West Bromwich Albion have been the representatives of the gulf between the Premier League and the second tier in recent seasons. Albion were relegated from the top flight in 2003, 2007 and 2009. In the interceding years, and including last season they were promoted back to the upper tier in 2005, 2008 and 2010. The record clearly sends the message that the club are too good for the Championship, but not good enough for the Premier League.

The teams relegated from the Prem last season were Hull City, Burnley and Portsmouth. Hull spent only two seasons in the EPL and Burnley just one. What are the hopes for the new boys this term? It appears that the established top flight teams are able to become more and more established through their bigger incomes, and increasing reputations. Portsmouth themselves are an excellent example of the reputation factor. They have never been one of the big clubs in the Prem, but once they established themselves in the early part of the last decade, they were able to attract a better quality of player. Burnley and Hull were never able to do this. Whilst West Ham were down there with those two at the end of last season, the Hammers have been back in the EPL for five years now and can still attract relatively big players.

Despite the title of my article, I do have a good feeling for West Brom this year. Manager Roberto Di Matteo, has brought in some experience at the back in Pablo Ibanez, and is fighting off the attentions on his star player Graham Dorrans. He is currently being rumoured to be close to capturing former Baggie, Jason Roberts from Blackburn. Having someone who can potentially give you twenty goals a season up top is a must for any team to survive. Blackpool will fight and fight this year, but they won’t survive. They aren’t equipped to make it in the top flight, and the fact that I can say that with such confidence shows how hard it has become to stay up. What is interesting this season is that we may see a side who have been a round a while come down, as Newcastle too may hold their own on their return. Along with Blackpool, I expect to see Wolves get relegated in their second season, leaving any one from eighteen to bid farewell to the big time.

This season will be a defining season as to how viable promotion from the second tier has become, If West Brom and Newcastle can make their presence felt to stay another year, then the format is still thriving. But if two of the three that went up, come down, and are joined by Wolves or Birmingham, questions need to be asked about the inequality of the current regime. Nobody has a divine right to stay in the Premier League, but they may effectively be being given one, with the access to finances that the Championship clubs do not have.

photo credit: joncandy

Many Manchester City fans feel that this is the season that they will will win their first trophy in over 34 years.

With a squad that has been overhauled to the tune of £250million in the last two years, demand is high amongst football fans to see Roberto Mancini’s team.

As a result of all this interest, City have announced that they are on the verge of selling all 36,000 season tickets for this upcoming season.

Last season City were the third best supported team in the country behind Manchester United and Arsenal as they averaged just over 45,000 at Eastlands. With a capacity of just under 48,000 there is a very good possibility that every City home game will be sold out this year.

Most bookies have City third favorite to win the Premier League this season at 6:4 behind Chelsea and Man United. But is some of City’s rumored new signings go through, those odds could be shortened even further.

photo credit: Gareth_Rogers

None this year…

When you use words like “freshen up” to describe a Soccer team I think you might have gone a little overboard with attempts to make the team better.  It’s true that youth helps in sports, but youth is not everything and it is certainly not going to change things in Manchester.  If United was close to winning many trophies this season I don’t see how a bunch of young guys were going to bring them closer to that goal.

Anyways, this seems to be Fergie’s idea ahead of the last match of the season where it appears United will finish behind Chelsea for the Premier League Title.

“You have to take a decision about where we can improve the team,” he told MUTV. “When you are challenging for four trophies, it can have a draining effect.

“You have to be aware of that and spot the moment when it is time to freshen up one or two players. It is not a desire to do it but you need to do it because the demands and pressures on players can, over time, be quite exacting.”

“People don’t recognise that we’ve signed three players for £20 million already.  Young Chris Smallingfrom Fulham has signed for us, Mame Diouf has done well, and Javier Hernandez from Mexico will join us after the World Cup.”

“Those are three young players whose futures are guaranteed at this club. There are others who come into that bracket like Jonny Evans, Federico Macheda, Gabriel Obertan, Danny Welbeck and Darron Gibson, so we have a good nucleus and foundation of players who can carry the club for a long time”

Yes, you have a nucleus, but you can’t go into next season hoping that a bunch of young guys are going to fix your problems.

Freshen up the coaching AND the roster.  This will require less changes and provide more consistency for the players. 

THAT will help you win a title next year.

photo credit: The Red Pill

Just when you thought you had things figured out someone throws a curveball at you. I bet that is what Stan Kroenke is thinking today.

There “Silent Stan” is, sitting with 29.98% of Arsenal shares, only 10 shares away from launching a takeover bid for the club.

Then the news breaks that Arsenal’s fourth largest shareholder, Lady Nina Bracewell-Smith, who owns 15.9% of Arsenal, has hired an Investment group to help her sell her shares. The estimated value of Lady Bracewell-Smith’s shares is around £80million.

For the last year or so the concensus was that Kroenke was going to takeover Arsenal. He is on the board and everything seemed to be pointing to a summer bid.

His main rival appeared to be Uzbeki tycoon Alisher Usmanov who holds 26.29% of Arsenal’s shares. The Arsenal board is not a fan of Usmanov, even though he is the second largest shareholder in the club.

The other potential candidate to buy Arsenal is Danny Fizsman, who is Arsenal’s third largest shareholder with a 16.1% stake in the club.

The news that Lady Bracewell-Smith’s shares are up for grabs means that if either Kroenke, Usmanov or Fizsman buy her shares, they have to immediately make a takeover offer for the club as they will pass the 30% threshold.

