let's predict the top four and bottom three now, then laugh when this thread's bumped at the end of the season

may 22nd right

i'm just gonna get loose cuz why not

1. man city
2. chelsea
3. arsenal
4. tottenham

18. west ham
19. blackpool
20. wigan

1 Chelsea
2 Man City
3 Man United
4 Arsenal

18 Wolves
19 Wigan
20 Blackpool

The general pattern of this season is gonna be so predictable that Wolves to go down is the closest I can think of to a krazy wildcard that might just about happen.

Chelsea
Man Utd
Man City
Tottenham

Stoke
Wigan
Blackpool

yellow card due there, sam^^

Arsenal
Chelsea
Man City
Man Utd
----------
Wolves
Wigan
Blackpool

my crazy wildcard was going to be Man Utd out of the top four, but it's been done.

Chelsea
Man Utd
Arsenal
City

West Ham
Wigan
Wolves

1. Chelsea
2. Man United
3. Arsenal
4. Man City
-------------
18. Wigan
19. West Ham
20. Blackpool

man utd
chelsea
man city
arsenal

liverpool
wigan
wolves

^ mad challops

utd aren't going to be within 7 points of first

i swear to god i only just this second spotted liverpool there

Heh - I was thinking the same thing, and not even joking about it.

Only doing top:
Chelsea
Manure
Arse
Citeh

only chelsea are a real team from that list. rejected.

xps i've been waiting for someone to post utd as winners, maybe that's how it happened

Broadening this out a little bit into teams exhibiting danger signs:

Wolves (reverting to McCarthy type)
West Ham (physically weak)
Birmingham (unimaginative)
Newcastle (losing the ones they should be winning)

Wolves- Struggling to develop
West Ham- Average players, everywhere
Birmingham- nah they won't struggle
Newcastle- Will be fine, though I can't believe a Hughton-coached team won't struggle defensively
Wigan- don't seem to have any reason to stay up

We've played about 40/50 percent decent football so far I think, been a shade unlucky. Biggest problem is the defence failing to solidify. Some big players still due to come back into the side, altho losing Guedioura to a broken leg for 5 months is a set-back. That's been adequately covered by the huge media outcry about oh wait it doesn't count when it's one of ours.

In short - I'm a bit concerned, but we're not far short of regaining some solidity and settling into the middle I think. Depends how careful Big Mick is about taking his fucking meds, really.

1. Chelsea
2. Arsenal
3. Man City
4. Man Utd
----------
5. Spurs (lose out of goal difference)
6. Fulham
7. Birmingham
----------
18. Blackpool
19. West Ham
20. Wigan

FA Cup: Spurs
Carling Cup: Utd
Champions League: Real Madrid

1. Chelsea
2. City
3. Utd
4. Arsenal

18. Wolves
19. Blackpool
20. Wigan

FA: Arsenal
CC: Man Utd
CL: Chelsea

i only have wolves down bacause i like west brom and blackpool, tho tbf i quite like wolves too. but they're on a worrying run.

I just put Stoke because they just seem so superfluous to the Premiership. I've never seen Stoke v anyone on a TV listing and thought "I'll watch that".

Stoke are not even remotely going down, wtf

neither are WBA or Wolves

largely my predictions are similar to a hoy hoy's except no way are Fulham and Brum finishing that high

i just didn't think villa or everton or liverpool would and would feel sick putting blackburn there.

top goalscorer:
1. drogba
2. dembele
3. tevez

lol at myself for ever thinking everton could make the top 4 this season

1. chelsea
2. man u
3. arse
4. man c

17. liverpool
18. stoke
19. wolves
20. west ham

xp oh yeah I remember that :D

tbf I had Arsenal finishing 8th in my og prediction but that was basically a str8 a hoy hoy wind-up

1. Chelsea
2. Man Utd
3. Arsenal
4. Man City

18. Wolves
19. West Ham
20. Blackpool

wolves > wigan

also DON'T discount Newcastle or even Birmingham from this contention

We know it's a stupid game at this point. At the moment my head says Wolves will climb away from this, but my heart says 2 points from the last 5 games MCCARTHY OUT

who was the last team to go up as emphatically as newcastle did but then go straight back down in one season? there's a probably a recent example, i haven't checked.

sunderland I am guessing

West Brom?

yes to both

happens nearly every year is my impression

Chelsea
Man U
Arsenal
City

Blackpool
West Ham
Wigan

Not mentioned at all yet: Sunderland (in context of this season), Villa, bolton, Blackburn

there's your midtable right there (plus Stoke)

(and WBA)

Resolutely mid-table, the lot of them. Think Bolton most likely to flirt with relegation.

xpost!

