Steve Bruce's one mistake

It's fair to say that two years into his tenure at Hull City and having signed 26 first team players - Steve Bruce has only made one big error.

That came in the gangly shape of Nick Proschwitz. Signed from Paderborn of Bundesliga II in July 2012 for 3 million euros, "Big Nick" was finally shipped out to Brentford on a free transfer yesterday.

I'm not sure exactly when Steve Bruce realised that Nick was never going to be the target man that City had been desperately chasing for the previous two years but it didn't take long.

Even in the first couple of friendly matches, he looked out of his depth. Despite his height, six foot four inches or so, he didn't win many headers and it was obvious that he had no strength or pace.

Friendlies aren't usually a good place to judge a player but in Proschwitz's case it proved fairly accurate. As a result he struggled to win a first team place even though fellow striker Matt Fryatt was injured and Bruce didn't rate Aaron McLean either.

His Hull City career looked like finally taking off when he came on as a substitute against Ipswich on October 20th 2012 and turned the game around late with two brilliant headers from Elmohamady's crosses.

It was a false dawn - things didn't change. The final nail in his coffin came at Blackpool on new years day 2013 when he was given a rare chance to start but his weakness were there for all to see. He lost aerial battles with midgets. He turned like a tractor in the snow. He failed to hold the ball up, get on the end of crosses or vaguely trouble a defence.

He had fleeting moments in a City shirt, particularly in cup competition where he bagged terrific goals at Orient in the 12/13 League Cup and Middlesbrough in the 13/14 FA Cup. He was a fine finisher given a chance but his all-round game was so ineffective that when he played league games - those chances rarely came.

Bruce would have gladly given him away last summer, even though it meant admitting his huge error, but Nick's wages after promotion proved prohibitive to other clubs. In the end he was shipped off to Barnsley on loan but couldn't help them stave off relegation.

As a financial transaction, Proschwitz's hefty price tag and wage make him the third biggest flop in City history - behind the useless but nice Seyi Olofinjana and the waste of space Jimmy Bullard.

What separates Proschwitz from those two, and the likes of Peter Halmosi and Anthony Gardner, is that his name will always be written in Hull City folklore for one positive reason.

On May 4th 2013 with a massive chance of promotion to the Premier League drifting away against Cardiff, Bruce threw Proschwitz on as a sub and he responded with a crucial goal from close range that would eventually help seal promotion. Even though his missed penalty meant an agonising wait for it to be confirmed by results elsewhere.

For that alone, the outlay was justified. And it's also why I couldn't wish Big Nick anything but luck in his career in the future. I am pleased it's not here though.

Everything you need to know about Andrew Robertson

Born: Glasgow - 11/03/1994 (Age 20)

Andrew Robertson has made huge strides in his career in a short space of time. That’s despite suffering a huge knock back at the age of 15 when he was released by Celtic “for being too small”. A lot of players are released by football clubs between the ages of 15 and 17 and most disappear from the game as a result.

Robertson didn’t. He had huge amounts of determination and he chose a sensible career path opting to join Queens Park. Queens were in Scotland’s bottom division – a footballing graveyard. 

It wasn’t just about choices and determination. Lots of players drop down the leagues after being released and give it their all to get back up again. Indeed, Celtic release a lot of young players, some of whom go on to forge decent careers, but they rarely drop a bollock so spectacularly as with Robertson.

For what Robertson had in abundance was talent. He stood out at every level. Queens were forced to play him in the first team at 18 because he was too good to leave out. Then Dundee United spotted him and knew they had to have him. Queens were desperate to hold on to him arguing that at 19 he’d be better off playing 30-40 games in Scottish League Two  than stagnating at the higher level. It’s a view that isn’t unreasonable given the amount of young players rotting in the background at top clubs these days.

However Robertson had the courage to take on the move to Dundee United and that was no doubt encouraged by manager Jackie McNamara who made it clear from the beginning that he felt Robertson would challenge for a first team place. That proved to be correct and Robertson was near ever-present in the United team that finished fourth in the Premiership.

He owes a lot to Dundee United and particularly to Jackie McNamara – a point he is quick to recognise with his usual good grace. They took a chance on a young player plying his trade at a low level and gave him the opportunity and the support that has led to his meteoric rise. He was Scotland’s Young player of the month in September and three Scotland U21 caps soon followed. Before the season’s end he’d picked up a Player of the month award, the young player of the year honour and two full caps for the Scots against Poland and Nigeria.

Like Hull City, Robertson’s 2013/14 season ended with defeat in the Cup Final. A result he took with the maturity he’s become known for “The disappointment hasn’t gone away yet and I don’t think it will until next season when we’re all together again. The Saturday night of the Cup Final was awful. It was the quietest team bus I’ve ever been on and the quietest changing room I’ve ever been in. It’s tough to reflect on it because no one had any complaints. St Johnstone were the better team.”

In making a £2m+ transfer to Hull City – Robertson would have to step up another level. The Premier League in England is a much brighter stage than the Scottish Premiership.  Even when you are talking about a player who has taken huge leaps in his career in the last two years from the stiffs of a footballing graveyard to one of Scotland’s biggest clubs and onto international football – it is a big ask for a 20 year old to establish himself in one of the world’s most competitive leagues.

Would anyone bet against it?

