven to be a step ahead of the average Championship player and really stood out last season.
At around £3 million Norwich have got themselves a bargain by bagging a player who will score and create goals as well as giving the team a permanent threat. This was an excellent bit of business by Hughton.
Michael Turner (Sunderland)-One of problems for Norwich last year was their defense which leaked 66 goals in 38 games, they were tied 4th for most goals conceded, as a result it seemed obvious they had to shore up their back line. In Michael Turner they have signed a very under-rated defender from Sunderland and the type of man who will give them a more solid look at the back. Like the signing of Snodgrass (above) this is excellent business and amazingly Turner cost less than £2 million.
Queens Park Rangers
When Queens Park Rangers got into the Premier League they were expected to have a safe mid table first season to build up. Instead QPR struggled through out the year and were very lucky to stave off relegation as the finished 17th. This year, with Mark Hughes at the Helm the team will be hoping for a much more comfortable season in the league. To help them Hughes has been incredibly busy in the transfer market.
Incoming
Park Ji-sung (Manchester United)-QPR have signed a huge number of players over the summer months though arguably the stand out is hard working Korean Park Ji-sung. Park is a former Manchester United midfielder who has a wealth of experience in the Premier League and knows what it takes to win. With QPR leaking goals last season Park's work ethic in attempting to get the ball back will do wonders for the team and could well help them cut the number of goals they concede despite the fact that he's not a defensive player.
At less than £3 million pounds Hughes has gotten a real steal here and QPR will be a much better team due to Park.
Samba Diakité (Nancy)-Another of QPR's key signings comes in the form of defensive Midfielder Samba Diakité who was on loan to QPR for a portion of last season. Despite only playing 9 games for QPR last season (including 1 where he was sent off) he did manage to score a goal and make a solid enough impact for QPR to want to sign him on to a permanent deal. Having made his international debut for Mali earlier this year it seems fair to say Diakité is on his way upwards and again, with QPR's defensive woes last year this looks like a smart signing for less than £4 million.
Robert Green (West Ham)-As I've already said QPR had a woeful defensive record last year, it seems however that Hughes is more than aware of this issue and has attempted to not only shore up his defense but also upgrade his keeper. In former England international Robert Green QPR have signed a solid keeper who will be worth a few points by himself. An amazing signing made all the better by the fact he was out of contract with West Ham when QPR signed him.
Out Going
Heidar Helguson (Cardiff)-Icelandic striker Heidar Helguson managed to back 9 goals in 16 league games last season for QPR to help them beat the drop though was then sold at the end of the season to Championship side Cardiff City. For a team who only scored 43 goals last season QPR may struggle to fill the void left by Helguson up front.
Paddy Kenny (Leeds)-Veteran goalkeeper Paddy Kenny was made available for transfer following the signing of Robert Green from West Ham. Leeds took advantage and managed to snap up the under-rated goal keeper for around £500,000. Oddly I have to that the big loser here is actually West Ham, Kenny is a solid keeper and will do well back in the Championship whilst Green is a very good keeper who will do well with QPR.
Reading
Following their promotion at the end of last year Reading will be hoping to stay in the Premier League at the end of this season. With Brian McDermott in charge he will be well aware of his current squad's weaknesses and will have tried to sort them out over summer.
Incoming
Pavel Pogrebnyak (VfB Stuttgart)-In a deal that genuinely shocked me, Reading managed to snap up the excellent Russian striker Pavel Pogrebnyak. Not only does Pogrebnyak have experience in the Premier League (having played 12 games for Fulham last year) but he has a proven track record of scoring goals, having bagged 6 in 12 at Fulham and 8 in 33 games for the Russian national team. This is a signing that should have all Reading fans very excited and they should view Pogrebnyak as a guaranteed 15 goals.
Considering Reading got Pogrebnyak on a free transfer this may well be the bargain of the summer. Excellent work by Brian McDermott!
Danny Guthrie (Newcastle)-Whilst Danny Guthrie will never be a major footballing star he's a solid dependable midfielder who already has Premier League experience with Newcastle. His experience will almost certainly be a bonus to a Reading who will be hoping that he can help them stay up and establish themselves in the Premier League.
Whilst Guthrie's summer was marred with incidents (notably his wedding which turned into a brawl) his move to Reading will likely help him get everything into check. Expect this signing to be a pretty good one, for bother player and club.
Southampton
The Saints have marched back into the Premier League after several years out of the league and with the excellent Nigel Adkins in charge their fans may well expect them to remain there for a while.
Incoming
Jay Rodriguez (Burnley)-The key summer signing for Southampton appears to be English striker Jay Rodriguez who spent last year banging goals in for fun (21 goals in 42 games) and gaining a lot of attention from clubs as a result. Despite only having proven his talent at Championship level Rodriguez does look like an excellent young prospect and at just 23 years old he has a lot of time to develop.
Whilst Southampton may have paid slightly over the odds at £7 million they have gotten themselves a very promising young striker who, if provided decent service should be able to bag a considerable number of goals.
Nathaniel Clyne (Crystal Palace)-Southampton have tried to shore up their defense with the talented young defender Nathaniel Clyne who has been one of Crystal Palace's stand out players over the last few years. At just 21 years old Clyne is a long term purchase though after his impressive performances at Crystal Palace it'll not be a shock if he walks straight into the first team.
Costing around £3 million Clyne could be a very good signing for the long term however we'll need to see how good he looks against Premier League strikers as the step up may be too much too quickly for a player who's still untested.
Stoke
Stoke have established themselves as a solid and reliable mid table team in the Premier League over the past few years though last year they really struggled to score goals (scoring the lowest in the Premier League with just 36). If Tony Pulis wishes to move his team up the League he will need an out an out goal scorer.
Incoming
Geoff Cameron (Houston Dynamo)-The most notable signing so far by Steve Pulis is American Defender/Midfielder Geoff Cameron who has proven to be a very versatile player who has excellent composure and and man marking abilities. Whilst Cameron has only played in the MLS he has proven himself to be a dependable player who has goals in him, mainly as a threat in the air. With Stoke's set pieces Cameron could well bag himself a few goals.
At a little under £3 million Cameron will help shore up Stoke's usually dependable defense and add an offensive threat. Whilst I think he may be surprised early on he'll warm to the challenge and become a valuable asset for Stoke.
Michael Kightly (Wolves)-Whilst Tony Pulis hasn't gone out and bagged himself an out and out goal scorer he has managed to get the dangerous winger Michael Kightly from Wolves for around £3 million. Whilst Kightly has been plagued by injuries he has got the talent that could help turn Stoke's fortune in front of goal around. Kightly has already made a mark for Stoke scoring a pre-season friendly against German side SpVgg Greuther Fürth, and he'll be looking to add more when the League starts in just a few hours time.
Sunderland
The Black Cats managed to secure a mid table finish last season under Martin O'Neill who took over after Steve Bruce was sacked and will now look to build towards getting into Europe over the next season or two. With O'Neill at the helm the team really can go a very long way.
Incoming
Carlos Cuellar (Aston Villa)-O'Neill has managed a masterstroke in signing the experienced and talented defender Carlos Cuellar on a free transfer from Aston Villa. Whilst Cuellar isn't a particularly fast player he is experienced and can be a fantastic organiser at the back and should help strengthen up the Sunderland defence. Interestingly Cuellar explained that the reason he moved to Sunderland (ahead of others teams that wanted his service) is due to O'Neill, showing just how much of an excellent man manager O'Neill is.
Steven Fletcher (Wolves)-In Sunderland's solitary big spend of the summer they have brought in striker Steven Fletcher from Wolves. The striker scored 12 league goals last season and was one of the few highlights in a season that saw Wolves relegated last season. With Premier League experience behind him and with Sunderland's attack looking a little toothless Fletcher could be a major signing in terms of how Sunderland will do this season and we would expect more goals form the Black Cats.
Costing an initial fee of £12 million (which could go up to £14 million) Sunderland have paid a hefty fee for Fletcher though due to his experience and goal record in the Premier League which has seen him scoring 30 league goals in 3 seasons in the top flight (with Burnley and Wolves) he may just about manage to justify it.
