2013/14 Season Predictions

[Kingfisher]

How is it possible to make a prediction about where we will finish next season in May? I hope we buy well, I hope others buy badly. I hope for 7-12 with my head, top 6 with my heart and the championship in my dreams.

I'll make a prediction in September.

[kevangrealish]

How is it possible to make a prediction about where we will finish next season in May? I hope we buy well, I hope others buy badly. I hope for 7-12 with my head, top 6 with my heart and the championship in my dreams.

I'll make a prediction in September.

This

[The Fun Factory]

Like Kingfisher says, it's to early to make predictions, but I would see as Villa's main targets are to try and get close to 50 points, aim for midtable at least, and concede at least 10 less goals than this season. I would be happy with that.

[mjmooney]

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

[Tayls]

How is it possible to make a prediction about where we will finish next season in May? I hope we buy well, I hope others buy badly. I hope for 7-12 with my head, top 6 with my heart and the championship in my dreams.

I'll make a prediction in September.

:/ ..... Why you dreaming about us going to the championship?

[BOF]

Night terrors.

[Kingfisher]

How is it possible to make a prediction about where we will finish next season in May? I hope we buy well, I hope others buy badly. I hope for 7-12 with my head, top 6 with my heart and the championship in my dreams.

I'll make a prediction in September.

:/ ..... Why you dreaming about us going to the championship?

Didn't say it was a nice dream...

[BOF]

It goes without saying (I hope...) that all of this is based on assumptions about managers/players and depends on the transfer windows that they are all about to have. So with that in mind, here's how I see it. I might be back to tweak as the summer unfolds

1 - Chelsea - Assuming they'll have Mourinho. They already have an excellent squad and he'll improve it. Chelsea win league. Simple.

2 - Manchester United - Can't see Moyes winning the title but I think this squad is too strong to finish outside the top 2. I see next season as a learning one for him where he just takes the wheel of an already-sailing ship and doesn't fix what clearly ain't broke.

3 - Manchester City - Pellegrini is an excellent manager but he (or whoever it ends up being) has a big job to turn these individuals into a team. That said, these individuals are good enough to come 3rd without any manager in charge. I can't see them topping the 2 above though.

4 - Arsenal - Only a massive summer spend can bridge the gap between what is now a very good Arsenal side and the super-powers above them. They obviously need to stop their better players leaving too.

5-6 - Spurs - Bale Bale Bale. Although with that being said, if they can buy a whole new strikeforce from the earnings, then they might end up OK either way.

5-6 - Liverpool - Will be much stronger assuming they keep Suarez. Their growing pains are over too and they ended the season well. Pointswise I think they could challenge for 4th if someone above them drops the ball. Either way I think they'll genuinely make it a top 6 next season, rather than this season's top 5 with them fighting for 'best of the rest'. Sort out those centrebacks though.

7 - Everton - They will not replace Moyes and have instant success, so they are bound to fall away at least for one season. To me it's a case of how far they fall (pointswise if not positionally). They could also hire badly and/or have their squad pillaged (Fellaini, Baines, Coleman, Jagielka). So for me it's a case of 'how bad' next season will be for the Toffees relative to what they've become accustomed to.

8 - Swansea - If they keep Laudrup, Michu & Williams then there's no reason they can't impress again. Lose Laudrup though (Everton...) and it'll be a worry. You won't keep finding excellent managers. Hopefully they'll pluck some more obscure Spanish talent and be a joy to watch again. The league is better for having them.

9 - Aston Villa - The growing pains are over. A young energetic and capable squad full of goals now knows what it takes to be in the PL. There is room for improvement no doubt, so some intelligent summer buys could make this a season of very enjoyable progression. It also obviously depends on keeping our better players here, but at least next season we hit the ground running rather than with a splat.

10 - Newcastle United - Tough one. Really depends on whether they lose their stars and can ship out the rubbish. Their scouting myth has been debunked and they've a split dressing room. I think they'll be OK and they benefit from a piss poor lower half of the league but they won't worry the big boys and I wouldn't guarantee Pardew sees next May in charge if they start poorly.

11 - Norwich - I expect they'll be a stronger side than last season. A good 'team' with no over-reliance on any individuals. They'll stay up no problem and hopefully I can go back to liking them now that we've put a whole season between them and the whole Lambert saga This might be 'still 11th' but it'll be a much safer one than the season just gone.

12 - West Ham - All depends on Carroll. If they get him they could be top half again. Sizeable Sam will always keep you up though, so they're one of those sides who could be anywhere from 9th to 17th but definitely no lower.

13 - West Brom - Second season will be tougher without Lukaku and they can't afford a similar quality replacement. I don't expect them to be as strong next time out although I imagine they won't struggle with the drop under Clarke.

