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FootyView's Season Preview 2009/10!

11-Aug-2009 | By FootyView!

The football season is back! It's been a summer of watching the Lions, England in the Ashes and whether a Britishman can win Wimbeldon. No cracking derby matches or relegation clashes. However the new season is back after an eventful summer of Football which has or has not made the headlines. Ronaldo's transfer certainly made the headlines. Sven back in football at Notts County did as well. While the Ashes and Lions made the headlines, Plymouth's capture of Bradley Wright- Phillips barely got a mention. Anyway the Football season is back. FootyView will be here all the way! To kick off the season, we've got our own Season Preview. We've got our tips for Promotion,relegation and Champions and the players to watch. Starting off with our Premier League Preview...

The Coca-Cola Championship Preview!

The Coca-Cola Championship is now the 6th most watched league in the world. It is recongition for one of the most unpredictable and toughest leagues in the world. The standard of football is improving. Its quicker than the Premier League. Some say it's more exciting and physical. The BBC have splashed the cash to land 10 historical league games live and the highlights packages, which is a massive boost to the league. So who does FootyView think will gain that all important promotion to the top-flight this season?

The Championship is renowned for it's unpredictabilty. However FootyView predicts that West Brom will be champions come May. Even though there has been a managerial change at the Hawthorns this summer, Roberto Di Matteo has been able to keep his unit together. Only a few departures and some useful additions including Simon Cox and the highly rated youngster Joe Mattock will mean that the Baggies will bounce straight back. West Brom will also look to make the Hawthorns a fortress, something that has been done in recent years. The other two promotion places are very difficult to predict. Any one of Cardiff, Sheff Utd, Newcastle, Reading, Derby or Middlesborough could be in contention. Cardiff, now in there new stadium, are still reeling after they narrowly missed out on the play-offs. It was a disappointing end to a fruitful season. Sheff Utd will look to comeback from Play-off Final heartache. With a few departures and some additions here and there, Sheff Utd look strong again to challenge for promotion. For Newcastle it is going to be a massive season. After a shock relegation back in May, Newcastle are looking to bounce straight back up. However it's been a summer of turmoil and uncertainty on Tyneside. Still with no manager, a revolving door of departures and lack of new signings, Newcastle might struggle in new surroundings. However they have kept the main backbone of their squad and they look a good bet to be promoted. Reading's end of season fall cost manager Steve Coppell is job. He was replaced at the 'Mad Stad' by former Academy director and Watford manager Brendan Rodgers. Its been a summer of change and with the likes of Doyle, Stephen Hunt and Leroy Lita leaving, as well as many other players, Rodgers is now focusing on bringing through some promising young talent. It could be a successful year for Reading. After Derby's up and down antic's last season, the ship may have steadied. Nigel Clough will begin his first full season in charge. Derby still possess a strong squad and with the ambitions of Clough, it could well be Derby's year. If the form of key players such as Rob Hulse and Kris Commons improves, Derby look a good bet. At Middlesborough, Gareth Southgate is already under pressure. After relegation last season, Borough will be looking to bounce straight back. Borough look to have kept their squad together. Downing and Turnbull may have left and Alves and Tuncay may be next, but Borough still look strong. However they will need to get off to a quick start or Southgate could be out of a job.

So who is on the verges of League one football? FootyView predicts that it will be a hard season for Blackpool, Scunthorpe and Barnsley. Scunthorpe have been in this posistion before. Promoted and then relegated straight back down. It could well be the same story, this time round. Scunthorpe's financial restraints and a under strength side means that they will be in for a tough season back in the Championship. Blackpool, now under the leadership of Ian Hollaway, are also looking over their shoulders. Blackpool are a club in a bit of a mess. A half built stadium, not with enough financial backing and bit-part players, means that Hollway's job will be extra tough than his previous ones. The signing of Charlie Adam from Rangers is a massive bonus, but Blackpool will have to bring in more players like Adam, to be secure in the Championship. Barnsley escaped relegation last year. However they might not again. Simon Davey is already under pressure from the fans to produce results. It has been a positive summer though. The signing of talented loanee Adam Hammill from Liverpool is a coup, as is the new contract for Jamal Campbell-Ryce, who has been the subject of much speculation recently. However Barnsley still don't look a side that can stay in this competitive league for long.

The Premier League Preview!

