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The EPL End of Year Reports…Part Three

Published by Ian John on May 11, 2010

BLACKBURN ROVERS (Sam Allardyce)
Big Sam managed to steer his Blackburn ship into the top ten on the final day, a good win at Aston Villa eeking them past Stoke City and this is a decent finish for Rovers. They are not the most popular team to watch in the Premier League at times but they’ve been effective and it is amusing watching Arsene Wenger flip his lid over how Blackburn choose to play the game. They won’t win any beautiful football contests but they are a strong side. Whether they can do any better than 10th I’m not too sure though. OVERALL SEASON GRADE : B
AREAS TO IMPROVE
Well, learning to play the game other than just being overly physical and relying on set pieces would be a start, but when have Sam Allardyce’s teams been any different. Allardyce plays the percentage game and does it better than anyone else in the league. Still, it may be nice for fans to witness some free-flowing attacking football as playing the percentages will only take you so far in this league. Eventually, there comes a point where the maths fails and you have to let talent take over and that is where Rovers need help. They have some talent, but nowhere near enough to push on too deeply into the top 10.

FULHAM (Roy Hodgson)
Once again it’s been another excellent year for Fulham. Yes that is an understatement. Under Roy Hodgson they have been turned around from a side that looked as if it would eventually be sucked into the Championship, into a team that is comfortably mid-table, offers a stern test for any of the bigger sides and has, remarkably, reached the final of the Europa League this season, including an incredible 4-1 victory over Juventus along the way. Quite simply what Roy Hodgson has achieved with his players is miraculous. OVERALL SEASON GRADE : A
AREAS TO IMPROVE
Without significant investment (and now that owner Mohammed Al Fayed has sold Harrods off, maybe Roy could ask him for a few bob) it is hard to see how Fulham can push on in the Premier League to qualify for Europe on a regular basis. The main area they may wish to address this off season is ensuring that manager Roy Hodgson is on a decent deal as there are going to be more than a few clubs casting envious eyes their way, especially if Fulham can complete the miracle and win the Europa League final against Atletico Madrid in Hamburg.

SUNDERLAND (Steve Bruce)
This is a typical Steve Bruce team’s performance in the Premier League and as such, I think Sunderland fans have the right to feel a little short-changed. Bruce took up the helm at Sunderland and was backed financially by the new investors. That the club were never really in a relegation battle was not surprising, but given at one point they were just a few places off the top six, to fall away as they have done is disappointing. Sunderland can and must do better next season and the pressure will be on Bruce to achieve that I feel. OVERALL SEASON GRADE : C-
AREAS TO IMPROVE
Darren Bent needs better support from the midfielders around him. The striker has enjoyed a great season in front of goal but the support he has received has been poor. Defensively too, Sunderland have at times looked shaky and conceded too many poor goals to really have a chance of moving up the table. Until Bruce addresses these glaring weaknesses in his team then it is hard to see how Sunderland can move on from this position and look towards the top half of the table, which is a shame as the infrastructure is there at the club for them to really go places.

BOLTON (Owen Coyle)
The Gary Megson era ended at the Reebok stadium amongst relegation fears and irate Wanderers fans. Owen Coyle left Burnley to take over a bigger job and guided Bolton to relative safety. Certainly the first and most important task facing Coyle was achieved, but there are still doubts about Bolton’s long term viability in the top flight. Coyle will need to have an overhaul of the squad in order to move this club onwards and upwards and it looks like being a busy summer for Bolton. However for Coyle, it has been a promising start. OVERALL SEASON GRADE : C+
AREAS TO IMPROVE
There’s just a singular lack of quality throughout the Bolton side. Kevin Davies is an honest, hard working, bullish striker and Gary Cahill a good defender but after that the quality tails off very quickly. Coyle needs to get the best out of the players he has or ship them out. Several names will be leaving the Reebok this off season as Coyle seeks to rebuild and only time will tell if he can achieve his aim of moving Bolton away from the drop zone. It won’t be easy however as this is a team that may require major surgery in key areas of the summer.

WOLVES (Mick McCarthy)
Although few fans were impressed with Mick McCarthy opting to play a ‘reserve’ team at Old Trafford earlier in the season, the Wolves boss proved the critics wrong by leading his team to relative safety. As such it has been a decent season for Wolves as they were many peoples favourites for the drop. Striker Kevin Doyle has flourished in his second attempt in the Premier League and Jody Craddock enjoyed something of a resurgence in his career in the top flight. Wolves have some good young players and they will be hoping that a solid summer can see them build on this decent start in the top flight. OVERALL SEASON GRADE : C+
AREAS TO IMPROVE
Goals are the major concern for Wolves. They don’t score anywhere near enough to propel themselves up the table and this will need to be addressed in the summer. Whether the club have the funds and pulling power to attract a player who can score the goals at this level remains to be seen, but they need to find Doyle a partner. A quality central defender would also not go amiss as would a creative midfielder, though injury did rob the team of Michael Kightly for most of the season and his return will be a big boost next season.

Image Courtesy of *** Sunderland Snaps *** on Flickr.com

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