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The EPL End of Year Reports : Part Four

Published by Ian John on May 12, 2010

And now the end is near…and so we face, the final selection of relegation fodder the five teams who ended up near the bottom of the pile including the three who will be in the Championship next season, to be replaced by Newcastle United, West Bromwich Albion and one from either Cardiff, Nottingham Forest, Leicester or Blackpool…

WIGAN ATHLETIC (Roberto Martinez)
I think this season Wigan can count themselves very fortunate indeed that there have been four teams worse than they are. Losing games 9-1 to Spurs, 8-0 to Chelsea and losing 5-0 home and away to Manchester United, as well as a 4-0 thumping by Portsmouth is not only relegation fodder but grounds for mental cruelty. I like Roberto Martinez a great deal and I am pleased Dave Whelan kept faith with the manager, they are trying to do the right things and play the game the right way, but until they get some players who can help them play against the top sides a good deal better, then they are going to struggle. OVERALL SEASON GRADE : D-
AREAS TO IMPROVE
Well Hugo Rodallega needs to be kept on, which is unlikely if Arsenal are hovering as reported. Other than that, Martinez needs to find some spirit and defensive backbone to ally to his undeniable free-flowing passing game, which at its best, is the match of any of the top sides. However Wigan have too soft an underbelly that is exposed time and time again, especially away from home and against the better sides and until that frailty is addressed, I can see them struggling again.

WEST HAM UNITED (Gianfranco Zola)
What a season for poor old Franco. No money at the club, then new owners take over the club and not only reiterate that, but claim that everyone is overpaid and that the team isn’t really trying very hard. To do a job under such circumstances is almost impossible and the fact West Ham stayed up and Zola managed to smile through it all and remain a popular figure at Upton Park says it all. It’s been a horrendous season for the Hammers, but not entirely unexpected and it will be interesting to see if the new owners can make much of a difference by next season. OVERALL SEASONS GRADE : D-
AREAS TO IMPROVE
Well, keeping Scott Parker at the heart of midfield is a must for the Hammers. He is the reason they have stayed up according to most Hammers fans. Adding talent around him is also key as is reducing the wage bill and allowing Zola to bring in some quality. There are good players at West Ham, Green, Upson, Noble, Parker, Diamanti and Cole but they need to be supplemented and fit next season for the club to have any chance of changing their fortunes around. Hard to see that happening with the new chairman promising little but spending cuts across the club.

BURNLEY (Brian Laws)
This may sound harsh, but I have little sympathy with Burnley. I applaud their decision not to spend big in order to stay in the Premier League and I don’t even blame them for letting Owen Coyle move on to Bolton. I think they have been a breath of fresh air this season and have looked, particularly at Turf Moor, a tough side to beat. However the appointment of Brian Laws from the moment it was made smacked only of one thing, not keeping Burnley in with a chance of survival, but keeping costs down. As such, it was always likely this would happen. They were always likely to go down, appointing Laws made it a formality. OVERALL SEASON GRADE : D+
AREAS TO IMPROVE
Speculation is already rife that Laws may well be on his way out of the club and I feel that cannot come soon enough for Clarets fans. Laws has done little in the game to warrant a chance at a top flight club and his appointment has been a disaster. Burnley need to ship him out and bring in someone else quickly. Steve Coppell would have been my first choice, but he is now at Bristol City. Whoever they appoint they need to do it quickly if they are to stand any chance of bouncing back next season.

HULL CITY (Iain Dowie)
Hull were always one of my favourites to go down. A fantastic start to their Premier League life and a few 3 or 4 game runs mid season apart, Hull have been relegation fodder for some time. Phil Brown’s sacking came a little too late to save the club and Iain Dowie’s appointment was perhaps one for next season, aimed at getting Hull back into the top flight, rather than realistically keeping them up this season. Hull have some fine players who should thrive in the Championship and they will be strongly fancied to come back into the top flight next season, provided they can keep their players fit. OVERALL SEASON GRADE : E+
AREAS TO IMPROVE
I’m yet to see what any manager sees in Craig Fagan as a striker. He scores few goals and seems to spend most of the game being spiteful, moaning and complaining. Hull didn’t have much success with the strikers in the Premier League and they need to address that in the Championship if they are to bounce back. If they can then the nucleus of a good team is there to enjoy a very good season next year.

PORTSMOUTH (Avram Grant)
Well, even when Avram Grant took on the job at Fratton Park he knew it was a fight against all the forces of nature and a fight he was bound to lose. Handcuffed by a lack of finance, huge debt, league rulings meaning he could not buy or sell players, a squad where every player of value was hastily being sold off in the firesale, relegation was a certainty. The 10 point deduction merely confirmed that. However to have that background and also reach the FA Cup final is almost miraculous. For financial management by previous owners and managers, the club would get a Z. But for Avram Grant and his miraculous cup final… OVERALL SEASON GRADE : B+
AREAS TO IMPROVE
Simple. Get an accountant in and learn to add up properly. Somewhere along the line, someone has royally shafted Portsmouth and their fans. It will take them many years to recover but I think provided they can hold onto a few players, they should be ok in the Championship next season. Time maybe to let the youth at the club have a chance?

Image Courtesy of ***fatheed*** on Flickr.com

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