Best signing of Summer 2012

This year has been a busy one in terms of transfers and they have a massive effect on the Premier League. The season is into it's second half now and the famous 'Honeymoon periods' are well and truly over. I've decided to make a shortlist of who I think the best signing of Summer 2012 has been this season. 

Benteke

Benteke has been pretty explosive since signing for the Villains. His powerful forward played has scared many a defence and he has also been banging on some goals too. This is quite an achievement considering the team that are playing around him as he's got 11 goals in all competitions this season. That is not a bad return for someone who is just 22 years of age and is playing in the Premier League for the first time in his career. Villa paid £7m for the Belgian powerhouse and whilst not a bargain, it's not a bad price considering that many top clubs are monitoring him. 


RVP
Van Persie hasn't been at Old Trafford long and it's fair to say he's already a Manchester United hero. His late winner at the Etihad in the Manchester derby can only have been what he dreamed about as he sent thousands of United fans beserk. He then conjured some magic in the FA Cup in scoring a sublime late goal to cause a replay. It's not just the timing of his goals though, he's also got 22 in all competitions this season in 28 games! Although he cost United £24m, I think he has more than proved his worth, a world class striker who is lethal on that left foot. 

Diame
Diame has been hot property in the latest January transfer window as his bullish performances for the Hammers have interested a number of clubs since they became aware he had a £3.5m release clause. He joined West Ham on a free in the Summer, a signing that no one really took note of. However, since his arrival he has been phenomenal for them. His ability to drive through the midfield, beat players and his sheer strength has made him an Upton Park favourite. He has a bit of class about him too, shown in his thumper against Arsenal in October. If West Ham can get him a new contract with a higher release clause then they could make a nice bit of profit there, although I'm sure they'd rather hold on to him!

                                                                                    Hazard
Hazard joined Chelsea for a fee of around £32m in the Summer from French side Lille. He has a blistering start to the season and looked very impressive for the Blues, grabbing a few goals an assists. Since then he has gone a little quieter but has been gently ticking along, somewhat in the shadow of Juan Mata at times. He has hit the headlines recently for his 'Ballboy kick' but I'm sure he'd much rather be in the headlines for different matters. He's played 37 games in all competitions for Chelsea and has grabbed 8 goals and 12 assists which is pretty good. I do however think Chelsea fans will be a little disappointed and would have expected a bit more with the size of his pricetag. However, at the age of just 22, he has a long way to go and could turn into a sensational player. A good signing but not quite as good as everyone expected.

Michu
Never mind the signing of the season, Michu has undoubtedly been the surprise of the season! The Spaniard joined Swansea in the Summer for the nominal fee of £2.2m, what a master-stroke by boss Michael Laudrup that has turned out to be! So far this season, he's grabbed 16 goals in all comptetitions, a sensational return in 29 games for someone who was so unknown and cost so little. If you want to gauge just how good he's been this season then you only have to look at the fact that he has been called up to the Spain squad to face Uruguay in a friendly on 6th February. Genius from Laudrup, it has to be said.

In conclusion, I think the signing of the season has to be Michu. Van Persie pushed him very hard however I think if you take the price into account then he has to be the winner. Whilst RVP is possibly one of the best strikers in the world, he has the luxury of some incredible service from some world class players, something which Michu doesn't, making his feats even more impressive.

Who do you think is the best signing of Summer 2012? Tell us in the comments section below!

Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed it!

Who Does Your Team Need This January Transfer Window?

As we hit the all important mid season window and clubs are panicking after a worrying start to the season - we ask - who does your team need this January transfer window? A quick look at each Premier League team's necessities!


Arsenal
I think Arsenal could do with a solid centre back, one that turns in performances week in week out. Perhaps a move for Manchester City's Joleon Lescott who seems to be out of favour at the Etihad recently and is linked with a move away. He is an England international and when given a run of games is a good defender. If he was to be partnered with Vermaelen then I think that could be a great partnership. A rather unlikely solution would be Daniel Agger who I feel would definitely tighten up the gunners' defence however a transfer is extremely unlikely.