What they say:

Dundee United manager Jackie McNamara on Robertson’s Scotland call-up: “This is brilliant news for him and for the club. Andy is still a teenager but he has already been through a lot in his career and deserves to be where he is now. It is great credit to him and his family that he has gone from being told by Celtic that they didn’t want him, on to amateur football with Queen’s Park, signed for us and now he is in the Scotland squad.”

Scotland boss Gordon Strachan on Robertson’s Scotland debut: “Andy came on there and the first time he picked it up he drove about 30 yards. I thought: ‘that’s fantastic’. Absolutely no grey area, I’m going to do what I do. I loved seeing that first touch.”

Robertson’s Queens Park manager Gardner Speirs: “Andrew has a great temperament to go along with his ability and that is what allowed him to play well for Queen’s despite being only 18. It was a pleasure to work with him because he has a wonderful attitude.”

Ex-West Ham left back Ray Stewart: “The first time I saw him I said to myself ‘That laddie’s got something’. He missed only one tackle and I was impressed with his overall play. He had a great season with [Dundee] United last season and is a superb prospect.”

SFA Performance Director Mark Wotte: “What a great success story, a great dream and a great role model for a lot of kids who might not be good enough at 14 but bounce back. The development of kids goes in stages. He is a great example of a late developer. Jordan Rhodes only came to our attention at 20. He never played for the under-19s or under-17s.”

Andrew Robertson: “I was let go by Celtic at under-15 level for being too small. That was the reason they gave me anyway. I went to Queen’s Park and people might have thought that was a strange decision to go from Celtic to there. I guess it is a step down. However, Queen’s Park have a great youth set-up and they did make me the player I am today. Luckily, I burst into the first team there and now I am here. Being told that by Celtic did make me all the more determined to succeed in the game.”

The transformation of Steve Bruce's squad

In two years, Steve Bruce has transformed the Hull City squad from a group who were short of the quality and quantity needed to challenge for the Championship play-offs into a squad planning to take on a second season in the Premier League as well as making a first ever foray into European football.

It's been done in three phases with the spending rising from moderate to ambitious to (relatively) astronomical with every achievement Bruce has made. 

The club only paid only one transfer fee until promotion from the Championship looked distinctly possible though the huge losses the accounts showed were incurred that season suggest that a large commitment was made to wages and signing on fees.

Prior to the first season back in the Premier League, the club took a cautious approach to transfers and the players signed were ridiculously good value.

The signing of Tom Huddlestone showed a ramping up of ambition at the club who have not looked back since committing over £30m on five signings. 

The club has decided to allocate large chunks of their Premier League TV money to new signings and what is surely a doubling of the wage bill since the summer of 2012 when Bruce was appointed.

Aside from prize money and TV revenue the club has poor revenue streams so as long as someone is doing their sums right - gambling it on staying in the Premier League is the only approach possible.

Goalkeepers

Then: Cracknell, Oxley.

Now: Harper, Jakupovic, McGregor, Oxley.

Been and gone: Amos, Stockdale.

Cost (net): £1.8m.

Defenders

Then: Bradley, Chester, Cooper, Dawson, Dudgeon, East, Hobbs, McShane, Rosenior, Townsend.

Now: Bruce, Chester, Davies, Dudgeon, Figueroa, McShane, Rosenior, Townsend.

Been and gone: Faye.

Cost (net): £1.75m.

Midfielders

Then: Cairney, Devitt, Emerton, Evans, Koren, McKenna, Olofinjana, Stewart.

Now: Boyd, Brady, Elmohamady, Huddlestone, Ince, Livermore, Meyler, Quinn, Snodgrass.

Been and gone: Fathi, Henderson.

Cost (net): £25.4m (excluding Ince fee still to be agreed).

Forwards

Then: Cullen, Fryatt, McLean, Simpson.

Now: Aluko, Jelavic, Long, Proschwitz, Sagbo.

Been and gone: Gedo, Graham.

Cost (net): £18.4m.

Would Steve Bruce leave Hull City for Southampton?

According to The Guardian on Saturday 7^th June – Hull City gaffer Steve Bruce is on a 6-man shortlist to replace Mauricio Pochettino as Southampton manager. The paper also claims that former Dutch International defender Ronald Koeman and Bruce are the front runners.

It’s a situation I’ve been dreading since Bruce was appointed. I was a big fan of the decision to go for Bruce after Nick Barmby departed. He had everything we were looking for at the time. Experience of getting promoted from the Championship, the ability to motivate players and a good eye for talent. It remains by far the best decision the Allams have made since they bought the club.

The one negative against Bruce however was his history of leaving clubs for better jobs. He resigned as Sheffield United manager in 1999 to move to Huddersfield. While in 2001 he left Wigan after only 2 months to take over at Crystal Palace where he lasted only slightly longer before jumping to Birmingham City.

He settled down in the midlands and spent six years as Blues’ boss. Two years followed in charge of Wigan, Sunderland and The Tigers – so far. That makes Bruce’s history look a little less “flighty”. The fact still remains that before he came to Hull, he’d jumped ship from the last four clubs who hadn’t sacked him.

