Barclays Premier League > Ante-Post 2011-12 Season

[dan325]

Re: Barclays Premier League > Ante-Post 2011-12 Season

Betting on Sunderland to go down this year is equivilant to flushing money down the toilet. I strongly suggest no-one does this' date=' selling off Bent and Henderson reminds me of when Everton sold off Rooney a few years back. Moyes re-invested the money wisely and Everton became a strong outfit, I think it will be similar with Sunderland this year. The signings of O'Shea, Brown and Wickham in particular are a bit of a coup in my opinion. The challenge they will face is gelling the side together, possibly a rocky start but getting stronger and stronger as the season goes on. A top 10 finish for sure, to suggest relegation is lunacy.[/quote'] I have to disagree. IMO O Shea may come good (like Neville at Everton) but Brown will struggle to stay fit and Wickham scored 9 goals in 41 games in the Championship. Unless Gyan steps up and Larsson can fill the creativity void left by Henderson I think they could struggle.

[gmrb444]

Re: Barclays Premier League > Ante-Post 2011-12 Season O'Shea has always been a top performer and can only see him improving from playing week in, week out. No chance Sunderland will be anywhere near the dropzone next May. What do you think about Stoke being top Midlands club at 3.50? Only rivals will be Villa but with Young gone and Downing close to moving I can see them struggling.

[stefanos56]

Re: Barclays Premier League > Ante-Post 2011-12 Season

O'Shea has always been a top performer and can only see him improving from playing week in, week out. No chance Sunderland will be anywhere near the dropzone next May. What do you think about Stoke being top Midlands club at 3.50? Only rivals will be Villa but with Young gone and Downing close to moving I can see them struggling.

:welcome mate! Yup, I agree with each statement - Stoke are 3/1 with Victor Chandler. Can't see West Brom improving on last year, Wolves have no chance and I think Villa will struggle (especially in early part of season with McLeish under pressure to impress quickly) - worth a punt I reckon.

[The Mug]

Re: Barclays Premier League > Ante-Post 2011-12 Season

Br Another one I like is Arsenal to finish higher than Man City at 2.42 also with Betfair. I'm still not convinced by Man City's team or Mancini as a manager. Personally I think we should be favourites to finish above them so I'm very happy to take that price.

I've gone the other way. :unsure

[beer]

Re: Barclays Premier League > Ante-Post 2011-12 Season well yesterday i just found a great bet, in my opninion @ Betsafe Season H2H Arsenal vs Manchester Utd , that means Manchester must finish in higher place than Arsenal odds are ~ 1.5 it is a banker!!!I will start to search for atleast 300 $ to put on this bet , because Manchester Utd = stability Arsenal = ?!%@# i cant even see them finishin in 2nd place. And if Fabregas and Nasri are sold , than i will put my house on this bet :D what is your opinion guys? p.s. and sorrry Arsenal fans , nothing personal.

[stefanos56]

Re: Barclays Premier League > Ante-Post 2011-12 Season

well yesterday i just found a great bet, in my opninion @ Betsafe Season H2H Arsenal vs Manchester Utd , that means Manchester must finish in higher place than Arsenal odds are ~ 1.5 it is a banker!!!I will start to search for atleast 300 $ to put on this bet , because Manchester Utd = stability Arsenal = ?!%@# i cant even see them finishin in 2nd place. And if Fabregas and Nasri are sold , than i will put my house on this bet :D what is your opinion guys? p.s. and sorrry Arsenal fans , nothing personal.

If you like that, check out Victor Chandler's Top North West Club. Manchester United are 1.66 to finish top from that lot. In my opinion, their nearest rivals are City but it's City's first attempt at the Champions League and they'll have a reality check when it comes to trying to fighting for Premier League and Champions League at the same time. Ferguson has made some decent signings and improvement seems a certainty for the current champions. Personally, I think 4/6 is a really good price. Lump on!