Aston Villa
Aston Villa are another team who in my opinion could do with a centre back. They leaked goals left right and centre over the Christmas period and need to sort that problem out as although they've improved, there is still a long way to go. They could also try and get a deal for Joleon Lescott on the cheap but I don't think he'd go there. In my opinion, the perfect solution would be William Gallas. A top player who has experience where it matters and that is invaluable when trying to beat the drop.




Chelsea
Chelsea could really do with another striker and Colombian Falcao would be ideal however I don't think he'll be going anywhere until the Summer at the earliest. Demba Ba looks a good signing but he could be potentially lethal with someone else up front, perhaps Shakhtar's Willian would spice up the attack a bit. He would fit in to the team well and a deal is definitely possible as the player has been linked for quite a while now.



Everton
Everton could do with a centre back to replace Jonny Heitinga who is out of form and doesn't look up for the challenge at Goodison Park recently. He has been linked with a move away from the Merseyside club too. At the risk of repeating myself, I feel Everton are another club who should have a go at signing Joleon Lescott, purely because of the value for money they would get as he is out off favour at Man City. More important for Everton though is keeping hold of Fellaini and Baines in my opinion.

Fulham
I feel that Fulham need a creative spark in their team, they have some class up front in Berbatov and Ruiz is a good player techinically, however they lack pace throughout the team. Danny Simpson would be a great move as he is likely to soon be out of favour due to the arrival of Debuchy from Lille. Lewis Holtby would have been a good deal at that price but it appears Tottenham have already snatched him up.





Liverpool
Liverpool could definitely do with a new keeper. In my opinion, Pepe Reina is on the decline and makes too many errors. A good move for them would be to buy young Jack Butland and slowly introduce him into the team, gradually progressing his appearances until he takes over as the number 1 keeper. Asmir Begovic would also be a good buy as he is a top class keeper.



Manchester City
If you look at Manchester City's squad then you would say that it is very strong all over the pitch and they have strength in depth too. In my opinion, they should focus on getting their current players playing, however I do feel that if they brought in 2 widemen then it would add an extra dimension to their game. Sometimes their attack seems to be rather blunt and this has been the case in quite a few games this season. By adding the option of playing and exploiting teams down the flanks it means they have a plan B and can mix it up a bit. Ideal players would be Wallcott and Jermain Lens of PSV who would both provide a huge threat out wide.

Manchester United
United also have quality all over the pitch and the only area where I would say they could improve would be in centre midfield where they have some classy playmakers who can also spray passes around and create chances for their intimidating forward line. I think Daniele De Rossi would be ideal for them, he would make the team solid, taking no nonsense in front of the back 4 and could perhaps solve United's problem of conceding so many goals this season.


Newcastle
Newcastle have struggled this season and have looked a shadow of the team they were last campaign. They have lacked goals at times because Papiss Cisse hasn't been able to hit the form he so explosively found in his half season previously. This left Demba Ba to score however now he's gone they are in real need of a goalscorer. Modibo Maiga or Lisandro Lopez would be ideal for the magpies in order to kick-start their season.

Norwich
Norwich are another team that in my opinion need a striker who can score goals. They have recently been linked with Danny Graham and Gary Hooper. I think both of those players would be perfect for the canaries, especially the latter. Hughton should do all he can to sign Hooper and Graham as they would be a cracking strike force that would complement the rest of the team well.



QPR
QPR are in big trouble at the moment and what I think they are lacking in is spirit and fight. They need some players who will give everything for the cause and do everything they can to help them stay in the Premier League. In my opinion they should have a go at getting players like Michael Dawson, Tim Cahill and Scott Parker. These players would be ideal for QPR and could be just what they need to beat the drop.



Reading
Reading are another team who need some players that will fight until the end of the season. They could do with some solidarity in their midfield as they look decent going forward already with Pogrebnyak, Mcanuff and Kebé. Ideal players would be Wilson Palacios or Steven N'zonzi as they would definitely tighten up the team as a whole, both being players with a bit of experience in the Premier League.