That doesn’t fill me with a lot of confidence that Bruce would turn down a job he sees as a chance to progress. Nor would I be surprised if the opportunity comes his way. He’s done a fabulous job in Hull. He turned a mid-table side into a promotion contender in 5 months while only spending serious money on one (bit part) player. With backing in January to sign David Meyler and Robbie Brady permanently – he completed the job.

Having secured Premier league football, he set about building a team who could stay there. With an outlay of just under £13m, which is small by Premier League standards, he created a group that rarely looked in danger of relegation and took the club to a historic first ever FA Cup Final. Again he was backed in January and spent around £14m on Shane Long and Nikica Jelavic to, in his mind, ensure the squad was strong enough to withstand the second half of the season.

Despite his success Bruce has been around the game long enough to know that there is a chance things could turn around quickly. Hull City face their first ever European campaign next season which will increase the load on his squad. The club is also set for another season embroiled in a row over the plans to change the name to “Hull Tigers”. The situation isn’t as stable as it could be while Bruce has only a year left on his contract and his reputation is as high as it has been for a long, long time.

To answer the question of whether there is a real chance that The Tigers could lose Bruce I think you have to assess whether the opportunity actually exists. Southampton see themselves as a progressive club. They’ve lost a young, foreign manager and have been linked with a number of others. Bruce would be quite the departure from what their philosophy has been the past year and half.

I think he’d be on a hiding to nothing. Saints fans wouldn’t make him any more welcome than Sunderland’s did – albeit for different reasons. They see their club as being above an old school British manager. The job itself is a tough one too. Southampton finished 8^th last season. It was a terrific achievement and one that has seen vultures circling around the best young players in the squad. It’s going to take a huge effort to rebuild the squad and match or surpass last season’s finish.

Here’s hoping that no real interest exists because I think Bruce would find the opportunity hard to resist. He has faith in his ability to overcome the odds. Even if it isn’t, deep down I know that another one will come along soon. It’s the price of success.

Unlocking the potential in the KC Stadium

“You wouldn’t build an extension on a house you don’t own”

You’ve all heard that, right? That’s the analogy often used to support an argument that the Allams (or more specifically Hull City) should not put money into extending the KC Stadium.

On the face of it – it sounds about right. But it’s a desperately flawed argument.

Firstly, of course you wouldn’t build onto a house that you don’t own. But a house isn’t a business premise, it’s a domestic dwelling. Obviously any money spent on improving the house would be lost if, as a tenant, you were asked to move on.

The KC Stadium on the other hand is a revenue generating facility. More people attending games at the stadium equates to more money in the bank for Hull City from sales of tickets, pies, beer, etc.  If the East Stand mirrored the West Stand, it would also double the club’s capacity of corporate boxes.

The club already has a long lease on the stadium which would obviously need to be extended well into the future to protect any investment.

If the club then made the investment into the stadium – say adding 4,500 seats to the East Stand and 2,000 to each of the North and South Stands as originally planned – they would increase their own revenue stream.

It’s not like the house used in the analogy. The club wouldn’t be increasing the value of the stadium for the council - they’d be increasing their own earning potential.

This model is currently being exploited by Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium. The club are footing the bill for adding 15,000 seats to the stadium despite it being municipally owned and leased to the club. It would be easy to dismiss it as their moneybags owners throwing their money around but it isn’t. It’s a sensible strategy in helping the club become self-sustainable. 

The matchday revenues of clubs like Arsenal and Manchester United dwarf everyone else in the league. In order to try and close that gap the other clubs have to get more people into the stadium and spending money.

Both Manchester City and Hull City are in the highly fortunate position of having a beautiful, modern home that didn’t cost them a penny to build (though Man City paid £20m of the bill to convert theirs from an athletics stadium). Both have the ability to secure long-term leases and can work with a City Council that needs them to protect their own investment.

In the case of the KC Stadium, there is also a lot of land around the stadium that is currently sat dormant when it could be making the club and the council some money.

The solution seems obvious. A working relationship could boost the club’s coffers, the council’s coffers and kick-start the regeneration of Anlaby Road.

Hull City 1 Norwich City 0

Today, we witnessed the Tigers finest ever Premier League performance at the KC Stadium. In truth, it’s not top of a particularly long list but it does climb above the home win over Manchester City and the first ever Premier League victory against Fulham – on my list at least.

Not only did City hold on for victory despite being a man light for over 70 minutes but in doing so, they produced some of the silkiest, sexiest football I’ve seen from blokes in black and amber. Late in the first half the Tigers played the ball out of defence on the right hand side, from Elmohamady, through Koren, Huddlestone and Brady before Sone Aluko back-heeled the ball between opposing centre half and full back and Jake Livermore raced through on goal but shot over the bar. Chris Hughton stood on the touchline rubbing his eyes in disbelief while simultaneously having a quick count of how many City actually had on the pitch.

Tom Huddlestone and Jake Livermore made their first starts for City with Meyler and Graham making way from last week’s 2-0 hammering at Chelsea. Norwich arrived with several of their shiny new summer purchases barely out of the wrapping. If they thought they were in for a stroll in a place they’d never heard of, they would be badly mistaken. By half time Ricky Van Wolswinkel was dropping into his own half just to touch the ball. Leroy Fer cut a deeply frustrated figure. Javier Garrido went home with first prize in the “Kick an Aluko because you can’t get the ball off him” competition. Catchy name.

