Right, this is pretty self-explanatory. Some of TAW’s finest plus a couple of special guests have done us some predictions for the season ahead.
Some are sensible. Some aren’t. Some are outrageous hostages to fortune. You’ll disagree. Add your own in the comments or argue with us on Twitter. Most of all, take screen grabs, cos when Stoke City are heading for fourth and Tony ‘Hibbo’ Hibbert’s the England captain we’ll be taking these pages down.
There will definitely be a part 2. There might be more. We’ll go in the order they were written…
JOHN GIBBONS (@johngibbonsblog)
Who’ll win the league?
Man City
How many points will Liverpool get?
68
Make three wild, baseless predictions (LFC or otherwise)
Jack Rodwell will go back to Everton on loan
Lukaku won’t score for West Brom all season
Suarez will score a hatrick at Old Trafford and get applauded off with 3 minutes left
Who’s going down?
Really tough this year I think
Norwich
Southampton
West Brom
I think Reading will do well and West Ham and Wigan will do enough.
First Premier League managerial departure?
Di Matteo if he can’t get a brilliant squad doing well. I think Clarke will struggle.
Which departing Liverpool player will have most success elsewhere (include not yet departed if you like)?
Bellamy should do alright at Cardiff really.
Everton. What of them?
8th.
STEVE GRAVES (@steve_graves)
Who’ll win the league?
Manchester City. If not there should be a judge-led inquiry.
How many points will Liverpool get?
It feels hugely dependent on transfers (out more than in, maybe), but the current squad with a couple of flexible additions can break 75 points. Really. I’ll err on the side of caution and go for a still huge 20-point improvement. 72.
Make three wild, baseless predictions (LFC or otherwise)
Jose Enrique will do really well. Most of his mistakes last season were down to decision-making and positional uncertainty. The Rodgers’ system largely takes that out of his hands – if he’s high up the pitch, he’s in the right place – and might let him concentrate on being a big, athletic, tigerish lad. He’s done this before with Spanish age group sides. He’ll be good. I’ll be pleased. Really.
Twitter will go mental when Match of the Day first shows Southampton’s new stripe-free home kit.
The Guardian will use the words ‘Suarez’ and ‘reignites’ in a headline before August is out.
Who’s going down?
Norwich
West Brom
Stoke City
First Premier League managerial departure?
Roberto di Matteo, the most obvious fall guy since Mark E Smith. Otherwise, Steve Clarke to be the new Brian Kidd.
Which departing Liverpool player will have most success elsewhere (include not yet departed if you like)?
Dirk Kuyt’s first domestic game (v Galatasaray) involved him leading the line, scoring, arguing with everyone, losing in the last minute, smiling a lot. He’ll score hundreds.
Everton. What of them?
Tony ‘Hibbo’ Hibbert will retire from international football.
ROB GUTMANN (@RobGutmann)
Who’ll win the league?
Man City
How many points will Liverpool get?
69 points
Make three wild, baseless predictions (LFC or otherwise)
AVB sacked by christmas
Liverpool will do spectacularly well, and be in the title race
Mario Balotelli will ‘come out’
Who’s going down?
West Brom
Wigan
Reading
First Premier League managerial departure?
AVB
Which departing Liverpool player will have most success elsewhere (include not yet departed if you like)?
Charlie Adam
Everton. What of them?
The usual. Mixed start that gets worse, then better, then they finish 7-9th.
SEAN ROGERS (@sean_rogers)
Who’ll win the league?
Manchester City
How many points will Liverpool get?
If spine stays fit and we don’t take the Europa League seriously, 70-75. If we have injuries to the spine and/or take Europa League seriously pre-Xmas, 65 pts at best.
Make three wild, baseless predictions (LFC or otherwise)
Those in the media that criticised the Joe Allen signing will be forced to eat their words
Michu will be the best deal of the window
Tony Hibbert will NOT score
Who’s going down?
1. Southampton
2. Norwich
3. Reading
First Premier League managerial departure?
Roberto Di Matteo
Which departing Liverpool player will have most success elsewhere (include not yet departed if you like)?