[sportzbet]

Re: Barclays Premier League > Ante-Post 2011-12 Season At the moment I think Arsenal are worth backing at 10 on Betfair. We usually start well and I think we'll be much shorter than that at certain points in the season. I still don't think we have the experience to win the league but we'll go close again and it's definitely a price worth backing with a look at laying it off later in the season. Another one I like is Arsenal to finish higher than Man City at 2.42 also with Betfair. I'm still not convinced by Man City's team or Mancini as a manager. Personally I think we should be favourites to finish above them so I'm very happy to take that price. The last one I'll chip in with for now is Wigan to be relegated at 2/1 with Will Hill. Survived by the skin of their teeth last season and unlikely to have funds to improve their side. N'Zogbia will probably be off and he's easily their best player. Done well to get where they are for such a small club but I fear this season may be their last in the Prem. I Would have to disagree with all 3 of those bets to be honest. I think Manchester City will actually win the League next season. Mancini has his critics and he shore can upset the team but he is an excellent manager and in fact the exact manager that City need. Once he has the team that he can ultimatly call his, then he will be happy and the results will show. There is A lot of talent in the side with more expected to arrive along with the likes of Aadam Johnston who is will be hitting his peak! He will be the Player to watch next season! Just to throw it out there these are my early predictions. 1st - Man City, 2nd - Man United, 3rd - Liverpool, 4th Chelsea, 5th Arsenal, 6th Tottenham. And i do also have to disagree with Wigan getting relegated and i actually do see Sunderland finishing below Wigan.

[Local]

Re: Barclays Premier League > Ante-Post 2011-12 Season Took my first ante-post bet this morning. Andy Carroll - Premier League Top Goalscorer @ 22/1 (1pt EW Paddy Power) It appears Liverpool are structuring their summer spending around £35million man Carroll, the additions of Downing (attempted 243 crosses last season and responsible for the most successful crosses over the last 3 seasons) and Adam (known for his excellent set piece delivery) offer encouragement that this bet can be a profitable one. Carroll managed to net 13 goals last season, despite only making 6 appearances in the second half of the season. Only a slight improvement on that would be enough to push Carroll into the 4 each way places. I also have concerns over some of the other market principles. Berbatov, unlikely to start as many games as last year, Tevez seeking a move away and Bent, plying his trade under a manager known for goal-shy teams (Birmingham City posted the worst shooting accuracy and fired in the fewest shots last season). The main danger to my selection is probably Van Persie who scored 18 goals in the second half of the season alone, however he'd need an injury free season which makes the odds of 10/1 look a little skinny. The only slight doubt is whether Carroll can remain fit for the full season, but at 22/1 it makes it a risk worth taking. Also taking: Andy Carroll - Top English Goalscorer @ 7/1 (2pts win William Hills) Similiar reasons to my first bet. Doubts over Rooney (4/1) after only scoring 11 Premier League goals last season and likely to be used in a withdrawn role again this season. With Bent (5/1) I worry whether he will enjoy the same level of service under McLeish as he did being surrounded by Young and Downing. I believe Carroll is definitely the value selection in this market only offered by Hills.

[NewPunter]

Re: Barclays Premier League > Ante-Post 2011-12 Season Do any bookies offer top 3 as e/w terms for the Premiership?

[joecanning14]

Re: Barclays Premier League > Ante-Post 2011-12 Season i feel united again are the team 2 beat this season.SAF has bolstered the squad with the transfer of young.the main competitors this year for the title will be chelsea but i just feel that it may take a year for villas boas to sort out the team and get his best 11 on the field same with liverpool.City had a good season last year but are in desperate need 2 strenghten the squad 2 compete with the likes of united and chelsea.Arsenal are Arsenal i.e bottlers whether its injuries or last minute penalties they always find ways 2 shoot themselves in the foot.For these reasons the bet for me is man unitEd at 9/5 pp.

[BelgianPunter]

Re: Barclays Premier League > Ante-Post 2011-12 Season I like the odd for Fulham top 10 @ 2.4 Betfair What do you think about it?