Will Manchester United be lifting a record 4th title in a row come May? They're one of the favourites. However FootyView feel's that the title will be heading back to London. Chelsea is our tip for the Premier League crown this season. Another manager has arrived at the Bridge. This time it is AC Milan's Carlo Anncelotti. His trophy cabinet is packed with trophies and medal's and of course the one title that has so far eluded them. The Champions League. For many Anncelotti has been brought in to win the Champions League. However Chelsea have a fantastic chance of breaking Manchester United's hold on the Premier League. Anncelotti is renowned for his style of attacking attractive football,something Roman has been seeking for years. It's Chelsea's time now. Chelsea's squad is now as in depth as Man Utd's is. The departures of Ronaldo and Tevez from Old Trafford will hurt United. The inconsisent Berbatov has been joined by another inconsisent man up front, Michael Owen. Wayne Rooney who is likely to return to his favoured central role up front is the man most likely to be scoring the goals to keep United in contention. Chelsea on the other hand, have strengthened. The signing of highly rated pair Yuri Zhirkov and Daniel Sturridge is an extra boost to Chelsea's attacking options. With Drogba now commited to Chelsea and his partnership with Nicholas Anelka taking shape and with the ever present Frank Lampard,Chelsea's attack looks dangerous.

What about last's season's runners up? Liverpool have been fairly quiet in the transfer market as of yet. Clearly under depth last season which cost them a title, there only major signing is Glen Johnson. However the departure of Xabi Alonso will be one to regret. Alonso has been ever present for Liverpool in recent years. His passing and tackling skills will be missed. Liverpool's best chance to win sliverware could well of been last year. It looks a greater challenge this year for Rafa and his team. What about Arsenal, the other 'Big Four' team. Its been a summer of departures for Arsene Wenger. Toure and Adebayor have left and only Thomas Vermalen, formerly of Ajax, has been brought in. The fans at the Emirates are starting to get impatient. Signings are clearly needed. Last year Arsenal were defensively woeful. Improvements need to be made, if the Gunners are to be challenging for any sliverware this season.

The amount of teams trying to get into the 'Big Four' is growing. Tottenham,Everton,Villa and of course Manchester City are challenging to break into the mould. Out of these teams FootyView believes that Spurs have the best chance of breaking into the order. Another big summer of change at White Heart Lane, the first full season for Harry Redknapp, Spurs look strong again. However the same could be said about the changes made under Juande Ramos last summer. While some players have been shown the door,many have arrived. Crouch,Bassong and Kyle Naughton are the stand out signatures. In and out striker Darren Bent has left for Sunderland. This could be the year for Tottenham. If stand out players are on form such as Modric,Keane,Defoe and Lennon, Spurs could well be heading in the right direction. Everton are a side that has been on the edges of the 'Big Four' for several years. In fact they were the last team to break in to it a couple of years ago. However Everton may miss out again through financial problems,lack of strikers and some erractic form. The signing of Jo from Man City was a big bonus as he was a player who was rejuvenanted under David Moyes. Aston Villa have been quietly doing there business to add more players to there small squad. Stewart Downing,who can't play till at least December, and Fabian Delph are the only signautres so far. Villa can build on an impressive season last year. Man City's spending has also caught the headline's this summer. Not as dramatic as Real Madrid's, but signings were needed at Eastlands. Toure,Barry,Santa Cruz,Tevez and Adebayor are all big signing's. The most important of them is Gareth Barry. Manchester City didn't have the best defence in the league last year and Barry would of been brought in to ease the worries. However Manchester City may not be ready just yet to challenge for a top four place.

So who's going down? To be honest, there are a lot of teams that could go down this year. FootyView feels that for Hull,Burnley and Birmingham it will be a tough battle to stay in the league. If your looking for an in-depth squad to choose from,then don't pick Hull. Hull's inability to strengthen enough this summer could cost them. Goals are going to be a problem as well. After Marlon King left, Hull struggled to score enough goals and it nearly brought them relegation. They were only saved by their good form earlier in the season. Bad away form and not too good home form are also a problem for Hull. Burnley on the other hand, will struggle. Burnley last season in the Championship were terrific. However Burnley's financial limit's will hinder there chances of attracting big players to Turf Moor. Without these Premier League class players, Burnley will go down. Steven Fletchter's arrrival at Turf Moor is a good signing. Proven at SPL level, can he crack it at Premiership level? Richard Eckersley,Brian Easton and Tryone Mears have all arrived to shore up the back-line,however will these signing's be good enough? Maybe not. Birmingham may be the other team to go down. The yo-yo affect of recent years has seen Birmingham come up and then down again. It could happen again. The 7 million pound arrival of striker Christian Benitez is an uncertain move. McCleish has clearly put enough trust in Benitez to score the goals that will keep Birmingham up,whilst paying huge amounts for him. FootyView feels that Stoke,Wolves,Bolton and Portsmouth will all have enough to stay in the league.