Southampton
Southampton have slowly adapted well to life in the Premier League over the course of the season and have managed to crack the goalscoring, proven when they banged in 3 at The Brittania, however they do tend to leak quite a few. They could do with a keeper who is able to settle in. It's no secret that they've had some problems in that department as they have tried a number of keepers this season. Brad Friedel would be perfect as he is slowly being replaced by Hugo Lloris at Spurs and no doubt wants to continue playing, so I could see it happening.



Stoke
Stoke aren't doing too bad so far in my opinion however I feel they could do with a bit of pace up front. Keeping Kenwyne Jones is quite important however they would do well to sign another striker anyway. They could try and get Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang from St Etienne who would be a revelation in my opinion.



Sunderland
Sunderland could really do a with a solid defender to tighten up their defence in my opinion. Again Joleon Lescott would be ideal but another suitable candidate would be Jonny Heitinga of Everton who is out of favour and form at Everton recently and could be sparked back to life if he moved to the Stadium of Light. They could also try and lure 35 year old Sylvain Distin who is not such a regular in the Everton team either anymore.

Swansea
Swansea only really need to give Michu some help up front as whilst Danny Graham has been grabbing a few goals to help the cause recently, he has been very heavily linked with a move away from the club. An ideal player would be Kevin Nolan of West Ham who works hard for his team and gets plenty of goals from midfield. They could also have a go at getting Wilfried Zaha who is lethal when on the ball, either would strengthen an already solid squad.


Tottenham
Spurs have been doing rather well recently and have looked extremely impressive in some games this season. The area where I feel they could improve is in attacking midfield. They already have Moussa Dembélé who has been class for them however he needs someone else as at times he is the only one creating chances, especially when Bale is injured/suspended. Possible players include Joao Moutinho and Willian who they have previously been heavily linked with, so they're definitely possible. If Tottenham can create an abundance of chances them I'm sure Defoe will gobble them up and they will enjoy a productive season. 


West Brom
West Brom have quite a solid and well-rounded squad in my opinion and that makes it difficult to put a finger on where they need to improve. One area that they could look into is getting some pace out wide. They could have a go at getting young Tom Ince from Blackpool who has been linked with a move away from the club. I would say Matt Jarvis would fit in well to cross in for Lukaku however having only recently joined, that is very unlikely. The only other player I can think of is Manchester City's Scott Sinclair who is rarely played and could provide a threat down the flanks. 


West Ham

West Ham are in desperate need a of a proven goalscorer. Kevin Nolan has gone a bit quiet on the goalscoring front and they cannot rely on him for goals as he is a midfielder. Whilst Carlton Cole has been playing very well and is a real handful, he isn't a 15-20 goals a season player in my opinion and neither are Carroll or Chamakh. They could try and get Gary Hooper from Celtic however that would be a bit of a risk. Another possibility is Nicolas Anelka who has proven himself in the Premier League and I think it would work very well with him playing under Allardyce too.


Wigan
Wigan could do with getting in another centre back with the news that Ivan Ramis, one of their best summer signings is out for the season. I think Sylvain Distin would be good for them as he is an excellent defender on his day and given regular football would definitely do a job for the Latics. Robert Huth would also be an excellent fit for the club too, however I feel this move would be quite unlikely in truth.

What does your team need this January transfer window? Tell us in the comments section below!

Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed it!

Premier League Mid Season Review - Part 5

With the Premier League season more than well and truly underway, it is time to have a look at each club and how they're doing and where they're on (or off!) course to finish.

Tottenham
At the time of writing, Spurs sit in 4th place, 3 points above 5th placed Everton after a dull 0-0 draw away at QPR. Tottenham's main objective has to be Champions League football and obviously so far they have left themselves in a good position to achieve this. The one thing I would point out however is that they were in a very similar position this time last year and fell away slightly, albeit with some unfortunate luck that Chelsea winning the Champions League meant they fell just short. 