[Mindfulness]

Re: Barclays Premier League > Ante-Post 2011-12 Season

I like the odd for Fulham top 10 @ 2.4 Betfair What do you think about it?

I think it's a fairly safe bet: Man Utd, Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Man City, Tottenham and Everton are likely to finish above Fulham so that's the top 7 frozen out. It leaves 3 places with Aston Villa, Sunderland and Stoke being the teams realistically competing at a similar level to Martin Jols side. One of those 4 isn't going to make it but I would say Fulham and Villa were probably the strongest of the quartet.

[soundingstylish]

Re: Barclays Premier League > Ante-Post 2011-12 Season

I like the odd for Fulham top 10 @ 2.4 Betfair What do you think about it?

What do you think about it? Give us some of your thoughts and I'm sure someone will give you theirs. That's how it works around here. :ok

[HastGill1]

Re: Barclays Premier League > Ante-Post 2011-12 Season

I think it's a fairly safe bet: Man Utd' date=' Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Man City, Tottenham and Everton are likely to finish above Fulham so that's the top 7 frozen out. It leaves 3 places with Aston Villa, Sunderland and Stoke being the teams realistically competing at a similar level to Martin Jols side. One of those 4 isn't going to make it but I would say Fulham and Villa were probably the strongest of the quartet.[/quote'] To say it's a fairly safe bet is near lunacy, it's nowhere near a safe bet, at 2.4!? You would need your head read to take it..Fulham are in the qualifiers for the Europa League which, unlike sides playing friendlies, they have to take seriously and play a strong side in, so if they go on a good run in the Europa they will be playing err...maybe 16 extra games this season possibly more? This won't be a problem at the start of the season but as it goes on I imagine Fulham will be comfortable knocking around in mid-table and will have no problem rotating players for league games..below 5th or 6th is a free for all, Fulham have a decent squad but it isn't that strong and 11th or 12th would not be a surprise for me, look at their finishing positions over recent years.. 04-05 - 13 05-06 - 12 06-07 - 16 07-08 - 17 08-09 - 7 09-10 - 12 10-11 - 8 Indeed the season they finished 12 was I believe the season they had that run in the Europa League, they are a solid PL team I agree, but the odds offer no value at all..

[Mindfulness]

Re: Barclays Premier League > Ante-Post 2011-12 Season

To say it's a fairly safe bet is near lunacy, it's nowhere near a safe bet, at 2.4!? You would need your head read to take it..Fulham are in the qualifiers for the Europa League which, unlike sides playing friendlies, they have to take seriously and play a strong side in, so if they go on a good run in the Europa they will be playing err...maybe 16 extra games this season possibly more? This won't be a problem at the start of the season but as it goes on I imagine Fulham will be comfortable knocking around in mid-table and will have no problem rotating players for league games..below 5th or 6th is a free for all, Fulham have a decent squad but it isn't that strong and 11th or 12th would not be a surprise for me, look at their finishing positions over recent years.. 04-05 - 13 05-06 - 12 06-07 - 16 07-08 - 17 08-09 - 7 09-10 - 12 10-11 - 8 Indeed the season they finished 12 was I believe the season they had that run in the Europa League, they are a solid PL team I agree, but the odds offer no value at all..

I personally am very confident of a Fulham top 10 finish. Stoke are also in Europa league and Sunderland will need time to gel all their new players so both those sides will be handicapped also. Beyond that it would require someone like West Brom, Wolves, Newcastle or Bolton to finish with more points than Fulham and let's face it this is unlikely. You do make an important point about them finishing 12th in 09/10 season when they reached the Europa final and if they are plagued by injuries this year then they might run into problems. For me they have got stronger and stronger each year and Jol is a great coach. There are question marks over the value of the bet as there probably isn't a big enough margin to account for some of the circumstances you've highlighted and I accept that.