The game was even enough for the first twenty minutes with Emmanuel Tettey heading the only decent chance wide of the post. Then it turned on a tumultuous ten minutes. First Elmohamady swung a wonderful cross into the box from deep, Sagbo got ahead of Michael Turner in the box and the ex-Tiger hauled Sagbo to the ground. The ref awarded the spot-kick, correctly, and then proved utterly useless as Tettey held up the taking of the pen moaning about the position of the ball. That would become a theme.

Despite the gamesmanship, Robbie Brady sent John Ruddy the wrong way and a first Premier League goal for three years was on the board [1-0]. The game had barely settled back into a pattern when Mike Jones sent off Yannick Sagbo. There’d been a bit of verbal between Turner and Sagbo over the penalty award and tempers flared at the other end when Turner chucked himself down in the area looking for the ref to even things up. As the players wandered out, Nathan Redmond having smashed the ball over the bar for a goal kick, Sagbo and Russell Martin had a little tussle. For reasons known only to him, Sagbo tried to head-butt Martin. There was barely any connection but it’s just one of those things that you know immediately will be punished with a red card. The ref rightly produced one and my heart sank. Surviving for over an hour against a strong looking Norwich side was going to be very difficult.

Up to half time it wasn’t an issue at all. City left Aluko on his own up front and Koren, Huddlestone and Livermore bossed the midfield. Livermore especially had a wonderful game. His pace and energy were terrific weapons but his level of quality in possession was a surprise to me. He was outstanding. Koren was having his best game in black and amber (and putting in one hell of a shift) and Huddlestone gave us the calmness on the ball we knew we were getting. He’s a joy to watch. His one touch passing isn’t second to many. He switches play with the ease of a golfer chipping onto the 18^th green knowing a Claret Jug or Green Jacket awaits him. He covers ground quickly and competes in the air. He was great. Livermore was even better.

City played delightful football going into the break. Norwich were rubbish. They were petty. Kicking us out of frustration and wondering why launching balls into our box was utterly pointless. Davies and Chester weren’t worked as much as you might think considering the disadvantage in numbers but what they were asked to do, they did without fuss. McGregor had far safer hands than last week and did a good job of coming for any balls into the box.

I didn’t think Norwich could come out in the second half and be as bad as they had been before the break but to their credit, they managed it. Even with Robert Snodgrass, who has tortured us at the KC once or twice before, on for the ineffective Bradley Johnson. Snodgrass engaged in a running battle with Maynor Figueroa. It didn’t appear to dawn on him that putting in decent crosses or striking at goal might hurt us more than throwing himself around and kicking the Honduran. The best moment came when Snodgrass lad a ball off near half way and Figueroa saw him coming, tucked himself up like he was hiding behind an invisible telegraph pole and launched himself shoulder first into the whinging Scot.

We had to deal with 20/25 minutes of pressure from Norwich. We dropped deep and allowed them a lot of the ball in front of us. They rarely hurt us. Their wide players only produced two decent crosses all afternoon. The second was a potential game-changer, Van Wolfswinkel meeting it with a bullet header that McGregor tipped superbly over the bar. “World Class” doesn’t do it justice; it was a wonder-save. Despite numerous changes in personnel, including the introduction of the always lively Wes Hoolahan, Norwich never got closer. McGregor made comfortable saves from Redmond in the first half and Howson in the second but had little else to do.

The longer the half went on, the more City grew back into the game. Aluko and Koren initially threatened on the counter and after Steve Bruce’s very well-judged substitutions, Boyd and Graham led the charge very well indeed. We came closer to finding a second goal than they did an equaliser. It was a great half of football. The sending off and the referee’s appalling leniency towards the visitors created a fantastic atmosphere in the East Stand. Blocks, breaks and interceptions were met with great applause as the crowd willed The Tigers to upset the odds.

Then as full-time approached it became almost as torturous as the Cardiff game on May 4^th. The crowd knew what the players had put into the performance and they wanted to see it rewarded. It’s August and no game is “must win” in August but the thought of losing this one after such a sheer bloody minded effort made me feel quite sick. In the 90^th minute, our friend the ref finally booked a Norwich player for a blatant pull on a rampaging Rosenior. It was their 19^th foul. That’s before you count the poor sportsmanship, dissent and blatant diving. You have to hope an ugly little team like that gets their comeuppance and they did today - which is nice.

We showed our disgust at the adding of six minutes of stoppage time, presumably for a combination of Curtis Davies’ head injury and the time City took to make substitutions. However like they’d done throughout, City made light work of it. We spent most of it counter attacking and trying not to pass the ball to Danny Graham when he’d made a pretty good run. That’s the Hull City way. A second goal would have been way too easy!

So ended a really terrific 90 minutes at the KC “Sponsored by a phone company but incapable of providing a connection” Stadium. The Tigers really were fabulous. Apart from the lunacy of Sagbo; they were magnificent to a man. The manager deserves a fair amount of credit too. He picked the right team, reorganised properly after the sending off and then made fine substitutions.

Not all of the Premier League games will be like this. Which is probably a good job - my heart wouldn’t make it to Christmas. This should flood everyone with belief though. We can compete. We can go toe to toe with most. And we don’t even need eleven men to do it!