Since their demolition in the North London derby they have gone on a good run and picked up many points. They won all their games in December apart from a loss at Everton which is no embarrassment this season. They won all those games rather comprehensively too, especially the 3-0 win at Fulham. Spurs do however have a really tough run of games coming up soon including Man Utd, a tricky cup tie at Leeds or Birmingham, Norwich who seem to be their bogey team and West Brom. If they can pick up a few points there and remain where they are after those games then that will put them in a really good position to ensure Champions League football come the end of the season.


Everyone knows their main main is Gareth Bale but I think what will really help them stay solid is the return of Scott Parker. He will keep it tight, protecting the back 4 whilst putting his body on the line and giving 100%. This will allow the other midfielders such as Dembélé to roam forward and create more which is what Spurs need. 

In conclusion, I think Spurs simply need to keep doing what they're doing in order to get Champions League football, perhaps a fresh attacking midfielder in the window would be ideal too.

West Brom
West Brom currently sit in 7th position at the time of writing and we all know they had a blistering start to the season and for many were definitely the surprise package of the Premier League. Steve Clarke came in and so far has done a great job in my opinion. He bought in Romelu Lukaku of Chelsea and this was a master-stroke as he has gone on to score some great goals and be a real handful for teams. 

I think Steve Clark has managed his team very well. If you look at the West Brom squad then you don't see a wide array of world superstars but he has so far managed to get them playing really, similar to what Harry Redknapp is good at. Their form has dipped quite significantly since December as they have only managed to win one game since the win away at Sunderland on 24th November. 


Some will say that their early season form was just a fluke and you'd have good evidence to say that, however I think that they still are a good team but they're just going through a bad patch at the moment. They have been quite unlucky in some of their games recently so I'm sure they'll be able to turn it around and finish in the top half of the table

In conclusion, I think West Brom will finish around 10th, they only need a win to get them going again.

West Ham
Since being promoted in May West Ham have enjoyed a relaxing start to the Premier League. They currently sit 11th at the time of writing and have impressed many by looking remarkably comfortable despite being a newly promoted team. Allardyce has done a great job in East London and their league position reflects this as his intelligent signings and invaluable half time team talks have changed games. 

They have dipped a little bit recently, most lately in their shocking 3-0 defeat to Sunderland where they looked terrible. What will boost them though is the return of rampaging midfielder Momo Diame who has been brilliant for them so far this season and they haven't looked the same team without him. He has the ability to beat a few players and carry the ball forward, he gets the crowd on their feet and also defends like a trojan in closing down opposition players.. This is just another genius transfer coup by Allardyce who managed to bring Diame in on a free in the Summer. 

They have been hard to beat at home this season and that has been pivotal in their form up until now. They need to work on their away form as they are very unpredictable when they don't play at the Boleyn Ground as it should be called. Nonetheless, they have had a great season so far and their main objective should always be to avoid relegation however they have done enough to steer clear of the drop zone so far.

In conclusion, I think West Ham will finish around 12th and comfortably survive. I don't think they need to bring players in, more importantly they need to tie their best players down to new contracts such as Winston Reid and Momo Diame.

Wigan
Wigan currently sit in 17th place at the time of writing and are only out of the relegation zone on goal difference. When I looked at their league position, it surprised me. I think they have improved huge amounts since last season and in certain games have looked like a slick cohesive unit that should be no where near the drop zone.

I think that Roberto Martinez is a brilliant manager, he has been given so few resources to succeed at Wigan however he has defied the odds on a number of occasions now and kept Wigan in the Premier League. He brought Arouna Koné and Ivan Ramis, both have been outstanding for them this season and have been crucial for the team. 

Wigan have some nice fixtures coming up in what remains of January and February bar a game at Chelsea and I think they will want to pick up some substantial points in order to put some daylight between them and the relegation zone before they hit some really tricky fixtures in March. Whilst the results haven't been overwhelming so far, the performances have been positive mainly and they can look on this and gain confidence from it, they know how well they can play.

In conclusion, Wigan manage to just escape every year and I don't think this year will be an exception, Martinez has what it takes to keep them clear of trouble in my opinion.