[dan325]

Re: Barclays Premier League > Ante-Post 2011-12 Season

i feel united again are the team 2 beat this season.SAF has bolstered the squad with the transfer of young.the main competitors this year for the title will be chelsea but i just feel that it may take a year for villas boas to sort out the team and get his best 11 on the field same with liverpool.City had a good season last year but are in desperate need 2 strenghten the squad 2 compete with the likes of united and chelsea.Arsenal are Arsenal i.e bottlers whether its injuries or last minute penalties they always find ways 2 shoot themselves in the foot.For these reasons the bet for me is man unitEd at 9/5 pp.

I personally fancy Chelsea. De Gea will take a season or 2 to settle IMO and will cost United points this season. At the moment their midfield is weak although Sneijder may change that if he comes. Villa Boas will get them playing football and if they make a couple of signings which I think they will then I think 11/4 looks the value bet.

[-Blackadder-]

Re: Barclays Premier League > Ante-Post 2011-12 Season City getting Aguero doesn't worry me - if it means Tevez leaves they've got a lot weaker upfront imo. Savic won't be a starter immediately and Clichy isn't a huge improvement on Kolarov. They havent strengthened, not yet anyway. Same for United imo. Yeah they've spent but is de Gea an inprovement on VDS? Is Jones likely to play a major part? Young is a winger, and that's the position they were strongest in already. Their MF is still very poor. It won't be as easy for them to dominate as people think

[pg_yid]

Re: Barclays Premier League > Ante-Post 2011-12 Season

If you like that' date=' check out Victor Chandler's [b']Top North West Club. Manchester United are 1.66 to finish top from that lot. In my opinion, their nearest rivals are City but it's City's first attempt at the Champions League and they'll have a reality check when it comes to trying to fighting for Premier League and Champions League at the same time. Ferguson has made some decent signings and improvement seems a certainty for the current champions. Personally, I think 4/6 is a really good price. Lump on!

Not much to add, but I think this is a very good bet. It's difficult to see Liverpool finishing above United, like you say their main threat is from City. Mancini still has the problem of making his team gel. Although they finished top 3, they still didn't look like a team to me for most of last season, and with more signings it's only going to get harder for them to gel. Aguero is a good signing but it will take him a while to bed in. City are very reliant on Silva IMO. Also, Tevez could still leave which offsets the Aguero signing. Main factor is CL as you say, despite having loads of players I really don't think City's squad is strong enough to challenge seriously for both trophies.

[HastGill1]

Re: Barclays Premier League > Ante-Post 2011-12 Season

I personally fancy Chelsea. De Gea will take a season or 2 to settle IMO and will cost United points this season. At the moment their midfield is weak although Sneijder may change that if he comes. Villa Boas will get them playing football and if they make a couple of signings which I think they will then I think 11/4 looks the value bet.

I don't see it with Chelsea at all, the side has only been getting weaker for years, who has he got that he can improve in the short term!? Lampard? Not a chance, past his best now due to his age only going to get worse, Drogba? Anelka? Malouda? A Cole? Terry? Its a team that has grown old together and standards have declined. Maybe Torres, but come on the guy looks to have the mental strength of Marco Boogers, who is to say he will ever get back to the player he was before? Now he has lost that extra bit of pace he doesn't appear the same player, will wait until the start of next season before making a final judgement but people talking about backing him for top scorer is crazy imo. I'm ready to put a very large e/w bet on United for the title if Tevez leaves and Sneijder goes to United. I don't think Chelsea will win it and I can't see City competing if Tevez goes, they rely on him so much and have no experience of playing in the CL and EPL which is a massive consideration. United's price will probably go up during the season so I'm considering my options and holding off for the minute, but I feel strongly that United will win the league this year..

[aliando]

Is there value in e/w on united?

[HastGill1]

Re: Barclays Premier League > Ante-Post 2011-12 Season

Is there value in e/w on united?

Prob not currently, hence my hesitation I guess :lol..they will rise higher than they are currently this season, that is almost certain, it's just knowing (guessing) when to strike, the fact that there are a couple of other challengers in City and Chelsea means 2.75 or 2.8 is prob too short, I'll be taking them at some point this season though. Can't see City coping well with the challenges of the EPL and CL this season as I said they have no experience of it, I think Chelsea are just a side on the slide, no investment for years..with each new manager Abramovic hopes they can get the results that Mourinho did, but they can't. That won't change now an ageing team is another season older..expecting Rooney to have a big season this year too, been a productive pre season for him and there was an excellent article in the Times last week about him not wanting to have unrealised potential, I'm expecting him to step to the plate.