Adam Johnson (Manchester City)-Just hours after sealing the deal for Steven Fletcher (see above) Sunderland manage to sign another attacker bringing in Manchester City winger Adam Johnson. The deal had been rumoured to be close for a day or two and has now been finalised as Sunderland look to add more attacking threats to their team. Johnson, a full England international with 11 caps looks to be a very good signing for Sunderland who have got themselves a tricky wide man, though one who does often seem to be hit and miss.
The price for Johnson is undisclosed though believed to be as much as £10 million, however Johnson did take a notable pay cut to join the Blackcats and get some regular first team football.
Out Going
Asamoah Gyan (Al Ain)-The talented Ghanian Striker Asamoah Gyan was out on loan for much of last season at Al Ain in the United Arab Emirates, as expected by many he finalised a permanent deal over the summer. Sunderland managed to earn £6 million from the sale of Gyan who is now on a staggering £140,000 a week!
Michael Turner (Norwich)-The talented defender Michael Turner has moved to Norwich where he will be expected to strengthen the back line of the Canaries. Turner could be a notable loss for Sunderland though with Cuellar coming in it's likely O'Neill has a ready made replacement.
Swansea City
The biggest changes at Swansea over the summer appear to be off the pitch as manager Brendon Rodgers left the club to manage Liverpool and was replaced by Danish legend Michael Laudrup. This however doesn't mean the squad is anything like it was last year.
Incoming
Jose Manuel Flores (Genoa)-Manager Michael Laudrup has attempted to shore up Swansea's defence by bringing in Spanish defender Jose Manuel Flores. Whilst Flores hasn't had a huge amount of experience at the higher levels he has been impressive at Mallorca where he has run up 33 matches. Capable of playing at either right back or centre back it's likely Flores will be used as a bit of a defensive utility man by Swansea. Having cost around £2 million Flores is a risk but a relatively cheap risk.
Michu (Rayo Vallecano)-Whilst Flores (see above) has been brought in to shore up the defense of Swansea is seems obvious that Luadrup also realises he needs more fire power. With that in mind he seems to have seen Spaniard Michu as the perfect solution. The attacking Midfielder has experience in La Liga (Spanish top flight) with Rayo Vallecano with whom he managed to score 17 goals in 39 games last season (15 in 37 League games).
At £2 million Michu looks an excellent purchase for Swansea and seems to be the type of player who has been overlooked by other teams.
Ki Sung-Yueng (Celtic)-Swansea secured a real coup by picking up South Korean international Ki Sung-Yueng from Scottish champions Celtic. The dynamic midfielder was one of the keys to Celtic's success and will almost certainly be seen as the like-for-like replacement for Joe Allen see below). Ki adds a real touch of class to the Midfield and will be able to pull the strings in the middle of the park for the Swans.
At around £6.5 million Laudrup has got himself an excellent young player who, at less than half the price of Allen, is likely to be the ideal replacement. A genuinely excellent signing.
Out Going
Joe Allen (Liverpool)-Despite the fact Joe Allen was one of, if not the, best Swansea player last season I have a feeling Swansea will be more than happy at the £16 million they were paid for Allen to join former manager Brendon Rodgers. Don't get me wrong Allen WILL be missed by Swansea on the pitch but I have a feeling that the money Liverpool have paid for him will be more than enough to compensate their loss.
Tottenham Hotspur
Like a number of teams Spurs have had more happening in their managerial seat than they may ideally have wanted. Firstly they sacked Harry Redknapp, despite the fact he had taken Spurs to 4th in the Premier League, they then replaced him with the highly regarded Andre Villas-Boas.
Incoming
Jan Vertonghen (Ajax)-Spurs have made a number of signings, one of the biggest was the signing of Belgian defender Jan Vertonghen. Vertonghen made his name playing at Ajax where he played 155 times including a number of games as captain and scored an impressive 23 goals despite being a defender. The left footed defender is a versatile player capable of not only playing in defense but also midfield and also posses a serious goal threat due to his thunderbolt strike.
At just shy of £10 million Spurs have gotten a very, very good player on their hands and a player I expect will make a big impact this season.
Gylfi Sigurdsson (1899 Hoffenheim)-The first signing Andre Villas-Boas made after taking the hot seat at Spurs was Icelandic midfielder Gylfi Sigurdsson. Sigurdsson, a set piece specialist has a tremendous shot and is considered a real goal threat from distance. As well as being a brilliant player at Hoffenheim Sigurdsson has already made his mark on the Premier League having played at Swansea last season where he scored 7 goals in 18 games.
At £8 million Sigurdsson should be good value for money and should be an excellent attacking Midfielder for Spurs who could have done with another goal threat last year.
Emmanuel Adebayor (Manchester City)-Tottenham looked very lightweight up front in their opening game of the season (a 2-1 defeat to Newcastle) with only Jermain Defoe being a fit and proven striker for the Spurs. They've now added to their strike force by signing Emmanuel Adebayor, who was on loan last season. Last year Adebayor netted a number of goals for Spurs and they'll be looking for him to repeat that this year.
At a reported £5 million Adebayor appears to be a bargain with a proven track record in the Premier League. Spurs will be expecting at least 15 goals from Adebayor and with their need for a fit Striker this is a great move for both the club, and the player (who was well down the picking order at City).
Mousa Dembele (Fulham)-Just days after Tottenham sold Luka Modric they splashed the cash and brought in Belgian Mousa Dembele from Fulham. Dembele may not quite be the player that Modric was but he is an excellent signing and showed his class for Fulham more than once, in fact in his previous game for Fulham he gave Manchester United a nightmare.
Rumoured to have cost around £15 million Dembele certainly wasn't cheap though will have been bought with "Modric money".
Out Going
Niko Kranjcar (Dynamo Kiev)-The often over looked Kranjcar leaves Spurs after 3 years (2009-2012) to join up with Ukrainian team Dynamo Kiev. This deal has seen Spurs getting just shy of £6 million for a player that, in all honesty was becoming merely a bit part player for Spurs.
Vedran Corluka (Lokomotiv Moscow)-Croatian defender Vedran Corluka left Spurs after having been at the club from 2008-2012. Corluka was loaned out for part of last season to Bayer Leverkusen as it seemed Spurs were wanting to offload him. Lokomotiv Moscow paid around £5.5 million for Corluka which isn't a bad payment for Spurs for another player that really wasn't getting match time.
Steven Pienaar (Everton)-Popular South African goes back to Everton where he has previously had 2 spells. This deal, worth around £4.5 million seems to be a deal that is best for everyone involved with Pienaar already admitting that he wanted to go back to Everton, Everton needing some more talent and Spurs getting rid of someone who wasn't playing for them.
Luka Modric (Real Madrid)-If you're a Spurs fan this is probably the news you've been dreading. Midfielder Luke Modric, one of the stars for the Tottenham Hotspur team over the last few seasons has left. His departure will be a huge loss for Spurs however the lovely £30 million that they've managed to get from Real Madrid should go back into players for Andre Villas-Boas.
West Bromwich Albion
The Baggies had an unexpectedly solid season last year finishing 10th under the guidance of current England manager Roy Hodgson. To replace Hodgson the Baggies have hired the popular Steve Clarke.
Incoming
Ben Foster (Birmingham)-The biggest summer signing for West Brom appears to be the £4 million transfer to bring goal keeper Ben Foster to the team on a permanent basis from local rivals Birmingham. This transfer comes after Foster spent the season on loan at WBA for most of last season. Aside from this deal WBA haven't really bout anyone (though they do have Romelu Lukaku on loan).
Out Going
Simon Cox (Nottingham Forrest)-West Brom sold Republic of Ireland striker Simon Cox to Nottingham Forrest for around £2 million. Cox was found not to have the ability to score regularly in the Premier League and a move down to a lower league may favour the player who can improve and bag a few more goals, much like he did when he was playing for Swindon.
West Ham United
With Sam Allardyce in charge West Ham have managed to work their way back into the Premier League. Whilst their fans might not be too fond of the way Sam has had the team playing they won't complain too much if they have continued success. Sam's history of shrewd transfers is likely to help re-establish West Ham as a continuing Premier League presence.
Incoming
Modibo Maïga (Sochaux)-West Ham have added some real firepower in the signing of Malian forward Modibo Maïga from French club Sochaux where scored 24 goals in 59 appearances. Although, as we all know, Ligue 1 (the top flight of French football) isn't the Premier League his record as a goal scorer is still very impressive. Aged just 24 West Ham have cleverly inked him to a 4 year deal (with an extra 2 years being optional). For less than £5 million West Ham have got a very promising striker on their hands.