How do you think these teams have done so far? Tell us in the comments section below!

Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed it!

Premier League Mid Season Review - Part 4

With the Premier League season more than well and truly underway, it is time to have a look at each club and how they're doing and where they're on (or off!) course to finish.

Southampton
Southampton currently sit in 17th place and are only out of the relegation zone on goal difference. They do however have a game in hand which could give them a nice little gap between them and the drop. So far this season they haven't done too bad considering they're a newly promoted team. If you look at Reading who are 5 points behind them and don't have a game in hand then you would say they were in a much worse position than the saints. I'm sure that Adkins will be pleased to be keeping up so far as staying out the relegation zone for as long as possible helps, especially for team morale. 

They had a 5-1 thumping by Chelsea in the FA Cup recently but I don't think that will get them down as they can now focus on the league and the most important thing about it for them, staying up. In Gaston Ramirez I think they have a really good and under rated player, I'm surprised they didn't face more competition as I thought he was really impressive at the Olympics and I think he will be very important as to whether they stay up or not.

If you look at their results then you will see that they have definitely improved over the season. There are no games where they have conceded more than 3 and failed to score after they were beaten 4-1 at West Ham. They got a good win against Newcastle,  a narrow loss to Sunderland and a good draw against Norwich. This is promising as if you can limit teams to not scoring many then you could always go and nick a goal to win it as that's all it needs.

In conclusion, I think Southampton could very possibly go down. They will certainly be scrapping at the end of the season but so will other teams. I fancy them to just about stay up in the last few games of the season.

Stoke City
Stoke are sitting nicely in 10th position at the time of writing and have a healthy 3 point lead at least on the teams below them. I think this will be seen as positive for the potters as they are now a well consolidated Premier League team who are there every season now. What they will really want to do is make a small improvement on their league position each season. They tend to finish between 11th and 15th so obviously, being comfortably 10th at the moment is something to be happy about. 

It is a well documented fact that going to the Britannia Stadium and bringing back 3 points is a very difficult job. Although they don't lose many at home, they do seem to be drawing a few too many. If they could just convert 1 or 2 of those draws into wins then I think they could really rise up the table with their hard working away performances too. Their most impressive result to date this season has been their 3-1 win against Liverpool. In this game they really bullied Liverpool and this countered all the skill and guile of players like Suarez. In the end they were deserved winners on the day and looked a really good team, another indication of how hard to beat they are at home. 

In conclusion, they are definitely safe from the drop and I think they will finish in 10th or 11th this season, however if they can pick up a few more home wins rather than draws then the sky's the limit.

Sunderland
Sunderland have had a strange season so far with a lot of ups and downs. They were languishing down in the lower reaches of the table earlier on in the season and struggling to score goals unless they came from Steven Fletcher. They seemed to have picked up and had a mini revival after many called for O'neill's head. The Tyneside club picked up wins against Southampton and most impressively Manchester City which really got people talking. Since then however they suffered a rather lowly 3-0 loss at Anfield where they never really looked like they were in the game and it was more of a question of how many for Liverpool.

Sunderland currently sit in 14th place at the time of writing and are only 4 points above the relegation zone. They have had some rather bad form at home after losing to Aston Villa, West Brom and Middlesbrough in the cup. 

I don't think the squad has enough quality in it and this is not helped by the form of Stephan Sessegnon who shone last season but has only shown glimpses of recreating that form which terrorised defenders when he ran at them. Their purchase of former Manchester City man was a good one and I think he will do well for them however he needs some support, he cannot do it on his own. Sunderland need to bring in some more attacking class and become a real threat to teams when they go forward.

In conclusion, I can't see Sunderland going down however I can see them getting dragged into the relegation battle. I do however think that if anyone can steer them clear of the drop then it would be Martin O'neill as he has the experience and knows what it takes.