Ratings: McGregor 8; Elmohamady 7, Chester 7, Davies 7, Figueroa 8; Aluko 8, Brady 7, Huddlestone 8, Livermore 9; Koren 8, Sagbo 0.

Subs: Graham (for Aluko), Boyd (for Brady), Rosenior (for Koren).

PREMIER LEAGUE PREVIEW 2013/14

ARSENAL

LAST SEASON: 4^th

KEY ARRIVALS: Yaya Sanogo - Auxerre (FRA) - Free

KEY DEPARTURES: Andrey Arshavin - Zenit St. Petersburg (RUS) - Released, Denilson - Sao Paulo (BRA) - Released, Vito Mannone - Sunderland - 2.8m

WHAT'S NEW?

Not a lot. Arsenal are sitting on a stack of money they can't spend. Failed with moves for Higuin who went to Napoli and Luis Gustavo who joined Wolfsburg. Key target Luis Suarez looks likely to stay at Liverpool and interest in Wayne Rooney was a fantasy. Another struggle to win the 4th place trophy beckons. Over 3000 days since they last won a trophy.

BEST CASE SCENARIO?

Liverpool agree to sell Suarez, Arsenal finish 3rd and win the FA Cup.

WORST CASE SCENARIO?

Spurs end the Arse's 16 year run of Champions League football.

KEY TO SUCCESS?

Finding 3 top players in the next 2 weeks.

MOST LIKELY TO FLOP?

Arsene Wenger.

RICK's PREDICTED FINISH: 5^th

 

ASTON VILLA

LAST SEASON: 15^th

KEY ARRIVALS: Aleksandar Tonev - Lech Poznan (POL) - Undisc, Jores Okore - Nordsjaelland (DEN) - Undisc, Nicklas Helenius - Aalborg (DEN) - Undisc

KEY DEPARTURES: Darren Bent - Fulham - Loan, Jean II Makoun - Rennes (FRA) - Undisc, Richard Dunne - QPR – Released

WHAT'S NEW?

A load of players most have never heard of. Villa have abandoned their interest in young British players and gone for young foreign players instead. Holding on to Christian Benteke was crucial and some of the boys who struggled last season should mature but another season in the bottom half is almost certain.

BEST CASE SCENARIO?

Sneaking into the top half.

WORST CASE SCENARIO?

Having an excellent Championship side in 2014/15.

KEY TO SUCCESS?

Christian Benteke's goals and a much improved defence.

MOST LIKELY TO FLOP?

Andreas Wiemann.

RICK's PREDICTED FINISH: 14^th

CARDIFF CITY

LAST SEASON: 1^st (Championship)

KEY ARRIVALS: Andreas Cornelius - FC Copenhagen (DEN) - 7.5m, Gary Medel - Sevilla (SPA) - 11m, Steven Caulker - Tottenham Hotspur - 8m

KEY DEPARTURES: None.

WHAT'S NEW?

Premier League football is. Cardiff return to the top flight after a 51 year absence and put 3 years of play-off heartache behind them. Stormed, deservedly, to the Championship title last season and have spent big and attracted real quality this summer.

BEST CASE SCENARIO?

If everything clicks, they could finish in the top 8.

WORST CASE SCENARIO?

Upsetting a settled unit with expensive buys on big money could see them return to the Football League quick smart.

KEY TO SUCCESS?

Integrating the new players and getting goals from Cornelius.

MOST LIKELY TO FLOP?

Gary Medel. Fantastic player. Absolute nutcase.

RICK's PREDICTED FINISH: 15^th

CHELSEA

LAST SEASON: 3^rd

KEY ARRIVALS: Andre Schurrle - Bayer Leverkusen - 18m, Marco van Ginkel - Vitesse Arnhem (HOL) - 8m

KEY DEPARTURES: None. But half the squad have gone on loan around the world.

WHAT'S NEW?

Chelsea have a 5^th new manager in the last 4 years. I can’t remember his name though. The squad has remained settled despite plenty of rumours and must improve having massively underachieved in the Premier League in the past 2 seasons.

BEST CASE SCENARIO?

Winning the title and having a long run in the Champions League. Nothing else is good enough.

WORST CASE SCENARIO?

Another lackluster league campaign and not being involved in the CL past February.

KEY TO SUCCESS?

Reflecting the managers determination and arrogance on the pitch.

MOST LIKELY TO FLOP?

Andrea Shirley. German is the Premier League’s first female pro.

RICK's PREDICTED FINISH: 1^st

CRYSTAL PALACE

LAST SEASON: 5^th (Championship)

KEY ARRIVALS:  Dwight Gayle - Peterborough United - 6m, Jerome Thomas - WBA – Released,  Jose Campana - Sevilla (SPA) - 1.75m

KEY DEPARTURES: Andre Moritz - Bolton Wanderers – Free

WHAT'S NEW?

Not as much as Ian Holloway would have liked. Aside from taking a massive gamble on Dwight Gayle and what looks a very shrewd signing in Jose Campana, Palace have struggled to recruit proven quality and look by far the weakest squad on paper.

BEST CASE SCENARIO?

Returning to the Championship with bulging pockets.

WORST CASE SCENARIO?

Is it still called “Doing a Derby”?

KEY TO SUCCESS?

Either pulling several rabbits out of the transfer hat in the next 2 weeks or cheating 15 penalties out of referees again.

MOST LIKELY TO FLOP?

