Interesting start to the off-season
Thai All-stars 1-0 Man Utd
Moyes' first match with Utd ended on a sour note. I can hear the droves of glory hunters on the Utd bandwagon making their exodus now. I wish the best for Moyes, but one thing is certain: it is the end of an era.
Chelsea 3-4 Man Citeh
Chelsea 3-5 Man Citeh
SS Utd 2-0 Man Citeh
City's two early wins against chelsea are utterly insignificant. Chelsea made extensive use of what is now their 3rd goalkeeper and both sides are making big changes to their style of football with Pellegrini and Mourinho making their entrances after these matches.
Aston Villa has three draws (all 1-1) with SV Rodinghousen, SC Paderborn, and VFL Bochum. I really hope Villa can turn things around from last season....
Everton 1-2 Austria Vienna
Martinez' first match at the helm of the "other" Merseyside team was lackluster to say the least. But, I think good things are coming for the toffees, and I see another top-half finish for the club.
Caragines 0-3 Fulham
Nothing, whatsoever, can be drawn from this match. Fulham has lost several key players and look set to join in the relegation battle again.
Liverpool 4-0 Preston North End
A decent showing from the reds, but one would expect more against a league 1 side...some pundits are questioning Rogers' signings, saying they are too similar to current players. Suarez seems set to move to Real Madrid and who will replace him is anyone's guess. I wonder if Rogers is the man who can bring Liverpool back to Europe....
Arsenal 7-0 Malaysia all-stars
A predictable result, most of the goals came in the 2nd half after the gunners' first team players came on.
FC Gravenzande 0-2 Swansea City
Excelsior Maassluis 1-5 Swansea City
Haaglandia 0-10 Swansea City
ADO Den Haag 0-1 Swansea City
Laudrup's side is looking strong as they prepare for their first European campaign representing England. I only foresee further improvements for the Welsh side, and possibly another European birth. I wonder how long Laudrup will stay, however, with several big clubs courting the Danish manager, it probably won't be more than a season. I only hope the swans can sustain their success and avoid a repeat of the early 80's spike. The (southern) Welsh derby will add some real excitement to the season.
Jamaica 0-0 Tottenham
The big question with the spurs is, will Bale stay or will he go?
Cork City 2-6 West Ham
Boreham 0-3 West Ham
Bournemouth 0-2 West Ham
A decent start for the hammers, it will be more interesting to see how they perform against a more comparable side.
I will go out on a limb and make my prediction for who will be in the two halves of the league table next spring:
Top half (in no particular order)
Arsenal, Chelsea, Everton, Liverpool, Man Citeh, Man Utd, Norwich, Swansea, Tottenham, West Brom
Bottom Half (in no particular order)
Aston Villa, Cardiff, Crystal Palace, Fulham, Hull, Newcastle, Southampton, Stoke, Sunderland, West Ham
Chelsea look best positioned to win the league, but I don't think any English side will make it further in the Champions League than the quarterfinals. One thing, I think the top third will be the most competitive it has been in years. I will predict that fewer than 20 points will separate the league winner from 6th place for the first time since 2001.
Hull and Palace will go straight back down, I think. The third relegation spot will go to Cardiff, Newcastle, or Sunderland.
Looking beyond the Prem, I think Bolton, Forest, and Wigan will all finish in the top 5 of the Championship. QPR should be there too, but the side may very well implode under the weight of their wage budget. Reading will round out the top 5 I think.