[SALFORD RED]

( except United on 7 ) and already the top 4 are the usual
top 4, although in reverse order for how it will end IMO.

This was supposed to be the year that there would be an outside challenge, can anyone see one?
Because I can't, I can in fact see the top four usual teams pulling away this early.

When United win their game in hand, there will already be a gap appearing.

Ok it's only early you might say, but I think think that gives the other teams who were supposed to be going to challenge the top 4 more to worry about.

I honestly thought that Spurs would give it a good go this season, how wrong i was.

Villa ?? I can't see them lasting beyond christmas.

The Bitters ?? Don't even go there, they have been embarressing our city for 32 years, it's not going to change and that's going to continue being true for quite a while.

Hull had their little run and i see them finishing 17/18th place.

Can anyone truly see another team breaking the top four this season?
And if so, who?

If not...who is going to be pushing for 5th or 6th place come next year ?




interesting thread that fits in here i think ( cheers RFR for making it easy to find. lol ).
http://www.manutdtalk.com/forums/football-banter/13048-predict-final-table-2008-09-a.html?highlight=predict
maybe some others might like to predict the final table on that thread.

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[Rahul]

Eight game weeks gone and I don't see any new thing or any surprise except for Hull City this season. The league table will start shaping up in two to three weeks from now. United should start closing in on Liverpool and Chelsea with Arsenal also in pursuit. We haven't seen anything special during these weeks with the top four winning almost every game with ease. Only suprise to me is how consistent Liverpool have been this season! I haven't seen Liverpool just drop 4 pts in 8 games in the last 5 years.

Newcastle should start moving up the table along with Tottenham. Stoke will go down in my opinion. Hull city should finish 12th or 13th. Aston Villa look good for a Uefa Cup spot. Manchester 'we'll buy everyone' City lying in 11th place albeit a game in hand look good for a 8th place!

 

[RedForceRising]

No chance!

When Levy decided to sel Berba so late in the transfer window, he condemned Wendy's man to a joke of a season.

Villa will finish 5th in my opinion, but they might need reinforcements in January.
According to Harry Redknapp, he heard that O'Neill will have 30 million to spend in Jan.

That could make a difference.

Everton look a shadow of the team they were last season. Without Andy Johnson they don't seem to have swgger and belief.

Portsmouth will get a UEFA cup spot and no more and Man City remain a joke.

BTW - we're playing the Arse AND Man ****ty away in November, which is a bumper month with 8 games.

Only 3 at home.

If we win our game in hand, we'd only be 3 points adrift from the dippers and chelski without getting out of second gear, which seems alright to me.

Had Frazier Campbell's header gone in against Newcastle and VDS not gifted the scousers a goal we'd be on par if we won our game in hand.

So we're in good shape without hitting the highs yet, so I'm looking forward to November.

 

[haggler]

the yids will improve as soon as they get somm food in them as ramos has been starving them huddlestone is under 17 stone !!!!

chelsea are looking very strong
arse will be 3rd pool will be 4th

flip a coin as to who is top come may between us and chelsea

everton must improve as well

villa 5th citeh 6th spurs 7th pompey 8th

 

[United_OG]

Suprised with how bad and lost spurs look. The whole winning spreads confidence and losing spreads like a disease is really true. I thought out of all the teams most likely to challenge for a breakthrough it would have been them but when they sold keane and berba to teams within the top4, they lost any chance they had of breaking into that.

Villa look good and seem to have a settled team and nucleus...they're young, alot of brits and good team spirit. Also o'neil seems to have got some good reinforcements to get some competition for places which is good for them.

Not sure about hull finishing as low as 17/18th, they could do a reading this season and find themselves struggling the season after, who knows.

Anyone to break into the top4? No chance...I still want to see city spends loads in the jan market just to see some excitement in it.

As for the actual top4, this season nobody can afford slipups less than ever before because for the first time ever, all four can challenge for the title. Arsenal, young and inexperienced but will still fancy themselves after last season and having van persie fit, players to come back and nasri seems a find.

Liverpool, terrible team but they are geting better and better and have balance for the first time ever...whether they have the quality i dont know but with arsenal and liverpool being strong, united cannot afford any silly slipups.

Chelsea look very strong but we've seen no slipups yet and how they respond to it but we cannot rely on them to slipup, we just have to keep on winning our own games.

I still think we're the best team but chelsea look very professional under scolari and its going to be about who makes the least amount of mistakes running upto games between the big 4 which could be the difference.

pz!

 

[Keanos Magic Hat]

I think we have to be pleased thus far. We are very much in the mix without having hit top gear yet. We have also played away to Pompey, Chelsea and the Pool.

Defensively, we look so solid again. Rooney has hit top form, Tevez has looked really sharp so when Berba and ronnie reach their level we will be unstoppable.

We are currently playing without four top class midfielders..( Carrick, Scoles, Harg, Ando) so I think there is a lot to be excited about.

Aside from us the three promoted teams have done really well so far and well what can anyone say about Spurs?

I think Villa are the best equipped side to finish 5th.

 

[Jay007]

Tbh, like Sal, I looked at Spurs, with good players coming in, a very good manager going into his first season in charge and expected a top 4 challenge from them.

But everything seems to be going wrong for them and they should be doing a lot better than they obviously. They won't get relegated, as they have too much quality. And I also think they'll be a change of manager soon, whether its deserved or not.

As for the other surprises, their obviously Hull. I backed West Brom to stay up, and Hull and Stoke to go down. But now I think Hull could finish in a comfortable position. They've made some smart signings and have some very good players. I think they'll tail away a bit, but could well finish around about the 10th-12th position.

As for the Top 4, I think Liverpool will tail off as usual. They still have a lack of depth, and a lack of quality down the flanks - talking about wingers AND full-backs here. I think, as usual, Arsenal also don't have the required depth and experience, and results like drawing with Sunderland and getting beat by Fulham and Hull don't bode well for a title challenge.

As for us and Chelsea, we are playing well without hitting top gear, and we've had a similar start to last season, and considering I doubt we'll get beat by Fulham at home, will be 3 points behind if we at least equal Chelseas results. (Of course, if we get one or more better results, we'll be equal or ahead, but if we get worse results we'll drop behind further)

However, I backed Chelsea to win the league before and at the start of the season and I haven't changed my mind. Of course, we haven't hit top gear yet. But I think they will win it. When it gets to the Champions League knockout stage or FA Cup games, it'll be interesting to see what he does with his team sheets. And it doesn't look good when Chelsea have injuries to a lot of quality players and can still get good results.

But I hope I'm proved wrong