[western skies]

Re: Barclays Premier League > Ante-Post 2011-12 Season

I think Chelsea are just a side on the slide' date=' [b']no investment for years..with each new manager Abramovic hopes they can get the results that Mourinho did, but they can't. That won't change now an ageing team is another season older

Did I fall asleep and dream that we signed Torres for 50 million quid in January? :lol In fairness, I agree that the team has been allowed to grow old and key positions haven't been addressed. As a fan, I live in hope that Lampard can turn the clock back, but in truth his form has been on the slide for 18 months or more now and he's started picking up those niggling injuries that so many players get in the twilight of their careers. The big questions for me are whether we get Modric, who would add badly needed creativity to our workmanlike midfield, and whether Villas Boas will stick to his pledge to pick the team on merit and not on reputations. I hope the likes of Sturridge and McEachran will get opportunities this season, as I think we badly need an injection of youth and enthusiasm into a team that looked jaded for most of last season. I said at the start of this thread that if anyone finishes above Man U they will probably be champions and nothing has happened to change my mind on that so far. Certainly Chelsea aren't value at around the 3.5 mark. Whilst I'm impressed with Villas Boas, he's still much more of a rookie than Jose was he arrived at the club and I think it's a big ask to expect him to win the title in his first season. Of course, all this could change if Roman gets the cheque book out.

[Pay Day]

Re: Barclays Premier League > Ante-Post 2011-12 Season Essien ruled out for six months too so I assume another CM will probably come in... Not many will probably agree but I think having Benayoun out practically the whole of last season really hindered Chelsea. He would have offered something different in Chelsea's attack which seemed to be monotonous in various games last season. His ability to create something out of nothing with his short fancy passes was something severely lacking with Chelsea. As an outsider what do people make of Newcastle to go down? Out of their best players last season- Tiote, Enrique, Carroll, Barton and Nolan, two have already left, Barton is moaning about Nolan leaving, Enrique's twitter rant means he is probably on the way out and the last I heard about Tiote he was eyeing a move to Chelsea. I know they bought Cabaye who is unproven in this league and signed Ba who is one injury away from retirement but is 7.2 with Betfair for relegation worth a punt? Probably team against Arsenal first league game (discounting Ben Arfa injured and the departing Enrique + Routledge)- Harper-Simpson-Coloccini-Williamson-Taylor-Tiote-Barton-Jonas-Guthrie-Ba-Ameobi That team to me looks short on some quality

[MPLouis]

Re: Barclays Premier League > Ante-Post 2011-12 Season

I don't see it with Chelsea at all' date=' the side has only been getting weaker for years ...[/quote'] I was impressed with the new players in Chelsea's recent Far East games - lots of attacking talent was on show.

[HAMPY]

Re: Barclays Premier League > Ante-Post 2011-12 Season man united will win the league. Theres some freshness in the squad now, a change is good some teams get stuck in their ways and too predictable. Maybe they havnt improved but its too early to say, but they have strengthened in depth. Look to last season.... valencia injured the majority of it, if we had young then would we have won the league even easier??? Im biased but i cant say any team has really strengthened in the prem so far... Am also liking the look of chicarito to finish top scorer but they not huge odds

[AHughes]

Re: Barclays Premier League > Ante-Post 2011-12 Season

As an outsider what do people make of Newcastle to go down? Out of their best players last season- Tiote, Enrique, Carroll, Barton and Nolan, two have already left, Barton is moaning about Nolan leaving, Enrique's twitter rant means he is probably on the way out and the last I heard about Tiote he was eyeing a move to Chelsea. I know they bought Cabaye who is unproven in this league and signed Ba who is one injury away from retirement but is 7.2 with Betfair for relegation worth a punt? Probably team against Arsenal first league game (discounting Ben Arfa injured and the departing Enrique + Routledge)- Harper-Simpson-Coloccini-Williamson-Taylor-Tiote-Barton-Jonas-Guthrie-Ba-Ameobi That team to me looks short on some quality