14 - Cardiff City - Assuming they keep Malky in charge, I think they'll spend the money and stay up. They've been knocking on the door for years and absolutely sailed up this season. Clearly a good side with a good defence and we've seen that the momentum of coming up as champions, more often than not, keeps you up. Not to mention that teams who come up off the back of a strong defence often do much better than teams who come up as an attacking force with a poor defence.

15 - Fulham - Need a big summer for their ageing squad. I think they could struggle next season. Particularly if their end to this season was any gauge. Jol has problems there IMO and they're my dark horse for a season-long relegation scrap in the way we were Gobby Cabbage's last season.

16 - Stoke City - Cracks started to appear this season and now they're a club without a manager. They've gone from being relatively safe to being in danger of going down. They are still good defensively but a big change in style might be hard to adapt to depending on who comes in. If I was a fan I'd be worried right now.

17 - Sunderland - I get the impression PdC will gut that squad in the summer, meaning a lot of new faces and transition in the new season. He better hope he doesn't fall out with them all or it could be disastrous.

18 - Hull City - Good old fistface. Not sure about this lot because I don't know much about them. I don't think they have much money and they only barely came 2nd with a relatively poor attack and defence and a goal difference that doesn't fit with the league position. Bruce has shown himself to be a very capable manager in the past so they could be OK if he can find more players of Palacios' calibre.

19 - Southampton - I genuinely think they could go down (as you can see). I don't trust Pochettino's ability to get the momentum up that he inherited from Adkins last season. They finished 19th in the form guide too and I do think that reflects them under the new man, rather than attributing it to end-of-season syndrome a la maybe Fulham.

20 - Watford/Crystal Palace - TBD - Either way I'll put them here. I can't see Palace having the quality and I'm not sure if the PL allows you to abuse the loan system in the way Watford have benefitted this season. So they'll be weaker than the side that got them promoted.

[Spoony]

Wherever Benteke wants us to come

[PaulC]

It goes without saying (I hope...) that all of this is based on assumptions about managers/players and depends on the transfer windows that they are all about to have. So with that in mind, here's how I see it. I might be back to tweak as the summer unfolds

1 - Chelsea - Assuming they'll have Mourinho. They already have an excellent squad and he'll improve it. Chelsea win league. Simple.

2 - Manchester United - Can't see Moyes winning the title but I think this squad is too strong to finish outside the top 2. I see next season as a learning one for him where he just takes the wheel of an already-sailing ship and doesn't fix what clearly ain't broke.

3 - Manchester City - Pellegrini is an excellent manager but he (or whoever it ends up being) has a big job to turn these individuals into a team. That said, these individuals are good enough to come 3rd without any manager in charge. I can't see them topping the 2 above though.

4 - Arsenal - Only a massive summer spend can bridge the gap between what is now a very good Arsenal side and the super-powers above them. They obviously need to stop their better players leaving too.

5-6 - Spurs - Bale Bale Bale. Although with that being said, if they can buy a whole new strikeforce from the earnings, then they might end up OK either way.

5-6 - Liverpool - Will be much stronger assuming they keep Suarez. Their growing pains are over too and they ended the season well. Pointswise I think they could challenge for 4th if someone above them drops the ball. Either way I think they'll genuinely make it a top 6 next season, rather than this season's top 5 with them fighting for 'best of the rest'. Sort out those centrebacks though.

7 - Everton - They will not replace Moyes and have instant success, so they are bound to fall away at least for one season. To me it's a case of how far they fall (pointswise if not positionally). They could also hire badly and/or have their squad pillaged (Fellaini, Baines, Coleman, Jagielka). So for me it's a case of 'how bad' next season will be for the Toffees relative to what they've become accustomed to.

8 - Swansea - If they keep Laudrup, Michu & Williams then there's no reason they can't impress again. Lose Laudrup though (Everton...) and it'll be a worry. You won't keep finding excellent managers. Hopefully they'll pluck some more obscure Spanish talent and be a joy to watch again. The league is better for having them.

9 - Aston Villa - The growing pains are over. A young energetic and capable squad full of goals now knows what it takes to be in the PL. There is room for improvement no doubt, so some intelligent summer buys could make this a season of very enjoyable progression. It also obviously depends on keeping our better players here, but at least next season we hit the ground running rather than with a splat.

10 - Newcastle United - Tough one. Really depends on whether they lose their stars and can ship out the rubbish. Their scouting myth has been debunked and they've a split dressing room. I think they'll be OK and they benefit from a piss poor lower half of the league but they won't worry the big boys and I wouldn't guarantee Pardew sees next May in charge if they start poorly.

11 - Norwich - I expect they'll be a stronger side than last season. A good 'team' with no over-reliance on any individuals. They'll stay up no problem and hopefully I can go back to liking them now that we've put a whole season between them and the whole Lambert saga This might be 'still 11th' but it'll be a much safer one than the season just gone.