The nightmare scenario for Arsenal fans is that someone like the Glazers appear on the scene, buy Lady Bracewell-Smith’s shares and then partner with Usmanov to try and take over the club. The protracted takeover battle would hinder Wenger’s ability to buy in the summer transfer window and would cause him to rethink signing a contract extension.

The Premier League has just landed a new overseas TV deal worth £1.2Billion over the next three years. Each Premier League Club will receive £20m a season from the deal starting in the 2010/11 season.

The current deal was worth only £625m, and shows the draw of the Premier League that they are able to get such an increase in today’s financial climate.

After the financial debacle at Portsmouth this season, the Premier League has decided that instead of paying clubs a lump-sum payment as they have in the past, Premier League clubs will instead receive close to £1.7m per month, starting in August, for the next 36 months.

This TV deal is only one of several deals that the Premier League has struck. It has previously sold TV right to the Middle East for £300m and Greater China and Hong Kong have paid over £60m in order to watch Premier League action.

In addition, the British rights to the Premier League were sold last year for £1.782bn.

Despite the protests of Manchester United fans, the financial situation of the club is improving according to new figures showing an increase in revenue and profits.

The figures for the six months up to December show turnover up 19% to £144.7million from £121.7million for the equivalent period in 2008, largely due to increases in match day revenues, TV money – particularly from the Champions League – and commercial revenue.

Media revenues have increased 33% from £40.3million to £53.4million and commercial revenues up 16% from £33.5million to £38.7million.

The club’s debt dropped from £538.1million to £507.5million and in January, Manchester United successfully raised £504m through a bond issue, meaning the Premier League club will be able to pay off nearly all their outstanding debts. United will pay an annual interest bill of £45m a year on the bonds.

Manchester United’s cash balance stands at £122.1m, up from £8.6m, but I believe that this is due to a line of credit that United took out at the beginning of the year.

Portsmouth are in such dire financial straits that they have asked the Premier League if they can sell players outside the transfer window.

However, the move will depend on their request being sanctioned by the Football Association and FIFA as well as the Premier League.

A spokesman for Pompey said:

“I can confirm we have put in a request to the Premier League to sell players outside the transfer window. It is something we are exploring.”

Pompey have not identified any specific players for sale but reports suggest Algeria World Cup star Nadir Belhadj, midfielder Kevin Prince-Boateng and young defender Mark Wilson could be made available according to published reports.

While the Premier League and the FA may make an exception for Pompey, it is unlikely FIFA will sanction the move. Portsmouth is basically bankrupt and the question is whether they go into administration or go out of business all together.

The financial troubles at Portsmouth go from worse to worse as the club’s web site has been closed down today due non-payment.

If Pompey doesn’t have the money to pay for a web site, how can it meet its payroll of around £1.8m that is due tomorrow? Pompey has already been late paying its players at least three times this season.

In addition to meeting payroll, Pompey also has a £9m payment to former owner Sacha Gaydamak that is due by midnight on 31 January. What are the odds that payment will be made?

It will be a miracle if Pompey do not go into administration this season as they are insolvent.

photo credit: wonker

The fans deserve new ownership…and fast!

No, no…not the Colonel, but his son has apparently made an offer to the Portsmouth leadership.  Well, that offer was turned down and before you say “Why would you sell to the Libyans?” let me tell you a story.

Saadi is an ex-footballer who played in Italy for Udinese and Sampdoria.  So, he’s a player…a “soccer person” and you turned him down?

He also owned a stake in Juventus.  Wait, so he also has investing and ownership experience and you turned him down?

Let’s just say he never made a “formal” offer but someone told someone else and the “back-channels” were all aflutter with talk of Saadi making a move for Pomey…why wouldn’t they listen?

You can complain all you want that he’s the son of a dictator, but he’s the Colonel’s SON not the Colonel himself.  So, what’s the big problem?  If he can bring know-how and stability to Fratton Park.

Since a 4th takeover is something that everyone thinks is going to happen it’s no surprise that when the current Pompey leadership shot this one down they said:

“We have been talking with a new potential owner, in fact we have been talking to two or three interested parties, and one of them is interested enough to want a second round of talks, and we shall know soon enough whether they will make an offer.”

Notice how well crafted the lie is.  Anybody could be talking to Portsmouth about a takeover and ANYBODY could be ready for a second round of talks.  That second round of talks could just a continuation of the first round of talks that may still fall apart.  This statement may have deflected some people’s attention, but not mine.  This is fishy.

I can understand being squeamish over a deal like this, but you have got to at least LISTEN! 

Perhaps the Colonel’s son is the right guy…perhaps he’s not.  A team like Portsmouth can’t afford to be choosers…because they’re the beggars right now.

New West Ham United owners David Sullivan and David Gold have revealed that West Ham United are ion debt to the tune of £110m. Which begs the question: Why did they buy West Ham?

“It makes no commercial sense to buy this club,” said Sullivan after laying out the scale of West Ham’s borrowing. If there was any other club in this situation, then we would not be buying it. We bought this as supporters, not from a business point of view.”

CB Holdings, who retain the other 50% ownership in the club, had said the Hammers had debts of £38m, but Sullivan disputes that number.

“In simplistic terms, £50m is owed to banks and £40m to other clubs… West Ham are not owed a single penny by other clubs because when they’ve sold players, they’ve discounted the debt with the banks,” We’ll have to find new money.”

Gold and Sullivan will now go on a dog and pony show and try and get some rich people to buy a part of West Ham for £10-20m each and that money will be used to pay off debts. If that doesn’t happen, regardless of what the new owners say, West Ham will be forced to sell players to pay the £40m that is owed to other clubs for players that West Ham has already bought. That is one one of the problems that Portsmouth is facing, in that they had not paid other teams for players that they had bought.