Am Also on Newcastle. Something just doesn't seem right up there in the tyne, Both teams from the North East have received plenty of cash off selling players in January and this summer, Sunderland have splashed there's and Newcastle are yet too which leads to the question where is their money off the carroll deal ? As you pointed out they have lost Nolan, Enrique and Barton seem unhappy at the club. Yes, they have bought highly rated Yohan Cabaye, but he still has to gel with his team-mates (and him not being allowed to go to America with the team doesn't help) IMO I dont rate Pardew as a manager, he has not the greatest of records in the Premiership. Charlton were relegated under him and vastly under-achieved in the Championship the following year considering the players that they had. He also only survived with West Ham on the final day of the season, Carlos Tevez coming to his rescue. This is why am also going to take Pardew to be the 1st manager to leave his post.

[Mindfulness]

Re: Barclays Premier League > Ante-Post 2011-12 Season

Am Also on Newcastle. Something just doesn't seem right up there in the tyne, Both teams from the North East have received plenty of cash off selling players in January and this summer, Sunderland have splashed there's and Newcastle are yet too which leads to the question where is their money off the carroll deal ? As you pointed out they have lost Nolan, Enrique and Barton seem unhappy at the club. Yes, they have bought highly rated Yohan Cabaye, but he still has to gel with his team-mates (and him not being allowed to go to America with the team doesn't help) IMO I dont rate Pardew as a manager, he has not the greatest of records in the Premiership. Charlton were relegated under him and vastly under-achieved in the Championship the following year considering the players that they had. He also only survived with West Ham on the final day of the season, Carlos Tevez coming to his rescue. This is why am also going to take Pardew to be the 1st manager to leave his post.

In defence of Pardew he left West Ham a good 5 months before they were nearly relegated and that was a case of a good team going sour because of the Tevez and Mascherano signings. Neither Pardew nor the West Ham players wanted them there and that ended up creating a meltdown. Before that he had guided them to 9th in the table and got them to the FA Cup final, a good team IMO. When he joined Charlton the damage had already been done by the evil Les Reed, one of the most abominable creatures in the whole of English football. Performances improved under Pardew but he could not save a rotten club. The Newcastle job is one of the toughest jobs in football at the momment since Ashley has no interest whatsoever in improving the team, he just wants to recover his losses after the global recession and his teams relegation to the championship. Pardew to be 1st manager to leave his post is a good shout but don't underestimate his hunger to fight in the face of adversity. It will just depend on weather he directs the fight towards Ashley, if so it's curtains for Pardew.

[pg_yid]

Re: Barclays Premier League > Ante-Post 2011-12 Season The more I think about it, the better Man Utd to win the league @ 2.8 looks. Reasoning has largely already been done, Chelsea for me are the main challengers but Villas-Boas is so young and relatively inexperienced and the team is ageing. I read a good article in the Guardian this week, an interview with Desailly in which he said that Villas-Boas will struggle to get the respect of the players if things start badly this season, simply due to his age. Also, Abramovich's probable influence in team selection, signings etc. does not bode well. I have already gone in but if the price will rise then obviously best to wait. Another good bet IMO is lay Liverpool to finish in the top 4 @ 2.12 (Betfair). I can't see where this has come from! Would price them nearer 3 myself. I can't see any of the top 4 from last year dropping out to be honest, you can't fail to be impressed by Liverpool's form under Dalglish and they do have some quality young players coming through but personally I am not impressed by the overpriced signings they've made so far, they are still a long way behind Arsenal and Man City. And while I agree Liverpool are more likely to finish top 4 than us (Spurs), there is no way we should be 4.6 with them 2.1. The difference between the sides is not that great; we have our troubles but we still finished above them last season and we won't have the distraction of CL this year either.