Our Table Prediction -

Chelsea
Man Utd
Liverpool
Arsenal
Tottenham
Man City
Everton
Aston Villa
Sunderland
West Ham
Fulham
Wigan
Blackburn
Wolves
Bolton
Stoke
Portsmouth
Birmingham
Hull
Burnley

Got any views on the season? Post them on our Forums.

August's Features!

02-Aug-2009 | By Editor!

We're Back!

29-Jul-2009 | By Editor

After a break off FootyView is back! As you may of noticed,due to our break we were unable to kick start some of our July Features. So therefore,we'll transfer these features into August as well as new features!

Man Utd Let One Slip

15-Jul-2009 | By Editor

Last week Karim Benzema signed for Real Madrid. One of Manchester United's top transfer targets had turned down a move to Manchester. A couple of weeks ago it was Carlos Tevez who turned down the chance to stay on at Old Trafford and instead today joined Man City. However while Man Utd spent too much time sorting out the future of Ronaldo,they've let one of their best players walk out the door unnoticed. Now they're main rivals Manchester City have one of the best players in the world at their call. Let's face it Man Utd have made a big mistake now doing enough to tempt Tevez to stay. That begs the question,have United done enough to replace Tevez and Ronaldo? Is Owen,Valencia and Obertan enough to replace world class player's like Tevez and Ronaldo? Will City overtake United as the best team in Manchester this season? One thing is certain already. City have more ambition in the transfer market than United do at the moment.

Interview with Nadeo!

If you're getting bored waiting for the new football season to begin next month and you've got some spare time on your hands,why not try Trackmania Nations Forever. Trackmania Nations is a free PC video game that allows you to race online with millions of people around the world. It's one of the most popular games around and it is free! So FootyView has got you an exclusive interview with the developers of this critically acclaimed game to give you an insight into it.

FootyView - Trackmania as a series has a high reputation,does this please you?

     Sure! The pleasure does not come directly from the reputation but
     for the consequence it makes. With such a success, it gives you
     wings to go further in your ideas, so it gives you a taste of freedom!

     Have you been pleased with the success of Trackmania?

     Same answer, but to add something, I really think that the game
     can even be more popular in the times to come. TrackMania has an
     increasing popularity, and it is like a blob... the more it is
     popular, the more it grows ^_^

     How many players does Trackmania Nations have worldwide?

     Over the last year, four million players registered online. I
     strongly suspect many players to also play at the office, at
     school and so it is possible that some mores are in.

     Why did you make the game free to download?

     To reach a maximum number of players in a maximum number of
     countries. It was designed to be just free to start with, but we
     added the advertising in the process before the end.

     Are there going to be any more updates to the game?

     Either the game is updated either it continues like that. The goal
     is to make the game available through time for people that enjoy
     it. Stability is an important word for us. Free and stable is like
     a reference to know that you can play it now and will be able to
     play it later with your friends, forever.

     Will there be a console version of the game?

     It is possible to have console TrackMania game, but as far as
     Nadeo is concerned directly, we try to avoid making it. We want to
     focus on our PC dev in order to get the best out of the platform.
     The creation and the sharing is probably more meaningful on this
     platform than on any other.