Swansea
Swansea have had a brilliant season so far and have lots to cheer about. After losing Scott Sinclair, Joe Allen and most importantly Brendan Rodgers, it all looked like it might go downhill for the Welsh club. However they bought in Michael Laudrup who has excelled in his spell so far. His knowledge of the Spanish league has meant he has been able to bring in some real gems to the Liberty Stadium. The most well known has obviously been the Spanish sensation Michu but Pablo Hernandez, Chico Flores and De Guzman have also been very impressive in my opinion.

Swansea got off to a blistering start and then dipped slightly but it all looks rosy again after a brilliant win away at Chelsea in the Capital One Cup that all but guarantees a place at Wembley in the final against either Bradford or Villa who are both more than beatable. This means they have a great chance to get some silverware, an amazing achievement for a club who were in the Championship a few seasons ago and are now comfortably in the top half of the Premier League and a cup final.

In conclusion, I think Swansea have been great so far and are a testimony to how you don't need to splash the cash to do really well, Laudrup has done a fantastic job, exciting times for Swansea fans!

How do you think these teams have done so far? Tell us in the comments section below!

Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed it!

Premier League Mid Season Review - Part 3

With the Premier League season more than well and truly underway, it is time to have a look at each club and how they're doing and where they're on (or off!) course to finish.

Newcastle
Newcastle have had a disastrous first half of their season so far. At the time of writing, they are languishing down in 15th place, a mere 2 points above the relegation zone. This season has been so different from their last campaign it's almost laughable as they have plummeted from Champions League contenders to relegation candidates if they don't sort it out! In my opinion, apart from Demba Ba, none of their best players from last season have shone anywhere near as much as they did last season. This was evident in the fact that Ba got an offer from Chelsea which he took with open arms as he probably felt Newcastle were sinking and wanted to abandon ship.


Newcastle have very recently been rocked by the request of their captain Fabriccio Collocini who said he would like to return to his native Argentina. It just gets worse for the tyneside club as they get dumped out the FA Cup by a championship team and lose their captain. It is difficult to sum up why Newcastle have been so much worse than they were last season, it just hasn't happened for them. With Alan Pardrew being on an 8 year contract at the club they would do best if they stuck with him through this sticky patch as they really are in a bit of trouble at the moment.

In conclusion, I feel that Newcastle desperately need to hang on to captain Collocini. Don't forget this is the man likened to the great Bobby Moore by Alan Pardrew and he is about the only person who can hold them together at the moment. They should use the Ba money to either replace him if needs be or to buy a partner for him at the back.

Norwich
Norwich have had an even more astonishing 2nd season back than last season so far, in my opinion. You see these clubs do really well in one season but sometimes 'second season syndrome' can set in. This is supposedly where a team fails to emulate its new found success of the previous season. Some suggest that this is down to teams cracking their game plan, I would tend to agree with this to some extent. Norwich have stayed clear of this though and went on an incredible unbeaten run earlier on before losing respectively to Man City in a 7 goal thriller.

Norwich sit in 12th at the time of writing and I'm quite sure they would be happy if that was where they ended up finishing at the end of the season, consolidation would surely be a priority. Chris Hughton has come in and made them a difficult team to beat and they have claimed a few famous scalps at Carrow Road. They have been doing well with relatively little assistance from their once talisman Grant Holt who has only contributed 4 goals so far, if they can get him firing then they could certainly look upwards in terms of the table. John Ruddy has been injured for a large part of this season and considering he was on the verge of the England squad, he is definitely a big miss for them and they will be looking forward to his return.

Wes Hoolahan has been particularly influential for them this season. The crafty playmaker was the only positive in a loss to West Ham recently and he provided their only threat at times. He played inbetween the lines, finding pockets of space. He also ran at players, taking advantage of the space he found and carried the ball well up the pitch for the team. Strangely he was taken off by Hughton in that game and he understandably didn't looked too please, implying there was no injury. I think he is a great little player and they should use him to his full potential if they want to finish higher than 12.

In conclusion, I think Norwich have had a great season so far and if they continue to do this well then they can easily climb the table. They are definitely not relegation candidates and should be looking up rather than over their collective shoulders at the deathly drop zone.