Dwight Gayle.

RICK's PREDICTED FINISH: 20^th. Sorry.

EVERTON

LAST SEASON: 6^th

KEY ARRIVALS: Antolin Alcaraz - Wigan Athletic – Free, Arouna Kone – Wigan Athletic – 6m, Gerard Deulofeu - Barcelona (SPA) - Loan

KEY DEPARTURES: None.

WHAT'S NEW?

Everton have a new manager, losing David Moyes after 10 years. In comes the well admired Roberto Martinez whose teams play attractive football but can’t defend. He inherits a strong squad with better defenders than he’s had before and some talented forward players. Kone is a super signing while Deulofeu, who is highly thought of in Spain, could be a master stroke.

BEST CASE SCENARIO?

Martinez attacking principles lead Everton to a top 4 finish.

WORST CASE SCENARIO?

Martinez defensive flaws lead Everton to a mid-table finish.

KEY TO SUCCESS?

Finding the right balance between defence and attack.

MOST LIKELY TO FLOP?

Marouane Fellaini. Thug.

RICK's PREDICTED FINISH: 8^th

FULHAM

LAST SEASON: 12^th

KEY ARRIVALS: Adel Taarabt – QPR - Loan, Darren Bent – Aston Villa – Loan, Derek Boateng - Dnipro (UKR) – Free, Maarten Stekelenburg – Roma (ITA) - 3.5m.

KEY DEPARTURES: Mahamadou Diarra – Released, Mark Schwarzer – Released, Mladen Petric – Released

WHAT'S NEW?

Mohammed Al Fayad selling up after 16 years as Fulham’s owner was the big story of the summer. Don’t worry though, the Michael Jackson statue is still in place. Meanwhile Martin Jol has gone quietly about his business this summer with several shrewd but low cost signings.

BEST CASE SCENARIO?

A top 8 finish is possible if Fulham click.

WORST CASE SCENARIO?

Several temperamental personalities in the dressing room mean they could slip into a dog fight when the going gets tough.

KEY TO SUCCESS?

Taarabt and Bent helping Berbatov rather than getting in his way.

MOST LIKELY TO FLOP?

Adel Taarabt. I hope his Oyster card is topped up.

RICK's PREDICTED FINISH: 12^th

HULL CITY

LAST SEASON: 2^nd (Championship)

KEY ARRIVALS: Ahmed Elmohamady - Sunderland - 2m, Allan McGregor - Besiktas (TUR) - 1.8m, Curtis Davies - Birmingham City - 2.25m, Danny Graham - Sunderland – Loan, Maynor Figueroa - Wigan Athletic – Free, Tom Huddlestone – Spurs – 5.25m, Yannick Sagbo - Evian (FRA) - 1.6m

KEY DEPARTURES: Corry Evans - Blackburn Rovers - 750k, Jack Hobbs - Nottingham Forest – Loan,  Tom Cairney - Blackburn Rovers - Loan

WHAT'S NEW?

Ten players are new. Steve Bruce got The Tigers promoted against all odds with a squad lacking goalkeepers, having several loan players and severely lacking in top flight experience. He’s done an excellent job of replenishing the team on a tough budget. THERE IS NO CHANGE OF TEAM NAME!

BEST CASE SCENARIO?

Massive investment form the Asian market leads to several world class acquisitions in January and City clinch the Premier League title with 2 weeks to spare.

WORST CASE SCENARIO?

Relegation, obviously.

KEY TO SUCCESS?

Keeping the small number of really top quality players fit to play in most of the 38 games.

MOST LIKELY TO FLOP?

Danny Graham.

RICK's PREDICTED FINISH: 17^th

LIVERPOOL

LAST SEASON: 7^th

KEY ARRIVALS: Iago Aspas - Celta Vigo (SPA) - 7m, Kolo Toure - Manchester City – Released, Luis Alberto - Sevilla (SPA) - 6.8m, Simon Mignolet - Sunderland - 9m

KEY DEPARTURES: Andy Carroll - West Ham United - 15.5m, Jonjo Shelvey - Swansea City - 5m, Pepe Reina – Napoli – Loan, Stewart Downing – West Ham United – 6m

WHAT'S NEW?

So far, not a great deal. Liverpool should do better than last season as they were much improved once Sturridge and Coutinho joined in January. They’ve signed good players but not players who’ll make a massive difference. Could still pull out a truly world class signing.

BEST CASE SCENARIO?

The North London sides implode and Liverpool sneak into 4^th place.

WORST CASE SCENARIO?

Finishing below Everton. Again.

KEY TO SUCCESS?

Keeping Luis Suarez and keeping him happy.

MOST LIKELY TO FLOP?

Simon Mignolet. Has big shoes to fill.

RICK's PREDICTED FINISH: 6th

MANCHESTER CITY

LAST SEASON: 2nd

KEY ARRIVALS: Alvaro Negredo - Sevilla (SPA) - 20m, Fernandinho - Shakhtar Donetsk (UKR) - 30m, Jesus Navas - Sevilla (SPA) - 14.9m, Stevan Jovetic - Fiorentina (ITA) - 22m

KEY DEPARTURES: Carlos Tevez - Juventus (ITA) - 12m

WHAT'S NEW?