James Collins (Aston Villa)-West Ham have re-signed former player James Collins the Welsh international defender who spent several years at West Ham before joining Villa. Collins is generally well liked by the 'ammers fans who will see this as Collins returnign to his footballing home and, if he can manage to have a spell as good as his last one for the club they will be wanting him to remain their until he retires. At £2.5 million West Ham will not feel too annoyed about the price.
Jussi Jaaskelainen (Bolton)-Arguably West Ham's best signing is veteran keeper Jussi Jaaskelainen who leaves Bolton after 15 years to join back up with former manager Sam Allardyce. Whilst this is a good signing it seems like a very short term one with Jaaskelainen now being 37, and with Robert Green leaving the club this seems like a case of being a stop gap before Allardyce lines up a long term keeper.
Matt Jarvis (Wolves)-With just a few days left in the transfer window it's fair to say that Sam Allardyce has made his biggest signing of the summer as he's blown the cash on bringing in the excellent Matt Jarvis from Wolves. The attack minded Jarvis has proven himself already in the Premier League with Wolves and tormented the Manchester United defense (amongst others) with some dazzling performances. Jarvis will give the Hammers a serious threat down the flanks and will both score and create goals as well tying up opposition defenses, a genuinely exciting signing by West Ham.
Costing a reported £10.5 million (with £7.5 million up front) West Ham have really opened up the cheque book here though with Jarvis being a proven quality in the Premier League I honestly think they have got a value signing.
Out Going
Robert Green (QPR)-After his contract expired at the end of last season Robert Green left West Ham on a free transfer and joined QPR. Whilst Jaaskelainen may be a good stop gap, the loss of Green may be something that takes several years for West Ham to get over.
Wigan Athletic
Perennial Premier League strugglers Wigan Athletic will likely get dragged into the mire once again if manager Roberto Martinez doesn't manage to make some major signings over summer. Whilst Roberto Martinez is an excellent manager he has struggled some what to get the team into a safe position.
Incoming
Ivan Ramis (Mallorca)-Wigan have tried to shore up their defense by signing Spanish defender Ivan Ramis from Mallorca. Whilst the defensive woes of Wigan have been a major problem over the past few years, I'm not too sure just how much Ramis will manage to help. At almost £5 million Ramis does seem over priced from what little I've seen of him, though he could surprise me.
Arouna Kone (Levante)-As well as the defensive woes Wigan have also struggled to score goals in recent seasons, so it's nice to see Roberto Martinez has signed a striker in the form of Ivory Coast national team player Arouna Kone. Despite being an excellent player Kone has been unfortunate with injuries in recent seasons and Wigan will have to hope that Kone can remain fit for the season.
Out Going
Hugo Rodallega (Fulham)-Wigan's all time leading goal scorer left the club in summer as his contract expired. It was thought that Rodallega would leave in the January transfer window earlier this year though no deal was confirmed and he was allowed to leave for free in summer. Wigan will sorely miss Rodallega.
Victor Moses (Chelsea)-Nigerian striker Victor Moses has gone from Wigan to Chelsea for around £9-10 million. Whilst this is a "good move" for Chelsea who have strengthened their squad this will seriously hurt Wigan who have further dilapidated their attacking force and whilst Moses may have upped his wages he will struggle for game time at the Bridge.
Final Day Transfers
Rather than a full edit of the above, I've decided to just add the most notable recent transfers to a new section at the bottom here:
Bryan Oviedo (Copenhagen-Everton)-Everton sign a left sided international to play either at the back or in midfield
Dimitar Berbatov (Manchester United-Fulham)-The wonderfully gifted (but frustratingly lazy) Bulgarian striker made his move to London where we may again get to see him do his thing.
Keiran Richardson (Sunderland-Fulham)-Former Manchester United player goes to Fulham as Martin Jol gets a bargain. Versatile player who will be able to fill in a few positions
Javi Garcia (Benfica-Manchester City)-In an attempt to replace Nigel De Jong, Roberto Mancini has brought in Spanish international Garcia.
Matija Nastasic (Fiorentina-Manchester City)-The key to this move may not have been the £13 million that City spent but the fact they got rid of the frankly useless Stefan Savic.
Scott Sinclair (Swansea-Manchester City)-Scott Sinclair loses all rights to claim he wears the pants as his missus decides to return to Manchester. Poor Scotty won't play much but Swansea get £6.2 million.
Richard Wright (Unattached-Manchester City)-Surprising 3rd choice goal keeper for City.
Charlie Adam (Liverpool-Stoke)-Charlie Adam's nightmare on Merseyside is over as he signs for Steve Pulis in the Potteries. He will likely be able to again play football!
Pablo Hernandez (Valencia-Swansea)-Swansea try to replace Scott Sinclair (see above) with Spaniard Pablo Hernandez who links up again with Michael Laudrup.
Clint Dempsey (Fulham-Tottenham Hotspur)-Fulham's want away Clint Dempsey got his wishes and has ended up not at Liverpool (as rumoured) but instead at Spurs. Spurs' attack has a boost but still looks to be really lacking.
Rafael van der Vaart (Tottenham Hotspur-Hamburg)-Dutch magician returns to the team he made his name, Tottenham get £10 million
Hugo Lloris (Lyon-Tottenham)-Tottenham sign a world class goal keeper by bringing in Frenchman Hugo Lloris. An excellent signing for Spurs, though was it just a sign that they know they have let go of a number of top players.
Often the most interesting thing over the summer months for the average football fan are the transfers that their club makes. Like almost every summer since the "Transfer Window" was brought in we've had some major moves that could make, or break a clubs season.
Arsenal
Arsenal have had a really busy summer with a number of players leaving including several key players whilst they have also spent cash as they tried to bolster their squad.
Incoming-
Olivier Giroud (Montpellier)-The 25 year old French Striker is a physical player and may be able to give Arsenal that weight up front that they often seem to lack. Sadly however he is relatively unproven at the highest level with 1 international goal in 10 games. He did however score 21 goals last season in Ligue 1 and scored 25 goals in total last season in 43 games.
At around £10 Million Wenger has taken a bit of a gamble, though he is a player that may help Arsenal become a little bit more direct with their attacks.
Lukas Podoloski (Cologne)-The 27 year old German Forward is one of the most proven players in world football. With over 100 German caps (and 44 goals for the national team) their is no questioning Podolski's pedigree at national level and likewise with 112 goals at club level this man is a capable goal scorer.
Despite being an excellent player some do feel that Podolski is slightly on the wane, however at just 27 years old he is still a player with several years left in his legs. Rumoured to have cost around £12 million Podolski could well turn out to be one of the buys of the season
Santi Cazorla (Malaga)-Spaniard Santi Cazorla is, like Podolski 27 years old and very well regarded as both a winger and an attacking midfielder. Whilst not regarded as a serious goal threat he does make goals and he does torment defences. Out of the 3 big signings for Arsenal Cazorla looks like the best match and should manage to to fit into the Arsenale team with out too many problems.
At around £15 million Cazorla may have been a little pricey though he has got the ability to change games and may have been a very shrewd purchase by Wenger who seems to have wanted to add experience to his squad.
Out Going
Robin Van Persie (Manchester United)-Dutchman Robin Van Persie was Arsenal's talisman last season and his stats said it all as he carried the Arsenal attack almost solely on his shoulders. With out him Arsenal may struggle to continue the momentum they finished last year on and his absence will be felt both on the pitch and in the changing rooms. Wenger will seriously need to hope that one of his new signings can fill the gap that "RVP" has left.
Carlos Vela (Real Socieded)-Mexican Striker Carlos Vela was bought with high expectation though sadly failed to live up to them scoring just 3 goals for Arsenal in 29 games. Vela has spent much of the last few years loaned out and now joins Real Socieded on a permanent contract after a very succesful spell their last year in which he scored 12 in 35 games.
Manuel Almunia (Watford)-Spanish born keeper Manuel Almunia had fallen out of favour at Arsenal back in the 2010-2011 season due to the emergence of Polish pair Wojciech Szczęsny and Łukasz Fabiański. He was released from his contract at the end of last season and has now gone to Championship side Watford in what could be a very good signing for The Hornets.