Andy Carroll if he goes
Everton. What of them?
Indeed what of them!
DAN FITZSIMMONS (@danieljfitz)
Who’ll win the league?
Manchester City. By a fair distance this time.
How many points will Liverpool get?
I think we should be pleased with anything above 60, and based on nothing but the Gomel game I’m going to be optimistic and say 67.
Make three wild, baseless predictions (LFC or otherwise)
Real Madrid will beat Paris St Germain in the Champions League final at Wembley
Stewart Downing will play left back at least once this season
Mark Lawrenson will finally end it all.
Who’s going down?
I want it to be West Ham, Wigan and QPR. But I think it will be Wigan, Southampton, and Reading.
First Premier League managerial departure?
Roberto di Matteo. Monday morning.
Which departing Liverpool player will have most success elsewhere (include not yet departed if you like)?
I would have said Maxi as we are like soul brothers, what with us being born on exactly the same day on opposite ends of the Atlantic Ocean. But I’ve recently found out that Newell’s Old Boys are nicknamed The Leprosy and Maxi has a tattoo on his leg saying N.O.B. so it doesn’t bode well for him really. I reckon Fiorentina are going to be good with Aquilani, but it’s more likely that Fenerbahce will win the Turkish League so I’ll say Dirk.
Everton. What of them?
Not arsed really. Let’s sort ourselves out first.
Stewart Downing will have a good season.
Well, you started it…
Who’ll win the league?
Manchester City.
How many points will Liverpool get?
72
Make three wild, baseless predictions (LFC or otherwise)
Sven will make a return to PL management
Ferguson will contradict himself on a weekly basis (is that baseless?)
West Ham will shockingly be in 1st come December when the world will end and Allardyce will reign forever and ever
Who’s going down?
Wigan, Stoke, and Southhampton
First Premier League managerial departure?
Hughes
Which departing Liverpool player will have most success elsewhere (include not yet departed if you like)?
Charlie Adam will become “the next” Danny Murphy at Fulham and bravely lead them on to a respectable mid-table finish
Everton. What of them?
Moyes will be Moyes and Everton will make a late surge to 8th
Allen to be one of the players of the season, Borini to score more than carroll, adam , henderson and downing did , combined in 10/11( and then at least doubled)
We’ll be in the mix ,right upto april when we’ll fall away, due to a thin squad but still manage 4th. we’ll win one cup, probably the worthless mug(again).
EPL player of the season to be between stevie G, manures japanese addition, luis, yaya toure and aguero.
west ham to go down due to thug ball being a thing of the distant past. city and manure to fight it out until the last 2 games.
Who’ll win the league?
Man City
How many points will Liverpool get?
65-75
Make three wild, baseless predictions (LFC or otherwise)
RDM stays all season
Stewart Downing to prove all the doubters wrong
A certain person to finally FO for good.
Who’s going down?
Swansea
Wigan
Everton
First Premier League managerial departure?
Swansea Laudrup
Which departing Liverpool player will have most success elsewhere (include not yet departed if you like)?
Dirk Kuyt
Everton. What of them?
18th
City for the league
71 points for LFC.
Borini to bag a Pippo-like 30 league goals
Roberto Mancini sacked, replaced by Mourinho
None of my predictions come true
Going down: Reading, Norwich, Wigan
RDM first boss out the door, unless one of the promoted sides get off to a shocker
Which departing Liverpool player will have most success elsewhere (include not yet departed if you like)?
Dirk Kuyt
Everton. What of them?
7th
League winners:
Man City
Liverpool points:
72 points avoiding any long term injuries, otherwise 65
Baseless predictions:
1) Andy Carroll to be top premiership scorer but not for LFC
2) Suarez to score winning goal at old Trafford in Fergie injury time (98 minute)
3) David Moyes will be Chelsea manager in January after Di Matteo gets sacked
Going down:
Norwich
Reading
Southampton
First sacking:
RDM
Most successful Liverpool player who has or will depart:
We don’t get many ex LFC players who are successful once they leave but I will go for Andy Carroll
Everton will do the usual, slow start with a good finish, 8th.
