“I read somewhere the other day that 98 per cent of academy players at Premier League clubs are released and never make it back”.
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I think the likes of West Brom and Villa will be all right though. While pre-season form has been slightly worrying (losses to Cardiff and non-league Sailsbury), do not be surprised if these giant killers continue on their merry way in 2015/16. “I think survival is realistic”, he says.
Plenty of players have been brought in to replace the high-profile trio and more, with Manchester City cast-offs Micah Richards and Scott Sinclair arriving along with former Blackburn striker Rudy Gestede and a posse of players from France’s Ligue 1. Neil had a tremendous impact at Carrow Road after his January appointment but unless the Canaries are busy between now and September, he will need to do a truly outstanding job to keep them up.
Bournemouth’s second match in the upcoming Premier League season sees them visit Liverpool’s Anfield stadium.
Cherries boss Eddie Howe will surely have the strongest safety net of the trio.
Keeping the core of his side together is crucial for Howe, who favours what he calls the “natural progression” of his side over wholesale changes in personnel. “It was a very comfortable and easy decision to make, to be honest with you”.
Since the Premier League’s inception in 1992 only twice – in 2001-02 and 2011-12 – have all three promoted teams avoided the drop.
“When I was going home from Everton, I wasn’t really thinking I was going to be back again in the Premier League“. Howe has been cautious not to upset the dynamic of his squad, and the new arrivals look well-equipped to be integrated quickly.
“Tomlin and Gradel are key signings”, he told Sky Sports News headquarters on Wednesday. It is well established now that keeping a clean sheet is far more valuable than scoring a goal, and if the goals-against column reads under 50 you have a good chance of cracking the top half.
Despite the improvements made to the current squad, the weakest area Howe would be looking to build on is in attack. “I’m very excited to see him in a Bournemouth shirt”.
Even the addition of a new manager fails to kindle hope in me for the season. Harry Redknapp, at QPR, is the only manager with previous top-level experience to have coached a one-and-done newly promoted team in recent years. He knows the players he needs to give him and the club the best chance.
We are just four days from our Premier League new season opener against Southampton.
The malaise was so profound that Bournemouth came close to going into liquidation on three occasions in 2008 as the club languished in obscurity near the bottom of English football s fourth tier. They will certainly entertain with their brand of football.
It might need those early points because in pure financial terms the team will find it hard to compete with the rest of the Premier League. “It is a phenomenal thing that they have achieved”.
“It’s quite remarkable so thankfully, come Saturday I might get the opportunity that I didn’t manage to get when I was 18 years-old and realise my dream of playing in the Premier League“.
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For Aston Villa, the club must get off to a better start in 2015-16 if they want to avoid another relegation scrap at season’s end.