[Mindfulness]

Re: Barclays Premier League > Ante-Post 2011-12 Season

Another good bet IMO is lay Liverpool to finish in the top 4 @ 2.12 (Betfair). I can't see where this has come from! Would price them nearer 3 myself. I can't see any of the top 4 from last year dropping out to be honest' date= you can't fail to be impressed by Liverpool's form under Dalglish and they do have some quality young players coming through but personally I am not impressed by the overpriced signings they've made so far, they are still a long way behind Arsenal and Man City. And while I agree Liverpool are more likely to finish top 4 than us (Spurs), there is no way we should be 4.6 with them 2.1. The difference between the sides is not that great; we have our troubles but we still finished above them last season and we won't have the distraction of CL this year either.

The top 4 debate this year is an interesting one, with regards to Man City/Liverpool it looks like a case of Defense/Attack. Despite the signing of Aguero, City will be vunerable if Tevez does leave this summer. He is so central towards everything they do going forward that he is almost irreplacable, particularly in the short term. There will be some disquiet within the squad also as players like Milner and Johnson will not be playing week in, week out. Champions League football has now been attained and this will certainly be a drain on resources, Tottenham proved that last year. One thing I do expect from City is for them to be rock solid at the back and Vincent Kompany in particular is an excellent asset for them. Liverpool on the other hand have thrown stupid money at English midfielders as part of their 'aquisitions strategy'. I doubt Hendersson and Downing will exceed in value from what Liverpool have already forked out so how it makes good business sense I don't know. The weary leviathon that is Steven Gerrard appears to wane year on year and is likely to receed into a deeper midfield roll when fit this season. Adam appears for £9m to cover deadballs in his absence. Too many overpriced midfield signings, not enough new defenders bought in - which they desperately need IMO. Upfront is their true strength with Suarez and Carroll leading the line, each give you something different but both create and score loads of goals. So one is strong in defense, one is strong in attack but both fairly even in overall quality. It may boil down to mental strength and I would speculate that Dalglish will create more togetherness and spirit at Liverpool than Mancini will at City.

[HastGill1]

Re: Barclays Premier League > Ante-Post 2011-12 Season

I was impressed with the new players in Chelsea's recent Far East games - lots of attacking talent was on show.

Expect I could have looked fairly useful against those sides..;), the comment from Western Skies about Boas is a good one also, I just get the feeling Abramovic is trying to get an attacking version of Mourinho, essentially the perfect manager! Mourinho has cast a massive shadow at the club, everyone who has managed there since has done so largely with the same players and compared unfavourably to him..this could well be the last season for Lampard, Drogba and Anelka, and nobody is going to convince me that they will suddenly go back to the players they were a few years ago. Are they very good players? Yes they are, but are they better than United have? No, they were, they are not any more..time has moved on and so must Chelsea. I found the signing of Torres near lunacy at the time considering how out of form he had been and the injuries he continually picked up..he looks soooo unconfident every time he steps onto the pitch and its a massive season for him, people don't like to think that players sometimes fail to recapture the form they showed in their youth but its not unthinkable to say Torres might not hit those heights again, with players like him and Owen who have lightening pace originally then lose it through a succession of injuries in the thigh, hamstring area, they are just not the same players after. The summer off may well get him back to something like his best but it's unlikely imo. He has more to his game than Owen and probably more hunger than a player who has been coasting for a few years but he needs to hit the ground running or his confidence will fall through the floor and it will be very difficult to recapture. One of Ferguson's greatest assets is making every player in the squad feel important, even the more mediocre ones, confidence is a huge asset in football I see it even at League Two level, you get the feeling every player at United goes out onto the pitch feeling 12 feet tall. If Boas doesn't start well, the doubt will be in the players minds and I think you will see it on the pitch, hope he does well but unfortunately the pressure is on from the very start, no time to bed in..I might be wrong but I really think this is Uniteds year, IF Tevez leaves I am pretty sure I'm going in, each-way, with the biggest bet I have ever placed.