Season Preview - Aston Villa

Last season: 11th, 50 points; FA Cup third round; Carling Cup fourth round

Transfers:

In: Nigel Reo-Coker (West Ham, £8.5m); Marlon Harewood (West Ham, undisc); Eric Lichaj (Chicago Fire, undisc)

Out: Aaron Hughes (Fulham, £1m); Jlloyd Samuel (Bolton, free); Gavin McCann (Bolton, £1m); Lee Hendrie (released); Steven Davis (Fulham, £4m); Juan Pablo Angel (New York Red Bulls, free); Chris Sutton (retired)

Official Website: http://www.avfc.co.uk/

Official Kit:

Martin O'Neill has been a winner for too long to accept another season treading water at Villa Park. Only two players of any note have arrived at Villa this season. Both from West Ham – Ex-West Ham Captain Nigel Reo-Coker and out of favour Hammers striker Marton Harewood.

The number-one problem for Villa? They are not the only mid-table team in the Premiership that have had an infow of money of late. The people investing in Newcastle, West Ham, Portsmouth and Manchester City all believe that they should at least be playing in Europe via the UEFA Cup, given the investment or record, while Everton, Spurs and Bolton are already there and Blackburn have got their through the Intertoto, but would feel they deserve to reach their via their position in the league.

If all these teams start performing to their potential then at long last we may have an extremely competitive division. On their day, more teams should be able to challenge the big four, even if they lack the squads to maintain a season-long challenge.

Schedule via English Soccer Talk:

Villa’s campaign didn’t get off to the perfect start with a 2-1 defeat at the hands of Liverpool on the opening day of the Premiership.

No month in their schedule stands out as being exceptionally difficult, but there's only one month that shouldn't give Aston Villa much trouble (November; home against Derby County, away to Birmingham and Middlesbrough). That game at Birmingham is the first Birmingham Derby of the season, and Villa will host Birmingham at Villa Park on April 20, the fourth-to-last game of the year.

In the first three months of the season, Aston Villa will play three of the "Big Four", one in each month, but they all come to Villa Park (Liverpool, then Chelsea, then Manchester United). The last 6 games of the season are all winnable, with an away game at Everton the toughest of the bunch.

EPL08.com prediction:
League Position – 8
Martin O'Neill has been a winner for too long to accept another season treading water at Villa Park. A lot of names have left Villa this season but they've got in a couple of good players too. I definitely expect them to push for a UEFA cup slot. Watch out for Gabriel Agbonlahor and Ashley Young to shine this season.

Latest Results – Saturday Review: Sunderland shock Spurs and all other Scores

Aston Villa 1 - Liverpool 2

A stunning free-kick just three minutes from time by Steven Gerrard gave Liverpool a 2-1 win at Aston Villa in their Premier League opener on Saturday night. It had looked that Villa had done enough to claim a draw when Barry fired home a penalty in the 85th minute, but Liverpool captain Gerard ensured that they got their title aspirations to a decent start and slotted home a brilliant 25-yarder shot.

Sunderland 1 - Tottenham 0

Earlier in the day, Roy Keane’s Sunderland shocked Spurs with a 1-0 win at the Stadium of Light. Michael Chopra delighted the Desi followers of the game along with the thousands of Sunderland fans as he side-footed a goal in injury time.

West Ham 0 - Manchester City 2

Sven-Goran Eriksson claimed victory in his first competitive match as a club manager in England as Manchester City beat West Ham 2-0 at Upton Park.

Eriksson’s new signings shone through as Rolando Bianchi tapped home the opener following an amazing run by Elano. Geovanni slammed in late to ensure the victory.

Everton 2 – Wigan Athletic 1

Everton claimed a 2-1 win over Wigan Athletic at Goodison Park thanks to a 26th-minute header by Leon Osman and a 75th-minute goal by Victor Anichebe.

Antoine Sibierski pulled one back for the Latics from close range in the 80th minute but Everton held on for the victory.

Bolton 1 - Newcastle 3

Newcastle manager Sam Allardyce made a stunning winning return to his old club Bolton as his team secured a comprehensive 3-1 win at the Reebok Stadium.

The game was pretty much over by half-time as Magpies were up by 3-0 at the break. The first goal came via a free-kick from Charles N’Zogbia. Martins smashed in an acrobatic second. He scored his second in the 27th minute.

Anelka slotted in a goal in the 51st minute after some clever work by Kevin Nolan – but it proved to be nothing but a consolatory goal.