Alex Song (Barcelona)-Want away Cameroonian Alex Song finally got his wish as Arsenal and Barcelona agreed terms. The defensively minded player's move has netted Arsenal a rumoured £16 million which will likely be reinvested in the club if Arsene Wenger sees a viable target. Having spent much of the last 7 years at Arsenal Song's departure could be a bit hit, especially considering his 11 assists last year though he made it clear he wanted to leave the Gunner leaving Wenger's hands rather tied.
Aston Villa
After a disappointing season last year Aston Villa have replaced manger Alex McLeish with Paul Lambert in arguably the biggest transfer for the team. Aside from Lambert Villa have some very promising players who will hopefully help Lambert take the team forward.
Incoming
Ron Vlaar (Feyenoord)-The Dutch centre back is a very well experienced player with over 140 games in the Eredivisie (Dutch League) and 10 international caps and has long been a well regarded defender. Sadly for Ron he has had a career blighted by injury and missed an alarming number of games due to various injuries. Villa will be hoping that he stays fit and can shore up a defence that conceded 53 goals last season.
At around £3 million Vlaar could be one of the best signings in the league, as long as he can stay fit.
Matthew Lowton (Sheffield United)-Defensive utility man Matthew Lowton can play anywhere along the back and like Vlaar it seems like he has been brought in to shore up a defence that simply let in too many goals last season. At just 23 years old it's obvious that Lowton has been brought in for the long term and it appears that Villa are doing the right thing with bringing in a youngster.
Costing around £4 million Lowton appears to be a bit of a bargain, though he hasn't yet played at the Premier League before he still appears to have the ability the make a mark in the Villa defence.
Karim El Ahmadi (Feyenoord)-The Dutch born Moroccan international is yet another defensively minded players, playing in a defensive midfield role. With over 170 games in the Eredivisie he's experienced and appears to be a player that will not only shore up the team defensively (which appears to have been Villa's worry over summer) but also grab a goal or two every season.
With a price tag of £2-3 million the signing of El Ahmadi may well turn out to be another very shrewd move by Paul Lambert who appears to have seen that Villa's issue is defense and has attempted to shore it up before the new season kicks off.
Brett Holman (AZ Alkmaar)-As well as the defensive signings (see above) that Villa have made they have also signed Australian winger Brett Holman, who was actually the club's first signing of the summer. Whilst Holman is a goal threat having scored regularly at Alkmaar as well as on the international stage (including grabbing 2 at the 2010 World cup) he is more of a provider and will be expected to help Villa increase their paltry 37 goals from last season.
As a free signing (his contract with Alkmaar had expired) Holman looks like he could have been an excellent acquisition for Villa who desperately need more goals than last season if they are to reach fans expectations of a mid table finish.
Out Going
Emile Heskey (Unattached)-The much maligned Emile Heskey has been released by Villa and has yet to be picked up by a club. With just 9 goals in 92 games for Villa Heskey really was a bit of a flop and with just a solitary goal last year it's no wonder he's been released.
Carlos Cuellar (Sunderland)-Spanish veteran Carlos Cuellar left the club when his contract expired at the end of last season and will almost certainly be a big loss for Villa, in fact his move away from the club may explain the purchase of a number of defensively minded players as they look to fill the gap left by the well liked Cuellar.
James Collins (West Ham)-Centre back James Collins leaves Villa for the club he was at before Villa, returning to West Ham where he spent 4 seasons. The Welsh international is, like Cuellar, part of the reason that Villa spent so much on shoring up their defense.
Chelsea
Following the success of winning the Champions League it appears Roman Abramovich has opened to purse strings and allowed manager Roberto Di Matteo access to plenty of funds as he goes chasing more success this year as Chelsea chase the two Manchester clubs.
Incoming
Eden Hazard (Lille)-The stand out signing for Chelsea over the summer was Belgian international Eden Hazard who plays as either a winger or an attacking midfielder. The highly regarded 21 year old has amassed an alarming amount of experience for someone so young with over 140 appearances for Lille and 29 Belgian caps, though will be stepping up a level to play in the much more physical Premier League. Whilst Hazard is talented he may well find himself bullied over the next 12 months and his diminutive 5'7" frame will be a target for opponents.
At £32-35 million Hazard looks a little bit over priced to me though with Roman's millions I doubt Chelsea care too much. Hazard will be a long term Chelsea player and alongside Juan Mata Chelsea are going to create a lot of goals this coming season.
Oscar dos Santos Emboaba Júnior (Sport Club Internacional)-Young Brazilian attacker Oscar will have huge boots to fill as he takes the #11 shirt at Chelsea (the number formerly worn by Didier Drogba) though from his reputation he'll more than just fill them. The Brazilian national team player is only 20 years old though has been hotly tipped as a star of the future and had not only Chelsea after him over the summer but also Barcelona and AC Milan. In the recent Olympic games Oscar managed to show off his talent, making a number of Brazil's goals in the competition as well as scoring one himself.
Although he cost a reported £25 million no one at Chelsea will care too much about the money, especially if Oscar fulfills his potential. This is a young kid who could easily take the league by storm over the next few years and I seriously suspect that he will outshine Hazard.
Marko Marin (Werder Bremen)-Young German attacker Marko Marin has been described by some as "The German Messi" due to his exceptional ball control and creativity. Like Oscar and Eden Hazard (above) Marin is an attacker who can make goals and will be a huge asset for Chelsea in the long term with his ability to completely change a game. Despite being a very talented player Marin isn't a goal scorer as such, preferring to be the provider and whilst this is unlikely to be an issue a question needs to be asked about just how many providers Chelsea can really have at once.
Costing around £7 million Marin is one of Chelsea's cheaper purchases though seems to be another long term signing having inked a reported 5 year deal. It appears, to me anyway, as though Di Matteo is planning not only for the future but also for an exciting time as Chelsea manager. The three signings I've looked at here are all exciting, young, attacking players who have the potential to make Chelsea one of the most dominant and fun to watch teams in the Premier League.
Cesar Azpilicueta (Marseille)-In what would appear to be one of Chelsea's final signings they have brought in Spanish defender Cesar Azpilicueta. The right-back, formerly of Osasuna has appeared for Spain at various levels and whilst he is unlikely to get much game time this season the 22 year old will likely be a long term replacement and a player who has been brought in to strengthen the squad. Azpilicueta becomes the 4th Spaniard at Chelsea (joining Juan Mata, Oriol Romeu and Fernando Torres) and will likely be made to feel at home by his team mates who, in the case of Mata and Torres are pivotal players.
The price of around £6.5 million is perhaps more than he is currently worth, though with Roman's rubles and the long term potential of Azpilicueta, Chelsea fans will know that he's not going to harm them financially and will likely force his way into the team or be sold on.
Victor Moses (Wigan)-Chelsea's attack force has looked relatively toothless despite having 6 goals in their first two games, to sort this out they've added another threat signing Nigerian international Victor Moses from Wigan. Whilsts Moses is unlikely to get many starts this season he does give Roberto Di Matteo another goal threat and is a different type of player to Fernando Torres.
At a rumoured £9-10 million it would genuinely appear that Chelsea have paid a little over the odds for what they are getting though Wigan will likely need to use the money quickly if they are to a replacement in before the transfer window closes.
Out Going
Didier Drogba (Shanghai Shenhua)-It was known well before the Champions League final that Didier Drogba was leaving the club, though his departure will still be a massive blow to Chelsea who had not only a goal scorer in Drogba but also a player who had speed, power and strength and was of course capable of changing a game on his own. Despite signing a number of attacking players I'm not sure they've managed to really replace Drogba.
Salomon Kalou (Lille)-The French attacking Midfielder saw his contract expire at the end of last season. With over 150 games for Chelsea Kalou was a regular though he appears to have been let go with the idea that Chelsea would bring in a direct replacement, and in fact looking at Chelsea's biggest signings over Summer they appear to have done just that. With out trying to be too harsh I doubt many will really miss Kalou.
José Bosingwa (Queens Park Rangers)-Like Kalou, Bosingwa was allowed to leave at the end of last season when his contract expired. The exciting and attacking wing back did appear to have potential at Chelsea and put in a number of excellent performances, including in the Champions League final, so his departure is a bit of a surprise in all honesty.
Everton
David Moyes may have been wanting to strengthen his squad over summer though sadly it appears the opposite has happened with a number of key players having left the Toffees to try and help with the financial situation at the club.