It’s nothing new but City have spent nearly a hundred million quid again. New manager Pellegrini has been provided with several top European performers to add to an already bulging squad. He absolutely must improve on their dire performances in the Champions League which was what truly did for Roberto Mancini.

BEST CASE SCENARIO?

A quadruple?

WORST CASE SCENARIO?

More CL misery and United winning the title in spite of Moyes.

KEY TO SUCCESS?

Settling quickly and maintaining a settled team. Mancini fiddled too often.

MOST LIKELY TO FLOP?

Negredo. He’s still not over the disappointment of missing out on a move to Hull.

RICK's PREDICTED FINISH: 3rd

MANCHESTER UNITED

LAST SEASON: 1^st

KEY ARRIVALS: None.

KEY DEPARTURES: None.

WHAT'S NEW?

For the first time in 26 years we’ll see a United team that isn’t managed by Alex Ferguson. I don’t think David Moyes can fill his shoes. His handling of the Wayne Rooney “saga” has been less than authoritative and publicly chasing players who didn’t want to join is not the United way.

BEST CASE SCENARIO?

The Championship in his first season would be an excellent achievement for Moyes.

WORST CASE SCENARIO?

Finishing below City and being exposed in the CL.

KEY TO SUCCESS?

Rooney and van Persie.

MOST LIKELY TO FLOP?

Moyes.

RICK's PREDICTED FINISH: 2^nd

NEWCASTLE UNITED

LAST SEASON: 16^th

KEY ARRIVALS: Loic Remy - QPR - Loan

KEY DEPARTURES: None.

WHAT'S NEW?

Not a lot. Newcastle have spent most of the summer providing comedy value for football fans everywhere and not enough time strengthening a squad that was very, very lucky there were 3 sides more useless in the division last season. That said, Newcastle do have quality, most of it French, and if they can get a settled side out, they could be fine.

BEST CASE SCENARIO?

If allowed to show their va va voom, they could be top half.

WORST CASE SCENARIO?

They are just as likely to fall through the “relegation trap door”.

KEY TO SUCCESS?

Remy staying out of prison.

MOST LIKELY TO FLOP?

Remy’s defence lawyer.

RICK's PREDICTED FINISH: 18^th

NORWICH CITY

LAST SEASON: 11^th

KEY ARRIVALS: Gary Hooper - Celtic (SCO) - 5m, Leroy Fer - FC Twente (HOL) – Undisc, Martin Olsson - Blackburn Rovers – Undisc, Nathan Redmond - Birmingham City - 2m, Ricky Van Wolfswinkel - Sporting (POR) - Undisc

KEY DEPARTURES: Grant Holt - Wigan Athletic - 2m

WHAT'S NEW?

Someone at Carrow Road has won the Euromillions. Norwich have gambled big time on improving in the Premier League. There are risks of course but I think they’ve made an excellent job of it. Flirted with the bottom three last season before pulling away at the end. They’ll be safe by Christmas this year.

BEST CASE SCENARIO?

Is Europa League football unlikely?

WORST CASE SCENARIO?

The club shop run out of W’s.

KEY TO SUCCESS?

Getting their expensive acquisitions to work as hard as the players they’ve joined.

MOST LIKELY TO FLOP?

Gary Hooper. Waste of money.

RICK's PREDICTED FINISH: 7^th

SOUTHAMPTON

LAST SEASON: 14th

KEY ARRIVALS: Victor Wanyama - Celtic (SCO) - 12.5m, Dejan Lovren – Lyon (FRA) – 8.5m

KEY DEPARTURES: None.

WHAT'S NEW?

Saints have added quality in the right areas, albeit at massively inflated prices, to an exciting young squad. Though, ironically it was 31 year old Rickie Lambert who this week became their first England cap in 8 years.

BEST CASE SCENARIO?

A top 10 finish is with their capability though the league is going to be ultra-competitive this season.

WORST CASE SCENARIO?

I still hate the way they treated Nigel Adkins so I’d quiet like to see them struggle.

KEY TO SUCCESS?

A better start than they made last season.

MOST LIKELY TO FLOP?

The interpreter.

RICK's PREDICTED FINISH: 11^th

STOKE CITY

LAST SEASON: 13^th

KEY ARRIVALS: Erik Pieters - PSV Eindhoven (HOL) - 3m, Marc Muniesa - Barcelona (SPA) - Free

KEY DEPARTURES: Rory Delap - Burton Albion - Released

WHAT'S NEW?

Higher unemployment in Stoke. I don’t mean Tony Pulis, I mean those poor fellas who carried towels around the pitch. As much as Tony Pulis’s footballing philosophy made the games originators turn in their grave, he enjoyed great success at Stoke. Dispensing him was a brave move and replacing him with Hughes, who flopped at QPR, is even braver. Hughes hasn’t really made his mark on the squad.

BEST CASE SCENARIO?

The towel carriers are re-hired to fan Abi Clancy on warm days.

WORST CASE SCENARIO?

They will be sucked into the scrap for survival.

KEY TO SUCCESS?

Home form. Best atmosphere in the league at the Britannia.

MOST LIKELY TO FLOP?

Cameron Jerome. He’d bet on it.

RICK's PREDICTED FINISH: 16^th

SUNDERLAND

LAST SEASON: 17^th

KEY ARRIVALS: Emanuele Giaccherini - Juventus (ITA) - 6.5m, Jozy Altidore - AZ Alkmaar (HOL) - Undisc.