Middlesbrough 1 - Blackburn 2

Middlesbrough started their campaign badly after throwing away a one goal lead. A curling Stewart Downing free-kick gave them the lead and Blackburn were dealt a massive blow when McCarthy had to be carried off on a stretcher after suffering a head injury early in the second half. However, his replacement Roque Santa Cruz scored the equaliser when he headed in David Bentley's cross from the right (63).

The winner came from young striker Matt Derbyshire in the 79th minute.

Derby 2 - Portsmouth 2

Newly-promoted Derby made a lively start to their campaign with a 2-2 draw at Pride Park against much fancied Portsmouth.

Matt Oakley netted the first for Derby with just 4 minutes having passed. Benjani Mwaruwari equalized for Pommies before new-signing John Utaka gave them the lead. The lead was very short-lived as defender Andy Todd equalized for Derby via a spectacular diving header.

EPL08.com - Predictions for the 2007-08 Season

Here's how we feel the tables going to look like at the end of the season:

1. Chelsea
Though there's more pressure on Mourinho to win the Champions League, I feel Chelsea will have to wait for yet another season to lay their hands on the elusive European title. The league will be a consolation of sorts, but something Chelsea should be able to get back from United.

2. Manchester United
Though they have loaded their team up with a lot of stars, I expect Manchester United to slip up in the league and shine in Europe this season. A Champions League final vs Barcelona at Moscow would be a classique!

3. Liverpool
With the massive amount of money which Liverpool have splurged this year - a non-top three finish might see heads roll at Anfield. In fact supporters feel that this is the season where they can actually end their 17 year title drought.

4. Arsenal
Theres not much pressure at the Emirates Stadium this year. Arsene Wenger is building for the future. No one expects miracles this year and this might play to their favour. We might get to see some exciting free flowing football from the young gunners this season.

5. Tottenham
The Spurs have an attacking line-up which could match that of Manchester United. Berbatov, Defoe and Keane - each had in excess of 10 goals last season and the addition of ₤ 16.5 million Darren Bent just adds to their attacking riches. But again, there's going to be lot of expectations at White Hart Lane - especially because of the amount of money spent in the summer.

6. Newcastle
Under-achievers for ages - this is finally going to be a season in which the Magpies will redeem themselves to a certain extent. Mainly because of the genius of Sam Allardyce. They'll need their strike force to remain injury-free too.

7. Everton
Andrew Johnson needs to start slotting in a lot more goals if Everton are to finish anything higher than 6th position. They might a fancy a decent run in the UEFA cup this time around and also expect them to reach the latter stages of one of the domestic cups.

8. Aston Villa
Martin O'Neill has been a winner for too long to accept another season treading water at Villa Park. A lot of names have left Villa this season but they've got in a couple of good players too. I definitely expect them to push for UEFA cup. Watch out for Gabriel Agbonlahor and Ashley Young this season.

9. Manchester City
A top 10 finish might be on the cards. Sven-Goran Erikkson has pretty much bought a truck load of players and that too not for cheap. I bet he's not even see half of them play! Language is going to be a serious problem at City this season, but I still have a feeling that Erikkson might be able to prove his managerial acumen and pull off a top 10 finish.

10. West Ham United
There's absolutely no chance that the Hammers are going to get caught in a relegation battle again. They've acquired some real good players - Ljungberg, Bellamy and Parker and coupled with Alan Curbishley's massive experience, I expect the Hammers to squeeze into the top half.

11. Blackburn Rovers
Blackburn has hardly seen any transfer activity this season with the only major signing being that of Roque Santa Cruz from Bayern Munich. But Blackburn have a pretty strong squad - able mid-fielders and plenty of striking options.

12. Portsmouth
Pompey owner Alexandre Gaydamak handed Harry Redknap a 25-million-pound transfer kitty and Harry's made quite a few signings. Portsmouth might lack the big names but have one of the most balanced squads this time around. Expect them to surprise a few teams but they've got the cruelest of schedules to start off with. After opening the year at newly promoted Derby County, it's home against Manchester United and Bolton, away to Chelsea and Arsenal, back home against Liverpool, at Blackburn, and then home against Reading.

13. Bolton
After four consecutive top 8 finishes under manager Sam Allardyce - the Trotters are going to find the going pretty tough this time around. A lot will depend upon Anelka - who might still leave before the transfer window shuts and even El-Hadji Diouf is keen on a move to Lyon. Kevin Nolan needs to stand up and deliver though I feel a player like him deserves to play in a top 4 squad.