Incoming
Steven Pienaar (Tottenham Hotspur)-South African Winger Steven Pienaar is Everton's only notable signing over the summer. Having already spent several years at Everton it was little surprise to see Pienaar back there this season. The talented and well like player first played for Everton back in the 2007-2008 season on a loan deal from Borussia Dortmund before being signed permanently the following year. After a 3 year spell with Everton (2008-2011) Tottenham Hotspur signed him then loaned him back to Everton who have resigned him permanently.
At around £4.5 million Pienaar is a genuinely fantastic signing for Moyes and is a player who genuinely wants to be at Everton. He's been a star for them when he's for played them in the past and I cannot see anyway in which he will let them down.
Kevin Mirallas (Olympiakos)-Since the season started just a few days ago, Everton have made their second major signing, bringing in Belgian international Kevin Mirallas to try and add some potency up front. Mirallas, who scored 20 goals last season was the top scorer in the Superleague Greece (Greek top flight) and will be expected to help bolster an Everton attack that managed 50 goals last year.
Having cost around £6 million it's fair to assume that Moyes had to wait until the transfer of Jack Rodwell (see below) was complete before snapping up the talented Winger/Forward who, alongside Nikica Jelavić should bring plenty of goals for the Toffees.
Out Going
Tim Cahill (New York Red Bulls)-Feisty Australian Tim Cahill was the heart beat of the Everton team over the last few years and his departure will really hurt the Toffees who are with out one of (if not the) most influential player the club has had over the last few years. This is one of those losses that will really, really damage the team
Jack Rodwell (Manchester City)-The financial situation at Everton made the loss of Rodwell an obvious one going into the summer and whilst Everton may have picked up £12 million the loss of the youngster, combined with the loss of Cahill (see above) really do show just how severe the situation is at Everton.
Fulham
With Martin Jol at the helm Fulham know they are in safe hands and after finishing 9th last season they may even be hoping to earn a Europa League berth at the end of this season. Saying that however they've not really spent a great deal so far despite being linked to a number of players.
Incoming
Hugo Rodallega (Wigan)-Colombian striker Hugo Rodallega made it clear that he wanted to leave Wigan in the Winter transfer window and surprisingly no one managed to snap up the talented South American who left on a free transfer at the end of the season. As a result Fulham have got themselves a real bargain. Despite being a striker, he has lacked goals in recent seasons, though that was partly down to the poor supply at Wigan. If Fulham can create chances Rodallega will score which is why this is such a shrewd move by Jol who has picked up a goalscorer who's record doesn't show the full facts.
Out Going
Andrew Johnson (Queens Park Rangers)-Former England international Andrew Johnson was released when his contract expired at the end of last season. The once promising striker has somewhat failed to live up to expectation and with just 6 goals in the last 2 seasons combined it's little wonder that Jol has let him go.
Mousa Dembele (Tottenham)-The big sale for Fulham appears to be the loss of Belgian attacker Mousa Dembele who looked spectacular against Manchester United less than a week ago. Dembele, originally a £5million pound signing appears to have gone for around £15 million.
Liverpool
Under new manager Brendon Rodgers Liverpool fans will be hoping their club can turn their fortunes around and become a title threat once again. After a number of disappointing seasons the club really need to give their fans something to cheer about, sadly their movement on the transfer market so far shouldn't instill much confidence.
Incoming
Joe Allen (Swansea City)-One of the first things Brendon Rodgers did after becoming manager of Liverpool was to sign his old clubs star player Joe Allen. Allen, a Welsh Midfielder was one of Swansea's key players of the last few seasons, not only helping to get the Swans promoted (2010-2011) but helping to keep them in the premier league last season. A talented youngster Allen can turn games around, something he has done more than once, though it's quite possible that he stood out at Swansea due to his talent which may not be quite noticeable at Liverpool.
At £15 million pounds Liverpool fans need to be hoping that Allen won't follow in the footsteps of many other recent big money signings who have just flopped at putting on the red shirt. Whilst Allen is talented it seems a very hefty price tag for a player who has only had a single season in the top flight, and wasn't a huge goal scorer or provider. This is a big risk for Rodger.
Fabio Borini (Roma)-The other notable signing done by Liverpool over the summer is that of Italian Striker Fabio Borini. Borini is another player who has links to Brendon Rodgers from Rodgers' past life as a Swansea manager with Borini being the man who scored the penalty in the Championship final that sent the Swans into the Premier League. With only 37 senior games behind him I can't help but think that Rodgers has taken a serious leap of faith signing Borini, even more so when you consider his price tag was around £10 million.
Out Going
Dirk Kuyt (Fenerbache)-The industrious Dutchman Dirk Kuyt leaves Liverpool after 6 seasons to go to Turkish giants Fenerbache. Whilst Kuyt has often been slated as playing a bit like a headless chicken his contribution to the team is always second to none and he always works his socks off, so this, to me, seems like a pretty big loss.
Craig Bellamy (Cardiff City)-Whilst it was obvious that Bellamy wanted to play for Cardiff (where he had already had a successful spell) I personally think that Liverpool should have done all in their power to keep the frustrating attacker. Bellamy was, for my money, one of Liverpool's best attacking players last season though was criminally under-utilised. Bellamy's a genuine game changer and will make an impact again for Cardiff who have gotten a bargain.
Manchester City
The blue side of Manchester will be looking to retain the Premier League title they won for the first time last year. Under manager Roberto Mancini City looked an excellent team though did still have weaknesses that needed to be sorted if they are to make sure of the League title for a second successive season.
Incoming
Jack Rodwell (Everton)-Talented youngster Jack Rodwell was sold by Everton to ease their financial situation and whilst he'll serve no immediate use for Manchester City I would imagine he's in their long term plans. The defensive minded player is already experienced at Premier League level with a proven track record, he's an excellent tackler and if nothing else will be able to shore up the Man City defensive end if he's needed.
Whilst it's obvious that City don't care too much about their expenditure it's fair to say that Rodwell's price of £12 million is based on his potential, and he does have a lot of it. Depending on how he develops Manchester City could either have one of the bargains of the year or just another expensive white elephant.
Out Going
Owen Hargreaves (Unattached)-Injury prone midfielder Owen Hagreaves has been released by Manchester City after just a single season in which he played just 4 games. It's unlikely City will miss him, but his departure may well have been at least part of the reason why Jack Rodwell was signed.
Emmanuel Adebayor (Tottenham Hotspur)-Due in part to their surplus of Strikers Manchester City have sold Togolese Striker Emmanuel Adebayor to Tottenham, finally completing a move that seemed to all but signed a few weeks back. Adebayor was on loan to Spurs for much of last season and banged in a number of goals for the London outfit who will be very happy to have re-signed the hitman.
Adam Johnson (Sunderland)-City appear to be trying to offload the players that are surplus to requirements (see also Emmanuel Adebayor, above) and have let Winger Adam Johnson go to Sunderland. Whilst for Sunderland this is a noteworthy transfer it's doubt that City fans will care too much as Johnson never really fitted into Roberto Mancini's plans and often only played a bit part in games coming on as a substitute.
Manchester United
After last season's nail biting finish to the Premier League it's safe to say that Alex Ferguson wants to be back on top of the League and shut up those "noisey neighbours". He's been a busy man over summer making some real game changing transfers, but how well will they do?
Incoming
Robin Van Persie (Arsenal)-Arsenal's former talisman Robin Van Persie seemed to single handedly carry his former team to 3rd last season and has now moved to Manchester United in one of the most notable transfers of the summer. A proven Premier League player Van Persie's got a track record of scoring important goals and of turning matches around with his accuracy, vision and pace. Although injury prone he could very well be the extra fire power United need when Rooney has a dry spell.
At over £20 million Van Persie hasn't come cheaply though he has got the ability to make the price tag look like a bargain. If he can replicate his form from last season which saw him scoring 37 goals in 48 appearances for Arsenal then it'll be money well spent by Ferguson.
Shinji Kagawa (Borussia Dortmund)-Talented Japanese Midfielder Shinji Kagawa was United's first big signing of the Summer as Alex Ferguson appears to look for a long term successor to Paul Scholes. Kagawa played an influential role in Borussia Dortmund's success in the Bundesliga (German League) last season as they claimed the title, thanks in part to Kagawa's 13 league goals.