QPR
Well it is quite obvious that QPR's season has been disastrous as they sit rock bottom of the Premier League with a mere 13 points and a -19 goal difference. Many tipped them for easy safety this season after they bought in many new faces and some relatively big names. Nearly all of them have been extremely disappointing to say the least. In my opinion, their best player is one who has been there a while now and that is Moroccan Adel Taraabt. He has the ability to carry the ball, beat 2 or 3 players and stick it in the back of the net. All good attacking play seem to come through him and I think he is a real talent. Sometimes he lacks the right attitude however he makes up for it in ability. I'm surprised no other clubs have come in for him personally.

It took them until the 15th of December to get their first win and this sums up how bad their season has been. I think a particular low point was their loss to Liverpool at home where they looked leagues behind the Merseysiders. Their high point so far has undoubtedly been the win at Stamford Bridge against European Champions Chelsea. Although it will definitely raise morale and confidence, I do get the feeling that the result was slightly more down to Chelsea's faults rather than QPR's strengths.

In conclusion, I think QPR are destined for the drop, even 'Arry can't save them this time. A challenge too difficult. They lack discipline in their play and need to maintain quality of performance for longer periods in games in order to get results. It is not a good time to be a QPR fan with the wages likely to be a huge problem if they go down. However, if there is anyone who can get them out of it then you'd put your money on it being Harry Redknapp.

Reading
Reading have also had a terrible season so far, however their situation doesn't seem to be as bad as QPR in many people's opinions. Although they are only above the London club on goal difference, I think they have more to be positive about. Recent results have reflected quite well on them. A decent 0-0 draw with Swansea, a solid result in my opinion, a much needed win against West Ham and a respectable and expected loss to Tottenham Hotspur. 

Reading have an important period coming up before the end of February. In their next 6 games, they face, West Brom, Newcastle, Chelsea, Sunderland, Stoke and Wigan respectively. The latter of those are especially winnable and they should look to pick up as many point as possible in February. They need to get 4 out of a possible 9 in their remaining January fixtures at least in my opinion. 

Reading may not have the most spectacular squad however I feel they have what QPR have a distinct lack of and that is team spirit. They all know how to work for each other and grind out a result. A perfect example of this was in their home win against West Ham recently and they also showed spirit in the thriller at home to Manchester United and a narrow loss at the Etihad against the champions earlier on in this season.

In conclusion, I think Reading will struggle to beat the drop. They are by no means down yet though, if they can add intelligently in January and stick together I think escape is possible, just unlikely. 


How do you think these teams have done so far? Tell us in the comments section below!

Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed it!

Premier League Mid Season Review - Part 2

With the Premier League season more than well and truly underway, it is time to have a look at each club and how they're doing and where they're on (or off!) course to finish.

Fulham
Fulham have been consolidating their position in the Premier League for a number of seasons now and tend to finish mid table and comfortably stay up. This season is a little different however, they have been all over the place and sit in 13th place at the time of writing. In my opinion, they have been underperforming all season and without Dimitar Berbatov's heroics, could be in a bit of bother. They are only 6 points above the relegation zone and that is by no means a huge margin at all. I think Martin Jol and his men will be nervously looking over their shoulder in the coming weeks as they hope to avoid slipping further down the league. 


Fulham do however have some winnable games coming up before March in the form of Wigan, West Ham, Norwich and Stoke. I think they'll need to pick up 7 points from these games to feel safee come March as they face the 2 Manchester clubs before March too. So far they have been less than impressive and completely uninspiring to say the least. They are incredibly unpredictable this season as they can go from being the first team to get beaten by QPR to winning away at West Brom. 

Fulham could do with improving their squad and consolidating it in January as I feel they lack some strength in depth and rely too heavily on Berbatov and Ruiz. I also feel they could do with freshening the side up with some youth as 10 of their first team squad are 30 or over. Fulham need to work on performing consistently and getting their good players playing like Rodallega. They've got some good experience in there but some players just aren't playing to their full potential such as Hangeland and Petric. 