14. Reading
Their fairytale premiership debut - in which they finished 8th - is definitely not going to witness a repeat. Reading over achieved last season and they have also lost arguably their best player in Steve Sidwell, who left for the greener pastures of Stamford Bridge.

15. Middlesbrough
Last seasons 12th to 16th places were separated by only 7 points and it's pretty much going to be the same this year. Not much separating teams at these spots. Gareth Southgate isn't going to find it easy this season either. A cannot see a repeat of a UEFA Cup final appearance in the near future. Yakubu really needs to put on his striking boots.

16. Fulham
Fulham were lucky to survive last season, mainly courtesy of a win against a pretty depleted Liverpool side. New manager Lawrie Sanchez has brought in a host of Northern Ireland players. I expect the Cottagers to struggle this season too - thought Sanchez might be able to survive the drop.

17. Birmingham
Many expect Birmingham to go straight back to the Championship, but I feel that the team has enough quality to avoid relegation. They've got in Liam Ridgewell and Franck Quedrue to bolster the back. The striking options are a little weak, Cameron Jerome and Mikael Forssell have to really perform if Birmingham are to stay up.

18. Sunderland
It's going to be real close dog-fight and the fiery Roy Keane might not be able to retain his cool at the end of it. Keane did wonders in his first year at Sunderland, but even he'll known that the going is pretty different in one of the best top division leagues in the world. We'll keep a special watch on the Desi flavour ala Michael Chopra.

19. Wigan Athletic
Without Paul Jewell in charge, Wigan don't look to have much chance of staying up. Season before last, Wigan surprised a lot of teams by finishing in the top half. Last year they barely managed to avoid relegation by beating Sheffield United on the last day of the season. Things are not going to be rosy for new manager Chris Hutchings.

20. Derby County
In 12 months, Derby County went from third last in the Championship to promotion to the Premiership. The roller-coaster ride should be complete in another 12 months when the Rams find themselves back in the Championship.


Those are my predictions for the coming season and I'd love to hear yours. Been really busy with other work, so haven't been able to put up a team by team season preview yet. Expect
some of it to be up real soon.

Cheers and be sure to stay with us for the entire season.

Review: Latest EPL Pre-Season Friendlies. Arsenal win another tournament.

Ajax 0 - Arsenal 1
In a highly physical and bad-tempered affair, Arsenal came through to record a victory by a solitary goal scored by Robin van Persie – who was then stretchered off.

This was Arsenal’s second Pre-Season tournament victory, after winning the Emirates tournament last week. link

Aston Villa 3 - Inter Milan 0
Aston Villa warmed up for the new Premier League season with a commanding 3-0 win over Italian champions Inter Milan at Villa Park. Villa captain Gareth Barry scored two and set up the third as the Italians crashed to a defeat just a few days after they defeated Man United.

Peterborough 1 - Man Utd 3
Owen Hargreaves finally made his Manchester United debut as the Premier League champions enjoyed a comfortable 3-1 win over Peterborough.

Goals for United scored by Adam Eckersley, Richie Jones and Fangzhuo Dong.

Note: This game was played on Saturday. Before Manchester United’s triumph in the FA Community Shield.

By the way, Peterborough were managed by Sir Alex Feguson’s son – Darren.

Tottenham 2 - Torino 0
Tottenham manager Martin Jol opted for the strike duo of Robbie Keane and Dimitar Berbatov up front and was rewarded with a goal from each in a 2-0 win over Torino.

Man City 0 - Valencia 1
With five new signings in their starting line-up, Manchester City lost to Valencia. There’s plenty of work for Sven-Goran Eriksson to do before the Premier League opener at West Ham next week.

Sunderland 1 - Juventus 1
Sunderland warmed up for their season opener against Tottenham next week with an entertaining 1-1 draw with Juventus.

Colchester 1 - Bolton 2
Ricardo Vaz Te and Gary Speed were both on target as Bolton recorded a 2-1 win at Championship club Colchester.

Middlesbrough 2 - AZ Alkmaar 0
First-half goals from Stewart Downing and Yakubu gave Middlesbrough a 2-0 win over AZ Alkmaar.

Crystal Palace 0 - Everton 0
Everton were held to a goalless draw by Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park in their final pre-season friendly.