Despite coming with a price tag of around £17 million it's likely that Ferguson has pulled off a master stroke. Not only has he picked up a marketable Asian player (allowing shirt sales to Japan to rocket) but he has also picked up a game changing player who, at just 23 years old, will be a long term player in a key position for United.
Alexander Buttner (Vitesse Arnhem)-After signing two attacking players it was only a matter of time before United would add a defensive player and that's what they done by signing Dutch left back Alexander Buttner. Despite being a left back I'd expect Buttner to play his early games for the club in centre defense as the Red Devil's have been ravaged by centre back injuries (Ferdinand, Smalling, Jones and Evans were all ruled out against Everton).
At a rumoured £6 million Buttner would seem likely to be a shrewd signing and either act as cover for the injured centre backs or allow Patrice Evra to move more centrally. At just 23 years old it would seem likely that Ferguson views Buttner as a long term signing who can be developed well for the club.
Out Going
Park Ji-sung (Queens Park Rangers)-Industrious South Korean Park Ji-sung leaves United after being at United since 2005. The hard working Midfielder signed for just £4 million and was thought of as just a cynical signing to try and sell shirts in Asia though he proved himself to be a valuable player with over 200 matches for United, though he had become a less regular fixture in the past few seasons.
Newcastle
The Magpies exceeded expectation last year as they finished 5th in the Premier League and will now be hoping to go one better and get into the Champions League places. With Alan Pardew still in control the club may well manage to maintain a lofty position but I doubt they'll manage to do as well this year.
Incoming
Vurnon Anita (Ajax)-23 year old Defensive Midfielder, Vurnon Anita had been a mainstay in the Ajax team over the past few years until Newcastle managed to lure him to the Toon. The talented Dutch international is seen by some as the natural successor to Edgar Davids (who also played for both Ajax and Newcastle) and is capable of breaking play down as well as starting moves from the back with simple but effective passes.
At a little under £7 million Anita could well be yet another bargain that Pardew has managed to snap up for Newcastle thanks to super scout Graham Carr. Carr has one of the best eyes for talent in football today and it's hard to argue with his track record, so don't be shocked if Anita really shores up Newcastle's midfield.
Out Going
Leon Best (Blackbun)-Republic Of Ireland striker Leon Best was sold to Blackburn for around £3 million earlier in the summer after being a notable part of Newcastle's squad last year. Sadly for Best he's already suffered a major injury and will be out for the next 6 months or so.
Norwich City
With new manager Chris Hughton in charge of Norwich (replacing Paul Lambert) we expect solid things from Norwich who achieved a solid mid table finish of 12th last year. He's got a good base to build on but can Hughton's magic help keep Norwich up for a second season?
Incoming
Robert Snodgrass (Leeds)-One of the most notable transfers for Norwich was the signing of the influential Glaswegian Robert Snodgrass from Leeds. Last year Snodgrass was one of the most impressive players in the Championship, scoring 13 goals and assisting in 14 as he helped Leeds finish 14th in the League. Whilst he is unproven at Premier League level he has proven to be a step ahead of the average Championship player and really stood out last season.
At around £3 million Norwich have got themselves a bargain by bagging a player who will score and create goals as well as giving the team a permanent threat. This was an excellent bit of business by Hughton.
Michael Turner (Sunderland)-One of problems for Norwich last year was their defense which leaked 66 goals in 38 games, they were tied 4th for most goals conceded, as a result it seemed obvious they had to shore up their back line. In Michael Turner they have signed a very under-rated defender from Sunderland and the type of man who will give them a more solid look at the back. Like the signing of Snodgrass (above) this is excellent business and amazingly Turner cost less than £2 million.
Queens Park Rangers
When Queens Park Rangers got into the Premier League they were expected to have a safe mid table first season to build up. Instead QPR struggled through out the year and were very lucky to stave off relegation as the finished 17th. This year, with Mark Hughes at the Helm the team will be hoping for a much more comfortable season in the league. To help them Hughes has been incredibly busy in the transfer market.
Incoming
Park Ji-sung (Manchester United)-QPR have signed a huge number of players over the summer months though arguably the stand out is hard working Korean Park Ji-sung. Park is a former Manchester United midfielder who has a wealth of experience in the Premier League and knows what it takes to win. With QPR leaking goals last season Park's work ethic in attempting to get the ball back will do wonders for the team and could well help them cut the number of goals they concede despite the fact that he's not a defensive player.
At less than £3 million pounds Hughes has gotten a real steal here and QPR will be a much better team due to Park.
Samba Diakité (Nancy)-Another of QPR's key signings comes in the form of defensive Midfielder Samba Diakité who was on loan to QPR for a portion of last season. Despite only playing 9 games for QPR last season (including 1 where he was sent off) he did manage to score a goal and make a solid enough impact for QPR to want to sign him on to a permanent deal. Having made his international debut for Mali earlier this year it seems fair to say Diakité is on his way upwards and again, with QPR's defensive woes last year this looks like a smart signing for less than £4 million.
Robert Green (West Ham)-As I've already said QPR had a woeful defensive record last year, it seems however that Hughes is more than aware of this issue and has attempted to not only shore up his defense but also upgrade his keeper. In former England international Robert Green QPR have signed a solid keeper who will be worth a few points by himself. An amazing signing made all the better by the fact he was out of contract with West Ham when QPR signed him.
Out Going
Heidar Helguson (Cardiff)-Icelandic striker Heidar Helguson managed to back 9 goals in 16 league games last season for QPR to help them beat the drop though was then sold at the end of the season to Championship side Cardiff City. For a team who only scored 43 goals last season QPR may struggle to fill the void left by Helguson up front.
Paddy Kenny (Leeds)-Veteran goalkeeper Paddy Kenny was made available for transfer following the signing of Robert Green from West Ham. Leeds took advantage and managed to snap up the under-rated goal keeper for around £500,000. Oddly I have to that the big loser here is actually West Ham, Kenny is a solid keeper and will do well back in the Championship whilst Green is a very good keeper who will do well with QPR.
Reading
Following their promotion at the end of last year Reading will be hoping to stay in the Premier League at the end of this season. With Brian McDermott in charge he will be well aware of his current squad's weaknesses and will have tried to sort them out over summer.
Incoming
Pavel Pogrebnyak (VfB Stuttgart)-In a deal that genuinely shocked me, Reading managed to snap up the excellent Russian striker Pavel Pogrebnyak. Not only does Pogrebnyak have experience in the Premier League (having played 12 games for Fulham last year) but he has a proven track record of scoring goals, having bagged 6 in 12 at Fulham and 8 in 33 games for the Russian national team. This is a signing that should have all Reading fans very excited and they should view Pogrebnyak as a guaranteed 15 goals.
Considering Reading got Pogrebnyak on a free transfer this may well be the bargain of the summer. Excellent work by Brian McDermott!
Danny Guthrie (Newcastle)-Whilst Danny Guthrie will never be a major footballing star he's a solid dependable midfielder who already has Premier League experience with Newcastle. His experience will almost certainly be a bonus to a Reading who will be hoping that he can help them stay up and establish themselves in the Premier League.
Whilst Guthrie's summer was marred with incidents (notably his wedding which turned into a brawl) his move to Reading will likely help him get everything into check. Expect this signing to be a pretty good one, for bother player and club.
Southampton
The Saints have marched back into the Premier League after several years out of the league and with the excellent Nigel Adkins in charge their fans may well expect them to remain there for a while.
Incoming
Jay Rodriguez (Burnley)-The key summer signing for Southampton appears to be English striker Jay Rodriguez who spent last year banging goals in for fun (21 goals in 42 games) and gaining a lot of attention from clubs as a result. Despite only having proven his talent at Championship level Rodriguez does look like an excellent young prospect and at just 23 years old he has a lot of time to develop.
Whilst Southampton may have paid slightly over the odds at £7 million they have gotten themselves a very promising young striker who, if provided decent service should be able to bag a considerable number of goals.
Nathaniel Clyne (Crystal Palace)-Southampton have tried to shore up their defense with the talented young defender Nathaniel Clyne who has been one of Crystal Palace's stand out players over the last few years. At just 21 years old Clyne is a long term purchase though after his impressive performances at Crystal Palace it'll not be a shock if he walks straight into the first team.
Costing around £3 million Clyne could be a very good signing for the long term however we'll need to see how good he looks against Premier League strikers as the step up may be too much too quickly for a player who's still untested.