In conclusion, I think Fulham will be fine, they always tend to be and have so far showed glimpses of how good they can be. If they iron out the bad performances and pick up some points even when they play bad then they'll be fine. Lots of room for improvement though and they desperately need to.

Liverpool
You never know what to expect when you watch Liverpool this season, and so far it hasn't been great. A lot of money has been spent on that team and they have overpaid for a number of players in my opinion. They have suffered very much so from not being consistent enough. They had a slow start to the season and have slowly been moving up since then but they should still be higher than they are with the squad that they possess. 

Brendan Rodgers has come in and tried to get Liverpool playing some nice passing football but Liverpool have struggled to adapt until the festive period where they seem to have finally got the hang and kicked into gear picking up some impressive results. After their good 3-0 win against Sunderland they are in 8th place at the time of writing and they seem to be getting stronger as time goes on. They have relied rather heavily on Luis Suarez's goals this season and will be looking to bring in another forward to partner him in attack in January. Brendan Rodgers seems to have finally got them playing and they look to have gotten into their stride recently.

Liverpool's main problem by far has been their consistency and their poor home form at the beginning of the season didn't help either. They have had quite a poor start to the season in general in which they have been so unpredictable.

In conclusion, Liverpool seem to be over the worst of their problems and playing well, they finished 2012 and started 2013 strongly and I think if they bring in a quality strike partner for Suarez then they can finish in 6 or 7th. I think the Champions League is a bit too much to ask yet but perhaps next year.

Manchester City
City have been distinctly average this season so far, they have failed to perform anywhere near as well as they did for large parts last season. In my opinion, City are lucky to only be 7 points behind leaders United and other teams seem to be catching them now. They have had quite a lot of fortune this season and have managed to score late goals to win games in which they haven't played well. Aguero was injured for a while and they sorely missed him, this did however ease Mancini's selection dilemma as he no doubt struggles to pick from Aguero, Tevez, Dzeko and Ballotelli. 

I think City's main problem has been the form of their midfielders, Yaya Toure has not been anywhere near as good as he was in the latter part of last season. David Silva has improved in recent weeks but for most of this season he has been rather uninspiring. Silva makes City tick with his weaving runs and defence-unlocking passes. Toure is also badly missed when he doesn't play well as he normally dominates midfield and has that rare ability to carry the ball forward effectively to start attacks. Toure will be again missed in January due to the African Cup of Nations tournament too. 


City are solid defensively in my opinion and have no problems in that region but going forward they look much less threatening than they used to. They have been struggling to break teams down and similarly to Chelsea, I feel they could do with working on a plan B for when it gets tough. This has never been more evident than in their 0-0 draw with West Ham earlier on in the season when it just wasn't working for them so they provided little threat.

In conclusion, I think City will be United's closest challengers for the title this season and 7 points is by no means insurmountable. They do however need a huge improvement from the first half of the season if they are to do so.

Manchester United
United have had a good start to the season and sit very comfortably at the top of the table with a 7 point lead at the time of writing. Their performances do no reflect this as they have conceded a huge amount of goals this season. They have gone behind on numerous occasions   so far and have had to come back strongly to win games and grind out results. 

I think Sir Alex Ferguson will be concerned with how many goals his team has conceded early on in games. One thing that he can feel good about is how his team have come back to overturn losing positions on so many occasions. They have got quality throughout their team but I feel they could do with a quality central defender. Vidic is getting a little old and is injury prone these days whilst I feel Ferdinand is on the decline and isn't good enough for the team anymore. Evans is turning into a great defender and improving year on year but Smalling is a weak link when he plays in my opinion.


United started 2013 well with a comprehensive victory against Wigan and will look to build on that with a derby win over Liverpool. If they can keep going as they are and keep other teams at arms length while they stay at the top grinding out results then I think they can easily go on to win the league. 

In conclusion, I think United will win the league this year if they tighten up their defence and stop conceding goals early on in games. They have made it hard for themselves so far this season and still remain at the top of the league so when they really start playing they should be comfortable. 

How do you think these teams have done so far? Tell us in the comments section below!

Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed it!