Batting and Bowling let England Down

13-Jul-2009 | By Editor

England came out of the First Ashes Test with a lucky and valuable draw against Austraila. For England it felt like a victory,but for Austraila it felt like a defeat. However where England may have gotten a draw,they were lucky not to be beaten and things need to change for the next test at Lords. Both England's Batting and Bowling were below par. England's First Innings total of 435 seemed reasonable. However Austraila got 674-6 before declaring and England's bowling attack was undone. England's task was made even harder in the 2nd innings with poor batting. England scraped a draw with 252-9. The two main concerns at the moment for England are the top order batsmen and the below par bowling attack. England chose to use 2 spinners on a pitch that clearly didn't suit spin bowlers. It left Anderson,Broad and Flintoff with all the work to do and they didn't perform well enough. Flintoff was a shadow of himself in the 2005 series. Both his batting and bowling were questionable. Englands top order was also questionable. Andrew Cook will be the main target as well as Ravi Bopara. Cook made 16 in two innings and Bopara made 36. These averages need to improve. If England are to reclaim the Ashes,they need to be batting into the 400's every innings. England are facing a much weakened bowling attack from Austraila compared with the 2005/2007 bowling attack. There is no McGrath or Warne or the injured Brett Lee. England didn't score a single 6 in the test. England also struggled to produce the 6's in the recent Twenty20 World Cup. Is it time for Ian Bell to come in? Is it time for Harmison and Onions to come in? In my view Harmison is a must for the 2nd test. Ian Bell should come in as well to give a below par England a chance at Lords.

FootyView has gone all Cricket for the month. Yes it's that time again. The Ashes. After 2005's epic series in which England clinched a famous victory and after 2007's humalitation in Austraila its back to England for the 2009 Ashes Series. FootyView will be here with all our comment and opinion on the summer's biggest sporting event.

Ashes 2009 1st Test!

08-Jul-2009 | By Editor

The Teams are in for the first Ashes test!

England: Strauss (capt), Cook, Bopara, Pietersen, Collingwood, Prior (wkt), Flintoff, Broad, Swann, Anderson, Panesar.

Australia: Hughes, Katich, Ponting (capt), Clarke, Hussey, North, Haddin (wk), Johnson, Siddle, Hauritz, Hilfenhaus.

FootyView's Ashes Predictions!

Its going to be a long summer of tension. According to some of the FootyView admins,it will be a close series.

The Editor - ' Its going to be a fantastic series. On paper,Austraila look that little bit stronger. I would love for England to win the Ashes back,however it will be a demanding series. I'm going for a 3-2 win for the Aussies.

Adam - ' 5-0 whitewash to England'

Do you have any score predicitons for the Ashes? If so. Why not post them on our Forums?

Ronaldo's got some work to Do

07-Jul-2009 | By Editor

Cristiano Ronaldo has some work to do. He is now the most expensive player in football history. His 80m fee won't pay itself off. Ronaldo now has to help Real Madrid win some trophies. Expectatins have grown at the Bernabeu. Real Madrid now have to win trophies. No excuses. They have made a point to the world. Real Madrid are not going to mess around. Were here to be the best team in the world. That means we need the best players. However the amount of money spent on Ronaldo and Kaka and to a lesser extent Benzema will need to be repaid through trophies. Therefore the amount of pressure on Ronaldo and co is huge. Ronaldo has to prove he is worth the huge transfer fee. According to Ronaldo himself,he feels no pressure. He admitted that he will have to settle in La Liga after leaving the physical Premier League.

European Under-21 Championship Review... In Pictures!

07-Jul-2009 | By Editor

Its a year to go before the World Cup. Its a year after Euro 2008. For the Under-21's teams around Europe it was time to dual in Sweden. In 2007,Holland won the Euro U-21 Championship. This time round however they were not even in it. If by chance you missed the whole tournemant or just want to recap,FootyView has produced a review of the tournemant in pictures.

Group Stages

( Sweden the hosts,put in some good performances during the group stages to make it through to a Semi-Final against England. )

( Spain struggled in the group stages. They opened the tournemant drawing to Germany,however they lost to England and in the end didn't make it to the Semi-Finals. )

( Both Italy and Serbia were favourites for the tournemant. However Serbia struggled and Italy made it through to the Semi's. )

( England were unbeaten during the group stages and put in impressive performances against Spain and Germany. )

Semi-Final's

( England took an impressive lead in the semi-final against Sweden,before Sweden fought back to take the game into extra time and penalties,were England won! )

( A tight semi-final between Italy and Germany. Germany won the game 1-0 to progress into a showpiece final. )

The Final!

( Germany outclassed England in the final,winning 4-0,in a night to forget for English fan's. )

There you go. The winners in case you didn't quite get it where Germany after an impressive European Under-21 Championship.

July's Features

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