Stoke
Stoke have established themselves as a solid and reliable mid table team in the Premier League over the past few years though last year they really struggled to score goals (scoring the lowest in the Premier League with just 36). If Tony Pulis wishes to move his team up the League he will need an out an out goal scorer.
Incoming
Geoff Cameron (Houston Dynamo)-The most notable signing so far by Steve Pulis is American Defender/Midfielder Geoff Cameron who has proven to be a very versatile player who has excellent composure and and man marking abilities. Whilst Cameron has only played in the MLS he has proven himself to be a dependable player who has goals in him, mainly as a threat in the air. With Stoke's set pieces Cameron could well bag himself a few goals.
At a little under £3 million Cameron will help shore up Stoke's usually dependable defense and add an offensive threat. Whilst I think he may be surprised early on he'll warm to the challenge and become a valuable asset for Stoke.
Michael Kightly (Wolves)-Whilst Tony Pulis hasn't gone out and bagged himself an out and out goal scorer he has managed to get the dangerous winger Michael Kightly from Wolves for around £3 million. Whilst Kightly has been plagued by injuries he has got the talent that could help turn Stoke's fortune in front of goal around. Kightly has already made a mark for Stoke scoring a pre-season friendly against German side SpVgg Greuther Fürth, and he'll be looking to add more when the League starts in just a few hours time.
Sunderland
The Black Cats managed to secure a mid table finish last season under Martin O'Neill who took over after Steve Bruce was sacked and will now look to build towards getting into Europe over the next season or two. With O'Neill at the helm the team really can go a very long way.
Incoming
Carlos Cuellar (Aston Villa)-O'Neill has managed a masterstroke in signing the experienced and talented defender Carlos Cuellar on a free transfer from Aston Villa. Whilst Cuellar isn't a particularly fast player he is experienced and can be a fantastic organiser at the back and should help strengthen up the Sunderland defence. Interestingly Cuellar explained that the reason he moved to Sunderland (ahead of others teams that wanted his service) is due to O'Neill, showing just how much of an excellent man manager O'Neill is.
Steven Fletcher (Wolves)-In Sunderland's solitary big spend of the summer they have brought in striker Steven Fletcher from Wolves. The striker scored 12 league goals last season and was one of the few highlights in a season that saw Wolves relegated last season. With Premier League experience behind him and with Sunderland's attack looking a little toothless Fletcher could be a major signing in terms of how Sunderland will do this season and we would expect more goals form the Black Cats.
Costing an initial fee of £12 million (which could go up to £14 million) Sunderland have paid a hefty fee for Fletcher though due to his experience and goal record in the Premier League which has seen him scoring 30 league goals in 3 seasons in the top flight (with Burnley and Wolves) he may just about manage to justify it.
Adam Johnson (Manchester City)-Just hours after sealing the deal for Steven Fletcher (see above) Sunderland manage to sign another attacker bringing in Manchester City winger Adam Johnson. The deal had been rumoured to be close for a day or two and has now been finalised as Sunderland look to add more attacking threats to their team. Johnson, a full England international with 11 caps looks to be a very good signing for Sunderland who have got themselves a tricky wide man, though one who does often seem to be hit and miss.
The price for Johnson is undisclosed though believed to be as much as £10 million, however Johnson did take a notable pay cut to join the Blackcats and get some regular first team football.
Out Going
Asamoah Gyan (Al Ain)-The talented Ghanian Striker Asamoah Gyan was out on loan for much of last season at Al Ain in the United Arab Emirates, as expected by many he finalised a permanent deal over the summer. Sunderland managed to earn £6 million from the sale of Gyan who is now on a staggering £140,000 a week!
Michael Turner (Norwich)-The talented defender Michael Turner has moved to Norwich where he will be expected to strengthen the back line of the Canaries. Turner could be a notable loss for Sunderland though with Cuellar coming in it's likely O'Neill has a ready made replacement.
Swansea City
The biggest changes at Swansea over the summer appear to be off the pitch as manager Brendon Rodgers left the club to manage Liverpool and was replaced by Danish legend Michael Laudrup. This however doesn't mean the squad is anything like it was last year.
Incoming
Jose Manuel Flores (Genoa)-Manager Michael Laudrup has attempted to shore up Swansea's defence by bringing in Spanish defender Jose Manuel Flores. Whilst Flores hasn't had a huge amount of experience at the higher levels he has been impressive at Mallorca where he has run up 33 matches. Capable of playing at either right back or centre back it's likely Flores will be used as a bit of a defensive utility man by Swansea. Having cost around £2 million Flores is a risk but a relatively cheap risk.
Michu (Rayo Vallecano)-Whilst Flores (see above) has been brought in to shore up the defense of Swansea is seems obvious that Luadrup also realises he needs more fire power. With that in mind he seems to have seen Spaniard Michu as the perfect solution. The attacking Midfielder has experience in La Liga (Spanish top flight) with Rayo Vallecano with whom he managed to score 17 goals in 39 games last season (15 in 37 League games).
At £2 million Michu looks an excellent purchase for Swansea and seems to be the type of player who has been overlooked by other teams.
Ki Sung-Yueng (Celtic)-Swansea secured a real coup by picking up South Korean international Ki Sung-Yueng from Scottish champions Celtic. The dynamic midfielder was one of the keys to Celtic's success and will almost certainly be seen as the like-for-like replacement for Joe Allen see below). Ki adds a real touch of class to the Midfield and will be able to pull the strings in the middle of the park for the Swans.
At around £6.5 million Laudrup has got himself an excellent young player who, at less than half the price of Allen, is likely to be the ideal replacement. A genuinely excellent signing.
Out Going
Joe Allen (Liverpool)-Despite the fact Joe Allen was one of, if not the, best Swansea player last season I have a feeling Swansea will be more than happy at the £16 million they were paid for Allen to join former manager Brendon Rodgers. Don't get me wrong Allen WILL be missed by Swansea on the pitch but I have a feeling that the money Liverpool have paid for him will be more than enough to compensate their loss.
Tottenham Hotspur
Like a number of teams Spurs have had more happening in their managerial seat than they may ideally have wanted. Firstly they sacked Harry Redknapp, despite the fact he had taken Spurs to 4th in the Premier League, they then replaced him with the highly regarded Andre Villas-Boas.
Incoming
Jan Vertonghen (Ajax)-Spurs have made a number of signings, one of the biggest was the signing of Belgian defender Jan Vertonghen. Vertonghen made his name playing at Ajax where he played 155 times including a number of games as captain and scored an impressive 23 goals despite being a defender. The left footed defender is a versatile player capable of not only playing in defense but also midfield and also posses a serious goal threat due to his thunderbolt strike.
At just shy of £10 million Spurs have gotten a very, very good player on their hands and a player I expect will make a big impact this season.
Gylfi Sigurdsson (1899 Hoffenheim)-The first signing Andre Villas-Boas made after taking the hot seat at Spurs was Icelandic midfielder Gylfi Sigurdsson. Sigurdsson, a set piece specialist has a tremendous shot and is considered a real goal threat from distance. As well as being a brilliant player at Hoffenheim Sigurdsson has already made his mark on the Premier League having played at Swansea last season where he scored 7 goals in 18 games.
At £8 million Sigurdsson should be good value for money and should be an excellent attacking Midfielder for Spurs who could have done with another goal threat last year.
Emmanuel Adebayor (Manchester City)-Tottenham looked very lightweight up front in their opening game of the season (a 2-1 defeat to Newcastle) with only Jermain Defoe being a fit and proven striker for the Spurs. They've now added to their strike force by signing Emmanuel Adebayor, who was on loan last season. Last year Adebayor netted a number of goals for Spurs and they'll be looking for him to repeat that this year.
At a reported £5 million Adebayor appears to be a bargain with a proven track record in the Premier League. Spurs will be expecting at least 15 goals from Adebayor and with their need for a fit Striker this is a great move for both the club, and the player (who was well down the picking order at City).
Mousa Dembele (Fulham)-Just days after Tottenham sold Luka Modric they splashed the cash and brought in Belgian Mousa Dembele from Fulham. Dembele may not quite be the player that Modric was but he is an excellent signing and showed his class for Fulham more than once, in fact in his previous game for Fulham he gave Manchester United a nightmare.
Rumoured to have cost around £15 million Dembele certainly wasn't cheap though will have been bought with "Modric money".