•Stewart Downing will not register a goal or assist in the league
•RDM will be sacked by Christmas and replaced by AVB
•Carlos Tevez will get the shits on again and take another holiday
And we will finish 4th with Joe Allen being the catalyst!
Man United win the league (with RVP injured by October).
LFC to get 3rd on +1 goal ahead of 4th – with Downing scoring last minute of last game off his arse.
LFC become everyones new Guilty Pleasure – even the Mancs. Hansen will have to change his pants after each MOTD “highlights” (read: bits in focus where Lpool didnt score). They will all feel a bit dirty.
Who’ll win the league?
Chelsea(Just a sneaky feeling, hope i’m wrong and Manc City win it
How many points will Liverpool get?
69 (That figure makes me happy in so many ways :)
Make three wild, baseless predictions (LFC or otherwise)
1. Mario Balotelli to finish top scorer and get arrested at some stage in the season,
2. Liverpool snatch the lge title in last seconds of the premiership to beat Salford to the title, Funnily enough home to QPR (Signs are in our favour)
3. Mancini actually photographed wearing a Mankini.
Who’s going down?
Reading
Southampton
West Ham
First Premier League managerial departure?
Steve Clarke(Sorry Mate)
Which departing Liverpool player will have most success elsewhere (include not yet departed if you like)?
Dirk Destroyer!!!
Everton. What of them?
Growing more bitter and Tony “Hibbo” Hibbert cracks a smile.
Who’ll win the league? – LFC (red nets just swaying it over manc city)
How many points will Liverpool get? – 91
Make three wild, baseless predictions (LFC or otherwise) – djibs to be the first player sent off of the season, LFC to hit the post twice all season and martin o neil to take sunderland into the europa league places
Who’s going down? – stoke, wigan, swansea
First Premier League managerial departure? Mark Hughes (please god let this one at least come true)
Which departing Liverpool player will have most success elsewhere (include not yet departed if you like)? – joe cole will tear shit up at west ham
Everton. What of them? – Who?
– Red nets blamed for failure to score a single goal at Anfield all season.
– New ‘old’ YNWA sign falls from fittings during stadium tour and flattens local boy named Stanley. Father takes him home rolled up under his arm and flys him like a kite after supper.
– Brendan Rodgers inexplicably adopts Scottish accent, predominantly wears Red tracksuit and says bloody a lot.
The League: Man City
Liverpool points hall: 62 from the bottom 12 and 10 from the rest. For the Jordan Hendersons of the world that is 72
3 Baseless Predictions: Joe Cole will dust off the cobwebs and do something of significance, maybe not in Liverpool. Kristian Walsh will emerge as on the best young journalists in sport(s). Two of Arsenal, Liverpool and Tottenham will have vastly different point halls from last season.
Downtown: Rob Gutman is right about Clarke and West Brom. Swansea (they will struggle to score goals or start conceding without pause). And Reading, because I know nothing about them.
Sacked: Clarke or Allardyce
Ex-Player come good: Aquilani – nobody will see it happen but many will claim to. Maybe Carroll if he goes
Everton: top of the league! Stone cold lock pick reverse jinx guarantee of the season.
Johnny M
Who’ll win the league?
Man United
How many points will Liverpool get?
68-70
Make three wild, baseless predictions (LFC or otherwise)
Andy Carroll will score against Liverpool this season
Liverpool will buy and sell in the last 2 hours of the transfer window
Agger will score more goals this season than Carroll did last season
Who’s going down?
West Brom (A shame as I like Steve Clarke)
Wigan
Southampton
First Premier League managerial departure?
A race between Di Matteo and AVB – Going AVB (he’ll either be superb and have Spurs in the top two or bottom half by Christmas – nothing in between!)
Which departing Liverpool player will have most success elsewhere (include not yet departed if you like)?
Maxi for his class in departure and Carroll if he goes – I really like the Carroll we had in the last quarter of last season but don’t think hes a Rodgers man
Everton. What of them?
Top 6