Villa could amount to absolutely anything this season.

was gonna say, Villa dingdonging w/ Spurs position-wise come April wouldn't surprise me greatly

position of those positions: itisamystery.jpg

yeah, everton to make a strong recovery up to wherever villa and spurs are too, but as to whether that'll be 10th or 4th i dunno

In short, this season to be exactly like last season?

eh maybe not 4th now you say that

i'm going to put this here because otherwise i will wonder come may

completed matchday 6

1. chelsea...15
2. man u ....12
3. arsenal...11
4. city......11

18. wigan...5
19. west ham...4
20. everton...3

1 Man City
2 Man Utd
3 Chelsea
4 Arsenal
5 Liverpool
6 Tottenham
7 Newcastle
8 Everton
9 Fulham
10 Sunderland
11 Villa
12 Wigan
13 Swansea
14 Southampton
15 QPR
16 Norwich
17 West Ham
18 Stoke
19 Reading
20 West Brom

FA Cup: Chelsea
League Cup: Everton
Champs League: Barcelona

Might have a flutter on Everton to finish fifth, they could be in for a good season if they can keep Jelavic fit.

My rationale with Stoke is that there's often a fighty team implodes under its own squabbling, and West Ham're too boring a choice. If we could only get Stoke to the right side of the effectiveness/eat-your-own tipping point, the result could be spectacular.

Does anybody actually want the season to start yet? I feel like I need at least another month off.

I'd prefer a few more weeks for us to make some fucking signings.

Stoke, Villa and Sunderland all failed to win in their last six games of last season. Of those I think Stoke are most likely to carry that slump on - as I believe the other two have managers who can turn them around.

Absolutely not; a baseball-style season-long strike would be most welcome right now.

I'd prefer a few more weeks for us to make some fucking signings.

― Matt DC, Monday, 13 August 2012 12:17 (55 minutes ago)

Sig and Vert not good enough for you?

I think he means a CF.

A bit early what with so many sagazzz yet to be resolved, but I'm bored so:

1. Man City
2. Chelsea
3. Liverpool
4. Man Utd
5. Tottenham
6. Arsenal
7. Aston Villa
8. Everton
9. West Ham
10. Southampton
11. Sunderland
12. West Brom
13. Fulham
14. Newcastle
15. Stoke
16. Swansea
17. Cardiff
18. Crystal Palace
19. Norwich
20. Hull

1. Celtic

chelsea
city
utd

1-3 return of chelsea tractor i'm afraid unless pellegrini draws up something valiant

liverpool
arsenal
tottenham

4-6 anyone's really

everton
swansea
norwich

7-9 slight edge over the midtable rest, safest to assume everton will end up in the same place but just in a totes different way

west ham
southampton
fulham
newcastle
sunderland
aston villa

10-15 flawed but capable of little runs meh idk

west brom
hull
palace
cardiff
stoke

16-20 wba vibe's a bit off, hull can probs grind it out, cardiff may too but with less quality, palace will attack well but with possibly the worst defence in epl history as it stands, DIE STOKE DIE

1. Celtic

― Hamburglar's smiling too (Nasty, Brutish & Short),

I'll put on my captain obvious hat and go one further and go Hearts to come last as well.

xp 10-15 all capable of comedy catastrophe seasons too i should add

wish i had some scandalous challops to bring to the table

I know. Newcastle at 14th is a Kinnear tax - as sv notes, they're cooking up a tasty front three atm. Stoke at 15th is boring Hughes consolidation and probably too low - they're well-suited, and the brief window that opened up late last year is gone now I fear. Liverpool at 3rd, well - that's a settled pre-season, Suarez staying, and fingers crossed the defence don't look down all year. Obviously Nal-Tott-Pool is gonna be the real 4-5-6th. Villa at 7th is Lambo leading a children's crusade all year, running out of puff and nous just at the death.

i actually truly believe in stoke finishing bottom fyi

u speak of kinnear tax as if pards tax wasn't already being levied last season. personnel is not the issue there

nah, the pards tax was just a settling of accounts after the rebate error the year before

stfu liv in the same bracket as us

lol yeah whatever

City
Chelsea
United
Spurs
Arsenal
Liverpool
Swansea
Newcastle
Norwich
Southampton
Everton
West Brom
Cardiff
West Ham
Fulham
Villa
Sunderland
Stoke
Palace
Hull

are youses city top votes faith in pellegrini or doubt in jose

City made four good signings, already had the best squad; Chelsea got a lot of ground to make up.