Out Going
Niko Kranjcar (Dynamo Kiev)-The often over looked Kranjcar leaves Spurs after 3 years (2009-2012) to join up with Ukrainian team Dynamo Kiev. This deal has seen Spurs getting just shy of £6 million for a player that, in all honesty was becoming merely a bit part player for Spurs.
Vedran Corluka (Lokomotiv Moscow)-Croatian defender Vedran Corluka left Spurs after having been at the club from 2008-2012. Corluka was loaned out for part of last season to Bayer Leverkusen as it seemed Spurs were wanting to offload him. Lokomotiv Moscow paid around £5.5 million for Corluka which isn't a bad payment for Spurs for another player that really wasn't getting match time.
Steven Pienaar (Everton)-Popular South African goes back to Everton where he has previously had 2 spells. This deal, worth around £4.5 million seems to be a deal that is best for everyone involved with Pienaar already admitting that he wanted to go back to Everton, Everton needing some more talent and Spurs getting rid of someone who wasn't playing for them.
Luka Modric (Real Madrid)-If you're a Spurs fan this is probably the news you've been dreading. Midfielder Luke Modric, one of the stars for the Tottenham Hotspur team over the last few seasons has left. His departure will be a huge loss for Spurs however the lovely £30 million that they've managed to get from Real Madrid should go back into players for Andre Villas-Boas.
West Bromwich Albion
The Baggies had an unexpectedly solid season last year finishing 10th under the guidance of current England manager Roy Hodgson. To replace Hodgson the Baggies have hired the popular Steve Clarke.
Incoming
Ben Foster (Birmingham)-The biggest summer signing for West Brom appears to be the £4 million transfer to bring goal keeper Ben Foster to the team on a permanent basis from local rivals Birmingham. This transfer comes after Foster spent the season on loan at WBA for most of last season. Aside from this deal WBA haven't really bout anyone (though they do have Romelu Lukaku on loan).
Out Going
Simon Cox (Nottingham Forrest)-West Brom sold Republic of Ireland striker Simon Cox to Nottingham Forrest for around £2 million. Cox was found not to have the ability to score regularly in the Premier League and a move down to a lower league may favour the player who can improve and bag a few more goals, much like he did when he was playing for Swindon.
West Ham United
With Sam Allardyce in charge West Ham have managed to work their way back into the Premier League. Whilst their fans might not be too fond of the way Sam has had the team playing they won't complain too much if they have continued success. Sam's history of shrewd transfers is likely to help re-establish West Ham as a continuing Premier League presence.
Incoming
Modibo Maïga (Sochaux)-West Ham have added some real firepower in the signing of Malian forward Modibo Maïga from French club Sochaux where scored 24 goals in 59 appearances. Although, as we all know, Ligue 1 (the top flight of French football) isn't the Premier League his record as a goal scorer is still very impressive. Aged just 24 West Ham have cleverly inked him to a 4 year deal (with an extra 2 years being optional). For less than £5 million West Ham have got a very promising striker on their hands.
James Collins (Aston Villa)-West Ham have re-signed former player James Collins the Welsh international defender who spent several years at West Ham before joining Villa. Collins is generally well liked by the 'ammers fans who will see this as Collins returnign to his footballing home and, if he can manage to have a spell as good as his last one for the club they will be wanting him to remain their until he retires. At £2.5 million West Ham will not feel too annoyed about the price.
Jussi Jaaskelainen (Bolton)-Arguably West Ham's best signing is veteran keeper Jussi Jaaskelainen who leaves Bolton after 15 years to join back up with former manager Sam Allardyce. Whilst this is a good signing it seems like a very short term one with Jaaskelainen now being 37, and with Robert Green leaving the club this seems like a case of being a stop gap before Allardyce lines up a long term keeper.
Matt Jarvis (Wolves)-With just a few days left in the transfer window it's fair to say that Sam Allardyce has made his biggest signing of the summer as he's blown the cash on bringing in the excellent Matt Jarvis from Wolves. The attack minded Jarvis has proven himself already in the Premier League with Wolves and tormented the Manchester United defense (amongst others) with some dazzling performances. Jarvis will give the Hammers a serious threat down the flanks and will both score and create goals as well tying up opposition defenses, a genuinely exciting signing by West Ham.
Costing a reported £10.5 million (with £7.5 million up front) West Ham have really opened up the cheque book here though with Jarvis being a proven quality in the Premier League I honestly think they have got a value signing.
Out Going
Robert Green (QPR)-After his contract expired at the end of last season Robert Green left West Ham on a free transfer and joined QPR. Whilst Jaaskelainen may be a good stop gap, the loss of Green may be something that takes several years for West Ham to get over.
Wigan Athletic
Perennial Premier League strugglers Wigan Athletic will likely get dragged into the mire once again if manager Roberto Martinez doesn't manage to make some major signings over summer. Whilst Roberto Martinez is an excellent manager he has struggled some what to get the team into a safe position.
Incoming
Ivan Ramis (Mallorca)-Wigan have tried to shore up their defense by signing Spanish defender Ivan Ramis from Mallorca. Whilst the defensive woes of Wigan have been a major problem over the past few years, I'm not too sure just how much Ramis will manage to help. At almost £5 million Ramis does seem over priced from what little I've seen of him, though he could surprise me.
Arouna Kone (Levante)-As well as the defensive woes Wigan have also struggled to score goals in recent seasons, so it's nice to see Roberto Martinez has signed a striker in the form of Ivory Coast national team player Arouna Kone. Despite being an excellent player Kone has been unfortunate with injuries in recent seasons and Wigan will have to hope that Kone can remain fit for the season.
Out Going
Hugo Rodallega (Fulham)-Wigan's all time leading goal scorer left the club in summer as his contract expired. It was thought that Rodallega would leave in the January transfer window earlier this year though no deal was confirmed and he was allowed to leave for free in summer. Wigan will sorely miss Rodallega.
Victor Moses (Chelsea)-Nigerian striker Victor Moses has gone from Wigan to Chelsea for around £9-10 million. Whilst this is a "good move" for Chelsea who have strengthened their squad this will seriously hurt Wigan who have further dilapidated their attacking force and whilst Moses may have upped his wages he will struggle for game time at the Bridge.
Final Day Transfers
Rather than a full edit of the above, I've decided to just add the most notable recent transfers to a new section at the bottom here:
Bryan Oviedo (Copenhagen-Everton)-Everton sign a left sided international to play either at the back or in midfield
Dimitar Berbatov (Manchester United-Fulham)-The wonderfully gifted (but frustratingly lazy) Bulgarian striker made his move to London where we may again get to see him do his thing.
Keiran Richardson (Sunderland-Fulham)-Former Manchester United player goes to Fulham as Martin Jol gets a bargain. Versatile player who will be able to fill in a few positions
Javi Garcia (Benfica-Manchester City)-In an attempt to replace Nigel De Jong, Roberto Mancini has brought in Spanish international Garcia.
Matija Nastasic (Fiorentina-Manchester City)-The key to this move may not have been the £13 million that City spent but the fact they got rid of the frankly useless Stefan Savic.
Scott Sinclair (Swansea-Manchester City)-Scott Sinclair loses all rights to claim he wears the pants as his missus decides to return to Manchester. Poor Scotty won't play much but Swansea get £6.2 million.
Richard Wright (Unattached-Manchester City)-Surprising 3rd choice goal keeper for City.
Charlie Adam (Liverpool-Stoke)-Charlie Adam's nightmare on Merseyside is over as he signs for Steve Pulis in the Potteries. He will likely be able to again play football!
Pablo Hernandez (Valencia-Swansea)-Swansea try to replace Scott Sinclair (see above) with Spaniard Pablo Hernandez who links up again with Michael Laudrup.
Clint Dempsey (Fulham-Tottenham Hotspur)-Fulham's want away Clint Dempsey got his wishes and has ended up not at Liverpool (as rumoured) but instead at Spurs. Spurs' attack has a boost but still looks to be really lacking.
Rafael van der Vaart (Tottenham Hotspur-Hamburg)-Dutch magician returns to the team he made his name, Tottenham get £10 million
Hugo Lloris (Lyon-Tottenham)-Tottenham sign a world class goal keeper by bringing in Frenchman Hugo Lloris. An excellent signing for Spurs, though was it just a sign that they know they have let go of a number of top players.
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