12 - West Ham - All depends on Carroll. If they get him they could be top half again. Sizeable Sam will always keep you up though, so they're one of those sides who could be anywhere from 9th to 17th but definitely no lower.

13 - West Brom - Second season will be tougher without Lukaku and they can't afford a similar quality replacement. I don't expect them to be as strong next time out although I imagine they won't struggle with the drop under Clarke.

14 - Cardiff City - Assuming they keep Malky in charge, I think they'll spend the money and stay up. They've been knocking on the door for years and absolutely sailed up this season. Clearly a good side with a good defence and we've seen that the momentum of coming up as champions, more often than not, keeps you up. Not to mention that teams who come up off the back of a strong defence often do much better than teams who come up as an attacking force with a poor defence.

15 - Stoke City - Big season for Pulis coming up. Cracks started to appear this season. Not looking quite so solid anymore but should have enough in defence to stay up. Awful team to watch so in that sense maybe I hope the cracks explode and it all comes crumbling down. If we were to nick Shawcross ...

16 - Fulham - Need a big summer for their ageing squad. I think they could struggle next season. Particularly if their end to this season was any gauge. Jol has problems there IMO and they're my dark horse for a season-long relegation scrap in the way we were Gobby Cabbage's last season.

17 - Sunderland - I get the impression PdC will gut that squad in the summer, meaning a lot of new faces and transition in the new season. He better hope he doesn't fall out with them all or it could be disastrous.

18 - Hull City - Good old fistface. Not sure about this lot because I don't know much about them. I don't think they have much money and they only barely came 2nd with a relatively poor attack and defence and a goal difference that doesn't fit with the league position. Bruce has shown himself to be a very capable manager in the past so they could be OK if he can find more players of Palacios' calibre.

19 - Southampton - I genuinely think they could go down (as you can see). I don't trust Pochettino's ability to get the momentum up that he inherited from Adkins last season. They finished 19th in the form guide too and I do think that reflects them under the new man, rather than attributing it to end-of-season syndrome a la maybe Fulham.

20 - Watford/Crystal Palace - TBD - Either way I'll put them here. I can't see Palace having the quality and I'm not sure if the PL allows you to abuse the loan system in the way Watford have benefitted this season. So they'll be weaker than the side that got them promoted.

 

 

Yes I pretty much agree with you except for Swansea who I think may come a bit further down the table

[AVFCforever1991]

I think Swansea will struggle next season, purely based on the fact that they are in the Europa League. 

[ozvillafan]

Out of the top 4, only Arsenal have an unchanged manager. This is good news for the rest of the competition, as I suspect one of them will fall below expectations next season. That means a closer competition at the top, which (I hope) means a closing of the gap to the rest of us.

 

Villa? Assuming:

 

- we keep our important players, AND

- we rid ourselves of overpayed bench warmers, AND

- we are as successful in the transfer market as we were in the season past

 

then I see us finishing top half, but short of Europe.

[hippo]

Its early days but there look to be few clubs in a mess for next season:-

 

Sunderland - DI Canio effect may come home to roost - How many reds cards in his 6 or 7 games

WBA - Lots of players out of conract - 2nd half of the season v poor form

Newcastle - Lots of strife at all levels of the club

.

As for us, I don't share the optisism that we can resolve our defensive woes, without spending some serious cash. Time will tell but thats looks a big obstacle in the way of progression. As it stands and with limited funds, I can only see us improving a place ot two. 

[Ironsid]

If we keep our better performers and add a bit of quality to the defence, plus the potential for goals from midfield I think we will end up between 12th and 9th.

One good thing is that we won't be spending the first 5 or 6 weeks of the break looking for a new manager. Lambert will already have targets in mind and the present squad have bedded into his style of play. The players seem to have a good relationship with the manager and seem together as a squad. Hopefully we won't be waiting until the last day of the window to sign players. The biggest downside to this is how easy we will find it to dispense with the players who are surplus to requirements.

[Folski]

You've got to look at a points target more than a positional target especially as you can have a very tight league as is the case this year. I'll be hoping to break the 50 point mark for the first time since 2010.

[lexicon]

We should be looking for top 10 - not outlandish but shows that we're continuing the progress we've made so far.

[Zatman]

My prediction is we will sign a bunch of players nobody heard of and their will be just constant moaning and then get linked with a bunch of average players like Roger Johnson and Karl Henry and people will call for Lambert head

[GarethRDR]

people will call for Lambert head

I'm not sure fellatio is the answer here.

[BOF]

people will call for Lambert head

I'm not sure fellatio is the answer here.

In fairness it is usually the answer.

[CarewsEyebrowDesigner]

Liverpool will win the league.