Season in the sun

[undyingking]

So another football season rolls to a close. As is by now traditional, back in August various people predicted who were going to be the Premiership top 5, and whom relegated. Who was rightest? -- or leastest wrongestest?

The predictions:

undyingking:

1. Man Utd
2. Chelsea
3. Spurs
4. Liverpool
5. Arsenal

Rel: Derby, Wigan, Bolton.

dr_bob and also jiggery_pokery:

1. Man Utd
2. Chelsea
3. Liverpool
4. Arsenal
5. Spurs

Rel: Derby, Birmingham, Wigan.

gbsteve:

1. Man Utd
2. Chelsea
3. Arsenal
4. Liverpool
5. Spurs

Rel: Wigan, Derby, Birmingham.

metame:

1. Man Utd
2. Chelsea
3. Liverpool
4. Arsenal
5. Spurs

Rel: Sunderland, Derby, Birmingham.

mrlloyd:

1. Man Utd
2. Liverpool
3. Chelsea
4. Arsenal
5. Spurs

Rel: Derby, Birmingham, Sunderland.

ubiquitous_cat:

1. Liverpool
2. Man Utd
3. Chelsea
4. Arsenal
5. Spurs

Rel: Birmingham, Bolton, Derby.

The actual results:

1. Man Utd
2. Chelsea
3. Arsenal
4. Liverpool
5. Everton

with Spurs finishing 11th.
Rel: Derby, Birmingham, Reading.

So using the famous undyingking rank correlation coefficient, the scores are:
gbsteve 2.68
metame, dr_bob, jiggery_pokery 2.76
mrlloyd 2.90
ubuiquitous_cat 3.10
undyingking 3.69

Congrats to new contestant [Bad username or site: gbsteve, @ livejournal.com] who was spot on apart from hopelessly overestimating Spurs like everyone did.

As for the relegation, everyone but me (doh!) got Derby and Birmingham, and no-one got Reading. So we'll call that a 6-way tie.

Reflections:

So the self-perpetuating oligarchy at the top cements itself a bit further. Can you see anyone breaking into the Champions League places, short of via takeover by billionaire? It seems that unless the team can already offer Champions League footbal, they can't attract enough decent players to have a squad strong enough to actually compete for it. Everton have been the nearest consistent challengers over the last few years, but they really don't look all that close. Ten years ago, Arsenal won the league with 78 points -- this season that would have scraped 4th place.

We (West Ham) had a strange sort of season. We started well and by January were pretty much comfortable, but after that we were basically patchy (to be polite) and did just about enough to stay in the top half. It seems churlish to be disappointed with that finish when last year we were almost relegated, but it's more the manner of the weakness in form -- eerily reminiscent of the manager's Charlton teams of yore. With players coming back from injury and Ashton (the English Zidane) at last returning somewhere towards his true quality, we should have been out-competing smaller clubs like Blackburn and Portsmouth, if not nipping at the heels of Villa and Everton.

Over the summer I'd like to see some of the injury-prone dead weight that we panic-signed cleaned out, and if Bellamy isn't going to be fit again (as seems likely) then we need a prolific striker who's either tall, fast or both, to play alongside or in front of Ashton: Zamora and Cole aren't really of Premiership-top-half quality. Peter Crouch would be a good target -- under-played at Liverpool, he's always scored goals when he's been first choice, but would he take a step down as far as us? The fans will demand more next season, even if the biscuit barons who own the club are more patient.

What are you hoping for from your team before next season?

Comments

[undyingking.livejournal.com]

He's not been at all quick this season -- we thought it was slow recovery from his broken leg, but now suspect he never will be. Like your chap, he relies on using his strength and wiles (and elbows) to make space around defenders. Bellamy is a great partner but I think will always be injury-prone now. I can't see any of the other speedy finishers around the league wanting to move, but maybe our youngster Fred Sears will make the grade.