Celtic win domestic treble
Championship: Morton
League One: The Rangers
League Two: Peterhead

^120/1 or thereabouts

also Hearts to stop mid season so no relegation
also Celtic to lose CL play-off and be eliminated at group stage of Europa League

What's making that 120/1? Two of those are certainties and Morton led theirs for much of last season.

Morton 15/2
Peterhead 15/8
Celtic 1/40
Rangers 1/12
Celtic Scottish Cup Evs
Celtic League Cup 5/4

Chelsea
City
Spurs
Arsenal
Utd
Liverpool
Meh

I hear fifth any advance on fifth

Morton have sold prob their best player to Rotherham (for a measly £50,000) so I'm not sure they'll do as well this year

but but they signed Dougie Imrie (and told him to stop trying to pass the ball)!

City
Chelsea
United
15-point gap
Arsenal (on goal difference)
Spurs

Hull
Stoke
Palace

fuck a goal difference i want a play-off

City
Chelsea
Spurs
United
Arsenal
Swansea
Liverpool
Norwich
Everton
Newcastle
Cardiff
Villa
Southampton
West Ham
Stoke
Sunderland
West Brom
Fulham
Hull
Palace

A lot of Nor<3ich in these, what's that based on?

Supreme faith in van Wolfswinkel Hooper superstrikeforce

1. Man city
2. Chelsea
3. Manchester utd

18. Hull
19. Newcastle
20. Palace

Championship. Watford
League 1. Wolves
League 2. Fleetwood.

fulham relegation would be nice but i can't really see them doing the full tailspin tbh

over to you agent adel

cardiff 11th, 13th? pourquoi

If ever there was a season for all three promoted clubs to go down it's this one, possibly only Stoke could mess that up.

city
utd
chels
spurs

stoke
sunderland
hull

find it hard to believe i live in an era in which utd in the top 3 isn't a certainty

Got a bad feeling about Fulham based on a combination of Martin Jol, a load of flaky players and the new owner's moustache. If there is to be a comic collapse this season then surely they will provide it.

Cardiff placing due to Bellamy and blind faith in 5.5m fantasy team bargain Cornelius who will in all likelihood score 6 goals and be the subject of 2 amusing montages on MOTD, narrated by Alan Shearer, which end with him sitting on the turf shaking his head.

Whole league is much of a fucking muchness though outside City and Chelsea.

City/Chelsea feels right to me; but it feels all wrong that that's a consensus

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

18. West Brom
19. Reading Hull
20. Norwich

― (500) Days of Sodom (Merdeyeux), Friday, August 10, 2012 4:16 PM (11 months ago)

yeah that'll do

that French youngster'll make all the difference, eh?

I was thinking more of the return of Abou Diaby.

I can't be arsed with the top four. I'm gonna have nine months of that smooshed in my face while Saints are scrabbling around in 12th, the time for giving a fuck will come later.

5. Spurs, obv. (Dawson 88th minute OG from an incorrectly awarded corner)
6. Liverpool
7. Villa (C'MON KIDS)
8. Saints (C'MON KIDS)
9. Newcastle (either Joe Fucking Kinnear or Vincent Sodding Tan is gonna be all strutting about like they've been vindicated at some point this season, and for some reason I'm picking JFK)
10. Your Stokes
11. Your West Hams
12. Your Norwiches
13. Everton (originally put them in 19th because they were the team I couldn't remember existed but even then there was no way they were finishing below Hull)
14. Swansea (Europe)
15. Your West Broms
16. Cardiff
17. Palace
18. Fulham
19. Sunderland
20. Hull

No way are Sunderland declining under Di Canio.

That's like expecting Utd to kick on under Moyes

1. Arsenal
2. Man City
3. Chelsea
4. Liverpool

― Merdeyeux, Tuesday, August 6, 2013 4:33 PM (4 months ago)

bookies should pay out early imo.

You didnt bet on the sprint sonnnn