Leeds 1 - Wigan Athletic 2
Jason Koumas scored both goals as Wigan beat crisis club Leeds 2-1 in a pre-season friendly at Elland Road.

Leicester 1 - Portsmouth 3
Portsmouth's new recruit David Nugent was on target as they came from behind to beat Leicester 3-1 in a pre-season friendly at the Walkers Stadium.

Wolves 2 - Reading 3
Reading warmed up for the start of the season with a 3-2 victory against Wolves at Molineux.

Preston 0 - Blackburn 3
Blackburn showed their Premier League class to comfortably see off Lancashire rivals Preston 3-0 at Deepdale.

Derby 2 - Espanyol 2
Steve Howard produced a late equaliser as Derby ended their pre-season preparations with a lively 2-2 draw against UEFA Cup finalists Espanyol.

West Ham 2 - Roma 1
Long-term injury absentee Dean Ashton was back on the scoresheet for West Ham as they came from behind to beat Roma 2-1 at Upton Park.

Via: Sporting Life

EPL Transfer News – Birmingham City pull out of Ghaly deal, sign Ridgewell and Queuedrue

[You might be viewing old Transfer News on this page. To know the latest on EPL Transfers - CLICK HERE]

Birmingham City have pulled out of the almost-confirmed £3million transfer of Tottenham midfielder Hossam Ghaly.

Why? Well they describe it as "footballing reasons".

This follows the collapse of the deal to sign another Spurs player Mido.

Meanwhile Steve Bruce signed Liam Ridgewell from bitter rivals Aston Villa.

Ridgewell ended an eight-year spell with Villa after joining Blues for £2million on a three-year contract deal with a further two-year option available.

Ridgewell followed hot on the heels of Fulham left-back Franck Queudrue in moving to St Andrews yesterday and became Bruce's 10th summer signing.

Birmingham completed Queuedrue’s signing from Fulham in a deal which could be worth £2.5million. The 28-year-old has signed a three-year contract and committed himself to Blues until the summer of 2010.

Review: Wednesday’s Pre-Season Friendlies. Man Utd lose to Inter Milan…

[You might be viewing old results on this page. To view the results of latest EPL Pre Season Friendlies, CLICK HERE.]

Manchester United 2 - Inter Milan 3
Manchester United failed to impress as Italian champions Inter Milan won 3-2 at Old Trafford in a pre-season friendly on Wednesday.
The Red Devils took the lead on 17 minutes through a thumping Wayne Rooney goal.
Sloppy defending allowed Inter back into the game as new signing David Suazo scored from close range and a sweeping move a little later saw Zlatan Ibrahimovic put the Serie A side in front on 27 minutes. Suazo scored his second of the night on 34 minutes.

Hull 1 - Newcastle 0
A 40th minute goal from Dean Marney was enough to give Hull a deserved 1-0 success at home to Newcastle.

Leyton Orient 2 - Tottenham 4
Spurs were in free-scoring mood yet again after recording a 4-2 win at Leyton Orient. Robbie Keane scored 2 while Jermain Defoe and Darren Bent scored one each.

Shrewsbury 0 - Manchester City 2
Man City left it late to record a 2-0 win over Shrewsbury Town at the New Meadow. Bernardo Corradi headed the opening goal on 82 minutes before Paul Dickov scored a crisp second late on.

Galway 0 - Sunderland 4
Michael Chopra scored after just six minutes en route to Sunderland's comprehensive 4-0 win over Galway United.

Stoke 0 - Aston Villa 2
Patrik Berger and Gabriel Agbonlahor scored as Aston Villa won 2-0 at The Britannia Stadium

Bolton 3 - Espanyol 0
Ricardo Vaz Te pounced for two first-half goals as Bolton eased to a 3-0 home triumph over Espanyol.

Huddersfield 2 – Blackburn 1
Luke Beckett's brace condemned Blackburn to a 2-1 defeat at Huddersfield. Jason Roberts netted a late consolation goal for Rovers.

A Glance at Tuesday’s Friendlies:

Brondby 0 - Chelsea 2
Striker Didier Drogba scored twice in the last half hour to give Chelsea a 2-0 win over Danish side Brondby

Other Results:

Everton 2 - Werder Bremen 2
Norwich City 1 - West Ham 2.
Bournemouth 1 - Portsmouth 4
Peter'boro 0 - Birm'gham 3
Barnsley 0 - Wigan 2
Derby 2 - Nottingham 0

Via: Sporting Life