Just been looking at the squads and the Buying / Selling of players so far this pre season. This is by far going to be the toughest season, so called smaller teams like Crystal Palace are buying players like Cabeye for big sums. With the massive new deal coming in for the 2016/17 season, I have listed the teams who finished below us last season along with the promoted teams, with their approx spending so far. due to this I feel the league will be the tightest ever. Team. Approx Spend. In. Net Spend Palace. 26m. 0m. +26m Leicester. 20m. 2m. +18m B'mouth. 20m. 0m. +20m Everton. 5m. 0m. +5m Newcastle. 36m. 0m. +36m Norwich. 11m. 0m. +11m SAINTS. 19m. 37m. -18m Stoke. 10m. 18m. -8m Sunderland. 17m. 9m. +8m Swansea. 11m. 0m. +11m Watford. 20m. 1m. +19m West Brom. 17m. 3m. +14m West Ham. 18m. 6m. +12m My dark horses for the season is Crystal Palace. Bought in good players and kept hold of Bolasie etc, and another signing in today according to Mark Bright / Pardew on Sky this morning.
It may well be the toughest, but nothing will feel as tough as those ones when we won three games in April/May to stay up each year by the skin of our teeth #greatescapes!
Spending wisely is the true sign of possible success rather than just spending. Teams coming up need to spend, though they should be careful that they don't lose the team strength that got them promoted. Spending by the teams that were PL last year also reflects all the money swirling around in the league....both in money available and prices demanded. Crystal Palace did brilliantly under Pardew to save themselves...will be interesting to see them this season.
I agree that this year is so hard to call at both ends of the table. I don't think the top 4 will change though order might. Chelsea to win it again. Agree that Palace will have a good season under Pardew. Also expect Stoke to be top 8 this year. Everton should be better than last year, Swans will be good again, we could be anywhere from 6th-14th. Don't think Newcastle will improve as much as some are expecting them too (though still expect tough game on Sunday). I'm interested to see how Leicester do under Ranieri, likewise Villa under Sherwood. Think Sunderland will have a fairly comfortable mid-table season this year. Fingers crossed for Bournemouth. West Ham could be an interesting one as well... All in all should be a cracking season, bring it on!
Palace will have a good year and then the following year the wheels will start to wobble. It's the Pardew factor. Same pattern each club. Half a season - joins and saves them First full season - good season, momentum carried on Second full season - the players start getting hacked off with the ego and bizarreness and results start to slide.
It will be a great season, no easy games for any team this year, that includes the top 4/5. Getting the nervous belly now.
Love our net spend! That is the sign of a well-run club! We could buy a £20m player, dwarf gross spending figures of all other teams there, and still have the second lowest net spend amongst those clubs by a good few million. Instead we'll hopefully buy two £10m players with no massive media splash, and hopefully carry on with business as usual. Light years ahead! Saints - TCB since 2009!
Absolutely. Was gonna say the same thing. Not even sure if he will have a full good season. By Jan/Feb their form will drop.
Not convinced about this toughest season theory. Surely its all relative. And 20 million is peanuts these days anyway. I do think the top 4 will be stronger, but thats about it. Our biggest worry is only going to be the fixture congestion.
Still think Bournemouth, Norwich squads look kind of light. Sunderland still look a bad squad. Then Watford look like they just want to buy any random.
Think Norwich will be alright, a lot of same squad as last time and a (it seems) decent manager. Could do with a striker though. I worry for Bournemouth and I think Watford will either finish bottom or around 14th.
This one is brought up every year. Although Saints were brilliant last year we would bprobably only managed 9th/10th maybe 8th in years gone past rather than 3pts? of 5th.
Surely the closer the chasing pack get to the top four the better in the overall scheme of things? We just have to be at the front of the pack...