KEY DEPARTURES: Simon Mignolet - Liverpool - 9m

WHAT'S NEW?

Paulo Di Canio has brought his scouting system from Swindon. It basically involves cracking open the Championship Manager database and searching for players with ability above 150 whose contract is expiring.

BEST CASE SCENARIO?

They could do anything this season. The signings are utterly random. In Altidore and Giaccherini they have at least signed a bit of proven quality.

WORST CASE SCENARIO?

(R) Sunderland.

KEY TO SUCCESS?

Championship Manager’s team of researchers.

MOST LIKELY TO FLOP?

Sadly, Vito Mannone.

RICK's PREDICTED FINISH: 19^th

SWANSEA CITY

LAST SEASON: 9^th

KEY ARRIVALS: Jonjo Shelvey - Liverpool - 5m, Jordi Amat - Espanyol (SPA) - 2.5m, Wilfried Bony - Vitesse Arnhem (HOL) - 12m

KEY DEPARTURES: None.

WHAT'S NEW?

Swansea splashing the cash.  Two seasons of Premier League football maintained on a tight budget and the increase in TV revenue have given Michael Laudrup a bit of wiggle room. The obvious big name signing is Bony who a dozen Premier League clubs have looked at and baulked at the asking price. How to top winning a trophy at Wembley is going to be a big question for Laudrup this season.

BEST CASE SCENARIO?

Improving a place or two in the league and doing well in Europe.

WORST CASE SCENARIO?

Losing Laudrup.

KEY TO SUCCESS?

Coping with the numerous Thursday-Sunday matches scheduled, especially after Euro trips.

MOST LIKELY TO FLOP?

Michu. Second season syndrome.

RICK's PREDICTED FINISH: 10^th

 TOTTINGHAM HOTSPURS

LAST SEASON: 5^th

KEY ARRIVALS: Ettiene Capoue – Toulouse – 9.3m, Nacer Chadli - Twente (HOL) - 7m, Paulinho - Corinthians (BRA) - 17m,  Roberto Soldado - Valencia (SPA) - 26m

KEY DEPARTURES: Clint Dempsey - Seattle Sounders (USA) - 6m, Steven Caulker - Cardiff City - 8m, Tom Huddlestone – Hull City – 5.25m.

WHAT'S NEW?

Spurs finishing 5^th, Daniel Levy playing hard ball over transfers, sound business being done at WHL. None of that is new. A striker though. A proper top class striker, that is certainly a revelation. Spurs have spent big on a guy who should score goals by the bucket load. The excellent Paulinho and lively Capoue look great business too.

BEST CASE SCENARIO?

Is a title challenge too much to ask? Probably, just.

WORST CASE SCENARIO?

Soldado is crocked. Liverpool have a stormer. Spurs finish 5^th again.

KEY TO SUCCESS?

I’ve avoided mentioning Gareth Bale! Damn, nearly. Anyway – keeping him or selling early enough to replace with quality.

MOST LIKELY TO FLOP?

Paulinho. You can never trust a Brazilian.

RICK's PREDICTED FINISH: 4^th

WEST BROMWICH ALBION

LAST SEASON: 8^th

KEY ARRIVALS: Diego Lugano - Paris SG (FRA) – Free, Goran Popov - Dynamo Kiev (UKR) – Loan, Nicolas Anelka - Juventus (ITA) - Released

KEY DEPARTURES: None.

WHAT'S NEW?

WBA have had a quiet summer. Anelka and Lugano, while big names, aren’t signings that have really caused a ripple. They had a settled squad last season, didn’t ever panic when a result went against them and through a combination of shrewd tactics, team spirit and quality throughout, they finished in a fine eighth place.

BEST CASE SCENARIO?

8^th again is surely the limit of their capabilities.

WORST CASE SCENARIO?

Odemwingie holds another circus show on deadline day.

KEY TO SUCCESS?

Their discipline, workrate and craft in midfield.

MOST LIKELY TO FLOP?

Anelka. He’ll score goals no doubt but he can be a poisonous influence.

RICK's PREDICTED FINISH: 13^th

WEST HAM UNITED

LAST SEASON: 10^th

KEY ARRIVALS: Andy Carroll - Liverpool - 15.5m, Razvan Rat - Shakhtar Donetsk (UKR) – Free, Stewart Downing – Liverpool – 6m

KEY DEPARTURES: Carlton Cole – Released.

WHAT'S NEW?

West Ham have followed up the mildly successful capture of Andy Carroll by signing the man tasked with providing him at Liverpool, Stewart Downing. That combination didn’t do well on Merseyside but it’s right up Sam Allardyce’s street. The ‘ammers did well on their return to the Premier League last season and have enough quality in every area to do well again.

BEST CASE SCENARIO?

Downing and Carroll hit it off and another top 10 finish is secured.

WORST CASE SCENARIO?

Carroll spends another season picking up niggly injuries and Big Sam rues the day he let Carlton Cole go.

KEY TO SUCCESS?

Kevin Nolan most probably. Right place. Right time.

MOST LIKELY TO FLOP?

I think Downing will do well, so Carroll if anyone.

RICK's PREDICTED FINISH: 9^th