Stoke City were for many years the club that everyone apart from their own fans wanted to be relegated. Under Tony Pulis they played a style of soccer that was not pretty on the eye, but was so effective that relegation was never in doubt. Eventually even the Stoke fans had seen enough and wanted to […]

Sunderland AFC scraped home at the end of last season in emotional scenes. Even the 'Little General' Dick Advocaat was brought to tears by sustaining EPL soccer for the Black Cats. He was expected to walk off into the sunset and a happy retirement. Move forward three months and Advocaat is back and ready to […]

The story of Southampton was for most analysts the real story of last season.  To lose the very essence of their team and to then be competing for a Champions League place through the New Year was sensational. Ronald Koeman must take a good deal of the credit. Roll on 12 months and Morgan Schneiderlin […]

For seasoned followers of Tottenham Hotspur (Spurs) last season was pretty much par for the course.  A Europe League finish but never any real prospect of that break through back into the Champions League. At least the Manager was finally able to identify the players acquired before his arrival that have a future at White […]

Manchester United really caught a break when Liverpool imploded on themselves, following the biting incident, the subsequent sale of Luis Suarez, and all that followed.  They potentially faced years in the wilderness outside of the Champions League.  Instead they are now back in the top four, despite the common acceptance of having one of their worst performing […]

Everton has traditionally been considered on the fringes of the Champions League, but it may be getting worse.  The spending of not just the new big four teams, but even teams such as Crystal Palace and Stoke City, is placing Everton in a more and more difficult position as their spending has remained relatively low key. […]

Chelsea was the dominant force in the EPL last season.  Ten years ago, Chelsea was crowned Champions and went on to retain their title, so can Jose Mourinho repeat the trick this time around? The success of Chelsea is as always built on defensive strength.  In Thibaut Courtois they have arguably the best goalkeeper in the world, and […]

Manchester City, by their recent standards, had a poor season last year. Manager Manuel Pellegrini is in some ways fortunate to remain in his position, having failed to win a trophy and again underachieving in the Champions League. Joe Hart will be ever-present, and his difficult days between the posts seem a dim and distant […]

Liverpool FC were always going to struggle to replace the goals scored by Luis Suarez and the subsequent loss of Daniel Sturridge to injury. Coupled with the disastrous acquisition of Mario Balotelli, these challenges made qualification for the Champions League a virtual impossibility.  The eventual finish when put in this context, whilst of course disappointing, was not necessarily […]

Aston Villa is a founding member of the original Football League, from back in the 19th Century.  A proud club in the UK's second city Birmingham, the club has been through difficult times in recent years, notably as a result of the tightening of the purse strings by Chairman Randy Lerner. The appointment of new Manager […]

This is the first in a series of articles in anticipation of the English Premier League Season. We're going to look at each club and offer our early thoughts on their prospects for the season ahead, and which players may prove to be their key performers. Let us start by reviewing the current prospects of Arsenal, who for many […]

The British can be quite stuck up at times. I should know, I am one of them. One of my personal pet peaves is having the greatest golf tournament in the world described as the British Open. Excuse me Sir, this is the Open Championship. And it is wonderful to say that it returns to the home […]